Doesn't a Block/Amex merger seem too obvious? Amex has the network, the balance sheet, the user base, the regulatory expertise and licenses throughout the world. Block has the demographics, the tech on Bitcoin/lightening, the narrative, the ability to offer CC rewards in a differentiated way. nostr:npub1sg6plzptd64u62a878hep2kev88swjh3tw00gjsfl8f237lmu63q0uf63m ?

Is it objectively worse than any other altcoin? I don't know. If it died tomorrow, would the space be better with BNB or whatever as the "next Bitcoin"? Maybe it's actually good for hard money and the development of sufficient network effects for Bitcoin because it's a honeypot for all the bad ideas. Saylor says there's "no second best" but that's just hyperbole. If there was a coin/network, not as flawed as Eth, that was 90% as "good" as Bitcoin, say, it would be less of a shitcoin than Eth, sure, but would probably set back the movement for money separate from government, primarily by lessening or delaying network effects. Maybe bitcoiners should be happy letting ETH play the Washington Generals here.

thanks. I'll check it out.

Great question. This seed oil thing seems strange. I maybe can buy there's some marginal impact, but the way it is talked about implies there's some definite, measurable, material negative association. Otherwise, it's like chemtrails to me. Or another food/culture dogma, like Taleb talks about.

What is the solution for small uxto's? For hobby miners? That should be the backbone of a decentralized system-millions of people running old asics-but does that work without custody?

Above ground. No ugly fence required. You can sort of build them into the ground and still a lid the zoning requirement of a fence. At least in the US.

I like the concept, but how do you avoid small uxto's? I have a couple of old, crappy miners I use for space heaters. How would I avoid getting a bunch of small, uneconomical payouts?

Most will probably start with damus. And most people equate tech with the UI front end. But nostr, given its ethos and the fluidity of development in clients, is a good reminder that layers and protocols are where the magic happens. The UI is secondary if the thing is to last.

It strikes me as a bit of an internet time machine, warts and all (like difficulty of use, uptime). After a burst of open, interoperable protocols in the early days of the internet, we've been living through a 25+ year period of proprietary user interface and tech, the goal being to keep eyeballs on your site to sell ads. This is like going back a few decades to watch the development of a basic internet standard, designed to be interoperable, designed to be open, designed to scale to do who knows what.

If i recall correctly, his MIT lecture series touched on this as well (specifically w/r/t ETH).

Alby on desktop is great too

Contingency case probably. He's clearly smooth enough to convince folks. Gavin Andresen, e.g.