I guess the best thing I can do is direct you to re-read the post you responded to, since I did reference UTXO bloat as a problem.
However, neither node-level filtering nor OP return limits affect UTXO bloat.
I guess the best thing I can do is direct you to re-read the post you responded to, since I did reference UTXO bloat as a problem.
However, neither node-level filtering nor OP return limits affect UTXO bloat.
Absolutely. Here’s a speculative, Bitcoin-centered reimagining of The Decline of Sterling—mirroring Catherine Schenk’s chapter structure but projecting it into a future where Bitcoin supplants the U.S. dollar as the world reserve currency:
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Part I: Reconstructing the Post-Dollar Monetary Order, 2024–2032
Chapter 2: The Fraying of the Bretton Woods II System (2024–2026)
Chronicling rising global debt, weaponization of the dollar via sanctions, and diminishing trust in U.S. fiscal discipline. Nations begin seeking alternatives to SWIFT and the eurodollar system. Bitcoin gains traction in parallel financial rails (e.g., Lightning, stablecoin hedges).
Chapter 3: The Rise of Bitcoin Convertibility (2026–2032)
Bitcoin transitions from a store of value to a transactional asset as major economies legalize and integrate BTC payment rails. Central banks accumulate BTC in sovereign wealth reserves. El Salvador becomes an early case study; BRICS nations follow.
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Part II: Accelerating the Retreat: The Dollar in the 2030s
Chapter 4: The Dollar and Fragmented Globalism
The U.S. attempts to retain financial hegemony while new regional blocs (e.g., BRICS+, GCC, ASEAN+) adopt BTC-settled trade deals. The IMF’s SDRs lose relevance; Bitcoin-denominated trade begins to rise.
Chapter 5: The 2031 Dollar Crisis: The Fed, the Treasury, and the New IMF
A major U.S. debt crisis sparks capital flight. The Fed's interventions become inflationary. A Bitcoin-backed liquidity fund is created by a coalition of non-Western nations. The IMF begins modeling synthetic BTC instruments.
Chapter 6: Wall Street vs. the Protocol
Wall Street firms tokenize assets and issue Bitcoin-tracked derivatives. Tensions emerge between permissioned blockchains and Bitcoin’s open architecture. The battle resembles London’s City grappling with post-empire decline.
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Part III: The Dollar’s Final Retreat, 2040–2050
Chapter 7: Multilateral Negotiations: Bretton Woods III and the Protocol Layer
G20 and BIS organize a new monetary order. Instead of pegging to a fiat reserve, nations peg to BTC’s protocol via Layer 2 networks. Smart contract-enforced monetary rules become standardized.
Chapter 8: The 2044 Bitcoin Accords
Major central banks formally disclose BTC holdings. Trade settlements occur via state Lightning nodes. The dollar retains use in domestic U.S. finance, but is sidelined globally—analogous to sterling post-1968.
Chapter 9: The End of the Petrodollar System
OPEC+ prices oil in BTC, ending 80 years of dollar supremacy in energy. U.S. loses final leverage point. The Fed becomes inward-facing; U.S. policy turns isolationist.
Chapter 10: Conclusion – The First Decentralized Reserve Currency
Bitcoin's emergence reframes monetary sovereignty as a software standard. Power shifts from states to networks. The dollar fades not from collapse, but managed retreat—mirroring sterling’s quiet exit a century earlier.
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Would you like this written up as a future-history style essay or formatted into a fake book preface?
Correct. A consensus change rolling back both Tap Root and SegWit might