I'm sure you have heard the claim that without inflation and the good people running the counterfeit machine, people would never spend money and it would cause an economic crisis. But have you ever seriously considered what the consequences of encouraging consumption and materialist economic activity might actually be, and whether we really need to subsidize the human desire to use up resources? What if it degrades the very process by which we even determine what our resources are worth to begin with? It's time for a Guy's Take episode.

Listen to the recent read by Hulsmann to understand the foundations of this episode

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"And were an epitaph to be my story I'd have a short one ready for my own. I would have written of me on my stone: I had a lover's quarrel with the world."

~ Robert Frost

"Whether you're a rekt crypto bro or a friend of fiat, there is one thing that is especially difficult to accept. The one thing that sets Bitcoin apart: it all works without anyone in charge."

~ Gigi

The crypto and fiat bros of the world are likely in shock as Bitcoin, once again, has not died. Once again, rallies toward all time highs despite the clear "unbacked tulip mania bubble" that it really is if you ask the typical fiat and crypto minded. I think it's valuable to go back to a piece written by the ever-thought provoking mind of DerGigi in the very heart of the bear market. How could it be so clear that we were headed back here? What could lead to such conviction? What do we understand, that others don't? Find out in today's excellent read.

Check out the original article at Dear Crypto & Fiat Bros. (Link: https://tinyurl.com/5n9byjh9)

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“Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.”

~ Dr. Seuss

The only way to protect yourself from closed, surveilled AI tools, is to use the open and private alternatives. When NVK couldn't find them, he decided to build them. Unleashed.chat begins to realize the potentially for open source LLMs to compete with ChatGPT and make use of unique means to fine-tune and leverage vectorized data for higher accuracy and relevance to the tasks of the user. What goes into building a set of tools like this, and why are they so desperately needed? Find out in today's chat with NVK.

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Education & HomeSchooling

"It might feel as if the promised future is perpetually out of reach, but building Lightning is a lot like climbing a mountain. Climbers never really see the summit until they’re standing on top of it. They often can’t even see over the next ridge. Planning the ascent is important, but most of the time you’re simply concentrating on the next foothold. But the steps add up. Just like the view from the top is the reward for all that effort, a brighter monetary future will be our reward for building the network bit by bit."

~ Roy Sheinfeld

Today we dive into a short read covering an interesting technical challenge, but touches on a hint of truth that makes for a fascinating commentary to follow. It is easy to get lost and see where Bitcoin's potential hasn't lived up to impossible promises, but its critical that we not lose sight of where we have come from. To have a perspective rooted in reality weighing our progress from where we actually came, not lost in a foolish expectation and comparing to a falsely remembered past. Let's dive into a great little piece from Roy Sheinfeld, CEO at Breez.

Check out the original article at The Past, Present, and Future of Offline Payments. (Link: http://tinyurl.com/mtmvatbx)

Mentioned in the episode

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“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorns have roses.”

~ Alphonse Karr

"Izzy said there could be inflation in a hyperbitcoinized world. And she's right. Calm down, maxis, calm down! Explaining why this is true sheds light on yet another of Bitcoin’s quasi-magical properties and paints our hyperbitcoinized future an even rosier shade of orange. This is good for Bitcoin."

~ Allen Farrington

This may seem crazy, heretical even, but inflation can occur in a hyperbitcoinized world. How could that possibly be? When there's only ever 21 million BTC? Is this nothing but fiat nonsense, or does it clarify an important distinction while at the same time revealing the absurdity of a major keynesian economic model? Listen to Allen Farrington's 2021 piece on the topic today to find out.

Check out the original article at Inflation In A Hyperbitcoinized World (Link: http://tinyurl.com/yeyp6mk4)

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"It's the questions we can't answer that teach us the most. They teach us how to think. If you give a man an answer, all he gains is a little fact. But give him a question and he'll look for his own answers."

~ Patrick Rothfuss, The Wise Man's Fear

"I'm super confident that lightning is not just the present but also the future of lightning. It is the interoperability layer between all things Bitcoin." ~ Roy Sheinfeld

What is the future of the lightning network and how is it transforming the Bitcoin ecosystem? Today we take a journey with Roy Sheinfeld of Breez, diving into the latest innovations in lightning, exploring the Breeze SDK, liquidity management, and the path and place that lightning will have in an open, permissionless monetary ecosystem. Find out more about Bitcoins' scaling challenges and how we can use the tools today, to build the future we seek.

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"By the end of 2024, everyone will have tools easily available to them that will allow them to create any video they want by simply typing in a description and hitting generate."

~ Guy Swann 

Are we on the brink of a revolution where anyone can create blockbuster-quality videos from their bedroom? Discover how the latest AI breakthroughs in 2024 are dismantling the barriers to professional filmmaking and what this might mean for truth, politics, and storytelling. What will the world look like when reality itself can be engineered with a few clicks? 

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Education & HomeSchooling

"The foregoing considerations are by no means an exhaustive account of the cultural and spiritual legacy of fiat inflation. But they should suffice to substantiate the main point: that fiat inflaiton is a powerhouse of social, economic, cultural, and spiritual destruction."

Fiat inflation is more than a hidden tax on everyday folks—it's the fuel for the worst parts of our system, feeding both the war monster overseas and a creeping police state at home. It fosters a culture where impulsive, harmful choices are rewarded, punishing those who live sensibly and plan for tomorrow. It's a thief that strips us of our wealth, our values, and our spirit. Dive into today's must-read from Jorg Guido Hulsmann at the Mises Institute, and see the society rotting symptoms of the fiat disease.

Check out Jorg Guido Hulsmann's article:

Don't forgot to follow and boost on Fountain (Link: https://www.fountain.com/)

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“Don’t pay attention to ‘authorities’, think for yourself.”

~ Richard P. Feynman

"During the peak transaction fee times over the past month, our example transaction would be dust even for .001 BTC. That’s a little less than $50 at current market conditions. This feels incredible. 100,000 sats suddenly turned into dust. Gone. Unusable. This is terrifying."

~ Joe Rodgers

While we have a short respite from the crazy fees that have hit the Bitcoin world recently, there couldn't be a more important time to discuss the cost of moving UTXOs and just how to manage your bitcoin balances so they don't get swallowed by high fees. Have you analyzed your bitcoin balances and transactions to know where you stand? Have you consolidated your weekly purchases? Don't let your bitcoin turn to dust, listen to today's episode to learn how to protect yourself.

Check out the original article at To Dust You Shall Return. (Link: http://tinyurl.com/kmuw7bn9)

Links to other things mentioned in the shownotes

Bitcoin Audible - Read_791 - Rethinking Lightning (Link: http://tinyurl.com/3j8yke2d)

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“The reason most people fail instead of succeed is they trade what they want most for what they want at the moment.”

~ Napoleon Bonaparte

We had an awesome chat on Twitter Spaces where we discuss the launch of Pear Runtime, bringing Paolo Arduino, Mathias Buus, David Markclem, Samson Mow, and Giacomo Zucco!

We dig into what this could mean for the future of application development, the impact it will have on the tech industry, how it could disrupt monetization models, how this could be used in gaming, journalism, social media, et al, the control it will shift back to the user, and about ushering in the second coming of the peer to peer web. This is a huge moment for P2P, don't miss this chat!

Don't forget to check out the many links and tools available to explore this incredible tech!

Join the Keet room with the Pear Community (Link: https://pears.com/contact/)

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“Your beliefs become your thoughts, Your thoughts become your words, Your words become your actions, Your actions become your habits, Your habits become your values, Your values become your destiny.”

~ Gandhi