Warning: Centralized exchanges can hold your bitcoin hostage or even lose it before you are able to withdraw. They also require extensive KYC to comply with encroaching government regulations.
P2P marketplaces on the other hand mitigate these risks. They are no silver bullets but strictly better for plebs with low time-preference:
They never hold your fiat and implement bitcoin-native escrow mechanisms on the bitcoin side of the deal which has a much better trade-off balance than using centralized custodians kowtowing to governments.
These fiat custodians use fireblocks to hold all kinds of shitcoins with one general solution. It's way inferior to bitcoin multisig escrows.
Don't trust centralized exchanges. They already failed to provide a service that bitcoiners really need. They will eventually turn outright evil. Not because evil people run it. Rather because goverment compliance corrupts all institutions within its reach.
You were warned.
Learn more [here](https://bitcoinplebs.org/pleb-lessons/#p2p-markets-and-nokyc-bitcoin) about NoKYC bitcoin and P2P bitcoin exchanges.
You can play games for sheer enjoyment.
But you can also play to improve in real life traits - strategy, focus, resilience, industriousness, courage, empathy... these are essential to bitcoin Self-Custody as well.
Play games and get better at them. It will translate to vastly better results in high-stake situations. Like when you have the family fortune on the line.
This is game-theory getting real.
Mark my words:
Sovereign Bitcoiners will radically transform the world we live in right now.
They will destroy the clown show, take responsibility and onboard their friends and family to Bitcoin.
They are the (open) sources of light wielding the sword of truth. They bring the knowledge of Self-Custody to people open to learn.
This creates the society we all want to see. Join our ranks and become a [bitcoin pleb](https://bitcoinplebs.org).
You CAN do it.
I meant that all companies are subject to fiat laws without exceptions.
All companies are subject to the fiat legal system. No exceptions. I pointed out this shared attribute of bitcoin companies.
I am generally sceptic of all bitcoin companies embedded in fiat legal systems.
How can you stay true to your Pleb Principles while playing the fiat game?
My hunch tells me there will be serious compromises owners must make just to comply and keep going.
Fiat overlords will eventually get the better of these people. The traditional ways won't work when we get to the real "Then they fight you" part.
People tend to be put off when they realize all the work they need to do in order to level up in Self-Custody.
The journey to sovereignty is hard but the transformation you go through while you are improving is worth the time.
Defeat your laziness. Take it step by step. Adopt the Pleb lifestyle.
Ask yourself: What's freedom worth to me?
The next-gen tools for Self Custody are around the corner. Some are already here. Get ready to embrace them:
1. Spend half the time on gaming and devote it to practicing Linux cmd
2. Spend half the time on watching movies and devote that to watching and reading bitcoin tutorials
3. Spend half the time on macro bullshit and read about Austrian economics
4. Leave Twitter, it's a useless walled garden bound to fail. Go to meetups and connect with plebs on nostr
5. Experiment, play around with testnets and don't be afraid to ask questions
As we are getting closer to the next halving, noise will get louder and people will get increasingly bullish.
Despite all of the excitement, we Plebs should stay humble, stack sats and focus on learning more about private and secure Self-Custody, day by day.
If you get your focus right, nothing can stop you. Remember that.
In order to become a bitcoin pleb you must build your own bitcoin citadel:
- Hold your own keys
- Use a hardware signer
- Run your own node
- Stack NoKYC bitcoin
- Learn the basics of using bitcoin privately
- Have no Single Point of Failure in your key setup
To achieve this:
1. [Craft your ideal bitcoin-future](https://bitcoinplebs.org/pledge-of-the-bitcoin-pleb/). Commit to learn and practice self-custody
2. Complete the [bitcoinplebs](https://bitcoinplebs.org) free program on testnet as a safe training ground
3. Enjoy your well-deserved freedom. Stay humble, keep learning and stack sats.
To see bitcoin win faster:
1. Share your citadel with your close friends and family. Train them and lead them to sovereignty
2. Connect with other citadels to create a strong network. Join or start a meetup.
That is what I would call grassroots adoption
The best way to get people appreciate privacy is getting them to self-custody #bitcoin first.
Having real skin in the game creates the natural incentives to take more control our digital lives. It translates to tangible consequences with bitcoin.
Digital Privacy is not an end in and of itself. People dont work this way. We need to see a strong reason before we move out of the comfort zone.
PS: Rest assured: The "Why" of bitcoin is being taken care of by inflation already.
With the help of AI, technical hurdles of Self-Custody are vastly mitigated.
Computer skills and Linux best practices are NOT as out-of-reach for non-technical people as before.
Just make sure you stay safe by having a strong understanding of the very basics of bitcoin and of course use the service privately.
Details here:
I’m a Bitcoin pleb who finally mustered enough courage to exchange a decent amount of fiat into Bitcoin. Is Coldcard the “gold standard” for a cold wallet or should I look at others? Also, I guess I should get a safe for storing my seed — is that what everyone does? I read https://werunbtc.com/coldcard
SeedSigner, SpecterDIY, Coldcard, Foundation Passport.
Sparrow as Wallet software.
Free zero to hero training program on SeedSigner + Sparrow here:
Tools are essential. Without great tools there can be no ideal outcome.
As is with education. Learning will never be optional in bitcoin, whatever the use-case.
That's why I love Citadel Dispatch. It inspired me to launch my own free Pleb training program and Self-Custody group on nostr.
Bitcoin Plebs - Rite of Passage
People believe in different visions of how bitcoin could win, how we could onboard more people the right way and what an ideal decentralized bitcoin-future looks like.
My vision is the Uncle Jim model. Plebs showing the way, demonstrating Proof of Work and helping their friends and family use bitcoin and FOSS tools.
I asked myself what I could do to play my part in making this vision a reality. The result:
It is a free training program that attempts to convey the most important basics of how to become a bitcoin pleb from scratch.
It's gonna take effort. It's gonna be challenging. I don't expect too many people to complete it. NOT because it is technically demanding but because it will make you question yourself:
"Do I really want to be a Sovereign Individual?"
You will find your answer, that I can promise.
The ultimate control on AI is bitcoin.
Your bitcoin's real value equals:
Satoshis x Security x Privacy x Your network of bitcoin plebs.
What this entails is:
- Buy NoKYC bitcoin
- Don't sell it for fiat or shitcoins
- Study Privacy-focused Self-Custody
- Use free and open-source software
- Connect with other bitcoin plebs in meetups and conferences
#Bitcoin is the result of reverse-engineering money.
Multitasking is for machines.
Focus and guard tour time.
Curate your environment and people around you.
Always have that "One thing" you can dedicate the most time and attention.
That is how you hit your targets.
Someone asked me why NoKYC was important.
Me: "Are you going to say no when the government shows up asking for your KYC bitcoin?"
Friend: "I'll just say I lost it all"
Me: "So when they subpoena you and all your friends and family, you think they will support your claim with perjury and risk prison?"
...
I think asking the right questions is more useful than giving the "right" answer.
But still FYI:
KYC bitcoin is dead on arrival.
Don't be a martyr and don't make martyrs out of your friends.
Just practice privacy.