I’m increasingly feeling like it’s time to move back to America. The DC area is grinding on me. When you live and work in DC, it almost doesn’t matter who is in the White House, or who controls Congress. There’s a rhythm to it that invariably funnels you toward a certain way of living. Not to mention it’s too crowded, too expensive, and everyone is really important - just ask them! Where to go, #AskNostr? I grew up in NY, not going back there. I like the idea of the west, a place like Boise? Or there’s always the Nashville area. I dig the vibe there.

Long first day back after the holidays. GN #Nostr.

Happy new year #Nostr. Wishing you all health and happiness in 2025.

Merry Christmas fellow Nostriches! Thanks for helping to make 2024 a banger of a year. Wishing you all health and happiness as we look toward 2025.

Fair to say that @L0la L33tz points aren’t lost on any bitcoiner. But I think it is also important to remember that BPI is writing to a specific audience, policy makers whose job is to think about what is in the country’s best interest. Matt Pines is one of Bitcoin’s most effective advocates on the policy front. I think in this piece he is speaking to policy makers in a language they understand. And he articulates the case for the SBR as well as anyone. Zooming out, if we accept the basic premise that actions are determined largely by incentives, we must consider that should an SBR be realized, and thus bitcoin were to become part of the larger policy-making machine, the incentives that optimize bitcoin’s strengths would ultimately influence that policy making machine. We talk a lot about how the perverted incentives of the fiat system have caused a litany of problems, all well discussed by Bitcoiners. We often refer to Bitcoin as the “apex predator” that will consume the traditional financial system and break all the models. If we believe that, we should be looking for ways to make bitcoin a larger part of the overall financial system, to find ways for it to take root in the political consciousness of policy makers. There are perfectly reasonable arguments among friends about the merits of the SBR. Having spent a few years in government, I understand how incentives push policy makers toward positions, good and bad. If we are confident in Bitcoin’s promise to rebuild the incentives of a broken system in a more fair manner, I offer that bringing bitcoin into the heart of that system offers the best opportunity to realize that opportunity. View quoted note →

I am not of the “one book changed my life” tendency. Maybe I’ve become too cynical….ahem….skeptical. But I do believe there are works that compel you to try. I’m working my way through “The Matter of Things” by Iain McGilchirst. It’s not light reading, but if you give this book your attention and aren’t profoundly affected by it….I think you missed it. The two volumes are ca 1500 pages. But I promise those many pages will grip you.

I had a BUSY couple weeks and was off #Nostr. Now that I'm back, I realize...I kinda missed it! 🥲

My daughter just saw my computer desktop and asked "What the heck is all that?" It all makes sense to me....more or less🤔

If you find yourself in #Prague, definitely find time to visit the people at Paralelni Polis. Great cafe, available work spaces, and you’ll randomly meet some great people. And of course, pay for everything in #Bitcoin ! https://paralelnipolis.cz/en/

Second Culture

Second Culture

Second Culture is a Berlin-style coworking space, versatile venue, and café in Prague – fostering creativity and community in an innovative urba...

They also sell some cool stuff.

Would welcome any recommendations for a place to grab a beer in Prague that accepts bitcoin. Thanks! #asknostr #prague #bitcoin #praha

You don’t have give a damn about Ethereum to appreciate how important the Tornado Cash decision is for #Bitcoin and #freedomtech in general. Times are changing. We’re winning - but we haven’t won. Nonetheless, celebrate victories like this. This is a good day for developers - and thus a good day for all of us.

X (formerly Twitter)

Matt Corva (@MattCorva) on X

The 5th Cir. Court of Appeals ruling in favor of plaintiffs challenging the prior addition of Tornado Cash smart contracts to sanctions list pursua...

GM🫡 My daughter is home from college. Last night she saw me scrolling through #Nostr, asked what it was and whether it was the same as X. Fortunately she has been spared the social media obsession that has afflicted much of her generation. She gets the nature of the deal with the devil users make with social media companies when they use those products. What really caught her attention was Zaps, reminding me how radical an idea they are to someone not already playing in this space. So we scrolled through my Zaps and sent a few sats out to show how stupid simple it is for the user. This scroll through Zaps provoked a question I didn’t expect - who is @ODELL and why does he send you so much money? What do you say? I told her he was a man on a mission to make #Nostr available to everyone. She’s now the second #Primal user in the family!

Had drinks with an old buddy tonight. Sign of the bull market, he asked me about #Bitcoin. Apparently he’s done some reading, gets the basics of why most of us find ourselves here. But he was stuck on the fact that he couldn’t drop $100k in cash to buy one coin. There’s a lot of talk about the need to be a whole coiner, often causing people to infer that if that is out of reach, there’s no point in getting in. What my friend hadn’t heard was that enjoying the benefits of #bitcoin doesn’t require a number….there are no mandatory minimums in this club. Rather, what gets you your membership card is changing how you prioritize your money and time. My friend is well off, if probably not a bit leveraged like most other people. My point to him was, even if you only have $5 to spare a day, if you decide that Bitcoin is how you want to save that money, you’re in. He got it. And I’m certain that once he makes that commitment, and his understanding of what Bitcoin offers him and his family matures, he’ll really learn to appreciate that even those few dollars a day or week he might be able to invest will change his life in ways he has until now been unable to anticipate.

Been noodling this…is Trump a fourth turning or first turning figure? I guess it depends on how the next year goes. Welcome everyone’s thoughts. #bitcoin #asknostr