People don’t see what we’re dealing with behind the scenes.

As a chairman of the United Bitcoin companies the Netherlands (VBNL) a lot is happening. In the last few months we had serious issues with the bank that facilitates most on/off ramping for exchanges in the Netherlands.

In January a large part of the bitcoin exchanges received a cost increase from €499,- to €4999,- per month for their bank account. In April they received a letter that the companies had until 10th of June to move their funds and operation to another bank. The bank accounts were going to be closed down.

The issue is that many exchanges have built extensive API’s for smooth on/off ramping with this bank. So this was a move that caused a lot of stress for many people. Communication with the bank was impossible. So every individual company took them to court. Only one case was actually brought into the court room and the company won. The other companies received a message they could hold their bank account.

The insane cost increase is still there and creeping further through the list of bitcoin companies.

We’re now looking at a way to reduce the cost, because for small companies it means bankruptcy.

This we do as companies together. And VBNL has been doing this for over a decade now.

For now it’s a bank, and on 10th of September we’re facing an even larger cost issue. The Dutch central bank. We won the court case with 11 exchanges but off course they appealed and now we’ll be standing at the Supreme Court. The central bank has burdened the exchanges with millions of regulatory oversight cost that were not lawful. A win during this court case would not only drop the cost for the exchanges between 2020-2024 but most likely also impact future cost under MICAR and the Authority of financial Markets. We’re currently looking at a €5.6 million cost from just AFM for the ongoing regulatory oversight for MICAR in 2025. Wish us luck.

nostr:note1q3nrt6tst8qhnel3ykcnd8pc3ymqkdy4rcs8c5vrerult7q98pqs8h6gpq

GM

Reporting is censoring. It's surprising to see some of you who fled to #nostr to avoid censorship now endorsing it.

BigMac 2002: €2.37

BigMac 2024: €5.99

Gold price 2002: €300

Gold price 2024: €2,000

Real estate 2002: €117,000

Real estate 2024: €550,000

Silver price 2002: €5

Silver price 2024: €28

#Bitcoin 2012: €14

#Bitcoin 2024: €65,000

Do you notice anything?

Actually, it's outright fraud to call this thing a BIG Mac these days.

As shitty as it is, there wouldn’t be hit pieces on nostr if nostr wasn’t doing something right.

That’s how you know you’re over the target.

Berry or banana bread? That is the question.

This note is broadcasted over relays.

And you can zap it with bitcoin over lightning.

Legacy media doesn't operate anything like this.

They are scared 😱

And they should be.

You watched Star Wars, and you sided with resistance.

You watched the Matrix and you understood and you sided with the resistance.

When it’s fiction you understand and side with the resistance.

Yet when it’s happening to you in real life, you refuse to see it.

When it’s the reality that you are living in, you are afraid to resist in real life.

The guy she tells you not to worry about

Who will build the roads?

Honestly why do we care? What if no one build any roads and then suddenly we were left with only trails in the woods? Isn't that a much more adventurous and poetic life that would make the world much more interesting?

I thought socialists and statists of all kinds hated cars and trucks. So they should be for an anarchist society with no roads too.

The girl I am currently talking to left a tyrannical country to be in this part of the world, so I don't have to explain the importance of guns, or free speech, or why "experts" & govt officials should be questioned. And in spite of having a phd in computer science she understands the differences between men & women, & she thinks liberals are basically just weak & cowardly people. It's really nice.

whether you believe the “spook” memes or not, Saylor is so clearly using his influence to pull up the ladder behind him it baffles me he still has any simps left.

and fml it’s clear he doesn’t even understand wtf what he’s talking about whenever he tries to put forward the most palatable version of this take he can come up with.

stripped of “spacetime laser energy” trimmings, his actual take is: “ossify now, scale with custodians, number go up if you’re already in.”

that’s not an entirely unreasonable position, but it needs to be identified more clearly, weighed up mindfully of his technical illiteracy around consensus and forks, and argued against more forcefully in light of these realisations.

“IT SEEMS TO BE A LAW OF NATURE, INFLEXIBLE AND INEXORABLE, THAT THOSE WHO WILL NOT RISK CANNOT WIN.”

- JOHN PAUL JONES

GOOD MORNING.

Good opsec too

I’ve sampled all the fancy rich people stuff at this point in life and will now tell you what’s worth it and what’s not…

Fancy car - Not worth it. Save the money and get a regular car.

Really fancy car - Maybe worth it? Depends. If you’re super into cars these are pretty fun.

First class air travel - Worth it. But fair warning you can’t go back to economy once you get used to first.

Private air travel - Not worth it. Too expensive. Unless you’re some kind of huge celebrity you’ll be fine in first class.

Luxury hotel rooms - Worth it. There’s a big difference between the ritz and the best western. Enough said.

Fancy watch - Maybe worth it? Similar to the really fancy car thing. If you like it go for it, if not don’t worry you aren’t missing out on anything.

Fancy clothes - Not worth it. Rich people don’t wear this crap. Gucci, LV etc is for upper middle class people to signal to poor people.

Mansion - Worth it. Having a nice home is always nice, probably don’t go obnoxiously large though. Beyond 10k square feet you’re going to have weird maintenance and headaches taking care of the home.

Private chef - Not worth it. The food tastes good, but it’s another person in your house and that shit gets annoying.

Yacht - Maybe worth it? This goes in the same category as super cars and watches. If you’re into boats and you like spending time on the water it might be worthwhile. Otherwise just hangout by the pool, lake, ocean… same vibe but cheaper.

Maids - Worth it. Nobody wants to do their own cleaning.

Fancy food - Not worth it, caviar and foie gras will never beat burger and fries. High quality food yes, fancy rich guy food no. Maybe every once in awhile.

Fancy booze - Not worth it. Gets you drunk the same as regular booze. The richest friend I have drinks natty light. True story.

This.

sadly the average pleb doesn't get any zaps

We just pile into the mega GM notes because that's the main way to get followers, since nobody can find you, otherwise.