Into Bitcoin since July 2011. Into Nostr since February 2023. Influenced by the works of Ayn Rand, Murray Rothbard, Ludwig von Mises, Andrew Galambos - and thought-provoking books including: The Sovereign Individual, How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World, The Path of Least Resistance, PT - The Perpetual Traveler. Professional drummer in my earlier life, digital nomad in my later life, and jazz lover most my life. We won't achieve meaningful freedom until four key "separations from the state" are done and dusted: Separation of church and state (mostly done), separation of money and state (in progress), separation of communication networks and state (early encouraging signs), separation of education and state (a long way to go).
Public Key
npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp Profile Code
nprofile1qqsws4qa5mcrx22hev4qn0cpmgf2u0n3eket3s8mn4mxuvc5jukmqkgpp4mhxue69uhkummn9ekx7mqcftnk8
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Published at
2023-05-04T04:04:04Z Event JSON
{
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"pubkey": "e8541da6f0332957cb2a09bf01da12ae3e71cdb2b8c0fb9d766e3314972db059" ,
"created_at": 1683173044 ,
"kind": 0 ,
"tags": [],
"content": "{\"name\":\"SovereignLife\",\"nip05\":\"[email protected] \",\"picture\":\"https://nostr.build/i/nostr.build_dbd63430f9215acb247a4853853af4cbd95b19f454fb236bcbe62dbae3eb751d.png\",\"banner\":\"https://nostr.build/i/nostr.build_b3a846a8e798862e121991af97b7c750535932e264369ddad9ad14d1460bb537.jpeg\",\"about\":\"Into Bitcoin since July 2011. Into Nostr since February 2023. Influenced by the works of Ayn Rand, Murray Rothbard, Ludwig von Mises, Andrew Galambos - and thought-provoking books including: The Sovereign Individual, How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World, The Path of Least Resistance, PT - The Perpetual Traveler. Professional drummer in my earlier life, digital nomad in my later life, and jazz lover most my life. We won't achieve meaningful freedom until four key \\\"separations from the state\\\" are done and dusted: Separation of church and state (mostly done), separation of money and state (in progress), separation of communication networks and state (early encouraging signs), separation of education and state (a long way to go).\",\"lud06\":\"[email protected] \",\"lud16\":\"[email protected] \",\"website\":\"\",\"display_name\":\"SovereignLife\",\"followingCount\":462,\"followersCount\":608,\"nip05valid\":true}" ,
"sig": "56bc695c0fd5f4a81e0735018813a0e00d8b527539f418dd422298fc36c3b3cce3d62350bc289eee11a2e7f6c012aa86d261e9a535a81d4cec2c95f30c3c29df"
}
Last Notes npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife I think being "boring" and having lack of outrage is due to the underlying affinity of many here. I can imagine it being a lot less boring if it had global reach and participation. In other words the last bastion of free speech. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Those were the days! npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife I'm not convinced Cashu is an improvement on custodial Bitcoin - especially where custodians are known and trusted. The stated risks prevent me from trying it unfortunately. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife But the US government keeps selling theirs in auctions. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife That cake sure looks tasty! npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Similar situation to many humans. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Similar situation to many humans. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife As a non-US person I cannot understand why Americans should worry about China eavesdropping on them - if indeed they even do. Of much greater concern should be the fact that their own government is doing it. If China is gathering info on what you, as an American, do on TikTok, what can they do with that info and how can it impact on your life? On the other hand, the US government knowing such things is a different matter entirely because it's your government and they can mess up your life if they wish. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife As a non-US person I cannot understand why Americans should worry about China eavesdropping on them - if indeed they even do. Of much greater concern should be the fact that their own government is doing it. If China is gathering info on what you, as an American, do on TikTok, what can they do with that info and how can it impact on your life? On the other hand, the US government knowing such things is a different matter entirely because it's your government and they can mess up your life if they wish. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Only for viewing profiles apparently - as that was all I could do. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Only for viewing profiles apparently - as that was all I could do. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife For the drummers amongst you - Senri Kawaguchi drums up a storm. One of the most impressive young drummers I've ever witnessed. https://youtu.be/V5YDxDuyKDI npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife I prefer to keep the ultimate access to my wallet in my head, not via a physical card. I did explore this option though, using Tangem - which is a good product. But I kept coming back to the fact I didn't feel comfortable storing any large amount on a card I could lose or misplace - which might be consumed by a fire. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife I prefer to keep the ultimate access to my wallet in my head, not via a physical card. I did explore this option though, using Tangem - which is a good product. But I kept coming back to the fact I didn't feel comfortable storing any large amount on a card I could lose or misplace - which might be consumed by a fire. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife I omitted to include "separation of education and state" - an obvious necessity. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife I omitted to include "separation of education and state" - an obvious necessity. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife With regard to planning for my eventual demise or emergency of some sort, I have created a password-protected document which resides on a USB stick - and nowhere else. This document includes the access info for all my financial accounts - both ordinary banking and investments, as well as my bitcoin info. However, it does not include the recovery words for any of my wallets. Instead it reveals where this information can be found. Both my son and daughter are aware of this USB stick and where it is, and have been told the password needed to unlock the document it contains. I regularly update this document as required, to reflect any changed information. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife With regard to planning for my eventual demise or emergency of some sort, I have created a password-protected document which resides on a USB stick - and nowhere else. This document includes the access info for all my financial accounts - both ordinary banking and investments, as well as my bitcoin info. However, it does not include the recovery words for any of my wallets. Instead it reveals where this information can be found. Both my son and daughter are aware of this USB stick and where it is, and have been told the password needed to unlock the document it contains. I regularly update this document as required, to reflect any changed information. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife I spent the first 20 years of my adult life wasting it in "political action". I stood for parliament in New Zealand, was part of a group of three who wrote the founding philosophy of another party (still existing), and finally ended up forming my own party. However, in the mid-90s, after reading "How I found freedom in an unfree world" by Harry Browne, I entered a period of intense self reflection which ended up with me abandoning political action completely. In fact, the last time I voted was in 1997. Since then I have come to realise that democracy is a charade, a sham - a smoke and mirrors operation. We are offered the opportunity to vote every three to five years, casting our lot for typically one of two political parties. The belief is that by doing so we have a meaningful say - via our elected representatives - in the future of our country. Of course all this is tosh. It doesn't really matter who we vote for or which party wins. At the end of the day no meaningful change ever happens - just fiddling on the margins. Over the years I have come to realise the real power is beyond public politics, beyond voting and beyond accountability. In particular, since Covid there has been an obvious global coordination of policy - at least in the West. None of this policy ever reaches the ballot box and changing parties doesn't undo any bad policy. The most infuriating thing is how we are propagandised into believing we live in "free" societies when the truth is the absolute opposite. The revolution must continue. It started with the separation of church and state. We are now in the separation of money and state phase, closely followed by the separation of communication networks and state. But to be fully free we must also acknowledge that the way we are currently governed is unsustainable and contrary to all the requirements of a free society. We live in exciting times. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife I spent the first 20 years of my adult life wasting it in "political action". I stood for parliament in New Zealand, was part of a group of three who wrote the founding philosophy of another party (still existing), and finally ended up forming my own party. However, in the mid-90s, after reading "How I found freedom in an unfree world" by Harry Browne, I entered a period of intense self reflection which ended up with me abandoning political action completely. In fact, the last time I voted was in 1997. Since then I have come to realise that democracy is a charade, a sham - a smoke and mirrors operation. We are offered the opportunity to vote every three to five years, casting our lot for typically one of two political parties. The belief is that by doing so we have a meaningful say - via our elected representatives - in the future of our country. Of course all this is tosh. It doesn't really matter who we vote for or which party wins. At the end of the day no meaningful change ever happens - just fiddling on the margins. Over the years I have come to realise the real power is beyond public politics, beyond voting and beyond accountability. In particular, since Covid there has been an obvious global coordination of policy - at least in the West. None of this policy ever reaches the ballot box and changing parties doesn't undo any bad policy. The most infuriating thing is how we are propagandised into believing we live in "free" societies when the truth is the absolute opposite. The revolution must continue. It started with the separation of church and state. We are now in the separation of money and state phase, closely followed by the separation of communication networks and state. But to be fully free we must also acknowledge that the way we are currently governed is unsustainable and contrary to all the requirements of a free society. We live in exciting times. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Some thoughts on hardware wallet security. One of the things that's confusing for anyone new to this space (or even not so new) is to determine "best practices" when it comes wallet security. Everyone knows the phrase "not your keys, not your coins", but even when you have the keys there is still another "rabbit hole" for you to explore - that is, what is the best way to manage such keys. Over the last couple of years I have given a lot of thought to this, primarily based on my own long term experience and an awareness of my own human fallibility. The basic premise is that if you secure your 12 or 24 word seed/recovery words then all is well - whether it be a hot or cold wallet. The next step is to understand the security advantage of using cold wallets - i.e. independent hardware devices. Once you have successfully deployed the above, the search for enhanced security is not over. You will now be presented with such options as "single signature" vs "multi-signature" setups - adding more confusion to the mix. There's also multi-signature collaborative custody to consider, via third parties. Over time I have learned that everyone is different and each of us has certain personal considerations to take into account. Having explored and played around with multisig set ups I found myself feeling less secure, due to the complicated information you had to maintain in addition to securing the private key. When I considered collaborative multsig third party custody I found myself worrying about the nature of trust in such a relationship and didn't feel comfortable dealing with "joint custody". So what is the best practice? Well, it depends entirely on you and what you are comfortable with. It's a given that you need control over your private key, but beyond that you need to choose enhanced security that does what you want - without unnecessary additional complexity. Too much complexity, in my opinion, is also a security risk as you may get "lost" in all the details and screw things up. Anyway, a couple of months back I implemented what I believe to be "all the security" I personally need and what I can manage without stress. What I do may not necessarily appeal to you, then again it might, so I'll share it here. I have three hardware wallets. Two are used to hold long term holdings and the other is used for medium term. I also have a couple of hot wallets for easy access on smaller amounts. When I first got into bitcoin in 2011, there was only one wallet option - Bitcoin QT, which is now known as Bitcoin Core. A couple of years later Electrum was released, which I immediately moved to, to avoid all the blockchain download and syncronisation issues that came with QT. Later still, with the arrival of hardware wallets, I purchased the very first edition of Trezor - which at the time could only be paid for in bitcoin, 1 BTC to be precise, which based on today's bitcoin price was an extremely expensive buy! More recently I purchased the BitBox02 and later Blockstream's Jade. All this time I have relied on the simplest methods of securing my keys, which I consider to be reliable. This consists of recording my seed/recovery words in such a way as to be virtually impossible for anyone else to find. However, there is always the risk of such being discovered, however small. Then at the beginning of this year I read about the use of additional passphrases to create a hidden wallet - an additional and optional function which was added to both Trezor and BitBox02. I spent a good three months studying this option and pondering over its implications before deciding to implement it. Essentially, it works like this. You can create an additional layer of security by the use of a "secret" phrase (which you commit to memory), which is required at login to your wallet. What this means is even if someone found your private key (stored as best as you can), they still cannot access your funds. The process is simple enough. I plug in my Trezor or Bitbox02, enter my PIN and am then given the option to open either the default wallet or my hidden wallet. When I choose "hidden wallet" I'm prompted to enter my secret passphrase. This can be anything, from one word to a phrase - even a sentence. When I first learned about this option, the first thing that concerned me was "what if I forget this secret phrase?". Writing it down would undermine the whole point, so it wasn't until I came up with a viable and memorable secret passphrase that I felt comfortable implementing the strategy. When choosing such a word/phrase you have to seriously ask yourself if you could possibly forget it - and that's the difficult part. For me, the search for the perfect phrase was to look back at my life and think of things that have been very important to me, things I will never forget, no matter what. It could be a childhood experience, it could be a traumatic event, or a once-in-a-lifetime happening. If you can find a word or phrase that's linked to that, or defines it in some way, you will find you have the confidence in your own memory and will be able remember it. Since implementing this strategy I have felt an increased peace of mind. I have also accessed my wallets numerous times and realise how simple it is, and also a sense of how I will never forget my secret phrase. So, given the choice between multisig and an additional secret phrase, I personally find the latter simpler and it sits better with me. I always stressed about the setup complexities required for multsig and now feel I have the optimum security that fits my personal profile. My advice is not to be swayed by other people's advice, but to spend the time understanding your own needs and finding a solution that provides both optimum security AND peace of mind - for YOU. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Some thoughts on hardware wallet security. One of the things that's confusing for anyone new to this space (or even not so new) is to determine "best practices" when it comes wallet security. Everyone knows the phrase "not your keys, not your coins", but even when you have the keys there is still another "rabbit hole" for you to explore - that is, what is the best way to manage such keys. Over the last couple of years I have given a lot of thought to this, primarily based on my own long term experience and an awareness of my own human fallibility. The basic premise is that if you secure your 12 or 24 word seed/recovery words then all is well - whether it be a hot or cold wallet. The next step is to understand the security advantage of using cold wallets - i.e. independent hardware devices. Once you have successfully deployed the above, the search for enhanced security is not over. You will now be presented with such options as "single signature" vs "multi-signature" setups - adding more confusion to the mix. There's also multi-signature collaborative custody to consider, via third parties. Over time I have learned that everyone is different and each of us has certain personal considerations to take into account. Having explored and played around with multisig set ups I found myself feeling less secure, due to the complicated information you had to maintain in addition to securing the private key. When I considered collaborative multsig third party custody I found myself worrying about the nature of trust in such a relationship and didn't feel comfortable dealing with "joint custody". So what is the best practice? Well, it depends entirely on you and what you are comfortable with. It's a given that you need control over your private key, but beyond that you need to choose enhanced security that does what you want - without unnecessary additional complexity. Too much complexity, in my opinion, is also a security risk as you may get "lost" in all the details and screw things up. Anyway, a couple of months back I implemented what I believe to be "all the security" I personally need and what I can manage without stress. What I do may not necessarily appeal to you, then again it might, so I'll share it here. I have three hardware wallets. Two are used to hold long term holdings and the other is used for medium term. I also have a couple of hot wallets for easy access on smaller amounts. When I first got into bitcoin in 2011, there was only one wallet option - Bitcoin QT, which is now known as Bitcoin Core. A couple of years later Electrum was released, which I immediately moved to, to avoid all the blockchain download and syncronisation issues that came with QT. Later still, with the arrival of hardware wallets, I purchased the very first edition of Trezor - which at the time could only be paid for in bitcoin, 1 BTC to be precise, which based on today's bitcoin price was an extremely expensive buy! More recently I purchased the BitBox02 and later Blockstream's Jade. All this time I have relied on the simplest methods of securing my keys, which I consider to be reliable. This consists of recording my seed/recovery words in such a way as to be virtually impossible for anyone else to find. However, there is always the risk of such being discovered, however small. Then at the beginning of this year I read about the use of additional passphrases to create a hidden wallet - an additional and optional function which was added to both Trezor and BitBox02. I spent a good three months studying this option and pondering over its implications before deciding to implement it. Essentially, it works like this. You can create an additional layer of security by the use of a "secret" phrase (which you commit to memory), which is required at login to your wallet. What this means is even if someone found your private key (stored as best as you can), they still cannot access your funds. The process is simple enough. I plug in my Trezor or Bitbox02, enter my PIN and am then given the option to open either the default wallet or my hidden wallet. When I choose "hidden wallet" I'm prompted to enter my secret passphrase. This can be anything, from one word to a phrase - even a sentence. When I first learned about this option, the first thing that concerned me was "what if I forget this secret phrase?". Writing it down would undermine the whole point, so it wasn't until I came up with a viable and memorable secret passphrase that I felt comfortable implementing the strategy. When choosing such a word/phrase you have to seriously ask yourself if you could possibly forget it - and that's the difficult part. For me, the search for the perfect phrase was to look back at my life and think of things that have been very important to me, things I will never forget, no matter what. It could be a childhood experience, it could be a traumatic event, or a once-in-a-lifetime happening. If you can find a word or phrase that's linked to that, or defines it in some way, you will find you have the confidence in your own memory and will be able remember it. Since implementing this strategy I have felt an increased peace of mind. I have also accessed my wallets numerous times and realise how simple it is, and also a sense of how I will never forget my secret phrase. So, given the choice between multisig and an additional secret phrase, I personally find the latter simpler and it sits better with me. I always stressed about the setup complexities required for multsig and now feel I have the optimum security that fits my personal profile. My advice is not to be swayed by other people's advice, but to spend the time understanding your own needs and finding a solution that provides both optimum security AND peace of mind - for YOU. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Climate change is real. Climate emergency is not. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Climate change is real. Climate emergency is not. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife I think your question implies another "can AI become conscious?" This is debatable and I don't have a firm enough grasp of the inner workings or ultimate potential of AI. Clearly Elon Musk believes AI is potentially dangerous, but he didn't say to what extent and by what mode of ability (conscious or not). npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife I think your question implies another "can AI become conscious?" This is debatable and I don't have a firm enough grasp of the inner workings or ultimate potential of AI. Clearly Elon Musk believes AI is potentially dangerous, but he didn't say to what extent and by what mode of ability (conscious or not). npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife What makes you think Russia Today is any different from US or any other western media? Fact is, I'm inclined to rate it higher. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife What makes you think Russia Today is any different from US or any other western media? Fact is, I'm inclined to rate it higher. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife What makes you think Russia Today is any different from US or any other western media? Fact is, I'm inclined to rate it higher. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife There are always concerns about path-breaking new technology. Fact is, most tech can be used for both good and bad purposes - witness the splitting of the atom and nuclear power.... or the nuclear bomb. Also, it's impossible to stop new tech once it's out in the wild. Even if control is attempted or even banning, there's nothing to stop such research and development going underground. I believe AI has both good and bad possiblities. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife There are always concerns about path-breaking new technology. Fact is, most tech can be used for both good and bad purposes - witness the splitting of the atom and nuclear power.... or the nuclear bomb. Also, it's impossible to stop new tech once it's out in the wild. Even if control is attempted or even banning, there's nothing to stop such research and development going underground. I believe AI has both good and bad possiblities. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Depends upon your definition os "sufficient" npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Depends upon your definition os "sufficient" npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife As usual, Bitcoin surprised with a quick surge to US$30,000 plus, which seems to be holding well. This has to be seen against a background of majority bearishness. Where to from here? Optimistic opinion would suggest a maximum of $50K this year, while pessimists are still looking for "one more correction" in the hope of buying more at a cheaper price. A fool's game. Meanwhile, most of us are fixated on the 4 year halving cycle which, as we all know, delivers all time highs near the end of the year following a halving. The next halving is 2024 so there's the expectation we won't see any dramatic price action until the latter part of 2025. I think it would be a mistake to always assume bitcoin will move in accordance to pre-ordained plans and cycles. There are too many variables at play, not least of which is the economic turmoil all around us. I'm of a mind to believe a new ATH will happen this year, when people least expect it. It could even exceed $100K. And I say this as someone who has been actively involved and invested in bitcoin since 2011. Call it my gut feeling. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife As usual, Bitcoin surprised with a quick surge to US$30,000 plus, which seems to be holding well. This has to be seen against a background of majority bearishness. Where to from here? Optimistic opinion would suggest a maximum of $50K this year, while pessimists are still looking for "one more correction" in the hope of buying more at a cheaper price. A fool's game. Meanwhile, most of us are fixated on the 4 year halving cycle which, as we all know, delivers all time highs near the end of the year following a halving. The next halving is 2024 so there's the expectation we won't see any dramatic price action until the latter part of 2025. I think it would be a mistake to always assume bitcoin will move in accordance to pre-ordained plans and cycles. There are too many variables at play, not least of which is the economic turmoil all around us. I'm of a mind to believe a new ATH will happen this year, when people least expect it. It could even exceed $100K. And I say this as someone who has been actively involved and invested in bitcoin since 2011. Call it my gut feeling. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Of course no one is forced to use it. 😎 You're right, there is some useful technical stuff here and people are willing to help, that's one of the good points. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Of course no one is forced to use it. 😎 You're right, there is some useful technical stuff here and people are willing to help, that's one of the good points. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Unpopular opinion: Bitcoin Nostr needs to mature and grow up. It's still primarily a "pat each other on the back" platform with a near-constant flow of one-liner comments and memes. Don't get me wrong, I love the potential of Nostr, but to be honest I still find more useful and thought-provoking content on Twitter. So for the time being I will still need to continue using both. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Unpopular opinion: Bitcoin Nostr needs to mature and grow up. It's still primarily a "pat each other on the back" platform with a near-constant flow of one-liner comments and memes. Don't get me wrong, I love the potential of Nostr, but to be honest I still find more useful and thought-provoking content on Twitter. So for the time being I will still need to continue using both. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Short term it's annoying of course, but long term it's all good! npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Short term it's annoying of course, but long term it's all good! npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife I think I must have an uncanny sense of timing. It seems I’m able to sense when the market will move - after an extended period of low volatility - but cannot be sure whether it will move up or down. Example 1: When I sold some bitcoin a few weeks ago to pay tax, the price jumped $2000+ the next day. Example 2: Yesterday I had the same sense of an imminent market move and needed to ensure I had funds ready for my next tax payment on May 7. Erring on the side of caution (unless the market moved down) I sold bitcoin at $28,250. When I woke up this morning bitcoin was $29,300. Hopefully, there's a lesson in there for me! npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife I think I must have an uncanny sense of timing. It seems I’m able to sense when the market will move - after an extended period of low volatility - but cannot be sure whether it will move up or down. Example 1: When I sold some bitcoin a few weeks ago to pay tax, the price jumped $2000+ the next day. Example 2: Yesterday I had the same sense of an imminent market move and needed to ensure I had funds ready for my next tax payment on May 7. Erring on the side of caution (unless the market moved down) I sold bitcoin at $28,250. When I woke up this morning bitcoin was $29,300. Hopefully, there's a lesson in there for me! npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Jade is my "number three" hard wallet and an excellent economical choice if cost is a factor. My other two are BitBox02 and Trezor (both bitcoin only iterations). npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Jade is my "number three" hard wallet and an excellent economical choice if cost is a factor. My other two are BitBox02 and Trezor (both bitcoin only iterations). npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife If you're looking for a couple of good series on Netflix, give new arrivals "Thicker Than Water" (French with subtitles) and "Beef" a look. Better than a lot of stuff currently appearing on Netflix. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife If you're looking for a couple of good series on Netflix, give new arrivals "Thicker Than Water" (French with subtitles) and "Beef" a look. Better than a lot of stuff currently appearing on Netflix. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Well it moved! npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Well it moved! npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife There's no such thing as "intrinsic" value. 😀 All value is subjective - of value to whom? In bitcoins case, of value to individual humans. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife There's no such thing as "intrinsic" value. 😀 All value is subjective - of value to whom? In bitcoins case, of value to individual humans. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife I checked out those websites and could find no download information for desktop clients. Primal looks as though it's going to add desktop download soon, but nothing from coracle. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife I checked out those websites and could find no download information for desktop clients. Primal looks as though it's going to add desktop download soon, but nothing from coracle. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife I checked out those websites and could find no download information for desktop clients. Primal looks as though it's going to add desktop download soon, but nothing from coracle. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife The current "stability" of the bitcoin price may be welcome by some, but it is not a "promising development", but simply a pause in price consolidation before the next move. Bitcoin will only be less volatile over time, as its market cap grows in value. At present, it doesn't take much to move the market either way. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife The current "stability" of the bitcoin price may be welcome by some, but it is not a "promising development", but simply a pause in price consolidation before the next move. Bitcoin will only be less volatile over time, as its market cap grows in value. At present, it doesn't take much to move the market either way. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Followed back. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Followed back. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife I came to Nostr as a long-time Bitcoiner. However, like most other people I also have other and sometimes related interests that I like reading about and commenting on. So if you're active on Nostr and into any of the following - geopolitics, US empire decline/rise of Global South, climate emergency hoax, gender identity nonsense, failure of politics, democracy hoax, covid boondoggle, not anti-China - then reply here so I can follow you. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife I came to Nostr as a long-time Bitcoiner. However, like most other people I also have other and sometimes related interests that I like reading about and commenting on. So if you're active on Nostr and into any of the following - geopolitics, US empire decline/rise of Global South, climate emergency hoax, gender identity nonsense, failure of politics, democracy hoax, covid boondoggle, not anti-China - then reply here so I can follow you. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife I think there is an "objectively correct morality" - treat others as you would have them treat you. Or to put it another way "my life is mine and your life is yours - neither of us have the right to impose anything on each other". npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife I think there is an "objectively correct morality" - treat others as you would have them treat you. Or to put it another way "my life is mine and your life is yours - neither of us have the right to impose anything on each other". npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife But does being a "believer" make any difference? npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife But does being a "believer" make any difference? npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Well, if you take it at face value, it could mean he intends to introduce Doge as a component of Twitter, like bitcoin works with Nostr. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Well, if you take it at face value, it could mean he intends to introduce Doge as a component of Twitter, like bitcoin works with Nostr. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Who else thinks Elon Musk is just trolling with the change from "bird" to "doge" as Twitter's masthead? Or is something else going on? npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Who else thinks Elon Musk is just trolling with the change from "bird" to "doge" as Twitter's masthead? Or is something else going on? npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife One thing I love about Nostr is that I can say "Craig Wright is a momentous fraud!" endlessly, without him ever being able to do anything about it. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife One thing I love about Nostr is that I can say "Craig Wright is a momentous fraud!" endlessly, without him ever being able to do anything about it. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife I agree. The Global feed is definitely worth perusing. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife I agree. The Global feed is definitely worth perusing. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife I think there's a possibility of a new ATH this year. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife I think there's a possibility of a new ATH this year. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife I prefer light mode. Could be my advanced age and the fact I spent my life reading black text on white paper. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife How would you define a "Biblical" apocalypse? What would it consist of? npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife What's with it regards Americans and donuts? (assuming you are American). Donut eating turns up everywhere - movies, netflix, network TV - but I can't think of any reason why I'd want one. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife There is a way. My npub is represented by [email protected] npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Bearded ladies used to be a thing. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife True. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife If you think of your public key as the "username" and the private key as the password, then it's uncontroversial to enter your password to gain access an app or website. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Impetus? npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Some thoughts passing through my head this morning, regarding the big "Balaji Bet". This "bet" is causing a big stir. People are in disbelief. Others wondering how such a smart guy can be making such a bet unless he has insights most others don't have. At first glance, the very idea that bitcoin could reach $1 million in 90 days seems absurd. So I thought about it for quite some time and realised that for such a thing to happen would require massive bank failures, requiring ever-more bailout dollars, leading to more inflation - worse still, hyperinflation. So the real question is, is it possible that such a situation and the follow-on hyperinflation to emerge within 90 days? If that's possible, then bitcoin could rise exponentially. Some have commented that in such a scenario bitcoin at $1 million wouldn't actually be worth $1 million as we know it today, due to such hyperinflation. In other words, they're saying its purchasing power wouln't change much. I don't agree with that, and this is why. It doesn't require the full emergence of hyperinflation to trigger a panice run to bitcoin, just the conviction/fear that it's going to happen. In other words, people front-running anticipated hyperinflation could easily push up bitcoin's price well before the full devaluation of the currency arrived. Others are saying that the amount of capital required to fund a $1 million price tag for bitcoin is too much, so it can't happen. But is that really the case? As I write this, bitcoin is around $28K with a market cap of $540.46 billion. To reach a $1 million price bitcoin needs to rise by a factor of 35.7 times. That would require 35.7 times the current market cap. That's $19.29 trillion. The current market capitalisation of gold is $12.75 trillion - so essentially bitcoin would need a market cap of around 1.5 times that of gold. Given that there's a ton load of money outside of the gold market, this doesn't seem unrealistic to me. Finally, I come back to a basic bitcoin foundational premise, the expectation of hyperbitcoinisation at some point. I've thought about this a lot over the past 10 years or so, wondering how long it would take to arrive at such a situation. One thing I do know, it's not going to happen gradually by "educating" people and "orange-pilling" them. The percentage of the world's population that would ever be persuading by such a strategy is miniscule. No, the only way the masses of people around the world would adopt bitcoin was because they have no choice, as in an emergency. There will be no hyperbitcoinisation without a financial crisis of some sort - like a massive failure of the global financial system. So what Balaji is betting on, is the emergence of such a crisis within 90 days. That is the basis of his bet for bitcoin to reach $1 million. Personally, my mind is unable to fully grasp a reality like that. However, when I look at history I realise that massive "black swan" events do happen. The global order does change. The financial system has changed. We do have an unsustainable global debt problem - caused by the very nature of the financial system itself, based as it is on debt-based money. My current state of mind is that such an event is possible, but impossible to be certain about as to timing. So unless Balaji has "inside" information, his definitive timing of "within 90 days" seems very inflexible. So I am left with holding two thoughts in my mind. The scenario outlined is certainly posssible, but the timeline can't be accurately predicted. As a result, I will watch with great interest what happens in the global financial markets in the next three months in the hope I can arrive at some clarity and increased understanding. Meanwhile, I'm holding on to my bitcoin! npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Now, that's commitment! npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife I want to kick myself for watching it through to the end. What started off as an interesting premise about fungi infection, turned out to be a never-ending nothingburger featuring "zombies". Filling in segments with past narratives did nothing to alleviate the boredom. Total waste of time and I'm ashamed I watched it all. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife There's a completely redesigned interface appearing now, although no messages are loading for me. Obviously a major refresh as to how Reddit looks. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife I've been having issues with the Following feed on #Iris over the past couple of days. Using MacOS and the Brave browser the feed is not loading without constant refresh. Global feed works fine. So I tried it with a few different browsers - Safari, Orion and Chrome - and in each case the Following feed is working fine. For whatever reason, the issue seems related specifically to the Brave browser, which is where I have my Alby wallet unfortunately. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife 14 relays npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife 644 as of now npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Something weird happing on the web version if #Iris at the moment. I notice the new layout with a "Feeds" item in the menu. However, when I choose "Following" nothing comes up, just blank. I tried a few times, but no luck. Then I refreshed the page and the feed showed up. Trouble was, when I moved over to Global and came back - same thing, blank page needing a full refresh to show content. Any other Iris users noticing this? npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife It's actually fun and fast moving when using Iris. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife And the Lightning network is the key - the ability to send microtransactions for 'next to nothing' fees. Imagine how main-chain bitcoin would work with Nostr. It could, but not in the way zappers would prefer, or be able to afford. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Sounds similar to what's happening or soon happening for most the rest of the world. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife I played around with Cashu and Nutstash for a couple of hours yesterday, moving eCash between the two different accounts, funding and withdrawing via Lightning etc. It was fun and fascinating. Still thinking about how I could use this personally, but I'm always in awe of what people come up with in this "permissionless innovation" space. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Give the newly released Iris app a try - now on the iOS App Store. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Final reminder to followers of mine who haven't claimed their 1000 sats yet. This is the last of my daily sats giveaways this past month. From now on I'll be rewarding good content with individual zaps. 😎 For my final giveaway I'm sending 1000 sats to each of my followers who taps/clicks to "like" this post. If you've already liked and claimed your sats, please ignore. Sats will be sent, once "following" status has been confirmed. Sats away! npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Today is the last of my daily sats giveaways during February - my way of celebrating the emergence of Nostr, and what it means for communication freedom. From now on I will confine myself to rewarding good content with individual zaps. 😎 For my final giveaway I'm sending 1000 sats to each of my followers who tap/click to "like" this post. Sats will be sent once following status has been confirmed. Sats away! npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife The link doesn't work. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Come March 1st I will have been on Nostr for one full month - every day of which I've been giving away sats. To mark the occasion, each and every one of my followers will be able to claim a 1000 sat bonus on March 1, when I send out the notification. Keep an eye out for that. And if you're NOT currently following me, you still have time. 😎 Meanwhile, it's daily sats giveaway time again - with 1000 sats to each of the first 10 Nostricians who "like" ❤️ this post. npub1ap2pmfhsxv540je2pxlsrksj4cl8rndjhrq0h8tkdce3f9edkpvszzt4yp SovereignLife Nostr is for everybody. 😀 Mobstr Gangstr Troopstr Wokestr Freakstr Sportstr Fanstr Boobstr Leftstr Rightstr Prankstr Jokestr Plebstr