Rodrigo

Great write-up from @npub1dtg…up6m about what Nostr is.
I know many of us here have been trying to get people onboarded to Nostr but it's hard.
His write-up has helped me get people on or at least have a more educated conversation about the potential of Nostr.
Here are the links:
https://x.com/SvetskiWrites/status/1828403019081269661
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-nostr-thing-everyones-talking-aleksandar-svetski-kochc/

2024-08-29 14:46:50

One of the real costs of privacy is convenience.
It's not easy to give up the UI/UX of Google and Apple products for hardwares and softwares like @npub126n…e9ll, @npub1235…0ht5 and Linux (all three which are great).
Once you take the bold and liberating step, the feeling is kind of the same as having a kid. You won't really know how awesome it is until you do it.

2024-08-28 16:26:45

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Released from police custody but transferred to court for questioning

2024-08-27 16:45:00

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I really like @npub1wyu…87ez
for its feed flow on both desktop and mobile, but prefer @npub12vk…pugg for writing notes that include emojis.
Thanks for the rest of the recommendations.

2024-08-21 16:59:04

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A holder is one that as you say, views it as an investment. A bitcoiner is one that tries to apply the bitcoin ethos to everything in his life besides just owning bitcoin AND spending it: Have control of your money, have control of your data, live and work to be self-reliant, as this is true freedom. Try to be a better person every day and project this to the next generation. A bitcoiner doesn't give into the material things in life and gets lost in that, but rather sees beyond that and appreciates the good things in life, starting with family.

2024-08-21 11:38:43

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Primal

2024-08-16 10:11:30

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Not your keys, not your coins.
Not your server, not your data.
Linux, GrapheneOS, @npub126n…e9ll server

2024-08-16 10:08:49

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De acuerdo contigo, acabo de manejar entre dos países en Europa y 140kph es la velocidad perfecta. No estas fuera de control, vas bien y ahorras tiempo.

2024-08-14 14:13:05

It's great to get spammed 1sat tied to a marketing message from random companies in the space. Nothing pops-up, just randomly check my node activity and see 1sat, 1sat, 1sat... keep em' coming!

2024-08-14 11:48:47

Will there be any net positive benefits to society if the Google breakup is successful, @npub1mzn…6mak ?

2024-08-12 16:12:27

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Didn't know this account was on Nostr. Thank you for making my day @npub1a2c…w83a

2024-08-12 16:11:09

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The only happy creatures when the Titanic sank were the lobsters in the kitchen.

2024-07-31 17:34:45

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How do I create a proxy invoice?

2024-07-31 12:15:13

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And it takes even a deeper level of understanding to keep buying or buy for your first time at these levels because it's still early. Bitcoin's industrial use cases are not priced in. They might be to a certain extent by bitcoiners, but not by the rest of the world. I forget who said it, but it will get to the point that bitcoin's intra-day movements will be in the $60k range and we won't even notice.

2024-07-31 09:47:20

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When will Authy stop working on GrapheneOS?

2024-07-30 19:22:26

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Just make sure you keep some always ready to spend. As bitcoiners we have a responsibility to "spend some" if we really want to incentivize bitcoinization. It won't happen if we all just hodl.

2024-07-29 11:37:25

Some highlights of how the US would look like under Trump, as it relates to bitcoin and digital assets:
- Create a “strategic national bitcoin stockpile” for the US: Not really “creating” one, rather keeping what they have confiscated; but it’s another step in the right direction. Every single country on Earth should have bitcoin as part of their reserves.
- Prevent the creation of a Central Bank Digital Currency (“CBDC”): As much as I like this and believe CBDCs are the worst thing, it will only be a matter of time before the US gives in.
- Support the right to self-custody: The majority of people are not even aware what this means and it’s one of the most important things. Hopefully, this will shed some light on its importance.
- Fire current SEC Chair Gensler: It’s needed for the sake of the US not falling behind on bitcoin and digital asset adoption.
- Form a crypto industry presidential advisory council: Great as long as the bitcoiners do a good job and doesn’t become a s#!tcoin advisory council.
- Regulate bitcoin and digital assets by people who understand them: Very happy to hear this and I hope that they realize that they can’t apply analog laws to a digital world.
- America to become the undisputed bitcoin mining powerhouse: Great for energy efficiency.
I will believe all of this when I see it.

2024-07-22 12:53:56

This is a great write-up by @npub1a2c…w83a
https://www.lynalden.com/the-power-of-nostr/

2024-07-22 08:47:42

Reading the GOP’s 2024 Platform as it relates to bitcoin and crypto:
“Republicans will end Democrats' unlawful and unAmerican Crypto crackdown and oppose the creation of a Central Bank Digital Currency. We will defend the right to mine Bitcoin, and ensure every American has the right to self-custody of their Digital Assets, and transact free from Government Surveillance and Control.”
It’s great to read this, but there is a slight oxymoron with one of their promises:
#13.: Keep the US Dollar as the world’s reserve currency.
Source: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/2024-republican-party-platform
Bitcoin is the best way to transact and to protect purchasing power over time. Let’s see how this develops.

2024-07-21 15:49:10

The urge to drink on a Sunday and rebalance channels

2024-07-20 20:51:38

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Well said bro

2024-07-19 20:26:26

This could possibly be the best news (since CBDCs would be the end of financial privacy, not to mention CTRL + D kind of money) and yet Bloomberg finds a way to put a negative spin to it.
Trump’s Disdain for Digital Dollar Risks ‘Cold War Era’ in Money https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-19/trump-s-disdain-for-digital-dollar-risks-cold-war-era-in-money

2024-07-19 15:21:07

Thinking about the recent Microsoft outage. What would happen if for one hour, Google Workspaces, AWS and Microsoft Azure went offline?
Centralization of digital services will only keep consolidating more, leading to worse outcomes in the future.

2024-07-18 21:55:07

Not your keys, not your coins.
Not your server, not your data.
Self-host.
@npub126n…e9ll

2024-07-16 18:13:41

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Or buy a server from @npub126n…e9ll, download FreeGPT and keep everything within your control.

2024-07-16 10:04:46

All he did was take his time to study bitcoin and understand its value instead of just sticking with the "it's used by criminals and money launderers" rhetoric.
Any fiat currency can be used for good or for bad, just like bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. The difference is that bitcoin runs on a public, shared ledger where all transactions can be seen by anybody; a suitcase full of cash is not reported in a public, shared ledger.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4ciiDyUvUo

2024-07-15 10:42:23

In the past, a well diversified portfolio was considered to be around 60% equity and 40% fixed income. Time has shown that this has not really been the best allocation as there is a missing component of alternative investments.
Today, a well diversified portfolio must also include bitcoin as a hedge to fiat exposure and its continuing debasement. A “rule of thumb” should be to have enough exposure to bitcoin that when the fiat-based portion eventually loses its value, the bitcoin allocation will make up for that and more.
Also, here is another version of a well diversified portfolio, highly recommend:
https://image.nostr.build/82ce54eacda438c456fcbcca8cc6431e2c67da3d92eb1b606546cef61bca5b16.jpg

2024-07-13 12:15:41

Another one for the list, @npub1mzn…6mak
AT&T Hack Undermines US National Security, Experts Say https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-12/at-t-hack-undermines-us-national-security-experts-say

2024-07-12 23:03:50

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As a proud Salvadoran, it's wild that this is a reality. "3rd world country" > "1st world country"

2024-07-10 14:26:10

I truly believe that the traditional financial world has slowly been moving from a T+3 settlement window to a T+1 (with some exceptions) to get as close to cryptocurrency settlement speeds as possible. Ironically, the only way they will get to T+0 is by adopting some form of blockchain, hopefully they understand that the answer to this is Bitcoin + Lightning Network.
It would be pretty nice to say that the settlement window is B+LN instead of T+1.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-10/europe-could-follow-us-move-to-t-1-in-late-2027-officials-say

2024-07-06 21:30:29

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If your seed is next to your hardware you should not exist.

2024-07-05 13:55:42

Coincidence of Wants vs Coincidence of Banks
In the past, people would exchange one good for another, such as wheat for salt. The problem with this extremely siloed transaction was that both parties had to run into the coincidence that they both needed what the other had at that precise moment in time. No intermediaries and no delays, it was an analog peer-to-peer transaction where commodities were the ultimate form of money.
Money has improved since then in terms of how it’s transacted and how it moves, but it’s not even close to what it could be. Today, in order for money to move faster and more efficiently, financial institutions come together to credit and debit money for their clients. The best coincidence to move money is when both parties work with the same bank. This however is not the norm, leading to intermediation, higher costs, delays and plenty of other inefficiencies that we all have come to accept as normal.
By leveraging the Bitcoin and Lightning Network protocols, institutions can remove these inefficiencies and transform the coincidence into certainty. An institution in Europe denominated in Euros would be able to interact with an institution in Latin America denominated in Pesos as if they were one and the same. Their end users would retain the traditional fiat experience they are used to but would benefit from a better, cheaper and instant service. Finally, credit risk would be removed from the system as every transaction would be sent and settled simultaneously and instantly.

2024-07-05 13:52:47

Opt out, take control and manage your own, private and personal cloud. Use a server from @npub126n…e9ll
Use discount code "MYDATA" for 5% off.
#note1dh4…w7lh

2024-07-02 01:49:39

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Thanks for the explanation

2024-07-02 00:52:13

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Is this different from Mullvad?

2024-07-01 20:07:33

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Order submitted, LFG!
@npub1xnf…lpr5 is an amazing project.

2024-06-28 02:02:29

@npub1key…lt3h feels like home. Thank you for existing.

2024-06-27 15:55:12

Anybody knows the Amethyst nostr relay address?

2024-06-27 15:37:02

Fake News on the End of The Petrodollar System?
There has been some news that the 1974 petrodollar system, or as officially known “The U.S. - Saudi Arabia Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation” has come to an end.
As a quick recap: The petrodollar system is a mutually beneficial agreement between the US and Saudi Arabia, where the US agreed to provide military aid and protection and in exchange, Saudi Arabia would sell its barrels of oil in US dollars and invest all of that money into US government bonds. It has not confirmed if the agreement actually ended or not or if it’s somewhere in between. Below are some important highlights:
- Nixon removed the dollar’s convertibility to gold in 1971. The US supported Israel in the Yom Kipur War of 1973 and then experienced an oil embargo which put it into a dark economical path. With the US dollar’s future at risk, the smart decision was to make a somewhat behind the scenes deal to ensure that the commodity that economies needed to grow and develop (oil) was priced in US dollars.
- According to the US Treasury data, Saudi Arabia is the 17th largest holder of US Treasuries, although some sources say that this could be much more. They might not have the incentive to move away so abruptly from the US dollar as doing so would only hurt their sovereign reserves.
- Their purchases of US Treasuries were also made via add-on auctions, which are excluded from official auction totals. It took the The Freedom-of-Information Act in 2016 to get the Treasury department to disclose Saudi Arabia’s holdings.
- The Saudi Arabian Riyal is pegged to the US dollar. Picking a fight with the US dollar might only hurt them more.
- The petrodollar agreement has no stated end date, rather it would remain in effect for 5 years (starting in June 1974) and renewed by mutual agreement and could be terminated by either government with 180 day written notice. No official written notice has surfaced, yet.
- Saudi Arabia was invited to join BRICS, but this still has not been confirmed. If they do, it could be another step to reduce their reliance on the US and its currency; TBD.
The petrodollar system is what made the US dollar the global reserve currency and ending it could potentially affect its value over time. It went from being backed by gold to nothing, to a proxy-backing by oil and a money printer.

2024-06-27 02:23:43

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"You can't bomb countries into freedom"
- Faisal All Mutar

2024-06-24 17:07:04

It's not only the financial sector embracing bitcoin, but also telecom. Slowly, institutions are realizing that bitcoin is here to stay and it's better to embrace it now than when it becomes too late. Same thought goes for any investor considering adding bitcoin as part of a well diversified portfolio.
https://watcher.guru/news/t-mobile-parent-company-deutsche-telekom-to-mine-bitcoin

2024-06-24 00:30:41

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Been playing around with it as well; I like it but the atomic swaps end up being a bit expensive.

2024-06-19 23:05:05

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Cats were the least of our worries: https://www.cnn.com/2014/11/30/travel/emotional-support-pig-booted-flight/index.html

2024-06-14 20:23:58

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One of the worst things that can happen. This will unleash a series of consequences that we can't even imagine now. By the time we come to realize what has happened it will be too late.
The solution is simple, use @npub1235…0ht5 and run your own @npub126n…e9ll server.

2024-06-12 20:42:33

A Reminder Why You Must Hedge Fiat Exposure
I try to watch this video at least once a year to remind me how money printing works and why it will never stop. Bitcoin is a way to protect against money printing which translates to our money being worth less until it eventually is worth nothing.
It’s 30 minutes of your time, narrated by a very smart and successful individual, which will put things into perspective very quickly:
https://youtu.be/PHe0bXAIuk0?si=EUq9X5tqO5fGO56y

2024-06-10 02:12:42

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This is great, thanks for putting it into perspective. What was the math used to get to that debased number?

2024-06-10 02:09:35

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Things are changing finally. You can now have your own server, your very own private cloud hosting almost all of your digital life, controlled, accessed, modified only by you. This is possible thanks to the amazing effort being done by the team at @npub126n…e9ll

2024-06-08 01:50:11

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Where can I buy this?

2024-06-04 13:37:55

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@npub126n…e9ll 's documentation on their website is the way to go. If you get stuck, their Telegram channel has possibly the best customer support I've ever experienced. Feel free to DM me if you have any other questions.

2024-06-01 03:46:05

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Bitcoin

2024-05-19 02:34:37

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Best decision ever

2024-05-13 21:33:25

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Looks like you're getting accelerated

2024-05-12 16:25:09

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Yes, @npub126n…e9ll is doing amazing things with their private servers allowing anybody, no matter if you don't have a technical background (like myself) to greatly reduce your dependancy on BigTech

2024-05-07 17:22:02

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I've been using Pop_OS! (from System76), but I flashed it into a Asus computer. Didn't hear good things about System76 hardware.
It's works great, minus a flew glitches here and there, but nothing major. I also had never used a Linux distro before and his has been my first experience with it and can't complain.

2024-05-05 16:59:02

Use a personal server from @npub126n…e9ll to manage your own private cloud, password keeper, Bitcoin & Lightning nodes, Nostr relay and more. (Use code MYDATA for 5% off).
Use @npub1235…0ht5, a privacy and security-focused OS for your favorite Android device.
Use your favorite Linux distro for your computer.
SELF RELIANCE IS TRUE FREEDOM.
#note1awa…rgtr

2024-05-04 13:50:51

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Sent

2024-04-29 14:58:39

Really enjoyed the podcast with Blockfuel Group where we discussed Bitcoin's industrial use cases and how it's being leveraged in Latin America to bring Bitcoin closer to institutional adoption for real-world, business purposes.
https://twitter.com/Block_Fuel/status/1783946452630479345

2024-04-25 01:25:48

Teach 'em young:
https://image.nostr.build/8fb773a2b68eeab7c4693424d3ac1afde7aab4d00501823ef2b84dbb82d18bfd.jpg

2024-04-22 23:18:13

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I feel the same way. SimpleX would be the way to go, but almost nobody has it.

2024-04-17 12:21:19

Hanging out with Solana @npub1sg6…f63m down in Rio 🤣 🤣 🤣
https://m.primal.net/HwCS.jpg

2024-04-01 21:21:08

Einstein and Bitcoin
At some point in our lives we have all come across Einstein’s famous energy-mass equivalence equation or, E=mc2. This simple, yet very powerful equation states that energy and mass are one and the same. We experience this formula everyday of our lives from the moment we use a GPS to help us navigate, to the sunlight that we receive from our own Sun. Without us being aware, this equation is embedded in our daily lives and it’s not necessary for us to know or care about, although learning about it can be out of curiosity but not necessity.
The great majority of the world is still unaware of the positive implications that bitcoin is bringing to several aspects of our daily lives; predominantly the financial aspects. We live in a world where fiat currencies (USD, EUR, GBP, JPY, etc.) are being printed without limits, causing all kinds of havoc to our purchasing power across time (i.e. it will require more dollars in the future to buy the same bottle of CocaCola today.) I do see a future where currencies will be priced off bitcoin, which will allow the citizens of all countries to transact with their own currencies in a much cheaper, faster, open and less intermediated manner. This will be possible due to the fact that all currencies will “speak bitcoin,” but no person will really have to hold onto bitcoin if they don’t want to or even know about it. The infrastructure to this system is already in the process of being tested in the Global South and will slowly grow from there.
Fiat currencies have an infinite supply, whereas there will only ever be 21,000,000 bitcoin in circulation. The very simple, yet powerful formula of ∞/21,000,000 (infinity divided by 21,000,000) demonstrates a path of where bitcoin price can go. What happens to bitcoin’s price when you divide large amounts of fiat (or infinite amounts) by 21,000,000 bitcoin? It can only trend up. While there are still several challenges in the road to fiat currencies “speaking bitcoin,” its protection against debasement and severe inflation has already been proven in currencies like the Argentine and Cuban Pesos, Egyptian Pounds and others.
∞/21,000,000 will become as powerful as E=mc2, it will just take more time and when it happens, not that many will really know or care about it, except those that bought bitcoin in anticipation to this.

2024-03-21 22:01:21

You can buy BTC on Coinbase (full KYC) for $65,956 or through RoboSats (non-KYC) for $66,495. The difference is 0.81%.
It's a 0.81% premium to retain your anonymity. Yes, please.

2024-03-21 03:08:39

Won't regret, very happy with mine
#nevent1q…w386

2024-03-20 16:23:08

Bitcoin for Generational Preservation
It is hard to believe that bitcoin can be a hedge against currency devaluations and inflation due to its volatility, but if you zoom out enough and ignore the short term noise, the story is quite different. I admit that I also did not believe that bitcoin could protect purchasing power over time, but I was convinced otherwise by looking at the unfortunate economic circumstances that countries like Argentina, Cuba, Nigeria, Egypt and Ukraine have faced. These countries have all experienced massive currency devaluations over time for various reasons and they have all had the same outcome on their populations: pushing more and more into poverty. This not only affects the current generation, but also further sets back the next generation in terms of their development. Continuing this train of thought, that means the these countries are then in a worse position to compete on the global scale and are doomed to be under the control of the developed world.
Take a look at the attached 5-year graphs that show how much bitcoin has appreciated relative to the following currencies:
Argentine Peso: +30,651%
Cuban Peso: +37,401%
Nigerian Naira: +6,309%
Egyptian Pound: +4,128%
Ukrainian Hryvnia: +2,137%
For reference, bitcoin priced in USD over 5 years has strengthened +1,457%
Said another way, this means that you need less and less bitcoin to acquire the same amount of that specific currency. As currencies get debased by their own central governments and external forces, bitcoin becomes more valuable in local terms. Bitcoin is a beacon of hope and a lifeboat for the populations of these countries that experience such high rates of devaluation over time; its one of the very few ways they can protect their purchasing power to ensure a better quality of life for the next generations. [This last sentence also applies to the developed world, over time]
https://image.nostr.build/e4e252a9911be18b42567a44b4a0f747a63f142dc643b87aec5de526e6afe322.png
https://image.nostr.build/f14c0f63873a385073ca00592e438246a3e262fbf5ef806a7b3378409cba24cc.png
https://image.nostr.build/7669d8c93c8b42e61c5eb8e5625f116663a41802734f9caee0a6b5a3431a29d6.png
https://image.nostr.build/13cd34235c94bb137aeb189078b20e3d6fc62272df0417d3c1eb8363d0ca2c87.png
https://image.nostr.build/3d7db5b5b59d8824049e33d0feece9cee6cc46e39f23b4bf2517d0cd0b482ce0.png

2024-03-16 04:12:21

God's work, well done
#nevent1q…hape

2024-03-12 03:52:02

Correct. Bitcoin wins when nobody knows its being used
#nevent1q…a9cc

2024-03-07 00:04:00

👀 @npub1a2c…w83a
#nevent1q…2e5r

2024-03-06 22:19:29

LinkedIn is currently down form whatever reason. What would need to happen for nostr to be down?

2024-03-06 19:34:46

Thrilled to share my newest IBEX Podcast!
In this engaging discussion, I talk about the established corridors of traditional finance to the cutting-edge frontier of Bitcoin. We explore Bitcoin's distinctive features, such as its limited supply and status as digital gold, highlighting its viability as both a store of value and an inflation safeguard. I also articulate my enthusiasm for how Bitcoin can transform financial transactions to be more efficient, affordable, and accessible, particularly benefiting emerging markets.
This episode is essential listening for those intrigued by the future of finance, Bitcoin's game-changing role, and the synergy between traditional and digital financial innovation.
Dive in to explore the infinite possibilities that the fusion of finance and technology heralds for our global future.
#Bitcoin #DigitalFinance #WealthManagement #FinancialInnovation #IBEXPodcast
🔗 Youtube: https://lnkd.in/ekwGA3bR
🔗 Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eNuCmXvV

2024-03-06 16:29:42

Bitcoin as an inflation hedge working in real time as Egypt had to devalue its currency once again. BTC rose 65% TODAY, priced in Egyptian pounds:
https://image.nostr.build/7f48fc92a19fa274d819c1352cb3fdade4da49f6910762036cec7e332b857333.png

2024-03-01 00:17:04

The Two Sides of Bitcoin
Throughout its life, bitcoin’s value has reflected its economic properties which are indisputably great, but I believe that this is only half the story. Bitcoin has several industrial uses cases that few people are aware of and that few companies are leveraging. The following are some examples of the two sides from where bitcoin gets its value:
Economic Properties
It is scarce: There will only ever be 21 million bitcoin issued and no more. While this is not all that’s needed to make something valuable, it’s a key property for hard money.
It can be broken down into smaller pieces: Bitcoin can be owned as one whole coin or divisible to eight decimals (0.00000001). This allows for transactions of all sizes to take place.
It can be taken with you: One can easily take bitcoin across a border or across the street in a digital or hardware wallet or even carry bitcoin in your head just by memorizing a sequence of words. It is much harder to do the same with gold bars.
It cannot be counterfeited: Bitcoin moves on the Bitcoin blockchain, which has proven to be the most secure blockchain in existence, making it nearly impossible for someone to send counterfeited bitcoin. Unfortunately the same cannot be said about gold and fiat currencies.
It can protect purchasing power over time: Even though bitcoin has had its volatile past, with a long enough time horizon, it will most likely hold its purchasing power relative to other goods while fiat currencies will lose their value under the weight of their indebtedness. If in doubt, just take a look at what bitcoin has done when priced in highly devalued currencies such as Egyptian Pounds, Argentine Peso, Ukrainian Hryvnia and Nigerian Naira.
Industrial Use Cases
The Bitcoin blockchain offers the ability for two parties to send bitcoin back and forth albeit at slower speeds; this is by design as the Bitcoin blockchain is the most secure blockchain in existence. It is the base layer where other second layers are built on that solve for speed and other very innovative solutions. There are many examples of industrial use cases and below I highlight some that I believe to be solid drivers that will unlock even more value to the Bitcoin blockchain and thus its price:
Fiat over Lightning Network: A second layer built on top of the Bitcoin blockchain, the Lightning Network makes bitcoin transactions instant, no matter if the parties are next to each other or oceans away. By leveraging this network, two parties can transact using their own currencies, resulting in foreign exchange rates that could potentially be better than the rates offered by traditional financial rails; it is also faster and less bureaucratic. This would allow a business to pay for its raw materials by using its own currency while the foreign supplier would get paid in their own currency. No need to go through various currency conversions which end up being costly and time consuming.
Tokenization over Liquid Network: Another second layer on the Bitcoin blockchain, it can be used to issue and list digital assets. By leveraging this technology, a business can tap into markets that were out of its reach in the traditional system to either sell its goods or raise funds. A real estate developer can issue digital tokens to either raise funds for a new development or sell the digital ownership of its properties.
Miniscript for Institutional Custody: As bitcoin gains more institutional adoption, either for ETFs as we have recently witnessed or for any other use case, centralized custodians will have to improve their custodial practices as they now own more bitcoin with an ever-increasing price. Through a Bitcoin language called Miniscript, the custodial model is switched from bitcoin “lost forever” to “bitcoin recovered at a later time.” This is a setup whereby a large bitcoin custodian can have insurance that if they were to lose the keys to their bitcoin, the protocol itself would return that bitcoin at a predefined time in the future. This offers an extra layer of security to institutions that hold third-party funds, giving an extra piece of mind to end users and helping the bitcoin adoption.
Industrial uses cases do take more time to implement, but when they happen, they will truly unlock more value to bitcoin that has never been priced in before. I foresee the same price action repeating when this happens as to when the ETFs were launched and caused the massive bitcoin rally.

2024-02-18 21:48:56

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Self reliance is true freedom

2024-02-17 19:37:39

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Infinity/21M = fiat/Lightning.
I forsee a gradual transition of moving fiat currencies over LN (currently in development). End users won't even realize this, it will just be a more efficient and cheap mechanism to move money. Then a more permanent transition where offramping to fiat won't be necessary and sats are the preferred method of exchange.

2024-02-07 23:18:56

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Unfortunately the only solution (I can think of) at that point is to sell it all back through that same exchange and then rebuy via non-KYC, such as Bisq or Robosats.

2024-02-07 18:13:53

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End of financial privacy for the general, non-bitcoin population.
Ctrl + D money

2024-02-06 22:52:26

The Benefits and Risks of Stablecoins
Stablecoins are a digital representation of fiat currency which are used to move money cross-border, as cash equivalent by crypto traders and staked in various protocols to earn higher yields than in traditional banking. Stablecoins are the result of a very slow and contained fiat world and through their use, fiat scales to solve for speed and reach. If you take a Guatemalan Quetzal to Turkey, it will most likely be worthless; but if you take a stablecoin, there are higher chances that you will be able to convert it to Turkish Lira. If you were to send a wire transfer from Guatemala to Turkey, it would be extremely costly and time consuming- not to mention that it could be blocked. If instead you send stablecoins, they would be instantly received and could be converted for much cheaper to local currency.
There is another side to stablecoins that investors and everyday users need to be aware of:
- Their intrinsic value is based on the legacy financial system: Stablecoins derive their value from traditional financial assets such as treasuries, repurchase agreements, corporate bonds, cash, etc., all of which are subject to the persistent devaluation of the USD, which in turn transmit the devaluation to the stablecoins themselves.
- They can be censored: Stablecoin issuers have the power to block, censor and reverse transactions if they want or if mandated by a regulatory/court order. While this could be considered a good tool to fight illicit activities, this power could potentially be abused as well.
- Depegs: There have been several cases in the past where a stablecoin’s 1:1 peg is broken. In almost all cases the peg is restored, but this will continue to be a recurring phenomenon. Here are some examples:
USDC depegged from $1 to $0.86 when they announced that 8% of their overall funds backing the USDC token were held at Silicon Valley Bank, which failed in March 2023.
TerraUSD algorithmic stablecoin collapsed from $1 to $0.04 back in May 2022 and its market cap crashed from $41B as the Terra network lost all credibility of its high-yielding Anchor Protocol.
Tether has its history of trading at premiums and discounts throughout various exchanges as well. Some have been massive movements and others have been very small.
Stablecoins have had their role in onboarding more people into crypto and bitcoin but they also come with fine print. Investors and everyday users must be aware of the risks involved, especially in assets stating that their value is “pegged” to something else. Massive depegs can lead to holders losing part if not all of the value of the stablecoin if it never returns back parity; as was the case with TerraUSD.
On the other hand, bitcoin’s value is not pegged to anything else and even though it has experienced strong volatility, I foresee its price increasing and stabilizing into the future as a result of its gold-like, economic properties and its industrial use cases that can facilitate cross-border trade (more on this in the next post).

2024-02-03 00:00:20

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I feel you. At this point I am negative yielding with my LN node just to help the network gain traction (at least in my mind)

2024-01-30 13:02:43

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This is great, thanks for sharing

2024-01-22 23:32:28

Age of Empires, Bitcoin and Gold
History has proven that no empire can last forever and when its decline begins, things get very ugly. The empire then fights back harder, radical measures are taken in the interests of national security to try and extend its eventual demise. The world has witnessed many changes in world orders from the Chinese, to the Dutch, the British and currently, the US. In his book “Principles for Dealing with The Changing World Order,” Ray Dalio presents us with a graph demonstrating “The Relative Standing of Great Empires” (graph at the bottom).
His analysis takes into account various aspects that forge, strengthen and weaken an empire, such as education, innovation, military and others. While I find it hard to believe that China will be the next world order, it's very clear that the path the US has embarked on, especially as it relates to money printing and debt issuance is not helping its world standing or the credibility to the US dollar. Furthermore, it’s currently administered by a very polarized political system as well as dealing with other internal conflicts that it needs to urgently address if it wants to retain it global leadership position.
According to Dalio, one of the determinants of an empire entering its decline phase is when it carries large debts and prints money, as can be seen in his graph at the bottom of this note, depicting "The Rise, The Top and The Decline" of an empire.
The US is unfortunately in the phase where it has enjoyed decades of power, abundance and as issuer of the global reserve currency, it has lost sight of its true values and foundation that took it to the top. If this path continues, one of the unfortunate outcomes is the further weakening of the US dollar to the point where it might face a challenger. The US has reached a debt/GDP ratio of about 120%; a point where reversing course is not getting easier and the solution could be quite harsh. That transition period could be painful for fiat denominated investors; and it’s important to understand how one should hedge their fiat exposure.
Bitcoin alongside gold are two great hedging candidates and they both share and differ in their qualities. Even though gold has an extensive track record of holding its value across time, bitcoin shares the same qualities such as durability, fungibility and scarcity but also has its own such as divisibility, portability and verifiability. Aside from these, bitcoin goes further in that it can also be used at its protocol level to solve great pains of cross-border financial transactions. Using bitcoin for these transactions can lead to better foreign exchange rates than banks, it makes financial settlements instant and disintermediates money. This means that bitcoin can be used at an industrial scale, ready to solve real world problems. Although it currently trades as a speculative asset, bitcoin’s value is the sum of its economic qualities and its industrial use potential. Bitcoin is slowly on its way to be the main base layer for faster, cheaper and more open-access money.
It’s hard to fathom a world where the US is not the leader, but if/when that times comes we will all live a very turbulent economic environment where I foresee bitcoin and gold outperforming all other assets.
https://m.primal.net/HYqG.jpg
https://m.primal.net/HYqI.jpg

2024-01-17 22:57:35

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One of my favorite quotes:
"The pace of repression outstrips our ability to understand it."
- Andor, S1-E5 - The Axe Forgets

2024-01-15 16:21:56

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You need to listen to (if you haven't already) @npub14mc…frlx 's WBD podcast on Scaling BTC, they talk about many of the topics you mention in you note; its an awesome episode. Thanks as always for your great content.

2024-01-13 19:45:35

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Nice!
Posted this on other platforms and for some reason it didn't go through on Nostr. Had some of the same thoughts as your post:
The Bitcoin ETF
There are plenty of articles detailing the pros and cons about the bitcoin ETF from a investment vehicle’s perspective, but almost no articles about the pros and cons from a bitcoin perspective.
Why The ETF Is a Great Idea (for bitcoin, but not for investors):
- The run up to the ETF launch has indeed generated a lot of noise and news around bitcoin, which is quite positive for the asset itself. This has taken the bitcoin conversation from the dark and smoky rooms of its heyday to the family dinner table.
- While there is still not much regulatory clarity around bitcoin and digital assets in the US in general, the fact that there are several ETFs in the “soon to be approved stage,” could potentially bode well for the industry as a whole.
- The asset managers that have submitted their ETFs for approval are some of the biggest and most respected institutions out there. It’s “smart” money that has finally realized the potential that bitcoin has in terms of financial return and demand from investors.
- Bitcoin has gone from being called a tool that facilitates illicit activities to potentially becoming part of every investor’s diversified portfolio with full regulatory backing. This is the same as when nobody believed in the Internet when it was first launched.
Why It’s Better To Own Bitcoin Directly (and not via the ETF):
- When investors buy shares of the ETF, they are basically owning a piece of paper that says that it equals a certain amount of bitcoin, held in custody by a third party. Investors are trusting these third parties’ fiduciary responsibilities that they will keep their bitcoin safe.
- History has shown that no amount of rules and regulation can prevent these institutions from failing, and if they do, investors could be wiped out.
- The amount of bitcoin in custody by these institutions will become honeypots or targets for hackers. Bitcoin and digital asset hacks and exploits will always continue to happen. Investors are better off acquiring bitcoin themselves to then quietly and privately custody it themselves- this last part is understandably still very hard to do for the average investor; however companies like IBEX are here to also guide its clients how to self custody the right way.
- There is still a lot of uncertainty as to what regulation will be like in the US regarding bitcoin and digital assets. In a very dark and (hopefully) unlikely scenario, the US government could confiscate all bitcoin as they did with gold back in 1933 with the Executive Order 6102 as a way to fight the Great Depression. Given the current and massive debt levels of the US government, this scenario could potentially not be too far out.
It is of the utmost importance for anybody considering to invest in the bitcoin ETF to take their time to understand what self-custody is or find the right bitcoin companies, such as IBEX, to guide them.

2024-01-13 19:42:49

The Bitcoin ETF
There are plenty of articles detailing the pros and cons about the bitcoin ETF from a investment vehicle’s perspective, but almost no articles about the pros and cons from a bitcoin perspective.
Why The ETF Is a Great Idea (for bitcoin, but not for investors):
- The run up to the ETF launch has indeed generated a lot of noise and news around bitcoin, which is quite positive for the asset itself. This has taken the bitcoin conversation from the dark and smoky rooms of its early days to the family dinner table.
- While there is still not much regulatory clarity around bitcoin and digital assets in the US in general, the fact that there are several ETFs in the “soon to be approved stage,” could potentially bode well for the industry as a whole.
- The asset managers that have submitted their ETFs for approval are some of the biggest and most respected institutions out there. It’s “smart” money that has finally realized the potential that bitcoin has in terms of financial return and demand from investors.
- Bitcoin has gone from being called a tool that facilitates illicit activities to potentially becoming part of every investor’s diversified portfolio with full regulatory backing. This is the same as when nobody believed in the Internet when it was first launched.
Why It’s Better To Own Bitcoin Directly (and not via the ETF):
- When investors buy shares of the ETF, they are basically owning a piece of paper that says that it equals a certain amount of bitcoin, held in custody by a third party. Investors are trusting these third parties’ fiduciary responsibilities that they will keep their bitcoin safe.
- History has shown that no amount of rules and regulation can prevent these institutions from failing, and if they do, investors could be wiped out.
- The amount of bitcoin in custody by these institutions will become honeypots or targets for hackers. Bitcoin and digital asset hacks and exploits will always continue to happen. Investors are better off acquiring bitcoin themselves to then quietly and privately custody it themselves- this last part is understandably still very hard to do for the average investor; however companies like IBEX are here to also guide its clients how to self custody the right way.
- There is still a lot of uncertainty as to what regulation will be like in the US regarding bitcoin and digital assets. In a very dark and (hopefully) unlikely scenario, the US government could confiscate all bitcoin as they did with gold back in 1933 with the Executive Order 6102 as a way to fight the Great Depression. Given the current and massive debt levels of the US government, this scenario could potentially not be too far out.
It is of the utmost importance for anybody considering to invest in the bitcoin ETF to take their time to understand what self-custody is or find the right bitcoin companies, such as IBEX, to guide them.

2024-01-01 01:44:30

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FOSS.
GrapheneOS on mobiles, Linux on computers, private servers (@start9) to host all your data; all connected via Tor. People don't realize the cost of freely handing your data to third parties such as Google and Apple. When they do, the cost will be too great.
Self-reliance is true freedom.
The cost of privacy is convenience. Self hosting is not easy, but the cost of not doing it will be greater.

2023-11-26 23:54:01

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Well said

2023-11-25 18:52:25

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As @npub1a2c…w83a says, we are at the "now they fight you" stage.
So sorry you are going through this @npub1utx…50e8 and appreciate your transparency.

2023-11-23 02:15:24

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Which is why:
https://primal.net/e/note1mpwpg83her4a7aepjrgul2hr787hfc65zx3feuznjlshk6670tus9ewu8c

2023-11-22 04:09:16

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That's correct. I am quite happy to say I have never used ChatGPT. Been using FreeGPT (self hosted). Self reliance is true freedom

2023-11-22 04:06:22

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Your third point, the way to go. Self reliance is true freedom.

2023-11-13 13:55:14

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Yes

2023-11-09 21:21:48

Current Income and Bitcoin
We have reached a critical point where it is financially irresponsible to ignore Bitcoin; please refer to my previous post. Every investor must take their time to understand Bitcoin’s value and how to position it within an investment portfolio. While there are several ways to own bitcoin or at the very least have indirect exposure to it, one of the “drawbacks” we hear from the families we work with is that bitcoin does not generate income. With a long enough time horizon, bitcoin’s price appreciation could make any income needs irrelevant, but the reality is that many investors need income now rather than wait for the future appreciation.
No matter what happens to interest rates, the ever-growing amount of debt in the system and therefore the fate of the US dollar, income-focused investors need to allocate their portfolios accordingly to generate enough to meet their needs. Combining income-focused investments in traditional finance with bitcoin exposure is key to the composition of any income-focused portfolio. Although income is critical for a great number of investors, there must also be a certain exposure to bitcoin for its price appreciation potential, its revolutionary protocol that allows for a variety of financial and non-financial use cases and its natural hedge against a debt-laden system that has reached unprecedented levels with no signs of stopping.
After years of being anti-bitcoin, big Wall Street firms such as BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan and others have slowly started to reverse course and acknowledge that bitcoin requires attention and even an allocation within an investment portfolio. In his October 2023 investor memo, Howard Marks, a long-term distressed credit investor, emphasized the opportunity that credit investing presents given the current and future economic outlook as it relates to interest rates. What he failed to mention were the consequences of investing in credit within a heavily indebted world that is slowly heading towards a debt spiral. Adding bitcoin to the mix could bring a natural hedge against a very unhappy ending for credit, but in the meantime any investor should take advantage of higher rates, which as Marks mentioned “now approach or exceed the historical returns from equity.”
At IBEX DWM, we have identified partners that we believe have the most suitable strategies that combine credit with bitcoin. We want our families to take advantage of higher rates while simultaneously protecting that cash flow through bitcoin. Our families are used to investing in alternative investments such as private equity and credit and we are not looking to change that model, just add the forward looking component of bitcoin’s disruptive potential and natural hedge, which in the words of BlackRock’s CEO Larry Fink, “has digitized gold.”

2023-11-09 04:38:40

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any specific reason why not SoundCloud?

2023-11-07 21:53:24

Here’s why after more than 10 years of working in traditional finance I decided to dedicate my professional career and life to Bitcoin:
Developing economies need a faster, cheaper and more efficient financial system than what is currently available to them. The current and most promising solutions out there are all based on the legacy financial system which has proven to be slow, expensive, bureaucratic and not available to a great percentage of the world’s population- which needs it the most.
Throughout history, financial institutions have leveraged technology to move money across borders in ways believed to be the most efficient. From the mid-20th century, banks communicated via Telex machines only to be replaced by the SWIFT cooperative utility in 1977, which has not had a revolutionary upgrade ever since.
This is where Bitcoin comes in, as a protocol (or “blockchain”) and as a currency. Bitcoin with a capital “B” refers to the blockchain, whereas bitcoin with a lowercase “b” refers to the currency. The difference between these two is quite important and most people pretend to understand the value of bitcoin and not Bitcoin.
The following is a comparison of layered-based systems across time (with a visual representation at the bottom):
1977, SWIFT: is the base layer upon which the global banking system communicates using its protocol to move money around the world. SWIFT can very loosely be compared to an early version of a blockchain: transactions are submitted by various participants, following the protocol’s rules and these transactions are recorded and stored forever.
2006, Google Translate: is the service functioning as the base layer upon which English is the execution language used to convert to and from other languages.
2008, the Bitcoin Blockchain: is the base layer upon which the Lightning Network communicates using its protocol to move money around the world [same sentence as SWIFT in 1977, written like this on purpose]. Bitcoin is much more efficient and cheaper than SWIFT in that it allows transfers for much smaller amounts and with minute-long settlements rather than hours or days, in local currencies.
Up until now, bitcoin has been traded as a risk asset, being bought alongside stocks when there is optimism in the economy and being sold when investors panic. If there was a deeper understanding of the value within the Bitcoin Protocol (or “Blockchain”), there would be far more buying and much less selling constantly, indefinitely.
This is just one of the use cases for the Bitcoin Blockchain. It is analogous to the Internet Protocol (HTTPS/TCP/IP). If you could have bought shares of “the Internet Protocol” when it first started, what would be the value of those shares today? (Hint: Everything runs on the Internet today).
Owning bitcoin is the equivalent of owning “shares” of a Protocol that is becoming as or even more disruptive than the Internet Protocol itself.
https://m.primal.net/HPdm.jpg

2023-11-04 03:45:15

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идемооо!!

2023-08-30 21:12:11

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Thanks for this reminder