Great write-up from @Svetski 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:

X (formerly Twitter)

Svetski (@SvetskiWrites) on X

So what is this Nostr thing? In light of the ridiculous arrest of the telegram founder, a bunch of people have been sharing their nPubs and saying...

What is this Nostr thing everyone

So what is this Nostr thing? In light of the ridiculous arrest of the telegram founder, a bunch of people have been sharing their nPubs and saying ...

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 @Start9, @GrapheneOS 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.

A quick summary of the main challenges of the current financial system when it comes to cross-border trade and settlement: 🍀 Financial throttling: Money cannot move faster than the archaic rails on which it currently runs. Upgrades are on the way, but as overlays on the same antiquated system. 🤡 Siloed ecosystems: National and regional “instant” payment networks that do not interoperate or communicate beyond their predefined geographies. 🧨 Bank driven separation of value transfer and settlement: Increased credit risk and single points of failure as value transfer and settlement are two separate transactions when they no longer should be. 😎 The Bitcoin blockchain and the Lightning Network fix this: It allows for the value transfer and settlement as a single, instant transaction without exposure to bitcoin’s volatility, while making payment networks interoperable.

One of the banks allowing clients to hold paper bitcoin (ETFs). It's WILD how backwards this statement is. I want to have excessive bitcoin exposure and little to no bank exposure. 😂 😂 😂

@jb55 this is a great podcast I listen to about space:

Spotify

Ask a Spaceman!

Podcast · Paul M. Sutter · You've got questions and astrophysicist Paul M. Sutter has answers - every episode you will come closer to complete kn...

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!

Will there be any net positive benefits to society if the Google breakup is successful, @L0la L33tz ?

The Bitcoin Banking Model Global financial institutions operate with a “guilty until proven innocent” model when onboarding clients. We all need to prove, via documentation, that our source of wealth is legitimate and that we will represent a net benefit to the bank. This is the unfortunate reality we live in as a result of illicit activities carried out by some and that banks try to prevent. By contrast, Bitcoin is built with a “innocent until proven guilty” model, where cheaters are prevented or ejected by the protocol itself. When things get bad in Global South countries, banks tend to pull out as a result of their “guilty until proven innocent” model, leaving behind a trail of unbanked individuals, families and businesses in their time of need. Bitcoin does not pull out, it is constantly on, serving as a financial lifeboat to those that need it the most, from putting bread on the table to buying raw materials for their business.

I got really excited recently, when I got this notification until seconds later I realized it was a fake Lyn 😂 😂 😂 Hopefully one day the real @Lyn Alden will follow me 😉

Bitcoin is Digital Gold for Global Transaction Settlement A Bloomberg article saying bitcoin is not digital gold is wrong; they’ve completely misunderstood what that means. Bitcoin is digital gold for settlement, it allows counter parties to transfer value AND settle at the same time. Currently, the traditional financial industry transfers value and then settles with a delay, such as T+1, T+2 or longer. This widens foreign exchange spreads, creates unnecessary credit risk, generates idle pools of capital and slows down the pace of global commerce. Bitcoin can and is being used to convert from one currency to another in a manner that is instant (thanks to the Lightning Network), removing credit risk, tightening spreads and allowing corporate capital to be allocated more efficiently to speed up trade. It’s reach goes further than traditional finance since it can handle transactions of almost all sizes in a cost-efficient manner.

We live in a world of financial throttling, where money’s flow is capped by the capacity of the existing financial rails. Not only is it throttled but also heavily intermediated, siloed and costly; these are more pronounced in the developing world unfortunately. Existing financial rails can be combined with the Bitcoin blockchain and the Lightning Network to make them faster, cheaper and interoperable. This powerful combination has the potential to bring finance to anybody and everybody; whether its an individual a business or a sovereign nation.

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.

This is a great write-up by @Lyn Alden

Lyn Alden

The Power of Nostr: Decentralized Social Media and More

Published: July 2024 It would be powerful if you could bring your digital identity, content, and followers from one social ecosystem, such as Twitt...

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:

2024 Republican Party Platform | The American Presidency Project

Bitcoin is the best way to transact and to protect purchasing power over time. Let’s see how this develops.

The urge to drink on a Sunday and rebalance channels