"Since 2017, bitcoin has been Stone Ridge’s treasury reserve asset because of my extreme aversion to risk. We run net short USD – which is fancy way of saying we net borrow fiat - to pay bills and make investments. We save in bitcoin. It would be impossible to overstate the corporate advantages of being on the Bitcoin Standard. Since 2017, we’ve doubled our franchises to ten, more than 10x’d our trading profits, and delivered 25% annualized ROE for our shareholders. Our firm compensation, rent, and total expenses are up 89%, 119%, and 69%, respectively, in fiat, and down 36%, 26%, and 43%, respectively, in bitcoin."
~ Ross Stevens


Today we dive into the Stone Ridge Investor Letter for 2023, sharing wisdom on staying grounded and grateful, exploring long term investment perspectives, and dropping bombs regarding the foolishness of being on the fiat standard, and the incredible advantage of having a bitcoin treasury. This is a great read, not to be missed. A shout to Ross Stevens for the incredible work he is doing. 

Check out the original article at Stone Ridge 2023 Investor Letter (Link: http://tinyurl.com/j4serp6v)


References

 Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones (Audible Audio Edition): James Clear, James Clear, Penguin Audio: Audible Books & Originals (Link: https://a.co/d/9RjwN0r)
 CryptoQuikRead_163 - A Cypherpunk's Manifesto [Eric Hughes] (Link: https://fountain.fm/episode/tOjGsxzRKlYyH7XOi79a)
  Wolf Bitcoin Accelerator in NYC - Leadership (Link: https://wolfnyc.com/leadership)



Host Links

  Guy on Nostr (Link: https://tinyurl.com/yc376bff)
  Guy on X (Link: https://twitter.com/theguyswann)
  Bitcoin Audible on X (Link: https://twitter.com/BitcoinAudible)



Check out our awesome sponsors!

  Get 9% off the COLDCARD with code BITCOINAUDIBLE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(Link: bitcoinaudible.com/coldcard⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)
  Swan: The best way to buy, learn, and earn #Bitcoin (Link: https://swanbitcoin.com)



“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
~ Albert Einstein

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Read_788 - Stone Ridge 2023 Investor Letter

The Best in Bitcoin made Audible.
Guy Swann makes the knowledge of Bitcoin, the world's most secure, independent money, accessible to everyone. Exploring Bitcoin from an investment perspective, economic analysis, its philosophical foundations, &amp; technological primitives. Reading and distilling thousands of hours of others' works on Bitcoin, Guy explains everything you need to know.

Technology

Tech News

Podcasting

Gadgets

Software How-To

"The Samurai wallet developers have been arrested. The government has responded with their opposition to the motion of dismissal in the tornado cash case. Phoenix wallet has withdrawn from the United States. Does one need to have control over the funds to be a money transmitter? Is the lightning network, is Bitcoin, is even self-custody and your home node illegal?


The past week or so in Bitcoin has seen a flood of new developments, unfortunate events and clarifications and demands from government regulatory agencies. And it has quite clearly spooked a lot of people in the Bitcoin industry. What does it all mean and how should we respond? It's time for a guys take episode."


I took on a whirlwind of pressing issues facing the Bitcoin ecosystem amid a slew of government actions that appear to target privacy and financial sovereignty. What does the arrest of the Samurai wallet developers, the exodus of Phoenix wallet from the U.S., and the broader implications for Bitcoin's legal landscape mean for the future of digital privacy and self-custody? I dissected these developments with a critical eye, questioning the balance between regulatory oversight and the fundamental right to privacy. Tune in for a deep dive into the legal, technical, and societal impacts of these unfolding events.


References from the episode:

 David Zell's tweet (Link: https://tinyurl.com/22ppa7yt)



Host Links

 Guy on Nostr (Link: http://tinyurl.com/2xc96ney)
  Guy on X (Link: https://twitter.com/theguyswann)
  Guy on Instagram (Link: https://www.instagram.com/theguyswann/)
  Guy on TikTok (Link: https://www.tiktok.com/@theguyswann)
  Guy on YouTube (Link: https://www.youtube.com/@theguyswann)
  ⁠Bitcoin Audible on X⁠ (Link: https://twitter.com/BitcoinAudible)



Check out our awesome sponsors!

  Get 10% off the COLDCARD with code BITCOINAUDIBLE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(Link: bitcoinaudible.com/coldcard⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)
  Swan: The best way to buy, learn, and earn #Bitcoin (Link: https://swanbitcoin.com)



"I have to remind myself that some birds aren't meant to be caged. Their feathers are just too bright. And when they fly away, the part of you that knows it was a sin to lock them up does rejoice. But still, the place you live in is that much more drab and empty that they're gone. I guess I just missed my friend."
~ Red, Shawshank Redemption

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Guy's Take_085 - They Are Coming

"The internet assumed NOTHING and it won because it had the basic, robust, open building blocks upon which all the innovation actually occurred. The same thing has happened with Bitcoin over the last 15 years and is now starting to happen with Nostr.
And it’s right on time, because the gateways to the internet have centralized to such a degree that the very topography of the web is changing. Access to this open bazaar is being threatened because the applications who were once gateways, have started to become gatekeepers.
To fix this, and to fundamentally fix the internet, we need to upgrade the Internet stack and establish a new suite of superior products, services and applications that compete on value, not on gatekeeper economics.
~ Aleks Svetski


How did we get from the open, decentralized bazaar that was the internet protocol, to the centralized, platform siloed experience we find ourselves in today? And by discovering how we got here, can we begin to see the path to getting out of the trap we have wandered into? Today we have an incredible article and concept brought to us by author, entrepreneur, and regular guest on the show, Alek Svetski on something they discovered in their process of building a Bitcoin LLM (Spirit of Satoshi), and how it uncovered a value case for Nostr that may very well change the nature of what we can build. You do not want to miss this read and my take to follow, I promise. Let's dive in!

Check out the original article at Reviewing Reviews (Link: https://tinyurl.com/4dxmvtes)


References from the show:

 Spirit of Satoshi (Link: https://www.spiritofsatoshi.ai/)
 #010 - Tools for Running Local LLMs (Link: https://fountain.fm/episode/x3kYiyPzYsCA2nOLoh0O)
  #012 - A Big Leap Forward for Local LLMs (Link: https://fountain.fm/episode/X7FwvJWqXDaQA4E2MUgV)
  Amber App (Link: https://amber.app/)



Guest Links

  Aleks Svetski on X (Link: https://twitter.com/svetskiwrites)
  Aleks Svetski on Nostr (Link: https://tinyurl.com/3y992h32)
  Aleks Svetski Website (Link: https://svetski.info/)



Host Links

  Guy on Nostr (Link: http://tinyurl.com/2xc96ney)
  Guy on X (Link: https://twitter.com/theguyswann)
  Guy on Instagram (Link: https://www.instagram.com/theguyswann/)
  Guy on TikTok (Link: https://www.tiktok.com/@theguyswann)
  Guy on YouTube (Link: https://www.youtube.com/@theguyswann)
  ⁠Bitcoin Audible on X⁠ (Link: https://twitter.com/BitcoinAudible)



Check out our awesome sponsors!

  Get 10% off the COLDCARD with code BITCOINAUDIBLE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(Link: bitcoinaudible.com/coldcard⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)
  Swan: The best way to buy, learn, and earn #Bitcoin (Link: https://swanbitcoin.com)
  Get 50,000 free sats, plus sats back on everything you buy by signing up with Fold and the Spin+ Debit Card. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(Link: bitcoinaudible.com/fold⁠)
  Check out the KYC Free, simple, no management, Bitcoin merchant solution - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nodeless.io⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Use my link to go to nodeless.io/guy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and setup your donation page for free, then share it out on nostr/Twitter and tag me, and I'll throw 10,000 sats your way!



“But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.”  
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Read_818 - Reviewing Reviews

"As we discussed in Entering the Bitcoin Renaissance, our last edition, Lightning Labs CEO and Co-Founder Elizabeth Stark told The Block, “a major narrative of the next cycle will be the bitcoin renaissance, and it has already begun in full swing.” Only a few months later, and that is proving to be quite prescient!"
~Ryan Gentry


Today we dive into a piece from Lightning Labs, "The Bitcoin Renaissance: How Lightning Will Connect Everything" that details out the major advances in the ecosystem of layer 2's on Bitcoin, the surge in development excitement, the multitude of projects unveiled in the past few months, the increasing connection between lightning and Ai, and the projects to keep en eye on as we head into another Bitcoin cycle. If you want a picture into the Lightning ecosystem and the many projects solving problems and creating new value, this is the read to queue up.


Check out the original article at The Bitcoin Renaissance Is in Full Swing: How Lightning Will Connect Everything Off-Chain. (Link: https://tinyurl.com/2wzjyc2b)


Guest Links

 Ryan Gentry on X (Link: https://twitter.com/RyanTheGentry)
 Ryan Gentry on Nostr (Link: https://tinyurl.com/yrch2yvy)



Host Links

  Guy on Nostr (Link: http://tinyurl.com/2xc96ney)
  Guy on X (Link: https://twitter.com/theguyswann)
  Guy on Instagram (Link: https://www.instagram.com/theguyswann/)
  Guy on TikTok (Link: https://www.tiktok.com/@theguyswann)
  Guy on YouTube (Link: https://www.youtube.com/@theguyswann)
  ⁠Bitcoin Audible on X⁠ (Link: https://twitter.com/BitcoinAudible)



Check out our awesome sponsors!

  Get 10% off the COLDCARD with code BITCOINAUDIBLE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(Link: bitcoinaudible.com/coldcard⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)
  Swan: The best way to buy, learn, and earn #Bitcoin (Link: https://swanbitcoin.com)



“You have no responsibility to live up to what other people think you ought to accomplish. I have no responsibility to be like they expect me to be. It’s their mistake, not my failing.”
~  Richard P. Feynman

--- 

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Read_817 - The Bitcoin Renaissance: How Lightning Will Connect Everything

"What are we actually about? It's to an extent an open question. It's not like the Cypherpunks knew at all. It's part of our job to continue to try and figure it out. In a way we've been given this Arthurian sword or something. This very powerful thing. And so it's like, what are we going to do with it? I think that's a big part of our homework."
~ Tuur Demeester 


Tuur Demeester joins us to day as we dig into Bitcoin's past halvings and market cycles and how they compare to today. With 12 years of perspective, where are we in reference to the larger trends and what may lie ahead in the coming future? Tuur is deeply knowledgeable on the macro landscape and in seeing how the pieces of the puzzle fit together, explains the differences that allow us to know that Bitcoin's destiny will not end up like gold's, and a worthy note, he is also incredibly bullish. The world is changing, and Bitcoin is changing it. Don't miss this excellent conversation with Tuur Demeester


Links to check out:

 The Bitcoin Reformation - by Tuur Demeester (Link: https://tinyurl.com/yc6n8scc)
 CryptoQuikRead_243 - Bitcoin in Heavy Accumulation (Link: https://tinyurl.com/avna4j89)
  How Buildings Learn by Stewart Brand (Link: https://tinyurl.com/3f2u2rev)
  Strong Towns Website by Charles Marohn (Link: https://www.strongtowns.org/)
  Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber (Link: https://t.ly/dejM2)
  The Unsettling of America by Wendell Berry  (Link: https://tinyurl.com/ymzrk7z8)
  The Capital Strip Mine by Allen Farrington (Link: https://tinyurl.com/m48ueuzk)



Guest Links

  Tuur Demeester on X (Link: https://tinyurl.com/5dk93w6m) 



Host Links

  Guy on Nostr (Link: http://tinyurl.com/2xc96ney)
  Guy on X (Link: https://twitter.com/theguyswann)
  Guy on Instagram (Link: https://www.instagram.com/theguyswann/)
  Guy on TikTok (Link: https://www.tiktok.com/@theguyswann)
  Guy on YouTube (Link: https://www.youtube.com/@theguyswann)
  ⁠Bitcoin Audible on X⁠ (Link: https://twitter.com/BitcoinAudible)



Check out our awesome sponsors!

  Get 10% off the COLDCARD with code BITCOINAUDIBLE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(Link: bitcoinaudible.com/coldcard⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)
  Swan: The best way to buy, learn, and earn #Bitcoin (Link: https://swanbitcoin.com)


--- 

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Chat_098 - Replacing Gold with Tuur Demeester

"I'm a Bitcoin skeptic. I'm not buying Bitcoin in 2024, even if it goes back to its recent all-time highs, or higher. Here's why."
~ Ben Gran


Ben breaks down his view of Bitcoin and why he cannot see or understand any reason it would go higher. Why he doesn't invest in things that don't produce anything, because this is antithetical to investment. Why he doesn't see how something that has no purpose could possibly continue increasing in value. And how something that people claim will be the most valuable asset in the world, will also be the dominant money, because (obviously) these two ideas are contradictory. It's important to refresh our understanding of the typical person's perspective of Bitcoin, in order to be able to relate to, and hopefully explain where their thinking is wrong. So that is what I hope to do in today's episode, reading "Why I'm Still Not Buying Bitcoin in 2024" from the Motley Fool...


Check out the original article at Why I'm (Still) Not Buying Bitcoin in 2024. (Link: https://tinyurl.com/5xnxbe5x)


Links to check out

  Book "When Money Dies" by Adam Ferguson for a historical perspective on economic collapses. (Link: https://a.co/d/8E8AVpZ)



Guest Links

 Ben Gran on X (Link: https://twitter.com/kcryptoinvest)
  Ben Gran Website (Link: https://www.asx.capital/)



Host Links

  Guy on Nostr (Link: http://tinyurl.com/2xc96ney)
  Guy on X (Link: https://twitter.com/theguyswann)
  Guy on Instagram (Link: https://www.instagram.com/theguyswann/)
  Guy on TikTok (Link: https://www.tiktok.com/@theguyswann)
  Guy on YouTube (Link: https://www.youtube.com/@theguyswann)
  ⁠Bitcoin Audible on X⁠ (Link: https://twitter.com/BitcoinAudible)



Check out our awesome sponsors!

  Get 10% off the COLDCARD with code BITCOINAUDIBLE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(Link: bitcoinaudible.com/coldcard⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)
  Swan: The best way to buy, learn, and earn #Bitcoin (Link: https://swanbitcoin.com)



“I believe that a scientist looking at nonscientific problems is just as dumb as the next guy — and when he talks about a nonscientific matter, he will sound as naive as anyone untrained in the matter.”
~ Richard Feynman 

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Read_788 - Stone Ridge 2023 Investor Letter

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