It's time to accept some hard truths. Today we are going to challenge some common assumptions about Bitcoin's scalability, privacy, and transaction fees. Is Bitcoin really even global peer-to-peer cash for everyone? Is privacy even still in the cards for Bitcoin? Is there anything left in crypto at all? And what will be the future nature of fees when Bitcoin is a global dominant store of value, and is there an analogous market can we explore today for insight into what this market may look like in the coming decades? It's time for a Guy's take episode...


Links to check out
- Bitcoin 2024 conference (Link: https://b.tc/conference/2024)
- Situational Awareness series on AI Unchained (Link: https://tinyurl.com/33rpewj2)
- Ark Labs (Link: https://arklabs.to/)
- Fedimint (Link: https://fedimint.org/)

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“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” ~ Rumi

"I really wanted to screen share stuff with people and make it as easy as possible and I got fed up. So I was just like, okay, you know, let's throw this up and let's stick on a nostr log in and let's add lightning zaps to it as a starting point. It was pushed out a bit prematurely, but... I think a lot of people want to use it.. they want a way to talk to other people where you're not really getting tracked.
We want to be able to provide a space where people don't feel like there's some Googly eyes watching whatever they're talking about. And I don't want to know either... the way I think about this is if someone comes along and subpoenas penis that server, there's nothing there."
~ BitKarrot

What if the future of the internet lies in decentralized, peer-to-peer technologies? In this wide-ranging conversation with BitKarrot, explore the challenges and opportunities of building open-source projects in the Bitcoin and Nostr ecosystems. From the intricacies of monetization to the potential of AI integration, discover how developers are working to create a more private, sovereign internet experience. But can these grassroots efforts compete with the centralized tech giants, and what hurdles must be overcome to achieve mass adoption?

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"Reliably controlling AI systems much smarter than we are is an unsolved technical problem. And while it is a solvable problem, things could very easily go off the rails during a rapid intelligence explosion. Managing this will be extremely tense; failure could easily be catastrophic."
~ Leopold Aschenbrenner

As we approach a potential intelligence explosion and the birth of superintelligence, how can we ensure AI remains beneficial and aligned with the goals of furthering humanity, while navigating the complex geopolitical landscape? And what role will the United States play in shaping the future of AI governance and global security?

Check out the original article by Leopold Aschenbrenner at situational-awareness.ai. (Link: https://tinyurl.com/jmbkurp6)

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“The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.”  ~ Isaac Asimov

"Only the giant corporations are gonna have this and anybody less than a billion dollars, these won't exist. And that was scary, I was like, this can undo what Bitcoin is doing unless we get ahead of this. Luckily I actually now think that despite the fact that there will elements of centralizing forces in AI, this will contribute more to the diseconomies of scale of the giant corporate setup and the government institutions in the sense that the bigger you are, the less it helps you."
~ Guy Swann

I had the pleasure of chatting with Preston Pysh about the fascinating intersection of AI, Bitcoin, and identity. This conversation dives deep into the transformative potential of AI and its implications for the future of decentralized systems. We explore how AI can synthesize vast amounts of information and discuss why AI models might become a decentralizing force. We also delve into the incentives driving data accumulation and why starting AI models from scratch isn't the optimal approach. Additionally, I share my thoughts on Sam Altman's World Coin and the growing connection between identity and AI, including how to navigate this pairing. Finally, we touch on the necessity of immediate settlement for AI advancements. Tune in to explore these compelling topics and more!

Original episode on The Investor's Podcast Network (Link: https://tinyurl.com/yc7anptk)

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"The former Speaker predicts "The dollar will suffer a major confidence shock” and as a result asks, “What can be done?” His immediate answer is to “start by taking stablecoins seriously.” Dollar-backed stablecoins are arriving as “an important net purchaser of U.S. government debt,” with stablecoin issuers now the 18th largest holder of US Debt. Ryan goes on to say that “if fiat-backed dollar stablecoin issuers were a country,” that nation “would sit just outside the top 10 in countries holding Treasurys,” still less than Hong Kong but “larger than Saudi Arabia,” our former partner in the petrodollar system."
~Mark Goodwin & Whitney Webb

In the shadowy world where finance meets technology, a select group of powerful players are shaping the future of money itself. From the founding of Visa to the halls of Harvard and the US Treasury, follow the intricate web connecting Wences Casares' bitcoin vault Xapo to Wall Street giants and former government officials. As regulatory battles loom, will this new financial paradigm strengthen or undermine traditional banking and government control? Find out in Part 2 of Chain of Custody.

Check out the original article at The Chain of Custody: The "Mafia" Holding The Elite's Bitcoin (Link:https://tinyurl.com/29v5tvy3) 

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"Much like the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders program has facilitated the placement of its trained, ideological allies in positions of top political power around the world, groups like Endeavor and their equivalents help ensure that similarly controlled business leaders dominate the private sector and become the public face of emerging market monopolies that are, ultimately, part of a broader network." ~ Mark Goodwin & Whitney Webb

What if a network of powerful governments and billionaires were quietly digging their tentacles into emerging markets around the world to hold sway over a publci-private partnership that shaped policies and governance around the world? Today we dive into a complex web of connections linking tech giants, "philanthropists," intelligence agencies and more to a broader network of institutions vying for control over the markets and political systems of developing countries the world over, and who have sunk their teeth into the Bitcoin world as well. A wild investigation by Mark Goodwin and Whitney Webb that is not to be missed.

Check out the original article at The Chain of Custody: The "Mafia" Holding The Elite's Bitcoin (Link: https://tinyurl.com/yu4958p5)

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“Think before you speak. Read before you think.” ~ Fran Lebowitz

What if the race to AGI isn't just about code, but a massive industrial mobilization? As AI capabilities grow exponentially, will we see trillion-dollar compute clusters and unprecedented energy demands? And in this high-stakes competition, how critical is securing AI secrets from rival nations? This episode delves into these questions, exploring the potential challenges and geopolitical implications of rapid AI advancement.

Check out the original article by Leopold Aschenbrenner at situational-awareness.ai. (Link: https://tinyurl.com/jmbkurp6)

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"You eliminate 99% of the attack surface to a single moment in time, which is the beginning. And when you do that, would-be attackers are forced to take risks and make mistakes. You know, when someone is planning on doing election fraud, this doesn't mean that it's impossible for them to do it. But it narrows the window so much that they are likely going to mess up. And when they mess up, you catch them." ~ Carlino

When people usually talk about alternative bitcoin "utility" they often mean NFTs, trash tokens, and "jpegs on the blockchain." But what if there really is another utility, one that doesn't suffer the damaging externalities and is closer to the core of what the timechain really is? Could Bitcoin protect the integrity of national elections? Diving into groundbreaking case study from Guatemala, we explore this idea with Carlino. Can this revolutionary approach be applied globally to ensure transparent and tamper-proof democratic processes?

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"Submarine Swaps employ hash time-locked contracts (HTLCs), which in layperson’s terms, enable two transactions (both sides of the swap) to happen simultaneously by linking them together cryptographically inside of a smart contract. Using this technology, there is no way for one exchange to occur without the other occurring at the same moment.

This is the most trustless solution that exists for moving sats between Bitcoin layers." ~ Frank Corva

What role do trustless bridges play in connecting Bitcoin's various layers? Dive into the world of Boltz, a non-custodial exchange service that's quietly revolutionizing how we move Bitcoin between the base chain, Lightning Network, and Liquid. Discover how atomic swaps and submarine swaps are making cross-layer transfers more efficient and seamless. What implications do they hold for the future of Bitcoin's layered ecosystem?

Check out the original article at Between Bitcoin Layers: Boltz Builds Trustless Transfers (Link: https://tinyurl.com/3rv7xuar)

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“The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.” ~ William Shakespeare

"Whatever your setup is for storing the majority of your bitcoin - be it hot or cold, online or offline, software or hardware - if you can access and spend it in a matter of minutes, so can a robber armed with a $5 wrench. The _price_ for convenience is risk**. This is not merely a theoretical scenario; I have cataloged over 50 physical attacks against bitcoin users, including myself!" ~ Jameson Lopp

How can you protect your Bitcoin from physical attacks and ensure its safety in a world where even a $5 wrench can be a threat? In this episode, we start our way into Jameson Lopp's comprehensive guide on safeguarding your Bitcoin from coercion, exploring practical strategies and multi-layered security measures. Discover why privacy, multi-sig setups, and geographic separation of keys are crucial in the fight against physical threats to your crypto assets.

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“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” ~ Sun Tzu, The Art of War