Travel Retail Norway introduces BTC payments for Click & Collect upon arrival
> The payment solution is provided by Satoshi Consult, which TRN states has developed ‘a secure and user-friendly system tailored to Norwegian regulations’.
> Customers can simple place their order via Click & Collect at www.tax-free.no. Upon pickup at Oslo Airport, the customer needs to selects bitcoin as the payment method.
> Next, a QR code is generated, and the customer confirms payment via their own bitcoin wallet that supports the Lightning Network. The amount is displayed in NOK (Norwegian Kroner) and settled in real time. A receipt is issued as usual.
> This option currently applies only to Click & Collect upon arrival at Oslo, though TRN says it’s considering expanding to other stores and payment formats.
prediction markets aren't just gambling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gq3v-Y6cvLI
I kinda get his point, most of the participants on prediction markets are in essence just gambling, yet, I do believe that it _in theory_, it can be more than that.
I think I've only once joined one of the sports markets on Predyx, as I do believe I'm truly just betting there. But when I put some money on the impeachment of the former Korean president or the prosecution of his wife, I felt like I was doing so by adding knowledge to the market.
So, the ones that put money on the sports markets, do you feel like you are gambling?
Or financializing some of your knowledge?
If it is gambling, do you agree with CZ that prediction markets are just gambling?
If it is financializing, do you think it is fair to equate it with insider trading, akin to Pelosi making money playing the stock market as a politician based on knowledge not available to the general public?
Trump Got His Hair Done - impersonation by godfreycomic
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/T_TzvtLpcJQ
One of the better Trump impersonations... too many awful ones, especially by late-night comedians.
Ended up clicking through to this skit, too:
Sperm racing in LA: Inside the first-of-its-kind race
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gusGkuENgpQ
The script writer must have had fun with some of the (obvious) play-on-words.
Surpised I never heard of this before...
Hash-based Signature Schemes for Bitcoin (Blockstream research)
https://eprint.iacr.org/2025/2203.pdf
> Abstract
> Hash-based signature schemes offer a promising post-quantum alternative
for Bitcoin, as their security relies solely on hash function assumptions similar to those already underpinning Bitcoin’s design. We provide a comprehensive overview of these schemes, from basic primitives to SPHINCS+
and its variants, and investigate parameter selection tailored to Bitcoin’s specific requirements. By applying recent optimizations such as SPHINCS+C, TL-WOTS-TW,
and PORS+FP, and by reducing the allowed number of signatures per public key,
we achieve significant size improvements over the standardized SPHINCS+
(SLHDSA). We provide public scripts for reproducibility and discuss limitations regarding key derivation, multi-signatures, and threshold signatures.
Also: https://x.com/n1ckler/status/1998407064213704724
@Kudinov or @Nick on SN for an ELI5?
Draft BIP: Non-monetary UTXO cleanup (“The Cat”) and related materials.
https://github.com/ostromcode/The-Cat/tree/main
> It documents a soft-fork consensus change and new spending rules intended to remove an existing, snapshot-based set of non-monetary UTXOs (NMUs) created by protocols such as Ordinals and Stamps, by making those UTXOs permanently unspendable and eligible for removal from the UTXO set.
So, basically, confiscating UTXOs I disagree with? Are we still talking about Bitcoin?
Maybe this is not even worth sharing or discussing...
3Blue1Brown : "Recruiting, both for myself and for other companies"
https://3blue1brown.substack.com/p/recruiting-both-for-myself-and-for
3Blue1Brown is hiring: both mathematical and non-mathematical positions. Look through the post for more details.
"we are not enron" says nvidia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThUNhjblo24
I've kinda cut out the AI news in terms of company valuation, stock market, etc, as I've made up my mind it's all VC bullshit. So, stumbling on this Coffeezilla piece brought me a bit up to date on what seems to be going on at the moment, at a more nuanced level. Maybe CZ is all wrong (he has been before, and this is for sure not his field of expertise), but I usually give him the benefit of the doubt when it's about spotting scams and grifts.
So, do you think Nvidia is like Enron? Or more like Cisco?
Bailey, Lubka, Klipsten, Held, Saylor, etc - good or bad for Bitcoin?
What's your take on the David Baileys, Steven Lubkas, Cory Klipstens, Dan Helds, Saylors, etc, of the online Bitcoin scene?
To me, they seem like people who just care about playing the Wall Street game on top of Bitcoin. I probably shouldn’t call them grifters/scammers; that’s too harsh when you compare them with some of the actual ones (if you know, you know), because they aren’t committing any crime (that we know of).
To me, they just have too much of a fiat mindset that is incompatible with what I think Bitcoin is trying to achieve. Or maybe they are just mirrors of what we'd all become in case we were running the companies they are? My first instinct is to judge them harshly, so I'd be happy to have someone giving me some counterweight to my knee-jerk reaction, to help me judge them more generously.
Feel free to comment if you think they don't belong on the same list.
Reading myself, this sounds like a Bitcoin maxi purity test. Well, I wrote it, so I should just post it now.
S. Korea logs world's longest commute, which studies say may fuel loneliness
> Lee Han-soo, 34, spends nearly 2 1/2 hours a day traveling between his home near Namhansanseong Station on Subway Line No. 8 and his job at an IT firm near Hongik University Station on Subway Line No. 2 in Seoul.
> “Although I’m used to it now, I’m completely drained by the time I get home,” he said. “I just grab something to eat and go straight to bed.”
> For many South Koreans, Lee’s routine is far from unusual — it may even be typical.
> A recent study published in Environmental Research Letters found that South Korea recorded the longest average daily travel time among 43 countries surveyed, at 1 hour and 48 minutes.
> The global average was 1 hour and 8 minutes, meaning South Koreans, on average, spend an additional 40 minutes of their daily life commuting.
A few years back, I commuted about 1 hour in the morning and 1h30 minutes in the evening, so a total of about 2h30 minutes. +/- 30 minutes, depending on traffic. This was with my 2-year-old son at the time. I got used to it, and my son didn't know any better, so he didn't complain.
But now that I've moved near my workplace, commuting 2 minutes every day, I can't imagine ever going back to that old regime. And my now 6-year-old would probably also not agree so easily anymore.
So, how long do you commute to work?
Bailey, Lubka, Klipsten, Held, Saylor, etc - good or bad for Bitcoin?
What's your take on the David Baileys, Steven Lubkas, Cory Klipstens, Dan Helds, Saylors, etc, of the online Bitcoin scene?
To me, they seem like people who just care about playing the Wall Street game on top of Bitcoin. I probably shouldn’t call them grifters/scammers; that’s too harsh when you compare them with some of the actual ones (if you know, you know), because they aren’t committing any crime (that we know of).
To me, they just have too much of a fiat mindset that is incompatible with what I think Bitcoin is trying to achieve. Or maybe they are just mirrors of what we'd all become in case we were running the companies they are? My first instinct is to judge them harshly, so I'd be happy to have someone giving me some counterweight to my knee-jerk reaction, to help me judge them more generously.
Feel free to comment if you think they don't belong on the same list.
Reading myself, this sounds like a Bitcoin maxi purity test. Well, I wrote it, so I should just post it now.
'Kant took Suneung, too': Test-takers tormented by 18th-century philosopher
> Kant reappeared in Question 34 of the English section, identified by EBS as one of the section’s most difficult items.
> The passage explained Kant’s view that the rule of law provides the essential foundation for security, peace and genuine freedom, enabling societies to progress toward more rational and legally regulated forms of coexistence. Rather than relying on human goodness, Kant believed that universal law is necessary precisely because humans are prone to conflict. A binding legal framework, he argues, even for “a nation of devils,” can ensure harmony.
> Ideally, such laws express principles that all rational beings would choose and therefore embody freedom rather than restrict it.
> The question was a fill-in-the-blank requiring students not only to understand the passage’s main point but to choose an answer that was opposite of the correct conceptual fit. The blank appeared in the sentence: “If such laws forbid them to do something that they would not rationally choose to do anyway, then the law cannot be _________.”
> Because the phrase “cannot be” inverted the logic, students had to select the option that did not align with Kant’s main argument, adding to the difficulty.
Suneung, the most terrifying experience of a Korean high-schooler.
It'll decide your future, or so people believe.
Yesterday, during the English section of the Suneung, not even airplanes were allowed to land, to make sure no noise would perturb a test-taker.
Palantir: the world's most evil company
https://politicaleconomist.substack.com/p/palantir-the-worlds-most-evil-company
> As an example of the evil nature of Palantir’s work, it appears that Palantir has been working with the Israeli military in so-called ‘targeted killings’. Reports have suggested such that these murders, probably in the thousands or tens of thousands, utilised social media information and cellphone tracking. According to a range of sources, over 150 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza and in numerous cases they appear to have been directly targeted. Using social media information to murder journalists using drone strikes is already dystopic, but this is likely to just be the beginning of the evil Palantir will facilitate.
What's your take on Palantir?
Someone in a group chat just wrote:
> Palantir is Evil.
> And Peter Thiel doing a 4 part series on the anti-christ is like Hitler giving a 4 part series on how someone might theoretically exterminate the elite cabal that is destroying the world
and
> Palantir is creating 'Master Databases' on all civilians for governments around the world should they turn enemies. But Palantir controls the data making them theoretically more powerful than the governments who pay them Billions.
> And CEO Alex Karp has publicly expressed support for such roles, stating the company helps "scare enemies and on occasion kill them"
I haven't really looked into his story other than what i posted here, but seems like it's yet another techbro with a lot of money who is getting a little bit _too_ powerful.
Core 30: I Found Out WHY Nobody Cares About This 'Threat'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smSCQ0RyFZg&t=1417s
From this link I received: https://x.com/NicolasDorier/status/1985877427747443108
The Gambling Epidemic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ii1ROzeSwU
Coffeezilla's answer to this problem is more regulation.
What's yours? Or there is no answer?
Or you don't perceive this as a problem?
As for me, I think it _is_ a problem. I don't think there is a clear answer. People with education may be better able to respond to the increasingly adversarial conditions. So teaching my son about these kinds of dangers will be part of my responsibility. Regulation is probably one way to mitigate some of the damage, but eventually, it won't matter in the big scheme of things. Gambling has become too pervasive, too hard to control. This is what the market wants, so this is what people get.
On a side note, it's fun at some point in the video that he contrasts the stock market with the rest, as it is somehow still being built on fundamentals. The stock market has always been the rich man's casino; now, at least, it's accessible to all, and there is no illusion anymore that it is somehow anything more than a casino. Yet, some people, including Coffeezilla and the Buttcoiners, still delude themselves into thinking it's anything other than a casino.
Off I go, gotta go check my Predyx bets~~
Soft Fork Compromise on op_return to Resolve Current Bitcoin Controversies
https://groups.google.com/g/bitcoindev/c/9UfCVFZAUPU/m/VypTi8fmAgAJ
The OP of this mailing list post reads very much like #AIslop, but I commend the few people who've answered to give clear and reasoned answers. I link here to the final answer, which, yet again, explains the reasoning behind the recent core v30 changes. My guess is that many of the proponents of knots have not actually followed the discussions from the last few years that led to this decision. So, maybe, this provides some insights...
The better of two sci-fi franchises - crossword - which one do you pick?
From NYT, 2022.
I unfortunately could not find the unfilled version of this crossword, and I'm too lazy to draw it myself.
We can probably guess where @DarthCoin stands on this question.
The better of two sci-fi franchises crossword - which one do you pick?
From NYT, 2022.
I unfortunately could not find the unfilled version of this crossword, and I'm too lazy to draw it myself.
We can probably guess where @DarthCoin stands on this question.
OpenAI will allow verified adults to use ChatGPT to generate erotic content
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/oct/14/openai-chatgpt-adult-erotic-content
Quoting my colleague: "Profit rates flat lining, bring out the porn!"
> OpenAI will allow verified adults to use ChatGPT to generate erotic content will allow users to customize AI assistant’s personality in what firm calls ‘treat adults users like adults’ policy
> OpenAI announced plans on Tuesday to relax restrictions on its ChatGPT chatbot, including allowing erotic content for verified adult users as part of what the company calls a “treat adult users like adults” principle.
> OpenAI’s plan includes the release of an updated version of ChatGPT that will allow users to customize their AI assistant’s personality, including options for more human-like responses, heavy emoji use, or friend-like behavior. The most significant change will come in December, when OpenAI plans to roll out more comprehensive age-gating that would permit erotic content for adults who have verified their ages. OpenAI did not immediately provide details on its age verification methods or additional safeguards planned for adult content.
I guess some other models are already less restrictive on this? Grok most likely?
Brian Armstrong - master of the shitcoin degenerates
https://x.com/brian_armstrong/status/1963375254526709879
Someone just sent me this. A month old, still timely... degens will never learn.
An addict in need? Brian provides the drugs.
> We just bumped up the max leverage from 20x to 50x on international perpetual futures.
> A bunch of traders asked for this update. Let us know what else we can add!
Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using AI for Essay Writing
> Brain-to-LLM users exhibited higher memory recall and activation of occipito-parietal and prefrontal areas, similar to Search Engine users. Self-reported ownership of essays was the lowest in the LLM group and the highest in the Brain-only group. LLM users also struggled to accurately quote their own work. While LLMs offer immediate convenience, our findings highlight potential cognitive costs. Over four months, LLM users consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels. These results raise concerns about the long-term educational implications of LLM reliance and underscore the need for deeper inquiry into AI's role in learning.
All pretty obvious and expected, but the low-hanging fruit in terms of the study of the negative impact of AI is deserving of attention too, before we focus on discovering the more nuanced impact of this tech on our brains.
[jsrozner on HN](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44286277) summarizes my thoughts well:
> I wouldn't call it "accumulation of cognitive debt"; just call it cognitive decline, or loss of cognitive skills.
And also DUH. If you stop speaking a language you forget it. The brain does not retain information that it does not need. Anybody remember the couple studies on the use of google maps for navigation? One was "Habitual use of GPS negatively impacts spatial memory during self-guided navigation"; another reported a reduction in gray matter among maps users.
> Moreover, anyone who has developed expertise in a science field knows that coming to understand something requires pondering it, exploring how each idea relates to other things, etc. You can't just skim a math textbook and know all the math. You have to stop and think. IMO it is the act of thinking which establishes the objects in our mind such that they can be useful to our thinking later on.
How was an alleged Israeli ‘child sex predator’ allowed to leave the US?
> A senior Israeli official was arrested in the United States earlier this month and charged with seeking sexual conduct with a minor, only to be released on bail with no conditions or monitoring, allowing him to flee to Israel.
> The case involving Tom Artiom Alexandrovich in Nevada is now stirring controversy, with politicians and social media commentators accusing the government of interfering in the judicial process to allow the cybersecurity official to return home without facing justice.
Harry Mack - Top 50 Omegle Bars Vol. 1&2 (Official Video Album)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRd_fE6rx88&list=RDpRd_fE6rx88&start_radio=1&ab_channel=HarryMack
I used to get him recommended in my social media feeds all the time, but as I'm trying to use those less, I kinda forgot about him.
His schtick here is that he hits up random people on Omegle and asks them to give him a few random words. He then comes up with a freestyle on the spot using those words. I'm not too familiar with the freestyle scene, but to me, he really looks out of this world.
⚡ Grab your personalized Lightning address – now works with self-custody!
Join the beta (v3.0.17+) to unlock custom addresses now!
You’ve never used a self-custody wallet this good. It’s ridiculously smooth, fast, and intuitive👇
Join the beta now - and yes, available in the USA too!
📲Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.livingroomofsatoshi.wallet (Join the beta)
🍏iOS:
I'm mostly for people to be free to be whoever they are. Whatever that may be. As long as their freedom does not infringe on mine. So if a man is feminine or a woman is masculine, fine with me.
Wait until you hear about aphantasia: https://stacker.news/items/631636/r/south_korea_ln
Testing BOLT12:
lno1zrxq8pjw7qjlm68mtp7e3yvxee4y5xrgjhhyf2fxhlphpckrvevh50u0qvm8t927d6g3hry88acurmvya2u0d5d6yruju7edupl8cpm07qfdvqszaggk7hf739g2td3tmc72hsk8qv02wyt6ypyualym9feutq6gu5sqqvcs0exguxrf20fm6cv9avqh0zeq3juvhhnl7z2ktc2uh8w9ypqcy25glvk5rfe62pjfccz9k50wq39dd9t4qv9ar4uv0s3qh8jhusqkz8l2z59kmvzxyxu6cdrgqt2q065sjxg96qqsg86emkxs7kypw8lfvnkn4nw045
Post yours in comments...
We are all fiatjaf. Except Craig Wright. And Katherine Long.
Matthew Walker's "Why We Sleep" Is Riddled with Scientific and Factual Errors
https://guzey.com/books/why-we-sleep/
A reminder to never trust someone based on the argument of authority...
In the past 24 hours, you may have received an ad over lightning where I conducted a casual social experiment, not adhering to strict scientific protocols but rather for amusement.
For this, I utilized eaglesats.com. A detailed discussion about this business model can be found in a recent post here: https://stacker.news/items/316903.
The premise of the experiment was simple: I offered participants the chance to send me 1,000 sats, and in return, they would receive 2,000 sats back to their LNURL address, which they were instructed to include in their payment comments. I sent out about 5000 messages at 5 sats each.
Observations from the experiment include:
- I collected approximately 15,000 sats and paid out around 20,000 sats. Some participants sent smaller amounts, likely skeptical of a potential scam. After immediately reimbursing the first participant, I decided to wait until the experiment concluded an hour ago. This was to prevent others from creating multiple addresses to exploit the system after realizing the offer was legitimate.
- Over 90% of the participants used Wallet of Satoshi.
- Some participants failed to follow simple instructions. I received several 1,000 sat payments without a corresponding return address. Consequently, I didn't need to disburse 30,000 sats in total. This issue could also stem from a limitation in some wallets where custom messages are truncated, as discussed in one of the comments here: https://stacker.news/items/316903.
- The experiment showed that people are still vulnerable to falling for double-your-bitcoin scams. While I did honor the payback in this case, malicious actors might not do the same.
Yesterday, the minimum payment on eaglesats.com was 5 sats/message. Now, it is at 10 sats/message. I presume this is as a reaction to the messages posted here: https://primal.net/e/note1ym0p4qlswhkhxfz5wqs23j5rrkuc6zlgn0z0kw3xxlmzvjsfv3sqzs5hqa to avoid people getting spammed for too little money.
Thanks, I'll have a look at it :)
Oh, this looks cool. I'll give it a try and see if I can make it work. Thanks!
Oh ok. Thanks for the clarification.
Just noticing your comment. Thanks for the encouragement.
1\. Yes, there are many such platforms. It is pretty saturated. At least in its current form where platforms "own" their users. The thing that can differentiate us is the ability to use Lightning for payments and putting it over a protocol such as NOSTR. As mentioned in another update, I'd like to implement the NOSTR login as a first-time wetting my toes with this protocol.
2\. It is pretty useful. I've transformed all my html templates to use some Tailwind, mostly using ChatGPT to get "something" done. We've decided to do proper front-end later in the process, after focusing now more on backend.
Nice way of combining both project ideas ;)
Gamification is key in Duolingo's business model. I've used it and benefited a lot from it. Entering some kind of monetized gamification could be the logical next step indeed.
As you say, it has to be your own sats that you are able to recover. If it's the sats from the company, people will find ways to game it.
For the record, I only have Python and Fortran coding experience at this point.
Hi Johns. Thanks for the opening ceremony yesterday. I am the N L person who is hoping to find a full stack developer to get us started. I have academic coding experience (Python and Fortran), but nothing like what is needed for creating a NOSTR client.
I think of myself as a fast learner so rather than wait to find someone with experience, I probably should just proceed myself.
What stack would you suggest me to focus on to create an MVP during this hackathon for either of the two projects?
Ok, thanks for these details. Will reach out when warranted.
By any chance, do you have marketing/sales experience?
FFS~~ (Fat FingerS)