In Russia there are a lot of websites where you can buy BTC or other popular cryptocurrencies with no KYC. They are kind of in a gray zone legally so it might be risky to use them for large sums, but for small sums they are quite reliable. Also there are telegram bots for P2P exchange. In large cities like Moscow there are physical offices where Bitcoin can be bought for cash. I’ve seen a couple of ATMs on the maps, but don’t know if they are active. Even if they are they are quite rare.
In short I think it’s both, no algorithms and filters plus very specific demographic joining at this point.
Wallet of Satoshi is probably the simplest one for beginners right now and it creates a lightning address automatically. Another interesting one is Alby browser plug in, which allows to create custom lightning address.
Pondering the reasons I didn't get into Bitcoin - of which I knew from the very beginning from libertarian podcasters - much earlier, I find these key reasons, which, in my opinion, are quite typical:
1. There were no Michael Saylor and Saifedean Ammous to explain to me the unique value proposition of Bitcoin as improved digital gold (sadly most gold bug libertarians I was listening to couldn't clearly articulate it - and many do not understand it to this day).
2. My brain extremely exaggerated how complicated it is to use.
For some reason I thought I would lose my private key even though I rarely lost info in the past.
Also I let myself become confused by 3 types of addresses - for a couple of years, no joke, I was always interrupting my first attempt of buying sats at the point of choosing address type in the wallet (even though in reality any of the address types would work and there would be very little difference).
By the way, this is a good reason to recommend newbies wallets with only one address type and minimal element of choice in general.
3. I was spoiled by convenience of relatively stable, mature and plugged in Russian financial system which existed before 24.02.22 (if not for the invasion and following sanctions I might have been still finding an excuse to postpone my first steps).
Paradoxically as a libertarian dreaming of the day money will become private it took me 14 years to realize that honest private money had already been created in 2008!
Funny to think about how even those actively looking for something can be mentally blind to it for long periods of time.
P.S.: Will greatly appreciate zaps to help me meet my weekly BTC accumulation goals (and maybe also to play some poker with). Thanks.
A little ashamed to admit it, but after knowing of Bitcoin since 2008-2009 from libertarian podcasters like Tom Woods (even though I didn’t understand it’s unique value proposition as an improved digital gold until very recently), I only got into stacking sats after Putin invaded Ukraine and Russia was kicked off from Visa, MasterCard, WU and PayPal. Right now my goal is to deposit 250’000 sats a week (which would add up to 1% of BTC a month) — which was no problem at $16’000 per Bitcoin but is a little more challenging now. So I will appreciate zaps helping me with this modest goal and will try to write something useful here, maybe share knowledge and experience in practical areas like online selling, time management, financial psychology, self-motivation etc (I mostly create content on these topics in my native Russian language, but maybe Nostr is a chance to practice writing in English).
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Just learned how to create an invoice for a certain amount, so might as well post it.
I’m actually kind of a newbie on lightning wallets myself, learning as I go. I think some of them do generate similar permanent address, but don’t remember which. BTC Sessions on YouTube probably has the most videos on different lightning wallets.
In the Wallet of Satoshi you can press receive and then choose a lightning address, which is similar in format to an e-mail, and should work multiple times, unlike lightning invoice which apparently only works one time only.
At last watched «One Hour Photo» by Mark Romanek with Robin Williams in the lead role from 2002 (only took me 20 years to get to this one, which might be for the best, at least I watched it in 1080p, widescreen and English language, not on VHS from a video rental with a cropped 4:3 picture and Russian dubbing).
Was really surprised and impressed by it’s modern Kubrickian style in the vein of Jonathan Glazer and Sean Ellis.
Williams was brilliant and reminded me of young DeNiro in «Taxi Driver» and «King of Comedy», but even more realistic and understated (the film itself is in the same subgenre as these two — character study of a disturbed loner).
Changed to a Lightning address, which should not expire, in theory.
Actually yes, because it’s very simple, traditional and short, a modern take on «Rear Window». But actually it’s quite hard to say, what is the best entrance into his filmography, because the films are very different. My personal favorites are «No Sudden Moves» and «Unsane», but for most people probably his less experimental and more Hollywood style movies like «Out of Sight» and Ocean’s trilogy would work better as entrances.
The most uncontroversial definition is that most or possibly all crypto assets excluding Bitcoin are unregistered securities, because they have teams that control them and can be hard-forked. Bitcoin is the only one that achieved neutral and impersonal status, resistant to being hard-forked by any person or group of people, so it’s the only proven digital commodity as Saylor and Gensler point out. Because of other crypto-assets being unregistered and unregulated securities, they should be approached with extreme caution at least and are probably not a great place to invest for normal people until regulation and proper disclosures come into the space.
Watched «M3gan». A very cool b movie in the vein of «Upgrade» (also by Blumhouse) and «Black Mirror». A rare example of humor and absurdity not detracting from tension. Written by the same crazy woman who wrote «Malignant» by James Wan.
Thanks a lot!
In my first Nostr post I will name my 5 favorite films of 2022.
Because why not.
1. «Watcher» by Chloe Okuno.
A masterpiece of Hitchcockian hyper-minimalism. Can’t wait to see what Okuno directs next.
2. «Execution» by Lado Kvataniya.
An encyclopedia of serial killer genre with enough plot twists for a couple of seasons of a TV show.
3. «The Banshees of Inisherin».
Undeniable even if cryptic and perplexing.
4.«The Batman» by Matt Reeves.
A very impressive exercise in grounding the reality of Gotham. First Batman film that works on psychological level for me. Brilliant acting from Dano, Farrell and Turturro.
5. «Kimi» by Stephen Soderbergh.
Not as minimalist as «Watcher» (although close and quite similar in many aspects) or as encyclopedic as «Execution», but still very enjoyable and fully self-aware and mature modern Hitchcockian thriller.