@ 21335073:a244b1ad

The other day, I had the privilege of sitting down with one of my favorite living artists. Our conversation was so captivating that I felt compelled to share it. I’m leaving his name out for privacy.

Since our last meeting, I’d watched a documentary about his life, one he’d helped create. I told him how much I admired his openness in it. There’s something strange about knowing intimate details of someone’s life when they know so little about yours—it’s almost like I knew him too well for the kind of relationship we have.

He paused, then said quietly, with a shy grin, that watching the documentary made him realize how “odd and eccentric” he is. I laughed and told him he’s probably the sanest person I know. Because he’s lived fully, chasing love, passion, and purpose with hardly any regrets. He’s truly lived.

Today, I turn 44, and I’ll admit I’m a bit eccentric myself. I think I came into the world this way. I’ve made mistakes along the way, but I carry few regrets. Every misstep taught me something. And as I age, I’m not interested in blending in with the world—I’ll probably just lean further into my own brand of “weird.” I want to live life to the brim. The older I get, the more I see that the “normal” folks often seem less grounded than the eccentric artists who dare to live boldly. Life’s too short to just exist, actually live.

I’m not saying to be strange just for the sake of it. But I’ve seen what the crowd celebrates, and I’m not impressed. Forge your own path, even if it feels lonely or unpopular at times.

It’s easy to scroll through the news and feel discouraged. But actually, this is one of the most incredible times to be alive! I wake up every day grateful to be here, now. The future is bursting with possibility—I can feel it.

So, to my fellow weirdos on nostr: stay bold. Keep dreaming, keep pushing, no matter what’s trending. Stay wild enough to believe in a free internet for all. Freedom is radical—hold it tight. Live with the soul of an artist and the grit of a fighter. Thanks for inspiring me and so many others to keep hoping. Thank you all for making the last year of my life so special.

@ 51bbb15e:b77a2290

Yeah, I’m sure everything in the file is legit. 👍 Let’s review the guard witness testimony…Oh wait, they weren’t at their posts despite 24/7 survellience instructions after another Epstein “suicide” attempt two weeks earlier. Well, at least the video of the suicide is in the file? Oh wait, a techical glitch. Damn those coincidences!

At this point, the Trump administration has zero credibility with me on anything related to the Epstein case and his clients. I still suspect the administration is using the Epstein files as leverage to keep a lot of RINOs in line, whereas they’d be sabotaging his agenda at every turn otherwise. However, I just don’t believe in ends-justify-the-means thinking. It’s led almost all of DC to toss out every bit of the values they might once have had.

@ 04c915da:3dfbecc9

This piece is the first in a series that will focus on things I think are a priority if your focus is similar to mine: building a strong family and safeguarding their future.

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Choosing the ideal place to raise a family is one of the most significant decisions you will ever make. For simplicity sake I will break down my thought process into key factors: strong property rights, the ability to grow your own food, access to fresh water, the freedom to own and train with guns, and a dependable community.

A Jurisdiction with Strong Property Rights

Strong property rights are essential and allow you to build on a solid foundation that is less likely to break underneath you. Regions with a history of limited government and clear legal protections for landowners are ideal. Personally I think the US is the single best option globally, but within the US there is a wide difference between which state you choose. Choose carefully and thoughtfully, think long term. Obviously if you are not American this is not a realistic option for you, there are other solid options available especially if your family has mobility. I understand many do not have this capability to easily move, consider that your first priority, making movement and jurisdiction choice possible in the first place.

Abundant Access to Fresh Water

Water is life. I cannot overstate the importance of living somewhere with reliable, clean, and abundant freshwater. Some regions face water scarcity or heavy regulations on usage, so prioritizing a place where water is plentiful and your rights to it are protected is critical. Ideally you should have well access so you are not tied to municipal water supplies. In times of crisis or chaos well water cannot be easily shutoff or disrupted. If you live in an area that is drought prone, you are one drought away from societal chaos. Not enough people appreciate this simple fact.

Grow Your Own Food

A location with fertile soil, a favorable climate, and enough space for a small homestead or at the very least a garden is key. In stable times, a small homestead provides good food and important education for your family. In times of chaos your family being able to grow and raise healthy food provides a level of self sufficiency that many others will lack. Look for areas with minimal restrictions, good weather, and a culture that supports local farming.

Guns

The ability to defend your family is fundamental. A location where you can legally and easily own guns is a must. Look for places with a strong gun culture and a political history of protecting those rights. Owning one or two guns is not enough and without proper training they will be a liability rather than a benefit. Get comfortable and proficient. Never stop improving your skills. If the time comes that you must use a gun to defend your family, the skills must be instinct. Practice. Practice. Practice.

A Strong Community You Can Depend On

No one thrives alone. A ride or die community that rallies together in tough times is invaluable. Seek out a place where people know their neighbors, share similar values, and are quick to lend a hand. Lead by example and become a good neighbor, people will naturally respond in kind. Small towns are ideal, if possible, but living outside of a major city can be a solid balance in terms of work opportunities and family security.

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Let me know if you found this helpful. My plan is to break down how I think about these five key subjects in future posts.

@ d9c98e71:37007462

„Man muss noch Chaos in sich haben, um einen tanzenden Stern gebären zu können.“

– Friedrich Nietzsche

Der Mensch wächst nicht aus der Welt – er wird in sie geworfen, ohne Ursprung, ohne Auftrag, ohne Trost. Die Familie erscheint zuerst als Halt, doch sie ist oft der erste Spiegel, in dem man sich selbst nicht erkennt. Man nennt es Liebe, nennt es Bindung – aber vielleicht ist es nur die stille Einweisung in ein Gefängnis, dessen Mauern wie Umarmungen aussehen.

Das Kind ist nicht die Fortsetzung des Selbst, sondern der Beweis, dass auch das Chaos Nachwuchs hat. Es lacht, weil es noch nicht weiß, was Lachen kostet. Es fragt nicht, weil es noch nicht weiß, dass Fragen selten Antworten finden. Und doch ist es das Kind, das die Ordnung zum Wanken bringt – nicht durch Widerstand, sondern durch seine unbestechliche Gegenwärtigkeit.

Freiheit beginnt dort, wo man aufhört, sich retten zu lassen. Sie ist kein Zustand, sondern eine Haltung: die Weigerung, sich einer Bedeutung zu unterwerfen, die von außen kommt. Die Welt verlangt Funktion – das freie Leben verweigert sich der Funktion, nicht durch Aufstand, sondern durch Abwesenheit. Wer Sicherheit sucht, hat die Welt bereits verloren.

Einsamkeit ist kein Unglück – sie ist der Boden, auf dem das Selbst sich überhaupt erst spüren kann. Sie ist nicht leer, sondern ungeteilt. Was fehlt, ist nicht ein anderer Mensch, sondern die Illusion, dass Nähe uns vollständig machen könnte. In der Tiefe des Alleinseins offenbart sich nicht Mangel, sondern Klarheit.

Ein Kind stellt keine Fragen über das Nichts – es lebt in ihm, ohne es zu wissen. Der Erwachsene aber erkennt es, spürt es wie eine zweite Haut, die nicht abgelegt werden kann. Doch dieses Wissen ist keine Strafe. Es ist die Bedingung jeder echten Handlung. Wer das Nichts kennt, liebt nicht, um sich zu retten – sondern weil er weiß, dass nichts gerettet werden muss.

Ein Leben im Angesicht der Leere ist möglich. Nicht durch Verdrängung, sondern durch Durchschreiten. Die Rolle, die man spielt, wird erträglich, wenn man sie nicht mit Identität verwechselt. Die Arbeit, die man verrichtet, dient nicht mehr dem Fortschritt, sondern der Form – und vielleicht liegt darin schon Würde genug.

Familie kann ein Nest sein – oder ein Netz. Es hält, oder es hält fest. Doch auch das Netz kann Heimat sein, wenn man nicht mehr erwartet, darin zu fliegen. Ein Kind zu begleiten heißt nicht, ihm Wahrheit zu geben, sondern ihm Raum zu lassen, seine eigene zu verwerfen.

Freiheit ist kein Ziel, sondern ein Aufhören. Wer nichts mehr will, dem kann nichts genommen werden. Wer das Nichts annimmt, dem begegnet keine Leere mehr – sondern Raum. In diesem Raum entsteht das, was nicht geplant ist, nicht beherrscht und nicht gezählt: der Moment, das Staunen, die Stille zwischen zwei Gedanken. Vielleicht ist genau das genug.

Man kann leben mit dem Nichts – wenn man nicht mehr verlangt, dass es Sinn macht. Man kann Vater sein, Mutter, Freund, Fremder – ohne sich zu verlieren. Man kann lachen, weinen, müde sein – ohne Trost zu brauchen. Denn wer dem Nichts ins Auge gesehen hat, weiß: Alles ist bedeutungslos. Und genau deshalb ist alles erlaubt. Und manchmal, ganz selten, auch: schön.

@ d9c98e71:37007462

„Die Tatsache, dass das Leben keinen Sinn hat, ist ein Grund zu leben – und zwar der einzige.“

– Emil Cioran

Der Mensch steht im Zentrum eines Raumes, der sich weigert, eine Mitte zu haben. Alles um ihn herum scheint geordnet, doch diese Ordnung ist ein leises Zittern vor dem Chaos, das jede Struktur unterwandert. Es gibt kein Versprechen, das nicht gebrochen wird, kein Licht, das nicht aus einer tieferen Dunkelheit geboren wird. So flackert die Existenz – ein schwankender Schein über einem Abgrund, der kein Echo zurückgibt.

Das Nichts ist nicht Abwesenheit. Es ist Gegenwart ohne Form. Es liegt nicht hinter den Dingen, sondern in ihnen – wie ein Geruch, der bleibt, wenn alle Türen geschlossen sind. Es ist der unsichtbare Kern der Welt, der Grund, warum jedes Wort in sich selbst zerfällt, jede Bewegung zu spät kommt, jeder Sinn sich verflüchtigt, sobald man ihn greifen will. Das Schweigen des Universums ist keine Antwort – es ist die endgültige Form der Gleichgültigkeit.

Wer dem Nichts begegnet, verliert nicht die Hoffnung – er erkennt, dass es nie Hoffnung gab, sondern nur das Bedürfnis danach. Die Leere ist kein Loch, das gefüllt werden will, sondern ein Zustand, der alles durchdringt. Man lebt nicht trotz des Nichts – man lebt im Nichts, als Ahnung, als Abdruck, als Fußspur im Staub eines Raums, den niemand betritt.

Melancholie ist kein Gefühl, sondern ein Aggregatzustand des Bewusstseins, das zu viel gesehen hat, um noch zu glauben. Sie trägt kein Schwarz, sie schreit nicht. Sie fließt durch uns wie ein langsamer Strom, der die Farben der Dinge auswäscht. In ihr liegt kein Wunsch nach Erlösung, sondern nur das Wissen, dass selbst Erlösung eine weitere Form von Fessel wäre. Man kehrt nicht heim, man löst sich auf – langsam, leise, endgültig.

Der Tod ist nicht der Feind des Lebens, sondern seine Form. Leben ist der Prozess des langsamen Verschwindens, und Sterben ist nur die letzte Geste einer Bewegung, die längst begonnen hat. Die Zeit nimmt nicht, sie löscht. Sie lässt zurück, was nicht mehr gefüllt werden kann: ein Umriss, eine Hülle, ein Bild ohne Substanz. Der Mensch verliert sich nicht am Ende, sondern in jedem Moment, den er durchschreitet.

Erinnerung ist kein Besitz, sondern eine Wunde. Was zurückblickt, blickt durch einen zerbrochenen Spiegel – jedes Fragment spiegelt etwas, aber nie das Ganze. Und wer sich darin sucht, findet nicht sich selbst, sondern die Lücken zwischen den Bildern. Vergangenheit ist nicht, was war, sondern das, was nie ganz war – und deshalb nie ganz vergeht.

Existenz ist ein Exil. Nicht von einem Ort, sondern von sich selbst. Man ist sich nicht nahe, man ist sich fremd – und in dieser Fremdheit liegt keine Tragik, sondern ein nüchterner Frieden. Einsamkeit ist kein Zustand, sondern die einzig mögliche Beziehung zur Welt. Alles andere ist Täuschung – ein letzter Versuch, das Unvereinbare zu versöhnen.

Sinn verflüchtigt sich mit jeder Geste, die ihn zu fassen sucht. Je näher man kommt, desto mehr löst er sich auf – wie Nebel vor der Hand. Was bleibt, ist das Bild der Suche selbst, eine Bewegung im Leeren. Man begreift nicht – man kreist. Und in diesem Kreis liegt der Kern der Erfahrung: nicht das Ziel, sondern die Auflösung aller Ziele.

Die einzige Freiheit liegt nicht im Handeln, sondern im Entgleiten. Der Verzicht auf Bedeutung, auf Richtung, auf Rettung – das ist der erste Akt der Selbstermächtigung. Nicht laut, nicht kämpferisch, sondern als stilles Hinwegtreten aus dem Spiel. Dort beginnt das, was nicht mehr genommen werden kann: die Unabhängigkeit vom Verlangen.

Nichts bleibt. Und gerade deshalb geschieht alles. Nicht um zu sein, sondern um zu vergehen. Und vielleicht liegt darin die letzte Schönheit – nicht im Bestehen, sondern im Verlöschen. In der Fähigkeit, in Ketten zu tanzen, wissend, dass jede Kette aus Licht besteht, das schon lange erloschen ist.

@ c11cf5f8:4928464d

This post may sound like a rant, hope not! Just want you to take a minute and think about our shameless collective behaviors.

In the past few weeks have been framing a simple idea, proposed to @AGORA for adding a V4V tag to be used in the ~AGORA marketplace here on SN. A new way to incentivize this Value 4 Value thing that many keep talking about, and just few actually have the bullish balls to adopts and embrace at 360 degrees. Oh yep, that's cool, it has been implemented in Podcasting 2.0, Nice! So we don't need to think about it anymore, the platform takes care, we trust the Fountain... The worse is that this approach has been taken like an invitation for people to create contentless podcasts, AI music is booming... Why? Because they know is profitable and effortless (kind of...) but if you are lucky with your phone camera repeatedly streaming on YT, you can maybe be able to entertain enough fans and start to be paid for it. Our values are misleading us, we don't do stuff because we aim to create some kind valuable, we do it mostly because it is easily profitable.

But what about adopting it in our daily life? Making it a way to live by, instead just a platform implementation? How we can change the currently widespread disease of fiat mentality? How can we find ways to create a circular economy that has its fundamentals on other values? Does need profit always be in the first place or can we define value in non-monetary terms? Does this hourly rate really reflect the value you provide? Can we really place a value in the seconds of this precious lifespan we have? Time is money? Money is Time? really?

Would we live one day in a word where there is so much abundance that it will be meaningless to associate numbers with stuff we do? A time when resources will be equally available to all, energy endlessly provided following Tesla standards—Nikola Tesla, not Elon's Tesla—like the air we are now breading? Are we ready to drop and unlearn all the behaviors we have been indoctrinated with since birth, with something that can benefit the entire world population instead of just ourselves or the few around us?

These are the questions that have been bothering me since a long time. I'd like some responses. It's this Value for Value thing, then, just a new fancy word to define voluntarism? A way to give without expecting nothing back? a bunch of people, ones can profit from? Or is Value4Value just a marketing strategy to access bitcoiners and nostriches zaps? Because that what it looks to me when most of us approach this idea. Let's join nostr, people give you zaps... Come to SN, you can earn sats! 💡sats=money, fiat money, I can pay bills with... sure lets' do it! If someone can gimme gimme money just for a comment and GMs... obviously I'll do it and spam everyone in the network with dummy, unfollowed unread two-letters acronym and get my daily satstash to grow. What about quality content? What about creating and spreading Value?

Honor

Trust

Credibility

Faith

Morality

Compassion

Would be a one simple, beautiful and bright smile enough to compensate all the efforts you invested for years or decades in that alpha, even if it is not yet profitable? Do we really need to go into the NGO compliance hell of asking permission, registering with the local gov to be let alone and do what we love, allowing surveillance and eyesight from entities we don't really care, but we do because is the way that allow us to do what we love), is the way we know.

Buddhism have been embracing something similar for long time, has been thought for millennia uninterruptedly. We still ignoring it, at least in the west. Defined as karma as a unit of measurement to define the good and the bad seeds one accumulate along the multi-life journey. Does karma need to be count? Who keeps the karmaccounting books in order? Only you can, but when your values are misaligned with the community and centered in your selfish ego, then you are probably keeping the books in dis-order then. So, how one can evaluate if we are doing right or wrong... considering there's no right or wrong, how one then can know if what has been done, what is doing and what will be done as consequence of today decision will be aligned with good values? What are good values?

Natural Law provides us an inalienable framework where objective moral truths, rooted in human nature and discerned through reason, guide ethical behavior and honest governance. It defines simple values anyone already knows and rules that we take so granted, that we ignore. Or maybe we just don't think about them when acting, privately and publicly.

These few simple value and rules, that if considered when taking action ensure us good outcomes will be, not guaranteed, but at least scheduled to be delivered. We just don't know when thought, can be in this life or in another one... who knows!

https://stacker.news/items/986449

@ 2b24a1fa:17750f64

Es ist pure Freiheit, Geschwindigkeit durch die eigene Kraft oder Bergab-Beschleunigung zu spüren. Kein störendes Motorengeräusch, das auch noch das ökologische Gewissen aufruft. Einfach nur Sein, an der Luft, im Wind. Wenn da doch nur … keine Ampel wäre.

Hören Sie den Beitrag „Ja oder ja – Begegnung mit der Staatsmacht, von Isa Mitza.

https://soundcloud.com/radiomuenchen/ja-oder-ja-begegnung-mit-der-staatsmacht-von-isa-mitza?

@ 4d2ae391:8ab9bc34

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@ 4d2ae391:8ab9bc34

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@ 662f9bff:8960f6b2

This past week I have been very busy in Holywood - just outside Belfast, Northern Ireland with a lot to do on top of my day-job! It was an unplanned trip but mission accomplished and we are off on the road again. I am writing this on my 3h30 Ryanair flight - so even in weeks like this you can find time to reflect quietly and think clearly if you look for it and seize the opportunity.

You might have noticed that I have "rebranded" the website and newsletter as "Letter From ...around the world". This reflects the reality that Hong Kong is not currently the "Asia World City" and I am not there. Whether it will ever reclaim that title again and when, or even if I can return remains to be seen. I am deeply saddened that after living 10 fabulous years in HK we had to abandon everything that Saturday night at the end of February.

This is the third time in my life that I have chosen Exit from "Loyalty, Voice or Exit" - (recall issue 09 - On Location).... Expect both Voice and Exit to become increasingly difficult or even unavailable in many jurisdictions. It is time to wake up. Talk to me if you are awake or curious!

One thing I learned back in 2004 on my first businss trip to New York is that "The way you react to a situation determines how you feel about it". This is one of so many insights that I learned from "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Steven Covey. I found the book at 4pm in the afternoon walking around outside my hotel trying to stay up to overcome jet-lag. I got back to the hotel and proceeded to devour the entire book overnight. I had never done that with any book before and I do not think I have done it since. Look out for a full review in an upcoming newsletter.

Thanks to Ali Abdaal for his passionate and insightful review of "Show Your Work" by Austin Kleon - clearly this is something that he has internalised and he does practice what he preaches. Indeed this is a short and easy read with many pictures and simple suggestions - recommended! I did read it on my Kindle and I am enjoying how the highlights automagically sync into Obsidian (see last week's find).

I was also inspired by Ali's How to Start a Youtube Channel explainer. I have been following Ali for about 5 years since he was a student doing these videos in his student room on his iPhone while studying Medicine in Cambridge. His passion for sharing his insights on how to study effectively as well as facilitating the learning that medical students needed to do enabled him to set up his own businesss. This set him on the road to his current 3 million subscribers and a business employing over a dozen people inspiring and helping others to acquire skills that are increasingly valuable in the the world today and going forward.

Over the coming months I will be experimenting with different channels and different media not only to discover new insights for myself but also to share things that I distill and find interesting. Also somewhat loosely inspired by "How to Get What you want and Want What You Have" by Jon Gray, I do recognize that I am now in the latter of the "Ten Time Periods" - if I had to pick one, I would say number 8 - at least that is how I feel!

So do subscribe to the newsletter and do follow along on Youtube. I'm obviously still in stage 1 of Ali's 3-stage process - so be patient and do give feedback, questions and suggestions!

Another day - another Airport...

That's it!

No one can be told what The Matrix is.\ You have to see it for yourself.**

Do share this newsletter with any of your friends and family who might be interested.

You can also email me at: LetterFrom@rogerprice.me

💡Enjoy the newsletters in your own language : Dutch, French, German, Serbian, Chinese Traditional & Simplified, Thai and Burmese.

@ 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. 🫡

@ 04c915da:3dfbecc9

Here’s a revised timeline of macro-level events from The Mandibles: A Family, 2029–2047 by Lionel Shriver, reimagined in a world where Bitcoin is adopted as a widely accepted form of money, altering the original narrative’s assumptions about currency collapse and economic control. In Shriver’s original story, the failure of Bitcoin is assumed amid the dominance of the bancor and the dollar’s collapse. Here, Bitcoin’s success reshapes the economic and societal trajectory, decentralizing power and challenging state-driven outcomes.

Part One: 2029–2032

• 2029 (Early Year)\ The United States faces economic strain as the dollar weakens against global shifts. However, Bitcoin, having gained traction emerges as a viable alternative. Unlike the original timeline, the bancor—a supranational currency backed by a coalition of nations—struggles to gain footing as Bitcoin’s decentralized adoption grows among individuals and businesses worldwide, undermining both the dollar and the bancor.

• 2029 (Mid-Year: The Great Renunciation)\ Treasury bonds lose value, and the government bans Bitcoin, labeling it a threat to sovereignty (mirroring the original bancor ban). However, a Bitcoin ban proves unenforceable—its decentralized nature thwarts confiscation efforts, unlike gold in the original story. Hyperinflation hits the dollar as the U.S. prints money, but Bitcoin’s fixed supply shields adopters from currency devaluation, creating a dual-economy split: dollar users suffer, while Bitcoin users thrive.

• 2029 (Late Year)\ Dollar-based inflation soars, emptying stores of goods priced in fiat currency. Meanwhile, Bitcoin transactions flourish in underground and online markets, stabilizing trade for those plugged into the bitcoin ecosystem. Traditional supply chains falter, but peer-to-peer Bitcoin networks enable local and international exchange, reducing scarcity for early adopters. The government’s gold confiscation fails to bolster the dollar, as Bitcoin’s rise renders gold less relevant.

• 2030–2031\ Crime spikes in dollar-dependent urban areas, but Bitcoin-friendly regions see less chaos, as digital wallets and smart contracts facilitate secure trade. The U.S. government doubles down on surveillance to crack down on bitcoin use. A cultural divide deepens: centralized authority weakens in Bitcoin-adopting communities, while dollar zones descend into lawlessness.

• 2032\ By this point, Bitcoin is de facto legal tender in parts of the U.S. and globally, especially in tech-savvy or libertarian-leaning regions. The federal government’s grip slips as tax collection in dollars plummets—Bitcoin’s traceability is low, and citizens evade fiat-based levies. Rural and urban Bitcoin hubs emerge, while the dollar economy remains fractured.

Time Jump: 2032–2047

• Over 15 years, Bitcoin solidifies as a global reserve currency, eroding centralized control. The U.S. government adapts, grudgingly integrating bitcoin into policy, though regional autonomy grows as Bitcoin empowers local economies.

Part Two: 2047

• 2047 (Early Year)\ The U.S. is a hybrid state: Bitcoin is legal tender alongside a diminished dollar. Taxes are lower, collected in BTC, reducing federal overreach. Bitcoin’s adoption has decentralized power nationwide. The bancor has faded, unable to compete with Bitcoin’s grassroots momentum.

• 2047 (Mid-Year)\ Travel and trade flow freely in Bitcoin zones, with no restrictive checkpoints. The dollar economy lingers in poorer areas, marked by decay, but Bitcoin’s dominance lifts overall prosperity, as its deflationary nature incentivizes saving and investment over consumption. Global supply chains rebound, powered by bitcoin enabled efficiency.

• 2047 (Late Year)\ The U.S. is a patchwork of semi-autonomous zones, united by Bitcoin’s universal acceptance rather than federal control. Resource scarcity persists due to past disruptions, but economic stability is higher than in Shriver’s original dystopia—Bitcoin’s success prevents the authoritarian slide, fostering a freer, if imperfect, society.

Key Differences

• Currency Dynamics: Bitcoin’s triumph prevents the bancor’s dominance and mitigates hyperinflation’s worst effects, offering a lifeline outside state control.
• Government Power: Centralized authority weakens as Bitcoin evades bans and taxation, shifting power to individuals and communities.
• Societal Outcome: Instead of a surveillance state, 2047 sees a decentralized, bitcoin driven world—less oppressive, though still stratified between Bitcoin haves and have-nots.

This reimagining assumes Bitcoin overcomes Shriver’s implied skepticism to become a robust, adopted currency by 2029, fundamentally altering the novel’s bleak trajectory.

@ 6ad3e2a3:c90b7740

I’ve written about MSTR twice already, https://www.chrisliss.com/p/mstr and https://www.chrisliss.com/p/mstr-part-2, but I want to focus on legendary short seller James Chanos’ current trade wherein he buys bitcoin (via ETF) and shorts MSTR, in essence to “be like Mike” Saylor who sells MSTR shares at the market and uses them to add bitcoin to the company’s balance sheet. After all, if it’s good enough for Saylor, why shouldn’t everyone be doing it — shorting a company whose stock price is more than 2x its bitcoin holdings and using the proceeds to buy the bitcoin itself?

Saylor himself has said selling shares at 2x NAV (net asset value) to buy bitcoin is like selling dollars for two dollars each, and Chanos has apparently decided to get in while the getting (market cap more than 2x net asset value) is good. If the price of bitcoin moons, sending MSTR’s shares up, you are more than hedged in that event, too. At least that’s the theory.

The problem with this bet against MSTR’s mNAV, i.e., you are betting MSTR’s market cap will converge 1:1 toward its NAV in the short and medium term is this trade does not exist in a vacuum. Saylor has described how his ATM’s (at the market) sales of shares are accretive in BTC per share because of this very premium they carry. Yes, we’ll dilute your shares of the company, but because we’re getting you 2x the bitcoin per share, you are getting an ever smaller slice of an ever bigger overall pie, and the pie is growing 2x faster than your slice is reducing. (I https://www.chrisliss.com/p/mstr how this works in my first post.)

But for this accretion to continue, there must be a constant supply of “greater fools” to pony up for the infinitely printable shares which contain only half their value in underlying bitcoin. Yes, those shares will continue to accrete more BTC per share, but only if there are more fools willing to make this trade in the future. So will there be a constant supply of such “fools” to keep fueling MSTR’s mNAV multiple indefinitely?

Yes, there will be in my opinion because you have to look at the trade from the prospective fools’ perspective. Those “fools” are not trading bitcoin for MSTR, they are trading their dollars, selling other equities to raise them maybe, but in the end it’s a dollars for shares trade. They are not selling bitcoin for them.

You might object that those same dollars could buy bitcoin instead, so they are surely trading the opportunity cost of buying bitcoin for them, but if only 5-10 percent of the market (or less) is buying bitcoin itself, the bucket in which which those “fools” reside is the entire non-bitcoin-buying equity market. (And this is not considering the even larger debt market which Saylor has yet to tap in earnest.)

So for those 90-95 percent who do not and are not presently planning to own bitcoin itself, is buying MSTR a fool’s errand, so to speak? Not remotely. If MSTR shares are infinitely printable ATM, they are still less so than the dollar and other fiat currencies. And MSTR shares are backed 2:1 by bitcoin itself, while the fiat currencies are backed by absolutely nothing. So if you hold dollars or euros, trading them for MSTR shares is an errand more sage than foolish.

That’s why this trade (buying BTC and shorting MSTR) is so dangerous. Not only are there many people who won’t buy BTC buying MSTR, there are many funds and other investment entities who are only able to buy MSTR.

Do you want to get BTC at 1:1 with the 5-10 percent or MSTR backed 2:1 with the 90-95 percent. This is a bit like medical tests that have a 95 percent accuracy rate for an asymptomatic disease that only one percent of the population has. If someone tests positive, it’s more likely to be a false one than an indication he has the disease*. The accuracy rate, even at 19:1, is subservient to the size of the respective populations.

At some point this will no longer be the case, but so long as the understanding of bitcoin is not widespread, so long as the dollar is still the unit of account, the “greater fools” buying MSTR are still miles ahead of the greatest fools buying neither, and the stock price and mNAV should only increase.

. . .

One other thought: it’s more work to play defense than offense because the person on offense knows where he’s going, and the defender can only react to him once he moves. Similarly, Saylor by virtue of being the issuer of the shares knows when more will come online while Chanos and other short sellers are borrowing them to sell in reaction to Saylor’s strategy. At any given moment, Saylor can pause anytime, choosing to issue convertible debt or preferred shares with which to buy more bitcoin, and the shorts will not be given advance notice.

If the price runs, and there is no ATM that week because Saylor has stopped on a dime, so to speak, the shorts will be left having to scramble to change directions and buy the shares back to cover. Their momentum might be in the wrong direction, though, and like Allen Iverson breaking ankles with a crossover, Saylor might trigger a massive short squeeze, rocketing the share price ever higher. That’s why he actually welcomes Chanos et al trying this copycat strategy — it becomes the fuel for outsized gains.

For that reason, news that Chanos is shorting MSTR has not shaken my conviction, though there are other more pertinent https://www.chrisliss.com/p/mstr-part-2 with MSTR, of which one should be aware. And as always, do your own due diligence before investing in anything.

* To understand this, consider a population of 100,000, with one percent having a disease. That means 1,000 have it, 99,000 do not. If the test is 95 percent accurate, and everyone is tested, 950 of the 1,000 will test positive (true positives), 50 who have it will test negative (false negatives.) Of the positives, 95 percent of 99,000 (94,050) will test negative (true negatives) and five percent (4,950) will test positive (false positives). That means 4,950 out of 5,900 positives (84%) will be false.

@ d9c98e71:37007462

„Wahrheit ist kein Besitz, den man verteidigt, sondern ein Prozess, den man gemeinsam gestaltet.“

– frei nach dem Geist freier Netzwerke und resilienter Systeme

Bitcoin ist mehr als nur ein monetäres Protokoll. Es ist ein kulturelles Artefakt, ein philosophisches Statement und ein praktischer Ausdruck radikaler Souveränität, kollektiver Verantwortung und struktureller Ethik. Wer Bitcoin ausschließlich als technologisches Experiment oder ökonomisches Asset betrachtet, verfehlt seine tiefere Bedeutung: Bitcoin ist eine politische Philosophie – nicht in Büchern niedergeschrieben, sondern in Code gegossen. Eine Philosophie, die nicht behauptet, die Wahrheit zu kennen, sondern eine Methode zur gemeinsamen Verifikation. Eine Philosophie des Konsenses.

Im Zentrum dieser Philosophie steht die Einsicht, dass Legitimität nicht von oben gewährt, sondern von unten erzeugt wird. Keine zentrale Instanz entscheidet, was gilt. Keine Autorität garantiert Vertrauen. Stattdessen entsteht alles aus einem gemeinsamen, freiwilligen Prozess: offen, nachvollziehbar, überprüfbar. Bitcoin ersetzt Vertrauen in Personen durch Vertrauen in Regeln – nicht aus Zynismus, sondern aus epistemischer Bescheidenheit gegenüber menschlicher Fehlbarkeit.

Dieser Perspektivwechsel ist radikal. Er stellt nicht nur bestehende Geldsysteme infrage, sondern auch unsere politischen und institutionellen Grundlagen. Während klassische Systeme auf Hierarchien, Exklusivität und delegierter Macht beruhen, operiert Bitcoin auf Basis offener Teilhabe und individueller Verantwortung. Jeder Knoten ist autonom – aber keiner ist isoliert. Die Wahrheit, die sich im Netzwerk konstituiert, ist nicht das Produkt von Autorität, sondern das Ergebnis reproduzierbarer Verifikation. Nicht Glaube zählt, sondern Prüfung.

Konsens ist kein romantischer Idealzustand, sondern ein dynamischer Balanceakt. Er wird nicht durch Harmonie hergestellt, sondern durch Reibung, Konflikt und Iteration. Konsens in Bitcoin ist kein Konsens der Meinungen, sondern der Regeln. Und genau darin liegt seine Stabilität. Denn wo Meinungen divergieren, können Regeln konvergieren – vorausgesetzt, sie sind transparent, überprüfbar und konsequent angewandt.

Diese Logik verschiebt den Fokus von zentralisierter Macht zu verteilter Verantwortung. Bitcoin kennt keine exekutive Gewalt, keine privilegierten Klassen, keine Instanz, die im Namen aller spricht. Es kennt nur Regeln – und die freie Entscheidung, ihnen zu folgen oder nicht. Wer sich dem Konsens nicht anschließen will, kann abspalten. Forking ist keine Katastrophe, sondern ein systemimmanenter Ausdruck von Wahlfreiheit. In der Möglichkeit der Spaltung liegt die Stärke der Struktur.

Diese strukturelle Freiheit unterscheidet sich grundlegend vom klassischen, liberalen Freiheitsverständnis. Es geht nicht um die Willkür des Einzelnen, sondern um die Freiheit von willkürlicher Macht. Es ist kein Plädoyer für Individualismus, sondern für institutionelle Unabhängigkeit. Die Architektur selbst garantiert die Freiheit – nicht eine Instanz, die über sie wacht. In dieser Ethik ist Freiheit kein Ideal, sondern ein Designprinzip. Kein Zustand, sondern eine Infrastruktur.

Verantwortung entsteht nicht durch Appelle, sondern durch Transparenz. Jede Entscheidung, jede Transaktion, jeder Regelbruch ist öffentlich nachvollziehbar. Es gibt keine Geheimabsprachen, keine Privilegien, keine Ausnahmen. In dieser radikalen Offenheit liegt eine neue Form von Gerechtigkeit: nicht moralisch verordnet, sondern technisch ermöglicht. Gleichheit ist kein Ziel, sondern eine Eigenschaft des Systems selbst.

Bitcoin ist damit nicht nur ein technisches Protokoll, sondern ein Vorschlag für ein neues Modell gesellschaftlicher Ordnung. Eine Ordnung ohne Zentrum, aber nicht ohne Struktur. Eine Praxis der Wahrheit ohne Wahrheitsmonopol. Eine Gemeinschaft, die sich nicht über ideologische Übereinstimmung definiert, sondern über gemeinsame Regeln. Das politische Prinzip, das hier wirkt, ist die Zustimmung – nicht die Kontrolle.

In einer Zeit wachsender institutioneller Erosion, in der Vertrauen in klassische Strukturen schwindet, zeigt Bitcoin einen alternativen Weg: nicht zurück zur Vergangenheit, sondern nach vorn zu neuen Formen des Zusammenlebens. Es ist ein System, das sich nicht auf Versprechen verlässt, sondern auf Rechenbarkeit. Eine Ethik des Handelns, nicht des Glaubens. Eine Ordnung, die nicht durch Macht entsteht, sondern durch das Überflüssigmachen von Macht.

Bitcoin ist nicht perfekt. Aber es ist ehrlich in seiner Imperfektion. Es verspricht keine Utopie, sondern bietet ein robustes Werkzeug. Ein Werkzeug, das uns zwingt, über Macht, Wahrheit und Verantwortung neu nachzudenken. Es ist kein Ende, sondern ein Anfang – eine Einladung, eine neue politische Realität zu gestalten: nicht von oben diktiert, sondern von unten geschaffen.

@ d9c98e71:37007462

1. Ein Kind schweigt nicht aus Höflichkeit. Es hört bloß Dinge, die Erwachsene längst verlernt haben zu hören.

2. Das System gibt dir einen Namen, damit du vergisst, wer du vorher warst.

3. Liebe ist nicht das Gegenteil von Angst. Sie ist nur deren zärtlichste Form.

4. Manche Wahrheiten tragen Masken – nicht, um zu lügen, sondern um nicht zerschlagen zu werden.

5. Ein Kind versteht die Welt nicht weniger. Es sieht sie nur ohne die Lügen, mit denen wir sie uns erklären.

6. Die Erinnerung ist ein Dieb, der sanft stiehlt und erst später das Gewicht seiner Beute offenbart.

7. Man flieht nicht vor dem Käfig. Man flieht vor dem eigenen Wunsch, darin bleiben zu dürfen.

8. Wo Worte enden, beginnt nicht die Stille, sondern das, was wir nicht zu denken wagen.

9. Ein System überlebt nicht durch Kontrolle, sondern durch den Glauben, es sei nötig.

10. Die Zeit heilt nichts. Sie deckt nur zu, was niemand mehr sehen will.

@ d9c98e71:37007462

„Die Zukunft kommt nicht von selbst. Sie wird still gebaut – Zeile für Zeile, Entscheidung für Entscheidung.“

– Ursprung vergessen, Wahrheit geblieben

Was, wenn all das – der Rückzug, das neue Geld, die Verantwortung, das Misstrauen – nicht Flucht ist, sondern Heimkehr? Nicht Ablehnung der Welt, sondern ihre bewusste Rekonstruktion? Was, wenn der wahre Bruch nicht darin liegt, ein anderes System zu benutzen, sondern darin, anders zu sein?

Die Technologie war nie das Ziel. Sie ist nur der Raum, in dem sich etwas Menschlicheres entfalten kann: Klarheit. Konsequenz. Verantwortung ohne Zwang. Vertrauen ohne Blindheit. Eigentum ohne Bedingungen. Was mit Code beginnt, endet mit einer Haltung.

Manche nennen es Exit. Andere Rebellion. Vielleicht ist es beides. Vielleicht ist es aber auch einfach der leise Moment, in dem jemand erkennt: Ich kann mich entscheiden. Und diese Entscheidung verändert nicht die Welt – aber sie verändert mich in ihr.

Die Freiheit, die hier entsteht, ist nicht laut. Nicht kollektiv. Nicht romantisch. Sie ist nüchtern, präzise, anspruchsvoll. Sie fordert Selbstprüfung statt Meinung, Handlung statt Haltung. Und sie zieht keine Grenzen zwischen Mensch und Werkzeug – sie zeigt nur, was möglich wird, wenn man bereit ist, weniger zu verlangen und mehr zu tragen.

Das neue Geld, das neue Netzwerk, die neue Kultur – sie leben nicht irgendwo da draußen. Sie entstehen dort, wo jemand beschließt, nicht mehr mitzuspielen – und auch nicht mehr zu kämpfen. Sondern einfach zu bauen. Still. Beharrlich. Unaufhaltsam.

@ d9c98e71:37007462

1. Im Nichts gibt es keine Befreiung. Nur die Ernüchterung der Illusion.

2. Das System braucht dich mehr, als du es brauchst. Deshalb lügt es – liebevoll.

3. Die Stille singt ein Lied ohne Ton. Ein Chor der Leere, der dich umarmt, bis du dich selbst verlierst.

4. Familie ist das erste Gefängnis, das man liebt, bevor man weiß, was Freiheit bedeutet.

5. Die Familie gibt Halt und hält fest. Beides ist nicht immer dasselbe.

6. Die Zukunft ist ein Abgrund, der sich öffnet, um uns zu verschlingen. Und wir nennen es Fortschritt.

7. Die Schwermut ist der Ruf des Todes im Lebenden, ein dumpfer Widerhall des Willens.

8. Der Tod wartet nicht. Er erinnert an das, was wir nie gelebt haben.

9. Zwischen Eltern und Kindern liegt ein Ozean aus unausgesprochenen Wahrheiten.

10. Ein Kuss kann ein Versprechen sein – oder eine Lüge mit geschlossenem Mund.

@ eb0157af:77ab6c55

Legal developments show that prosecutors may have concealed evidence in the case against the Tornado Cash mixer.

The legal case involving the Tornado Cash mixer may be at a turning point. Roman Storm’s legal team, one of the platform’s developers, has asked the court to reconsider the motion to dismiss the case, arguing that the prosecution deliberately withheld evidence favorable to the defense. These documents, originating from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and dating back to 2023, would demonstrate that non-custodial cryptocurrency mixers like Tornado Cash do not fall under the legal definition of a “money transmitting business.”

According to a letter dated May 16 addressed to Judge Katherine Polk Failla, prosecutors were aware of FinCEN’s guidelines on cryptocurrency mixers but nonetheless proceeded with charges against the developers of both Samourai Wallet and Tornado Cash. The prosecution denies having withheld evidence, claiming it provided the FinCEN communications within the established deadlines during the discovery phase.

Source: Court Listener

Similarities with the Samourai Wallet case

Storm’s defense team cited the same legal documents and arguments presented by the attorneys for the Samourai Wallet developers in a legal letter dated May 5. The attorneys wrote:

“The disclosures in the Samourai case reveal that the government, at the very least, played fast and loose and, at worst, affirmatively misled this Court with its arguments about FinCEN guidance when responding to the motions to dismiss and to compel discovery.”

Although on April 28, federal judge Robert Pitman issued a ruling denying the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) the ability to reimpose sanctions on Tornado Cash — setting a legal precedent for cases involving non-custodial mixers — federal prosecutors are nonetheless moving forward with the case against Storm, albeit with modified charges.

The post Tornado Cash case: new evidence reveals potential procedural misconduct appeared first on Atlas21.

@ d9c98e71:37007462

1. Was man nicht selbst trägt, trägt einen am Ende zu Boden.

2. Erinnerungen sind Splitter eines Spiegels, der zerbrach. Sie schneiden dich, während du dein Gesicht in ihnen suchst.

3. Jede Berührung trägt den Abdruck der Vergänglichkeit. Selbst die zärtlichste ist nur ein Schatten.

4. Was ist die Grenze zwischen dem, was wir nennen, und dem, was wir nie sagen?

5. Fragen sind die Flügel eines Vogels, der nie den Himmel berührt.

6. Wir nennen es Familie. Aber manchmal ist es nur eine Geschichte, die keiner mehr zu Ende erzählen will.

7. Ein Kind, das fragt, bringt das System ins Wanken. Nicht durch die Antwort, sondern durch das Fragen selbst.

8. Je lauter die Behauptung, desto größer die Vorsicht.

9. Das Nichts ist der heimliche Gott, der im Zerfall des Seins thront.

10. Stille fließt durch uns, als wäre sie immer schon gewesen. Wir sind die Frage, die nie die Antwort findet.

@ d9c98e71:37007462

„Vertrauen ist gut, Kontrolle ist besser – sagte die Macht.

Misstrauen ist gesund, Selbstverantwortung ist besser – sagte die Freiheit.“

– gehört im Rauschen, zwischen den Blöcken

Vertrauen ist die stille Grundlage jeder Gesellschaft. Doch es ist fragil. Es wird oft dort gefordert, wo es nicht verdient ist – in Systemen, die sich immun gemacht haben gegen Kontrolle, Konsequenz und Kritik. In solchen Strukturen ist Vertrauen keine Tugend mehr, sondern ein Werkzeug der Macht. Es wird benutzt, um Verantwortung abzugeben, um sich fügen zu müssen, um Teil eines Spiels zu sein, dessen Regeln man nicht mitbestimmen kann.

Misstrauen gilt oft als Schwäche. Doch es kann auch ein Zeichen von Reife sein. Es ist nicht Ablehnung, sondern Prüfung. Nicht Paranoia, sondern Wachsamkeit. Wer misstraut, schützt sich nicht nur vor Täuschung, sondern verteidigt das eigene Urteilsvermögen.

Ein System, das auf echtem Vertrauen beruhen will, muss bereit sein, Misstrauen auszuhalten. Es muss transparent, überprüfbar und austauschbar sein. Es darf Vertrauen nicht einfordern – es muss es verdienen. Vertrauen, das auf Kontrolle verzichtet, ist Glaube. Vertrauen, das auf überprüfbaren Regeln beruht, ist Klarheit.

In diesem Spannungsfeld steht das neue Geld. Es sagt: Vertraue nicht mir. Vertraue dem, was du selbst verifizieren kannst. Es ersetzt nicht Vertrauen durch Misstrauen, sondern durch Offenheit. Es fordert nichts – es bietet nur das, was es ist: ein System ohne Hintertüren, ohne Verwalter, ohne Privilegien.

Darin liegt seine Stärke. Es ist nicht darauf angewiesen, dass jemand daran glaubt. Es funktioniert, weil niemand es verändern kann. Es belohnt diejenigen, die prüfen. Und es enttäuscht jene, die hoffen, dass andere für sie denken.

Vertrauen ist eine Entscheidung. Misstrauen auch. Zwischen beiden steht Verantwortung – und wer bereit ist, sie zu tragen, wird keines von beiden mehr brauchen.

@ d9c98e71:37007462

1. Nähe ist gefährlich. Sie zeigt, wie weit entfernt wir wirklich voneinander sind.

2. Chaos braucht keine Form. Es genügt ihm, wenn du versuchst, ihm eine zu geben.

3. Die kindliche Fantasie ist Anarchie in Reinform. Rein, weil sie nicht gelernt hat, sich zu beugen.

4. Existenz ist ein Exil ohne Rückkehr. Wer liebt, liebt nur die Illusion eines Auswegs.

5. Zwischen den Zeilen flackert das Echo der Stille. Wer es hört, vergisst den Klang.

6. Wir leben in der Hoffnung, dass das Nichts uns nicht sieht. Doch es hat längst in uns Wohnung genommen.

7. Wir sterben nicht an der Zeit, sondern daran, dass wir glauben, sie gehöre uns.

8. Ein Kind lacht – und für einen Moment zittert die Ordnung.

9. Das Protokoll ist nicht moralisch. Es ist gerecht, weil es niemanden kennt.

10. Die Revolution beginnt nicht auf der Straße, sondern in dem Moment, in dem du aufhörst, dich selbst zu verraten.

@ cefb08d1:f419beff

https://stacker.news/items/986402

@ eb0157af:77ab6c55

The exchange, which collapsed in 2022, will distribute $5 billion to creditors starting May 30.

On May 30, FTX will begin the second phase of repayments, delivering over $5 billion to eligible creditors. According to the official announcement, payments will be processed through two main providers: BitGo and Kraken.

Creditors can expect to receive their funds within a relatively short period — from one to three business days after the distribution begins. This second round focuses on creditors with claims over $50,000, following the first repayment phase launched in February for smaller claims.

John Ray III, current CEO of FTX, has allocated about $11.4 billion for customer repayments. Creditors will receive amounts calculated based on the value of crypto assets at the time of the bankruptcy filing (November 2022).

Variable repayment percentages

The distribution plan foresees differentiated payout rates based on the various categories of claims:

• Dotcom customer claims will receive 72%;
• U.S. customer claims will get 54%;
• General unsecured claims and claims from digital asset loans will each receive 61%;
• Convenience class claims will see a 120% repayment.

“These initial distributions to non-convenience classes mark a significant milestone for FTX,” stated the exchange’s CEO.

Requirements to claim repayments

To receive payments, creditors must complete several mandatory steps:

• Log into the FTX Customer Portal;
• Complete KYC (Know Your Customer) verification;
• Submit the required tax forms;
• Complete onboarding with BitGo or Kraken.

The post FTX: over $5 billion ready for creditors in second repayment phase appeared first on Atlas21.

@ d9c98e71:37007462

1. Vertrauen stirbt nicht an Lügen, sondern am Schweigen dazwischen.

2. Freiheit ist ein Käfig aus offenen Türen. Du trittst hinaus und erstarrst in der Weite deiner eigenen Grenzen.

3. Nur wer sich selbst durchschaut, erkennt, ob die Liebe ihn überhaupt meint.

4. Ein Haus kann voller Menschen sein und doch leerer als ein verlassener Gedanke.

5. Die Krone der Zukunft liegt oft auf den Schultern derer, die nie gefragt wurden, ob sie das wollen.

6. Wahrer Reichtum ist nicht, was man besitzt, sondern was man niemandem schuldet.

7. Die Zeit ist ein Dieb, der Schatten stiehlt. Zurück bleibt ein Umriss, den niemand mehr füllt.

8. Die Trauer ist der Wundschrei des Seins über seinen eigenen Bruch.

9. Jede geordnete Welt ist ein Spiegelsaal. Und jeder Spiegel zerspringt am Schrei der Unangepassten.

10. Wir existieren wie Fußspuren im Staub eines verlassenen Raums – sichtbar nur für einen Moment.

@ d9c98e71:37007462

„Sag mir, welches Geld du benutzt – und ich sage dir, an welche Welt du glaubst.“

– anonym, zirkulierend im digitalen Untergrund

Geld ist nie neutral. Es trägt eine Vorstellung davon in sich, was in einer Gesellschaft wertvoll ist – und wer entscheidet, was dieser Wert bedeutet. In den Währungen unserer Zeit steckt nicht nur Kaufkraft, sondern auch Gewalt. Unsichtbar, aber wirksam. Jede Inflation ist eine Umverteilung ohne Abstimmung. Jede Rettung durch Gelddrucken ein Eingriff in das Eigentum derer, die sparen. Jede staatliche Kontrolle über den Geldfluss ist auch Kontrolle über Leben.

Es ist leicht, Geld als bloßes Werkzeug zu sehen. Doch jedes Werkzeug formt auch seinen Nutzer. Wer Geld benutzt, das auf Schulden basiert, übernimmt unbewusst die Logik dieses Systems: Wachstum um jeden Preis, Gegenwart vor Zukunft, Kontrolle statt Vertrauen. Es ist kein Zufall, dass moralische Belohnung in dieser Welt selten mit finanzieller vergütet wird – weil das Geld selbst die Moral nicht kennt.

Die Frage ist nicht, ob Geld gut oder böse ist. Die Frage ist, ob es Verantwortung kennt. Ob es dem dient, der es hält, oder dem, der es kontrolliert. Ob es verlässlich ist – nicht nur in seiner Funktion, sondern auch in seiner Wirkung. Ein Geld, das jederzeit vermehrt werden kann, erlaubt jederzeit die Verschiebung von Lasten. Weg von den Verantwortlichen, hin zu den Stillen. Es belohnt die Nähe zur Quelle, nicht die Leistung. Es nährt den Zynismus.

Ein anderes Geld beginnt nicht bei der Technik, sondern bei der Ethik. Es fragt nicht: Was ist möglich? Sondern: Was ist richtig? Es basiert auf Knappheit – nicht um zu begrenzen, sondern um Ehrlichkeit zu erzwingen. Es kennt kein „Too Big to Fail“, kein Vertrauen auf Dekrete, keine moralische Grauzone. Wer es nutzt, steht in direkter Beziehung zu seinem Handeln – und kann sich nicht herausreden.

Vielleicht ist die wichtigste Wirkung dieses Geldes nicht wirtschaftlich, sondern moralisch: Es gibt dem Einzelnen die Möglichkeit, sauber zu wirtschaften, ohne Teil eines schmutzigen Spiels zu sein. Es ist kein Geld für jeden – sondern für jene, die bereit sind, wieder Verantwortung zu tragen. Nicht, weil sie müssen, sondern weil sie wollen.

@ fbf0e434:e1be6a39

Hackathon 概要

AI BUIDL Lab: 基于提示工程（Prompt Engineering）在 Rootstock 上构建真实 Web3 应用的黑客松 近日收官，共有 211 名开发者注册并提交 22 个项目。本次活动旨在鼓励开发者借助 AI 驱动的工作流程，在 Rootstock 平台开发 Web3 应用。参与者聚焦三大领域：去中心化金融（DeFi）与支付、商业与零工经济，以及 Web3 身份与声誉体系，通过 AI 技术加速去中心化应用（dApps）的创新迭代。

活动产出丰硕成果，包括去中心化金融解决方案、AI 增强型身份管理系统等，凸显了 AI 与 Web3 集成的潜力。赛事奖金池包含 1.5 万美元的 RIF 代币，用于奖励在创意性和技术执行力方面表现突出的顶尖项目。

本次黑客松不仅印证了 AI 在简化去中心化应用开发中的价值，也展现了 Web3 生态系统的进阶成果。活动与 thirdweb、Alchemy 及 RootstockLabs 的合作，为开发者高效参与及产出创新项目提供了有力支持。

Hackathon 获奖者

DeFi 和支付奖项得主

• ProtectedPay_Rootstock：一个在 CrossFi 链上的 DeFi 平台，通过先进的区块链功能促进安全转账、群体支付和智能储蓄。
• AIFi: AI-Powered DeFi Hub on Rootstock：利用 AI 提供汇款、信用评分和用户界面改善，提高拉丁美洲的金融可访问性。

商业和零工经济奖项得主

• SwipeGig：一个利用区块链和 AI 连接自由职业者和客户的去中心化人才市场，确保安全交易。
• HireStamp：使用 AI 评分的凭证进行简历验证，将信誉锚定于比特币的安全基础设施。

Web3 中的身份和声誉奖项得主

• AgenticID：提供自我主权身份验证，结合区块链和 AI，使用零知识证明进行安全的用户认证。
• TrustScan：使用 AI 分析 Rootstock 上的钱包活动，生成信誉和身份评分，加强信任。

赏金最佳 AI 提示使用

• AuditFi_Rootstock：提供 AI 驱动的智能合约安全审计，通过链上验证增强透明度和信任。
• RSK Smart Yield Engine：一个 AI 驱动的 DeFi 协议收益优化器，通过智能合约和 AI 管理资金和制定策略。

有关所有项目的更多信息，请访问 DoraHacks。

关于组织者

Rootstock

Rootstock - 比特币 DeFi 层 - 专注于将比特币强大的网络与以太坊的智能合约功能相结合，提升区块链的互操作性。Rootstock 以技术专长著称，已经创建了一个支持去中心化金融应用的平台。该组织致力于通过扩展在金融服务中智能合约的可访问性和功能性来推动区块链领域的创新。

@ d9c98e71:37007462

1. Ein Vater, der schweigt, erzieht das Echo. Eine Mutter, die sich aufgibt, schenkt dem Nichts ein Gesicht.

2. Wer dem Nichts ins Auge sieht, braucht keine Autorität mehr.

3. Ein Augenblick – und schon ist er verloren. Wir wandern. Aber wohin?

4. Liebe beginnt nicht im Herzen, sondern im Zweifel. Sie wächst dort, wo man bleibt, obwohl man fliehen will.

5. Die Einsamkeit offenbart die Qual des Seienden – ein verlassenes Fragment des zersplitterten Willens.

6. Die Seele sammelt Splitter vergangener Welten. Doch keine Hand fügt sie je wieder zusammen.

7. Kinder fragen nicht nach Sinn. Sie leben ihn, bis man es ihnen austreibt.

8. Vertrauen ist eine Brücke aus Papier. Sie hält, solange keiner fragt, ob sie trägt.

9. Unsere Angst vor dem Nichts ist nur der Schrei des Ichs, das weiß, dass es niemals war.

10. Der Sinn entgleitet, je fester wir ihn fassen wollen – wie Nebel, der sich vor der Berührung auflöst.

@ d9c98e71:37007462

1. Befreiung beginnt nicht mit einem Aufschrei. Sie beginnt mit einem leisen Nein.

2. Herkunft ist kein Zuhause. Es ist der Ort, an dem man lernt, warum man ging.

3. Manche Familien sind wie tote Götter. Man glaubt an sie, obwohl sie längst vergangen sind.

4. Wer das Nichts anschaut, sieht sich selbst – ein Schatten, der sich für Licht hält.

5. Das Schweigen des Universums ist keine Antwort. Es ist die endgültige Form der Gleichgültigkeit.

6. In der Dämmerung unserer Tage suchen wir die Sonne – eine Sonne, die nur noch in der Erinnerung brennt.

7. Freiheit beginnt, wenn man aufhört, sich retten zu lassen.

8. Wer nie verloren ging, hat sich selbst nie gesucht.

9. Gedanken zerfallen wie Tropfen, die nie den Boden erreichen.

10. Wahrheit ist selten laut. Sie flüstert – meist dann, wenn niemand mehr zuhört.

@ d9c98e71:37007462

„Der Mensch ist frei geboren und überall liegt er in Ketten.“

– Jean-Jacques Rousseau

In einer Welt, die sich zunehmend durch technologische Umbrüche definiert, zeigt sich eine bemerkenswerte kognitive Dissonanz im Umgang mit neuen Paradigmen: Die Abwehr gegenüber Bitcoin ist selten eine Frage der Rationalität.

Häufig entsteht Ablehnung aus einer tief sitzenden Überforderung gegenüber dem Ungewohnten. Der Mensch meidet, was nicht in vertraute Erklärungsmuster passt – nicht aus Mangel an Intelligenz, sondern aus Gewohnheit.

So wirkt Bitcoin auf viele wie ein hermetisches System, dessen Mechanismen sich dem Alltagsverständnis entziehen. Dabei ist es, philosophisch betrachtet, der Fiat-Welt unter einem entscheidenden Aspekt überlegen: ihrer radikalen Transparenz.

Die Strukturen, welche das fiatbasierte Geldsystem tragen, sind in ihrer institutionellen Dichte kaum zu durchdringen. Zentralbanken, Aufsichtsbehörden, gesetzgeberische Rahmenwerke, geldpolitische Instrumente, Interbankenmärkte, internationale Regulierungsorgane – sie bilden einen verwaltungstechnischen Überbau, der in seiner Vielschichtigkeit eher einer mittelalterlichen Theologie als einem frei zugänglichen, rationalen System gleicht.

Das Vertrauen in diese Ordnung ist kein Produkt einer verstandesmäßigen Durchdringung, sondern das Ergebnis jahrzehntelanger Gewöhnung und autoritärer Setzung. Man glaubt an das Fiat-Geld, weil es da ist – nicht, weil man es versteht.

Bitcoin hingegen konfrontiert den Einzelnen mit der Notwendigkeit der Selbstverantwortung und fordert eine direkte Auseinandersetzung mit ihrer Funktionsweise: kryptografische Prinzipien, Dezentralität, Konsensmechanismen, digitale Knappheit. Dies wirkt zunächst sperrig, ja fast elitär. Doch diese Komplexität ist nicht strukturell intransparent, sondern technisch erklärbar, überprüfbar und – für jeden offen.

Während das Fiat-System in verschlossenen Räumen entscheidet, operiert Bitcoin auf einem offenen Protokoll. Die Ablehnung des Neuen beruht daher weniger auf seiner inhärenten Schwierigkeit als vielmehr auf einer anthropologischen Trägheit: Die Bequemlichkeit, sich von äußeren Instanzen verwalten zu lassen, wiegt schwerer als der Wunsch nach Souveränität.

Doch was ist wahrhaft komplex? Ist es nicht die blinde Akzeptanz eines Systems, dessen Grundlagen man niemals selbst prüfen kann? Ist es nicht der Glaube an eine Geldordnung, deren Stabilität von politischen Machtzentren abhängt?

Der Bitcoin hingegen stellt die radikale Frage: Was, wenn Vertrauen nicht mehr delegiert, sondern durch Code ersetzt werden kann? Was, wenn Verständlichkeit nicht aus Tradition, sondern aus Prinzipien entsteht?

In dieser Perspektive ist Bitcoin keine bloße technische Innovation, sondern ein philosophisches Statement: ein Plädoyer für epistemische Mündigkeit. Die vermeintliche Einfachheit des Alten ist in Wahrheit nur ein Schleier – und die gefühlte Schwierigkeit des Neuen ist der erste Schritt in die Freiheit.

@ 90152b7f:04e57401

Wikileaks - S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 001733 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/13/2017 TAGS: PREL, PTER, MOPS, KWBG, LE, SY, IS SUBJECT: MILITARY INTELLIGENCE DIRECTOR YADLIN COMMENTS ON GAZA, SYRIA AND LEBANON Classified By: Ambassador Richard H. Jones, Reason 1.4 (b) (d)

2007 June 13

1. (S) Summary. During a June 12 meeting with the Ambassador, IDI Director MG Amos Yadlin said that Gaza was "number four" on his list of threats, preceded by Iran, Syria, and Hizballah in that order. Yadlin said the IDI has been predicting armed confrontation in Gaza between Hamas and Fatah since Hamas won the January 2006 legislative council elections. Yadlin felt that the Hamas military wing had initiated the current escalation with the tacit consent of external Hamas leader Khalid Mishal, adding that he did not believe there had been a premeditated political-level decision by Hamas to wipe out Fatah in Gaza. Yadlin dismissed Fatah's capabilities in Gaza, saying Hamas could have taken over there any time it wanted for the past year, but he agreed that Fatah remained strong in the West Bank. Although not necessarily reflecting a GOI consensus view, Yadlin said Israel would be "happy" if Hamas took over Gaza because the IDF could then deal with Gaza as a hostile state. He dismissed the significance of an Iranian role in a Hamas-controlled Gaza "as long as they don't have a port." Regarding predictions of war with Syria this summer, Yadlin recalled the lead-up to the 1967 war, which he said was provoked by the Soviet Ambassador in Israel. Both Israel and Syria are in a state of high alert, so war could happen easily even though neither side is seeking it. Yadlin suggested that the Asad regime would probably not survive a war, but added that Israel was no longer concerned with maintaining that "evil" regime. On Lebanon, Yadlin felt that the fighting in the Nahr Al-Barid camp was a positive development for Israel since it had "embarrassed" Hizballah, adding that IDI had information that the Fatah Al-Islam terrorist group was planning to attack UNIFIL before it blundered into its confrontation with the LAF. End Summary.

Gaza Fighting Not Israel's Main Problem

---------------------------------------

2. (S) The Ambassador, accompanied by Pol Couns and DATT, called on IDI Director Major General Amos Yadlin June 12. Noting reports of fierce fighting between Hamas and Fatah in Gaza that day, the Ambassador asked for Yadlin's assessment. Yadlin described Gaza as "not Israel's main problem," noting that it ranked fourth in his hierarchy of threats, behind Iran, Syria, and Hizballah. Yadlin described Gaza as "hopeless for now," commenting that the Palestinians had to realize that Hamas offered no solution. IDI analysts, he said, had predicted a confrontation in Gaza since Hamas won the Palestinian Legislative Council elections in January 2006. Yadlin commented that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh had become personally close despite their ideological differences, but neither leader had control over those forces under them.

3. (S) Yadlin explained that both Fatah and Hamas contained many factions. The Hamas military wing had been frustrated since the signing of the Mecca Agreement in January, but there were also many armed groups in Gaza that were not under the control of either party. Yadlin cited the example of the Dughmush clan, which had shifted from Fatah to the Popular Resistance Committees to Hamas before becoming an armed entity opposed to all of them. After May 15, the Hamas military wing had sought to export the fighting to Sderot by launching waves of Qassam rockets. One week later, as a result of IDF retaliation, they realized the price was too high and reduced the Qassam attacks.

4. (S) In response to the Ambassador's question, Yadlin said he did not think that day's Hamas attacks on Fatah security forces were part of a premeditated effort to wipe out Fatah in Gaza. Instead, they probably represented an initiative of the military wing with the tacit consent of Khalid Mishal in Damascus. Mishal was still considering the costs and benefits of the fighting, but the situation had become so tense that any incident could lead to street fighting without any political decision.

Gaza and West Bank Separating

-----------------------------

5. (S) The Ambassador asked Yadlin for his assessment of reports that Fatah forces had been ordered not to fight back. Yadlin said Mohammed Dahlan had 500 men and the Presidential Guard had 1,500 more. They understand that the balance of power favors Hamas, which "can take over Gaza any time it wants to." Yadlin said he would be surprised if Fatah fights, and even more surprised if they win. As far as he was concerned, this had been the case for the past year. The situation was different in the West Bank, however, where Fatah remained relatively strong and had even started to

TEL AVIV 00001733 002 OF 002

kidnap Hamas activists. Yadlin agreed that Tawfiq Tirawi had a power base in the West Bank, but he added that Fatah was not cohesive.

6. (S) The Ambassador commented that if Fatah decided it has lost Gaza, there would be calls for Abbas to set up a separate regime in the West Bank. While not necessarily reflecting a consensus GOI view, Yadlin commented that such a development would please Israel since it would enable the IDF to treat Gaza as a hostile country rather than having to deal with Hamas as a non-state actor. He added that Israel could work with a Fatah regime in the West Bank. The Ambassador asked Yadlin if he worried about a Hamas-controlled Gaza giving Iran a new opening. Yadlin replied that Iran was already present in Gaza, but Israel could handle the situation "as long as Gaza does not have a port (sea or air)."

War with Syria "Could Happen Easily"

------------------------------------

7. (S) Noting Israeli press speculation, the Ambassador asked Yadlin if he expected war with Syria this summer. Recalling the 1967 war, Yadlin commented that it had started as a result of the Soviet Ambassador in Israel reporting on non-existing Israeli preparations to attack Syria. Something similar was happening again, he said, with the Russians telling the Syrians that Israel planned to attack them, possibly in concert with a U.S. attack on Iran. Yadlin stated that since last summer's war in Lebanon, Syria had engaged in a "frenzy of preparations" for a confrontation with Israel. The Syrian regime was also showing greater self-confidence. Some Syrian leaders appeared to believe that Syria could take on Israel military, but others were more cautious. The fact that both sides were on high alert meant that a war could happen easily, even though neither side is seeking one. In response to a question, Yadlin said he did not think the Asad regime would survive a war, but he added that preserving that "evil" regime should not be a matter of concern.

Fighting in Nahr al-Barid Positive for Israel

---------------------------------------------

8. (S) The Ambassador asked Yadlin for his views on the fighting in the Nahr al-Barid refugee camp in northern Lebanon. Although Yadlin was called to another meeting and did not have time to elaborate, he answered that the fighting was positive for Israel because it had embarrassed Hizballah, which had been unable to adopt a clear-cut position on the Lebanese Army's action, and because the Fatah al-Islam terrorist organization had been planning to attack UNIFIL and then Israel before it blundered into its current confrontation with the LAF. He also agreed that the confrontation was strengthening the LAF, in fact and in the eyes of the Lebanese people, which was also good.

9. (S) Comment: Yadlin's relatively relaxed attitude toward the deteriorating security situation in Gaza represents a shift in IDF thinking from last fall, when the Southern Command supported a major ground operation into Gaza to remove the growing threat from Hamas. While many media commentators continue to make that argument, Yadlin's view appears to be more in synch with that of Chief of General Staff Ashkenazi, who also believes that the more serious threat to Israel currently comes from the north.

********************************************* ******************** Visit Embassy Tel Aviv's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/telaviv

You can also access this site through the State Department's Classified SIPRNET website. ********************************************* ******************** JONES

@ 866e0139:6a9334e5

Autor: Milosz Matuschek. Dieser Beitrag wurde mit dem Pareto-Client geschrieben. Sie finden alle Texte der Friedenstaube und weitere Texte zum Thema Frieden hier. Die neuesten Pareto-Artikel finden Sie auch in unserem Telegram-Kanal.

---

Die neuesten Artikel der Friedenstaube gibt es jetzt auch im eigenen Friedenstaube-Telegram-Kanal.

---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjndTXyk3mw

Im Jahr 1954, als Frankreich gerade dabei war, seine kolonialen Kriege in Indochina und Algerien zu verschärfen, schrieb Boris Vian ein Lied – oder vielmehr: einen poetischen Faustschlag. Le Déserteur ist keine Ballade, sondern ein Manifest. Keine Hymne auf den Frieden, sondern eine Anklage gegen den Krieg. Adressiert an den Präsidenten, beginnt das Chanson wie ein höflicher Brief – und endet als flammender Akt des zivilen Ungehorsams.

„Herr Präsident,\ ich schreibe Ihnen einen Brief,\ den Sie vielleicht lesen werden,\ wenn Sie Zeit haben.“

Was folgt, ist ein klassischer Kriegsdienstverweigerungsbrief, aber eben kein bürokratischer. Vian spricht nicht in Paragraphen, sondern in Herzschlägen. Der Erzähler, ein einfacher Mann, will nicht kämpfen. Nicht für irgendein Vaterland, nicht für irgendeine Fahne, nicht für irgendeinen ideologischen Zweck.

„Ich soll zur Welt gekommen sein,\ um zu leben, nicht um zu sterben.“

70 Jahre später klingt diese Zeile wie ein Skandal. In einer Zeit, in der die Ukraine junge Männer für Kopfgeld auf der Straße zwangsrekrutiert und in Stahlgewitter schickt, in der palästinensische Jugendliche im Gazastreifen unter Trümmern begraben werden, während israelische Reservisten mit Dauerbefehl marschieren – ist Le Déserteur ein sakraler Text geworden. Fast ein Gebet.

„Wenn man mich verfolgt,\ werde ich den Gehorsam verweigern.\ Ich werde keine Waffe in die Hand nehmen,\ ich werde fliehen, bis ich Frieden finde.“

Wie viele „Deserteure“ gibt es heute, die wir gar nicht kennen? Menschen, die sich nicht auf die Seite der Bomben stellen wollen – egal, wer sie wirft? Die sich nicht mehr einspannen lassen zwischen Propaganda und Patriotismus? Die ihre Menschlichkeit über jeden nationalen Befehl stellen?

Der Krieg, sagt Vian, macht aus freien Menschen Befehlsempfänger und aus Söhnen Leichen. Und wer heute sagt, es gebe „gerechte Kriege“, sollte eine Frage beantworten: Ist es auch ein gerechter Tod?

Darum: Verweigert.

Verweigert den Befehl, zu hassen.\ Verweigert den Reflex, Partei zu ergreifen.\ Verweigert den Dienst an der Waffe.

Denn wie Vian singt:

„Sagen Sie's den Leuten:\ Ich werde nicht kommen.“

---

LASSEN SIE DER FRIEDENSTAUBE FLÜGEL WACHSEN!

Hier können Sie die Friedenstaube abonnieren und bekommen die Artikel zugesandt.

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: friedenstaube@pareto.space

---

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

@ d9c98e71:37007462

„In Zeiten universeller Täuschung ist das Aussprechen der Wahrheit ein revolutionärer Akt.“

– George Orwell

Bitcoin ist nicht nur ein Werkzeug der ökonomischen Selbstermächtigung – er ist auch ein kulturelles Störsignal. Sein bloßes Funktionieren stellt die Legitimität des Bestehenden infrage. Eine Währung, die niemand ausgibt, niemand kontrolliert, niemand genehmigen muss, ist in ihrer bloßen Existenz eine stille Anklage gegen das, was als alternativlos gilt.

Es geht nicht nur um Technologie. Es geht um Haltung. Um das leise Beharren auf einem anderen Takt. In einer Welt, in der der Wert von oben definiert wird – durch Zentralbanken, Ratings, Verordnungen – bietet Bitcoin eine völlig andere Grundlage: Konsens, Knappheit, Mathematik. Kein politischer Willensakt, sondern ein physikalisches Versprechen.

Wer Bitcoin nutzt, trifft eine Entscheidung, die weit über Geld hinausgeht. Es ist die bewusste Verweigerung, Teil eines Systems zu sein, das auf Schulden basiert, auf Kontrolle, auf ständigem Zugriff. Es ist die Entscheidung, eine andere Art von Zukunft möglich zu machen – nicht durch Protest, sondern durch Praxis.

Diese Form der Dissidenz ist schwer zu greifen, weil sie sich nicht laut artikuliert. Sie baut keine Barrikaden, schreibt keine Manifeste, ruft nicht nach Aufmerksamkeit. Sie wählt den Rückzug als Methode. Die Abkopplung. Die schrittweise Reduktion von Abhängigkeiten.

Vielleicht ist das Revolutionäre an Bitcoin nicht der Konflikt, sondern die Abwesenheit davon. Kein Widerstand im klassischen Sinn, sondern eine Umleitung. Keine Konfrontation, sondern Konsequenz. Die leise Entscheidung, nicht mehr mitzuspielen – sondern etwas Besseres zu bauen.

Wer Bitcoin lebt, braucht keine Genehmigung. Keine Erklärung. Kein Spektakel. Nur einen Node. Eine Wallet. Ein wenig Disziplin. Und die Bereitschaft, Verantwortung zu tragen, wo andere noch Ansprüche stellen.

Es ist kein einfacher Weg. Aber es ist einer, den man gehen kann, ohne um Erlaubnis zu fragen.

@ f5369849:f34119a0

Hackathon Summary

The AI BUIDL Lab: Use Prompt Engineering to Build Real Web3 Apps on Rootstock recently wrapped up, with registration from 211 developers and the presentation of 22 projects. This hackathon focused on encouraging the development of Web3 applications using AI-driven workflows on Rootstock. Participants engaged in three primary tracks: DeFi and Payments, Commerce and Gig Economy, and Identity and Reputation in Web3. AI was utilized to enhance innovation and speed in the creation of decentralized applications (dApps).

The event yielded notable outcomes such as decentralized finance solutions and AI-enhanced identity management systems, highlighting the integration of AI in Web3. A prize pool of $15,000 USD in RIF Tokens was distributed to top projects, rewarding their creativity and technical execution.

The hackathon underscored AI's potential in streamlining decentralized application development, demonstrating advancements in the Web3 ecosystem. Collaboration with thirdweb, Alchemy, and RootstockLabs supported impactful participation and innovative project outcomes.

Hackathon Winners

DeFi & Payments Prize Winners

• ProtectedPay_Rootstock: A DeFi platform on the CrossFi chain, facilitating secure transfers, group payments, and smart savings via advanced blockchain features.
• AIFi: AI-Powered DeFi Hub on Rootstock: Enhances financial accessibility in Latin America, utilizing AI for remittances, credit scoring, and UI improvements.

Commerce & Gig Economy Prize Winners

• SwipeGig: A decentralized talent marketplace that leverages blockchain and AI to connect freelancers and clients, ensuring secure transactions.
• HireStamp: Uses AI-graded credentials for resume verification, anchoring credibility to Bitcoin's security infrastructure.

Identity & Reputation in Web3 Prize Winners

• AgenticID: Provides self-sovereign identity verification with blockchain and AI, employing zero-knowledge proofs for secure user authentication.
• TrustScan: Analyzes wallet activities on Rootstock using AI to generate reputation and identity scores, enhancing trust.

Bounty Best Use of AI Prompt

• AuditFi_Rootstock: Delivers AI-driven security audits for smart contracts, enhancing transparency and trust through on-chain verification.
• RSK Smart Yield Engine: An AI-powered yield optimizer for DeFi protocols, managing funds and formulating strategies with smart contracts and AI.

For more information on all projects, visit DoraHacks.

Organization

About the Organizer: Rootstock

Rootstock - the Bitcoin DeFi layer - specializes in integrating Bitcoin's robust network with Ethereum's smart contract capabilities, enhancing blockchain interoperability. Known for technical expertise, Rootstock has created a platform supporting decentralized finance applications. The organization is committed to advancing innovation in the blockchain space by expanding the accessibility and functionality of smart contracts within financial services.

@ 2b998b04:86727e47

I recently released my first open-source tool:\ 👉 nostr-signal-filter

It fetches and formats your latest top-level Nostr note or long-form article, cleans up any embedded links using TinyURL, and outputs a clean version ready for reposting to:

• LinkedIn

• Facebook

• X / Twitter

---

⚙️ Built for Simplicity

The stack is intentionally minimal:

• Python + WebSockets + Bech32

• TinyURL API for link shortening

• Dockerized CLI usage:

bash

CopyEdit

docker run --rm -e PUBKEY=npub1yourpubkeyhere nostr-fetcher > latest.md

From idea to working repo took under 3 hours — including debugging, Docker tweaks, README cleanup, and tagging a clean release.\ \ This most certainly would have taken much longer if I had done this all without ChatGPTs' help.\ \ 🖼️ Example Output (latest.md)

text

CopyEdit

🕒 2025-05-20 22:24:17 📄 Note (originally posted on Nostr/primal.net) --- 🚨 New long-form drop: AI Isn’t Magic. It’s Engineering. How I use ChatGPT like any other tool in the stack — with iteration, discernment, and real output. Read it here: https://tinyurl.com/ynv7jq6g ⚡ Zaps appreciated if it resonates. --- 🔗 View on Nostr: https://tinyurl.com/yobvaxkx

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🧪 Where I Used It

• ✅ My LinkedIn post ->

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/andrew-g-stanton_primal-activity-7330808691933282304-QjmF?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAABQv18BeAPYRkxkYSr1mQStB9TczIhoXvQ

• ✅ Facebook: clean rendering with preview ->

https://www.facebook.com/andrewgstanton/posts/pfbid027EHZ1brPRBkHQKNsqUijPdPZGvK9id9asErdTxwjSDEf336o9TsuDPeKugToVDx7l

• ✅ X/Twitter: teaser + link (had to truncate for character limit) ->

https://x.com/AndyGStanton/status/1925045477172773136

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🙌 Try It Yourself

If you're publishing on Nostr but still sharing on legacy platforms:

👉 github.com/andrewgstanton/nostr-signal-filter

• Clean output

• Easy to run

• Portable via Docker

All it needs is your npub.

---

⚡ Zap Me If You Found This Useful

If this tool saved you time — or if it sparked ideas for your own Nostr publishing stack —\ send a zap my way. I’m always looking to connect with other creators who value signal > noise.

🔗 Zap on Primal -> https://primal.net/andrewgstanton

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🔭 Next Features (I’d Love Help With)

• Archive all notes + articles (not just the latest 50) to archive.md

• Function to shorten links in any text block

• Output post.md for any given Nostr event ID (not just latest)

• Optional API integration to post directly to LinkedIn or X

---

Built with ChatGPT’s help.\ Iterated. Published. Cross-posted.\ That’s proof of work.

@ 90152b7f:04e57401

WikiLeaks The Global Intelligence Files

Released on 2013-03-11 00:00 GMT

| Email-ID | 364528 | | -------- | --------------------------- | | Date | 2007-09-20 03:02:09 | | From | os@stratfor.com | | To | intelligence@stratfor.com |

Rice, Israeli FM discuss Israeli decision of defining Gaza as "hostile\ entity"\ 2007-09-20 00:41:16\ http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-09/20/content_6756959.htm\ \ JERUSALEM, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Visiting U.S. Secretary of State\ Condoleezza Rice met with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on\ Wednesday, the two discussed Israel's decision that defined the Hamas-\ controlled Gaza Strip as a "hostile entity."\ \ At a joint press conference held after their meeting, Rice told the\ reporters that the Palestinian Hamas is a "hostile entity" to U.S. as well.\ \ Israel's Security Cabinet declared the Gaza Strip a "hostile entity" on\ Wednesday ahead of Rice's visit and said it would cutoff power and fuel\ supplies to the strip.\ \ Gaza's population, largely impoverished, is almost entirely\ dependent on Israel for the supply of electricity, water and fuel, and a\ cutoff would deepen their hardship.\ \ Since the Hamas takeover in June, Israel has closed crossings with\ Gaza almost entirely, allowing in only humanitarian aid. However, Rice\ reiterated that the United States will not abandon the innocent\ Palestinians in Gaza.\ \ For her part, Livni said that Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip\ two years ago, hoping that could lead to the establishment of a\ Palestinian state, but only get almost daily rocket attacks in return.\ \ "We expect the Palestinians to understand that Israeli security is\ in their own interests," Livni said, adding that Palestinians must\ understand "supporting Hamas won't help them."\ \ The Israeli Security Cabinet's declaration of Gaza as an "hostile\ entity" could lead to the most severe retaliatory measure taken by\ Israel against Palestinian rocket fire from the strip.\ \ The crude rocket attacks have killed 12 people in southern Israel in\ the past seven years, injured dozens more and badly disrupted daily life\ in the region.\ \ Last week, a Qassam rocket hit an Israeli military base near the\ Gaza Strip, wounding over 60 soldiers in the attack. The attack then\ sparked calls for the government to take harsh response against the Gaza\ Strip, which has been under the control of Hamas since it violently took\ over the enclave in mid June.\ \ The Jewish states has been holding Hamas responsible for the attack,\ although the movement has not been directly involved in the attacks.\ Israel still accused the Islamic movement of doing little to halt them.\ \ Apart from the Palestinian issue, Rice also discussed with Livni\ issues about Iran, Lebanon and the Middle East peace progress.\ \ She said Israel and the Palestinians are showing good faith in their\ negotiations towards a "two state solution."\ \ Regarding Iranian issues, Rice told reporters that diplomatic mean\ is a part of efforts to halt the Iranian nuclear program, but stressed\ it "has to have teeth."\ \ Rice, who had visited this region in August, is also expected to\ hold separate meetings on Wednesday with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud\ Barak and the Likud party head Binyamin Netanyahu.\ \ She will then hold a dinner meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud\ Olmert.\ \ Rice is scheduled to leave here Thursday afternoon and visit the\ West Bank city of Ramallah for meetings with the Palestinian leadership\ on Thursday.

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O que é Cwtch? Cwtch (/kʊtʃ/ - uma palavra galesa que pode ser traduzida aproximadamente como “um abraço que cria um lugar seguro”) é um protocolo de mensagens multipartidário descentralizado, que preserva a privacidade, que pode ser usado para construir aplicativos resistentes a metadados.

Como posso pronunciar Cwtch? Como "kutch", para rimar com "butch".

Descentralizado e Aberto : Não existe “serviço Cwtch” ou “rede Cwtch”. Os participantes do Cwtch podem hospedar seus próprios espaços seguros ou emprestar sua infraestrutura para outras pessoas que buscam um espaço seguro. O protocolo Cwtch é aberto e qualquer pessoa é livre para criar bots, serviços e interfaces de usuário e integrar e interagir com o Cwtch.

Preservação de privacidade : toda a comunicação no Cwtch é criptografada de ponta a ponta e ocorre nos serviços cebola Tor v3.

Resistente a metadados : O Cwtch foi projetado de forma que nenhuma informação seja trocada ou disponibilizada a ninguém sem seu consentimento explícito, incluindo mensagens durante a transmissão e metadados de protocolo

Uma breve história do bate-papo resistente a metadados Nos últimos anos, a conscientização pública sobre a necessidade e os benefícios das soluções criptografadas de ponta a ponta aumentou com aplicativos como Signal , Whatsapp e Wire. que agora fornecem aos usuários comunicações seguras.

No entanto, essas ferramentas exigem vários níveis de exposição de metadados para funcionar, e muitos desses metadados podem ser usados ​​para obter detalhes sobre como e por que uma pessoa está usando uma ferramenta para se comunicar.

Uma ferramenta que buscou reduzir metadados é o Ricochet lançado pela primeira vez em 2014. Ricochet usou os serviços cebola Tor v2 para fornecer comunicação criptografada segura de ponta a ponta e para proteger os metadados das comunicações.

Não havia servidores centralizados que auxiliassem no roteamento das conversas do Ricochet. Ninguém além das partes envolvidas em uma conversa poderia saber que tal conversa está ocorrendo.

Ricochet tinha limitações; não havia suporte para vários dispositivos, nem existe um mecanismo para suportar a comunicação em grupo ou para um usuário enviar mensagens enquanto um contato está offline.

Isto tornou a adoção do Ricochet uma proposta difícil; mesmo aqueles em ambientes que seriam melhor atendidos pela resistência aos metadados, sem saber que ela existe.

Além disso, qualquer solução para comunicação descentralizada e resistente a metadados enfrenta problemas fundamentais quando se trata de eficiência, privacidade e segurança de grupo conforme definido pelo consenso e consistência da transcrição.

Alternativas modernas ao Ricochet incluem Briar , Zbay e Ricochet Refresh - cada ferramenta procura otimizar para um conjunto diferente de compensações, por exemplo, Briar procura permitir que as pessoas se comuniquem mesmo quando a infraestrutura de rede subjacente está inoperante, ao mesmo tempo que fornece resistência à vigilância de metadados.

O projeto Cwtch começou em 2017 como um protocolo de extensão para Ricochet, fornecendo conversas em grupo por meio de servidores não confiáveis, com o objetivo de permitir aplicativos descentralizados e resistentes a metadados como listas compartilhadas e quadros de avisos.

Uma versão alfa do Cwtch foi lançada em fevereiro de 2019 e, desde então, a equipe do Cwtch dirigida pela OPEN PRIVACY RESEARCH SOCIETY conduziu pesquisa e desenvolvimento em cwtch e nos protocolos, bibliotecas e espaços de problemas subjacentes.

Modelo de Risco.

Sabe-se que os metadados de comunicações são explorados por vários adversários para minar a segurança dos sistemas, para rastrear vítimas e para realizar análises de redes sociais em grande escala para alimentar a vigilância em massa. As ferramentas resistentes a metadados estão em sua infância e faltam pesquisas sobre a construção e a experiência do usuário de tais ferramentas.

https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/nostrcheck.me_9475702740746681051707662826.webp

O Cwtch foi originalmente concebido como uma extensão do protocolo Ricochet resistente a metadados para suportar comunicações assíncronas de grupos multiponto por meio do uso de infraestrutura anônima, descartável e não confiável.

Desde então, o Cwtch evoluiu para um protocolo próprio. Esta seção descreverá os vários riscos conhecidos que o Cwtch tenta mitigar e será fortemente referenciado no restante do documento ao discutir os vários subcomponentes da Arquitetura Cwtch.

Modelo de ameaça.

É importante identificar e compreender que os metadados são omnipresentes nos protocolos de comunicação; é de facto necessário que tais protocolos funcionem de forma eficiente e em escala. No entanto, as informações que são úteis para facilitar peers e servidores também são altamente relevantes para adversários que desejam explorar tais informações.

Para a definição do nosso problema, assumiremos que o conteúdo de uma comunicação é criptografado de tal forma que um adversário é praticamente incapaz de quebrá-lo veja tapir e cwtch para detalhes sobre a criptografia que usamos, e como tal nos concentraremos em o contexto para os metadados de comunicação.

Procuramos proteger os seguintes contextos de comunicação:

• Quem está envolvido em uma comunicação? Pode ser possível identificar pessoas ou simplesmente identificadores de dispositivos ou redes. Por exemplo, “esta comunicação envolve Alice, uma jornalista, e Bob, um funcionário público”.

• Onde estão os participantes da conversa? Por exemplo, “durante esta comunicação, Alice estava na França e Bob estava no Canadá”.

• Quando ocorreu uma conversa? O momento e a duração da comunicação podem revelar muito sobre a natureza de uma chamada, por exemplo, “Bob, um funcionário público, conversou com Alice ao telefone por uma hora ontem à noite. Esta é a primeira vez que eles se comunicam.” *Como a conversa foi mediada? O fato de uma conversa ter ocorrido por meio de um e-mail criptografado ou não criptografado pode fornecer informações úteis. Por exemplo, “Alice enviou um e-mail criptografado para Bob ontem, enquanto eles normalmente enviam apenas e-mails de texto simples um para o outro”.

• Sobre o que é a conversa? Mesmo que o conteúdo da comunicação seja criptografado, às vezes é possível derivar um contexto provável de uma conversa sem saber exatamente o que é dito, por exemplo, “uma pessoa ligou para uma pizzaria na hora do jantar” ou “alguém ligou para um número conhecido de linha direta de suicídio na hora do jantar”. 3 horas da manhã."

Além das conversas individuais, também procuramos defender-nos contra ataques de correlação de contexto, através dos quais múltiplas conversas são analisadas para obter informações de nível superior:

• Relacionamentos: Descobrir relações sociais entre um par de entidades analisando a frequência e a duração de suas comunicações durante um período de tempo. Por exemplo, Carol e Eve ligam uma para a outra todos os dias durante várias horas seguidas.

• Cliques: Descobrir relações sociais entre um grupo de entidades que interagem entre si. Por exemplo, Alice, Bob e Eva se comunicam entre si.

• Grupos vagamente conectados e indivíduos-ponte: descobrir grupos que se comunicam entre si através de intermediários, analisando cadeias de comunicação (por exemplo, toda vez que Alice fala com Bob, ela fala com Carol quase imediatamente depois; Bob e Carol nunca se comunicam).

• Padrão de Vida: Descobrir quais comunicações são cíclicas e previsíveis. Por exemplo, Alice liga para Eve toda segunda-feira à noite por cerca de uma hora. Ataques Ativos

Ataques de deturpação.

O Cwtch não fornece registro global de nomes de exibição e, como tal, as pessoas que usam o Cwtch são mais vulneráveis ​​a ataques baseados em declarações falsas, ou seja, pessoas que fingem ser outras pessoas:

O fluxo básico de um desses ataques é o seguinte, embora também existam outros fluxos:

•Alice tem um amigo chamado Bob e outro chamado Eve

• Eve descobre que Alice tem um amigo chamado Bob

• Eve cria milhares de novas contas para encontrar uma que tenha uma imagem/chave pública semelhante à de Bob (não será idêntica, mas pode enganar alguém por alguns minutos)

• Eve chama essa nova conta de "Eve New Account" e adiciona Alice como amiga.

• Eve então muda seu nome em "Eve New Account" para "Bob"

• Alice envia mensagens destinadas a "Bob" para a conta falsa de Bob de Eve Como os ataques de declarações falsas são inerentemente uma questão de confiança e verificação, a única maneira absoluta de evitá-los é os usuários validarem absolutamente a chave pública. Obviamente, isso não é o ideal e, em muitos casos, simplesmente não acontecerá .

Como tal, pretendemos fornecer algumas dicas de experiência do usuário na interface do usuário para orientar as pessoas na tomada de decisões sobre confiar em contas e/ou distinguir contas que possam estar tentando se representar como outros usuários.

Uma nota sobre ataques físicos A Cwtch não considera ataques que exijam acesso físico (ou equivalente) à máquina do usuário como praticamente defensáveis. No entanto, no interesse de uma boa engenharia de segurança, ao longo deste documento ainda nos referiremos a ataques ou condições que exigem tal privilégio e indicaremos onde quaisquer mitigações que implementámos falharão.

Um perfil Cwtch.

Os usuários podem criar um ou mais perfis Cwtch. Cada perfil gera um par de chaves ed25519 aleatório compatível com Tor.

Além do material criptográfico, um perfil também contém uma lista de Contatos (outras chaves públicas do perfil Cwtch + dados associados sobre esse perfil, como apelido e (opcionalmente) mensagens históricas), uma lista de Grupos (contendo o material criptográfico do grupo, além de outros dados associados, como apelido do grupo e mensagens históricas).

Conversões entre duas partes: ponto a ponto

https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/nostrcheck.me_2186338207587396891707662879.webp

Para que duas partes participem de uma conversa ponto a ponto, ambas devem estar on-line, mas apenas uma precisa estar acessível por meio do serviço Onion. Por uma questão de clareza, muitas vezes rotulamos uma parte como “ponto de entrada” (aquele que hospeda o serviço cebola) e a outra parte como “ponto de saída” (aquele que se conecta ao serviço cebola).

Após a conexão, ambas as partes adotam um protocolo de autenticação que:

• Afirma que cada parte tem acesso à chave privada associada à sua identidade pública.

• Gera uma chave de sessão efêmera usada para criptografar todas as comunicações futuras durante a sessão.

Esta troca (documentada com mais detalhes no protocolo de autenticação ) é negável offline , ou seja, é possível para qualquer parte falsificar transcrições desta troca de protocolo após o fato e, como tal - após o fato - é impossível provar definitivamente que a troca aconteceu de forma alguma.

Após o protocolo de autenticação, as duas partes podem trocar mensagens livremente.

Conversas em Grupo e Comunicação Ponto a Servidor

Ao iniciar uma conversa em grupo, é gerada uma chave aleatória para o grupo, conhecida como Group Key. Todas as comunicações do grupo são criptografadas usando esta chave. Além disso, o criador do grupo escolhe um servidor Cwtch para hospedar o grupo. Um convite é gerado, incluindo o Group Key, o servidor do grupo e a chave do grupo, para ser enviado aos potenciais membros.

Para enviar uma mensagem ao grupo, um perfil se conecta ao servidor do grupo e criptografa a mensagem usando a Group Key, gerando também uma assinatura sobre o Group ID, o servidor do grupo e a mensagem. Para receber mensagens do grupo, um perfil se conecta ao servidor e baixa as mensagens, tentando descriptografá-las usando a Group Key e verificando a assinatura.

Detalhamento do Ecossistema de Componentes

O Cwtch é composto por várias bibliotecas de componentes menores, cada uma desempenhando um papel específico. Algumas dessas bibliotecas incluem:

• abertoprivacidade/conectividade: Abstração de rede ACN, atualmente suportando apenas Tor.
• cwtch.im/tapir: Biblioteca para construção de aplicativos p2p em sistemas de comunicação anônimos.
• cwtch.im/cwtch: Biblioteca principal para implementação do protocolo/sistema Cwtch.
• cwtch.im/libcwtch-go: Fornece ligações C para Cwtch para uso em implementações de UI.

TAPIR: Uma Visão Detalhada

Projetado para substituir os antigos canais de ricochete baseados em protobuf, o Tapir fornece uma estrutura para a construção de aplicativos anônimos.

Está dividido em várias camadas:

• Identidade - Um par de chaves ed25519, necessário para estabelecer um serviço cebola Tor v3 e usado para manter uma identidade criptográfica consistente para um par.

• Conexões – O protocolo de rede bruto que conecta dois pares. Até agora, as conexões são definidas apenas através do Tor v3 Onion Services.

• Aplicativos - As diversas lógicas que permitem um determinado fluxo de informações em uma conexão. Os exemplos incluem transcrições criptográficas compartilhadas, autenticação, proteção contra spam e serviços baseados em tokens. Os aplicativos fornecem recursos que podem ser referenciados por outros aplicativos para determinar se um determinado peer tem a capacidade de usar um determinado aplicativo hospedado.

• Pilhas de aplicativos - Um mecanismo para conectar mais de um aplicativo, por exemplo, a autenticação depende de uma transcrição criptográfica compartilhada e o aplicativo peer cwtch principal é baseado no aplicativo de autenticação.

Identidade.

Um par de chaves ed25519, necessário para estabelecer um serviço cebola Tor v3 e usado para manter uma identidade criptográfica consistente para um peer.

InitializeIdentity - de um par de chaves conhecido e persistente:i,I

InitializeEphemeralIdentity - de um par de chaves aleatório: ie,Ie

Aplicativos de transcrição.

Inicializa uma transcrição criptográfica baseada em Merlin que pode ser usada como base de protocolos baseados em compromisso de nível superior

O aplicativo de transcrição entrará em pânico se um aplicativo tentar substituir uma transcrição existente por uma nova (aplicando a regra de que uma sessão é baseada em uma e apenas uma transcrição).

Merlin é uma construção de transcrição baseada em STROBE para provas de conhecimento zero. Ele automatiza a transformação Fiat-Shamir, para que, usando Merlin, protocolos não interativos possam ser implementados como se fossem interativos.

Isto é significativamente mais fácil e menos sujeito a erros do que realizar a transformação manualmente e, além disso, também fornece suporte natural para:

• protocolos multi-round com fases alternadas de commit e desafio;

• separação natural de domínios, garantindo que os desafios estejam vinculados às afirmações a serem provadas;

• enquadramento automático de mensagens, evitando codificação ambígua de dados de compromisso;

• e composição do protocolo, usando uma transcrição comum para vários protocolos.

Finalmente, o Merlin também fornece um gerador de números aleatórios baseado em transcrição como defesa profunda contra ataques de entropia ruim (como reutilização de nonce ou preconceito em muitas provas). Este RNG fornece aleatoriedade sintética derivada de toda a transcrição pública, bem como dos dados da testemunha do provador e uma entrada auxiliar de um RNG externo.

Conectividade Cwtch faz uso do Tor Onion Services (v3) para todas as comunicações entre nós.

Fornecemos o pacote openprivacy/connectivity para gerenciar o daemon Tor e configurar e desmontar serviços cebola através do Tor.

Criptografia e armazenamento de perfil.

Os perfis são armazenados localmente no disco e criptografados usando uma chave derivada de uma senha conhecida pelo usuário (via pbkdf2).

Observe que, uma vez criptografado e armazenado em disco, a única maneira de recuperar um perfil é recuperando a senha - como tal, não é possível fornecer uma lista completa de perfis aos quais um usuário pode ter acesso até inserir uma senha.

Perfis não criptografados e a senha padrão Para lidar com perfis "não criptografados" (ou seja, que não exigem senha para serem abertos), atualmente criamos um perfil com uma senha codificada de fato .

Isso não é o ideal, preferiríamos confiar no material de chave fornecido pelo sistema operacional, de modo que o perfil fosse vinculado a um dispositivo específico, mas esses recursos são atualmente uma colcha de retalhos - também notamos, ao criar um perfil não criptografado, pessoas que usam Cwtch estão explicitamente optando pelo risco de que alguém com acesso ao sistema de arquivos possa descriptografar seu perfil.

Vulnerabilidades Relacionadas a Imagens e Entrada de Dados

Imagens Maliciosas

O Cwtch enfrenta desafios na renderização de imagens, com o Flutter utilizando Skia, embora o código subjacente não seja totalmente seguro para a memória.

Realizamos testes de fuzzing nos componentes Cwtch e encontramos um bug de travamento causado por um arquivo GIF malformado, levando a falhas no kernel. Para mitigar isso, adotamos a política de sempre habilitar cacheWidth e/ou cacheHeight máximo para widgets de imagem.

Identificamos o risco de imagens maliciosas serem renderizadas de forma diferente em diferentes plataformas, como evidenciado por um bug no analisador PNG da Apple.

Riscos de Entrada de Dados

Um risco significativo é a interceptação de conteúdo ou metadados por meio de um Input Method Editor (IME) em dispositivos móveis. Mesmo aplicativos IME padrão podem expor dados por meio de sincronização na nuvem, tradução online ou dicionários pessoais.

Implementamos medidas de mitigação, como enableIMEPersonalizedLearning: false no Cwtch 1.2, mas a solução completa requer ações em nível de sistema operacional e é um desafio contínuo para a segurança móvel.

Servidor Cwtch.

O objetivo do protocolo Cwtch é permitir a comunicação em grupo através de infraestrutura não confiável .

Ao contrário dos esquemas baseados em retransmissão, onde os grupos atribuem um líder, um conjunto de líderes ou um servidor confiável de terceiros para garantir que cada membro do grupo possa enviar e receber mensagens em tempo hábil (mesmo que os membros estejam offline) - infraestrutura não confiável tem o objetivo de realizar essas propriedades sem a suposição de confiança.

O artigo original do Cwtch definia um conjunto de propriedades que se esperava que os servidores Cwtch fornecessem:

• O Cwtch Server pode ser usado por vários grupos ou apenas um.

• Um servidor Cwtch, sem a colaboração de um membro do grupo, nunca deve aprender a identidade dos participantes de um grupo.

• Um servidor Cwtch nunca deve aprender o conteúdo de qualquer comunicação.

• Um servidor Cwtch nunca deve ser capaz de distinguir mensagens como pertencentes a um grupo específico. Observamos aqui que essas propriedades são um superconjunto dos objetivos de design das estruturas de Recuperação de Informações Privadas.

Melhorias na Eficiência e Segurança

Eficiência do Protocolo

Atualmente, apenas um protocolo conhecido, o PIR ingênuo, atende às propriedades desejadas para garantir a privacidade na comunicação do grupo Cwtch. Este método tem um impacto direto na eficiência da largura de banda, especialmente para usuários em dispositivos móveis. Em resposta a isso, estamos ativamente desenvolvendo novos protocolos que permitem negociar garantias de privacidade e eficiência de maneiras diversas.

Os servidores, no momento desta escrita, permitem o download completo de todas as mensagens armazenadas, bem como uma solicitação para baixar mensagens específicas a partir de uma determinada mensagem. Quando os pares ingressam em um grupo em um novo servidor, eles baixam todas as mensagens do servidor inicialmente e, posteriormente, apenas as mensagens novas.

Mitigação de Análise de Metadados

Essa abordagem permite uma análise moderada de metadados, pois o servidor pode enviar novas mensagens para cada perfil suspeito exclusivo e usar essas assinaturas de mensagens exclusivas para rastrear sessões ao longo do tempo. Essa preocupação é mitigada por dois fatores:

1. Os perfis podem atualizar suas conexões a qualquer momento, resultando em uma nova sessão do servidor.
2. Os perfis podem ser "ressincronizados" de um servidor a qualquer momento, resultando em uma nova chamada para baixar todas as mensagens. Isso é comumente usado para buscar mensagens antigas de um grupo.

Embora essas medidas imponham limites ao que o servidor pode inferir, ainda não podemos garantir resistência total aos metadados. Para soluções futuras para esse problema, consulte Niwl.

Proteção contra Pares Maliciosos

Os servidores enfrentam o risco de spam gerado por pares, representando uma ameaça significativa à eficácia do sistema Cwtch. Embora tenhamos implementado um mecanismo de proteção contra spam no protótipo do Cwtch, exigindo que os pares realizem alguma prova de trabalho especificada pelo servidor, reconhecemos que essa não é uma solução robusta na presença de um adversário determinado com recursos significativos.

Pacotes de Chaves

Os servidores Cwtch se identificam por meio de pacotes de chaves assinados, contendo uma lista de chaves necessárias para garantir a segurança e resistência aos metadados na comunicação do grupo Cwtch. Esses pacotes de chaves geralmente incluem três chaves: uma chave pública do serviço Tor v3 Onion para o Token Board, uma chave pública do Tor v3 Onion Service para o Token Service e uma chave pública do Privacy Pass.

Para verificar os pacotes de chaves, os perfis que os importam do servidor utilizam o algoritmo trust-on-first-use (TOFU), verificando a assinatura anexada e a existência de todos os tipos de chave. Se o perfil já tiver importado o pacote de chaves do servidor anteriormente, todas as chaves são consideradas iguais.

Configuração prévia do aplicativo para ativar o Relé do Cwtch.

No Android, a hospedagem de servidor não está habilitada, pois essa opção não está disponível devido às limitações dos dispositivos Android. Essa funcionalidade está reservada apenas para servidores hospedados em desktops.

No Android, a única forma direta de importar uma chave de servidor é através do grupo de teste Cwtch, garantindo assim acesso ao servidor Cwtch.

Primeiro passo é Habilitar a opção de grupo no Cwtch que está em fase de testes. Clique na opção no canto superior direito da tela de configuração e pressione o botão para acessar as configurações do Cwtch.

Você pode alterar o idioma para Português do Brasil.Depois, role para baixo e selecione a opção para ativar os experimentos. Em seguida, ative a opção para habilitar o chat em grupo e a pré-visualização de imagens e fotos de perfil, permitindo que você troque sua foto de perfil.

https://pomf2.lain.la/f/eprhj0u3.mp4

Próximo passo é Criar um perfil.

Pressione o + botão de ação no canto inferior direito e selecione "Novo perfil" ou aberta no botão + adicionar novo perfil.

• Selecione um nome de exibição

• Selecione se deseja proteger

este perfil e salvo localmente com criptografia forte: Senha: sua conta está protegida de outras pessoas que possam usar este dispositivo

Sem senha: qualquer pessoa que tenha acesso a este dispositivo poderá acessar este perfil.

Preencha sua senha e digite-a novamente

Os perfis são armazenados localmente no disco e criptografados usando uma chave derivada de uma senha conhecida pelo usuário (via pbkdf2).

Observe que, uma vez criptografado e armazenado em disco, a única maneira de recuperar um perfil é recuperando a chave da senha - como tal, não é possível fornecer uma lista completa de perfis aos quais um usuário pode ter acesso até inserir um senha.

https://pomf2.lain.la/f/7p6jfr9r.mp4

O próximo passo é adicionar o FuzzBot, que é um bot de testes e de desenvolvimento.

Contato do FuzzBot: 4y2hxlxqzautabituedksnh2ulcgm2coqbure6wvfpg4gi2ci25ta5ad.

Ao enviar o comando "testgroup-invite" para o FuzzBot, você receberá um convite para entrar no Grupo Cwtch Test. Ao ingressar no grupo, você será automaticamente conectado ao servidor Cwtch. Você pode optar por sair do grupo a qualquer momento ou ficar para conversar e tirar dúvidas sobre o aplicativo e outros assuntos. Depois, você pode configurar seu próprio servidor Cwtch, o que é altamente recomendável. https://pomf2.lain.la/f/x4pm8hm8.mp4

Agora você pode utilizar o aplicativo normalmente. Algumas observações que notei: se houver demora na conexão com outra pessoa, ambas devem estar online. Se ainda assim a conexão não for estabelecida, basta clicar no ícone de reset do Tor para restabelecer a conexão com a outra pessoa.

Uma introdução aos perfis Cwtch.

Com Cwtch você pode criar um ou mais perfis . Cada perfil gera um par de chaves ed25519 aleatório compatível com a Rede Tor.

Este é o identificador que você pode fornecer às pessoas e que elas podem usar para entrar em contato com você via Cwtch.

Cwtch permite criar e gerenciar vários perfis separados. Cada perfil está associado a um par de chaves diferente que inicia um serviço cebola diferente.

Gerenciar Na inicialização, o Cwtch abrirá a tela Gerenciar Perfis. Nessa tela você pode:

• Crie um novo perfil.
• Desbloquear perfis.
• Criptografados existentes.
• Gerenciar perfis carregados.
• Alterando o nome de exibição de um perfil.
• Alterando a senha de um perfil Excluindo um perfil.
• Alterando uma imagem de perfil.

Backup ou exportação de um perfil.

Na tela de gerenciamento de perfil:

1. Selecione o lápis ao lado do perfil que você deseja editar

2. Role para baixo até a parte inferior da tela.

3. Selecione "Exportar perfil"

4. Escolha um local e um nome de arquivo.

5.confirme.

Uma vez confirmado, o Cwtch colocará uma cópia do perfil no local indicado. Este arquivo é criptografado no mesmo nível do perfil.

Este arquivo pode ser importado para outra instância do Cwtch em qualquer dispositivo.

Importando um perfil.

1. Pressione o +botão de ação no canto inferior direito e selecione "Importar perfil"

2. Selecione um arquivo de perfil Cwtch exportado para importar

3. Digite a senha associada ao perfil e confirme.

Uma vez confirmado, o Cwtch tentará descriptografar o arquivo fornecido usando uma chave derivada da senha fornecida. Se for bem-sucedido, o perfil aparecerá na tela Gerenciamento de perfil e estará pronto para uso.

OBSERVAÇÃO Embora um perfil possa ser importado para vários dispositivos, atualmente apenas uma versão de um perfil pode ser usada em todos os dispositivos ao mesmo tempo. As tentativas de usar o mesmo perfil em vários dispositivos podem resultar em problemas de disponibilidade e falhas de mensagens.

Qual é a diferença entre uma conexão ponto a ponto e um grupo cwtch?

As conexões ponto a ponto Cwtch permitem que 2 pessoas troquem mensagens diretamente. As conexões ponto a ponto nos bastidores usam serviços cebola Tor v3 para fornecer uma conexão criptografada e resistente a metadados. Devido a esta conexão direta, ambas as partes precisam estar online ao mesmo tempo para trocar mensagens.

Os Grupos Cwtch permitem que várias partes participem de uma única conversa usando um servidor não confiável (que pode ser fornecido por terceiros ou auto-hospedado). Os operadores de servidores não conseguem saber quantas pessoas estão em um grupo ou o que está sendo discutido. Se vários grupos estiverem hospedados em um único servidor, o servidor não conseguirá saber quais mensagens pertencem a qual grupo sem a conivência de um membro do grupo. Ao contrário das conversas entre pares, as conversas em grupo podem ser conduzidas de forma assíncrona, para que todos num grupo não precisem estar online ao mesmo tempo.

Por que os grupos cwtch são experimentais? Mensagens em grupo resistentes a metadados ainda são um problema em aberto . Embora a versão que fornecemos no Cwtch Beta seja projetada para ser segura e com metadados privados, ela é bastante ineficiente e pode ser mal utilizada. Como tal, aconselhamos cautela ao usá-lo e apenas o fornecemos como um recurso opcional.

Como posso executar meu próprio servidor Cwtch? A implementação de referência para um servidor Cwtch é de código aberto . Qualquer pessoa pode executar um servidor Cwtch, e qualquer pessoa com uma cópia do pacote de chaves públicas do servidor pode hospedar grupos nesse servidor sem que o operador tenha acesso aos metadados relacionados ao grupo .

https://git.openprivacy.ca/cwtch.im/server

https://docs.openprivacy.ca/cwtch-security-handbook/server.html

Como posso desligar o Cwtch? O painel frontal do aplicativo possui um ícone do botão "Shutdown Cwtch" (com um 'X'). Pressionar este botão irá acionar uma caixa de diálogo e, na confirmação, o Cwtch será desligado e todos os perfis serão descarregados.

Suas doações podem fazer a diferença no projeto Cwtch? O Cwtch é um projeto dedicado a construir aplicativos que preservam a privacidade, oferecendo comunicação de grupo resistente a metadados. Além disso, o projeto também desenvolve o Cofre, formulários da web criptografados para ajudar mútua segura. Suas contribuições apoiam iniciativas importantes, como a divulgação de violações de dados médicos em Vancouver e pesquisas sobre a segurança do voto eletrônico na Suíça. Ao doar, você está ajudando a fechar o ciclo, trabalhando com comunidades marginalizadas para identificar e corrigir lacunas de privacidade. Além disso, o projeto trabalha em soluções inovadoras, como a quebra de segredos através da criptografia de limite para proteger sua privacidade durante passagens de fronteira. E também tem a infraestrutura: toda nossa infraestrutura é open source e sem fins lucrativos. Conheça também o Fuzzytags, uma estrutura criptográfica probabilística para marcação resistente a metadados. Sua doação é crucial para continuar o trabalho em prol da privacidade e segurança online. Contribua agora com sua doação

https://openprivacy.ca/donate/

onde você pode fazer sua doação em bitcoin e outras moedas, e saiba mais sobre os projetos. https://openprivacy.ca/work/

Link sobre Cwtch

https://cwtch.im/

https://git.openprivacy.ca/cwtch.im/cwtch

https://docs.cwtch.im/docs/intro

https://docs.openprivacy.ca/cwtch-security-handbook/

Baixar #CwtchDev

cwtch.im/download/

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=im.cwtch.flwtch

@ d9c98e71:37007462

„Was du besitzt, besitzt auch dich.“

– Henry David Thoreau

Bitcoin verändert nicht nur, wie wir Geld sehen, sondern auch, wie wir uns selbst sehen. Es stellt eine einfache Frage, die schwer wiegt: Wem traust du? Und tiefer noch: Bist du bereit, dir selbst zu trauen?

Selbstverwahrung ist kein technischer Akt – es ist eine innere Haltung. Wer seinen eigenen Schlüssel hält, muss sich nicht nur mit Tools, sondern mit sich selbst auseinandersetzen – mit Angst, Verantwortung und Freiheit. Die Gewissheit, dass niemand Zugriff hat, ist auch die Last, dass niemand rettet. Diese Form der Verantwortung ist für viele ungewohnt, fast schon beängstigend – in einer Welt, die absichert, verwaltet, entmündigt.

Bitcoin ist radikale Eigenverantwortung. Und genau das macht es zu einer psychologischen Schwelle. Es zwingt zur Selbsterkenntnis: Bin ich bereit, die Kontrolle wirklich zu übernehmen? Oder suche ich weiterhin nach Institutionen, nach Autoritäten, nach jemandem, der mir die Entscheidung abnimmt?

Spirituell betrachtet ist Bitcoin ein Spiegel. Es zeigt, woran wir glauben, was wir fürchten, worauf wir hoffen. In einer Welt voller Illusionen – über Wert, über Sicherheit, über Freiheit – ist Bitcoin brutal ehrlich. Es gibt nichts vor. Es bewertet nicht. Es funktioniert oder es funktioniert nicht. Und der Umgang damit offenbart viel über uns selbst.

Der Prozess, Bitcoin wirklich zu verstehen – nicht technisch, sondern existenziell – ist transformativ. Er entkoppelt unser Selbstwertgefühl von Zahlen auf Bankkonten. Er konfrontiert uns mit unserer Abhängigkeit von Bequemlichkeit. Er eröffnet die Möglichkeit, dass Freiheit nicht in äußeren Umständen liegt, sondern in einer inneren Haltung.

Für manche ist Bitcoin eine spirituelle Praxis – eine tägliche Übung in Geduld, Disziplin und Vertrauen. Nicht Vertrauen in andere, sondern in Prinzipien. In Mathematik. In Ursache und Wirkung. Bitcoin verzeiht keine Illusionen. Es bestraft Selbsttäuschung. Und gerade deshalb kann es ein Werkzeug sein – nicht nur der wirtschaftlichen, sondern auch der inneren Befreiung.

Wer sich darauf einlässt, begibt sich nicht nur auf einen neuen finanziellen Weg, sondern auf eine Reise zu sich selbst. Eine Reise, die nicht laut ist, nicht bequem, nicht sofort belohnend – aber ehrlich. Und vielleicht – heilsam.

@ d9c98e71:37007462

„Anstatt das System zu bekämpfen, baue ein System, das es überflüssig macht.“

– zugeschrieben Buckminster Fuller

Die Gegenwart ist geprägt von Zentralisierung, digitaler Kontrolle und einem Finanzsystem, das Vertrauen verlangt, aber wenig zurückgibt. Für Bitcoiner stellt sich nicht mehr die Frage nach dem Ob, sondern nach dem Wie des Rückzugs aus diesem System.

Der klassische Goldstandard war Ausdruck eines strukturellen Misstrauens gegenüber staatlicher Willkür. Die Bindung des Geldes an ein rares Gut wie Gold disziplinierte die Geldpolitik – allerdings auf Kosten von Flexibilität, Zugänglichkeit und Dezentralität. Gold war zentral verwahrt, schwer zu transportieren und politisch angreifbar.

Bitcoin übernimmt die Idee der Begrenzung, ohne diese Schwächen: keine zentrale Verwahrung, leicht teilbar, digital übertragbar, resistent gegen Konfiszierung. Was beim Gold noch eine politische Vereinbarung war, ist bei Bitcoin eine technische Tatsache.

Anarchie wird oft missverstanden. Sie ist keine Ablehnung von Ordnung, sondern von Herrschaft. Sie setzt auf freiwillige Strukturen statt auf Zwang, auf Verantwortung statt auf Kontrolle. Bitcoin ist in diesem Sinne anarchisch. Es gibt keine zentrale Autorität, keine Intervention, kein Gatekeeping. Teilhabe ist offen, Regeln sind transparent, Entscheidungen beruhen auf Konsens. Es ist ein System, das sich jeder aneignen kann, ohne jemanden um Erlaubnis zu fragen.

Der Rückzug aus dem bestehenden System ist kein plötzlicher Bruch, sondern eine Praxis. Er beginnt mit Selbstverwahrung, der Vermeidung von KYC, der Nutzung von Peer-to-Peer-Technologien und dem bewussten Aufbau eigener Infrastruktur. Es geht nicht darum, das alte System zu stürzen, sondern es überflüssig zu machen – indem man es nicht mehr braucht.

Bitcoin ist keine Spekulation, kein Unternehmen, kein Produkt. Es ist eine Entscheidung. Eine Entscheidung für Autonomie. Für Verantwortung. Für Souveränität. Wer sich für diesen Weg entscheidet, wählt nicht die einfachste Lösung – sondern die ehrlichste. Der Preis ist Selbstverantwortung. Die Belohnung ist Freiheit.

Kein Spektakel. Keine Revolution. Nur ein Protokoll. Und ein Mensch, der es nutzt.

@ d9c98e71:37007462

1. Melancholie ist die sanfteste Form der Rebellion. Ein Nein, das sich in Schönheit kleidet, um nicht verbrannt zu werden.

2. Die Menschheit sucht nach Erlösung und nennt das Kind dabei „Zukunft“, ohne zu merken, wie schwer diese Krone wiegt.

3. Nähe ohne Ehrlichkeit ist nur ein getarnter Abstand.

4. Jede Zentralisierung ist ein Denkfehler, der Macht als Fürsorge tarnt.

5. Sehnsucht ist ein Fluss, der rückwärts fließt. Du watest hinein, doch das Ufer zieht sich fort, unerreichbar fern.

6. Die letzte Form der Sklaverei ist die freiwillige Abhängigkeit.

7. Ein Kind spielt nicht, um zu vergessen. Es spielt, weil es noch nicht gelernt hat zu verdrängen.

8. Freiheit ist die Fähigkeit, in Ketten zu tanzen.

9. Das Leben ist der Widerhall eines sterbenden Willens. Nur im Nichts finden wir Erlösung.

10. Wer Kinder erzieht, erzieht auch seine Schatten. Sie kommen zurück, wenn das Haus still ist.

@ 58537364:705b4b85

คนเรามักจะเห็นคุณค่าของสิ่งใด ส่วนใหญ่ก็ใน ๒ สถานการณ์คือ หนึ่ง ตอนที่ยังไม่ได้มา หรือ สอง ตอนที่เสียไปแล้ว

อันนี้มันเป็นโศกนาฏกรรม ที่เกิดขึ้นกับผู้คนจำนวนมาก การที่คนเรามีสิ่งดีๆ แต่ว่าเราไม่เห็นคุณค่า เพราะว่าเรามองออกไปนอกตัว ไปเห็นแต่สิ่งที่ตัวเองไม่มี อยากจะได้มา

คล้ายๆ กับเรื่อง หมาคาบเนื้อในนิทานอีสป ตอนเด็กๆ เราคงจำได้ มีหมาตัวหนึ่งคาบเนื้อมา เนื้อชิ้นใหญ่เลย มันดีใจมากแล้วมันก็วิ่งไปยังที่ที่ มันจะได้กินเนื้ออย่างมีความสุข มีช่วงหนึ่งก็ต้องเดินข้ามสะพาน มันก็ชะโงกหน้าไปมองที่ลำธารหรือลำคลอง

ก็เห็นเงาตัวเอง เงานั่นมันก็ใหญ่ แล้วมันก็พบว่าในเงานั้น เนื้อในเงามันใหญ่กว่าเนื้อที่ตัวเองคาบ มันอยากได้เนื้อก้อนนั้นมากเลย เพราะว่ามันเป็นก้อนที่ใหญ่กว่า

มันก็เลยอ้าปาก เพื่อที่จะไปงับเนื้อในเงานั้น พอมันอ้าปาก ก็ปรากฏว่าเนื้อในปาก ก็หลุดตกลงแม่น้ำ แล้วเนื้อในเงานั้นก็หายไป เป็นอันว่าหมดเลย อดทั้ง 2 อย่าง .

ฉะนั้น คนเราถ้าหากเรา กลับมาเห็นคุณค่าของสิ่งที่เรามีอยู่ เราจะมีความสุขได้ง่าย อาจจะไม่ใช่สิ่งของ อาจจะไม่ใช่ผู้คน แต่อาจจะเป็นสุขภาพของเรา

อาจจะได้แก่ ลมหายใจของเรา ที่ยังหายใจได้ปกติ รวมถึงการที่ เรายังเดินเหินไปไหนมาไหนได้ การที่เรายังมองเห็น การที่เรายังได้ยิน

หลายคนมีสิ่งนี้อยู่ในตัว แต่กลับไม่เห็นค่า และไม่รู้สึกว่าตัวเองโชคดี กลับไปมองว่า ฉันยังไม่มีโน่นยังไม่มีนี่ ไม่มีบ้าน ไม่มีรถ ไม่มีเงิน

รู้สึกว่าทุกข์ระทมเหลือเกิน

ทำไมฉันจึงลำบากแบบนี้ ทั้งที่ตัวเองก็มีสิ่งดีๆ ในตัว สุขภาพ ความปกติสุข อิสรภาพที่เดินไปไหนมาไหนได้

แต่กลับไม่เห็นค่า เพราะว่ามัวแต่ไปสนใจสิ่งที่ตัวเองยังไม่มี

ซึ่งเป็นอนาคต

ถ้าเราหันกลับมาเห็นคุณค่าของสิ่งที่เรามีอยู่ แล้วก็ไม่ไปพะวงหรือให้ความสนใจกับสิ่งที่ยังไม่มี เราจะมีความสุขได้ง่าย อันนี้คือ ความหมายหนึ่งของการทำปัจจุบันให้ดีที่สุด

…

การทำปัจจุบันให้ดีที่สุด พระอาจารย์ไพศาล วิสาโล

@ b83a28b7:35919450

This article was originally part of the sermon of Plebchain Radio Episode 110 (May 2, 2025) that nostr:nprofile1qyxhwumn8ghj7mn0wvhxcmmvqyg8wumn8ghj7mn0wd68ytnvv9hxgqpqtvqc82mv8cezhax5r34n4muc2c4pgjz8kaye2smj032nngg52clq7fgefr and I did with nostr:nprofile1qythwumn8ghj7ct5d3shxtnwdaehgu3wd3skuep0qyt8wumn8ghj7ct4w35zumn0wd68yvfwvdhk6tcqyzx4h2fv3n9r6hrnjtcrjw43t0g0cmmrgvjmg525rc8hexkxc0kd2rhtk62 and nostr:nprofile1qyxhwumn8ghj7mn0wvhxcmmvqyg8wumn8ghj7mn0wd68ytnvv9hxgqpq4wxtsrj7g2jugh70pfkzjln43vgn4p7655pgky9j9w9d75u465pqahkzd0 of the nostr:nprofile1qythwumn8ghj7ct5d3shxtnwdaehgu3wd3skuep0qyt8wumn8ghj7etyv4hzumn0wd68ytnvv9hxgtcqyqwfvwrccp4j2xsuuvkwg0y6a20637t6f4cc5zzjkx030dkztt7t5hydajn

Listen to the full episode here:

<https://fountain.fm/episode/Ln9Ej0zCZ5dEwfo8w2Ho>

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Bitcoin has always been a narrative revolution disguised as code. White paper, cypherpunk lore, pizza‑day legends - every block is a paragraph in the world’s most relentless epic. But code alone rarely converts the skeptic; it’s the camp‑fire myth that slips past the prefrontal cortex and shakes hands with the limbic system. People don’t adopt protocols first - they fall in love with protagonists.

Early adopters heard the white‑paper hymn, but most folks need characters first: a pizza‑day dreamer; a mother in a small country, crushed by the cost of remittance; a Warsaw street vendor swapping złoty for sats. When their arcs land, the brain releases a neurochemical OP_RETURN which says, “I belong in this plot.” That’s the sly roundabout orange pill: conviction smuggled inside catharsis.

That’s why, from 22–25 May in Warsaw’s Kinoteka, the Bitcoin Film Fest is loading its reels with rebellion. Each documentary, drama, and animated rabbit‑hole is a stealth wallet, zipping conviction straight into the feels of anyone still clasped within the cold claw of fiat. You come for the plot, you leave checking block heights.

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Here's the clip of the sermon from the episode:

nostr:nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzpwp69zm7fewjp0vkp306adnzt7249ytxhz7mq3w5yc629u6er9zsqqsy43fwz8es2wnn65rh0udc05tumdnx5xagvzd88ptncspmesdqhygcrvpf2

@ 04c915da:3dfbecc9

Bitcoin has always been rooted in freedom and resistance to authority. I get that many of you are conflicted about the US Government stacking but by design we cannot stop anyone from using bitcoin. Many have asked me for my thoughts on the matter, so let’s rip it.

Concern

One of the most glaring issues with the strategic bitcoin reserve is its foundation, built on stolen bitcoin. For those of us who value private property this is an obvious betrayal of our core principles. Rather than proof of work, the bitcoin that seeds this reserve has been taken by force. The US Government should return the bitcoin stolen from Bitfinex and the Silk Road.

Using stolen bitcoin for the reserve creates a perverse incentive. If governments see bitcoin as a valuable asset, they will ramp up efforts to confiscate more bitcoin. The precedent is a major concern, and I stand strongly against it, but it should be also noted that governments were already seizing coin before the reserve so this is not really a change in policy.

Ideally all seized bitcoin should be burned, by law. This would align incentives properly and make it less likely for the government to actively increase coin seizures. Due to the truly scarce properties of bitcoin, all burned bitcoin helps existing holders through increased purchasing power regardless. This change would be unlikely but those of us in policy circles should push for it regardless. It would be best case scenario for American bitcoiners and would create a strong foundation for the next century of American leadership.

Optimism

The entire point of bitcoin is that we can spend or save it without permission. That said, it is a massive benefit to not have one of the strongest governments in human history actively trying to ruin our lives.

Since the beginning, bitcoiners have faced horrible regulatory trends. KYC, surveillance, and legal cases have made using bitcoin and building bitcoin businesses incredibly difficult. It is incredibly important to note that over the past year that trend has reversed for the first time in a decade. A strategic bitcoin reserve is a key driver of this shift. By holding bitcoin, the strongest government in the world has signaled that it is not just a fringe technology but rather truly valuable, legitimate, and worth stacking.

This alignment of incentives changes everything. The US Government stacking proves bitcoin’s worth. The resulting purchasing power appreciation helps all of us who are holding coin and as bitcoin succeeds our government receives direct benefit. A beautiful positive feedback loop.

Realism

We are trending in the right direction. A strategic bitcoin reserve is a sign that the state sees bitcoin as an asset worth embracing rather than destroying. That said, there is a lot of work left to be done. We cannot be lulled into complacency, the time to push forward is now, and we cannot take our foot off the gas. We have a seat at the table for the first time ever. Let's make it worth it.

We must protect the right to free usage of bitcoin and other digital technologies. Freedom in the digital age must be taken and defended, through both technical and political avenues. Multiple privacy focused developers are facing long jail sentences for building tools that protect our freedom. These cases are not just legal battles. They are attacks on the soul of bitcoin. We need to rally behind them, fight for their freedom, and ensure the ethos of bitcoin survives this new era of government interest. The strategic reserve is a step in the right direction, but it is up to us to hold the line and shape the future.

@ 04c915da:3dfbecc9

Recently we have seen a wave of high profile X accounts hacked. These attacks have exposed the fragility of the status quo security model used by modern social media platforms like X. Many users have asked if nostr fixes this, so lets dive in. How do these types of attacks translate into the world of nostr apps? For clarity, I will use X’s security model as representative of most big tech social platforms and compare it to nostr.

The Status Quo

On X, you never have full control of your account. Ultimately to use it requires permission from the company. They can suspend your account or limit your distribution. Theoretically they can even post from your account at will. An X account is tied to an email and password. Users can also opt into two factor authentication, which adds an extra layer of protection, a login code generated by an app. In theory, this setup works well, but it places a heavy burden on users. You need to create a strong, unique password and safeguard it. You also need to ensure your email account and phone number remain secure, as attackers can exploit these to reset your credentials and take over your account. Even if you do everything responsibly, there is another weak link in X infrastructure itself. The platform’s infrastructure allows accounts to be reset through its backend. This could happen maliciously by an employee or through an external attacker who compromises X’s backend. When an account is compromised, the legitimate user often gets locked out, unable to post or regain control without contacting X’s support team. That process can be slow, frustrating, and sometimes fruitless if support denies the request or cannot verify your identity. Often times support will require users to provide identification info in order to regain access, which represents a privacy risk. The centralized nature of X means you are ultimately at the mercy of the company’s systems and staff.

Nostr Requires Responsibility

Nostr flips this model radically. Users do not need permission from a company to access their account, they can generate as many accounts as they want, and cannot be easily censored. The key tradeoff here is that users have to take complete responsibility for their security. Instead of relying on a username, password, and corporate servers, nostr uses a private key as the sole credential for your account. Users generate this key and it is their responsibility to keep it safe. As long as you have your key, you can post. If someone else gets it, they can post too. It is that simple. This design has strong implications. Unlike X, there is no backend reset option. If your key is compromised or lost, there is no customer support to call. In a compromise scenario, both you and the attacker can post from the account simultaneously. Neither can lock the other out, since nostr relays simply accept whatever is signed with a valid key.

The benefit? No reliance on proprietary corporate infrastructure.. The negative? Security rests entirely on how well you protect your key.

Future Nostr Security Improvements

For many users, nostr’s standard security model, storing a private key on a phone with an encrypted cloud backup, will likely be sufficient. It is simple and reasonably secure. That said, nostr’s strength lies in its flexibility as an open protocol. Users will be able to choose between a range of security models, balancing convenience and protection based on need.

One promising option is a web of trust model for key rotation. Imagine pre-selecting a group of trusted friends. If your account is compromised, these people could collectively sign an event announcing the compromise to the network and designate a new key as your legitimate one. Apps could handle this process seamlessly in the background, notifying followers of the switch without much user interaction. This could become a popular choice for average users, but it is not without tradeoffs. It requires trust in your chosen web of trust, which might not suit power users or large organizations. It also has the issue that some apps may not recognize the key rotation properly and followers might get confused about which account is “real.”

For those needing higher security, there is the option of multisig using FROST (Flexible Round-Optimized Schnorr Threshold). In this setup, multiple keys must sign off on every action, including posting and updating a profile. A hacker with just one key could not do anything. This is likely overkill for most users due to complexity and inconvenience, but it could be a game changer for large organizations, companies, and governments. Imagine the White House nostr account requiring signatures from multiple people before a post goes live, that would be much more secure than the status quo big tech model.

Another option are hardware signers, similar to bitcoin hardware wallets. Private keys are kept on secure, offline devices, separate from the internet connected phone or computer you use to broadcast events. This drastically reduces the risk of remote hacks, as private keys never touches the internet. It can be used in combination with multisig setups for extra protection. This setup is much less convenient and probably overkill for most but could be ideal for governments, companies, or other high profile accounts.

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Nostr’s security model is not perfect but is robust and versatile. Ultimately users are in control and security is their responsibility. Apps will give users multiple options to choose from and users will choose what best fits their need.

@ f5369849:f34119a0

Hackathon Summary

JAMHacks 9 was held from May 16-18, 2025, at the University of Waterloo. As the 9th hackathon in the JAMHacks series, the event brought together 170 high school hackers and resulted in the approval of 49 projects, highlighting the abilities of young developers. The hackathon's objective is to offer a nurturing atmosphere for high school students, supplemented by workshops and activities designed to boost technical skills and networking opportunities.

Participants engaged in projects with creative uses of Pico-8, innovative applications utilizing MongoDB Atlas, and generative AI models illustrating the effects of emerging technologies. The hackathon recognized achievements in categories like Best Beginner Hack, Best Developer Tool, and Best Use of Gen AI. Prizes included smartwatches, drones, QuillBot hoodies, and entries to other hackathons.

Beyond the technical accomplishments, JAMHacks 9 stressed the importance of creating a fun and engaging experience, hosting events like poker nights and social meetups. The hackathon successfully provided a platform for young developers to cultivate skills, generate ideas, and establish professional connections, supporting its vision of inclusivity and accessibility in the tech industry.

Hackathon Winners

Overall Prize Winners

• Mr. Goose: A playful VS Code extension supporting beginners with hints and encouragement, fostering learning without directly solving problems.
• Guideline: An AR-based tool that assists novice electronics enthusiasts with breadboarding by guiding them through assembly using augmented reality.
• ARmatica: Converts 2D hardware schematics into 3D AR models, enhancing engineering and prototyping processes through improved visualization.

Beginner Track Prize Winners

• Duedle: A task management app utilizing AI to break down large tasks into manageable sub-tasks, with progress tracking to boost productivity.

Solo Track Prize Winners

• Lofied: A Python app that transforms Spotify playlists into lo-fi versions, featuring music separation and sheet music generation capabilities.

Female Track Prize Winners

• Doomlings: Combines gamification with educational tasks, motivating students through a battle game interface to enhance learning and engagement.

Warp Track Prize Winners

• Mr. Goose

Hack Canada Track Prize Winners

• Dionysus: A platform for organizing collaborative events and participation, offering a unified interface for real-time event management.

MLH Track Prize Winners

• Karma: A social platform documenting and sharing positive actions, promoting self-improvement and environmental conservation to encourage community engagement.
• helpidontknowhowtonetworkin.tech: An AI-powered networking assistant using face recognition and LinkedIn data to assist in making professional connections at events.
• SnapCAD: Generates customizable 3D models from images or drawings, simplifying integration into engineering projects.

PEX Labs Prize Winners

• Arctic Explorer: A Pico-8 open-world game designed to promote sustainable practices by exploring Arctic environments, scalable with additional mini-games and maps.

View all projects at JAMHacks 9.

Organization Details

About JAMHacks

JAMHacks is recognized in the technology and blockchain sector for promoting innovation and collaboration among tech enthusiasts. The organization is skilled in hosting hackathons that provide a platform for developing practical solutions to real-world challenges. With a focus on technological empowerment, JAMHacks has organized multiple events attracting participants from various backgrounds. Their initiatives emphasize technical skill development and networking, underscoring their dedication to advancing technology education and fostering an inclusive community for aspiring technologists and developers.

@ 04c915da:3dfbecc9

In much of the world, it is incredibly difficult to access U.S. dollars. Local currencies are often poorly managed and riddled with corruption. Billions of people demand a more reliable alternative. While the dollar has its own issues of corruption and mismanagement, it is widely regarded as superior to the fiat currencies it competes with globally. As a result, Tether has found massive success providing low cost, low friction access to dollars. Tether claims 400 million total users, is on track to add 200 million more this year, processes 8.1 million transactions daily, and facilitates $29 billion in daily transfers. Furthermore, their estimates suggest nearly 40% of users rely on it as a savings tool rather than just a transactional currency.

Tether’s rise has made the company a financial juggernaut. Last year alone, Tether raked in over $13 billion in profit, with a lean team of less than 100 employees. Their business model is elegantly simple: hold U.S. Treasuries and collect the interest. With over $113 billion in Treasuries, Tether has turned a straightforward concept into a profit machine.

Tether’s success has resulted in many competitors eager to claim a piece of the pie. This has triggered a massive venture capital grift cycle in USD tokens, with countless projects vying to dethrone Tether. Due to Tether’s entrenched network effect, these challengers face an uphill battle with little realistic chance of success. Most educated participants in the space likely recognize this reality but seem content to perpetuate the grift, hoping to cash out by dumping their equity positions on unsuspecting buyers before they realize the reality of the situation.

Historically, Tether’s greatest vulnerability has been U.S. government intervention. For over a decade, the company operated offshore with few allies in the U.S. establishment, making it a major target for regulatory action. That dynamic has shifted recently and Tether has seized the opportunity. By actively courting U.S. government support, Tether has fortified their position. This strategic move will likely cement their status as the dominant USD token for years to come.

While undeniably a great tool for the millions of users that rely on it, Tether is not without flaws. As a centralized, trusted third party, it holds the power to freeze or seize funds at its discretion. Corporate mismanagement or deliberate malpractice could also lead to massive losses at scale. In their goal of mitigating regulatory risk, Tether has deepened ties with law enforcement, mirroring some of the concerns of potential central bank digital currencies. In practice, Tether operates as a corporate CBDC alternative, collaborating with authorities to surveil and seize funds. The company proudly touts partnerships with leading surveillance firms and its own data reveals cooperation in over 1,000 law enforcement cases, with more than $2.5 billion in funds frozen.

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The global demand for Tether is undeniable and the company’s profitability reflects its unrivaled success. Tether is owned and operated by bitcoiners and will likely continue to push forward strategic goals that help the movement as a whole. Recent efforts to mitigate the threat of U.S. government enforcement will likely solidify their network effect and stifle meaningful adoption of rival USD tokens or CBDCs. Yet, for all their achievements, Tether is simply a worse form of money than bitcoin. Tether requires trust in a centralized entity, while bitcoin can be saved or spent without permission. Furthermore, Tether is tied to the value of the US Dollar which is designed to lose purchasing power over time, while bitcoin, as a truly scarce asset, is designed to increase in purchasing power with adoption. As people awaken to the risks of Tether’s control, and the benefits bitcoin provides, bitcoin adoption will likely surpass it.

@ 04c915da:3dfbecc9

One of the most common criticisms leveled against nostr is the perceived lack of assurance when it comes to data storage. Critics argue that without a centralized authority guaranteeing that all data is preserved, important information will be lost. They also claim that running a relay will become prohibitively expensive. While there is truth to these concerns, they miss the mark. The genius of nostr lies in its flexibility, resilience, and the way it harnesses human incentives to ensure data availability in practice.

A nostr relay is simply a server that holds cryptographically verifiable signed data and makes it available to others. Relays are simple, flexible, open, and require no permission to run. Critics are right that operating a relay attempting to store all nostr data will be costly. What they miss is that most will not run all encompassing archive relays. Nostr does not rely on massive archive relays. Instead, anyone can run a relay and choose to store whatever subset of data they want. This keeps costs low and operations flexible, making relay operation accessible to all sorts of individuals and entities with varying use cases.

Critics are correct that there is no ironclad guarantee that every piece of data will always be available. Unlike bitcoin where data permanence is baked into the system at a steep cost, nostr does not promise that every random note or meme will be preserved forever. That said, in practice, any data perceived as valuable by someone will likely be stored and distributed by multiple entities. If something matters to someone, they will keep a signed copy.

Nostr is the Streisand Effect in protocol form. The Streisand effect is when an attempt to suppress information backfires, causing it to spread even further. With nostr, anyone can broadcast signed data, anyone can store it, and anyone can distribute it. Try to censor something important? Good luck. The moment it catches attention, it will be stored on relays across the globe, copied, and shared by those who find it worth keeping. Data deemed important will be replicated across servers by individuals acting in their own interest.

Nostr’s distributed nature ensures that the system does not rely on a single point of failure or a corporate overlord. Instead, it leans on the collective will of its users. The result is a network where costs stay manageable, participation is open to all, and valuable verifiable data is stored and distributed forever.

@ bc6ccd13:f53098e4

The global population has been rising rapidly for the past two centuries when compared to historical trends. Fifty years ago, that trend seemed set to continue, and there was a lot of concern around the issue of overpopulation. But if you haven’t been living under a rock, you’ll know that while the population is still rising, that trend now seems set to reverse this century, and there’s every indication population could decline precipitously over the next two centuries.

Demographics is a field where predictions about the future are much more reliable than in most scientific fields. That’s because future population trends are “baked in” decades in advance. If you want to know how many fifty-year-olds there will be in forty years, all you have to do is count the ten-year-olds today and allow for mortality rates. That maximum was already determined by the number of births ten years ago, and absolutely nothing can change that now. The average person doesn’t think that through when they look at population trends. You hear a lot of “oh we just need to do more of x to help the declining birthrate” without an acknowledgement that future populations in a given cohort are already fixed by the number of births that already occurred.

As you can see, global birthrates have already declined close to the 2.3 replacement level, with some regions ahead of others, but all on the same trajectory with no region moving against the trend. I’m not going to speculate on the reasons for this, or even whether it’s a good or bad thing. Instead I’m going to make some observations about outcomes this trend could cause economically, and why. Like most macro issues, an individual can’t do anything to change the global landscape personally, but knowing what that landscape might look like is essential to avoiding fallout from trends outside your control.

The Resource Pie

Thomas Malthus popularized the concern about overpopulation with his 1798 book An Essay on the Principle of Population. The basic premise of the book was that population could grow and consume all the available resources, leading to mass poverty, starvation, disease, and population collapse. We can say in hindsight that this was incorrect, given that the global population has increased from less than a billion to over eight billion since then, and the apocalypse Malthus predicted hasn’t materialized. Exactly the opposite, in fact. The global standard of living has risen to levels Malthus couldn’t have imagined, much less predicted.

So where did Malthus go wrong? His hypothesis seems reasonable enough, and we do see a similar trend in certain animal populations. The base assumption Malthus got wrong was to assume resources are a finite, limiting factor to the human population. That at some point certain resources would be totally consumed, and that would be it. He treated it like a pie with a lot of slices, but still a finite number, and assumed that if the population kept rising, eventually every slice would be consumed and there would be no pie left for future generations. That turns out to be completely wrong.

Of course, the earth is finite at some abstract level. The number of atoms could theoretically be counted and quantified. But on a practical level, do humans exhaust the earth’s resources? I’d point to an article from Yale Scientific titled Has the Earth Run out of any Natural Resources? To quote,

> However, despite what doomsday predictions may suggest, the Earth has not run out of any resources nor is it likely that it will run out of any in the near future. > > In fact, resources are becoming more abundant. Though this may seem puzzling, it does not mean that the actual quantity of resources in the Earth’s crust is increasing but rather that the amount available for our use is constantly growing due to technological innovations. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the only resource we have exhausted is cryolite, a mineral used in pesticides and aluminum processing. However, that is not to say every bit of it has been mined away; rather, producing it synthetically is much more cost efficient than mining the existing reserves at its current value.

As it happens, we don’t run out of resources. Instead, we become better at finding, extracting, and efficiently utilizing resources, which means that in practical terms resources become more abundant, not less. In other words, the pie grows faster than we can eat it.

So is there any resource that actually limits human potential? I think there is, and history would suggest that resource is human ingenuity and effort. The more people are thinking about and working on a problem, the more solutions we find and build to solve it. That means not only does the pie grow faster than we can eat it, but the more people there are, the faster the pie grows. Of course that assumes everyone eating pie is also working to grow the pie, but that’s a separate issue for now.

Productivity and Division of Labor

Why does having more people lead to more productivity? A big part of it comes down to division of labor and specialization. The best way to get really good at something is to do more of it. In a small community, doing just one thing simply isn’t possible. Everyone has to be somewhat of a generalist in order to survive. But with a larger population, being a specialist becomes possible. In fact, that’s the purpose of money, as I explained here.

nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzp0rve5f6xtu56djkfkkg7ktr5rtfckpun95rgxaa7futy86npx8yqq247t2dvet9q4tsg4qng36lxe6kc4nftayyy89kua2

The more specialized an economy becomes, the more efficient it can be. There are big economies of scale in almost every task or process. So for example, if a single person tried to build a car from scratch, it would be extremely difficult and take a very long time. However, if you have a thousand people building a car, each doing a specific job, they can become very good at doing that specific job and do it much faster. And then you can move that process to a factory, and build machines to do specific jobs, and add even more efficiency.

But that only works if you’re building more than one car. It doesn’t make sense to build a huge factory full of specialized equipment that takes lots of time and effort to design and manufacture, and then only build one car. You need to sell thousands of cars, maybe even millions of cars, to pay off that initial investment. So division of labor and specialization relies on large populations in two different ways. First, you need a large population to have enough people to specialize in each task. But second and just as importantly, you need a large population of buyers for the finished product. You need a big market in order to make mass production economical.

Think of a computer or smartphone. It takes thousands of specialized processes, thousands of complex parts, and millions of people doing specialized jobs to extract the raw materials, process them, and assemble them into a piece of electronic hardware. And electronics are relatively expensive anyway. Imagine how impossible it would be to manufacture electronics economically, if the market demand wasn’t literally in the billions of units.

Stairs Up, Elevator Down

We’ve seen exponential increases in productivity over the past few centuries, resulting in higher living standards even as population exploded. Now, facing the prospect of a drastic trend reversal, what will happen to productivity and living standards? The typical sentiment seems to be “well, there are a lot of people already competing for resources, so if population does decline, that will just reduce the competition and leave a bigger slice of pie for each person, so we’ll all be getting wealthier as a result of population decline.”

This seems reasonable at first glance. Surely dividing the economic pie into fewer slices means a bigger slice for everyone, right? But remember, more specialization and division of labor is what made the pie as big as it is to begin with. And specialization depends on large populations for both the supply of specialized labor, and the demand for finished goods. Can complex supply chains and mass production withstand population reduction intact? I don’t think the answer is clear.

The idea that it will all be okay, and we’ll get wealthier as population falls, is based on some faulty assumptions. It assumes that wealth is basically some fixed inventory of “things” that exist, and it’s all a matter of distribution. That’s typical Marxist thinking, similar to the reasoning behind “tax the rich” and other utopian wealth transfer schemes.

The reality is, wealth is a dynamic concept with strong network effects. For example, a grocery store in a large city can be a valuable asset with a large potential income stream. The same store in a small village with a declining population can be an unprofitable and effectively worthless liability.

Even something as permanent as a house is very susceptible to network effects. If you currently live in an area where housing is scarce and expensive, you might think a declining population would be the perfect solution to high housing costs. However, if you look at a place that’s already facing the beginnings of a population decline, you’ll see it’s not actually that simple. Japan, for example, is already facing an aging and declining population. And sure enough, you can get a house in Japan for free, or basically free. Sounds amazing, right? Not really.

If you check out the reason houses are given away in Japan, you’ll find a depressing reality. Most of the free houses are in rural areas or villages where the population is declining, often to the point that the village becomes uninhabited and abandoned. It’s so bad that in 2018, 13.6% of houses in Japan were vacant. Why do villages become uninhabited? Well, it turns out that a certain population level is necessary to support the services and businesses people need. When the population falls too low, specialized businesses can no longer operated profitably. It’s the exact issue we discussed with division of labor and the need for a high population to provide a market for the specialist to survive. As the local stores, entertainment venues, and businesses close, and skilled tradesmen move away to larger population centers with more customers, living in the village becomes difficult and depressing, if not impossible. So at a certain critical level, a village that’s too isolated will reach a tipping point where everyone leaves as fast as possible. And it turns out that an abandoned house in a remote village or rural area without any nearby services and businesses is worth… nothing. Nobody wants to live there, nobody wants to spend the money to maintain the house, nobody wants to pay the taxes needed to maintain the utilities the town relied on. So they try to give the houses away to anyone who agrees to live there, often without much success.

So on a local level, population might rise gradually over time, but when that process reverses and population declines to a certain level, it can collapse rather quickly from there.

I expect the same incentives to play out on a larger scale as well. Complex supply chains and extreme specialization lead to massive productivity. But there’s also a downside, which is the fragility of the system. Specialization might mean one shop can make all the widgets needed for a specific application, for the whole globe. That’s great while it lasts, but what happens when the owner of that shop retires with his lifetime of knowledge and experience? Will there be someone equally capable ready to fill his shoes? Hopefully… But spread that problem out across the global economy, and cracks start to appear. A specialized part is unavailable. So a machine that relies on that part breaks down and can’t be repaired. So a new machine needs to be built, which is a big expense that drives up costs and prices. And with a falling population, demand goes down. Now businesses are spending more to make fewer items, so they have to raise prices to stay profitable. Now fewer people can afford the item, so demand falls even further. Eventually the business is forced to close, and other industries that relied on the items they produced are crippled. Things become more expensive, or unavailable at any price. Living standards fall. What was a stairway up becomes an elevator down.

Hope, From the Parasite Class?

All that being said, I’m not completely pessimistic about the future. I think the potential for an acceptable outcome exists.

I see two broad groups of people in the economy; producers, and parasites. One thing the increasing productivity has done is made it easier than ever to survive. Food is plentiful globally, the only issues are with distribution. Medical advances save countless lives. Everything is more abundant than ever before. All that has led to a very “soft” economic reality. There’s a lot of non-essential production, which means a lot of wealth can be redistributed to people who contribute nothing, and if it’s done carefully, most people won’t even notice. And that is exactly what has happened, in spades.

There are welfare programs of every type and description, and handouts to people for every reason imaginable. It’s never been easier to survive without lifting a finger. So millions of able-bodied men choose to do just that.

Besides the voluntarily idle, the economy is full of “bullshit jobs.” Shoutout to David Graeber’s book with that title. (It’s an excellent book and one I would highly recommend, even though the author was a Marxist and his conclusions are completely wrong.) A 2015 British poll asked people, “Does your job make a meaningful contribution to the world?” Only 50% said yes, while 37% said no and 13% were uncertain.

This won’t be a surprise to anyone who’s operated a business, or even worked in the private sector in general. There are three types of jobs; jobs that accomplish something productive, jobs that accomplish nothing of value, and jobs that actually hinder people trying to accomplish something productive. The number of jobs in the last two categories has grown massively over the years. This would include a lot of unnecessary administrative jobs, burdensome regulatory jobs, useless DEI and HR jobs, a large percentage of public sector jobs, most of the military-industrial complex, and the list is endless. All these jobs accomplish nothing worthwhile at best, and actively discourage those who are trying to accomplish something at worst.

Even among jobs that do accomplish some useful purpose, the amount of time spent actually doing the job continues to decline. According to a 2016 poll, American office workers spent only 39% of their workday actually doing their primary task. The other 61% was largely wasted on unproductive administrative tasks and meetings, answering emails, and just simply wasting time.

I could go on, but the point is, there’s a lot of slack in the economy. We’ve become so productive that the number of people actually doing the work to keep everyone fed, clothed, and cared for is only a small percentage of the population. In one sense, that’s a cause for optimism. The population could decline a lot, and we’d still have enough bodies to man the economic engine, as it were.

Aging

The thing with population decline, though, is nobody gets to choose who goes first. Not unless you’re a psychopathic dictator. So populations get old, then they get small. This means that the number of dependents in the economy rises naturally. Once people retire, they still need someone to grow the food, keep the lights on, and provide the medical care. And it doesn’t matter how much money the retirees have saved, either. Money is just a claim on wealth. The goods and services actually have to be provided by someone, and if that someone was never born, all the money in the world won’t change anything.

And the aging occurs on top of all the people already taking from the economy without contributing anything of value. So that seems like a big problem.

Currently, wealth redistribution happens through a combination of direct taxes, indirect taxation through deficit spending, and the whole gamut of games that happen when banks create credit/debt money by making loans. In a lot of cases, it’s very indirect and difficult to pin down. For example, someone has a “job” in a government office, enforcing pointless regulations that actually hinder someone in the private sector from producing something useful. Their paycheck comes from the government, so a combination of taxes on productive people, and deficit spending, which is also a tax on productive people. But they “have a job,” so who’s going to question their contribution to society? On the other hand, it could be a banker or hedge fund manager. They might be pulling in a massive salary, but at the core all they’re really doing is finding creative financial ways to transfer wealth from productive people to themselves, without contributing anything of value.

You’ll notice a common theme if you think about this problem deeply. Most of the wealth transfer that supports the unproductive, whether that’s welfare recipients, retirees, bureaucrats, corporate middle managers, or weapons manufacturers, is only possible through expanding the money supply. There’s a limit to how much direct taxation the productive will bear while the option to collect welfare exists. At a certain point, people conclude that working hard every day isn’t worth it, when taxes take so much of their wages that they could make almost as much without working at all. So the balance of what it takes to support the dependent class has to come indirectly, through new money creation.

As long as the declining population happens under the existing monetary system, the future looks bleak. There’s no limit to how much money creation and inflation the parasite class will use in an attempt to avoid work. They’ll continue to suck the productive class dry until the workers give up in disgust, and the currency collapses into hyperinflation. And you can’t run a complex economy without functional money, so productivity inevitably collapses with the currency.

The optimistic view is that we don’t have to continue supporting the failed credit/debt monetary system. It’s hurting productivity, messing up incentives, and contributing to increasing wealth inequality and lower living standards for the middle class. If we walk away from that system and adopt a hard money standard, the possibility of inflationary wealth redistribution vanishes. The welfare and warfare programs have to be slashed. The parasite class is forced to get busy, or starve. In that scenario, the declining population of workers can be offset by a massive shift away from “bullshit jobs” and into actual productive work.

While that might not be a permanent solution to declining population, it would at least give us time to find a real solution, without having our complex economy collapse and send our living standards back to the 17th century.

It’s a complex issue with many possible outcomes, but I think a close look at the effects of the monetary system on productivity shows one obvious problem that will make the situation worse than necessary. Moving to a better monetary system and creating incentives for productivity would do a lot to reduce the economic impacts of a declining population.

@ 04c915da:3dfbecc9

Capitalism is the most effective system for scaling innovation. The pursuit of profit is an incredibly powerful human incentive. Most major improvements to human society and quality of life have resulted from this base incentive. Market competition often results in the best outcomes for all.

That said, some projects can never be monetized. They are open in nature and a business model would centralize control. Open protocols like bitcoin and nostr are not owned by anyone and if they were it would destroy the key value propositions they provide. No single entity can or should control their use. Anyone can build on them without permission.

As a result, open protocols must depend on donation based grant funding from the people and organizations that rely on them. This model works but it is slow and uncertain, a grind where sustainability is never fully reached but rather constantly sought. As someone who has been incredibly active in the open source grant funding space, I do not think people truly appreciate how difficult it is to raise charitable money and deploy it efficiently.

Projects that can be monetized should be. Profitability is a super power. When a business can generate revenue, it taps into a self sustaining cycle. Profit fuels growth and development while providing projects independence and agency. This flywheel effect is why companies like Google, Amazon, and Apple have scaled to global dominance. The profit incentive aligns human effort with efficiency. Businesses must innovate, cut waste, and deliver value to survive.

Contrast this with non monetized projects. Without profit, they lean on external support, which can dry up or shift with donor priorities. A profit driven model, on the other hand, is inherently leaner and more adaptable. It is not charity but survival. When survival is tied to delivering what people want, scale follows naturally.

The real magic happens when profitable, sustainable businesses are built on top of open protocols and software. Consider the many startups building on open source software stacks, such as Start9, Mempool, and Primal, offering premium services on top of the open source software they build out and maintain. Think of companies like Block or Strike, which leverage bitcoin’s open protocol to offer their services on top. These businesses amplify the open software and protocols they build on, driving adoption and improvement at a pace donations alone could never match.

When you combine open software and protocols with profit driven business the result are lean, sustainable companies that grow faster and serve more people than either could alone. Bitcoin’s network, for instance, benefits from businesses that profit off its existence, while nostr will expand as developers monetize apps built on the protocol.

Capitalism scales best because competition results in efficiency. Donation funded protocols and software lay the groundwork, while market driven businesses build on top. The profit incentive acts as a filter, ensuring resources flow to what works, while open systems keep the playing field accessible, empowering users and builders. Together, they create a flywheel of innovation, growth, and global benefit.

@ 08f96856:ffe59a09

เมื่อพูดถึง Bitcoin Standard หลายคนมักนึกถึงภาพโลกอนาคตที่ทุกคนใช้บิตคอยน์ซื้อกาแฟหรือของใช้ในชีวิตประจำวัน ภาพแบบนั้นดูเหมือนไกลตัวและเป็นไปไม่ได้ในความเป็นจริง หลายคนถึงกับพูดว่า “คงไม่ทันเห็นในช่วงชีวิตนี้หรอก” แต่ในมุมมองของผม Bitcoin Standard อาจไม่ได้เริ่มต้นจากการที่เราจ่ายบิตคอยน์โดยตรงในร้านค้า แต่อาจเริ่มจากบางสิ่งที่เงียบกว่า ลึกกว่า และเกิดขึ้นแล้วในขณะนี้ นั่นคือ การล่มสลายทีละน้อยของระบบเฟียตที่เราใช้กันอยู่

ระบบเงินที่อิงกับอำนาจรัฐกำลังเข้าสู่ช่วงขาลง รัฐบาลทั่วโลกกำลังจมอยู่ในภาระหนี้ระดับประวัติการณ์ แม้แต่ประเทศมหาอำนาจก็เริ่มแสดงสัญญาณของภาวะเสี่ยงผิดนัดชำระหนี้ อัตราเงินเฟ้อกลายเป็นปัญหาเรื้อรังที่ไม่มีท่าทีจะหายไป ธนาคารที่เคยโอนฟรีเริ่มกลับมาคิดค่าธรรมเนียม และประชาชนก็เริ่มรู้สึกถึงการเสื่อมศรัทธาในระบบการเงินดั้งเดิม แม้จะยังพูดกันไม่เต็มเสียงก็ตาม

ในขณะเดียวกัน บิตคอยน์เองก็กำลังพัฒนาแบบเงียบ ๆ เงียบ... แต่ไม่เคยหยุด โดยเฉพาะในระดับ Layer 2 ที่เริ่มแสดงศักยภาพอย่างจริงจัง Lightning Network เป็น Layer 2 ที่เปิดใช้งานมาได้ระยะเวลสหนึ่ง และยังคงมีบทบาทสำคัญที่สุดในระบบนิเวศของบิตคอยน์ มันทำให้การชำระเงินเร็วขึ้น มีต้นทุนต่ำ และไม่ต้องบันทึกทุกธุรกรรมลงบล็อกเชน เครือข่ายนี้กำลังขยายตัวทั้งในแง่ของโหนดและการใช้งานจริงทั่วโลก

ขณะเดียวกัน Layer 2 ทางเลือกอื่นอย่าง Ark Protocol ก็กำลังพัฒนาเพื่อตอบโจทย์ด้านความเป็นส่วนตัวและประสบการณ์ใช้งานที่ง่าย BitVM เปิดแนวทางใหม่ให้บิตคอยน์รองรับ smart contract ได้ในระดับ Turing-complete ซึ่งทำให้เกิดความเป็นไปได้ในกรณีใช้งานอีกมากมาย และเทคโนโลยีที่น่าสนใจอย่าง Taproot Assets, Cashu และ Fedimint ก็ทำให้การออกโทเคนหรือสกุลเงินที่อิงกับบิตคอยน์เป็นจริงได้บนโครงสร้างของบิตคอยน์เอง

เทคโนโลยีเหล่านี้ไม่ใช่การเติบโตแบบปาฏิหาริย์ แต่มันคืบหน้าอย่างต่อเนื่องและมั่นคง และนั่นคือเหตุผลที่มันจะ “อยู่รอด” ได้ในระยะยาว เมื่อฐานของความน่าเชื่อถือไม่ใช่บริษัท รัฐบาล หรือทุน แต่คือสิ่งที่ตรวจสอบได้และเปลี่ยนกฎไม่ได้

แน่นอนว่าบิตคอยน์ต้องแข่งขันกับ stable coin, เงินดิจิทัลของรัฐ และ cryptocurrency อื่น ๆ แต่สิ่งที่ทำให้มันเหนือกว่านั้นไม่ใช่ฟีเจอร์ หากแต่เป็นความทนทาน และความมั่นคงของกฎที่ไม่มีใครเปลี่ยนได้ ไม่มีทีมพัฒนา ไม่มีบริษัท ไม่มีประตูปิด หรือการยึดบัญชี มันยืนอยู่บนคณิตศาสตร์ พลังงาน และเวลา

หลายกรณีใช้งานที่เคยถูกทดลองในโลกคริปโตจะค่อย ๆ เคลื่อนเข้ามาสู่บิตคอยน์ เพราะโครงสร้างของมันแข็งแกร่งกว่า ไม่ต้องการทีมพัฒนาแกนกลาง ไม่ต้องพึ่งกลไกเสี่ยงต่อการผูกขาด และไม่ต้องการ “ความเชื่อใจ” จากใครเลย

Bitcoin Standard ที่ผมพูดถึงจึงไม่ใช่การเปลี่ยนแปลงแบบพลิกหน้ามือเป็นหลังมือ แต่คือการ “เปลี่ยนฐานของระบบ” ทีละชั้น ระบบการเงินใหม่ที่อิงอยู่กับบิตคอยน์กำลังเกิดขึ้นแล้ว มันไม่ใช่โลกที่ทุกคนถือเหรียญบิตคอยน์ แต่มันคือโลกที่คนใช้อาจไม่รู้ตัวด้วยซ้ำว่า “สิ่งที่เขาใช้นั้นอิงอยู่กับบิตคอยน์”

ผู้คนอาจใช้เงินดิจิทัลที่สร้างบน Layer 3 หรือ Layer 4 ผ่านแอป ผ่านแพลตฟอร์ม หรือผ่านสกุลเงินใหม่ที่ดูไม่ต่างจากเดิม แต่เบื้องหลังของระบบจะผูกไว้กับบิตคอยน์

และถ้ามองในเชิงพัฒนาการ บิตคอยน์ก็เหมือนกับอินเทอร์เน็ต ครั้งหนึ่งอินเทอร์เน็ตก็ถูกมองว่าเข้าใจยาก ต้องพิมพ์ http ต้องรู้จัก TCP/IP ต้องตั้ง proxy เอง แต่ปัจจุบันผู้คนใช้งานอินเทอร์เน็ตโดยไม่รู้ว่าเบื้องหลังมีอะไรเลย บิตคอยน์กำลังเดินตามเส้นทางเดียวกัน โปรโตคอลกำลังถอยออกจากสายตา และวันหนึ่งเราจะ “ใช้มัน” โดยไม่ต้องรู้ว่ามันคืออะไร

หากนับจากช่วงเริ่มต้นของอินเทอร์เน็ตในยุค 1990 จนกลายเป็นโครงสร้างหลักของโลกในสองทศวรรษ เส้นเวลาของบิตคอยน์ก็กำลังเดินตามรอยเท้าของอินเทอร์เน็ต และถ้าเราเชื่อว่าวัฏจักรของเทคโนโลยีมีจังหวะของมันเอง เราก็จะรู้ว่า Bitcoin Standard นั้นไม่ใช่เรื่องของอนาคตไกลโพ้น แต่มันเกิดขึ้นแล้ว

@ 866e0139:6a9334e5

Autor: Jana Moava. Dieser Beitrag wurde mit dem Pareto-Client geschrieben. Sie finden alle Texte der Friedenstaube und weitere Texte zum Thema Frieden hier. Die neuesten Pareto-Artikel finden Sie auch in unserem Telegram-Kanal.

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Die neuesten Artikel der Friedenstaube gibt es jetzt auch im eigenen Friedenstaube-Telegram-Kanal.

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Zwei Worte nur braucht man – und die Sache ist klar. Jeder gebildete Russe kennt diese Worte: sie stammen aus dem XIX. Jahrhundert, als Nikolaus I. die Krim-Kampagne begann und das Zarenreich nach üblen Querelen ganz Europa und die Türkei zum Gegner hatte - allen voran die Herrscher der Weltmeere: das British Empire mit Queen Victoria. Der historische Ausdruck anglitschanka gadit (locker übersetzt: die Engländerin macht Shit) besitzt bis heute verdeckte politische Sprengkraft und ist seit Ende Februar 2022 in Russland wieder populär. Wer auch immer der Urheber dieser im Original durchaus diskreten Benennung des Fäkalvorgangs war: der Ausdruck steht für ernste Konflikte mit dem Englisch sprechenden Westen, dem Erzfeind.

Ein kurzer Blick in die Geschichte mag dies erläutern: Fast alle westlichen Historiker benennen als Auslöser des Krimkrieges Mitte des IX. Jahrhunderts die Verteidigung der russisch-orthodoxen Kirche und deren Zugang zur Kreuzkirche in Jerusalem. Es wird vom letzten Kreuzzug u.a. geschrieben. Das ist eine höchst einseitige Interpretation, denn es ging Nikolaus I. vor allem um den Zugang zum einzigen dauerhaft eisfreien Hafen Russlands im Schwarzen Meer, durch die Meeresenge der Dardanellen ins Mittelmeer. Das ist verständlich, war doch die Eroberung der Krim ab 1783 unter seiner Großmutter Katharina II. aus eben diesem Grunde erfolgt. Damals schon wurde der Hafen Sewastopol zum Stützpunkt der russischen Flotte ausgebaut. 

Ende 1825, nach dem plötzlichen Tod des ältesten Bruders Alexander I., war Nikolaus von seiner Erziehung her auf eine Regentschaft ganz und gar nicht vorbereitet gewesen, doch herrschte er dreißig Jahre lang nicht nur über das russische Reich, sondern auch über Finnland und das damalige Königreich Polen unter russischem Protektorat. Nikolaus I. zeichnete sich von Beginn an durch Gewaltmaßnahmen aus: Als ihm im Dezember (russ. dekabr)1825 eine Gruppe sehr gebildeter, freiheitsliebender junger Adligen aus besten Familien den Eid verweigerte (dies zog als Dekabristenaufstand in die Geschichte ein), ließ er fünf der Rebellen hängen, die anderen schickte er in Fußfesseln nach Sibirien in die Bergwerke. Er gründete die berüchtigte Geheimpolizei Dritte Abteilung, ließ Privatbriefe des Dichters Puschkin öffnen (obwohl dieser „in seiner Gnade stand“) und Historikern ist Nikolaus I. als Gendarm Europas bekannt. Im russischen Volk aber nannte man ihn kurz und bündig: *Nicki Knüppel aus dem Sack (Nikolaschka palkin). *

Leo Tolstoj beschrieb diesen Zaren in seinen Erzählungen über die Kriege im Kaukasus (Hadschi Murat) als feist und fett, mit leblosen, trüben Augen und als berüchtigten Frauenjäger. Tolstoj war es auch, der als junger Teilnehmer im Krimkrieg drei Erzählungen schrieb: Sewastopol im Dezember 1854, im Mai 1855 und im August 1855. Nachdem das British Empire unter Queen Victoria Russland den Krieg erklärt hatte (in Koalition mit Frankreich und Piemont-Sardinien als Schutzmacht des Osmanischen Reiches), entstand der Ausdruck anglitschanka gadit – die Engländerin macht Shit. Bis heute findet man dazu drastische Illustrationen im Netz…

Noch bevor russische Truppen Ende Februar 2022 in die Ukraine marschierten, lebte dieser Ausdruck in Russland wieder auf. Wer hierzulande Interesse an der Wahrheit hat, kann deutliche Parallelen zur damaligen politischen Lage entdecken, auch in Bezug auf die Verhaltensweisen des derzeitigen russischen Staatschefs und des historischen Nicki Knüppel aus dem Sack. Obwohl der amtierende durchaus Anerkennung verdient hat, denn nach dem Zusammenbruch der Sowjetunion in den 1990er Jahren unter Jelzin stellte er die Staatlich-keit des verlotterten, hungernden Landes wieder her und trieb den wirtschaftlichen Aufbau voran. Davon kann ich zeugen, lebte ich doch von 1992 – 2008 vor Ort.

Sicher - heute ist längst bekannt, daß die bereits Ende März 2022 in Istanbul laufenden Friedensverhandlungen zwischen Russland und der Ukraine vom britischen Premier und im Namen des US Präsidenten boykottiert wurden. Daniel Ruch, Schweizer Botschafter a.D., sprach gar von Sabotage! Der deutsche General a. D. Harald Kujat kommentierte damals mit den Worten: „Seit April 2022 gehen alle Kriegsopfer in der Ukraine auf das Konto des Westens!“ Der Ausdruck anglitschanka gadit ist seitdem in Russland wieder geläufig. Nun, brandaktuell, treffen sich die Kriegsparteien wieder in Istanbul: Ausgang ungewiss. Doch wird inzwischen auch von einzelnen westlichen Politikern anerkannt, dass Russland eine neutrale Pufferzone zu den Nato-Staaten verlangt und braucht.

Wenn hierzulande gemutmaßt wird, alle Russen würden den Ukraine-Krieg bejahen, so sollte man zur Kenntnis nehmen, dass derartige Aussagen kaum die wirkliche Überzeugung wiedergeben. Seit den Repressionen unter Stalin, seit in jeder zweiten Familie nahe Angehörige im GULAG einsaßen und umkamen und darüber Jahrzehnte lang geschwiegen werden musste, ist der Wahrheitsgehalt öffentlicher Umfragen getrost zu bezweifeln. Hat man hier etwa vergessen, dass seit 2011 auf eine mächtig wachsende zivile Protestbewegung und riesige Demonstrationen in russischen Großstädten immer schärfere Aktionen von Seiten des Staates erfolgten? Dass Knüppel auf Köpfe und Leiber prasselten, wie zur Zeit Nickis I., und der Polizeiapparat derart wuchs, dass heute das Verhältnis von Bürger und Silowiki (Vertreter der Gewalt)1:1 steht?

Offenbar weiß man hier nicht, dass schon Anfang 2022 von Mitarbeitern in jeder staatlich finanzierten Institution, ob im Bereich von Kultur, Wissenschaft, Forschung oder Lehre die schriftliche Zustimmung zur Spezialoperation mit der Ukraine eingefordert wurde! Eine Weigerung hatte den Verlust des Arbeitsplatzes zur Folge, egal welches Renommée oder welchen Rang der Betroffene besaß! Manche Leiter von staatlichen Institutionen zeigten dabei gehöriges Geschick und zeichneten für alle; andere (z.B. staatliche Theater) riefen jeden Mitarbeiter ins Kontor. Nur wenige Personen, die unter dem persönlichem Schutz des Präsidenten standen, konnten sich dieser Zustimmung zum Krieg entziehen. Wissenschaftler und Künstler emigrierten zuhauf. Berlin ist voll mit Geflohenen aus jenem Land, das kriegerisch ins Bruderland einmarschierte! Aber kann denn jeder emigrieren? Die Alten, Familien mit Kindern? Mit guten Freunden, die dort blieben, ist eine Kommunikation nur verschlüsselt möglich, in Nachrichten wie: die Feuer der Inquisition brennen (jeder, der von der offiziellen Doktrin abweicht, ist gefährdet), Ratten verbreiten Krankheiten bezieht sich auf Denunziationen, die in jeder Diktatur aufblühen, wenn sich jemand dem Schussfeld entziehen möchte und im vorauseilenden Gehorsam den Nachbarn anzeigt. Kennen wir das nicht noch aus unseren hitlerdeutschen 1930er Jahren?!

Je mehr im Reich aller Russen in den letzten Jahren von oben geknebelt und geknüppelt wurde, desto mehr Denunziationen griffen um sich. Junge Menschen, die auf Facebook gegen den Krieg posteten, wurden verhaftet. Seit 2023 sitzen u.a. zwei junge russische Theaterfrauen aufgrund der üblen Denunziation eines Kollegen hinter Gittern. Die Inszenierung der Regisseurin Zhenja Berkowitsch und der Autorin Swetlana Petritschuk erhielt Ende 2022 den höchsten Theaterpreis von ganz Russland, die Goldene Maske. Das Stück Finist (Phönix), klarer Falke ist nach dem Motiv eines russischen Märchens geschrieben, fußt aber auf dokumentarischem Material: es verhandelt die Versuchung junger Frauen, auf Islamisten hereinzufallen und sie aus Frust und falsch verstandener Solidarität zu heiraten. Die Anklage hat den Spieß genau umgedreht: Autorin und Regisseurin wurden des Terrorismus beschuldigt! Das Rechtssystem im Land scheint heute noch vergleichbar mit jenem, das Alexander Puschkin vor über 200 Jahren in seiner Erzählung Dubrowski authentisch beschrieb: Wer die Macht hat, regelt das Recht. Man kann die Erzählung des russischen Robin Hood auch deutsch nachlesen (leider, leider hat Puschkin sie nicht beendet).

Andere, erbaulichere Elemente aus der Zeit Puschkins, bzw. von Nikolaus I., dienen allerdings als Gegengewicht zum Alltag: seit Ende 2007 finden in Moskau und St. Petersburg jeden Winter nach dem Vorbild der historischen Adelsbälle große gesellschaftliche Events statt: Puschkinball, Wiener Opernball, jetzt nur noch Opernball genannt. Der Nachwuchs aus begüterten Familien lernt alte Tanzschritte und feine Sitten. Fort mit dem sowjetischen Schmuddelimage! Prächtige Kostümbälle werden nun zum Abschluss jedes Schuljahres aufgeboten. In stilisierten Kostümen der Zeit Nikolajs I. bzw. Puschkins tanzen Schuldirektoren, Lehrer und junge Absolventen. Der Drang nach altem Glanz und Größe (oder eine notwendige Kompensation?) spiegelt sich im Volk. 

Werfen wir jedoch einen Blick auf einige Geschehnisse in der Ukraine ab 2014, die in unserer Presse immer noch verschwiegen werden:  Im Spätsommer 2022 begegnete ich auf Kreta einer Ukrainerin aus der Nordukraine, die wegen des fürchterlichen Nationalismus nach 2014 ihre Heimat verließ. Sie ist nicht die einzige! Ihre Kinder waren erwachsen und zogen nach Polen, sie aber reiste mit einer Freundin weiter Richtung Griechenland, lernte die Sprache, erwarb die Staatsbürgerschaft und ist nun auf Kreta verheiratet.

Natalia erzählte mir, was bei uns kaum zu lesen ist, was jedoch Reporter wie Patrick Baab oder Historiker wie Daniele Ganser schon lange berichtet haben: 2014, als die Bilder der Proteste auf dem Maidan um die Welt gingen, habe die damalige amerikanische Regierung unter Präsident Biden die Vorgänge in Kiew für einen Putsch genutzt: Janukowitsch, der korrupte, doch demokratisch gewählte Präsident der Ukraine wurde gestürzt, die Ereignisse mit Hilfe von Strohmännern und rechten Nationalisten gelenkt, die mit Geld versorgt wurden. Bis es zum Massaker auf dem Maidan kam, als bewaffnete, ihrer Herkunft nach zunächst nicht identifi-zierbare Schützen (es waren v.a. rechte Nationalisten, so der gebürtige Ukrainer und US Bürger Professor N. Petro und Prof. Ivan Katchanovskij) von den Dächern in die Menge schossen.

Im YouTube Kanal Neutrality Studies konnte man am 17.02.2024 hören: Anlässlich des traurigen 10. Jahrestages des Maidan-Massakers, bei dem am 20. Februar 2014 mehr als 100 Menschen durch Scharfschützenfeuer getötet wurden, spreche ich heute mit Ivan Katchanovski, einem ukrainischen (und kanadischen) Politikwissenschaftler an der Univer-sität von Ottawa, der das Massaker detailliert erforscht hat. Letztes Jahr veröffentlichte er das Papier „Die Maidan-Massaker-Prozess und Untersuchungserkenntnisse: Implikationen für den Krieg zwischen der Ukraine und Russland und die Beziehungen“. Kurz gesagt, das Massaker wurde NICHT von den Kräften Victor Janukowytschs begangen, wie in westlichen Medien berichtet, und es gibt schlüssige Beweise dafür, dass die Schützen Teil des ultra-rechten Flügels der Ukraine waren, die dann nach dem Putsch an die Macht kamen. (Link zum Paper).

Wer erinnert sich hierzulande noch daran, dass 2014 im deutschen öffentlichen  Fernsehen von Hunter Biden, Sohn des US-Präsidenten berichtet wurde, der durch dubiose Gas- und Ölgeschäfte in der Ukraine auffiel? Dass damals im deutschen Fernsehen auch Bilder von Ukrainern mit SS-Stahlhelmen auftauchten? In einer Arte-Reportage zu Hilfs-transporten im März 2022 aus Polen über die Westukraine konnte der aufmerksame Zu-schauer an fast allen Häusern die tiefroten Banner von Anhängern des verstorbenen, in München begrabenen, faschistischen Stepan Bandera erkennen. Ausgesprochen wurde es nicht.

Die neue Kreterin Natalia sprach auch über eine Amerikanerin ukrainischer Herkunft, die Röntgenärztin Uljana Suprun, die aus den USA als Gesundheitsministerin rekrutiert wurde und unter dem amerikafreundlichen Präsidenten Poroschenko von 2016-2019 diesen Posten innehatte. Was bitte sollte eine Röntgenärztin aus den USA auf dem Ministerposten der Ukraine?! Streit und Skandal umgaben sie fast täglich in der RADA, dem ukrainischen Parlament. Es wurde gemunkelt, sie diene als Feigenblatt bei der Herstellung biologischer Waffen. Material zu ihr ist bis heute auf YouTube zu finden. 

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Natalia bezeichnete die ukrainischen Emigrantenkreise in den USA und Kanada zurecht als ultranationalistisch, sie seien Kollaborateure der Nazis bei der Judenvernichtung gewesen und hätten sich nach dem Rückzug der Deutschen rechtzeitig nach Übersee abgesetzt. Das ist wohl bekannt. 

Heute ist das Recherchieren der wahren Geschehnisse von 2014 zwar immer noch mühsam, aber die Wahrheit sickert immer mehr durch, zumal auch Exilukrainer dazu geschrieben und öffentlich gesprochen haben. Die Kanäle SaneVox und Neutrality studies liefern unermüdlich weitere Fakten! Im März 2025 klärte der US-Professor Jeffrey Sachs das Europa-Parlament endlich in allen Details über die kriegerischen Machenschaften bestimmter Kreise innerhalb der englischsprechenden Westmächte auf! 

Kürzlich war im multipolar-magazin zu lesen, wie erschreckend tief unser eigenes Land bereits in**** den Ukraine-Krieg verwickelt ist: Da hieß es:

*„Kriegsplanung von deutschem Boden“ *

Zwei umfassende Beiträge der „New York Times“ und der Londoner „Times“ belegen, was lange bestritten wurde: die tiefe militärische und strategische Verwicklung von Nato-Mitgliedsstaaten in den Ukraine-Krieg. Demnach wird deren Kriegsbeteiligung seit Jahren vom europäischen Hauptquartier der US-Armee in Wiesbaden koordiniert. Für Deutschland stellen sich damit verfassungsrechtliche Fragen.

Und ein Karsten Montag schrieb ebenda am 25. April 2025:

Mehr als drei Jahre nach Beginn des russisch-ukrainischen Krieges berichten zwei große westliche Tageszeitungen über die tiefgreifende Beteiligung von Nato-Militärs an diesem Konflikt. Den Anfang machte die „New York Times“ (NYT). Unter dem Titel „Die Partnerschaft: Die geheime Geschichte des Krieges in der Ukraine“ erschien Ende März ein umfassender *Artikel, der laut Autor Adam Entous auf 300 Interviews mit Regierungs-, Militär- und Geheim-dienstvertretern in der Ukraine, den Vereinigten Staaten sowie weiteren Nato-Partnern basiert. Es handle sich um die „unerzählte Geschichte“ der „versteckten Rolle“ der USA bei den ukrainischen Militäroperationen. *

Wenige Wochen später veröffentlichte die britische Tageszeitung „The Times“ Anfang April einen ähnlichen Beitrag mit dem Titel „Die unerzählte Geschichte der entscheidenden Rolle der britischen Militärchefs in der Ukraine“. Dieser bestätigt die tiefe Verstrickung der Nato-Staaten in Militäroperationen wie der ukrainischen Offensive 2023. Abweichend vom NYT-Artikel bezeichnet er jedoch die britischen Militärchefs als die „Köpfe“ der „Anti-Putin“-Koalition. Einigkeit herrscht wiederum bei der Frage, wer für den Misserfolg der Operationen verantwortlich ist: Dies sei eindeutig der Ukraine zuzuschreiben. Auch im Times-Beitrag wird auf die besondere Rolle des europäischen US-Hauptquartiers im hessischen Wiesbaden bei der Koordination der Einsätze und den Waffenlieferungen hingewiesen.

Na also! Es gibt unter den aus der Ukraine Geflüchteten hier allerdings eine große Mehrheit, die von diesen Fakten weder etwas wissen, noch wissen wollen. Amerika und die Heimat der Anglitschanka ist für sie das Gelobte Land und wehe, du sprichst darüber, dann wirst du sofort der russischen Propaganda verdächtig. Wie Nicki mittlerweile daheim den Knüppel schwingt, interessiert sie auch nicht. 

Wieso wird hier nicht untersucht, wieso wird verschwiegen, dass Alexej Nawalny für einen englischen Dienst arbeitete – woher erhielt er das viele Geld für seine Kampagnen? Wo leben nun seine Witwe und die Kinder? Auf der Insel im nebligen Avalon/ Albion… 

Ein letztes Beispiel aus dem Bereich der Kultur zum Verständnis des leider so aktuellen Ausdrucks Die Engländerin macht Shit:  Anfang 2024 wurde im staatlichen Sender ONE (ARD) eine Serie der BBC zu frühen Erzählungen von Michail Bulgakow ausgestrahlt:** Aufzeichnungen eines jungen Arztes. Die BBC verhunzte den in Kiew geborenen Arzt und weltberühmten Autor derart, dass dem Zuschauer schlecht wurde: Mit dem Titel A Young Doctor‘s Notebook verfilmte sie Bulgakows frühe Erzählungen über die Nöte eines jungen Arztes in der bettelarmen sowjetrussischen Provinz in den 1920er Jahren hypernaturalistisch, blut-, dreck- und eitertriefend. Pseudokyrillische Titel und Balalaika Geklimper begleiteten das Leiden von schwer traumatisierten Menschen im russischen Bürgerkrieg oder Abscheulichkeiten, wie das Amputieren eines Mädchenbeines mit einer Baumsäge - ausgestrahlt vom 1. Deutschen Fernsehen! Michail Bulgakow hätte sich im Grabe umgedreht.

Als Autor beherrschte Bulgakow die Kunst der Groteske ebenso wie hochlyrische Schilderungen. Seine Prosa und seine Theaterstücke aber wurden Zeit seines Lebens von der Sowjetmacht verstümmelt - und post mortem auch von seinen ukrainischen Landsleuten: sein schönes Museum, das ehemalige Domizil der Familie Bulgakow in Kiew am Andrejew-Steig, das mit seinem ersten Roman Die weiße Garde (Kiew vor 100 Jahren im Strudel auch ultranationalistischer Strömungen) und der berühmten Dramatisierung Die Tage der Turbins in die große Literatur einzog, dieses Museum wurde abgewickelt und geschlossen, weil Bulgakow angeblich schlecht über die Ukraine geschrieben hätte! 

Ein Glück jedoch, dass die bedeutenden Werke Bulgakows seit nun drei Dekaden von russischsprachigen Philologen beharrlich in ihrer ursprünglichen Fassung wieder hergestellt wurden. Seine großen Romane Die weiße Garde und Meister und Margarita seien in der hervorragenden deutschen Übersetzung von Alexander Nitzberg jedem Interessierten ans Herz gelegt!

Die obigen Ausführungen sind keinesfalls eine Rechtfertigung des Krieges, es geht vielmehr um Hintergründe, Fakten und Machenschaften, die in der Regel bis heute bei uns verschwiegen werden! Obwohl es nun sonnenklar und öffentlich ist, dass bestimmte Inter-essengruppen der englischsprachigen Westmächte die hochgefährliche Konfrontationspolitik mit Russland zu verantworten haben: die Engländerin macht Shit…Und wir? Wir schweigen, glauben der immer noch laufenden Propaganda und wehren uns nicht gegen diese üble Russenphobie?! Ich erinnere mich noch lebhaft an die Nachkriegszeit im Ruhrgebiet, als der Ton ruppig war und Dreck und Trümmer unsere Sicht beherrschten. Auch uns kleinen Kindern gegenüber wurde von den bösen Russen gesprochen, als hätten diese unser Land überfallen.

Ja – es waren viele Geflüchtete aus dem Osten hier gestrandet, und diese hatten Unsägliches hinter sich. Lew Kopelew, der den Einmarsch der Roten Armee in Ostpreußen miterlebte und Gräuel vergebens zu verhindern suchte, wurde noch im April 1945 verhaftet und wegen Mitleid mit dem Feind zu 10 Jahren Lager verurteilt. Viele Jahre später erschienen seine Erinnerungen Aufbewahren für alle Zeit – auch auf Deutsch. Über die mindestens 27 Mio Opfer in der damaligen Sowjetunion und über die deutschen Aggressoren, die damals mit Mord und Raub die bösen Russen, sowjetische Zivilisten überfielen, wurde in den 1950er Jahren, im zerbombten und dreckigen Pott kein einziges Wort verloren. Der Spieß wurde einfach umgedreht. Von der Blockade Leningrads erfuhr ich erst als Erwachsene, anno 1974, als Austauschstudentin vor Ort.

Exakt vor 10 Jahren wurde es jedoch möglich – herzlichen Dank der damaligen stell-vertretenden tatarischen Kulturministerin Frau Irada Ayupova! – mein dokumentarisches Antikriegsstück mit Schicksalen von Kriegskindern – sowjetischen, jüdischen, deutschen – in Kasan, der Hauptstadt von Tatarstan, zweisprachig auf die Bühne des dortigen Jugendtheaters zu bringen. Wir spielten 15 Vorstellungen und einige tausend Jugendliche im Saal verstummten und verstanden, dass Krieg furchtbar ist. Hier und heute will leider kein Theater das Stück umsetzen…

Wir Menschen brauchen Frieden und keine Aufrüstung für neue Kriege! Der gute alte Aischylos schrieb einst in seinem Stück Die Perser: Wahrheit ist das erste Opfer eines Krieges. Leider ist dies immer noch genauso aktuell wie damals. Pfui Teufel!

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Jana Moava (Pseudonym) ist Journalistin, Dozentin und arbeitete für große Zeitungen als Korrespondentin.

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@ c1e9ab3a:9cb56b43

I. Historical Foundations of U.S. Monetary Architecture

The early monetary system of the United States was built atop inherited commodity money conventions from Europe’s maritime economies. Silver and gold coins—primarily Spanish pieces of eight, Dutch guilders, and other foreign specie—formed the basis of colonial commerce. These units were already integrated into international trade and piracy networks and functioned with natural compatibility across England, France, Spain, and Denmark. Lacking a centralized mint or formal currency, the U.S. adopted these forms de facto.

As security risks and the practical constraints of physical coinage mounted, banks emerged to warehouse specie and issue redeemable certificates. These certificates evolved into fiduciary media—claims on specie not actually in hand. Banks observed over time that substantial portions of reserves remained unclaimed for years. This enabled fractional reserve banking: issuing more claims than reserves held, so long as redemption demand stayed low. The practice was inherently unstable, prone to panics and bank runs, prompting eventual centralization through the formation of the Federal Reserve in 1913.

Following the Civil War and unstable reinstatements of gold convertibility, the U.S. sought global monetary stability. After World War II, the Bretton Woods system formalized the U.S. dollar as the global reserve currency. The dollar was nominally backed by gold, but most international dollars were held offshore and recycled into U.S. Treasuries. The Nixon Shock of 1971 eliminated the gold peg, converting the dollar into pure fiat. Yet offshore dollar demand remained, sustained by oil trade mandates and the unique role of Treasuries as global reserve assets.

II. The Structure of Fiduciary Media and Treasury Demand

Under this system, foreign trade surpluses with the U.S. generate excess dollars. These surplus dollars are parked in U.S. Treasuries, thereby recycling trade imbalances into U.S. fiscal liquidity. While technically loans to the U.S. government, these purchases act like interest-only transfers—governments receive yield, and the U.S. receives spendable liquidity without principal repayment due in the short term. Debt is perpetually rolled over, rarely extinguished.

This creates an illusion of global subsidy: U.S. deficits are financed via foreign capital inflows that, in practice, function more like financial tribute systems than conventional debt markets. The underlying asset—U.S. Treasury debt—functions as the base reserve asset of the dollar system, replacing gold in post-Bretton Woods monetary logic.

III. Emergence of Tether and the Parastatal Dollar

Tether (USDT), as a private issuer of dollar-denominated tokens, mimics key central bank behaviors while operating outside the regulatory perimeter. It mints tokens allegedly backed 1:1 by U.S. dollars or dollar-denominated securities (mostly Treasuries). These tokens circulate globally, often in jurisdictions with limited banking access, and increasingly serve as synthetic dollar substitutes.

If USDT gains dominance as the preferred medium of exchange—due to technological advantages, speed, programmability, or access—it displaces Federal Reserve Notes (FRNs) not through devaluation, but through functional obsolescence. Gresham’s Law inverts: good money (more liquid, programmable, globally transferable USDT) displaces bad (FRNs) even if both maintain a nominal 1:1 parity.

Over time, this preference translates to a systemic demand shift. Actors increasingly use Tether instead of FRNs, especially in global commerce, digital marketplaces, or decentralized finance. Tether tokens effectively become shadow base money.

IV. Interaction with Commercial Banking and Redemption Mechanics

Under traditional fractional reserve systems, commercial banks issue loans denominated in U.S. dollars, expanding the money supply. When borrowers repay loans, this destroys the created dollars and contracts monetary elasticity. If borrowers repay in USDT instead of FRNs:

• Banks receive a non-Fed liability (USDT).
• USDT is not recognized as reserve-eligible within the Federal Reserve System.
• Banks must either redeem USDT for FRNs, or demand par-value conversion from Tether to settle reserve requirements and balance their books.

This places redemption pressure on Tether and threatens its 1:1 peg under stress. If redemption latency, friction, or cost arises, USDT’s equivalence to FRNs is compromised. Conversely, if banks are permitted or compelled to hold USDT as reserve or regulatory capital, Tether becomes a de facto reserve issuer.

In this scenario, banks may begin demanding loans in USDT, mirroring borrower behavior. For this to occur sustainably, banks must secure Tether liquidity. This creates two options: - Purchase USDT from Tether or on the secondary market, collateralized by existing fiat. - Borrow USDT directly from Tether, using bank-issued debt as collateral.

The latter mirrors Federal Reserve discount window operations. Tether becomes a lender of first resort, providing monetary elasticity to the banking system by creating new tokens against promissory assets—exactly how central banks function.

V. Structural Consequences: Parallel Central Banking

If Tether begins lending to commercial banks, issuing tokens backed by bank notes or collateralized debt obligations: - Tether controls the expansion of broad money through credit issuance. - Its balance sheet mimics a central bank, with Treasuries and bank debt as assets and tokens as liabilities. - It intermediates between sovereign debt and global liquidity demand, replacing the Federal Reserve’s open market operations with its own issuance-redemption cycles.

Simultaneously, if Tether purchases U.S. Treasuries with FRNs received through token issuance, it: - Supplies the Treasury with new liquidity (via bond purchases). - Collects yield on government debt. - Issues a parallel form of U.S. dollars that never require redemption—an interest-only loan to the U.S. government from a non-sovereign entity.

In this context, Tether performs monetary functions of both a central bank and a sovereign wealth fund, without political accountability or regulatory transparency.

VI. Endgame: Institutional Inversion and Fed Redundancy

This paradigm represents an institutional inversion:

• The Federal Reserve becomes a legacy issuer.
• Tether becomes the operational base money provider in both retail and interbank contexts.
• Treasuries remain the foundational reserve asset, but access to them is mediated by a private intermediary.
• The dollar persists, but its issuer changes. The State becomes a fiscal agent of a decentralized financial ecosystem, not its monetary sovereign.

Unless the Federal Reserve reasserts control—either by absorbing Tether, outlawing its instruments, or integrating its tokens into the reserve framework—it risks becoming irrelevant in the daily function of money.

Tether, in this configuration, is no longer a derivative of the dollar—it is the dollar, just one level removed from sovereign control. The future of monetary sovereignty under such a regime is post-national and platform-mediated.

@ fbf0e434:e1be6a39

Hackathon 概要

JAMHacks 9 于 2025 年 5 月 16 日至 18 日在滑铁卢大学举办。作为 JAMHacks 系列的第九届黑客松，该活动汇聚了 170 名高中黑客爱好者，最终评审通过 49 个项目，充分彰显了年轻开发者的技术实力。此次黑客松旨在为高中生打造培育成长的平台，搭配工作坊与互动活动，助力提升技术能力并拓展社交网络。

参与者带来了丰富的项目成果：基于 Pico-8 的创意开发、运用 MongoDB Atlas 的创新应用，以及展示新兴技术应用的生成式 AI 模型项目。活动设置多个奖项类别，包括最佳新手项目、最佳开发者工具、生成式 AI 最佳应用等。奖品涵盖智能手表、无人机、QuillBot 连帽衫，以及其他黑客松的参赛资格。

除技术成果外，JAMHacks 9 同样注重营造趣味互动体验，特别举办扑克之夜、社交派对等活动。此次黑客松成功为年轻开发者搭建了技能提升、创意孵化与专业联结的平台，切实践行其推动科技行业包容性与可及性的愿景。

Hackathon 获奖者

总奖项获奖者

• Mr. Goose：一个有趣的VS Code扩展，为初学者提供提示和鼓励，促进学习而不直接解决问题。
• Guideline：一个基于AR的工具，通过增强现实引导初学电子爱好者进行面包板组装。
• ARmatica：将2D硬件示意图转换为3D AR模型，通过改进可视化增强工程和原型设计过程。

初学者赛道奖项获奖者

• Duedle：一个任务管理应用，利用AI将大型任务分解为可管理的小任务，并提供进度跟踪以提高生产力。

单人赛道奖项获奖者

• Lofied：一个Python应用程序，将Spotify播放列表变为lo-fi版本，具有音乐分离和乐谱生成功能。

女性赛道奖项获奖者

• Doomlings：结合游戏化和教育任务，通过战斗游戏界面提高学生的学习和参与。

Warp 赛道奖项获奖者

• Mr. Goose

Hack Canada 赛道奖项获奖者

• Dionysus：一个用于组织协作活动和参与的平台，提供实时活动管理的统一界面。

MLH 赛道奖项获奖者

• Karma：一个记录和分享积极行动的社交平台，促进自我提升和环境保护，以鼓励社区参与。
• helpidontknowhowtonetworkin.tech：一个使用面部识别和LinkedIn数据的AI驱动网络助手，帮助在活动中建立专业联系。
• SnapCAD：从图像或图纸生成可定制的3D模型，简化工程项目的集成。

PEX Labs 奖项获奖者

• Arctic Explorer：一个Pico-8开放世界游戏，通过探索北极环境促进可持续实践，可以扩展附加小游戏和地图。

查看所有项目 JAMHacks 9。

关于组织者

JAMHacks

JAMHacks 在科技和区块链领域因促进技术爱好者之间的创新与合作而备受认可。该组织擅长举办Hackathon，为开发现实世界挑战的实际解决方案提供了一个平台。JAMHacks 聚焦于技术赋权，已组织多场活动，吸引了来自不同背景的参与者。他们的倡议强调技术技能发展和网络拓展，充分体现了他们致力于推进技术教育和培养一个包容的社区，为有抱负的技术人员和开发者服务。

@ da8b7de1:c0164aee

Blykalla svéd fejlesztő következő tőkebevonási köre augusztus végéig

A svéd Blykalla, amely fejlett ólom-hűtésű gyorsreaktorokat (SEALER) fejleszt, augusztus végéig tervezi következő tőkebevonási körét. A vállalat nemrég 7,3 millió dolláros befektetést szerzett, amellyel összesen már 20 millió dollárnyi forrást gyűjtött össze. A SEALER technológia jelentősen hatékonyabb üzemanyag-felhasználást ígér, akár 140-szeres hatékonysággal a hagyományos könnyűvizes reaktorokhoz képest. Az első két reaktort Svédországban tervezik megépíteni, de már ukrán és más európai, valamint kanadai partnerekkel is tárgyalnak. A következő lépés a tesztreaktor megépítése és az engedélyezési folyamat elindítása, amelyet 2025-re terveznek lezárni. A vállalat célja, hogy technológiai szolgáltatóként jelenjen meg, nem pedig üzemeltetőként[2].

Amerikai szenátorok törvényjavaslata Kína és Oroszország nukleáris befolyása ellen

Amerikai republikánus és demokrata szenátorok közösen nyújtottak be törvényjavaslatot, amelynek célja Kína és Oroszország növekvő nemzetközi nukleáris befolyásának visszaszorítása. Az International Nuclear Energy Act egy új hivatalt hozna létre, amely a nukleáris exportot, finanszírozást és szabályozási szabványosítást erősítené. A törvényjavaslat egy alapot is létrehozna a nemzetbiztonság szempontjából fontos projektek finanszírozására, valamint kétévente kabinet szintű egyeztetést írna elő a nukleáris biztonságról és ipar-politikai kérdésekről. A kezdeményezés hátterében az elektromos áram iránti várható keresletnövekedés és a szektor stratégiai jelentősége áll[3].

India 49%-os külföldi tulajdon engedélyezését fontolgatja a nukleáris szektorban

India fontolgatja, hogy akár 49%-os külföldi tulajdont is engedélyezzen atomerőműveiben, hogy elérje ambiciózus nukleáris kapacitásbővítési céljait és csökkentse szén-dioxid-kibocsátását. Jelenleg a külföldi befektetők számára tilos az atomerőművekben való tulajdonszerzés, de a kormány tervezi a szabályozás lazítását, beleértve a nukleáris felelősségi törvények enyhítését is. A cél az, hogy 2047-re 12-ről 100 gigawattra növeljék az ország nukleáris kapacitását. Bármilyen külföldi befektetéshez továbbra is kormányzati jóváhagyás szükséges lenne[4].

NRC: végleges környezeti jelentés a Summer-1 engedélymegújításáról

Az amerikai Nukleáris Szabályozási Bizottság (NRC) közzétette a Summer-1 atomerőmű engedélymegújításához kapcsolódó végleges környezeti hatástanulmányát. A jelentés szerint nincs olyan jelentős környezeti hatás, amely akadályozná a 966 MWe teljesítményű reaktor további 20 évig tartó üzemeltetését 2042 után. A vizsgálat alternatív energiaforrásokat is értékelt, de egyik sem bizonyult jobbnak a jelenlegi atomenergia-használatnál. A Summer-1 egység különálló a befejezetlen Summer-2 és -3 blokkoktól, amelyek építését 2017-ben leállították[5].

Nemzetközi nukleáris hatósági és technológiai fejlemények

A szlovéniai Portorozban május közepén tartották a közép-európai nukleáris hatóságok éves találkozóját, ahol a biztonsági és technológiai együttműködés volt a fókuszban. Emellett a BME megalapította a Mikro- és Kis Moduláris Reaktorok Kompetenciaközpontját, amely a magyarországi SMR-technológia fejlesztését és elterjesztését támogatja[6][7].

---

Hivatkozások

• nucnet.org
• ignition-news.com
• investing.com
• energynews.oedigital.com
• ans.org
• pakspress.hu
• mandiner.hu

@ 21335073:a244b1ad

Someone asked for my thoughts, so I’ll share them thoughtfully. I’m not here to dictate how to promote Nostr—I’m still learning about it myself. While I’m not new to Nostr, freedom tech is a newer space for me. I’m skilled at advocating for topics I deeply understand, but freedom tech isn’t my expertise, so take my words with a grain of salt. Nothing I say is set in stone.

Those who need Nostr the most are the ones most vulnerable to censorship on other platforms right now. Reaching them requires real-time awareness of global issues and the dynamic relationships between governments and tech providers, which can shift suddenly. Effective Nostr promoters must grasp this and adapt quickly.

The best messengers are people from or closely tied to these at-risk regions—those who truly understand the local political and cultural dynamics. They can connect with those in need when tensions rise. Ideal promoters are rational, trustworthy, passionate about Nostr, but above all, dedicated to amplifying people’s voices when it matters most.

Forget influencers, corporate-backed figures, or traditional online PR—it comes off as inauthentic, corny, desperate and forced. Nostr’s promotion should be grassroots and organic, driven by a few passionate individuals who believe in Nostr and the communities they serve.

The idea that “people won’t join Nostr due to lack of reach” is nonsense. Everyone knows X’s “reach” is mostly with bots. If humans want real conversations, Nostr is the place. X is great for propaganda, but Nostr is for the authentic voices of the people.

Those spreading Nostr must be so passionate they’re willing to onboard others, which is time-consuming but rewarding for the right person. They’ll need to make Nostr and onboarding a core part of who they are. I see no issue with that level of dedication. I’ve been known to get that way myself at times. It’s fun for some folks.

With love, I suggest not adding Bitcoin promotion with Nostr outreach. Zaps already integrate that element naturally. (Still promote within the Bitcoin ecosystem, but this is about reaching vulnerable voices who needed Nostr yesterday.)

To promote Nostr, forget conventional strategies. “Influencers” aren’t the answer. “Influencers” are not the future. A trusted local community member has real influence—reach them. Connect with people seeking Nostr’s benefits but lacking the technical language to express it. This means some in the Nostr community might need to step outside of the Bitcoin bubble, which is uncomfortable but necessary. Thank you in advance to those who are willing to do that.

I don’t know who is paid to promote Nostr, if anyone. This piece isn’t shade. But it’s exhausting to see innocent voices globally silenced on corporate platforms like X while Nostr exists. Last night, I wondered: how many more voices must be censored before the Nostr community gets uncomfortable and thinks creatively to reach the vulnerable?

A warning: the global need for censorship-resistant social media is undeniable. If Nostr doesn’t make itself known, something else will fill that void. Let’s start this conversation.

@ bc6ccd13:f53098e4

The Bitcoin price action since the US presidential election, and particularly today, November 11, has given me an excuse to revisit an idea I’ve written about before. I explained here that money doesn’t “flow into” assets, and that the terminology makes it difficult for people to understand how prices actually work.

nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzp0rve5f6xtu56djkfkkg7ktr5rtfckpun95rgxaa7futy86npx8yqqhy6mmwv4uj63r0v4ekutt594fx2ctvd3uj63nvdamj6jtww3hj6stw096xs6twvukkgmt9ws6xg86ht5t

The Bitcoin market this year has been a perfect illustration of the points I tried to make, which offers another angle to explain the concept.

Back in January, the first spot Bitcoin ETFs were launched for trading in the US market. This was heralded as a great thing for the Bitcoin price, and tracking “inflows” into these ETFs became a top priority for Bitcoin market analysts. The expectation of course was that more Bitcoin purchased by these ETFs would result in higher prices for the asset.

And sure enough, over the first two months of trading, from mid-January to mid-March, the combined “inflows” to the ETFs totaled around $11 billion. Over the same time frame, the Bitcoin price rose almost 60%, from around $43,000 to $68,000. As should be expected, right?

But then, over the next seven and a half months, from mid-March to early November, the ETFs saw another $11 billion in “inflows”. The Bitcoin price in mid-March? $68,000. In early November? All the way up to… $68,000. Seven and a half months of treading water.

So how can that be? How can $11 billion dollars flowing into an asset cause a 60% price rise once, and no price change at all the next time?

If you read my previous article linked above, you’ll see that the whole idea of money “flowing into” an asset is incorrect and misleading, and this is a perfect illustration why. If you step back a bit, you’ll see the folly of that mentality. So when the ETFs buy $11 billion dollars worth of Bitcoin, where does it come from? They obviously have to buy it from someone. As always, every transaction has a buyer and a seller. In this case, the sellers are current Bitcoin holders selling through OTC desks on the spot market.

So why focus on the ETF buying rather than the Bitcoin holder selling? Instead of saying there were $11 billion in inflows to the Bitcoin ETFs, why not say there were $11 billion in outflows from spot Bitcoin holders? It’s just as valid either way.

To take it a step further, many analysts were consistently confused all summer as Bitcoin ETFs continued to see “inflows” on days that the Bitcoin price stayed flat or even fell. So let’s imagine two consecutive days of $300 million daily “inflows” into the ETFs. The first day, the Bitcoin price rises 3%. The second day, the Bitcoin price falls 3%. The first day, headlines can read Bitcoin Price Rises 3% as ETFs See $300m in Inflows. The second day, headlines can read Bitcoin Price Falls 3% as Spot Bitcoin Holders See $300m in Outflows.

See the silliness of this whole idea? Money flows aren’t the cause of price movement. They’re a fake metric used as a post hoc justification for price moves by people who want you to believe they understand markets better than you.

Moving on to today, as I write this on the evening of November 11, Bitcoin is up 30% from $68,000 to $88,000 in the week since the November 5 election. It rose from $69,000 to $75,000 on election night alone, after US markets had closed and while there were no ETF “inflows” at all. In fact, the ETFs saw over a hundred million dollars in outflows on November 5, followed by an 8% single day price increase.

So if money flows don’t move price, what does?

Investor sentiment, that’s what.

Talking about money flows at all, as illustrated by the Bitcoin ETFs, requires arbitrarily dividing a single market into different segments to disguise the fact that every transaction has both a buyer and a seller, so every transaction has an equal dollar amount of “flows” in both directions. In actuality, price is set by a convergence between the highest price any potential buyer is willing to pay, and the lowest price any potential seller is willing to accept. And that number can change without a single transaction occurring, and without a single dollar “flowing” anywhere.

If every Bitcoin holder simultaneously decided tonight that the lowest price they’re willing to accept is $200,000 per Bitcoin, and a single potential buyer decided to buy a single dollar worth of Bitcoin at that price, that would be the new Bitcoin price tomorrow morning. No ETF “inflows” or institutional buying pressure or short squeezes or liquidations required, or any of the other excuses market analysts use to confuse normal people and make it seem like they have some deep esoteric insight into the workings of markets and future price action.

Don’t overcomplicate something as simple as price. If holders of an asset demand higher prices and potential buyers are willing to pay it, prices rise. If potential buyers of an asset offer lower prices and holders are willing to sell, prices fall. The constant interplay between all those individual investors sentiments is what forms a market and a price. The transferring of money between buyers and sellers is an effect of price, not a cause.

@ 57d1a264:69f1fee1

You’ve probably seen it before.

You open an agency’s website or a freelancer’s portfolio. At the very top of the homepage, it says:

We design for startups.

You wait 3 seconds. The last word fades out and a new one fades in:

We design for agencies.

Wait 3 more seconds:

We design for founders.

I call this design pattern The Wheel of Nothing: a rotating list of audience segments meant to impress through inclusion and draw attention through motion… for absolutely no reason.

Revered brand studio Pentagram recently launched a new website. To my surprise, the homepage features the Wheel of Nothing front and center, boldly claiming:

We design Everything for Everyone…before cycling through more specific combinations every few seconds.

Dan Mall, a husband, dad, teacher, creative director, designer, founder, and entrepreneur from Philly. I share as much as I can to create better opportunities for those who wouldn’t have them otherwise. Most recently, I ran design system consultancy SuperFriendly for over a decade.

Read more at Dans' website https://danmall.com/posts/the-wheel-of-nothing/

https://stacker.news/items/986392

@ 8d34bd24:414be32b

In our culture today, people like to have “my truth” as opposed to “your truth.” They want to have teachers who tell them what they want to hear and worship in the way they desire. The Bible predicted these times.

For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. (2 Timothy 4:3)

My question is, “do we get to choose what we want to believe about God and how we want to worship Him, or does God tell us what we are to believe and how we are to worship Him?”

The Bible makes it clear that He is who He says He is and He expects obedience and worship according to His commands. We do not get to decide for ourselves.

The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:19-24) {emphasis mine}

In this passage, Jesus gently corrects the woman for worshipping what she does not know. He also says, “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” He states what God is (spirit) and how He must be worshipped “in spirit and truth.” We don’t get to define God however we wish, and we don’t get to worship Him any way we wish. God is who He has revealed Himself to be and we must obey Him and worship Him the way He has commanded.

In this next passage, God makes clear that He is holy and we do not get to worship Him any way we wish. We are to interact with Him in the prescribed manner.

Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. And fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. Then Moses said to Aaron, “It is what the Lord spoke, saying,

‘By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy,\ And before all the people I will be honored.’ ”

So Aaron, therefore, kept silent. (Leviticus 10:1-3) {emphasis mine}

God had prescribed a particular way to approach Him and only those whom He had chosen (priests of the lineage of Aaron). Nadab and Abihu chose to “do it their way” and paid the price for ignoring God’s command. God set an example with them.

God has been gracious enough to reveal Himself, His character, His power, and His commands to us. If we have truly submitted ourselves to His rule, we should hunger for God’s words so we can know Him better and honor Him in obedience.

But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. (John 17:13-17) {emphasis mine}

In today’s culture, everybody likes to claim their own personal truth, but that isn’t how truth works. The truth is not determined by an individual for themselves. It isn’t even determined by a consensus or majority vote. The truth is the truth even if not one person on earth believes it. God speaks truth and God is truth. Our belief or lack thereof doesn’t change the truth, but our lack of belief in the truth, especially the truth as revealed by God in His word, can negatively affect our relationship with God.

God expects us to study His word so we can obey His commands.

For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in all the way which I command you, that it may be well with you.’ Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward. Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have sent you all My servants the prophets, daily rising early and sending them. Yet they did not listen to Me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck; they did more evil than their fathers. (Jeremiah 7:22-26) {emphasis mine}

Today you rarely see someone bowing down to a golden idol, but that doesn’t mean that we are any better at obeying God’s commands or submitting to His will. We still try to make God in our own image so He is a convenience to us and how we want to live our lives. We still put other things ahead of God — family, work, entertainment, fame, etc. Most of us aren’t any more faithful to God than the Israelites were. Just like the Israelites, we put on the trappings of faith but don’t live according to faith and faithfulness.

And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:

‘This people honors Me with their lips,\ But their heart is far away from Me.\ **But in vain do they worship Me,\ Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’\ Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.”

He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. (Mark 7:6-9) {emphasis mine}

How many “churches” and “Christian” leaders teach people according to the culture instead of according to the Word of God? How many tell people what they want to hear and what makes them feel good instead of what they need to hear — the truth as spoken through the Bible? How many church attenders follow a “Christian” leader more than they follow their Creator, Savior, and God? How many church attenders can recite the words of their leaders better than the Holy Scriptures?

I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. (2 Timothy 4:1-5) {emphasis mine}

How can we know if a church leader is rightly preaching God’s word? We can only know if we have read the Bible and studied it. We should be like the Bereans:

Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. (Acts 17:11)

Honestly, I don’t trust any spiritual leader who doesn’t encourage me to search the Scriptures to see whether their words are true. Any leader who puts their own word above the Scriptures is a false teacher. Sadly there are many, maybe more than faithful teachers. Some false teachers are intentionally so, but many have been misled by other false teachers. Their guilt is less, but they don’t do any less harm than those who intentionally mislead.

We need to seek trustworthy teachers who speak according to the Word of God, who quote the Bible to support their opinions, and who seek the good of their followers rather than the submission of their followers.

Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,\ As in the day of Massah in the wilderness,

“When your fathers tested Me,\ They tried Me, though they had seen My work.\ For forty years I loathed that generation,\ And said they are a people who err in their heart,\ And they do not know My ways.\ Therefore I swore in My anger,\ Truly they shall not enter into My rest.” (Psalm 95:8-11) {emphasis mine} *Teach me good discernment and knowledge,\ For I believe in Your commandments*.\ Before I was afflicted I went astray,\ But now I keep Your word.\ You are good and do good;\ Teach me Your statutes.\ The arrogant have forged a lie against me;\ *With all my heart I will observe Your precepts*.\ Their heart is covered with fat,\ But I delight in Your law.\ It is good for me that I was afflicted,\ That I may learn Your statutes.\ The law of Your mouth is better to me\ Than thousands of gold and silver pieces. (Psalm 119:66-72) {emphasis mine}

May our Creator God teach us the truth. May He fill our hearts with the desire to be in His word daily and to seek His will. May He do what is necessary to get our attention and turn our hearts and minds fully to Him, so we can learn His statutes and serve Him faithfully, so one day we are blessed to hear, “Well done! Good and faithful servant.”

Trust Jesus.

FYI, I see lack of knowledge of truth and God’s word as one of the biggest problems in the church today; however, it is possible to know the Bible in depth, but not know God. As important as knowledge of Scriptures is, this knowledge (without faith, submission, obedience, and love) is meaningless. Knowledge doesn’t get us to heaven. Even obedience doesn’t get us to heaven. Only faith and submission to our creator God leads to salvation and heaven. That being said, we can’t faithfully serve our God without knowledge of Him and His commands. Out of gratefulness for who He is and what He has done for us, we should seek to know and please Him.

@ e39333da:7c66e53a

::youtube{#prPOncMkV6c}

Tara Gaming has announced The Age of Bhaarat, a dark fantasy action RPG, with a cinematic and gameplay trailer, showcasing what seems like early footage of the game. The game will release on PC via Steam.

@ d61f3bc5:0da6ef4a

I remember the first gathering of Nostr devs two years ago in Costa Rica. We were all psyched because Nostr appeared to solve the problem of self-sovereign online identity and decentralized publishing. The protocol seemed well-suited for textual content, but it wasn't really designed to handle binary files, like images or video.

The Problem

When I publish a note that contains an image link, the note itself is resilient thanks to Nostr, but if the hosting service disappears or takes my image down, my note will be broken forever. We need a way to publish binary data without relying on a single hosting provider.

We were discussing how there really was no reliable solution to this problem even outside of Nostr. Peer-to-peer attempts like IPFS simply didn't work; they were hopelessly slow and unreliable in practice. Torrents worked for popular files like movies, but couldn't be relied on for general file hosting.

Awesome Blossom

A year later, I attended the Sovereign Engineering demo day in Madeira, organized by Pablo and Gigi. Many projects were presented over a three hour demo session that day, but one really stood out for me.

Introduced by hzrd149 and Stu Bowman, Blossom blew my mind because it showed how we can solve complex problems easily by simply relying on the fact that Nostr exists. Having an open user directory, with the corresponding social graph and web of trust is an incredible building block.

Since we can easily look up any user on Nostr and read their profile metadata, we can just get them to simply tell us where their files are stored. This, combined with hash-based addressing (borrowed from IPFS), is all we need to solve our problem.

How Blossom Works

The Blossom protocol (Blobs Stored Simply on Mediaservers) is formally defined in a series of BUDs (Blossom Upgrade Documents). Yes, Blossom is the most well-branded protocol in the history of protocols. Feel free to refer to the spec for details, but I will provide a high level explanation here.

The main idea behind Blossom can be summarized in three points:

1. Users specify which media server(s) they use via their public Blossom settings published on Nostr;
2. All files are uniquely addressable via hashes;
3. If an app fails to load a file from the original URL, it simply goes to get it from the server(s) specified in the user's Blossom settings.

Just like Nostr itself, the Blossom protocol is dead-simple and it works!

Let's use this image as an example:

If you look at the URL for this image, you will notice that it looks like this:

blossom.primal.net/c1aa63f983a44185d039092912bfb7f33adcf63ed3cae371ebe6905da5f688d0.jpg

All Blossom URLs follow this format:

[server]/[file-hash].[extension]

The file hash is important because it uniquely identifies the file in question. Apps can use it to verify that the file they received is exactly the file they requested. It also gives us the ability to reliably get the same file from a different server.

Nostr users declare which media server(s) they use by publishing their Blossom settings. If I store my files on Server A, and they get removed, I can simply upload them to Server B, update my public Blossom settings, and all Blossom-capable apps will be able to find them at the new location. All my existing notes will continue to display media content without any issues.

Blossom Mirroring

Let's face it, re-uploading files to another server after they got removed from the original server is not the best user experience. Most people wouldn't have the backups of all the files, and/or the desire to do this work.

This is where Blossom's mirroring feature comes handy. In addition to the primary media server, a Blossom user can set one one or more mirror servers. Under this setup, every time a file is uploaded to the primary server the Nostr app issues a mirror request to the primary server, directing it to copy the file to all the specified mirrors. This way there is always a copy of all content on multiple servers and in case the primary becomes unavailable, Blossom-capable apps will automatically start loading from the mirror.

Mirrors are really easy to setup (you can do it in two clicks in Primal) and this arrangement ensures robust media handling without any central points of failure. Note that you can use professional media hosting services side by side with self-hosted backup servers that anyone can run at home.

Using Blossom Within Primal

Blossom is natively integrated into the entire Primal stack and enabled by default. If you are using Primal 2.2 or later, you don't need to do anything to enable Blossom, all your media uploads are blossoming already.

To enhance user privacy, all Primal apps use the "/media" endpoint per BUD-05, which strips all metadata from uploaded files before they are saved and optionally mirrored to other Blossom servers, per user settings. You can use any Blossom server as your primary media server in Primal, as well as setup any number of mirrors:

## Conclusion

For such a simple protocol, Blossom gives us three major benefits:

1. Verifiable authenticity. All Nostr notes are always signed by the note author. With Blossom, the signed note includes a unique hash for each referenced media file, making it impossible to falsify a media file and maliciously ascribe it to the note author.
2. File hosting redundancy. Having multiple live copies of referenced media files (via Blossom mirroring) greatly increases the resiliency of media content published on Nostr.
3. Censorship resistance. Blossom enables us to seamlessly switch media hosting providers in case of censorship.

Thanks for reading; and enjoy! 🌸

@ 9c9d2765:16f8c2c2

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

“It’s over… isn’t it?” Sandra asked gently, her eyes scanning James’s expression as they stood on the balcony overlooking the city skyline. The cold breeze tousled her hair, but James remained still, his hands tucked into the pockets of his tailored suit.

“No,” James replied calmly, his gaze fixated on the horizon. “This is just the eye of the storm. The calm before the reckoning.”

Sandra stepped closer, concern etched into her features. “Mark and Helen are finished in the eyes of the public and everyone round us. The evidence is damning. The authorities have issued warrants. What more could you possibly be planning?”

James turned to face her, a half-smile playing at the edge of his lips one not born of triumph, but of determination.

“Reputation is one thing,” he said, his voice measured and resolute, “but accountability is another. I won’t stop until every lie they told, every trap they laid, and every person they corrupted is exposed. I won’t just silence them, I'll dismantle everything they built with deceit.”

Inside the boardroom, Charles, Rita, and several executives were reviewing the latest media analytics. The company’s reputation had not only recovered but skyrocketed. Investors who once hesitated were now eager, flooding JP Enterprises with new partnerships and proposals.

Rita looked up from the screen. “We’ve just surpassed our projected valuation for the quarter. The crisis gave us more publicity than a million-dollar campaign would.”

Charles chuckled under his breath. “They handed us a scandal, and we turned it into a spotlight.”

Meanwhile, in a dark corner of the city, Mark and Helen sat huddled in a private lawyer’s office. Their appearance had changed drastically; both looked worn, disheveled, stripped of the pride and arrogance they once were like a crown.

“I told you,” Mark muttered bitterly, “we shouldn’t have gone after him like that. We were greedy. And now look ruined.”

Helen clenched her fists. Her pride was still fighting, even though her kingdom had collapsed. “It’s not over. We still have connections. The law can be manipulated. If we go down, we don’t go alone.”

“And say what?” Mark snapped. “That we were outsmarted? That the man we called a street dog now owns eighty-five percent of our legacy? That he single handedly turned the world against us?”

Helen’s jaw tightened. “If there’s one thing I know about James, it’s that he never lets go of the past. And that might just be his weakness.”

But even as they plotted, they didn’t know James had already anticipated their final desperation. Back at JP Enterprises, in a high-security conference room, investigators were filing reports, financial audits, bribery trails, hacked communications all linked directly to the duo. James had ensured that every illegal move they made was documented, cross-referenced, and legally binding.

Later that evening, James stood alone in his office, the city bathed in golden twilight. He took a slow breath and whispered to himself:

“They mistook my silence for surrender. My fall for failure. But every exile sharpens a man’s edge. And now they’ll witness the blade.”

Just then, a knock came at the door.

“Come in,” he said.

It was Mrs. JP, her expression soft but proud.

“You handled yourself like a true heir,” she said, walking toward him.

James turned, emotion flickering in his eyes.

“Thank you,” he said quietly.

She reached out, holding his hand. “Your father and I… we made mistakes. We let our fear and our pride cloud your judgment. But seeing you today, the man you’ve become, I see now that everything we hoped for in a successor lives in you.”

He smiled faintly. “I didn’t do it for recognition. I did it for dignity. For every time I was humiliated, overlooked, and discarded. I wanted to prove that worth isn’t given, it's earned.”

As they stood in silence, the city lights below gleamed like stars scattered on the earth.

The evening had settled quietly over the city, and the soft hum of the wind outside was the only sound that broke the stillness of the room. James stood at the window of his office, watching the neon lights flicker to life across the skyline, each glow a reminder of his success. His gaze, however, wasn’t on the bright lights of victory, but on the darker shadows of those who had tried to ruin him.

He turned around as the door clicked open, revealing Rita, who walked in with a folder in her hands. There was something different in her posturean air of finality in the way she carried herself.

"I’ve been reviewing the report from the legal team," she began, laying the folder on his desk. "The evidence against Mark and Helen is irrefutable. Their assets are frozen, and their personal accounts are being audited. They’re on the brink of losing everything."

James nodded, his face unreadable, but inside, the weight of the moment settled over him. This was the culmination of years of effort, the battle for his honor, his family's name, and the very future of JP Enterprises. But the victory, as sweet as it was, felt hollow.

"Is that all?" he asked, his voice low.

Rita hesitated for a moment. "There’s something else. Something you need to see."

She opened the folder, revealing a series of photographs and documents of Mark and Helen in compromising positions, shaking hands with notorious figures, and receiving bribes from external business associates. The weight of their corruption was staggering. The photos captured the desperation in their eyes, the deceit in their every smile.

James glanced at the images, but there was no anger in his expression. Only an eerie calm.

"I don’t need to see this," he said quietly. "I already know everything."

Rita frowned, confused. "Then why keep going? Why dig into their past when you already have what you need?"

James leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "Because it's not about them anymore." He paused, allowing the gravity of his words to settle. "It’s about ensuring that no one else dares to make the same mistakes they did. No one else will ever underestimate me again."

Rita studied him carefully. There was a resolute determination in his eyes a fierce will that had carried him from the streets to the heights of power. She couldn’t help but admire his unwavering focus.

"You’ve become something entirely different," she murmured. "The man we see now... is nothing like the one who started this journey."

James met her gaze, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

@ 2183e947:f497b975

Most darknet markets (DNMs) are designed poorly in the following ways:

1. Hosting

Most DNMs use a model whereby merchants fill out a form to create their listings, and the data they submit then gets hosted on the DNM's servers. In scenarios where a "legal" website would be forced to censor that content (e.g. a DMCA takedown order), DNMs, of course, do not obey. This can lead to authorities trying to find the DNM's servers to take enforcement actions against them. This design creates a single point of failure.

A better design is to outsource hosting to third parties. Let merchants host their listings on nostr relays, not on the DNM's server. The DNM should only be designed as an open source interface for exploring listings hosted elsewhere, that way takedown orders end up with the people who actually host the listings, i.e. with nostr relays, and not with the DNM itself. And if a nostr relay DOES go down due to enforcement action, it does not significantly affect the DNM -- they'll just stop querying for listings from that relay in their next software update, because that relay doesn't work anymore, and only query for listings from relays that still work.

2. Moderation

Most DNMs have employees who curate the listings on the DNM. For example, they approve/deny listings depending on whether they fit the content policies of the website. Some DNMs are only for drugs, others are only for firearms. The problem is, to approve a criminal listing is, in the eyes of law enforcement, an act of conspiracy. Consequently, they don't just go after the merchant who made the listing but the moderators who approved it, and since the moderators typically act under the direction of the DNM, this means the police go after the DNM itself.

A better design is to outsource moderation to third parties. Let anyone call themselves a moderator and create lists of approved goods and services. Merchants can pay the most popular third party moderators to add their products to their lists. The DNM itself just lets its users pick which moderators to use, such that the user's choice -- and not a choice by the DNM -- determines what goods and services the user sees in the interface.

That way, the police go after the moderators and merchants rather than the DNM itself, which is basically just a web browser: it doesn't host anything or approve of any content, it just shows what its users tell it to show. And if a popular moderator gets arrested, his list will still work for a while, but will gradually get more and more outdated, leading someone else to eventually become the new most popular moderator, and a natural transition can occur.

3. Escrow

Most DNMs offer an escrow solution whereby users do not pay merchants directly. Rather, during the Checkout process, they put their money in escrow, and request the DNM to release it to the merchant when the product arrives, otherwise they initiate a dispute. Most DNMs consider escrow necessary because DNM users and merchants do not trust one another; users don't want to pay for a product first and then discover that the merchant never ships it, and merchants don't want to ship a product first and then discover that the user never pays for it.

The problem is, running an escrow solution for criminals is almost certain to get you accused of conspiracy, money laundering, and unlicensed money transmission, so the police are likely to shut down any DNM that does this. A better design is to oursource escrow to third parties. Let anyone call themselves an escrow, and let moderators approve escrows just like they approve listings. A merchant or user who doesn't trust the escrows chosen by a given moderator can just pick a different moderator. That way, the police go after the third party escrows rather than the DNM itself, which never touches user funds.

4. Consequences

Designing a DNM along these principles has an interesting consequence: the DNM is no longer anything but an interface, a glorified web browser. It doesn't host any content, approve any listings, or touch any money. It doesn't even really need a server -- it can just be an HTML file that users open up on their computer or smart phone. For two reasons, such a program is hard to take down:

First, it is hard for the police to justify going after the DNM, since there are no charges to bring. Its maintainers aren't doing anything illegal, no more than Firefox does anything illegal by maintaining a web browser that some people use to browse illegal content. What the user displays in the app is up to them, not to the code maintainers. Second, if the police decided to go after the DNM anyway, they still couldn't take it down because it's just an HTML file -- the maintainers do not even need to run a server to host the file, because users can share it with one another, eliminating all single points of failure.

Another consequence of this design is this: most of the listings will probably be legal, because there is more demand for legal goods and services than illegal ones. Users who want to find illegal goods would pick moderators who only approve those listings, but everyone else would use "legal" moderators, and the app would not, at first glance, look much like a DNM, just a marketplace for legal goods and services. To find the illegal stuff that lurks among the abundant legal stuff, you'd probably have to filter for it via your selection of moderators, making it seem like the "default" mode is legal.

5. Conclusion

I think this DNM model is far better than the designs that prevail today. It is easier to maintain, harder to take down, and pushes the "hard parts" to the edges, so that the DNM is not significantly affected even if a major merchant, moderator, or escrow gets arrested. I hope it comes to fruition.

@ 21335073:a244b1ad

Please respect Virginia Giuffre’s memory by refraining from asking about the circumstances or theories surrounding her passing.

Since Virginia Giuffre’s death, I’ve reflected on what she would want me to say or do. This piece is my attempt to honor her legacy.

When I first spoke with Virginia, I was struck by her unshakable hope. I had grown cynical after years in the anti-human trafficking movement, worn down by a broken system and a government that often seemed complicit. But Virginia’s passion, creativity, and belief that survivors could be heard reignited something in me. She reminded me of my younger, more hopeful self. Instead of warning her about the challenges ahead, I let her dream big, unburdened by my own disillusionment. That conversation changed me for the better, and following her lead led to meaningful progress.

Virginia was one of the bravest people I’ve ever known. As a survivor of Epstein, Maxwell, and their co-conspirators, she risked everything to speak out, taking on some of the world’s most powerful figures.

She loved when I said, “Epstein isn’t the only Epstein.” This wasn’t just about one man—it was a call to hold all abusers accountable and to ensure survivors find hope and healing.

The Epstein case often gets reduced to sensational details about the elite, but that misses the bigger picture. Yes, we should be holding all of the co-conspirators accountable, we must listen to the survivors’ stories. Their experiences reveal how predators exploit vulnerabilities, offering lessons to prevent future victims.

You’re not powerless in this fight. Educate yourself about trafficking and abuse—online and offline—and take steps to protect those around you. Supporting survivors starts with small, meaningful actions. Free online resources can guide you in being a safe, supportive presence.

When high-profile accusations arise, resist snap judgments. Instead of dismissing survivors as “crazy,” pause to consider the trauma they may be navigating. Speaking out or coping with abuse is never easy. You don’t have to believe every claim, but you can refrain from attacking accusers online.

Society also fails at providing aftercare for survivors. The government, often part of the problem, won’t solve this. It’s up to us. Prevention is critical, but when abuse occurs, step up for your loved ones and community. Protect the vulnerable. it’s a challenging but a rewarding journey.

If you’re contributing to Nostr, you’re helping build a censorship resistant platform where survivors can share their stories freely, no matter how powerful their abusers are. Their voices can endure here, offering strength and hope to others. This gives me great hope for the future.

Virginia Giuffre’s courage was a gift to the world. It was an honor to know and serve her. She will be deeply missed. My hope is that her story inspires others to take on the powerful.

@ e97aaffa:2ebd765d

1. Índole ou característica de quem é austero;
2. Rigor ou rigidez; designação de severidade;
3. Inexistência de adornos ou adereços;
4. (Economia) Moderação do que é gasto;
5. (Economia) Política do governo que tem como finalidade reduzir os gastos públicos.

(Etm. do latim: austeritāte)

Antes da crise da dívida soberana, raramente os portugueses ouviam, ou realmente sabiam o significado da palavra. Depois da crise, para os portugueses essa palavra representa muito mais que apenas 11 caracteres, é uma cicatriz para muitas gerações, foi traumatizante.

Na época, o limite da yield da dívida soberana a 10 anos era os 7%, assim que superou, o governo teve que pedir assistência financeira ao FMI. A partir desse momento, a palavra Austeridade nunca mais saiu do léxico dos português.

A crise não foi apenas em Portugal, afetou também Irlanda, Grécia e Espanha, ficaram conhecidos como PIGS.

Se essa crise da dívida soberana demonstrou a fragilidade da UE, estamos a falar de pequenas/médias economias, o que acontecerá se isto se repetir mas nas grandes economias?

Hoje em dia, a yield portuguesa (3.1%) é melhor que a maioria das grandes potências econômicas, a ironia do destino.

• Reino Unido: 4.7%
• EUA: 4.5%
• Austrália: 4.5%
• Itália: 3.6%
• França: 3.3%

@ 52b4a076:e7fad8bd

I have been recently building NFDB, a new relay DB. This post is meant as a short overview.

Regular relays have challenges

Current relay software have significant challenges, which I have experienced when hosting Nostr.land: - Scalability is only supported by adding full replicas, which does not scale to large relays. - Most relays use slow databases and are not optimized for large scale usage. - Search is near-impossible to implement on standard relays. - Privacy features such as NIP-42 are lacking. - Regular DB maintenance tasks on normal relays require extended downtime. - Fault-tolerance is implemented, if any, using a load balancer, which is limited. - Personalization and advanced filtering is not possible. - Local caching is not supported.

NFDB: A scalable database for large relays

NFDB is a new database meant for medium-large scale relays, built on FoundationDB that provides: - Near-unlimited scalability - Extended fault tolerance - Instant loading - Better search - Better personalization - and more.

Search

NFDB has extended search capabilities including: - Semantic search: Search for meaning, not words. - Interest-based search: Highlight content you care about. - Multi-faceted queries: Easily filter by topic, author group, keywords, and more at the same time. - Wide support for event kinds, including users, articles, etc.

Personalization

NFDB allows significant personalization: - Customized algorithms: Be your own algorithm. - Spam filtering: Filter content to your WoT, and use advanced spam filters. - Topic mutes: Mute topics, not keywords. - Media filtering: With Nostr.build, you will be able to filter NSFW and other content - Low data mode: Block notes that use high amounts of cellular data. - and more

Other

NFDB has support for many other features such as: - NIP-42: Protect your privacy with private drafts and DMs - Microrelays: Easily deploy your own personal microrelay - Containers: Dedicated, fast storage for discoverability events such as relay lists

Calcite: A local microrelay database

Calcite is a lightweight, local version of NFDB that is meant for microrelays and caching, meant for thousands of personal microrelays.

Calcite HA is an additional layer that allows live migration and relay failover in under 30 seconds, providing higher availability compared to current relays with greater simplicity. Calcite HA is enabled in all Calcite deployments.

For zero-downtime, NFDB is recommended.

Noswhere SmartCache

Relays are fixed in one location, but users can be anywhere.

Noswhere SmartCache is a CDN for relays that dynamically caches data on edge servers closest to you, allowing: - Multiple regions around the world - Improved throughput and performance - Faster loading times

routerd

routerd is a custom load-balancer optimized for Nostr relays, integrated with SmartCache.

routerd is specifically integrated with NFDB and Calcite HA to provide fast failover and high performance.

Ending notes

NFDB is planned to be deployed to Nostr.land in the coming weeks.

A lot more is to come. 👀️️️️️️

@ bc6ccd13:f53098e4

Bullshit Jobs, for those unfamiliar, is the title of a 2018 book by anthropologist David Graeber. It’s well worth a read just for the fascinating research and the engaging writing style. The premise of the book is that many people work in jobs that contribute nothing to society, and would not be missed if they suddenly vanished overnight.

The data backs this up. In a 2015 British poll that asked “does your job make a meaningful contribution to the world?”, 37 percent of people said no, and another 13 percent weren’t sure. That’s fully half the population who can’t confidently say their job is even worth doing. And other polls have found similar or worse results.

The book was inspired by the overwhelming response to a 2013 article Graeber wrote titled On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs: A Work Rant. The point I’d like to address is found here.

Over the course of the last century, the number of workers employed as domestic servants, in industry, and in the farm sector has collapsed dramatically. At the same time, ‘professional, managerial, clerical, sales, and service workers’ tripled, growing ‘from one-quarter to three-quarters of total employment.’ In other words, productive jobs have, just as predicted, been largely automated away (even if you count industrial workers globally, including the toiling masses in India and China, such workers are still not nearly so large a percentage of the world population as they used to be.)

But rather than allowing a massive reduction of working hours to free the world’s population to pursue their own projects, pleasures, visions, and ideas, we have seen the ballooning of not even so much of the ‘service’ sector as of the administrative sector, up to and including the creation of whole new industries like financial services or telemarketing, or the unprecedented expansion of sectors like corporate law, academic and health administration, human resources, and public relations.

These are what I propose to call ‘bullshit jobs’.

It’s as if someone were out there making up pointless jobs just for the sake of keeping us all working. And here, precisely, lies the mystery. In capitalism, this is precisely what is not supposed to happen. Sure, in the old inefficient socialist states like the Soviet Union, where employment was considered both a right and a sacred duty, the system made up as many jobs as they had to (this is why in Soviet department stores it took three clerks to sell a piece of meat). But, of course, this is the sort of very problem market competition is supposed to fix. According to economic theory, at least, the last thing a profit-seeking firm is going to do is shell out money to workers they don’t really need to employ. Still, somehow, it happens.

While corporations may engage in ruthless downsizing, the layoffs and speed-ups invariably fall on that class of people who are actually making, moving, fixing and maintaining things; through some strange alchemy no one can quite explain, the number of salaried paper-pushers ultimately seems to expand, and more and more employees find themselves, not unlike Soviet workers actually, working 40 or even 50 hour weeks on paper, but effectively working 15 hours just as Keynes predicted, since the rest of their time is spent organizing or attending motivational seminars, updating their facebook profiles or downloading TV box-sets.

The answer clearly isn’t economic: it’s moral and political.

In the book, Graeber expands on this idea with a very entertaining description of the many flavors of bullshit jobs, based on anecdotes from readers of his article. He follows that up with theories speculating on the cause of this situation. And wraps it all up with the conclusion that basically capitalists are all big meanies and invent bullshit jobs just to torture people and prevent the arrival of the Marxist utopia where no one has to do much real work and we all sit around and sing kumbaya and discuss philosophy. That’s too harsh a criticism of a very well researched and written book, but I have to confess I was sorely disappointed the first time I read it by the author’s failure to even entertain what seems like the obvious alternative explanation.

Graeber acknowledges in the book that it’s not surprising bullshit jobs exist inside government, although he doesn’t focus strongly enough on why that is. Like he does in the article, he tries to brush it off with the excuse that the same problem exists in the private sector. As he acknowledges, this isn’t supposed to happen in capitalism. He realizes that it makes no logical economic sense for a profit-seeking firm to hire workers to do nothing productive.

But then he follows that acknowledgement with the claim that “The answer clearly isn’t economic: it’s moral and political.” I’m sorry, what? How is that clear? How do you go from stating an obvious economic fact, to denying that the problem is economic, and call it “clear”.

“Still, somehow, it happens,” is not anywhere close to a sufficient explanation to rule out an economic factor.

The economic explanation

First, some definitions.

Capitalism is defined as “an economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately or corporately owned and development occurs through the accumulation and reinvestment of profits gained in a free market.”

A free market is “an economic system in which prices are based on competition among private businesses and are not controlled or regulated by a government: a market operating by free competition.”

Now that we made sure we’re talking about the same thing, we can analyze this issue logically.

Capitalism and free markets work through competition for customers. It’s an economic law that a customer won’t pay more for the same good or service when they could pay less. Someone can try to make obscure and esoteric objections and force me to emphasize the word “same” and analyze what the good or service being purchased actually is, but everyone else understands this intuitively. So if two companies are offering the same product for sale, all things being equal, the company offering lower prices will attract the customers. Pretty simple stuff.

Of course, the goal for the company is to generate profits. It’s literally in the definition of the word “capitalism”. So any system in which companies have a goal other than generating profits is, by definition, not capitalism.

A company can increase its profits two ways: raising prices, or lowering costs. We don’t have to get too philosophical to realize that if a company is paying someone to do nothing, the company could increase profits by firing that person and lowering their costs of production.

So the question is, why don’t they? Why do they hire people who increase their costs and lower their profits, thereby making them less competitive? And more importantly, if they do make that mistake, why don’t their competitors undercut their prices and take all the customers and bankrupt them?

I don’t think we can dismiss the economic factor as off-handedly as Graeber does. After all, making a profit is the fundamental, definitional purpose of a business or company in a capitalist economy. To say “companies in this capitalist economy are doing something completely antithetical to the very principles and definition of capitalism, so obviously they’re not doing it for economic reasons” is something of a non sequitur.

The conclusion, to me, seems obvious. We don’t have a capitalist economy. As far as I can tell, that’s true by definition. If companies aren’t even trying to achieve the goal companies must achieve to survive in a capitalist economy, and somehow they’re still surviving, that’s proof of the non-capitalist nature of the economy.

Which part of the capitalist system are we missing?

Well, let’s start with the obvious: there’s a lot of government in our economy. The government isn’t privately owned, which makes it not capitalist by definition. So any part of the economy that’s government is not capitalist.

Why is government not capitalist? Because government is not motivated to provide goods and services at a profit. Why not? Because government does not sell goods and services into a free market. Government gives away goods and services to its “customers” for free, because they’re paid for by people other than the consumers of the service. That payment comes in one of two ways: taxes, and debt. It’s not a voluntary transaction.

Which part of the capitalist system might private companies be missing?

They could be lacking competition. That is, operating a monopoly or cartel. If there’s no competing business to provide goods at lower prices, the company could hire people for useless jobs and compensate by raising prices. This places them outside the definition of capitalism, since “free competition” is part of the definition of a free market. Monopolies and cartels often develop and survive through protection by the government, which emphasizes their un-capitalistic nature.

They could be in a temporary situation where the people making the management decisions are sufficiently insulated from the market forces at play that their poor decisions can persist for a while. Many companies begin to lose their competitive edge at some point, after getting big enough to have economic inertia and for the management to be less accountable for business performance. If a company has grown big enough, they can start making poor financial decisions and absorb the lost profits, sometimes for years, before losing their market share to a smaller, more competitive rival. This isn’t really an absence of capitalism, just the natural creative destruction necessary for capitalism to function. The problem comes when a company that’s obviously uncompetitive is prevented from failing through un-capitalistic means. Maybe they’re big enough and wealthy enough to pressure the government into granting them monopoly status. This doesn’t have to be open, it’s often through creating such an impenetrable legal morass around the industry that no competitor can emerge. Or it can be in the form of a “too big to fail” direct government bailout.

The company could also be lacking that essential link between customer satisfaction and business income. In other words, maybe they aren’t selling to their customers. That can happen for various reasons.

Some companies are “private companies” but sell to the government. The government is not a customer in the capitalist sense, because the government spends money taken coercively from its subjects, not money earned voluntarily in the free market. So any company like Raytheon or Boeing that survives off government contracts can’t be accurately called a capitalist organization.

In an industry like healthcare, where the insurance companies are the middlemen in basically all transactions between patients and doctors, there are also lots of ways for bullshit jobs to proliferate. Patients don’t care how much a procedure costs, just that it helps them. Doctors don’t care how much a procedure costs, just that the insurance company will pay for it. And insurance companies don’t care whether a procedure helps the patient, they just want to collect as many premiums as possible while paying out as little for care as possible. The fact that the patient isn’t paying the doctor for their care breaks the necessary link between customer and producer that’s essential for a free market to function. That combines with the regulatory moat and cartel-like structure of the healthcare industry to prevent the competitive function of capitalism from occurring.

Companies could also be surviving off of money from someone other than their customers: bankers and investors. There’s obviously a role in a capitalist system for investors to support a new venture until it’s able to attract customers and establish a stable and profitable business model. But many companies today exist for much longer than economically reasonable without turning a profit. In the US, almost 2,000 of the 5,000 publicly traded companies with data available were classified as “zombie companies”, meaning they don’t even make enough profit to pay the interest on their debt. So they’re going deeper in the hole every year. How can this continue?

Well, the alternative to paying off your debt, is to borrow even more money to make payments on the debt you already owe. If this sounds similar to how the US government survives, then you’re beginning to get the picture.

How can banks keep loaning money to unprofitable businesses? And why would they do it? It doesn’t make sense… until you understand how banking works.

That’s really the core focus of most of my writing, and I’ve written multiple articles on money and banking explaining how the system works as I understand it. This would be a good one focused on banking specifically.

nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzp0rve5f6xtu56djkfkkg7ktr5rtfckpun95rgxaa7futy86npx8yqqt4g6r994pxjeedgfsku6edf35k2tt5de4nvdtzhjwrp2

To very briefly recap, banks don’t make loans by taking in money from depositors and loaning that money to borrowers. Instead, banks create new money that never existed before out of thin air and loan that new money to borrowers. Banks make a profit by charging borrowers interest on this newly created money, which costs them nothing to create. A pretty cushy gig, if you can get it.

So from the perspective of the banks, the more loans and debt outstanding, the better. Every dollar of debt is a dollar they can collect interest on. It cost them nothing to create, so the more, the merrier. In fact, the banks would prefer that the loan principle never be repaid, because once it’s repaid, they can no longer collect interest on that loan until they make another loan to replace it. As long as the borrower keeps paying interest, the banks are happy. And if they need to lend the borrower some more money so he can afford to pay the interest, that’s fine too. Anything but letting the loan default.

Given those incentives, how do you expect a chart of the outstanding loans and credit of US commercial banks to look?

If you guessed up only, you’d be correct.

So what does this banking system have to do with bullshit jobs? Well, I’d argue that the fractionally reserved fiat banking system, in and of itself, is an anti-capitalist system. Money is the communication layer of capitalism, as I’ve previously written.

nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzp0rve5f6xtu56djkfkkg7ktr5rtfckpun95rgxaa7futy86npx8yqq247t2dvet9q4tsg4qng36lxe6kc4nftayyy89kua2

When one group of people can create money out of thin air, they have the ability to reallocate wealth in the economy. As long as the money is still functional, of course. Too much money creation and wealth reallocation, and people stop trusting the money. That’s when inflation becomes hyperinflation, the money no longer functions, and the whole system implodes.

Wealth reallocation by a small select group is the essence of a centrally planned socialist/Marxist economy. And we all know how efficient those economies are. In fact, Graeber himself mentioned the inefficiency of socialist states like the Soviet Union in his original article, and was not at all surprised by the existence of bullshit jobs in such an economic system. When wealth can be reallocated by central planners without regard to people’s preferences in a free market, inefficiency is never punished, so zombie companies full of bullshit jobs never go bankrupt.

The same thing happens under our “capitalist” system. Zombie companies full of bullshit jobs can get almost unlimited funding from too-big-to-fail banks, who don’t care whether they repay the loans, as long as they stay in business and keep making the interest payments. Sometimes the funding is in the form of loans directly, sometimes it’s in the form of massive stock market bubbles inflated by the endless money creation, sometimes through junk bond issuance funded by the same bubble economics, and sometimes it’s venture capital funds flush with liquidity for the same reason. Regardless, the cause, and the outcome, are the same.

The corrupt bankers own the corrupt politicians, so when the inevitable so-called black swan event occurs and the rotten edifice starts to quiver, another bailout is promptly rolled out. The government borrows trillions from their owners over at the Federal Reserve, who create the money out of thin air. The government sends it on over to the bankers who got caught with their hand in the cookie jar once again, and they paper over the massive holes in their balance sheet caused by blowing asset bubbles and funding inefficient zombie companies. Or sometimes, the government skips the middlemen entirely and bails out Boeing or whoever it happens to be directly.

And once again, bullshit jobs that couldn’t survive free market competition are rewarded at the expense of savers and taxpayers. As always, this flood of new liquidity flows out through the economy, causing inflation and boosting income for other inefficient companies that also deserved to fail. Creative destruction, a fundamental feature of a capitalist system, is avoided once again.

In my opinion, the banking system is at the root of the problem causing the proliferation of bullshit jobs. The system itself is, by design, fundamentally anti-capitalist in nature and function. It’s really a giant privately owned economic central planning system, in which a small fraction of people determine how resources are allocated, with privatized profits and socialized losses. The Soviet technocrats would be jealous.

Unfortunately, the bankers have successfully connected their industry so tightly to the term “capitalist” that showing people they’re anything but is almost impossible. To paraphrase the well-known quote, the greatest trick the bankers ever pulled was convincing the world that they’re the real capitalists.

Until the banking and monetary system fundamentally changes, inefficiency will persist and bullshit jobs will continue to proliferate. In my opinion, the problem is very much an economic problem. And it’s not a “late-stage capitalism” problem, it’s a “capitalism left the building a century ago” problem. We don’t need to get rid of capitalism, we’ve already done that. We need to bring sound money, and with it the possibility of a capitalist economy, back again.

@ ecda4328:1278f072

An honest response to objections — and an answer to the most important question: why does any of this matter?

Last updated: May 21, 2025\ \ 📄 Document version:\ EN: https://drive.proton.me/urls/A4A8Y8A0RR#Sj2OBsBYJFr1\ RU: https://drive.proton.me/urls/GS9AS1NB30#ZdKKb5ackB5e

---

\ Statement: Deflation is not the enemy, but a natural state in an age of technological progress.\ Criticism: in real macroeconomics, long-term deflation is linked to depressions.\ Deflation discourages borrowers and investors, and makes debt heavier.\ Natural ≠ Safe.

1. “Deflation → Depression, Debt → Heavier”

This is true in a debt-based system. Yes, in a fiat economy, debt balloons to the sky, and without inflation it collapses.

But Bitcoin offers not “deflation for its own sake,” but an environment where you don’t need to be in debt to survive. Where savings don’t melt away.\ Jeff Booth said it clearly:

“Technology is inherently deflationary. Fighting deflation with the printing press is fighting progress.”

You don’t have to take on credit to live in this system. Which means — deflation is not an enemy, but an ally.

💡 People often confuse two concepts:

1. That deflation doesn’t work in an economy built on credit and leverage — that’s true.

2. That deflation itself is bad — that’s a myth.

📉 In reality, deflation is the natural state of a free market when technology makes everything cheaper.

Historical example:\ In the U.S., from the Civil War to the early 1900s, the economy experienced gentle deflation — alongside economic growth, employment expansion, and industrial boom.\ Prices fell: for example, a sack of flour cost \~$1.00 in 1865 and \~$0.50 in 1895 — and there was no crisis, because wages held and productivity increased.

Modern example:\ Consumer electronics over the past 20–30 years are a vivid example of technological deflation:\ – What cost $5,000 in 2000 (e.g., a 720p plasma TV) now costs $300 and delivers 10× better quality.\ – Phones, computers, cameras — all became far more powerful and cheaper at the same time.\ That’s how tech-driven deflation works: you get more for less.

📌 Bitcoin doesn’t make the world deflationary. It just doesn’t fight against deflation, unlike the fiat model that fights to preserve its debt pyramid.\ It stops punishing savers and rewards long-term thinkers.

Even economists often confuse organic tech deflation with crisis-driven (debt) deflation.

---

\ \ Statement: We’ve never lived in a truly free market — central banks and issuance always existed.\ Criticism: ideological statement.\ A truly “free” market is utopian.\ Banks and monetary issuance emerged in response to crises.\ A market without arbiters is not always fair, especially under imperfect competition.

2. “The Free Market Is a Utopia”

Yes, “pure markets” are rare. But what we have today isn’t regulation — it’s centralized power in the hands of central banks and cartels.

Bitcoin offers rules without rulers. 21 million. No one can change the issuance. It’s not ideology — it’s code instead of trust. And it has worked for 15 years.

💬 People often say that banks and centralized issuance emerged as a response to crises — as if the market couldn’t manage on its own.\ But if a system needs to be “rescued” again and again through money printing… maybe the problem isn’t freedom, but the system itself?

📌 Crises don’t disprove the value of free markets. They only reveal how fragile a system becomes when the price of money is set not by the market, but by a boardroom vote.\ Bitcoin doesn’t magically eliminate crises — it removes the root cause: the ability to manipulate money in someone’s interest.

---

\ \ Statement: Inflation is an invisible tax, especially on the poor and working class.\ Criticism: partly true: inflation can reduce debt burden, boost employment.\ The state indexes social benefits. Under stable inflation, compensators can work. Under deflation, things might be worse (mass layoffs, defaults).

3. “Inflation Can Help”

Theoretically — yes. Textbooks say moderate inflation can reduce debt burdens and stimulate consumption and jobs.\ But in practice — it works as a stealth tax, especially on those without assets. The wealthy escape — into real estate, stocks, funds.\ But the poor and working class lose purchasing power because their money is held in cash — and cash devalues.

💬 As Lyn Alden says:

“When your money can’t hold value, you’re forced to become an investor — even if you just want to save and live.”

The state may index pensions or benefits — but always with a lag, and always less than actual price increases.\ If bread rises 15% and your payment increase is 5%, you got poorer, even if the number on paper went up.

💥 We live in an inflationary system of everything:\ – Inflationary money\ – Inflationary products\ – Inflationary content\ – And now even inflationary minds

🧠 This is more than just rising prices — it’s a degradation of reality perception. You’re always rushing, everything loses meaning.\ But when did the system start working against you?

📉 What went wrong after 1971?

This chart shows that from 1948 to the early 1970s, productivity and wages grew together.\ But after the end of the gold standard in 1971 — the connection broke. Productivity kept rising, but real wages stalled.

👉 This means: you work more, better, faster — but buy less.

🔗 Source: wtfhappenedin1971.com

When you must spend today because tomorrow it’ll be worth less — that’s rewarding impulse and punishing long-term thinking.

Bitcoin offers a different environment:\ – Savings work\ – Long-term thinking is rewarded\ – The price of the future is calculated, not forced by a printing press

📌 Inflation can be a tool. But in government hands, it became a weapon — a slow, inevitable upward redistribution of wealth.

---

\ \ Statement: War is not growth, but a reallocation of resources into destruction.

Criticism: war can spur technological leaps (Internet, GPS, nuclear energy — all from military programs). "Military Keynesianism" was a real model.

4. “War Drives R&D”

Yes, wars sometimes give rise to tech spin-offs: Internet, GPS, nuclear power — all originated from military programs.

But that doesn’t make war a source of progress — it makes tech a byproduct of catastrophe.

“War reallocates resources toward destruction — not growth.”

Progress doesn’t happen because of war — it happens despite it.

If scientific breakthroughs require a million dead and burnt cities — maybe you’ve built your economy wrong.

💬 Even Michael Saylor said:

“If you need war to develop technology — you’ve built civilization wrong.”

No innovation justifies diverting human labor, minds, and resources toward destruction.\ War is always the opposite of efficiency — more is wasted than created.

🧠 Bitcoin, on the other hand, is an example of how real R&D happens without violence.\ No taxes. No army. Just math, voluntary participation, and open-source code.

📌 Military Keynesianism is not a model of progress — it’s a symptom of a sick monetary system that needs destruction to reboot.

Bitcoin shows that coordination without violence is possible.\ This is R&D of a new kind: based not on destruction, but digital creation.

---

Statement: Bitcoin isn’t “Gold 1.0,” but an improved version: divisible, verifiable, unseizable.

Criticism: Bitcoin has no physical value; "unseizability" is a theory;\ Gold is material and autonomous.

5. “Bitcoin Has No Physical Value”

And gold does? Just because it shines?

Physical form is no guarantee of value.\ Real value lies in: scarcity, reliable transfer, verifiability, and non-confiscatability.

Gold is:\ – Hard to divide\ – Hard to verify\ – Expensive to store\ – Easy to seize

💡 Bitcoin is the first store of value in history that is fully free from physical limitations, and yet:\ – Absolutely scarce (21M, forever)\ – Instantly transferable over the Internet\ – Cryptographically verifiable\ – Controlled by no government

🔑 Bitcoin’s value lies in its liberation from the physical.\ It doesn’t need to be “backed” by gold or oil. It’s backed by energy, mathematics, and ongoing verification.

“Price is what you pay, value is what you get.” — Warren Buffett

When you buy bitcoin, you’re not paying for a “token” — you’re gaining access to a network of distributed financial energy.

⚡️ What are you really getting when you own bitcoin?\ – A key to a digital asset that can’t be faked\ – The ability to send “crystallized energy” anywhere on Earth (it takes 10 minutes on the base L1 layer, or instantly via the Lightning Network)\ – A role in a new accounting system that runs 24/7/365\ – Freedom: from banks, borders, inflation, and force

📉 Bitcoin doesn’t require physical value — because it creates value:\ Through trust, scarcity, and energy invested in mining.\ And unlike gold, it was never associated with slavery.

---

Statement: There’s no “income without risk” in Bitcoin: just hold — you preserve; want more — invest, risk, build.

Criticism: contradicts HODL logic; speculation remains dominant behavior.

6. “Speculation Dominates”

For now — yes. That’s normal for the early phase of a new technology. Awareness doesn’t come instantly.

What matters is not the motive of today’s buyer — but what they’re buying.

📉 A speculator may come and go — but the asset remains.\ And this asset is the only one in history that will never exist again. 21 million. Forever.

📌 Look deeper. Bitcoin has:\ – No CEO\ – No central issuer\ – No inflation\ – No “off switch”\ 💡 It was fairly distributed — through mining, long before ASICs existed. In the early years, bitcoin was spent and exchanged — not hoarded. Only those who truly believed in it are still holding it today.

💡 It’s not a stock. Not a startup. Not someone’s project.\ It’s a new foundation for trust.\ It’s opting out of a system where freedom is a privilege you’re granted under conditions.

🧠 People say: “Bitcoin can be copied.”\ Theoretically — yes.\ Practically — never.

Here’s what you’d need to recreate Bitcoin:\ – No pre-mine\ – A founder who disappears and never sells\ – No foundation or corporation\ – Tens of thousands of nodes worldwide\ – 701 million terahashes of hash power\ – Thousands of devs writing open protocols\ – Hundreds of global conferences\ – Millions of people defending digital sovereignty\ – All that without a single marketing budget

That’s all.

🔁 Everything else is an imitation, not a creation.\ Just like you can’t “reinvent fire” — Bitcoin can only exist once.

---

Statements:\ **The Russia's '90s weren’t a free market — just anarchic chaos without rights protection.\ **Unlike fiat or even dollars, Bitcoin is the first asset with real defense — from governments, inflation, even thugs.\ *And yes, even if your barber asks about Bitcoin — maybe it's not a bubble, but a sign that inflation has already hit everyone.

Criticism: Bitcoin’s protection isn’t universal — it works only with proper handling and isn’t available to all.\ Some just want to “get rich.”\ None of this matters because:

1. Bitcoin’s volatility (-30% in a week, +50% in a month) makes it unusable for price planning or contracts.

2. It can’t handle mass-scale usage.

3. To become currency, geopolitical will is needed — and without the first two, don’t even talk about the third.\ Also: “Bitcoin is too complicated for the average person.”

7. “It’s Too Complex for the Masses”

It’s complex — if you’re using L1 (Layer 1). But even grandmas use Telegram. In El Salvador, schoolkids buy lunch with Lightning. My barber installed Wallet of Satoshi in minutes right in front of me — and I now pay for my haircut via Lightning.

UX is just a matter of time. And it’s improving. Emerging tools:\ Cashu, Fedimint, Fedi, Wallet of Satoshi, Phoenix, Proton Wallet, Swiss Bitcoin Pay, Bolt Card / CoinCorner (NFC cards for Lightning payments).

This is like the internet in 1995:\ It started with modems — now it’s 4K streaming.

💸 Now try sending a regular bank transfer abroad:\ – you need to type a long IBAN\ – add SWIFT/BIC codes\ – include the recipient’s full physical address (!), compromising their privacy\ – sometimes add extra codes or “purpose of payment”\ – you might get a call from your bank “just to confirm”\ – no way to check the status — the money floats somewhere between correspondent/intermediary banks\ – weekends or holidays? Banks are closed\ – and don’t forget the limits, restrictions, and potential freezes

📌 With Bitcoin, you just scan a QR code and send.\ 10 minutes on-chain = final settlement.\ Via Lightning = instant and nearly free.\ No bureaucracy. No permission. No borders.

---

8. “Can’t Handle the Load”

A common myth.\ Yes, Bitcoin L1 processes about 7 transactions per second — intentionally. It’s not built to be Visa. It’s a financial protocol, just like TCP/IP is a network protocol. TCP/IP isn’t “fast” or “slow” — the experience depends on the infrastructure built on top: servers, routers, hardware. In the ’90s, it delivered text. Today, it streams Netflix. The protocol didn’t change — the stack did.

Same with Bitcoin: L1 defines rules, security, finality.\ Scaling and speed? That’s the second layer’s job.

To understand scale:

| Network | TPS (Transactions/sec) | | --- | --- | | Visa | up to 24,000 | | Mastercard | \~5,000 | | PayPal | \~193 | | Litecoin | \~56 | | Ethereum | \~20 | | Bitcoin | \~7 |

\ ⚡️ Enter Lightning Network — Bitcoin’s “fast lane.”\ It allows millions of transactions per second, instantly and nearly free.

And it’s not a sidechain.

❗️ Lightning is not a separate network.\ It uses real Bitcoin transactions (2-of-2 multisig). You can close the channel to L1 at any time. It’s not an alternative — it’s a native extension built into Bitcoin.\ Also evolving: Ark, Fedimint, eCash — new ways to scale and add privacy.

📉 So criticizing Bitcoin for “slowness” is like blaming TCP/IP because your old modem won’t stream YouTube.\ The protocol isn’t the problem — it’s the infrastructure.

🛡️ And by the way: Visa crashes more often than Bitcoin.

---

9. “We Need Geopolitical Will”

Not necessarily. All it takes is the will of the people — and leaders willing to act. El Salvador didn’t wait for G20 approval or IMF blessings. Since 2001, the country had used the US dollar as its official currency, abandoning its own colón. But that didn’t save it from inflation or dependency on foreign monetary policy. In 2021, El Salvador became the first country to recognize Bitcoin as legal tender. Since March 13, 2024, they’ve been purchasing 1 BTC daily, tracked through their public address:

🔗 Address\ 📅 First transaction

This policy became the foundation of their Strategic Bitcoin Reserve (SBR) — a state-led effort to accumulate Bitcoin as a national reserve asset for long-term stability and sovereignty.

Their example inspired others.

In March 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order creating the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve of the USA, to be funded through confiscated Bitcoin and digital assets.\ The idea: accumulate, don’t sell, and strategically expand the reserve — without extra burden on taxpayers.

Additionally, Senator Cynthia Lummis (Wyoming) proposed the BITCOIN Act, targeting the purchase of 1 million BTC over five years (\~5% of the total supply).\ The plan: fund it via revaluation of gold certificates and other budget-neutral strategies.

📚 More: Strategic Bitcoin Reserve — Wikipedia

👉 So no global consensus is required. No IMF greenlight.\ All it takes is conviction — and an understanding that the future of finance lies in decentralized, scarce assets like Bitcoin.

---

10. “-30% in a week, +50% in a month = not money”

True — Bitcoin is volatile. But that’s normal for new technologies and emerging money. It’s not a bug — it’s a price discovery phase. The world is still learning what this asset is.

📉 Volatility is the price of entry.\ 📈 But the reward is buying the future at a discount.

As Michael Saylor put it:

“A tourist sees Niagara Falls as chaos — roaring, foaming, spraying water.\ An engineer sees immense energy.\ It all depends on your mental model.”

Same with Bitcoin. Speculators see chaos. Investors see structural scarcity. Builders see a new financial foundation.

💡 Now consider gold:

👉 After the gold standard was abandoned in 1971, the price of gold skyrocketed from around \~$300 to over $2,700 (adjusted to 2023 dollars) by 1980. Along the way, it experienced extreme volatility — with crashes of 40–60% even amid the broader uptrend.\ 💡 (\~$300 is the inflation-adjusted equivalent of about $38 in 1971 dollars)\ 📈 Source: Gold Price Chart — Macrotrends\ \ Nobody said, “This can’t be money.” \ Because money is defined not by volatility, but by scarcity, adoption, and trust — which build over time.

📊 The more people save in Bitcoin, the more its volatility fades.

This is a journey — not a fixed state.

We don’t judge the internet by how it worked in 1994.\ So why expect Bitcoin to be the “perfect currency” in 2025?

It grows bottom-up — without regulators’ permission.\ And the longer it survives, the stronger it becomes.

Remember how many times it’s been declared dead.\ And how many times it came back — stronger.

---

📊 Gold vs. Bitcoin: Supply Comparison

This chart shows the key difference between the two hard assets:

🔹 Gold — supply keeps growing.\ Mining may be limited, but it’s still inflationary.\ Each year, there’s more — with no known cap: new mines, asteroid mining, recycling.

🔸 Bitcoin — capped at 21 million.\ The emission schedule is public, mathematically predictable, and ends completely around 2140.

🧠 Bottom line:\ Gold is good.\ Bitcoin is better — for predictability and scarcity.

💡 As Saifedean Ammous said:

“Gold was the best monetary good… until Bitcoin.”

### While we argue — fiat erodes every day.

No matter your view on Bitcoin, just show me one other asset that is simultaneously:

– immune to devaluation by decree\ – impossible to print more of\ – impossible to confiscate by a centralized order\ – impossible to counterfeit\ – and, most importantly — transferable across borders without asking permission from a bank, a state, or a passport

💸 Try sending $10,000 through PayPal from Iran to Paraguay, or Bangladesh to Saint Lucia.\ Good luck. PayPal doesn't even work there.

Now open a laptop, type 12 words — and you have access to your savings anywhere on Earth.

🌍 Bitcoin doesn't ask for permission.\ It works for everyone, everywhere, all the time.

📌 There has never been anything like this before.

Bitcoin is the first asset in history that combines:

– digital nature\ – predictable scarcity\ – absolute portability\ – and immunity from tyranny

💡 As Michael Saylor said:

“Bitcoin is the first money in human history not created by bankers or politicians — but by engineers.”

You can own it with no bank.\ No intermediary.\ No passport.\ No approval.

That’s why Bitcoin isn’t just “internet money” or “crypto” or “digital gold.”\ It may not be perfect — but it’s incorruptible.\ And it’s not going away.\ It’s already here.\ It is the foundation of a new financial reality.

---

🔒 This is not speculation. This is a peaceful financial revolution.\ 🪙 This is not a stock. It’s money — like the world has never seen.\ ⛓️ This is not a fad. It’s a freedom protocol.

And when even the barber starts asking about Bitcoin — it’s not a bubble.\ It’s a sign that the system is breaking.\ And people are looking for an exit.

For the first time — they have one.

---

💼 This is not about investing. It’s about the dignity of work.

Imagine a man who cleans toilets at an airport every day.

Not a “prestigious” job.\ But a crucial one.\ Without him — filth, bacteria, disease.

He shows up on time. He works with his hands.

And his money? It devalues. Every day.

He doesn’t work less — often he works more than those in suits.\ But he can afford less and less — because in this system, honest labor loses value each year.

Now imagine he’s paid in Bitcoin.

Not in some “volatile coin,” but in hard money — with a limited supply.\ Money that can’t be printed, reversed, or devalued by central banks.

💡 Then he could:

– Stop rushing to spend, knowing his labor won’t be worth less tomorrow\ – Save for a dream — without fear of inflation eating it away\ – Feel that his time and effort are respected — because they retain value

Bitcoin gives anyone — engineer or janitor — a way out of the game rigged against them.\ A chance to finally build a future where savings are real.

This is economic justice.\ This is digital dignity.

📉 In fiat, you have to spend — or your money melts.\ 📈 In Bitcoin, you choose when to spend — because it’s up to you.

🧠 In a deflationary economy, both saving and spending are healthy:

You don’t scramble to survive — you choose to create.

🎯 That’s true freedom.

When even someone cleaning floors can live without fear —\ and know that their time doesn’t vanish... it turns into value.

---

🧱 The Bigger Picture

Bitcoin is not just a technology — it’s rooted in economic philosophy.\ The Austrian School of Economics has long argued that sound money, voluntary exchange, and decentralized decision-making are prerequisites for real prosperity.\ Bitcoin doesn’t reinvent these ideas — it makes them executable.

📉 Inflation doesn’t just erode savings.\ It quietly destroys quality of life.\ You work more — and everything becomes worse:\ – food is cheaper but less nutritious\ – homes are newer but uglier and less durable\ – clothes cost more but fall apart in months\ – streaming is faster, but your attention span collapses\ This isn’t just consumerism — it’s the economics of planned obsolescence.

🧨 Meanwhile, the U.S. debt has exceeded 3x its GDP.\ And nobody wants to buy U.S. bonds anymore — so the U.S. has to buy its own debt.\ Yes: printing money to buy the IOUs you just printed.\ This is the endgame of fiat.

🎭 Bonds are often sold as “safe.”\ But in practice, they are a weapon — especially abroad.\ The U.S. and IMF give loans to developing countries.\ But when those countries can’t repay (due to rigged terms or global economic headwinds), they’re forced to sell land, resources, or strategic assets.\ Both sides lose: the debtor collapses under the weight of debt, while the creditor earns resentment and instability.\ This isn’t cooperation — it’s soft colonialism enabled by inflation.

📌 Bitcoin offers a peaceful exit.\ A financial system where money can’t be created out of thin air.\ Where savings work.\ Where dignity is restored — even for those who clean toilets.

---

@ 1817b617:715fb372

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This is day two of testing the Leica Summaron 35mm f2.8 on the Fujifilm X-Pro2.

The first part of this story you can find here on StackerNews**

TL;DR: I think I’m really enjoying this lens.

I went into it thinking I’d probably just sell it since it was gifted to me - assumed I wouldn’t like it. But after just a couple of days with it mounted on the X-Pro2, I’ve been surprisingly drawn to it.

Shooting wide open at f2.8 (which is how I’m testing it - to best reveal the lens’s character), the soft roll-off is really pleasing. It feels organic. The lens is over 50 years old, so I expected some quirks-but the quality feels natural, not overly “vintage". Takes the digital edge off.

The short focus throw is also really nice. Compared to the Summicron 35mm f2 v3 I usually shoot on my M262 (which has a longer throw), the Summaron feels tighter and more responsive when zone focusing.

One gripe: the infinity lock. It’s kind of annoying. I find myself accidentally locking it too often, but I’m getting used to holding the button down as I rotate the ring. I’ve read others complain about it, so I know I’m not alone there.

Most of these shots were from a bike ride to the river - about 6 miles out to swim and enjoy the sun. Perfect day for making a few photos.

This kind of work is honestly just fun. I enjoy the process, and even more so once I’m happy with the results and can share them.

Still building confidence in my work over time. I think I’m slowly refining my style - even if the subject matter is simple. Easier said than done, as any editor/curator knows (and I say this as one through NOICE Magazine).

Let me know what you think. I’ll try to upload higher resolution versions this time around (but not too high).

*Also, I use a program called Dehancer for creating the grain in these photographs. I highly recommend the program actually, I've been using it for a long time. If you would like to try it out, I have a promo code. Use "Pictureroom" for 10% off I believe.

You can further support me and my work by sending sats to colincz\@getalby.com. Thank you.

(note* this is being publised from the updated Primal reads client)

@ c066aac5:6a41a034

I’m drawn to extremities in art. The louder, the bolder, the more outrageous, the better. Bold art takes me out of the mundane into a whole new world where anything and everything is possible. Having grown up in the safety of the suburban midwest, I was a bit of a rebellious soul in search of the satiation that only came from the consumption of the outrageous. My inclination to find bold art draws me to NOSTR, because I believe NOSTR can be the place where the next generation of artistic pioneers go to express themselves. I also believe that as much as we are able, were should invite them to come create here.

My Background: A Small Side Story

My father was a professional gamer in the 80s, back when there was no money or glory in the avocation. He did get a bit of spotlight though after the fact: in the mid 2000’s there were a few parties making documentaries about that era of gaming as well as current arcade events (namely 2007’sChasing GhostsandThe King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters). As a result of these documentaries, there was a revival in the arcade gaming scene. My family attended events related to the documentaries or arcade gaming and I became exposed to a lot of things I wouldn’t have been able to find. The producer ofThe King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters had previously made a documentary calledNew York Dollwhich was centered around the life of bassist Arthur Kane. My 12 year old mind was blown: The New York Dolls were a glam-punk sensation dressed in drag. The music was from another planet. Johnny Thunders’ guitar playing was like Chuck Berry with more distortion and less filter. Later on I got to meet the Galaga record holder at the time, Phil Day, in Ottumwa Iowa. Phil is an Australian man of high intellect and good taste. He exposed me to great creators such as Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Shakespeare, Lou Reed, artists who created things that I had previously found inconceivable.

I believe this time period informed my current tastes and interests, but regrettably I think it also put coals on the fire of rebellion within. I stopped taking my parents and siblings seriously, the Christian faith of my family (which I now hold dearly to) seemed like a mundane sham, and I felt I couldn’t fit in with most people because of my avant-garde tastes. So I write this with the caveat that there should be a way to encourage these tastes in children without letting them walk down the wrong path. There is nothing inherently wrong with bold art, but I’d advise parents to carefully find ways to cultivate their children’s tastes without completely shutting them down and pushing them away as a result. My parents were very loving and patient during this time; I thank God for that.

With that out of the way, lets dive in to some bold artists:

Nicolas Cage: Actor

There is an excellent video by Wisecrack on Nicolas Cage that explains him better than I will, which I will linkhere. Nicolas Cage rejects the idea that good acting is tied to mere realism; all of his larger than life acting decisions are deliberate choices. When that clicked for me, I immediately realized the man is a genius. He borrows from Kabuki and German Expressionism, art forms that rely on exaggeration to get the message across. He has even created his own acting style, which he calls Nouveau Shamanic. He augments his imagination to go from acting to being. Rather than using the old hat of method acting, he transports himself to a new world mentally. The projects he chooses to partake in are based on his own interests or what he considers would be a challenge (making a bad script good for example). Thus it doesn’t matter how the end result comes out; he has already achieved his goal as an artist. Because of this and because certain directors don’t know how to use his talents, he has a noticeable amount of duds in his filmography. Dig around the duds, you’ll find some pure gold. I’d personally recommend the filmsPig, Joe, Renfield, and his Christmas film The Family Man.

Nick Cave: Songwriter

What a wild career this man has had! From the apocalyptic mayhem of his band The Birthday Party to the pensive atmosphere of his albumGhosteen, it seems like Nick Cave has tried everything. I think his secret sauce is that he’s always working. He maintains an excellent newsletter calledThe Red Hand Files, he has written screenplays such asLawless, he has written books, he has made great film scores such asThe Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, the man is religiously prolific. I believe that one of the reasons he is prolific is that he’s not afraid to experiment. If he has an idea, he follows it through to completion. From the albumMurder Ballads(which is comprised of what the title suggests) to his rejected sequel toGladiator(Gladiator: Christ Killer), he doesn’t seem to be afraid to take anything on. This has led to some over the top works as well as some deeply personal works. Albums likeSkeleton TreeandGhosteenwere journeys through the grief of his son’s death. The Boatman’s Callis arguably a better break-up album than anything Taylor Swift has put out. He’s not afraid to be outrageous, he’s not afraid to offend, but most importantly he’s not afraid to be himself. Works I’d recommend include The Birthday Party’sLive 1981-82, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’The Boatman’s Call, and the filmLawless.

Jim Jarmusch: Director

I consider Jim’s films to be bold almost in an ironic sense: his works are bold in that they are, for the most part, anti-sensational. He has a rule that if his screenplays are criticized for a lack of action, he makes them even less eventful. Even with sensational settings his films feel very close to reality, and they demonstrate the beauty of everyday life. That's what is bold about his art to me: making the sensational grounded in reality while making everyday reality all the more special. Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai is about a modern-day African-American hitman who strictly follows the rules of the ancient Samurai, yet one can resonate with the humanity of a seemingly absurd character. Only Lovers Left Aliveis a vampire love story, but in the middle of a vampire romance one can see their their own relationships in a new deeply human light. Jim’s work reminds me that art reflects life, and that there is sacred beauty in seemingly mundane everyday life. I personally recommend his filmsPaterson,Down by Law, andCoffee and Cigarettes.

NOSTR: We Need Bold Art

NOSTR is in my opinion a path to a better future. In a world creeping slowly towards everything apps, I hope that the protocol where the individual owns their data wins over everything else. I love freedom and sovereignty. If NOSTR is going to win the race of everything apps, we need more than Bitcoin content. We need more than shirtless bros paying for bananas in foreign countries and exercising with girls who have seductive accents. Common people cannot see themselves in such a world. NOSTR needs to catch the attention of everyday people. I don’t believe that this can be accomplished merely by introducing more broadly relevant content; people are searching for content that speaks to them. I believe that NOSTR can and should attract artists of all kinds because NOSTR is one of the few places on the internet where artists can express themselves fearlessly. Getting zaps from NOSTR’s value-for-value ecosystem has far less friction than crowdfunding a creative project or pitching investors that will irreversibly modify an artist’s vision. Having a place where one can post their works without fear of censorship should be extremely enticing. Having a place where one can connect with fellow humans directly as opposed to a sea of bots should seem like the obvious solution. If NOSTR can become a safe haven for artists to express themselves and spread their work, I believe that everyday people will follow. The banker whose stressful job weighs on them will suddenly find joy with an original meme made by a great visual comedian. The programmer for a healthcare company who is drowning in hopeless mundanity could suddenly find a new lust for life by hearing the song of a musician who isn’t afraid to crowdfund their their next project by putting their lighting address on the streets of the internet. The excel guru who loves independent film may find that NOSTR is the best way to support non corporate movies. My closing statement: continue to encourage the artists in your life as I’m sure you have been, but while you’re at it give them the purple pill. You may very well be a part of building a better future.

@ 70c48e4b:00ce3ccb

Dear readers,

“The direct use of force is such a poor solution to any problem, it is generally employed only by small children and large nations.” — David Friedman

What If we could enforce promises without force?

David Friedman, in his book The Machinery of Freedom, tosses out a pretty wild idea: that people can build systems of cooperation and justice without needing a government at all. These systems rely on voluntary agreements, social reputation, and mutual incentives. In such a world, contracts hold value because honoring a promise brings greater rewards than breaking it.

From Friedman to Bitcoin

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/e8zsFTV94bw/maxresdefault.jpg

This vision shaped the thinking behind Angor, a funding tool built on Bitcoin. Friedman’s ideas showed that systems of cooperation could work without central authority, and Bitcoin now provides the foundation to build them. It records transactions in a public and tamper-proof way. With features like Taproot, people can set clear rules for funding and accountability. Angor uses these tools to help founders and backers create agreements that are transparent and easy to verify.

The result is a new kind of marketplace where follow-through is visible, and reputation becomes a real asset. Instead of relying on enforcement from above, trust is earned through action and built into the system itself.

What happens after the project succeeds?

One important question kept returning throughout our work: what happens after a project succeeds? The founder raises the funds, delivers the product, and begins earning revenue. What mechanism ensures that revenue is shared as promised? How can investors protect their interests in an environment that relies on voluntary structure rather than external authority?

To explore possible answers, we looked at how libertarian thinkers approach contracts in stateless systems.

How libertarian thinkers approach contracts without the state?

Friedman, along with other libertarian thinkers like Murray Rothbard and Bruce Benson, describes voluntarily created legal systems where people make binding agreements and use private mechanisms to enforce them. These mechanisms include:

• Reputational risk
• Collateralized performance
• Community arbitration
• Decentralized insurance

Such tools can replace state-backed enforcement when trust is earned and incentives are aligned.

If founders are anonymous:

When a founder chooses to remain pseudonymous, legal enforcement is not available. In this case, the agreement between the founder and investor can rely on cryptographic mechanisms such as performance bonds, revenue proofs, and public reputation systems.

1. Performance Bonds

• Founders deposit additional Bitcoin into a separate, time-locked contract. As they meet revenue-sharing milestones, they are allowed to unlock specific portions of this bond.

• If a revenue allocation is missed or a deadline passes without fulfillment, the contract redirects the bond to investors through a Taproot clause i.e. a feature in Bitcoin that lets you set up ‘if-this-then-that’ rules directly into a transaction, but privately. This creates a clear and automatic consequence, reinforcing accountability through financial incentives.

1. Revenue Proofs and Oracles

• Most founders, especially those running small businesses like cafes, games, or services, do not earn revenue in Bitcoin. Their income flows through fiat systems, which means automatic on-chain revenue streaming is not an option. The only way to maintain transparency is to prove income after the fact. This starts with exporting a sales report from a platform such as Stripe, Revolut, or a point-of-sale system. The founder hashes the file and posts that hash to the Bitcoin blockchain as a timestamped public reference.

• An oracle plays the role of a neutral verifier. This could be a trusted accountant or an observer chosen by the investor community. Their job is simple: compare the actual report with the hash recorded on-chain. If the data matches, the oracle signs a message that triggers the revenue-share payout using a Discreet Log Contract (DLC).

A DLC is similar to a smart contract, but built for Bitcoin. It allows two parties to agree on a specific outcome, such as how much revenue was made, and only releases funds when that outcome is confirmed by the oracle.

This process does not depend on central enforcement. Instead, it works through mutual agreement and the oracle’s reputation, or any collateral they may have provided in advance.

1. Reputation as collateral

• Every revenue-share payout is recorded on the Bitcoin blockchain, making it publicly visible and verifiable. Community-run indexers can scan the chain and track whether a founder consistently delivers payments on time. This performance history is then summarized into what is known as a “contract streak,” which refers to the number of consecutive payouts completed without delay.

• These streaks are published as signed events through protocols like Nostr, allowing anyone to verify a founder’s track record. A strong, uninterrupted streak builds credibility and can improve the chances of raising funds for future projects. In contrast, a broken streak signals risk, which discourages new investment and reduces access to support from the Angor community.

If founders are public:

When a founder uses a real identity, the parties can combine legal agreements with on-chain contracts. These hybrid arrangements allow for tools like enforceable smart contracts, voluntary arbitration, and potentially community-backed insurance.

1. Legally binding smart contracts

• This type of agreement formally identifies the founder’s legal entity and clearly links it to specific Taproot addresses used in the project. It outlines the rules for revenue sharing, describes what constitutes a breach, and specifies how disputes should be resolved. Because it is a formal legal document, it can be enforced in any relevant jurisdiction where the founder has a presence or assets.

1. Private arbitration

• During the contract setup, both parties can agree to a neutral arbitrator who will step in if a dispute arises. If a revenue payout is delayed or missed, the arbitrator reviews all relevant data, including on-chain records, oracle confirmations, and supporting documentation. Based on this evidence, the arbitrator issues a decision that determines whether funds should be released, held, or redirected. This method provides a clear resolution process without involving courts, while still maintaining a fair and structured outcome.

1. Equity sharing and traditional securities

• When founders are publicly identified and operating under a registered entity, they can also offer equity in the company as part of the funding arrangement. This can take the form of direct share issuance, convertible notes, or tokenized equity, depending on jurisdictional frameworks and investor preferences.

While Angor does not facilitate equity transfers directly, the on-chain agreement can reference these arrangements clearly. Investors may receive shares documented in a cap table, with accompanying legal agreements that govern dividend rights, voting power, or exit terms.

This method provides a more conventional form of investor alignment and is often well-understood by experienced backers. It can also be combined with on-chain revenue-sharing mechanisms to create hybrid models that balance transparency with long-term equity value.

Final Thought: Alignment Over Authority

The ideas in The Machinery of Freedom show how people can build cooperative systems without relying on centralized authority. Angor puts those ideas into action by applying them to decentralized crowdfunding. Each campaign becomes a contract. Each payout becomes a public signal of integrity. Reputation is built over time, through visible and verifiable performance.

This approach shifts enforcement from force to alignment. It rewards honesty and transparency while making misuse costly. By designing systems where trust is earned through action and recorded on-chain, we move toward a more resilient model of funding. This model is grounded in consent, shaped by shared incentives, and supported by the open logic of Bitcoin.

Bitcoin itself works this way. Miners follow the rules not because they are told to, but because breaking them wastes energy, time, and opportunity. The cost of cheating is built into the system. Angor adopts the same principle: integrity is not enforced from above, it is embedded in the architecture.

If you are building on Angor or exploring similar ideas, reach out. The tools are evolving, and the community is growing.

https://docs.angor.io/images/tools/hub.png

Have you tried Angor yet?

Thank you & Ciao. Guest writer: Paco nostr:npub1v67clmf4jrezn8hsz28434nc0y5fu65e5esws04djnl2kasxl5tskjmjjk

@ 5cb68b7a:b7cb67d5

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Act fast and secure your digital assets with cryptrecver.com.Losing access to your cryptocurrency can feel like losing a part of your future. Whether it’s due to a forgotten password, a damaged seed backup, or a simple mistake in a transfer, the stress can be overwhelming. Fortunately, cryptrecver.com is here to assist! With our expert-led recovery services, you can safely and swiftly reclaim your lost Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

# Why Trust Crypt Recver? 🤝

🛠️ Expert Recovery Solutions\ At Crypt Recver, we specialize in addressing complex wallet-related issues. Our skilled engineers have the tools and expertise to handle:

• Partially lost or forgotten seed phrases
• Extracting funds from outdated or invalid wallet addresses
• Recovering data from damaged hardware wallets
• Restoring coins from old or unsupported wallet formats

You’re not just getting a service; you’re gaining a partner in your cryptocurrency journey.

🚀 Fast and Efficient Recovery\ We understand that time is crucial in crypto recovery. Our optimized systems enable you to regain access to your funds quickly, focusing on speed without compromising security. With a success rate of over 90%, you can rely on us to act swiftly on your behalf.

🔒 Privacy is Our Priority\ Your confidentiality is essential. Every recovery session is conducted with the utmost care, ensuring all processes are encrypted and confidential. You can rest assured that your sensitive information remains private.

💻 Advanced Technology\ Our proprietary tools and brute-force optimization techniques maximize recovery efficiency. Regardless of how challenging your case may be, our technology is designed to give you the best chance at retrieving your crypto.

Our Recovery Services Include: 📈

• Bitcoin Recovery: Lost access to your Bitcoin wallet? We help recover lost wallets, private keys, and passphrases.
• Transaction Recovery: Mistakes happen — whether it’s an incorrect wallet address or a lost password, let us manage the recovery.
• Cold Wallet Restoration: If your cold wallet is failing, we can safely extract your assets and migrate them into a secure new wallet.
• Private Key Generation: Lost your private key? Our experts can help you regain control using advanced methods while ensuring your privacy.

⚠️ What We Don’t Do\ While we can handle many scenarios, some limitations exist. For instance, we cannot recover funds stored in custodial wallets or cases where there is a complete loss of four or more seed words without partial information available. We are transparent about what’s possible, so you know what to expect

# Don’t Let Lost Crypto Hold You Back!

Did you know that between 3 to 3.4 million BTC — nearly 20% of the total supply — are estimated to be permanently lost? Don’t become part of that statistic! Whether it’s due to a forgotten password, sending funds to the wrong address, or damaged drives, we can help you navigate these challenges

🛡️ Real-Time Dust Attack Protection\ Our services extend beyond recovery. We offer dust attack protection, keeping your activity anonymous and your funds secure, shielding your identity from unwanted tracking, ransomware, and phishing attempts.

🎉 Start Your Recovery Journey Today!\ Ready to reclaim your lost crypto? Don’t wait until it’s too late!\ 👉 cryptrecver.com

📞 Need Immediate Assistance? Connect with Us!\ For real-time support or questions, reach out to our dedicated team on:\ ✉️ Telegram: t.me/crypptrcver\ 💬 WhatsApp: +1(941)317–1821

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@ 909e3fdc:73f2b10a

Pizza Day’s not really about pizza. It’s about Laszlo exhibiting Bitcoin as a P2P payment mechanism. That’s worth a cheers. In 15 years, Bitcoin went from a nerdy experiment to challenging the fiat system. That’s massive! It’s changed how I see the world. Patient hodling and carnivore-focus, practices that I picked up from the bitcoin community, shifted me from kinda nihilistic to stupidly optimistic. So, definitely celebrate Pizza Day. Or maybe barbecue steaks instead. Commiserate on the frivolous purchases that you made with bitcoin in the day. I think of these sometimes. Honour Laszlo’s pioneer vibe and Bitcoin’s insane rise, but keep your eyes on what’s coming. The future’s gonna be wilder than we think.

@ da8b7de1:c0164aee

„Európának a tettek mezejére kell lépnie a nukleáris energia támogatásában” – mondja a brüsszeli iparági csoport új vezetője

A cikk fő témája, hogy az európai nukleáris ipar új vezetője, Emmanuel Brutin (Nucleareurope), nagyobb elkötelezettséget vár el az Európai Bizottságtól a nukleáris energia támogatásában. Bár pozitív jelek mutatkoznak a nukleáris energia iránti nyitottság terén, Brutin szerint a gyakorlatban még mindig jelentős akadályok vannak, például a finanszírozási forrásokhoz való hozzáférésben és a projektengedélyezések lassúságában.

Főbb pontok:

• Politikai nyitottság, de gyakorlati akadályok: Az EU-ban nőtt a nukleáris energia elismerése, például bekerült a fenntartható befektetési taxonómiába és a Net-Zero Industry Act-be. Ugyanakkor a nukleáris energia továbbra is kizárt több fontos finanszírozási eszközből, mint az InvestEU vagy a Just Transition Fund.
• Technológiai semlegesség szükségessége: Brutin hangsúlyozza, hogy az EU-nak nemcsak nem szabad hátráltatnia a nukleáris energiát, hanem aktívan támogatnia is kellene, különösen a Clean Industrial Deal és az Affordable Energy Action Plan keretében.
• Finanszírozás és engedélyezés: A nukleáris ágazat számára kulcsfontosságú a finanszírozáshoz való jobb hozzáférés, mivel a beruházások tőkeigényesek. Brutin szerint gyorsítani kellene a nukleáris projektek engedélyezését, és lazítani az állami támogatási szabályokon.
• Stratégiai jelentőség: Európa teljes nukleáris értéklánccal rendelkezik, ami stratégiai autonómiát jelent, különösen a jelenlegi geopolitikai környezetben.
• Új PINC dokumentum: Nyáron várható a frissített PINC (Illustrative Nuclear Programme), amelynek konkrét lépéseket kell tartalmaznia a nukleáris beruházások támogatására.
• Iparági igények: Az energiaintenzív iparágak (pl. acél, cement) számára nem az energiaforrás típusa számít, hanem a megbízható, olcsó és dekarbonizált villamosenergia-ellátás.
• Tanulás a múlt hibáiból: Brutin elismeri, hogy a nukleáris projektek Európában gyakran szenvedtek késésektől és költségtúllépésektől, de az iparág dolgozik ezek megoldásán.

Forrás:

NucNet:
"Europe Must 'Walk The Talk' On Support For Nuclear Energy, Says New Head Of Brussels Industry Group"
Megjelenés dátuma: 2025. május 20.
Elérhető: NucNet honlapján

@ 502ab02a:a2860397

ถ้าพูดถึง "เกาหลีใต้" หลายคนอาจนึกถึงซีรีส์ น้ำจิ้มเผ็ด หรือไอดอลหน้าผ่อง ๆ แต่เบื้องหลังวัฒนธรรมที่ลื่นไหลไปทั่วโลกนี้ ยังมีอาณาจักรธุรกิจขนาดมหึมาที่เป็นเหมือนเครื่องยนต์หลักผลักดันทั้งอาหาร เพลง หนัง และนวัตกรรมระดับโลก หนึ่งในนั้นคือ CJ Group ที่เริ่มต้นจากบริษัทน้ำตาลเล็ก ๆ ในปี 1953 แต่เติบโตจนกลายเป็นหนึ่งใน conglomerate หรือ "กลุ่มธุรกิจผูกเครือ" ที่ทรงอิทธิพลที่สุดของแดนโสม

คำว่า CJ ย่อมาจาก CheilJedang (แปลว่า “หมายเลขหนึ่งแห่งโลก” ในภาษาจีน-เกาหลี) ก่อตั้งโดย อี บยองชอล ผู้ก่อตั้ง Samsung Group ในช่วงเวลานั้น เกาหลีใต้กำลังฟื้นตัวจากสงครามเกาหลี และรัฐบาลส่งเสริมการพัฒนาอุตสาหกรรมภายในประเทศ เดิมเป็นหน่วยธุรกิจอาหารของกลุ่ม Samsung ในปี 1993 Cheil Jedang แยกตัวออกจาก Samsung Group และกลายเป็นบริษัทอิสระภายใต้การบริหารของ อี แจฮยอน หลานชายของอี บยองชอล แล้วขยายขอบเขตธุรกิจอย่างไม่หยุดยั้ง จากความเชี่ยวชาญใน "การหมัก" แบบดั้งเดิม พวกเขากลับกลายเป็นผู้เล่นรายใหญ่ระดับโลกในวงการ เทคโนโลยีชีวภาพ การผลิตอาหารไปจนถึงธุรกิจ บันเทิงระดับฮอลลีวูด และ โลจิสติกส์ข้ามทวีป

พูดง่าย ๆ ว่า CJ ไม่ได้แค่ส่งออกกิมจิหรือบิบิมบับ แต่พวกเขากำลังวางรากฐานของ "อนาคตแห่งอาหาร" และ "ความบันเทิงแบบไร้พรมแดน" ในเวลาเดียวกัน จนใครหลายคนถึงกับบอกว่า ถ้าอยากเข้าใจเกาหลีใต้ ก็ต้องเริ่มจากเข้าใจ CJ Group เสียก่อน

แล้วในเครือข่ายของ CJ Group มีธุรกิจอะไรบ้างที่น่าสนใจ และแบรนด์ไหนที่เราคุ้นเคยแบบไม่รู้ตัว ไปดูกันเลย

1. ธุรกิจอาหารและบริการอาหาร (Food & Food Services)
2. CJ CheilJedang บริษัทอาหารชั้นนำของเกาหลีใต้ มีผลิตภัณฑ์เด่น ได้แก่ Bibigo แบรนด์อาหารเกาหลีพร้อมรับประทาน เช่น เกี๊ยว ซอส และกิมจิ Hetbahn ข้าวสวยพร้อมรับประทานที่ได้รับความนิยมในเกาหลี

3. CJ Foodville ดำเนินธุรกิจร้านอาหารและเบเกอรี่ เช่น: Tous Les Jours ร้านเบเกอรี่สไตล์ฝรั่งเศส VIPS ร้านสเต็กและสลัดบุฟเฟ่ต์

4. ธุรกิจเทคโนโลยีชีวภาพ (Bio) ความเชี่ยวชาญนี้เป็นรากฐานสำคัญในการขยายธุรกิจด้านเทคโนโลยีชีวภาพของ CJ เลยครับ

5. CJ BIO ผู้นำด้านการผลิตกรดอะมิโนและผลิตภัณฑ์ชีวภาพผ่านเทคโนโลยีการหมักจุลินทรีย์ เช่น Lysine, Tryptophan, Valine กรดอะมิโนที่ใช้ในอุตสาหกรรมอาหารสัตว์และอาหารเสริม

6. CJ Bioscience มุ่งเน้นการวิจัยและพัฒนาไมโครไบโอมเพื่อสุขภาพ

7. ธุรกิจโลจิสติกส์และค้าปลีก (Logistics & Retail)

8. CJ Logistics ให้บริการโลจิสติกส์ครบวงจร ทั้งการขนส่งทางบก ทางทะเล และทางอากาศ รวมถึงบริการคลังสินค้าและการจัดการซัพพลายเชน

9. CJ Olive Young: ร้านค้าปลีกด้านสุขภาพและความงามอันดับหนึ่งของเกาหลี มีผลิตภัณฑ์ยอดนิยม เช่น Anua PDRN Set ชุดบำรุงผิวที่ได้รับความนิยม MILKTOUCH ผลิตภัณฑ์เมคอัพที่ได้รับความนิยม

10. ธุรกิจบันเทิงและสื่อ (Entertainment & Media) อันนี้ยิ่งใหญ่ระดับโลกมากๆ หลายคนคงจำได้กับ ภาพยนตร์เอเชียแรกกับรางวัลออสการ์ Parasite

11. CJ ENM บริษัทผลิตและจัดจำหน่ายเนื้อหาบันเทิงที่มีชื่อเสียงระดับโลก มีผลงานเด่น ได้แก่ Crash Landing on You ซีรีส์ที่ได้รับความนิยมอย่างสูง Parasite ภาพยนตร์ที่ได้รับรางวัลออสการ์
12. CJ CGV เครือโรงภาพยนตร์มัลติเพล็กซ์ที่มีสาขาทั่วโลก

CJ Group ขยายธุรกิจไปยังต่างประเทศ เช่น การเข้าซื้อกิจการ Schwan's Company ในสหรัฐอเมริกา และการเปิดสาขา CGV ในหลายประเทศ นอกจากนี้ CJ ยังมีบทบาทสำคัญในการเผยแพร่วัฒนธรรมเกาหลีสู่ระดับโลกผ่าน KCON และการผลิตเนื้อหาบันเทิงที่ได้รับความนิยมในต่างประเทศด้วยครับ

จะเห็นได้ว่า เครือข่ายของ CJ นั้นยิ่งใหญ่มากๆเลย ทีนี้มีเรื่องน่าสนใจตรงนี้ครับ

ในช่วงปี 2013–2016 CJ Group โดยเฉพาะฝ่ายสื่อบันเทิงอย่าง CJ ENM ต้องเผชิญกับแรงกดดันจากรัฐบาลของประธานาธิบดี พัค กึนฮเย เหตุการณ์สำคัญคือการที่ อี มีคยอง (Miky Lee) รองประธาน CJ และผู้มีบทบาทสำคัญในการขับเคลื่อนธุรกิจบันเทิงระดับโลก ถูกกดดันให้ลาออกจากตำแหน่ง รายงานระบุว่า ทำเนียบประธานาธิบดีไม่พอใจเนื้อหาสื่อบางรายการของ CJ ที่มีลักษณะเสียดสีหรือวิพากษ์วิจารณ์รัฐบาล เช่น รายการ SNL Korea ที่ล้อเลียนพัค กึนฮเย ผ่านตัวละคร Teletubbies

ภายใต้แรงกดดันนี้ CJ มีการปรับเปลี่ยนเนื้อหาสื่อ โดยลดการนำเสนอเนื้อหาที่อาจขัดแย้งกับรัฐบาล และหันไปผลิตภาพยนตร์ที่สอดคล้องกับนโยบายของรัฐ เช่น ภาพยนตร์เรื่อง Ode to My Father (2014) ที่สะท้อนความรักชาติและการพัฒนาเศรษฐกิจในยุคของพัค ชุงฮี บิดาของพัค กึนฮเย ภาพยนตร์เรื่องนี้ได้รับการสนับสนุนจากรัฐบาลและถูกมองว่าเป็น "ภาพยนตร์เพื่อสุขภาพ" ที่ส่งเสริมความภาคภูมิใจในชาติ แน่นอนว่าแค้นฝังหุ่นมันยังไม่หายไปไหนครับ

เมื่อเกิดการเปิดโปง "บัญชีดำ" (Blacklist) ของรัฐบาลพัค กึนฮเย ที่มีการจำกัดสิทธิเสรีภาพของศิลปินและผู้ผลิตสื่อที่วิพากษ์วิจารณ์รัฐบาล ทำให้เกิดกระแสต่อต้านอย่างรุนแรงในสังคมเกาหลี. ในปี 2016 ซน กยองชิก ประธาน CJ ได้ให้การต่อศาลว่า มีแรงกดดันจากรัฐบาลให้ อี มีคยอง หลีกเลี่ยงการมีบทบาทในบริษัท เหตุการณ์นี้เป็นส่วนหนึ่งของการเปิดโปงคดีทุจริตของพัค กึนฮเย ซึ่งนำไปสู่การประท้วงครั้งใหญ่และการถอดถอนประธานาธิบดีในปี 2017

หลังจากการเปลี่ยนแปลงทางการเมือง CJ Group ได้กลับมามีบทบาทอย่างเต็มที่ในวงการบันเทิงอีกครั้ง อี มีคยอง กลับมาดำรงตำแหน่งและมีบทบาทสำคัญในการผลักดันภาพยนตร์เรื่อง Parasite (2019) ซึ่งได้รับรางวัลออสการ์และยกระดับภาพลักษณ์ของ CJ ในระดับโลก ซึ่งถ้าใครได้ดูหนังเรื่องนั้นแล้วรู้เรื่องราวเบื้องหลังนี้จะเข้าใจเนื้อหาได้อย่างลึกซึ้งขึ้นไปอีกเลยครับ การนำเสนอเรื่องราวนี้ถือเป็นการวิพากษ์วิจารณ์สังคมและระบบทุนนิยมอย่างชัดเจน ซึ่งแตกต่างจากแนวทางที่ CJ เคยถูกกดดันให้ปฏิบัติตามในยุคของพัค กึนฮเย อย่างสิ้นเชิง

อย่าเพิ่งไปสะใจกับเนื้อหา ให้มองว่า "เขาทำอะไรได้บ้าง" นี่คือประเด็นสำคัญครับ #pirateketo #กูต้องรู้มั๊ย #ม้วนหางสิลูก #siamstr

@ 000002de:c05780a7

I enjoy Jonathan Pageau's perspectives from time to time. He is big on myth and symbolic signs in culture and history. I find this stuff fascinating as well. I watched this video last week, and based on the title, I was thinking... hmm, I wonder if it is a review of Return of the Strong Gods. It wasn't, but it really flows with the thesis of that book. You should read it if you haven't, and before you do, go check out @SimpleStacker's review of it.

Pageau starts the video by talking about the concept of "watching the clown." He uses Ye as the clown. Ye has been a leading indicator in the past when he publicly claimed he was a Christian and began making music and holding church services. Now he's going "off the rails" seemingly with his Hitler songs and art. Clearly, the stigma of Hitler will not last forever. It's hard for us to realize this. At least for someone of my age, but Pageau points out that eventually, the villains of history become less of a stand-in for Satan and more of a purely historical figure. He mentions Alexander the Great as a man who did incredibly evil things, but today we just read about him in school and don't really think about it too much. One day, that will be the way Hitler is viewed. Sure, evil, but the power of using him as the mythical Satan will wane.

The most interesting point I took away from this video, though, was that the post-war consensus was built on a dark secret. Now, it's not a secret to me, but at some point, it was. And this secret is a deep flaw in the current state of the West that keeps affecting us in negative ways. The secret is that in order to defeat Hitler and the Nazis, the West allied itself with the Soviets. Stalin. An incredibly evil man and an ideology that has led to the death and suffering of more humans than the Nazis. This is just a fact, but it's so dark that we don't talk about it.

For many years as I began to study Communism and the Soviet Union I began to question why on earth did the allies align themselves with Stalin. Obviously it was for stratigic reasons. I get it. But the fact that this topic is not really discussed in our culture has had a dark effect. Now, I'm not interested in figuring out if Stalin was more evil than Hitler or if Fascism is worse that Communism. I think this misses the point. The point is that today if soneone has Nazi symbols it is very likely not gonna go well for them but Communist symbols are usually just fine. We see the ideas of Socialism discussed openly without concern. Its popular even. Fascism on the other hand is always (until recently) masked at best.

Today we are seeing more and more people openly talk about this reality, and it is a signal that the WW2 consensus is breaking. As people age out and our collective memory fades, this lie will become more visible because the mythical view of Hitler will fade. This will allow people to be more objective about viewing the decisions of the past. I don't recall the book discussing this directly, but it is an interesting connection for sure.

I recommend watching The World War II Consensus is Breaking Down by Jonathan Pageau.

https://stacker.news/items/985962

@ 15cf81d4:b328e146

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@ ffbcb706:b0574044

Just a client name test

@ dfa02707:41ca50e3

Contribute to keep No Bullshit Bitcoin news going.

• OpenSats, a US-based nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting Bitcoin open-source projects and contributors, has announced the eleventh wave of grants to support the growing ecosystem of Nostr developers.

"We're pleased to announce our eleventh wave of nostr grants. This round includes support for projects focused on decentralized live streaming, off-grid connectivity, web-of-trust infrastructure, private messaging, and open tools for game development."

The five projects receiving support in this wave are:

• Swae. Swae is a mobile-first live streaming app that leverages the Nostr protocol to enable decentralized video broadcasts directly from smartphones. The current prototype supports Nostr account creation, live stream viewing, and initiating streams via RTMP URLs.
• HAMSTR facilitates Nostr communication via ham radio, providing offline network access in areas lacking internet, under censorship, or during infrastructure outages. It connects off-grid clients with internet-connected relay gateways using packet radio, ensuring resilient messaging optimized for extremely low-bandwidth conditions.
• Vertex offers Web of Trust infrastructure for Nostr, assisting client developers in filtering spam, personalizing content, and maintaining decentralization. The project has released core tools, including crawler and relay software, and integrated its VerifyReputation DVM into live applications.
• Nostr Double Ratchet provides end-to-end encrypted private messaging for Nostr clients by offering a library that implements the Double Ratchet algorithm.
• Nostr Game Engine is developing a free, open-source, royalty-free game engine for developers, utilizing the Nostr protocol. Built on jMonkeyEngine, it replaces traditional centralized systems with Nostr-native modules while maintaining compatibility.

Open Sats is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. All gifts and donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. Consider donating if you want to support open-source projects and developers in the Bitcoin and/or Nostr ecosystem.

If you are an educator, developer, or advocate working on a project that is aligned with OpenSats mission, apply for funding here.

Blog Post / Archive

@ 21335073:a244b1ad

Warning: This piece contains a conversation about difficult topics. Please proceed with caution.

TL;DR please educate your children about online safety.

Julian Assange wrote in his 2012 book Cypherpunks, “This book is not a manifesto. There isn’t time for that. This book is a warning.” I read it a few times over the past summer. Those opening lines definitely stood out to me. I wish we had listened back then. He saw something about the internet that few had the ability to see. There are some individuals who are so close to a topic that when they speak, it’s difficult for others who aren’t steeped in it to visualize what they’re talking about. I didn’t read the book until more recently. If I had read it when it came out, it probably would have sounded like an unknown foreign language to me. Today it makes more sense.

This isn’t a manifesto. This isn’t a book. There is no time for that. It’s a warning and a possible solution from a desperate and determined survivor advocate who has been pulling and unraveling a thread for a few years. At times, I feel too close to this topic to make any sense trying to convey my pathway to my conclusions or thoughts to the general public. My hope is that if nothing else, I can convey my sense of urgency while writing this. This piece is a watchman’s warning.

When a child steps online, they are walking into a new world. A new reality. When you hand a child the internet, you are handing them possibilities—good, bad, and ugly. This is a conversation about lowering the potential of negative outcomes of stepping into that new world and how I came to these conclusions. I constantly compare the internet to the road. You wouldn’t let a young child run out into the road with no guidance or safety precautions. When you hand a child the internet without any type of guidance or safety measures, you are allowing them to play in rush hour, oncoming traffic. “Look left, look right for cars before crossing.” We almost all have been taught that as children. What are we taught as humans about safety before stepping into a completely different reality like the internet? Very little.

I could never really figure out why many folks in tech, privacy rights activists, and hackers seemed so cold to me while talking about online child sexual exploitation. I always figured that as a survivor advocate for those affected by these crimes, that specific, skilled group of individuals would be very welcoming and easy to talk to about such serious topics. I actually had one hacker laugh in my face when I brought it up while I was looking for answers. I thought maybe this individual thought I was accusing them of something I wasn’t, so I felt bad for asking. I was constantly extremely disappointed and would ask myself, “Why don’t they care? What could I say to make them care more? What could I say to make them understand the crisis and the level of suffering that happens as a result of the problem?”

I have been serving minor survivors of online child sexual exploitation for years. My first case serving a survivor of this specific crime was in 2018—a 13-year-old girl sexually exploited by a serial predator on Snapchat. That was my first glimpse into this side of the internet. I won a national award for serving the minor survivors of Twitter in 2023, but I had been working on that specific project for a few years. I was nominated by a lawyer representing two survivors in a legal battle against the platform. I’ve never really spoken about this before, but at the time it was a choice for me between fighting Snapchat or Twitter. I chose Twitter—or rather, Twitter chose me. I heard about the story of John Doe #1 and John Doe #2, and I was so unbelievably broken over it that I went to war for multiple years. I was and still am royally pissed about that case. As far as I was concerned, the John Doe #1 case proved that whatever was going on with corporate tech social media was so out of control that I didn’t have time to wait, so I got to work. It was reading the messages that John Doe #1 sent to Twitter begging them to remove his sexual exploitation that broke me. He was a child begging adults to do something. A passion for justice and protecting kids makes you do wild things. I was desperate to find answers about what happened and searched for solutions. In the end, the platform Twitter was purchased. During the acquisition, I just asked Mr. Musk nicely to prioritize the issue of detection and removal of child sexual exploitation without violating digital privacy rights or eroding end-to-end encryption. Elon thanked me multiple times during the acquisition, made some changes, and I was thanked by others on the survivors’ side as well.

I still feel that even with the progress made, I really just scratched the surface with Twitter, now X. I left that passion project when I did for a few reasons. I wanted to give new leadership time to tackle the issue. Elon Musk made big promises that I knew would take a while to fulfill, but mostly I had been watching global legislation transpire around the issue, and frankly, the governments are willing to go much further with X and the rest of corporate tech than I ever would. My work begging Twitter to make changes with easier reporting of content, detection, and removal of child sexual exploitation material—without violating privacy rights or eroding end-to-end encryption—and advocating for the minor survivors of the platform went as far as my principles would have allowed. I’m grateful for that experience. I was still left with a nagging question: “How did things get so bad with Twitter where the John Doe #1 and John Doe #2 case was able to happen in the first place?” I decided to keep looking for answers. I decided to keep pulling the thread.

I never worked for Twitter. This is often confusing for folks. I will say that despite being disappointed in the platform’s leadership at times, I loved Twitter. I saw and still see its value. I definitely love the survivors of the platform, but I also loved the platform. I was a champion of the platform’s ability to give folks from virtually around the globe an opportunity to speak and be heard.

I want to be clear that John Doe #1 really is my why. He is the inspiration. I am writing this because of him. He represents so many globally, and I’m still inspired by his bravery. One child’s voice begging adults to do something—I’m an adult, I heard him. I’d go to war a thousand more lifetimes for that young man, and I don’t even know his name. Fighting has been personally dark at times; I’m not even going to try to sugarcoat it, but it has been worth it.

The data surrounding the very real crime of online child sexual exploitation is available to the public online at any time for anyone to see. I’d encourage you to go look at the data for yourself. I believe in encouraging folks to check multiple sources so that you understand the full picture. If you are uncomfortable just searching around the internet for information about this topic, use the terms “CSAM,” “CSEM,” “SG-CSEM,” or “AI Generated CSAM.” The numbers don’t lie—it’s a nightmare that’s out of control. It’s a big business. The demand is high, and unfortunately, business is booming. Organizations collect the data, tech companies often post their data, governments report frequently, and the corporate press has covered a decent portion of the conversation, so I’m sure you can find a source that you trust.

Technology is changing rapidly, which is great for innovation as a whole but horrible for the crime of online child sexual exploitation. Those wishing to exploit the vulnerable seem to be adapting to each technological change with ease. The governments are so far behind with tackling these issues that as I’m typing this, it’s borderline irrelevant to even include them while speaking about the crime or potential solutions. Technology is changing too rapidly, and their old, broken systems can’t even dare to keep up. Think of it like the governments’ “War on Drugs.” Drugs won. In this case as well, the governments are not winning. The governments are talking about maybe having a meeting on potentially maybe having legislation around the crimes. The time to have that meeting would have been many years ago. I’m not advocating for governments to legislate our way out of this. I’m on the side of educating and innovating our way out of this.

I have been clear while advocating for the minor survivors of corporate tech platforms that I would not advocate for any solution to the crime that would violate digital privacy rights or erode end-to-end encryption. That has been a personal moral position that I was unwilling to budge on. This is an extremely unpopular and borderline nonexistent position in the anti-human trafficking movement and online child protection space. I’m often fearful that I’m wrong about this. I have always thought that a better pathway forward would have been to incentivize innovation for detection and removal of content. I had no previous exposure to privacy rights activists or Cypherpunks—actually, I came to that conclusion by listening to the voices of MENA region political dissidents and human rights activists. After developing relationships with human rights activists from around the globe, I realized how important privacy rights and encryption are for those who need it most globally. I was simply unwilling to give more power, control, and opportunities for mass surveillance to big abusers like governments wishing to enslave entire nations and untrustworthy corporate tech companies to potentially end some portion of abuses online. On top of all of it, it has been clear to me for years that all potential solutions outside of violating digital privacy rights to detect and remove child sexual exploitation online have not yet been explored aggressively. I’ve been disappointed that there hasn’t been more of a conversation around preventing the crime from happening in the first place.

What has been tried is mass surveillance. In China, they are currently under mass surveillance both online and offline, and their behaviors are attached to a social credit score. Unfortunately, even on state-run and controlled social media platforms, they still have child sexual exploitation and abuse imagery pop up along with other crimes and human rights violations. They also have a thriving black market online due to the oppression from the state. In other words, even an entire loss of freedom and privacy cannot end the sexual exploitation of children online. It’s been tried. There is no reason to repeat this method.

It took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out why I always felt a slight coldness from those in tech and privacy-minded individuals about the topic of child sexual exploitation online. I didn’t have any clue about the “Four Horsemen of the Infocalypse.” This is a term coined by Timothy C. May in 1988. I would have been a child myself when he first said it. I actually laughed at myself when I heard the phrase for the first time. I finally got it. The Cypherpunks weren’t wrong about that topic. They were so spot on that it is borderline uncomfortable. I was mad at first that they knew that early during the birth of the internet that this issue would arise and didn’t address it. Then I got over it because I realized that it wasn’t their job. Their job was—is—to write code. Their job wasn’t to be involved and loving parents or survivor advocates. Their job wasn’t to educate children on internet safety or raise awareness; their job was to write code.

They knew that child sexual abuse material would be shared on the internet. They said what would happen—not in a gleeful way, but a prediction. Then it happened.

I equate it now to a concrete company laying down a road. As you’re pouring the concrete, you can say to yourself, “A terrorist might travel down this road to go kill many, and on the flip side, a beautiful child can be born in an ambulance on this road.” Who or what travels down the road is not their responsibility—they are just supposed to lay the concrete. I’d never go to a concrete pourer and ask them to solve terrorism that travels down roads. Under the current system, law enforcement should stop terrorists before they even make it to the road. The solution to this specific problem is not to treat everyone on the road like a terrorist or to not build the road.

So I understand the perceived coldness from those in tech. Not only was it not their job, but bringing up the topic was seen as the equivalent of asking a free person if they wanted to discuss one of the four topics—child abusers, terrorists, drug dealers, intellectual property pirates, etc.—that would usher in digital authoritarianism for all who are online globally.

Privacy rights advocates and groups have put up a good fight. They stood by their principles. Unfortunately, when it comes to corporate tech, I believe that the issue of privacy is almost a complete lost cause at this point. It’s still worth pushing back, but ultimately, it is a losing battle—a ticking time bomb.

I do think that corporate tech providers could have slowed down the inevitable loss of privacy at the hands of the state by prioritizing the detection and removal of CSAM when they all started online. I believe it would have bought some time, fewer would have been traumatized by that specific crime, and I do believe that it could have slowed down the demand for content. If I think too much about that, I’ll go insane, so I try to push the “if maybes” aside, but never knowing if it could have been handled differently will forever haunt me. At night when it’s quiet, I wonder what I would have done differently if given the opportunity. I’ll probably never know how much corporate tech knew and ignored in the hopes that it would go away while the problem continued to get worse. They had different priorities. The most voiceless and vulnerable exploited on corporate tech never had much of a voice, so corporate tech providers didn’t receive very much pushback.

Now I’m about to say something really wild, and you can call me whatever you want to call me, but I’m going to say what I believe to be true. I believe that the governments are either so incompetent that they allowed the proliferation of CSAM online, or they knowingly allowed the problem to fester long enough to have an excuse to violate privacy rights and erode end-to-end encryption. The US government could have seized the corporate tech providers over CSAM, but I believe that they were so useful as a propaganda arm for the regimes that they allowed them to continue virtually unscathed.

That season is done now, and the governments are making the issue a priority. It will come at a high cost. Privacy on corporate tech providers is virtually done as I’m typing this. It feels like a death rattle. I’m not particularly sure that we had much digital privacy to begin with, but the illusion of a veil of privacy feels gone.

To make matters slightly more complex, it would be hard to convince me that once AI really gets going, digital privacy will exist at all.

I believe that there should be a conversation shift to preserving freedoms and human rights in a post-privacy society.

I don’t want to get locked up because AI predicted a nasty post online from me about the government. I’m not a doomer about AI—I’m just going to roll with it personally. I’m looking forward to the positive changes that will be brought forth by AI. I see it as inevitable. A bit of privacy was helpful while it lasted. Please keep fighting to preserve what is left of privacy either way because I could be wrong about all of this.

On the topic of AI, the addition of AI to the horrific crime of child sexual abuse material and child sexual exploitation in multiple ways so far has been devastating. It’s currently out of control. The genie is out of the bottle. I am hopeful that innovation will get us humans out of this, but I’m not sure how or how long it will take. We must be extremely cautious around AI legislation. It should not be illegal to innovate even if some bad comes with the good. I don’t trust that the governments are equipped to decide the best pathway forward for AI. Source: the entire history of the government.

I have been personally negatively impacted by AI-generated content. Every few days, I get another alert that I’m featured again in what’s called “deep fake pornography” without my consent. I’m not happy about it, but what pains me the most is the thought that for a period of time down the road, many globally will experience what myself and others are experiencing now by being digitally sexually abused in this way. If you have ever had your picture taken and posted online, you are also at risk of being exploited in this way. Your child’s image can be used as well, unfortunately, and this is just the beginning of this particular nightmare. It will move to more realistic interpretations of sexual behaviors as technology improves. I have no brave words of wisdom about how to deal with that emotionally. I do have hope that innovation will save the day around this specific issue. I’m nervous that everyone online will have to ID verify due to this issue. I see that as one possible outcome that could help to prevent one problem but inadvertently cause more problems, especially for those living under authoritarian regimes or anyone who needs to remain anonymous online. A zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) would probably be the best solution to these issues. There are some survivors of violence and/or sexual trauma who need to remain anonymous online for various reasons. There are survivor stories available online of those who have been abused in this way. I’d encourage you seek out and listen to their stories.

There have been periods of time recently where I hesitate to say anything at all because more than likely AI will cover most of my concerns about education, awareness, prevention, detection, and removal of child sexual exploitation online, etc.

Unfortunately, some of the most pressing issues we’ve seen online over the last few years come in the form of “sextortion.” Self-generated child sexual exploitation (SG-CSEM) numbers are continuing to be terrifying. I’d strongly encourage that you look into sextortion data. AI + sextortion is also a huge concern. The perpetrators are using the non-sexually explicit images of children and putting their likeness on AI-generated child sexual exploitation content and extorting money, more imagery, or both from minors online. It’s like a million nightmares wrapped into one. The wild part is that these issues will only get more pervasive because technology is harnessed to perpetuate horror at a scale unimaginable to a human mind.

Even if you banned phones and the internet or tried to prevent children from accessing the internet, it wouldn’t solve it. Child sexual exploitation will still be with us until as a society we start to prevent the crime before it happens. That is the only human way out right now.

There is no reset button on the internet, but if I could go back, I’d tell survivor advocates to heed the warnings of the early internet builders and to start education and awareness campaigns designed to prevent as much online child sexual exploitation as possible. The internet and technology moved quickly, and I don’t believe that society ever really caught up. We live in a world where a child can be groomed by a predator in their own home while sitting on a couch next to their parents watching TV. We weren’t ready as a species to tackle the fast-paced algorithms and dangers online. It happened too quickly for parents to catch up. How can you parent for the ever-changing digital world unless you are constantly aware of the dangers?

I don’t think that the internet is inherently bad. I believe that it can be a powerful tool for freedom and resistance. I’ve spoken a lot about the bad online, but there is beauty as well. We often discuss how victims and survivors are abused online; we rarely discuss the fact that countless survivors around the globe have been able to share their experiences, strength, hope, as well as provide resources to the vulnerable. I do question if giving any government or tech company access to censorship, surveillance, etc., online in the name of serving survivors might not actually impact a portion of survivors negatively. There are a fair amount of survivors with powerful abusers protected by governments and the corporate press. If a survivor cannot speak to the press about their abuse, the only place they can go is online, directly or indirectly through an independent journalist who also risks being censored. This scenario isn’t hard to imagine—it already happened in China. During #MeToo, a survivor in China wanted to post their story. The government censored the post, so the survivor put their story on the blockchain. I’m excited that the survivor was creative and brave, but it’s terrifying to think that we live in a world where that situation is a necessity.

I believe that the future for many survivors sharing their stories globally will be on completely censorship-resistant and decentralized protocols. This thought in particular gives me hope. When we listen to the experiences of a diverse group of survivors, we can start to understand potential solutions to preventing the crimes from happening in the first place.

My heart is broken over the gut-wrenching stories of survivors sexually exploited online. Every time I hear the story of a survivor, I do think to myself quietly, “What could have prevented this from happening in the first place?” My heart is with survivors.

My head, on the other hand, is full of the understanding that the internet should remain free. The free flow of information should not be stopped. My mind is with the innocent citizens around the globe that deserve freedom both online and offline.

The problem is that governments don’t only want to censor illegal content that violates human rights—they create legislation that is so broad that it can impact speech and privacy of all. “Don’t you care about the kids?” Yes, I do. I do so much that I’m invested in finding solutions. I also care about all citizens around the globe that deserve an opportunity to live free from a mass surveillance society. If terrorism happens online, I should not be punished by losing my freedom. If drugs are sold online, I should not be punished. I’m not an abuser, I’m not a terrorist, and I don’t engage in illegal behaviors. I refuse to lose freedom because of others’ bad behaviors online.

I want to be clear that on a long enough timeline, the governments will decide that they can be better parents/caregivers than you can if something isn’t done to stop minors from being sexually exploited online. The price will be a complete loss of anonymity, privacy, free speech, and freedom of religion online. I find it rather insulting that governments think they’re better equipped to raise children than parents and caretakers.

So we can’t go backwards—all that we can do is go forward. Those who want to have freedom will find technology to facilitate their liberation. This will lead many over time to decentralized and open protocols. So as far as I’m concerned, this does solve a few of my worries—those who need, want, and deserve to speak freely online will have the opportunity in most countries—but what about online child sexual exploitation?

When I popped up around the decentralized space, I was met with the fear of censorship. I’m not here to censor you. I don’t write code. I couldn’t censor anyone or any piece of content even if I wanted to across the internet, no matter how depraved. I don’t have the skills to do that.

I’m here to start a conversation. Freedom comes at a cost. You must always fight for and protect your freedom. I can’t speak about protecting yourself from all of the Four Horsemen because I simply don’t know the topics well enough, but I can speak about this one topic.

If there was a shortcut to ending online child sexual exploitation, I would have found it by now. There isn’t one right now. I believe that education is the only pathway forward to preventing the crime of online child sexual exploitation for future generations.

I propose a yearly education course for every child of all school ages, taught as a standard part of the curriculum. Ideally, parents/caregivers would be involved in the education/learning process.

Course: - The creation of the internet and computers - The fight for cryptography - The tech supply chain from the ground up (example: human rights violations in the supply chain) - Corporate tech - Freedom tech - Data privacy - Digital privacy rights - AI (history-current) - Online safety (predators, scams, catfishing, extortion) - Bitcoin - Laws - How to deal with online hate and harassment - Information on who to contact if you are being abused online or offline - Algorithms - How to seek out the truth about news, etc., online

The parents/caregivers, homeschoolers, unschoolers, and those working to create decentralized parallel societies have been an inspiration while writing this, but my hope is that all children would learn this course, even in government ran schools. Ideally, parents would teach this to their own children.

The decentralized space doesn’t want child sexual exploitation to thrive. Here’s the deal: there has to be a strong prevention effort in order to protect the next generation. The internet isn’t going anywhere, predators aren’t going anywhere, and I’m not down to let anyone have the opportunity to prove that there is a need for more government. I don’t believe that the government should act as parents. The governments have had a chance to attempt to stop online child sexual exploitation, and they didn’t do it. Can we try a different pathway forward?

I’d like to put myself out of a job. I don’t want to ever hear another story like John Doe #1 ever again. This will require work. I’ve often called online child sexual exploitation the lynchpin for the internet. It’s time to arm generations of children with knowledge and tools. I can’t do this alone.

Individuals have fought so that I could have freedom online. I want to fight to protect it. I don’t want child predators to give the government any opportunity to take away freedom. Decentralized spaces are as close to a reset as we’ll get with the opportunity to do it right from the start. Start the youth off correctly by preventing potential hazards to the best of your ability.

The good news is anyone can work on this! I’d encourage you to take it and run with it. I added the additional education about the history of the internet to make the course more educational and fun. Instead of cleaning up generations of destroyed lives due to online sexual exploitation, perhaps this could inspire generations of those who will build our futures. Perhaps if the youth is armed with knowledge, they can create more tools to prevent the crime.

This one solution that I’m suggesting can be done on an individual level or on a larger scale. It should be adjusted depending on age, learning style, etc. It should be fun and playful.

This solution does not address abuse in the home or some of the root causes of offline child sexual exploitation. My hope is that it could lead to some survivors experiencing abuse in the home an opportunity to disclose with a trusted adult. The purpose for this solution is to prevent the crime of online child sexual exploitation before it occurs and to arm the youth with the tools to contact safe adults if and when it happens.

In closing, I went to hell a few times so that you didn’t have to. I spoke to the mothers of survivors of minors sexually exploited online—their tears could fill rivers. I’ve spoken with political dissidents who yearned to be free from authoritarian surveillance states. The only balance that I’ve found is freedom online for citizens around the globe and prevention from the dangers of that for the youth. Don’t slow down innovation and freedom. Educate, prepare, adapt, and look for solutions.

I’m not perfect and I’m sure that there are errors in this piece. I hope that you find them and it starts a conversation.

@ 502ab02a:a2860397

หลายคนอาจแปลกใจว่า ทำไมน้ำมันจากผลไม้แบบอโวคาโดถึงกล้าขึ้นชั้น “ไขมันดี” ไปเทียบกับน้ำมันมะกอกได้ ทั้งที่ฟังดูไม่หรูเท่า แต่ความจริงแล้ว น้ำมันอโวคาโดคือหนึ่งในไม่กี่ชนิดของน้ำมันพืชที่สกัดจาก “เนื้อผล” ไม่ใช่เมล็ด ทำให้มีโครงสร้างไขมันที่ต่างจาก seed oils ทั่วไป ทั้งในแง่กรดไขมัน สารต้านอนุมูลอิสระ และวิธีที่มันตอบสนองต่อความร้อน

น้ำมันอโวคาโดมีกรดไขมันไม่อิ่มตัวตำแหน่งเดียว (MUFA) เป็นหลัก โดยเฉพาะ กรดโอเลอิก (Oleic acid) ซึ่งคิดเป็นประมาณ 65–70% ของไขมันทั้งหมด ใกล้เคียงน้ำมันมะกอกเลย แต่เหนือกว่าเล็กน้อยในแง่ของ ค่าควัน (smoke point) ที่สูงถึง 250°C (แบบ refined) และราว 190–200°C (แบบ cold-pressed) ทำให้เหมาะกับการผัดหรือทอดแบบเบา ๆ โดยไม่ทำให้เกิดสารพิษจากไขมันไหม้เร็วเท่าน้ำมันที่ค่าควันต่ำ

นอกจาก MUFA แล้ว น้ำมันอโวคาโดยังมี PUFA อยู่เล็กน้อย ประมาณ 10–14% ส่วนใหญ่คือ โอเมก้า-6 (linoleic acid) ซึ่งก็มีปริมาณไม่มากจนถึงขั้นต้องห่วงเรื่องการอักเสบ เหมือนที่เจอกับพวกน้ำมันรำข้าวหรือถั่วเหลืองที่ PUFA พุ่งสูงเกิน 50% ขึ้นไป และที่สำคัญ...โอเมก้า-3 ในอโวคาโดก็มีอยู่บ้างในรูปของ ALA แม้ไม่เยอะ แต่ก็บอกได้ว่าโครงสร้างโดยรวมของมันสมดุลพอควร ถ้ามองในรูปแบบพลังงานไขมัน ก็ถือว่าใช้ได้เลย

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ถ้าใช้แบบ cold-pressed, unrefined กลิ่นมันจะออกคล้ายอะโวคาโดสุก ๆ หน่อย มีความเขียวอ่อน ๆ และครีมมี่เล็ก ๆ ซึ่งเหมาะกับการคลุกหรือปรุงแบบ low heat มากกว่าการทอดแรง ส่วนถ้าจะใช้ทำอาหารจริงจัง น้ำมันอโวคาโดแบบ refined ก็จะกลิ่นอ่อนลง สีใสขึ้น และทนไฟได้ดีขึ้นมาก เหมาะจะเอาไปทำ steak หรือผัดไฟกลางได้แบบไม่กังวล อันนี้ก็แล้วแต่จะเลือกนะครับ

ถ้าจะพูดให้ตรง… น้ำมันอโวคาโดคือ “ไขมันผลไม้สายกลาง” ที่ทั้งทนไฟพอใช้ ทำครัวได้หลากหลาย และไม่บิดเบือนสัดส่วนไขมันในร่างกายเราจนเกินไป และถ้าเลือกแบบที่ผลิตดี ไม่โดนสารเคมี ไม่โดนไฮโดรเจนเสริม ก็ถือว่าเป็นน้ำมันดีอีกตัวที่วางใจได้ในครัวจริง ๆ

ใครอยากลองทำเองที่บ้านก็ได้นะ แบบง่ายๆแค่มีผ้าขาวบาง https://youtu.be/gwHGgoMuRnI?si=ehcQceabdbMGfkwG

นอกจากนี้บางคนอาจเคยเห็นโฆษณาสินค้าที่มีน้ำมันจากเมล็ดและเปลือกด้วยใช่ไหมครับ

เมล็ดอโวคาโดนั้นอุดมไปด้วย ไขมันน้อยกว่ามาก เมื่อเทียบกับเนื้อผล แต่มีสารพฤกษเคมีบางชนิดที่นักวิจัยสนใจ เช่น ฟีนอลิกส์ (phenolics), ฟลาโวนอยด์, สารต้านจุลชีพ และ ไฟเบอร์ละลายน้ำสูง การสกัดน้ำมันจากเมล็ดมักจะใช้ ตัวทำละลาย (solvent extraction) หรือ วิธี supercritical CO₂ ไม่ค่อยทำแบบ cold-pressed เพราะน้ำมันน้อยเกิน ปริมาณน้ำมันจากเมล็ดนั้นต่ำมาก คือไม่ถึง 5% ของน้ำหนักแห้ง ทำให้ไม่ค่อยนิยมในเชิงพาณิชย์ น้ำมันจากเมล็ดมักไม่ได้เอาไว้ปรุงอาหาร แต่เอาไปใช้ ด้านเวชสำอาง หรือ functional food มากกว่า เช่น ครีมทาผิว แชมพู หรือผลิตภัณฑ์ชะลอวัย

เปลือกอโวคาโดมี สารต้านจุลชีพและสารต้านออกซิเดชัน บางชนิดเช่นกัน แต่มีไขมันน้อยมากแทบจะไม่มีเลย บางงานวิจัยพยายามสกัดพวก polyphenols หรือสารสีธรรมชาติจากเปลือก เพื่อใช้ในอาหารเสริม หรือผลิตภัณฑ์สุขภาพ ไม่ได้สกัดน้ำมันโดยตรง แบบเนื้อผล แต่ใช้เปลือกเป็นวัตถุดิบเสริมมากกว่า เช่น ผสมในน้ำมันหลักเพื่อเพิ่มคุณสมบัติด้านสุขภาพ

ส่วนตัวคิดว่าไม่ต้องทำเองหรอกครับ ซื้อกินเหอะ 555 เจ้านี้ดีนะ อยู่คู่วงการสุขภาพมาแต่แรกๆเลย https://s.shopee.co.th/8zsnEsLrvh

#pirateketo #กูต้องรู้มั๊ย #ม้วนหางสิลูก #siamstr

@ 000002de:c05780a7

I've been trying out Arch Linux again and the thing that always surprises me is pacman. The way it works seems so unintuitive to me coming from the apt, yum, and dnf worlds.

I know I will get it and it will become internalized but I just wonder what the designer was thinking when making the flags/commands.

https://stacker.news/items/985808

@ 7460b7fd:4fc4e74b

如果比特币发明了真正的钱，那么 Crypto 是什么？

引言

比特币诞生之初就以“数字黄金”姿态示人，被支持者誉为人类历史上第一次发明了真正意义上的钱——一种不依赖国家信用、总量恒定且不可篡改的硬通货。然而十多年过去，比特币之后蓬勃而起的加密世界（Crypto）已经远超“货币”范畴：从智能合约平台到去中心组织，从去央行的稳定币到戏谑荒诞的迷因币，Crypto 演化出一个丰富而混沌的新生态。这不禁引发一个根本性的追问：如果说比特币解决了“真金白银”的问题，那么 Crypto 又完成了什么发明？

Crypto 与政治的碰撞：随着Crypto版图扩张，全球政治势力也被裹挟进这场金融变革洪流（示意图）。比特币的出现重塑了货币信用，但Crypto所引发的却是一场更深刻的政治与治理结构实验。从华尔街到华盛顿，从散户论坛到主权国家，越来越多人意识到：Crypto不只是技术或金融现象，而是一种全新的政治表达结构正在萌芽。正如有激进论者所断言的：“比特币发明了真正的钱，而Crypto则在发明新的政治。”价格K线与流动性曲线，或许正成为这个时代社群意志和社会价值观的新型投射。

冲突结构：当价格挑战选票

传统政治中，选票是人民意志的载体，一人一票勾勒出民主治理的正统路径。而在链上的加密世界里，骤升骤降的价格曲线和真金白银的买卖行为却扮演起了选票的角色：资金流向成了民意走向，市场多空成为立场表决。价格行为取代选票，这听来匪夷所思，却已在Crypto社群中成为日常现实。每一次代币的抛售与追高，都是社区对项目决策的即时“投票”；每一根K线的涨跌，都折射出社区意志的赞同或抗议。市场行为本身承担了决策权与象征权——价格即政治，正在链上蔓延。

这一新生政治形式与旧世界的民主机制形成了鲜明冲突。bitcoin.org中本聪在比特币白皮书中提出“一CPU一票”的工作量证明共识，用算力投票取代了人为决策bitcoin.org。而今，Crypto更进一步，用资本市场的涨跌来取代传统政治的选举。支持某项目？直接购入其代币推高市值；反对某提案？用脚投票抛售资产。相比漫长的选举周期和层层代议制，链上市场提供了近乎实时的“公投”机制。但这种机制也引发巨大争议：资本的投票天然偏向持币多者（富者）的意志，是否意味着加密政治更为金权而非民权？持币多寡成为影响力大小，仿佛选举演变成了“一币一票”，巨鲸富豪俨然掌握更多话语权。这种与民主平等原则的冲突，成为Crypto政治形式饱受质疑的核心张力之一。

尽管如此，我们已经目睹市场投票在Crypto世界塑造秩序的威力：2016年以太坊因DAO事件分叉时，社区以真金白银“投票”决定了哪条链获得未来。arkhamintelligence.com结果是新链以太坊（ETH）成为主流，其市值一度超过2,800亿美元，而坚持原则的以太经典（ETC）市值不足35亿美元，不及前者的八十分之一arkhamintelligence.com。市场选择清楚地昭示了社区的政治意志。同样地，在比特币扩容之争、各类硬分叉博弈中，无不是由投资者和矿工用资金与算力投票，胜者存续败者黯然。价格成为裁决纷争的最终选票，冲击着传统“选票决胜”的政治理念。Crypto的价格民主，与现代代议民主正面相撞，激起当代政治哲思中前所未有的冲突火花。

治理与分配

XRP对决SEC成为了加密世界“治理与分配”冲突的经典战例。2020年底，美国证券交易委员会（SEC）突然起诉Ripple公司，指控其发行的XRP代币属于未注册证券，消息一出直接引爆市场恐慌。XRP价格应声暴跌，一度跌去超过60%，最低触及0.21美元coindesk.com。曾经位居市值前三的XRP险些被打入谷底，监管的强硬姿态似乎要将这个项目彻底扼杀。

然而XRP社区没有选择沉默。 大批长期持有者组成了自称“XRP军团”（XRP Army）的草根力量，在社交媒体上高调声援Ripple，对抗监管威胁。面对SEC的指控，他们集体发声，质疑政府选择性执法，声称以太坊当年发行却“逍遥法外”，只有Ripple遭到不公对待coindesk.com。正如《福布斯》的评论所言：没人预料到愤怒的加密散户投资者会掀起法律、政治和社交媒体领域的‘海啸式’反击，痛斥监管机构背弃了保护投资者的承诺crypto-law.us。这种草根抵抗监管的话语体系迅速形成：XRP持有者不但在网上掀起舆论风暴，还采取实际行动向SEC施压。他们发起了请愿，抨击SEC背离保护投资者初衷、诉讼给个人投资者带来巨大伤害，号召停止对Ripple的上诉纠缠——号称这是在捍卫全球加密用户的共同利益bitget.com。一场由民间主导的反监管运动就此拉开帷幕。

Ripple公司则选择背水一战，拒绝和解，在法庭上与SEC针锋相对地鏖战了近三年之久。Ripple坚称XRP并非证券，不应受到SEC管辖，即使面临沉重法律费用和业务压力也不妥协。2023年，这场持久战迎来了标志性转折：美国法庭作出初步裁决，认定XRP在二级市场的流通不构成证券coindesk.com。这一胜利犹如给沉寂已久的XRP注入强心针——消息公布当天XRP价格飙涨近一倍，盘中一度逼近1美元大关coindesk.com。沉重监管阴影下苟延残喘的项目，凭借司法层面的突破瞬间重获生机。这不仅是Ripple的胜利，更被支持者视为整个加密行业对SEC强权的一次胜仗。

XRP的对抗路线与某些“主动合规”的项目形成了鲜明对比。 稳定币USDC的发行方Circle、美国最大合规交易所Coinbase等选择了一条迎合监管的道路：它们高调拥抱现行法规，希望以合作换取生存空间。然而现实却给了它们沉重一击。USDC稳定币在监管风波中一度失去美元锚定，哪怕Circle及时披露储备状况也无法阻止恐慌蔓延，大批用户迅速失去信心，短时间内出现数十亿美元的赎回潮blockworks.co。Coinbase则更为直接：即便它早已注册上市、反复向监管示好，2023年仍被SEC指控为未注册证券交易所reuters.com，卷入漫长诉讼漩涡。可见，在迎合监管的策略下，这些机构非但未能换来监管青睐，反而因官司缠身或用户流失而丧失市场信任。 相比之下，XRP以对抗求生存的路线反而赢得了投资者的眼光：价格的涨跌成为社区投票的方式，抗争的勇气反过来强化了市场对它的信心。

同样引人深思的是另一种迥异的治理路径：技术至上的链上治理。 以MakerDAO为代表的去中心化治理模式曾被寄予厚望——MKR持币者投票决策、算法维持稳定币Dai的价值，被视为“代码即法律”的典范。然而，这套纯技术治理在市场层面却未能形成广泛认同，亦无法激发群体性的情绪动员。复杂晦涩的机制使得普通投资者难以参与其中，MakerDAO的治理讨论更多停留在极客圈子内部，在社会大众的政治对话中几乎听不见它的声音。相比XRP对抗监管所激发的铺天盖地关注，MakerDAO的治理实验显得默默无闻、难以“出圈”。这也说明，如果一种治理实践无法连接更广泛的利益诉求和情感共鸣，它在社会政治层面就难以形成影响力。

XRP之争的政治象征意义由此凸显： 它展示了一条“以市场对抗国家”的斗争路线，即通过代币价格的集体行动来回应监管权力的施压。在这场轰动业界的对决中，价格即是抗议的旗帜，涨跌映射着政治立场。XRP对SEC的胜利被视作加密世界向旧有权力宣告的一次胜利：资本市场的投票器可以撼动监管者的强权。这种“价格即政治”的张力，正是Crypto世界前所未有的社会实验：去中心化社区以市场行为直接对抗国家权力，在无形的价格曲线中凝聚起政治抗争的力量，向世人昭示加密货币不仅有技术和资本属性，更蕴含着不可小觑的社会能量和政治意涵。

不可归零的政治资本

Meme 币的本质并非廉价或易造，而在于其构建了一种“无法归零”的社群生存结构。 对于传统观点而言，多数 meme 币只是短命的投机游戏：价格暴涨暴跌后一地鸡毛，创始人套现跑路，投资者血本无归，然后“大家转去炒下一个”theguardian.com。然而，meme 币社群的独特之处在于——失败并不意味着终结，而更像是运动的逗号而非句号。一次币值崩盘后，持币的草根们往往并未散去；相反，他们汲取教训，准备东山再起。这种近乎“不死鸟”的循环，使得 meme 币运动呈现出一种数字政治循环的特质：价格可以归零，但社群的政治热情和组织势能不归零。正如研究者所指出的，加密领域中的骗局、崩盘等冲击并不会摧毁生态，反而成为让系统更加强韧的“健康应激”，令整个行业在动荡中变得更加反脆弱cointelegraph.com。对应到 meme 币，每一次暴跌和重挫，都是社群自我进化、卷土重来的契机。这个去中心化群体打造出一种自组织的安全垫，失败者得以在瓦砾上重建家园。对于草根社群、少数派乃至体制的“失败者”而言，meme 币提供了一个永不落幕的抗争舞台，一种真正反脆弱的政治性。正因如此，我们看到诸多曾被嘲笑的迷因项目屡败屡战：例如 Dogecoin 自2013年问世后历经八年沉浮，早已超越玩笑属性，成为互联网史上最具韧性的迷因之一frontiersin.org；支撑 Dogecoin 的正是背后强大的迷因文化和社区意志，它如同美国霸权支撑美元一样，为狗狗币提供了“永不中断”的生命力frontiersin.org。

“复活权”的数字政治意涵

这种“失败-重生”的循环结构蕴含着深刻的政治意涵：在传统政治和商业领域，一个政党选举失利或一家公司破产往往意味着清零出局，资源散尽、组织瓦解。然而在 meme 币的世界，社群拥有了一种前所未有的“复活权”。当项目崩盘，社区并不必然随之消亡，而是可以凭借剩余的人心和热情卷土重来——哪怕换一个 token 名称，哪怕重启一条链，运动依然延续。正如 Cheems 项目的核心开发者所言，在几乎无人问津、技术受阻的困境下，大多数人可能早已卷款走人，但 “CHEEMS 社区没有放弃，背景、技术、风投都不重要，重要的是永不言弃的精神”cointelegraph.com。这种精神使得Cheems项目起死回生，社区成员齐声宣告“我们都是 CHEEMS”，共同书写历史cointelegraph.com。与传统依赖风投和公司输血的项目不同，Cheems 完全依靠社区的信念与韧性存续发展，体现了去中心化运动的真谛cointelegraph.com。这意味着政治参与的门槛被大大降低：哪怕没有金主和官方背书，草根也能凭借群体意志赋予某个代币新的生命。对于身处社会边缘的群体来说，meme 币俨然成为自组织的安全垫和重新集结的工具。难怪有学者指出，近期涌入meme币浪潮的主力，正是那些对现实失望但渴望改变命运的年轻人theguardian.com——“迷茫的年轻人，想要一夜暴富”theguardian.com。meme币的炒作表面上看是投机赌博，但背后蕴含的是草根对既有金融秩序的不满与反抗：没有监管和护栏又如何？一次失败算不得什么，社区自有后路和新方案。这种由底层群众不断试错、纠错并重启的过程，本身就是一种数字时代的新型反抗运动和群众动员机制。

举例而言，Terra Luna 的沉浮充分展现了这种“复活机制”的政治力量。作为一度由风投资本热捧的项目，Luna 币在2022年的崩溃本可被视作“归零”的失败典范——稳定币UST瞬间失锚，Luna币价归零，数十亿美元灰飞烟灭。然而“崩盘”并没有画下休止符。Luna的残余社区拒绝承认失败命运，通过链上治理投票毅然启动新链，“复活”了 Luna 代币，再次回到市场交易reuters.com。正如 Terra 官方在崩盘后发布的推文所宣称：“我们力量永在社区，今日的决定正彰显了我们的韧性”reuters.com。事实上，原链更名为 Luna Classic 后，大批所谓“LUNC 军团”的散户依然死守阵地，誓言不离不弃；他们自发烧毁巨量代币以缩减供应、推动技术升级，试图让这个一度归零的项目重新燃起生命之火binance.com。失败者并未散场，而是化作一股草根洪流，奋力托举起项目的残迹。经过迷因化的叙事重塑，这场从废墟中重建价值的壮举，成为加密世界中草根政治的经典一幕。类似的案例不胜枚举：曾经被视为笑话的 DOGE（狗狗币）正因多年社群的凝聚而跻身主流币种，总市值一度高达数百亿美元，充分证明了“民有民享”的迷因货币同样可以笑傲市场frontiersin.org。再看最新的美国政治舞台，连总统特朗普也推出了自己的 meme 币 $TRUMP，号召粉丝拿真金白银来表达支持。该币首日即从7美元暴涨至75美元，两天后虽回落到40美元左右，但几乎同时，第一夫人 Melania 又发布了自己的 $Melania 币，甚至连就职典礼的牧师都跟风发行了纪念币theguardian.com！显然，对于狂热的群众来说，一个币的沉浮并非终点，而更像是运动的换挡——资本市场成为政治参与的新前线，你方唱罢我登场，meme 币的群众动员热度丝毫不减。值得注意的是，2024年出现的 Pump.fun 等平台更是进一步降低了这一循环的技术门槛，任何人都可以一键生成自己的 meme 币theguardian.com。这意味着哪怕某个项目归零，剩余的社区完全可以借助此类工具迅速复制一个新币接力，延续集体行动的火种。可以说，在 meme 币的世界里，草根社群获得了前所未有的再生能力和主动权，这正是一种数字时代的群众政治奇观：失败可以被当作梗来玩，破产能够变成重生的序章。

价格即政治：群众投机的新抗争

meme 币现象的兴盛表明：在加密时代，价格本身已成为一种政治表达。这些看似荒诞的迷因代币，将金融市场变成了群众宣泄情绪和诉求的另一个舞台。有学者将此概括为“将公民参与直接转化为了投机资产”cdn-brighterworld.humanities.mcmaster.ca——也就是说，社会运动的热情被注入币价涨跌，政治支持被铸造成可以交易的代币。meme 币融合了金融、技术与政治，通过病毒般的迷因文化激发公众参与，形成对现实政治的某种映射cdn-brighterworld.humanities.mcmaster.caosl.com。当一群草根投入全部热忱去炒作一枚毫无基本面支撑的币时，这本身就是一种大众政治动员的体现：币价暴涨，意味着一群人以戏谑的方式在向既有权威叫板；币价崩盘，也并不意味着信念的消亡，反而可能孕育下一次更汹涌的造势。正如有分析指出，政治类 meme 币的出现前所未有地将群众文化与政治情绪融入市场行情，价格曲线俨然成为民意和趋势的风向标cdn-brighterworld.humanities.mcmaster.ca。在这种局面下，投机不再仅仅是逐利，还是一种宣示立场、凝聚共识的过程——一次次看似荒唐的炒作背后，是草根对传统体制的不服与嘲讽，是失败者拒绝认输的呐喊。归根结底，meme 币所累积的，正是一种不可被归零的政治资本。价格涨落之间，群众的愤怒、幽默与希望尽显其中；这股力量不因一次挫败而消散，反而在市场的循环中愈发壮大。也正因如此，我们才说“价格即政治”——在迷因币的世界里，价格不只是数字，更是人民政治能量的晴雨表，哪怕归零也终将卷土重来。cdn-brighterworld.humanities.mcmaster.caosl.com

全球新兴现象：伊斯兰金融的入场

当Crypto在西方世界掀起市场治政的狂潮时，另一股独特力量也悄然融入这一场域：伊斯兰金融携其独特的道德秩序，开始在链上寻找存在感。长期以来，伊斯兰金融遵循着一套区别于世俗资本主义的原则：禁止利息（Riba）、反对过度投机（Gharar/Maysir）、强调实际资产支撑和道德投资。当这些原则遇上去中心化的加密技术，会碰撞出怎样的火花？出人意料的是，这两者竟在“以市场行为表达价值”这个层面产生了惊人的共鸣。伊斯兰金融并不拒绝市场机制本身，只是为其附加了道德准则；Crypto则将市场机制推向了政治高位，用价格来表达社群意志。二者看似理念迥异，实则都承认市场行为可以也应当承载社会价值观。这使得越来越多金融与政治分析人士开始关注：当虔诚的宗教伦理遇上狂野的加密市场，会塑造出何种新范式？

事实上，穆斯林世界已经在探索“清真加密”的道路。一些区块链项目致力于确保协议符合伊斯兰教法（Sharia）的要求。例如Haqq区块链发行的伊斯兰币（ISLM），从规则层面内置了宗教慈善义务——每发行新币即自动将10%拨入慈善DAO，用于公益捐赠，以符合天课（Zakat）的教义nasdaq.comnasdaq.com。同时，该链拒绝利息和赌博类应用，2022年还获得了宗教权威的教令（Fatwa）认可其合规性nasdaq.com。再看理念层面，伊斯兰经济学强调货币必须有内在价值、收益应来自真实劳动而非纯利息剥削。这一点与比特币的“工作量证明”精神不谋而合——有人甚至断言法定货币无锚印钞并不清真，而比特币这类需耗费能源生产的资产反而更符合教法初衷cointelegraph.com。由此，越来越多穆斯林投资者开始以道德投资的名义进入Crypto领域，将资金投向符合清真原则的代币和协议。

这种现象带来了微妙的双重合法性：一方面，Crypto世界原本奉行“价格即真理”的世俗逻辑，而伊斯兰金融为其注入了一股道德合法性，使部分加密资产同时获得了宗教与市场的双重背书；另一方面，即便在遵循宗教伦理的项目中，最终决定成败的依然是市场对其价值的认可。道德共识与市场共识在链上交汇，共同塑造出一种混合的新秩序。这一全球新兴现象引发广泛议论：有人将其视为金融民主化的极致表现——不同文化价值都能在市场平台上表达并竞争；也有人警惕这可能掩盖新的风险，因为把宗教情感融入高风险资产，既可能凝聚强大的忠诚度，也可能在泡沫破裂时引发信仰与财富的双重危机。但无论如何，伊斯兰金融的入场使Crypto的政治版图更加丰盈多元。从华尔街交易员到中东教士，不同背景的人们正通过Crypto这个奇特的舞台，对人类价值的表达方式进行前所未有的实验。

升华结语：价格即政治的新直觉

回顾比特币问世以来的这段历程，我们可以清晰地看到一条演进的主线：先有货币革命，后有政治发明。比特币赋予了人类一种真正自主的数字货币，而Crypto在此基础上完成的，则是一项前所未有的政治革新——它让市场价格行为承担起了类似政治选票的功能，开创了一种“价格即政治”的新直觉。在这个直觉下，市场不再只是冷冰冰的交易场所；每一次资本流动、每一轮行情涨落，都被赋予了社会意义和政治涵义。买入即表态，卖出即抗议，流动性的涌入或枯竭胜过千言万语的陈情。Crypto世界中，K线图俨然成为民意曲线，行情图就是政治晴雨表。决策不再由少数权力精英关起门来制定，而是在全球无眠的交易中由无数普通人共同谱写。这样的政治形式也许狂野，也许充满泡沫和噪音，但它不可否认地调动起了广泛的社会参与，让原本疏离政治进程的个体通过持币、交易重新找回了影响力的幻觉或实感。

“价格即政治”并非一句简单的口号，而是Crypto给予世界的全新想象力。它质疑了传统政治的正统性：如果一串代码和一群匿名投资者就能高效决策资源分配，我们为何还需要繁冗的官僚体系？它也拷问着自身的内在隐忧：当财富与权力深度绑定，Crypto政治如何避免堕入金钱统治的老路？或许，正是在这样的矛盾和张力中，人类政治的未来才会不断演化。Crypto所开启的，不仅是技术乌托邦或金融狂欢，更可能是一次对民主形式的深刻拓展和挑战。这里有最狂热的逐利者，也有最理想主义的社群塑梦者；有一夜暴富的神话，也有瞬间破灭的惨痛。而这一切汇聚成的洪流，正冲撞着工业时代以来既定的权力谱系。

当我们再次追问：Crypto究竟是什么？ 或许可以这样回答——Crypto是比特币之后，人类完成的一次政治范式的试验性跃迁。在这里，价格行为化身为选票，资本市场演化为广场，代码与共识共同撰写“社会契约”。这是一场仍在进行的文明实验：它可能无声地融入既有秩序，也可能剧烈地重塑未来规则。但无论结局如何，如今我们已经见证：在比特币发明真正的货币之后，Crypto正在发明真正属于21世纪的政治。它以数字时代的语言宣告：在链上，价格即政治，市场即民意，代码即法律。这，或许就是Crypto带给我们的最直观而震撼的本质启示。

参考资料：

• 中本聪. 比特币白皮书: 一种点对点的电子现金系统. (2008)bitcoin.org

• Arkham Intelligence. Ethereum vs Ethereum Classic: Understanding the Differences. (2023)arkhamintelligence.com

• Binance Square (@渔神的加密日记). 狗狗币价格为何上涨？背后的原因你知道吗？binance.com

• Cointelegraph中文. 特朗普的迷因币晚宴预期内容揭秘. (2025)cn.cointelegraph.com

• 慢雾科技 Web3Caff (@Lisa). 风险提醒：从 LIBRA 看“政治化”的加密货币骗局. (2025)web3caff.com

• Nasdaq (@Anthony Clarke). How Cryptocurrency Aligns with the Principles of Islamic Finance. (2023)nasdaq.comnasdaq.com

• Cointelegraph Magazine (@Andrew Fenton). DeFi can be halal but not DOGE? Decentralizing Islamic finance. (2023)cointelegraph.com

@ 8bad92c3:ca714aa5

Key Takeaways

In this episode of the TFTC podcast, Dom Bei—a firefighter, union leader, and CalPERS Board of Trustees candidate—makes a powerful case for why the largest pension fund in the U.S. must seriously consider Bitcoin as both an investment opportunity and an educational tool. Highlighting CalPERS’ missed decade in private equity and its troubling 75% funded status, Bei critiques the system’s misaligned incentives and high leadership turnover. He argues that Bitcoin offers more than just potential gains—it forces participants to confront foundational issues like inflation, wealth extraction, and financial literacy. Through his nonprofit Proof of Workforce, Bei has already helped unions adopt Bitcoin in self-custody and believes that small, incremental steps can drive reform. His campaign is about re-engaging the 2 million CalPERS members, challenging political inertia, and avoiding another decade of lost opportunity.

Best Quotes

"Bitcoin’s brand is resilience, and that cannot be undone."

"I don’t need to convince pensions to buy Bitcoin. I just need them to look into it."

"The first pension was funded with confiscated warships. The original incentive structure was theft."

"CalPERS is the second-largest purchaser of medical insurance in the U.S., behind the federal government."

"Only 10% of CalPERS members voted in the last board election. That’s insane."

"Bitcoin’s simplest features remain its most impressive: you hold something that’s yours, and no one can take it."

"We don’t need pensions to go all in. Just get off zero."

"Mainstream media has run an 80% negative campaign on Bitcoin for a decade. That’s not a conspiracy—it’s just math."

Conclusion

Dom Bei’s conversation with Marty Bent frames Bitcoin not as a cure-all, but as a critical tool worth exploring—one that promotes financial literacy, institutional accountability, and personal sovereignty. His call for education, transparency, and incremental reform challenges broken pension governance and urges workers to reclaim control over both their retirements and their understanding of money. In a landscape of growing liabilities and political interference, Bei’s campaign sparks a vital conversation at the intersection of sound money and public service—one that aligns closely with Bitcoin’s foundational ethos.

Timestamps

0:00 - Intro
0:32 - Opportunity Cost app
3:34 - Dom's background
10:36 - Fold & Bitkey
12:13 - How pensions got to this point
19:29 - Impact of failure
28:10 - Unchained
28:38 - CalPERS politicized
33:49 - How pensions should approach bitcoin
42:49 - How to educate
49:37 - Energy/mining
55:55 - Running for the board
1:08:52 - Roswell NM
1:12:33 - C2A

Transcript

(00:00) pension funds are chasing liabilities and having to basically be these vehicles that play in the big kids sandbox. It's cutthroat and there's no mercy there. I can't imagine a world where the pension goes bust, that's going to send shock waves through so many different sectors of the economy. I mean, you're talking global impact.
(00:17) If you have a CIO that's incentivized for the fund to do well, they're going to find Bitcoin. The numbers don't lie. Bitcoin's brand is resilience, and that cannot be undone. What's up, freaks? Sitting down with Dom Bay, running for the board of trustees of Kalpers. Dom, welcome to the show. Thanks, Marty.
(00:44) And uh uh what else? What is up, freaks? How's everyone doing today? I hope everybody's doing well. Vibes are high here. Uh been vibe coding. The vibes are high because the vibe coding has been up. I vibe coded something last night. Feeling pretty excited. Nice. What were you working on? Is it a top secret or uh No, I think by the time this episode airs, I'll have released it, but it's a simple, very simple product.
(01:07) Uh, a browser extension that allows you to put the price of goods that you may or may not be buying in SATS alongside dollars so that you recognize the opportunity cost of purchasing things. Uh, I like that. That's that's you know I was working once with a hotel that was looking at doing Bitcoin like you know different Bitcoin stuff whether it's like putting on the treasury and one of the things I told him I was like you guys should just do a coffee shop where you just have dollar price and sats price just next to each
(01:38) other. It' be a cool thing you know something that we don't see a lot as Bitcoiners but just to you know we all do it. you get that familiarity where you go like, well, what would this be in SATS? And it's easy to look up big things but not little things. Um, so that's really cool, man. That's a that's a that'll be that'll be good. Yeah.
(01:56) The whole idea is to just have the concept of opportunity costs while you're spending front of mind, while you're shopping on the internet, which I think actually ties in perfectly with what we're here to talk about today with you specifically, is the opportunity costs that exist within pensions um that are deploying capital in ways that they have for many decades and many are missing.
(02:23) uh the Bitcoin boat. Many who haven't spoken to you are missing the Bitcoin boat and you are taking it upon yourself to try to tackle one of the biggest behemoths in the world of pensions and Kalpers to really drive home this opportunity cost at at the pension level. Yeah, for sure. you know, the outgoing chief investment officer of Kalpers, uh, Nicole Muso, uh, described the 10-year era of private equity that KPERS missed as the lost decade.
(02:56) Uh, it was the pinnacle of private equity, and Kalpers really felt like they didn't have enough capital uh, deployed. And you know, in past conversations, I've I've talked about, you know, knowing what we know about Bitcoin and where it's at and where it's going. Are you going to have similar commentary from pensions around the country in 2035 saying, "Hey, we're going to get into Bitcoin now.
(03:21) We we had a lost decade where it was just staring us right in the face and oh, we didn't really need to do much but learn about it and uh we missed the boat. So now, you know, let's let's learn about it. It'll be time will tell. Yeah. Let's jump into how you got to the point where you decided to run for the board of trustees at Kalpers.
(03:46) Let's get into your history uh as a firefighter working with the union and then your advocacy in recent years going out to public pensions, particularly those of emergency responders to to get Bitcoin within their their pension systems. and yeah, why you think Kalpers is the next big step for you? For sure. So, um I got hired as a firefighter uh just around I'm coming up on my 16-year anniversary.
(04:11) Uh I got hired as a firefighter in Santa Monica and early in my career as a firefighter. Uh someone reached out and said, "Hey, you know, you're you're you're kind of a goofball. You like talking to people and and um there's this person on the board who does a lot of our political stuff. he's leaving. You should get with him and kind of learn about what he does and go find out. And so, uh, I went with him.
(04:36) First thing he did was bring me to this breakfast with a city council member and we were talking history in the city and and I just like, you know, I love that kind of stuff and learning about, you know, the backstories behind whatever's going on and all the moving pieces. And so, uh, I ended up getting on our board, um, for the Santa Monica firefighters and pretty pretty young, doing a lot of the political stuff, ended up becoming the vice president and then became the president of the firefighters and what was over a 10-year period of serving as
(05:07) an elected board member for the firefighters. Um, you know, kind of parallel to that and unrelated, I found Bitcoin in 2017 uh randomly working at a conference, which um I forget which conference it was, but I kind of looked back and I think it might have been consensus. I'm not sure. Um, but this was 2017 and I remember my one takeaway from this conference which may or may not have been consensus and it was this.
(05:39) The people I spoke to there were equally or greater as uh convicted as any group or constituency I'd ever met in my entire life. That's including firefighters. Um you know like like any group the conviction was was was unmissable. Uh and you could tell the people I talked to there they would not be uh convinced otherwise.
(06:08) And uh at that time, you know, there wasn't as much of a division between the different coins, you know, like like there was Ethereum people there and there was Bitcoiners there, but there was a definite like someone got a hold of me and was like, "Hey, uh Bitcoin is something that like forget all this other stuff.
(06:25) You need to just learn this." And and I remember taking that away and kind of got passively involved. Wasn't super active in the space. um just kind of like you know learned about it and grabbed a little bit and and you know just kind of did that thing. the board took up a lot of my time. And so, um, another thing that happened while I was on the board was I was appointed to a pension advisory committee for the city of Santa Monica where we had a full presentation from the board uh, and um, they came and presented to us and and different um,
(06:58) not the board, it was like different team members. And so I learned a ton about the pension and and I've always been a I was a history major in college, so I love learning about history. and I started really getting into the history of pensions which is fascinating. We'll save that for another episode for the sake of your viewers.
(07:18) Um but but um started doing that and when I got off the board um you know in addition to this

@ 0d1df3b1:7aa4699c

YO

@ 000002de:c05780a7

I completely missed this until yesterday. I was listening to our local news talk station and it came up. They had some people that were pretty knowledgeable about prostate cancer on. They talked about other presidents being tested while in office for it. They came to conclusion that it is possible that Biden wasn't having his PSA checked. This is pretty normal for a old dude his age. But it is not normal for a President his age.

My thought is much simpler.

We know his doctors, the media, and his admin were lying about his health when he was in office. Hello! Anyone paying attention and not invested in his regime knew he was declining mentally in front of our very eyes. They covered for him over and over again. Only those that don't pay attention or discounted his critics completely was surprised by his debate performance.

To be clear though, Biden is far from the first president to do this. Wilson, FDR, Kennedy, and Reagan all had issues and they were kept from the public. If we learned these things in school we might actually have a public that thinks critically once and a while.

So, with that in mind do you really think the regime would not withhold medical info about this cancer? Come on. Don't be naive. He clearly was not in charge 100% of the time while in office and the regime wanted to maintain power. Sharing that he had prostate cancer would not be on the menu.

Politics is like a drug that numbs the brain. Because people don't like one party or person they retard their thinking. Its the same thing as happens in sports. Fans of one team see the same play completely differently from the other team's fans. Politics and the investment into parties kills most people's objectivity.

I don't trust liars. It honestly blows my mind how trusting people can be of professional liars. Both parties are full of liars. Trump is a liar and those opposing him are liars. We are drowning in lies. You can vote for a lessor of two evils but never forget what they are.

https://stacker.news/items/985791

@ cae03c48:2a7d6671

Bitcoin Magazine

U.S. Leads the World in Bitcoin Ownership, New Report Shows

A new report from River reveals that the United States dominates Bitcoin ownership globally, holding about 40% of all available Bitcoin. With 14.3% of its population owning Bitcoin, the U.S. outpaces Europe, Oceania, and Asia combined.

The United States is the global Bitcoin superpower.

Our new report breaks down how this advantage can fuel the next era of American prosperity. pic.twitter.com/v5BNgTGsKA

— River (@River) May 20, 2025

Corporate America also leads in Bitcoin holdings. Thirty-two U.S. public companies, with a combined market cap of $1.26 trillion, hold Bitcoin as a treasury asset. These firms account for 94.8% of all Bitcoin owned by publicly traded companies worldwide. Major holders include Strategy with 569,000 BTC, U.S. mining companies with 96,000 BTC, and others with 68,000 BTC, totaling 733,000 BTC in the U.S., compared to 40,000 BTC held elsewhere.

Since China’s ban on Bitcoin mining in 2021, the United States has become the global leader in Bitcoin mining, responsible for 38% of all new Bitcoin mined since then. The U.S. attracts miners thanks to its stable regulatory environment, access to deep and liquid capital markets, and abundant energy resources. These advantages have helped the U.S. increase its share of the global Bitcoin mining hashrate by over 500% since 2020, solidifying its position as the center of the industry.

Bitcoin is also emerging as America’s preferred reserve asset, overtaking gold. Over 49.6 million Americans are in favor of holding Bitcoin, compared to 36.7 million who still prefer gold.

The US government’s bitcoin advantage is greater than that of gold, where the US accounts for just 29.9% of the world’s central bank gold reserves. 

“Because there is a fixed supply of BTC, there is a strategic advantage to being among the first nations to create a strategic bitcoin reserve,” said the White House on March 7, 2025.

Politically, support for Bitcoin is gaining significant momentum across the U.S. government. As of now, 59% of U.S. Senators and 66% of House Representatives openly support pro-Bitcoin policies, signaling a notable shift in political attitudes and greater acceptance of digital assets as key components of America’s economic future.

The study highlights that Bitcoin ownership is highest among American males aged 31-35 and 41-45, with ownership rates ranging from 3% to 41% within these age groups. Politically, those identifying as “very liberal” or “neutral” are more likely to own Bitcoin than conservatives, though conservatives still make up a significant portion of holders.

This post U.S. Leads the World in Bitcoin Ownership, New Report Shows first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Oscar Zarraga Perez.

@ 87f5e1d9:e251d8f4

Losing access to your cryptocurrency can feel like losing a part of your future. Whether it’s due to a forgotten password, a damaged seed backup, or a simple mistake in a transfer, the stress can be overwhelming. Fortunately, cryptrecver.com is here to assist! With our expert-led recovery services, you can safely and swiftly reclaim your lost Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

Why Trust Crypt Recver? 🤝 🛠️ Expert Recovery Solutions At Crypt Recver, we specialize in addressing complex wallet-related issues. Our skilled engineers have the tools and expertise to handle:

Partially lost or forgotten seed phrases Extracting funds from outdated or invalid wallet addresses Recovering data from damaged hardware wallets Restoring coins from old or unsupported wallet formats You’re not just getting a service; you’re gaining a partner in your cryptocurrency journey.

🚀 Fast and Efficient Recovery We understand that time is crucial in crypto recovery. Our optimized systems enable you to regain access to your funds quickly, focusing on speed without compromising security. With a success rate of over 90%, you can rely on us to act swiftly on your behalf.

🔒 Privacy is Our Priority Your confidentiality is essential. Every recovery session is conducted with the utmost care, ensuring all processes are encrypted and confidential. You can rest assured that your sensitive information remains private.

💻 Advanced Technology Our proprietary tools and brute-force optimization techniques maximize recovery efficiency. Regardless of how challenging your case may be, our technology is designed to give you the best chance at retrieving your crypto.

Our Recovery Services Include: 📈 Bitcoin Recovery: Lost access to your Bitcoin wallet? We help recover lost wallets, private keys, and passphrases. Transaction Recovery: Mistakes happen — whether it’s an incorrect wallet address or a lost password, let us manage the recovery. Cold Wallet Restoration: If your cold wallet is failing, we can safely extract your assets and migrate them into a secure new wallet. Private Key Generation: Lost your private key? Our experts can help you regain control using advanced methods while ensuring your privacy. ⚠️ What We Don’t Do While we can handle many scenarios, some limitations exist. For instance, we cannot recover funds stored in custodial wallets or cases where there is a complete loss of four or more seed words without partial information available. We are transparent about what’s possible, so you know what to expect

Don’t Let Lost Crypto Hold You Back! Did you know that between 3 to 3.4 million BTC — nearly 20% of the total supply — are estimated to be permanently lost? Don’t become part of that statistic! Whether it’s due to a forgotten password, sending funds to the wrong address, or damaged drives, we can help you navigate these challenges

🛡️ Real-Time Dust Attack Protection Our services extend beyond recovery. We offer dust attack protection, keeping your activity anonymous and your funds secure, shielding your identity from unwanted tracking, ransomware, and phishing attempts.

🎉 Start Your Recovery Journey Today! Ready to reclaim your lost crypto? Don’t wait until it’s too late! 👉 cryptrecver.com

📞 Need Immediate Assistance? Connect with Us! For real-time support or questions, reach out to our dedicated team on: ✉️ Telegram: t.me/crypptrcver 💬 WhatsApp: +1(941)317–1821

Crypt Recver is your trusted partner in cryptocurrency recovery. Let us turn your challenges into victories. Don’t hesitate — your crypto future starts now! 🚀✨

Act fast and secure your digital assets with cryptrecver.com.Losing access to your cryptocurrency can feel like losing a part of your future. Whether it’s due to a forgotten password, a damaged seed backup, or a simple mistake in a transfer, the stress can be overwhelming. Fortunately, cryptrecver.com is here to assist! With our expert-led recovery services, you can safely and swiftly reclaim your lost Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

# Why Trust Crypt Recver? 🤝

🛠️ Expert Recovery Solutions\ At Crypt Recver, we specialize in addressing complex wallet-related issues. Our skilled engineers have the tools and expertise to handle:

• Partially lost or forgotten seed phrases
• Extracting funds from outdated or invalid wallet addresses
• Recovering data from damaged hardware wallets
• Restoring coins from old or unsupported wallet formats

You’re not just getting a service; you’re gaining a partner in your cryptocurrency journey.

🚀 Fast and Efficient Recovery\ We understand that time is crucial in crypto recovery. Our optimized systems enable you to regain access to your funds quickly, focusing on speed without compromising security. With a success rate of over 90%, you can rely on us to act swiftly on your behalf.

🔒 Privacy is Our Priority\ Your confidentiality is essential. Every recovery session is conducted with the utmost care, ensuring all processes are encrypted and confidential. You can rest assured that your sensitive information remains private.

💻 Advanced Technology\ Our proprietary tools and brute-force optimization techniques maximize recovery efficiency. Regardless of how challenging your case may be, our technology is designed to give you the best chance at retrieving your crypto.

Our Recovery Services Include: 📈

• Bitcoin Recovery: Lost access to your Bitcoin wallet? We help recover lost wallets, private keys, and passphrases.
• Transaction Recovery: Mistakes happen — whether it’s an incorrect wallet address or a lost password, let us manage the recovery.
• Cold Wallet Restoration: If your cold wallet is failing, we can safely extract your assets and migrate them into a secure new wallet.
• Private Key Generation: Lost your private key? Our experts can help you regain control using advanced methods while ensuring your privacy.

⚠️ What We Don’t Do\ While we can handle many scenarios, some limitations exist. For instance, we cannot recover funds stored in custodial wallets or cases where there is a complete loss of four or more seed words without partial information available. We are transparent about what’s possible, so you know what to expect

# Don’t Let Lost Crypto Hold You Back!

Did you know that between 3 to 3.4 million BTC — nearly 20% of the total supply — are estimated to be permanently lost? Don’t become part of that statistic! Whether it’s due to a forgotten password, sending funds to the wrong address, or damaged drives, we can help you navigate these challenges

🛡️ Real-Time Dust Attack Protection\ Our services extend beyond recovery. We offer dust attack protection, keeping your activity anonymous and your funds secure, shielding your identity from unwanted tracking, ransomware, and phishing attempts.

🎉 Start Your Recovery Journey Today!\ Ready to reclaim your lost crypto? Don’t wait until it’s too late!\ 👉 cryptrecver.com

📞 Need Immediate Assistance? Connect with Us!\ For real-time support or questions, reach out to our dedicated team on:\ ✉️ Telegram: t.me/crypptrcver\ 💬 WhatsApp: +1(941)317–1821

Crypt Recver is your trusted partner in cryptocurrency recovery. Let us turn your challenges into victories. Don’t hesitate — your crypto future starts now! 🚀✨

Act fast and secure your digital assets with cryptrecver.com.

@ 34f1ddab:2ca0cf7c

Losing access to your cryptocurrency can feel like losing a part of your future. Whether it’s due to a forgotten password, a damaged seed backup, or a simple mistake in a transfer, the stress can be overwhelming. Fortunately, cryptrecver.com is here to assist! With our expert-led recovery services, you can safely and swiftly reclaim your lost Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

Why Trust Crypt Recver? 🤝 🛠️ Expert Recovery Solutions At Crypt Recver, we specialize in addressing complex wallet-related issues. Our skilled engineers have the tools and expertise to handle:

Partially lost or forgotten seed phrases Extracting funds from outdated or invalid wallet addresses Recovering data from damaged hardware wallets Restoring coins from old or unsupported wallet formats You’re not just getting a service; you’re gaining a partner in your cryptocurrency journey.

🚀 Fast and Efficient Recovery We understand that time is crucial in crypto recovery. Our optimized systems enable you to regain access to your funds quickly, focusing on speed without compromising security. With a success rate of over 90%, you can rely on us to act swiftly on your behalf.

🔒 Privacy is Our Priority Your confidentiality is essential. Every recovery session is conducted with the utmost care, ensuring all processes are encrypted and confidential. You can rest assured that your sensitive information remains private.

💻 Advanced Technology Our proprietary tools and brute-force optimization techniques maximize recovery efficiency. Regardless of how challenging your case may be, our technology is designed to give you the best chance at retrieving your crypto.

Our Recovery Services Include: 📈 Bitcoin Recovery: Lost access to your Bitcoin wallet? We help recover lost wallets, private keys, and passphrases. Transaction Recovery: Mistakes happen — whether it’s an incorrect wallet address or a lost password, let us manage the recovery. Cold Wallet Restoration: If your cold wallet is failing, we can safely extract your assets and migrate them into a secure new wallet. Private Key Generation: Lost your private key? Our experts can help you regain control using advanced methods while ensuring your privacy. ⚠️ What We Don’t Do While we can handle many scenarios, some limitations exist. For instance, we cannot recover funds stored in custodial wallets or cases where there is a complete loss of four or more seed words without partial information available. We are transparent about what’s possible, so you know what to expect

Don’t Let Lost Crypto Hold You Back! Did you know that between 3 to 3.4 million BTC — nearly 20% of the total supply — are estimated to be permanently lost? Don’t become part of that statistic! Whether it’s due to a forgotten password, sending funds to the wrong address, or damaged drives, we can help you navigate these challenges

🛡️ Real-Time Dust Attack Protection Our services extend beyond recovery. We offer dust attack protection, keeping your activity anonymous and your funds secure, shielding your identity from unwanted tracking, ransomware, and phishing attempts.

🎉 Start Your Recovery Journey Today! Ready to reclaim your lost crypto? Don’t wait until it’s too late! 👉 cryptrecver.com

📞 Need Immediate Assistance? Connect with Us! For real-time support or questions, reach out to our dedicated team on: ✉️ Telegram: t.me/crypptrcver 💬 WhatsApp: +1(941)317–1821

Crypt Recver is your trusted partner in cryptocurrency recovery. Let us turn your challenges into victories. Don’t hesitate — your crypto future starts now! 🚀✨

Act fast and secure your digital assets with cryptrecver.com.Losing access to your cryptocurrency can feel like losing a part of your future. Whether it’s due to a forgotten password, a damaged seed backup, or a simple mistake in a transfer, the stress can be overwhelming. Fortunately, cryptrecver.com is here to assist! With our expert-led recovery services, you can safely and swiftly reclaim your lost Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

# Why Trust Crypt Recver? 🤝

🛠️ Expert Recovery Solutions\ At Crypt Recver, we specialize in addressing complex wallet-related issues. Our skilled engineers have the tools and expertise to handle:

• Partially lost or forgotten seed phrases
• Extracting funds from outdated or invalid wallet addresses
• Recovering data from damaged hardware wallets
• Restoring coins from old or unsupported wallet formats

You’re not just getting a service; you’re gaining a partner in your cryptocurrency journey.

🚀 Fast and Efficient Recovery\ We understand that time is crucial in crypto recovery. Our optimized systems enable you to regain access to your funds quickly, focusing on speed without compromising security. With a success rate of over 90%, you can rely on us to act swiftly on your behalf.

🔒 Privacy is Our Priority\ Your confidentiality is essential. Every recovery session is conducted with the utmost care, ensuring all processes are encrypted and confidential. You can rest assured that your sensitive information remains private.

💻 Advanced Technology\ Our proprietary tools and brute-force optimization techniques maximize recovery efficiency. Regardless of how challenging your case may be, our technology is designed to give you the best chance at retrieving your crypto.

Our Recovery Services Include: 📈

• Bitcoin Recovery: Lost access to your Bitcoin wallet? We help recover lost wallets, private keys, and passphrases.
• Transaction Recovery: Mistakes happen — whether it’s an incorrect wallet address or a lost password, let us manage the recovery.
• Cold Wallet Restoration: If your cold wallet is failing, we can safely extract your assets and migrate them into a secure new wallet.
• Private Key Generation: Lost your private key? Our experts can help you regain control using advanced methods while ensuring your privacy.

⚠️ What We Don’t Do\ While we can handle many scenarios, some limitations exist. For instance, we cannot recover funds stored in custodial wallets or cases where there is a complete loss of four or more seed words without partial information available. We are transparent about what’s possible, so you know what to expect

# Don’t Let Lost Crypto Hold You Back!

Did you know that between 3 to 3.4 million BTC — nearly 20% of the total supply — are estimated to be permanently lost? Don’t become part of that statistic! Whether it’s due to a forgotten password, sending funds to the wrong address, or damaged drives, we can help you navigate these challenges

🛡️ Real-Time Dust Attack Protection\ Our services extend beyond recovery. We offer dust attack protection, keeping your activity anonymous and your funds secure, shielding your identity from unwanted tracking, ransomware, and phishing attempts.

🎉 Start Your Recovery Journey Today!\ Ready to reclaim your lost crypto? Don’t wait until it’s too late!\ 👉 cryptrecver.com

📞 Need Immediate Assistance? Connect with Us!\ For real-time support or questions, reach out to our dedicated team on:\ ✉️ Telegram: t.me/crypptrcver\ 💬 WhatsApp: +1(941)317–1821

Crypt Recver is your trusted partner in cryptocurrency recovery. Let us turn your challenges into victories. Don’t hesitate — your crypto future starts now! 🚀✨

Act fast and secure your digital assets with cryptrecver.com.

@ 6fc114c7:8f4b1405

In the realm of cryptocurrency, the stakes are incredibly high, and losing access to your digital assets can be a daunting experience. But don’t worry — cryptrecver.com is here to transform that nightmare into a reality! With expert-led recovery services and leading-edge technology, Crypt Recver specializes in helping you regain access to your lost Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

Why Choose Crypt Recver? 🤔 🔑 Expertise You Can Trust At Crypt Recver, we blend advanced technology with skilled engineers who have a solid track record in crypto recovery. Whether you’ve forgotten your passwords, lost your private keys, or encountered issues with damaged hardware wallets, our team is ready to assist.

⚡ Fast Recovery Process Time is crucial when recovering lost funds. Crypt Recver’s systems are designed for speed, enabling quick recoveries — allowing you to return to what matters most: trading and investing.

🎯 High Success Rate With a success rate exceeding 90%, our recovery team has aided numerous clients in regaining access to their lost assets. We grasp the complexities of cryptocurrency and are committed to providing effective solutions.

🛡️ Confidential & Secure Your privacy is paramount. All recovery sessions at Crypt Recver are encrypted and completely confidential. You can trust us with your information, knowing we uphold the highest security standards.

🔧 Advanced Recovery Tools We employ proprietary tools and techniques to tackle complex recovery scenarios, from retrieving corrupted wallets to restoring coins from invalid addresses. No matter the challenge, we have a solution.

Our Recovery Services Include: 📈 Bitcoin Recovery: Lost access to your Bitcoin wallet? We can assist in recovering lost wallets, private keys, and passphrases. Transaction Recovery: Mistaken transfers, lost passwords, or missing transaction records — let us help you reclaim your funds! Cold Wallet Restoration: Did your cold wallet fail? We specialize in safely extracting assets. Private Key Generation: Forgotten your private key? We can help you generate new keys linked to your funds without compromising security. Don’t Let Lost Crypto Ruin Your Day! 🕒 With an estimated 3 to 3.4 million BTC lost forever, it’s essential to act quickly when facing access issues. Whether you’ve been affected by a dust attack or simply forgotten your key, Crypt Recver provides the support you need to reclaim your digital assets.

🚀 Start Your Recovery Now! Ready to retrieve your cryptocurrency? Don’t let uncertainty hold you back! 👉 Request Wallet Recovery Help Today!cryptrecver.com

Need Immediate Assistance? 📞 For quick queries or support, connect with us on: ✉️ Telegram: t.me/crypptrcver 💬 WhatsApp: +1(941)317–1821

Trust Crypt Recver for the best crypto recovery service — get back to trading with confidence! 💪

In the realm of cryptocurrency, the stakes are incredibly high, and losing access to your digital assets can be a daunting experience. But don’t worry — cryptrecver.com is here to transform that nightmare into a reality! With expert-led recovery services and leading-edge technology, Crypt Recver specializes in helping you regain access to your lost Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

# Why Choose Crypt Recver? 🤔

🔑 Expertise You Can Trust\ At Crypt Recver, we blend advanced technology with skilled engineers who have a solid track record in crypto recovery. Whether you’ve forgotten your passwords, lost your private keys, or encountered issues with damaged hardware wallets, our team is ready to assist.

⚡ Fast Recovery Process\ Time is crucial when recovering lost funds. Crypt Recver’s systems are designed for speed, enabling quick recoveries — allowing you to return to what matters most: trading and investing.

🎯 High Success Rate\ With a success rate exceeding 90%, our recovery team has aided numerous clients in regaining access to their lost assets. We grasp the complexities of cryptocurrency and are committed to providing effective solutions.

🛡️ Confidential & Secure\ Your privacy is paramount. All recovery sessions at Crypt Recver are encrypted and completely confidential. You can trust us with your information, knowing we uphold the highest security standards.

🔧 Advanced Recovery Tools\ We employ proprietary tools and techniques to tackle complex recovery scenarios, from retrieving corrupted wallets to restoring coins from invalid addresses. No matter the challenge, we have a solution.

# Our Recovery Services Include: 📈

• Bitcoin Recovery: Lost access to your Bitcoin wallet? We can assist in recovering lost wallets, private keys, and passphrases.
• Transaction Recovery: Mistaken transfers, lost passwords, or missing transaction records — let us help you reclaim your funds!
• Cold Wallet Restoration: Did your cold wallet fail? We specialize in safely extracting assets.
• Private Key Generation: Forgotten your private key? We can help you generate new keys linked to your funds without compromising security.

Don’t Let Lost Crypto Ruin Your Day! 🕒

With an estimated 3 to 3.4 million BTC lost forever, it’s essential to act quickly when facing access issues. Whether you’ve been affected by a dust attack or simply forgotten your key, Crypt Recver provides the support you need to reclaim your digital assets.

🚀 Start Your Recovery Now!\ Ready to retrieve your cryptocurrency? Don’t let uncertainty hold you back!\ 👉 Request Wallet Recovery Help Today!cryptrecver.com

Need Immediate Assistance? 📞

For quick queries or support, connect with us on:\ ✉️ Telegram: t.me/crypptrcver\ 💬 WhatsApp: +1(941)317–1821

Trust Crypt Recver for the best crypto recovery service — get back to trading with confidence! 💪

@ c9badfea:610f861a

1. Install Sky Map (it's free and open source)
2. Launch the app and tap Accept, then tap OK
3. When asked to access the device's location, tap While Using The App
4. Tap somewhere on the screen to activate the menu, then tap ⁝ and select Settings
5. Disable Send Usage Statistics
6. Return to the main screen and enjoy stargazing!

ℹ️ Use the 🔍 icon in the upper toolbar to search for a specific celestial body, or tap the 👁️ icon to activate night mode

@ da8b7de1:c0164aee

TVA SMR-építési engedélykérelem Clinch Riverben

A Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) benyújtotta az első kis moduláris reaktor (SMR) építési engedélykérelmet az Egyesült Államokban, a Clinch River-i telephelyre. Ez a lépés mérföldkő az amerikai nukleáris ipar számára, hiszen a BWRX-300 típusú SMR-rel a TVA célja a szén-dioxid-mentes energiatermelés bővítése és az innovatív nukleáris technológia bevezetése.

ČEZ új nukleáris telephelyet jelölt ki Csehországban

A cseh ČEZ energetikai vállalat kijelölte a Tušimice-i telephelyet egy új atomerőmű számára, ahol várhatóan kis moduláris reaktorokat (SMR) telepítenek. Ez a lépés segíti az országot az energiafüggetlenség és a szénalapú energiatermelés kivezetése felé vezető úton.

Urenco USA új dúsító kaszkádot indított

Az Urenco USA New Mexicóban elindította új gázcentrifuga kaszkádját, amely 15%-kal növeli az amerikai dúsított urán kapacitást. Ez kulcsfontosságú az orosz uránimporttól való függetlenedés és az amerikai atomerőművek ellátásbiztonsága szempontjából.

Fiatal szakemberek sürgetik a nukleáris energia központi szerepét Európában

Európai fiatal nukleáris szakemberek nyílt levélben hívták fel a döntéshozók figyelmét arra, hogy a nukleáris energia kapjon központi szerepet a kontinens dekarbonizációs stratégiájában. Kiemelték a kutatás-fejlesztés, a befektetési környezet javítása és a társadalmi elfogadottság növelésének fontosságát.

Zeno Power 50 millió dolláros befektetést szerzett

Az amerikai Zeno Power startup 50 millió dolláros befektetést jelentett be nukleáris akkumulátorok fejlesztésére, amelyek extrém környezetekben – például az űrben vagy tenger alatt – biztosítanak megbízható energiát. A cég célja, hogy 2027-re kereskedelmi forgalomba hozza első rendszereit.

További globális nukleáris fejlemények

Több ország – például India, Kína, Belgium, Kanada, Brazília – is új nukleáris projekteket jelentett be, miközben a nemzetközi konferenciák az ellátási láncok megerősítését és a nukleáris kapacitások bővítését helyezik előtérbe.

---

Hivatkozások

• tva.com
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ČEZ_Group
• urencousa.com
• zenopower.com
• fisa-euradwaste2025.ncbj.gov.pl
• world-nuclear.org
• nucnet.org

@ cae03c48:2a7d6671

Bitcoin Magazine

The Blockchain Group Secures €8.6 Million to Boost Bitcoin Strategy

The Blockchain Group (ALTBG), listed on Euronext Growth Paris and known as Europe’s first Bitcoin Treasury Company, has announced a capital increase of approximately €8.6 million as it pushes forward with its Bitcoin Treasury Company strategy. The funding was raised through two operations, a Reserved Capital Increase and a Private Placement, with both priced at €1.279 per share.

JUST IN: French company The Blockchain Group raises €8.6 million to buy more #Bitcoin pic.twitter.com/VjTKyFSS6w

— Bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) May 20, 2025

This price represents a 20.18% premium over the 20-day volume-weighted average share price but a 46.26% discount compared to the closing price on May 19, 2025, reflecting recent high share price volatility.

“The Company’s Board of Directors decided on May 19, 2025, using the delegated authority granted by the shareholders’ meeting held on February 21, 2025, under the terms of its 5th resolution, on an issuance, without pre-emptive rights for shareholders, of 3,368,258 new ordinary shares of the Company at a price of €1.2790 per share, including an issuance premium, representing a premium of approximately 20.18% compared to the weighted average of the twenty closing prices of ALTBG shares on Euronext Growth Paris preceding the decision of the Company’s Board of Directors, corresponding to a total subscription amount of €4,308,001.98,” said the press release. 

In the Reserved Capital Increase, 3.37 million shares were issued to selected investors, including Robbie van den Oetelaar, TOBAM Bitcoin Treasury Opportunities Fund, and Quadrille Capital, raising over €4.3 million. The Private Placement raised another €4.35 million via the issuance of 3.4 million shares, targeting qualified investors.

“The Board of Directors also decided on a capital increase without pre-emptive rights for shareholders through an offering exclusively targeting a limited circle of investors acting on their own behalf or qualified investor, ” stated the press release.

The funds will support The Blockchain Group’s ongoing strategy of accumulating Bitcoin and expanding its subsidiaries in data intelligence, AI, and decentralized tech. Following this capital increase, the company’s share capital stands at €4.37 million, divided into over 109 million shares.

“The funds raised through the Capital Increase will enable the Company to strengthen its Bitcoin Treasury Company strategy, consisting in the accumulation of Bitcoin, while continuing to develop the operational activities of its subsidiaries,” said the press release.

Additionally, on May 12, The Blockchain Group announced it secured approximately €12.1 million through a convertible bond issuance reserved for Adam Back, CEO of Blockstream.

This post The Blockchain Group Secures €8.6 Million to Boost Bitcoin Strategy first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Oscar Zarraga Perez.

@ c9badfea:610f861a

1. Install YTDLnis (it's free and open source)
2. Launch the app and allow notifications and storage access if prompted
3. Go to any supported website or use the YouTube, Instagram, X, or Facebook app
4. Tap Share on the post or website URL and select YTDLnis as the sharing destination
5. Adjust the settings if desired and tap Download
6. You'll be notified when the download finishes
7. Enjoy uninterrupted watching!

ℹ️ This app uses yt-dlp internally and it's also available as a standalone CLI tool

@ 21335073:a244b1ad

Warning: This piece contains a conversation about difficult topics. Please proceed with caution.

TL;DR please educate your children about online safety.

Julian Assange wrote in his 2012 book Cypherpunks, “This book is not a manifesto. There isn’t time for that. This book is a warning.” I read it a few times over the past summer. Those opening lines definitely stood out to me. I wish we had listened back then. He saw something about the internet that few had the ability to see. There are some individuals who are so close to a topic that when they speak, it’s difficult for others who aren’t steeped in it to visualize what they’re talking about. I didn’t read the book until more recently. If I had read it when it came out, it probably would have sounded like an unknown foreign language to me. Today it makes more sense.

This isn’t a manifesto. This isn’t a book. There is no time for that. It’s a warning and a possible solution from a desperate and determined survivor advocate who has been pulling and unraveling a thread for a few years. At times, I feel too close to this topic to make any sense trying to convey my pathway to my conclusions or thoughts to the general public. My hope is that if nothing else, I can convey my sense of urgency while writing this. This piece is a watchman’s warning.

When a child steps online, they are walking into a new world. A new reality. When you hand a child the internet, you are handing them possibilities—good, bad, and ugly. This is a conversation about lowering the potential of negative outcomes of stepping into that new world and how I came to these conclusions. I constantly compare the internet to the road. You wouldn’t let a young child run out into the road with no guidance or safety precautions. When you hand a child the internet without any type of guidance or safety measures, you are allowing them to play in rush hour, oncoming traffic. “Look left, look right for cars before crossing.” We almost all have been taught that as children. What are we taught as humans about safety before stepping into a completely different reality like the internet? Very little.

I could never really figure out why many folks in tech, privacy rights activists, and hackers seemed so cold to me while talking about online child sexual exploitation. I always figured that as a survivor advocate for those affected by these crimes, that specific, skilled group of individuals would be very welcoming and easy to talk to about such serious topics. I actually had one hacker laugh in my face when I brought it up while I was looking for answers. I thought maybe this individual thought I was accusing them of something I wasn’t, so I felt bad for asking. I was constantly extremely disappointed and would ask myself, “Why don’t they care? What could I say to make them care more? What could I say to make them understand the crisis and the level of suffering that happens as a result of the problem?”

I have been serving minor survivors of online child sexual exploitation for years. My first case serving a survivor of this specific crime was in 2018—a 13-year-old girl sexually exploited by a serial predator on Snapchat. That was my first glimpse into this side of the internet. I won a national award for serving the minor survivors of Twitter in 2023, but I had been working on that specific project for a few years. I was nominated by a lawyer representing two survivors in a legal battle against the platform. I’ve never really spoken about this before, but at the time it was a choice for me between fighting Snapchat or Twitter. I chose Twitter—or rather, Twitter chose me. I heard about the story of John Doe #1 and John Doe #2, and I was so unbelievably broken over it that I went to war for multiple years. I was and still am royally pissed about that case. As far as I was concerned, the John Doe #1 case proved that whatever was going on with corporate tech social media was so out of control that I didn’t have time to wait, so I got to work. It was reading the messages that John Doe #1 sent to Twitter begging them to remove his sexual exploitation that broke me. He was a child begging adults to do something. A passion for justice and protecting kids makes you do wild things. I was desperate to find answers about what happened and searched for solutions. In the end, the platform Twitter was purchased. During the acquisition, I just asked Mr. Musk nicely to prioritize the issue of detection and removal of child sexual exploitation without violating digital privacy rights or eroding end-to-end encryption. Elon thanked me multiple times during the acquisition, made some changes, and I was thanked by others on the survivors’ side as well.

I still feel that even with the progress made, I really just scratched the surface with Twitter, now X. I left that passion project when I did for a few reasons. I wanted to give new leadership time to tackle the issue. Elon Musk made big promises that I knew would take a while to fulfill, but mostly I had been watching global legislation transpire around the issue, and frankly, the governments are willing to go much further with X and the rest of corporate tech than I ever would. My work begging Twitter to make changes with easier reporting of content, detection, and removal of child sexual exploitation material—without violating privacy rights or eroding end-to-end encryption—and advocating for the minor survivors of the platform went as far as my principles would have allowed. I’m grateful for that experience. I was still left with a nagging question: “How did things get so bad with Twitter where the John Doe #1 and John Doe #2 case was able to happen in the first place?” I decided to keep looking for answers. I decided to keep pulling the thread.

I never worked for Twitter. This is often confusing for folks. I will say that despite being disappointed in the platform’s leadership at times, I loved Twitter. I saw and still see its value. I definitely love the survivors of the platform, but I also loved the platform. I was a champion of the platform’s ability to give folks from virtually around the globe an opportunity to speak and be heard.

I want to be clear that John Doe #1 really is my why. He is the inspiration. I am writing this because of him. He represents so many globally, and I’m still inspired by his bravery. One child’s voice begging adults to do something—I’m an adult, I heard him. I’d go to war a thousand more lifetimes for that young man, and I don’t even know his name. Fighting has been personally dark at times; I’m not even going to try to sugarcoat it, but it has been worth it.

The data surrounding the very real crime of online child sexual exploitation is available to the public online at any time for anyone to see. I’d encourage you to go look at the data for yourself. I believe in encouraging folks to check multiple sources so that you understand the full picture. If you are uncomfortable just searching around the internet for information about this topic, use the terms “CSAM,” “CSEM,” “SG-CSEM,” or “AI Generated CSAM.” The numbers don’t lie—it’s a nightmare that’s out of control. It’s a big business. The demand is high, and unfortunately, business is booming. Organizations collect the data, tech companies often post their data, governments report frequently, and the corporate press has covered a decent portion of the conversation, so I’m sure you can find a source that you trust.

Technology is changing rapidly, which is great for innovation as a whole but horrible for the crime of online child sexual exploitation. Those wishing to exploit the vulnerable seem to be adapting to each technological change with ease. The governments are so far behind with tackling these issues that as I’m typing this, it’s borderline irrelevant to even include them while speaking about the crime or potential solutions. Technology is changing too rapidly, and their old, broken systems can’t even dare to keep up. Think of it like the governments’ “War on Drugs.” Drugs won. In this case as well, the governments are not winning. The governments are talking about maybe having a meeting on potentially maybe having legislation around the crimes. The time to have that meeting would have been many years ago. I’m not advocating for governments to legislate our way out of this. I’m on the side of educating and innovating our way out of this.

I have been clear while advocating for the minor survivors of corporate tech platforms that I would not advocate for any solution to the crime that would violate digital privacy rights or erode end-to-end encryption. That has been a personal moral position that I was unwilling to budge on. This is an extremely unpopular and borderline nonexistent position in the anti-human trafficking movement and online child protection space. I’m often fearful that I’m wrong about this. I have always thought that a better pathway forward would have been to incentivize innovation for detection and removal of content. I had no previous exposure to privacy rights activists or Cypherpunks—actually, I came to that conclusion by listening to the voices of MENA region political dissidents and human rights activists. After developing relationships with human rights activists from around the globe, I realized how important privacy rights and encryption are for those who need it most globally. I was simply unwilling to give more power, control, and opportunities for mass surveillance to big abusers like governments wishing to enslave entire nations and untrustworthy corporate tech companies to potentially end some portion of abuses online. On top of all of it, it has been clear to me for years that all potential solutions outside of violating digital privacy rights to detect and remove child sexual exploitation online have not yet been explored aggressively. I’ve been disappointed that there hasn’t been more of a conversation around preventing the crime from happening in the first place.

What has been tried is mass surveillance. In China, they are currently under mass surveillance both online and offline, and their behaviors are attached to a social credit score. Unfortunately, even on state-run and controlled social media platforms, they still have child sexual exploitation and abuse imagery pop up along with other crimes and human rights violations. They also have a thriving black market online due to the oppression from the state. In other words, even an entire loss of freedom and privacy cannot end the sexual exploitation of children online. It’s been tried. There is no reason to repeat this method.

It took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out why I always felt a slight coldness from those in tech and privacy-minded individuals about the topic of child sexual exploitation online. I didn’t have any clue about the “Four Horsemen of the Infocalypse.” This is a term coined by Timothy C. May in 1988. I would have been a child myself when he first said it. I actually laughed at myself when I heard the phrase for the first time. I finally got it. The Cypherpunks weren’t wrong about that topic. They were so spot on that it is borderline uncomfortable. I was mad at first that they knew that early during the birth of the internet that this issue would arise and didn’t address it. Then I got over it because I realized that it wasn’t their job. Their job was—is—to write code. Their job wasn’t to be involved and loving parents or survivor advocates. Their job wasn’t to educate children on internet safety or raise awareness; their job was to write code.

They knew that child sexual abuse material would be shared on the internet. They said what would happen—not in a gleeful way, but a prediction. Then it happened.

I equate it now to a concrete company laying down a road. As you’re pouring the concrete, you can say to yourself, “A terrorist might travel down this road to go kill many, and on the flip side, a beautiful child can be born in an ambulance on this road.” Who or what travels down the road is not their responsibility—they are just supposed to lay the concrete. I’d never go to a concrete pourer and ask them to solve terrorism that travels down roads. Under the current system, law enforcement should stop terrorists before they even make it to the road. The solution to this specific problem is not to treat everyone on the road like a terrorist or to not build the road.

So I understand the perceived coldness from those in tech. Not only was it not their job, but bringing up the topic was seen as the equivalent of asking a free person if they wanted to discuss one of the four topics—child abusers, terrorists, drug dealers, intellectual property pirates, etc.—that would usher in digital authoritarianism for all who are online globally.

Privacy rights advocates and groups have put up a good fight. They stood by their principles. Unfortunately, when it comes to corporate tech, I believe that the issue of privacy is almost a complete lost cause at this point. It’s still worth pushing back, but ultimately, it is a losing battle—a ticking time bomb.

I do think that corporate tech providers could have slowed down the inevitable loss of privacy at the hands of the state by prioritizing the detection and removal of CSAM when they all started online. I believe it would have bought some time, fewer would have been traumatized by that specific crime, and I do believe that it could have slowed down the demand for content. If I think too much about that, I’ll go insane, so I try to push the “if maybes” aside, but never knowing if it could have been handled differently will forever haunt me. At night when it’s quiet, I wonder what I would have done differently if given the opportunity. I’ll probably never know how much corporate tech knew and ignored in the hopes that it would go away while the problem continued to get worse. They had different priorities. The most voiceless and vulnerable exploited on corporate tech never had much of a voice, so corporate tech providers didn’t receive very much pushback.

Now I’m about to say something really wild, and you can call me whatever you want to call me, but I’m going to say what I believe to be true. I believe that the governments are either so incompetent that they allowed the proliferation of CSAM online, or they knowingly allowed the problem to fester long enough to have an excuse to violate privacy rights and erode end-to-end encryption. The US government could have seized the corporate tech providers over CSAM, but I believe that they were so useful as a propaganda arm for the regimes that they allowed them to continue virtually unscathed.

That season is done now, and the governments are making the issue a priority. It will come at a high cost. Privacy on corporate tech providers is virtually done as I’m typing this. It feels like a death rattle. I’m not particularly sure that we had much digital privacy to begin with, but the illusion of a veil of privacy feels gone.

To make matters slightly more complex, it would be hard to convince me that once AI really gets going, digital privacy will exist at all.

I believe that there should be a conversation shift to preserving freedoms and human rights in a post-privacy society.

I don’t want to get locked up because AI predicted a nasty post online from me about the government. I’m not a doomer about AI—I’m just going to roll with it personally. I’m looking forward to the positive changes that will be brought forth by AI. I see it as inevitable. A bit of privacy was helpful while it lasted. Please keep fighting to preserve what is left of privacy either way because I could be wrong about all of this.

On the topic of AI, the addition of AI to the horrific crime of child sexual abuse material and child sexual exploitation in multiple ways so far has been devastating. It’s currently out of control. The genie is out of the bottle. I am hopeful that innovation will get us humans out of this, but I’m not sure how or how long it will take. We must be extremely cautious around AI legislation. It should not be illegal to innovate even if some bad comes with the good. I don’t trust that the governments are equipped to decide the best pathway forward for AI. Source: the entire history of the government.

I have been personally negatively impacted by AI-generated content. Every few days, I get another alert that I’m featured again in what’s called “deep fake pornography” without my consent. I’m not happy about it, but what pains me the most is the thought that for a period of time down the road, many globally will experience what myself and others are experiencing now by being digitally sexually abused in this way. If you have ever had your picture taken and posted online, you are also at risk of being exploited in this way. Your child’s image can be used as well, unfortunately, and this is just the beginning of this particular nightmare. It will move to more realistic interpretations of sexual behaviors as technology improves. I have no brave words of wisdom about how to deal with that emotionally. I do have hope that innovation will save the day around this specific issue. I’m nervous that everyone online will have to ID verify due to this issue. I see that as one possible outcome that could help to prevent one problem but inadvertently cause more problems, especially for those living under authoritarian regimes or anyone who needs to remain anonymous online. A zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) would probably be the best solution to these issues. There are some survivors of violence and/or sexual trauma who need to remain anonymous online for various reasons. There are survivor stories available online of those who have been abused in this way. I’d encourage you seek out and listen to their stories.

There have been periods of time recently where I hesitate to say anything at all because more than likely AI will cover most of my concerns about education, awareness, prevention, detection, and removal of child sexual exploitation online, etc.

Unfortunately, some of the most pressing issues we’ve seen online over the last few years come in the form of “sextortion.” Self-generated child sexual exploitation (SG-CSEM) numbers are continuing to be terrifying. I’d strongly encourage that you look into sextortion data. AI + sextortion is also a huge concern. The perpetrators are using the non-sexually explicit images of children and putting their likeness on AI-generated child sexual exploitation content and extorting money, more imagery, or both from minors online. It’s like a million nightmares wrapped into one. The wild part is that these issues will only get more pervasive because technology is harnessed to perpetuate horror at a scale unimaginable to a human mind.

Even if you banned phones and the internet or tried to prevent children from accessing the internet, it wouldn’t solve it. Child sexual exploitation will still be with us until as a society we start to prevent the crime before it happens. That is the only human way out right now.

There is no reset button on the internet, but if I could go back, I’d tell survivor advocates to heed the warnings of the early internet builders and to start education and awareness campaigns designed to prevent as much online child sexual exploitation as possible. The internet and technology moved quickly, and I don’t believe that society ever really caught up. We live in a world where a child can be groomed by a predator in their own home while sitting on a couch next to their parents watching TV. We weren’t ready as a species to tackle the fast-paced algorithms and dangers online. It happened too quickly for parents to catch up. How can you parent for the ever-changing digital world unless you are constantly aware of the dangers?

I don’t think that the internet is inherently bad. I believe that it can be a powerful tool for freedom and resistance. I’ve spoken a lot about the bad online, but there is beauty as well. We often discuss how victims and survivors are abused online; we rarely discuss the fact that countless survivors around the globe have been able to share their experiences, strength, hope, as well as provide resources to the vulnerable. I do question if giving any government or tech company access to censorship, surveillance, etc., online in the name of serving survivors might not actually impact a portion of survivors negatively. There are a fair amount of survivors with powerful abusers protected by governments and the corporate press. If a survivor cannot speak to the press about their abuse, the only place they can go is online, directly or indirectly through an independent journalist who also risks being censored. This scenario isn’t hard to imagine—it already happened in China. During #MeToo, a survivor in China wanted to post their story. The government censored the post, so the survivor put their story on the blockchain. I’m excited that the survivor was creative and brave, but it’s terrifying to think that we live in a world where that situation is a necessity.

I believe that the future for many survivors sharing their stories globally will be on completely censorship-resistant and decentralized protocols. This thought in particular gives me hope. When we listen to the experiences of a diverse group of survivors, we can start to understand potential solutions to preventing the crimes from happening in the first place.

My heart is broken over the gut-wrenching stories of survivors sexually exploited online. Every time I hear the story of a survivor, I do think to myself quietly, “What could have prevented this from happening in the first place?” My heart is with survivors.

My head, on the other hand, is full of the understanding that the internet should remain free. The free flow of information should not be stopped. My mind is with the innocent citizens around the globe that deserve freedom both online and offline.

The problem is that governments don’t only want to censor illegal content that violates human rights—they create legislation that is so broad that it can impact speech and privacy of all. “Don’t you care about the kids?” Yes, I do. I do so much that I’m invested in finding solutions. I also care about all citizens around the globe that deserve an opportunity to live free from a mass surveillance society. If terrorism happens online, I should not be punished by losing my freedom. If drugs are sold online, I should not be punished. I’m not an abuser, I’m not a terrorist, and I don’t engage in illegal behaviors. I refuse to lose freedom because of others’ bad behaviors online.

I want to be clear that on a long enough timeline, the governments will decide that they can be better parents/caregivers than you can if something isn’t done to stop minors from being sexually exploited online. The price will be a complete loss of anonymity, privacy, free speech, and freedom of religion online. I find it rather insulting that governments think they’re better equipped to raise children than parents and caretakers.

So we can’t go backwards—all that we can do is go forward. Those who want to have freedom will find technology to facilitate their liberation. This will lead many over time to decentralized and open protocols. So as far as I’m concerned, this does solve a few of my worries—those who need, want, and deserve to speak freely online will have the opportunity in most countries—but what about online child sexual exploitation?

When I popped up around the decentralized space, I was met with the fear of censorship. I’m not here to censor you. I don’t write code. I couldn’t censor anyone or any piece of content even if I wanted to across the internet, no matter how depraved. I don’t have the skills to do that.

I’m here to start a conversation. Freedom comes at a cost. You must always fight for and protect your freedom. I can’t speak about protecting yourself from all of the Four Horsemen because I simply don’t know the topics well enough, but I can speak about this one topic.

If there was a shortcut to ending online child sexual exploitation, I would have found it by now. There isn’t one right now. I believe that education is the only pathway forward to preventing the crime of online child sexual exploitation for future generations.

I propose a yearly education course for every child of all school ages, taught as a standard part of the curriculum. Ideally, parents/caregivers would be involved in the education/learning process.

Course: - The creation of the internet and computers - The fight for cryptography - The tech supply chain from the ground up (example: human rights violations in the supply chain) - Corporate tech - Freedom tech - Data privacy - Digital privacy rights - AI (history-current) - Online safety (predators, scams, catfishing, extortion) - Bitcoin - Laws - How to deal with online hate and harassment - Information on who to contact if you are being abused online or offline - Algorithms - How to seek out the truth about news, etc., online

The parents/caregivers, homeschoolers, unschoolers, and those working to create decentralized parallel societies have been an inspiration while writing this, but my hope is that all children would learn this course, even in government ran schools. Ideally, parents would teach this to their own children.

The decentralized space doesn’t want child sexual exploitation to thrive. Here’s the deal: there has to be a strong prevention effort in order to protect the next generation. The internet isn’t going anywhere, predators aren’t going anywhere, and I’m not down to let anyone have the opportunity to prove that there is a need for more government. I don’t believe that the government should act as parents. The governments have had a chance to attempt to stop online child sexual exploitation, and they didn’t do it. Can we try a different pathway forward?

I’d like to put myself out of a job. I don’t want to ever hear another story like John Doe #1 ever again. This will require work. I’ve often called online child sexual exploitation the lynchpin for the internet. It’s time to arm generations of children with knowledge and tools. I can’t do this alone.

Individuals have fought so that I could have freedom online. I want to fight to protect it. I don’t want child predators to give the government any opportunity to take away freedom. Decentralized spaces are as close to a reset as we’ll get with the opportunity to do it right from the start. Start the youth off correctly by preventing potential hazards to the best of your ability.

The good news is anyone can work on this! I’d encourage you to take it and run with it. I added the additional education about the history of the internet to make the course more educational and fun. Instead of cleaning up generations of destroyed lives due to online sexual exploitation, perhaps this could inspire generations of those who will build our futures. Perhaps if the youth is armed with knowledge, they can create more tools to prevent the crime.

This one solution that I’m suggesting can be done on an individual level or on a larger scale. It should be adjusted depending on age, learning style, etc. It should be fun and playful.

This solution does not address abuse in the home or some of the root causes of offline child sexual exploitation. My hope is that it could lead to some survivors experiencing abuse in the home an opportunity to disclose with a trusted adult. The purpose for this solution is to prevent the crime of online child sexual exploitation before it occurs and to arm the youth with the tools to contact safe adults if and when it happens.

In closing, I went to hell a few times so that you didn’t have to. I spoke to the mothers of survivors of minors sexually exploited online—their tears could fill rivers. I’ve spoken with political dissidents who yearned to be free from authoritarian surveillance states. The only balance that I’ve found is freedom online for citizens around the globe and prevention from the dangers of that for the youth. Don’t slow down innovation and freedom. Educate, prepare, adapt, and look for solutions.

I’m not perfect and I’m sure that there are errors in this piece. I hope that you find them and it starts a conversation.

@ cae03c48:2a7d6671

Bitcoin Magazine

Building FUN! on Bitcoin: Parker Day and Casey Rodarmor Talk Collaboration and the Future of On-Chain Art and Auctions

Parker Day and Casey Rodarmor’s FUN! Collection is an unprecedented synthesis of photographic maximalism and protocol-level innovation—a work that stands alone within the landscape of Bitcoin-native art. Saturated with Day’s bold color palette, surreal personas, and layered identity play, the collection is anchored by Rodarmor’s foundational role as the creator of the Ordinals protocol. Most notably, the series is inscribed directly under Inscription 0—the first inscription ever made using the Ordinals Protocol—marking it as an ontological outlier in the digital art canon. No other collection occupies this same foundational location on-chain, making FUN! a conceptual and technical landmark in Ordinals history.

Now expanded with new reflections from both collaborators, this interview explores the project’s deeper ideological dimensions—from the mechanics of trustless auctions to the ethics of artistic compensation, from pro wrestling and portraiture to capitalist generosity and the social roots of value. Together, Day and Rodarmor form a rare creative pairing: artist and dev, photographer and protocol architect, equal parts absurdity and rigor.

One of the collection’s most iconic works—featuring Rodarmor himself—is set to headline the Megalith.art auction, a Bitcoin-native sale structure that concludes on June 3rd and will be showcased at both Bitcoin 2025 in Las Vegas and its satellite event, Inscribing Vegas. The piece anchors a broader lineup that includes standout contributions from leading digital artists such as Post Wook, Coldie, Ryan Koopmans, FAR, Rupture, and Harto.

It’s less an interview than a glimpse into a high-voltage collaboration:

Parker, your photography is known for its bold color, eccentric characters, and fearless exploration of identity and persona. How did this collaboration with Casey come about, and what visual or cultural influences helped shape The FUN! Collection?

PARKER: Casey and I have known each other since high school. You could even say he was one of my first models—I shot his portrait for my sophomore year darkroom photography class. We kept in touch over the years, and in 2017 he encouraged me to turn my ICONS series into crypto art. I passed on that at the time, but in 2021 I did release an Ethereum NFT collection of ICONS. Right after that, Casey called me and said, “Yo! You need to go even bigger! Do 10k!” And I’m like, “You know these are all unretouched and shot on film, right?” But with his encouragement and funding, we figured out how to produce 1,000 unique portraits.

The visual and cultural influences behind FUN! are too numerous to name—just a mishmash of pop culture that’s been stewing in my brain since childhood.

The FUN! collection was released under a CC0 license, meaning anyone can reuse, remix, or recontextualize the work without restriction. In a project so rooted in persona, authorship, and performance, what led you to make that decision—and how do you think about authorship or artistic control in the context of open licensing on Bitcoin? What would you find interesting to see done with the collection beyond your original photography methodology? What kinds of reinterpretations or mutations of the collection would genuinely intrigue you?

PARKER: I love it. As an artist, once you create something and it leaves the studio, it’s out of your hands. The audience shapes the work in their own interpretations. You have no control over it. It seems silly to say “this is my IP, you can’t do anything with it.” We live in a world of memes, of reproduction ad infinitum. It seems anachronistic in today’s world to clutch copyright with an iron fist. And it’s perfectly in keeping with the ethos of Bitcoin to make the work CC0. In terms of value, the inscriptions are the scarce collectibles. Even more so than any editioned prints will ever be. Their inscriptions’ provenance is on chain, directly descended from inscription 0. 

There’s nothing in particular that I’d like to see or not like to see done with FUN! I just hope people find meaning in it, and make meaning from it. 

You two have an unusual creative relationship: artist and protocol dev, patron and co-conspirator. Casey, you basically invented a new medium to support Parker’s work. What does it mean to build something enduring together in a space that often prizes individualism?

CASEY: I love it. I mean—I really love it. Parker and I are super complementary. We each have our own strong wheelhouses, and we’re always engaging with each other’s work, but in this very chill, supportive way.

Like, when we’re shooting, I’ll tell her what I think looks cool or what might work well in the collection—but it’s never directive. It’s more like, “Hey, here’s some data. Do with it what you will.” And same goes for the technical stuff. We’ll talk about metadata, domains, the website layout—she gives me her thoughts, and it’s just… input. Take it or leave it.

We’re both so solid in our own lanes that it makes collaboration easy. There’s no weird insecurity. She’s the creative force behind the collection—I know that. I’m the technical backbone—and she knows that. That kind of clarity makes it fun.

And honestly, I’m just really proud of this partnership. We’ve been in each other’s lives in a positive way for so long—since high school. Parker’s given me Bitcoin haircuts. I was bugging her to do NFTs in 2017. Even when we’d go long stretches without talking, we always checked back in.

“Hey, how’s it going?”
“Saw you on Twitter.”
“Saw you on Instagram.”

It’s just one of those great, long-running collaborations that’s rooted in mutual respect—and a shared willingness to go weird.

Casey, did you draw on any past modeling experience—or take notes from Raph? And what was it like working under Parker’s direction: more Kubrick or camp counselor?

CASEY: I think I was pretty self-directed for the shoot. I wasn’t drawing on past modeling experience exactly—more like theater kid energy. I’ve always loved professional wrestling. It’s incredibly cool… and also incredibly formulaic, so I get bored if I watch too much. But every couple of years, I check back in, see what the storylines are.

For this shoot, I knew exactly how I wanted to ham it up—like a professional wrestler. That wild, sweaty, insane energy. The spiked ball pressed against my face. All the weird faces. American pro wrestling is super operatic, honestly.

The character I was channeling? Mostly Ultimate Warrior. Parker really nailed the eyes—those classic, intense Ultimate Warrior eyes. He wore wild makeup and had that jacked-up look. Ric Flair was another influence—mainly for the hair. He had this long blond hair, and when it got bloody in the ring, it looked insane.

As for Parker—definitely more camp counselor than Kubrick. She sets the scene: everything ready, hair and makeup dialed, wardrobe laid out. We talked through the costumes a bit. She’ll give direction, a few hints here and there—but it’s really up to the model to bring it.

You can include that (Casey snaps his fingers.)

Yeah. You know? You know.

The FUN! collection features an interactive website where visitors can filter portraits by mood, prop, background color—even astrological sign. What inspired that kind of functionality?

PARKER: Before FUN!, I had been thinking about an exhibition that grouped photos based on emotional expression. Even though the personas may appear wildly different, the core humanity is the same. I’ve always tried to equate disparate identities by shooting people in the same way—with simple fabric backdrops that strip away time and place.

The FUN! website (fun.film), reflects this idea: difference in sameness, or sameness in difference. It’s a tool for play—but also a way to reflect on identity in a fragmented age.

Casey, you’ve described yourself as a capitalist—but you’ve also given away tools for free and pursued an almost obsessive elegance in your work. How do you reconcile market belief with this ethic of generosity? And what does that tension mean for the future of Ordinals?

CASEY: There’s absolutely no tension—and that’s because most people just don’t understand what capitalism is. Like, I can’t even begin to unpack what people think capitalism means.

Capitalism simply means the means of production are privately controlled. That’s it. That’s the whole definition. The alternatives? You’ve got two: either (1) violent chaos, or (2) the government owns and allocates all capital. That’s it. Those are your three options.

So when people say they’re “anti-capitalist,” what they usually mean is: “I want the government to control who gets what.” I’m not about that. I’m a staunch capitalist. I allocate my own means of production—my computers, my resources, my energy—how I see fit, not how the state tells me to.

And sometimes? That allocation includes giving things away. That’s not anti-capitalist. If the government confiscated my stuff and handed it out? Sure, that’s anti-capitalist. But me choosing to make something—sometimes selling it, sometimes not—is 100% aligned with the spirit of capitalism.

People need to get with the program.

You asked about the tension between generosity and profit in Ordinals? There _i

@ 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

@ 8bad92c3:ca714aa5

Marty's Bent

My god, this blows my mind. Paid a 100k sats invoice from two different Cashu mints at the same time. Each contributed 50k sats.

This is going to a major game-changer for @CashuBTC wallet UX.

Let me explain multinut payments. https://t.co/PvgTPvfvIv pic.twitter.com/d4cPVX7XKK

— calle (@callebtc) May 5, 2025

via calle

While many are currently wrapped up in press releases from public companies announcing that they've added to their Bitcoin treasuries, flame wars over OP_RETURN limits, or more general geopolitical developments cypherpunks are writing code. While the masses, many in Bitcoin included, are enthralled in day-to-day clickbait banter, there are serious builders building serious things at the moment. One of those builders is our friend calle, who - alongside other open source contributors - is building out the Cashu protocol, which enables individuals to leverage Chaumian ecash on top of bitcoin.

Earlier today, he demoed a pretty notable breakthrough for the Cashu protocol, a multinut payment, which enables users to pay a Lightning invoice by combining balances held in two separate Chaumian mints. For those of you who are unaware or need a refresher on Chaumian mints, they enable an individual to lock up a certain amount of bitcoin in a mint and receive a commensurate amount of ecash tokens in return. Chaumian mints leverage a blinded signature scheme to ensure that individual users have privacy while they're spending their ecash tokens.

Users lock up bitcoin in a mint, the mint issues tokens of different denominations to those users and after the user receives their tokens the mint has no idea which individual user is spending which ecash tokens within the mint. This increases the privacy of individual users on top of the privacy benefits. Spending with ecash comes with instant settlement, very low fees and is interoperable with other second layer solutions like the Lightning Network.

When users decide to engage with Chaumian mints, they are making a trade-off. They are trusting the individual mint operators not to steal their funds or debase the ecash tokens within their mints for the ability to transact privately, cheaply, and across multiple different interoperable protocols. While this is certainly a trade-off that no one should take lightly, I think it is important to understand that these Chaumian mint protocols like Cahu are permissionless, which means that anyone can leverage the open source code these protocols are built on to spin up their own mints, enter the competition for bitcoin banking services and serve end users.

Due to the very low barrier to entry that exists among these mint protocols like Cashu, I don't think it's crazy to say that competition can be a forcing function for mint operators to act in the best interest of their end users. I strongly believe that Chaumian mints are going to be a vital part of scaling bitcoin to billions of users over the coming decades. And this feature that calle demoed earlier today is going to be a very crucial component of that scaling process. Enabling individual users to distribute risk across many mints is going to be crucial to create the competitive landscape necessary for an incentive framework from which mint operators are pressured by the market to provide reliable and valuable services. Unlocking the ability to combine balances from multiple mints to pay a single invoice is an incredible step in that direction.

Imagine having to pay a landscaper for doing work and you have money on Cash App, Venmo, and PayPal, all of which you don't fully trust. However, you keep a small balance on each of them just in case you need to spend between friends or with certain vendors. The landscaping bill is a bit heftier than it typically is, so instead of sending funds from Cash App, Venmo, and PayPal to your bank account to then pay the landscaper instead, you combine part of the balance from each application to pay the singular invoice the landscaper has provided you. That is essentially what has just been launched on the Cashu protocol.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. I'm extremely excited to see the continued development of all Chaumian mint protocols and the use cases they enable. The Achilles heel of these protocols up to this point is the fact that users are incentivized to concentrate risk with individual mint operators to solve payment UX problems. Multinut payments alleviate that risk and intensifies the forcing function of competitive market dynamics that should lead to better end products for users of these protocols.

I've said it many times but I'll say it again. There are many discussions being had about how to scale bitcoin at the protocol layer. I think it is unwise to depend on changes to the protocol layer to scale bitcoin. We have many tools at our fingertips to scale bitcoin to billions today - that come with certain tradeoffs - that have not been tested. Multinut payments a great example of ways to scale bitcoin with the tools that are at our fingertips right now.

Most are completely missing it, but the cypherpunk future is being built out right before our eyes. Number go up and semantic dick measuring contests can certainly draw a lot of attention, but I implore you to rise above the noise and follow projects like this, which are actually solving massive user experience pain points in real time with things that can be used today.

Pensions Facing a Second "Lost Decade" Without Bitcoin Adoption

Dom Bei, a firefighter running for CalPERS' Board of Trustees, delivered a compelling warning during our recent conversation. He pointed out that CalPERS' outgoing Chief Investment Officer described missing the private equity boom as their "lost decade." Bei argues that pension funds nationwide are setting themselves up for another missed opportunity by ignoring Bitcoin, leaving them perpetually underfunded while seeking increasingly risky traditional investments.

"Are you going to have similar commentary from pensions around the country in 2035 saying, 'Hey, we're going to get into Bitcoin now. We had a lost decade where it was just staring us right in the face and we didn't really need to do much, but learn about it. And we missed the boat.'" - Dom Bei

I've long maintained that institutional adoption of Bitcoin is inevitable, but timing matters tremendously for returns. With CalPERS sitting at just 75% funded and facing high CIO turnover, Bei's approach of education and incremental adoption offers a practical path forward. The volatility fears that keep pensions away from Bitcoin can only be addressed through proper education—something severely lacking in these massive financial institutions managing trillions in retirement funds.

Check out the full podcast here for more on Bitcoin's role in energy transitions, the politics of CalPERS governance, and how unions are adopting Bitcoin on their balance sheets.

Headlines of the Day

Small Bitcoin Allocation Outperforms Cash Against Inflation (Chart) - via River

Satoshi Warns Against Bloating Bitcoin With Non-Core Data - via X

Gender Gap Defines Trump Support With Single Women Strongly Opposed - via X

RFK Jr. Slams Democrats as Single-Issue Anti-Trump Party - via X

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The 2025 Bitcoin Policy Summit is set for June 25th—and it couldn’t come at a more important time. The Bitcoin industry is at a pivotal moment in Washington, with initiatives like the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve gaining rapid traction. Whether you’re a builder, advocate, academic, or policymaker—we want you at the table. Join us in DC to help define the future of freedom, money & innovation in the 21st century.

Sign Up

Ten31, the largest bitcoin-focused investor, has deployed $150M across 30+ companies through three funds. I am a Managing Partner at Ten31 and am very proud of the work we are doing. Learn more at ten31.vc/invest.

---

Final thought...

I've come around on Gen Z. I'm pretty bullish.

---

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@ 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

@ 0c65eba8:4a08ef9a

Somewhere along the way, you forgot how to say no.

Not just to her words,but to her storms, her overreaches, her moments of testing. You used to know. But now you find yourself agreeing to things you don't like, can't afford, or don't believe in. You say yes while your stomach tightens. You nod while your heart recoils. And somewhere deep down, a small voice asks:

When did I give up the right to decide?

This isn’t just a post about boundaries.

This is about remembering that a man who cannot say no isn’t leading a relationship.

He’s surviving one.

Why Good Men Get Trapped Saying Yes

It’s easy to blame love. Or loyalty. Or the desire for peace.

But the truth is darker.

Many men were trained, from childhood, that saying no to a woman brings punishment. Not just discipline, but deep emotional sabotage. Guilt. Withdrawal. Rage. Silence. Rejection. Maybe even violence. The message was clear:

“Say no, and you’ll lose her or worse.”

It starts with the mother. A boy says no, and she hits him. Or she shames him. Or she collapses into tears and says, "How could you?"

That boy grows up, but the fear never leaves. He builds a life around avoiding that moment. He becomes compliant. Nice. Pleasing. And inside, he resents it.

Until one day he wakes up a ghost in his own home.

Love Is Not Compliance

There’s a lie we must kill right now:

It is cruel to say yes when you mean no.

Yes is not love if it rots your integrity. Yes is not love if it erodes your respect. Yes is not love if it trains her to mistrust you.

Women don’t want endless permission. They want to feel the edge of the container. The boundary must be solid.

When a man can say no:

• He signals maturity and confidence in himself

• He demonstrates strength in the relationship

• He shows her that he will take responsibility for the major decisions,and their outcomes

• He proves he’s not afraid to lose her, and that he won’t manage her emotions for her,only his response to them

That is what makes her feel safe.

Why She Wants You to Say No

Let’s be honest: She doesn’t like hearing the word.

But she loves what it means.

She sees a man who is grounded. A man with plans, with vision, with backbone.

And on a deeper level,beneath her words, beneath her moods,she feels something even more ancient:

The world is dangerous. It’s full of predators. Liars. Grifters. Men who don’t care about her safety. People who will take whatever they can unless stopped.

She needs to know you can stop them.

If you can’t say no to her, how can she trust you’ll say no to them?

How can she trust you’ll say no to bad deals, fake friends, poor leadership, or your own reckless impulses?

If you can’t say no, You’re weak.

And weakness in a man doesn’t make her feel safe. It makes her afraid.

A man who can say:

"No, this isn’t right for our family." "No, this isn’t how we speak to each other." "No, that’s not what I agreed to."

Gives her the one thing that melts even her worst moods:

Security.

Not harshness. Not some chest-thumping tough guy act.

But quiet, rooted clarity. The mountain that does not move.

And that clarity tells her:

"You can fall apart, and I’ll still be here. But I won’t follow you into chaos."

Without Mission, There Can Be No Boundaries

A man with no vision has no reason to say no. Because he has nothing more important to say yes to.

Men who cannot tell their wife "no" usually can’t tell themselves "yes" to anything meaningful either. They have no plan for the family. No code. No direction. They’re floating,and in that drift, boundaries dissolve.

But when a man is on mission:

• He knows what strengthens or weakens his household

• He can see years into the future

• He understands the ripple effects of decisions

And that clarity makes him bold. Because now, a yes or no isn’t personal. It’s directional.

She may still protest. But deep down, she relaxes. Because she knows a strong and wise man is steering the ship.

What Happens When You Don’t Say No

You may think you’re being kind. But you’re poisoning the relationship.

Here’s what really happens when you always say yes:

• She grows anxious, because she doesn’t feel your strength

• She starts to test harder, because she doesn’t trust your spine

• You start to resent her, because you’re exhausted and unseen

• The marriage erodes silently

And she knows it.

She knows the yes-man eventually leaves,or cheats,or explodes.

So she would rather hear "No, I’m not okay with that",now,than feel the slow betrayal of your absence later.

And something else begins to happen, too:

The more firmly you live in truth,the more consistently you act with clarity, reciprocity, and fearless love,the more she begins to trust you.

And as that trust grows, her need to test you fades.

She no longer needs to push. She no longer feels the instinct to probe for weakness, because she knows your boundaries are real.

This doesn’t mean she’ll never test again. Some of it is unconscious. Instinct. But it softens. It lessens. It stops being destructive.

What replaces it is the thing most men crave but can’t name:

Real peace.

And deep trust.

She rests. Because you’re finally standing firm.

The Sacred Truth

Saying no is not rejection. Saying no is treating honesty and truth in the marriage as sacred. It shows your commitment to the relationship.

It says:

• I love you enough to risk your disapproval

• I trust myself to weather your storms

• I trust us to grow through the fire

• I understand you don’t want to always be the strong one, you want to be able to soften, to rest, to be gentle, and that means I must be the one who sets the boundaries, even when it’s hard,

• I love you enough to risk your disapproval

• I trust myself to weather your storms

• I trust us to grow through the fire

Your strength doesn’t live in your smile. It lives in the unshakable line of your spine, calm, firm, immovable.

And when she feels that?

She can soften. She can trust. She can rest.

Because you’re finally standing where you were always meant to:

As the unshakable heart of the home.

Say it with calm. Say it with care. Say it without fear.

Say it because you’re a man now.

And the mountain has returned.

You’re not broken. You were just never shown how to hold your frame. But now you know.

Start with one no.

Let that be the beginning.