I don't know much about post.news, but it looks pretty centralized. See the nostr readme for Mastodon: https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nostr#the-problem-with-mastodon-and-similar-programs
Nostr is entirely different.
Thanks man! Centralized ain’t no option no more these days.
FYI: Odysee.com does a nice job also in decentralized-land
A new character has entered Night City
#Gaming #Cyberpunk #Cyberpunk2077 #RonSwanson
https://us-southeast-1.linodeobjects.com/dufflepud/uploads/a4dd5a44-cbde-4dc4-aaba-8504d57e424e.mp4
Banco Santander Appears to Endorse Bitcoin Lightning Network
As Bitcoin’s mainstream acceptance rises, financial institutions are reevaluating their stance on crypto. A prime example of this is Banco Santander. The leading Spanish bank recently appeared to endorse the Bitcoin Lightning Network.
The bank’s apparent approval of this innovative protocol is a significant measure of how traditional financial entities are embracing the transformative potential of blockchain technology.
Banco Santander Endorses Bitcoin Lightning NetworkA growing chorus of financial institutions, e-commerce giants, and even countries are hailing the Bitcoin Lightning Network. It represents a breakthrough solution to Bitcoin’s scalability problem.
Notably, the network is capable of handling millions of transactions per second. This makes it a superior alternative to traditional systems like VISA that max out at 20,000 transactions per second.
Bitcoin Lightning Network Capacity. Source: Glassnode
Banco Santander’s recognition of the Lightning Network points to a broader trend: the conventional financial system is steadily acknowledging the potential of decentralized systems.
The blog post accompanying Santander’s tweet underscored the network’s distinct advantages. Especially, Lightning Network high-speed transactions, low fees, and unmatched scalability – a trifecta that could revolutionize the micropayment landscape.
Lightning Network Transaction Fees. Source: Glassnode
The Lightning Network operates by allowing off-chain transactions, bypassing the congestion and high costs of the Bitcoin blockchain. Payment channels created between parties facilitate this process. The ultimate balance, once a channel closes, is then recorded on the blockchain.
This innovative mechanism promises to make micropayments more viable and efficient, opening up a plethora of real-world applications.
#Bitcoin #Lightning Network Hits Mainstream AdoptionSeveral companies are at the vanguard of this movement, from startups like Blockstream and Lightning Labs to traditional businesses like Shopify and McDonald’s.Shopify, for instance, has allied with Strike to receive payments in Bitcoin via the Lightning Network, aiming to reduce fees and streamline international transfers. Meanwhile, multinational giants Walmart and McDonald’s now accept Bitcoin through the Lightning Network, furthering the mainstream adoption of cryptos.
On a national scale, El Salvador has embraced the Lightning Network for remittances. Subsequently, contributing to the country’s decision to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender. This move showcases the network’s potential in disrupting traditional financial systems and curbing costs associated with international transfers.
Still, the Lightning Network is not without its challenges. Its current state requires users to be active and connected to a payment channel to make transactions. This is a protocol still under constant development, with certain limitations related to transaction liquidity and security.While Banco Santander’s tweet is not a direct endorsement, it signals a significant shift in financial circles towards recognising the promise of blockchain-based solutions like the Lightning Network. The network’s scalability and cost-effectiveness could have a transformative effect on how to conduct financial transactions, from everyday purchases to cross-border remittances.
"Wake-Up Call": Anheuser-Bush Exec Says Lessons Learned, Predicts Comeback
An executive with Bud Light maker Anheuser-Busch said the boycott against the brand was a “wake-up call” and claimed the light beer will make a comeback.Cans of Bud Light chill in a refrigerator in Oakland, Calif., on April 28, 2023. (Jeff Chiu/AP Photo)Bud Light, in a social media promotional campaign, produced a beer can with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney in early April, drawing immediate backlash. Some country singers and conservative influencers suggested that consumers not purchase the beer, causing sales to drop in every consecutive week following the Mulvaney backlash.“It’s tough to see the controversial and divisive debates that have been happening in the U.S. in the last couple of weeks involving lots of brands and companies, including and especially Bud Light,” Anheuser-Busch’s global chief marketing officer, Marcel Marcondes, told the Cannes Lions International Festival, according to a report from AdAge. “It’s tough exactly because what we do is all about bringing people together.”Elaborating, Marcondes said the backlash was a “wake-up call” for marketers like himself to be “very humble” amid controversy and during “times like this.”“That’s what we’re doing, being very humble, and really reminding ourselves of what we should do best every day, which is to really understand our consumers. Which is to really celebrate and appreciate every consumer that loves our brands—but in a way that can make them be together, not apart,” Marcondes told a crowd at the festival.But he stressed that Bud Light, which recently saw its sales drop to No. 2 behind Modelo Especial, will ultimately make a comeback.Bud Light “exists to make beer easy to drink and easy to enjoy. That’s what we all, as a team, will be doing moving forward as a group,” the executive also said. “That’s what leaders do. Bud Light is coming back. It’s going all around the country, reconnecting with consumers, moving forward. That’s what you can expect from Bud Light in the U.S.”According to the AdAge report, Marcondes made those comments while he was accepting an award for “Creative Marketer of the Year” at the Cannes Film Festival, located in the south of France. On social media, in response to the executive’s remarks, some prominent users called on consumers to continue to the boycott of the brand to send a message to other major corporations.No. 2Industry data shows that Bud Light recently lost its top spot to Modelo Especial in the month of May. Modelo is owned by Constellation Brands within the U.S. after the Department of Justice in 2013 ordered Anhesuer-Busch to divest from the brand and hand it over to Constellation.Beer analyst group Bump Williams said that actual dollar sales were also grim for Bud Light during the four-week period ending in early June, falling about 24.4 percent, while Modelo’s sales grew 12.2 percent in the same time period.“Modelo Especial appears to be increasing its sales growth each week as we get deeper into summer,” Bump Williams told CNN last Wednesday, adding that other Modelo beers are performing well, too.
Financial Hardship Surges As Cost-of-Living Crisis Squeezes Workers
Workers in America and around the world are reporting significantly higher levels of financial hardship compared to last year, as a cooling economy and high inflation has left a growing number cash-strapped and planning to quit in search of better-paid jobs.
An employee restocks meats at a grocery store in North Miami on Jan. 17, 2023. (Wilfredo Lee/AP Photo)
Despite a softening economy and workers reporting growing levels of financial stress, the “Great Resignation” seems poised to continue, according to the latest PriceWaterhouse Coopers (PwC) workforce study.Just over a quarter (26 percent) of workers surveyed by PwC plan to change employers in the next 12 months in hopes of finding better paid work, up from 19 percent last year.
Around 42 percent said they are planning to demand pay raises to offset the higher cost of living, up from 35 percent last year.
“With the ongoing economic uncertainty, we see a global workforce that wants more pay and more meaning from their work,” Bhushan Sethi, joint global leader of PwC’s people & organization practice, said in a statement.While inflationary pressures have eased in recent months, they remain well above pre-pandemic levels, squeezing households and undercutting financial well-being.Tough Times More WidespreadEmployees in the United States and elsewhere increasingly feel cash-strapped as inflationary challenges and economic headwinds continue to impact workers’ wallets.PwC’s “2023 Hopes and Fears Global Workforce Survey,” which polled 54,000 workers in 46 countries, showed that a growing number of households struggled to pay bills every month or could not pay bills most of the time.The share of workers who said their household could not pay the bills most of the time doubled from 2 percent last year to 4 percent in 2023.People shop for bread at a supermarket in Monterey Park, Calif., on Oct. 19, 2022. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)
At the same time, the percentage of workers who say their household can pay all the bills every month and still has some money left over to sock away or for discretionary spending like holidays fell sharply from 47 percent to 38 percent.
Around one worker in five is doing multiple jobs, with 69 percent saying they were doing so for extra income and just 36 percent to learn new skills.
Negative Feedback LoopWorkers who are struggling financially are also less able to meet future challenges, including investing in developing new skills and adapting to the rise of artificial intelligence (AI).
Those who struggle to pay their bills are less likely (50 percent) to actively seek new skill development opportunities than those who can comfortably pay their bills (62 percent).
Similarly, financially secure workers (57 percent) are more likely to seek feedback and improve their performance at work compared to financially struggling workers (45 percent).
#Bitcoin Soars As The Buck Breaks Down
Despite Powell's reiteration of the 'hawkish pause' with two more rate-hikes a "pretty good guess" if the economy continues as they expect, rate-hike expectations were barely changed today with the longer-end of the STIRs market pushing higher (still pricing in rate-cuts though)..Source: Bloomberg
The Atlanta Fed's Bostic confirmed his "baseline is to hold rate [high] through year-end," adding that he doesn't expect rate-cuts for "most of 2024."
The market is pricing in one rate-hike and one rate-cut back by Jan 2024....Source: BloombergThe Chicago Fed's Goolsbee also noted that last week's decision to hold rates was "a close call."But despite the modest hawkish shift, the dollar dived after recovering back to pre-Powell levels...Source: BloombergNasdaq underperformed as Small Caps led but with an hour to go, selling restarted as Bostic commented on higher rates for longer leaving the big tech index down over 1%. S&P underperformed The Dow, closing near the lows of the day...0-DTE traders were aggressively buying calls into the morning decline in NasdaqSource: SpotGammaThe Russell 2000 outperformed the Nasdaq 100, with the ratio between the two finding resistance...It was deja vu all over again in 'short-squeeze' land as early selling was caught as Europe closed and 'most shorted' stocks were squeeze back (but not green)Source: Bloomberg'Long Duration' - unprofitable - tech stocks sold off once again (but bounced once again), back to 2 week lows...Source: BloombergAI tumbled again, erasing the post-earnings spike...We note this rollover in AI-tech-stocks is occurring at an 'interesting' time...Source: BloombergBitcoin topped $30,000 for the first time since April 26th (extending gains ignited by news of a Citadel-sponsored exchange)...Source: BloombergWe are sure this helped somewhat...
Oil surged today, dragging WTI back above $72.50 - its highest in two weeks...Which pulled Energy stocks higher (rotating out of long-duration tech - which may have been helped by Biden's "dictator" comments about Xi)...Source: BloombergAnd the world and his pet rabbit has given up on the energy trade (Goldman notes Energy is among the most net sold sectors in the past month both globally and in the US on the Prime book, driven by long-and-short sales)...Source: GoldmanA well-bid 20-year auction put some much-needed lipstick on an otherwise pig-like day for bonds are UK inflation and Powell's hawkishness sent yields higher. By the close, Treasuries were practically unch across the curve with 30Y -5bps on the week (while 2Y is unch)...Source: BloombergGold extended yesterday's losses intraday, falling to its lowest in over 3 months below bouncing back barely into the green...Finally, we note that Economic Surprise Indices are diverging notably with Europe deep in negative territory, China tumbling, and US rebounding modestly...Source: BloombergWhich is ironic since Europe is hiking and US is pausing (with China easing the whole time to no avail).
Why choose Nostr over Post.News or Mastodon?
Joe Biden versus Hunter Biden
https://us-southeast-1.linodeobjects.com/dufflepud/uploads/e45ec49b-6d8c-431f-8775-0c720cc79354.mp4
#Bitcoin 30K Song
Bitcoin Hodlers
Little “accounting error”. People will suffer the consequences. Time to send #Biden to Jail https://nostr.build/av/6287261439bf4336fab1ac439b995e4fd023f5b0e39051f6fd45ca4d0243a09b.mov
Note to self. Don’t try downloading the entire blockchain and all the latest movies at the same time. Finally the #Bitcoin node is up and running steadily 
#Bitcoin don’t mess around https://nostr.build/av/5b235e256b19212d4189dce74bc45cbcf701812e77d0b3e4d851b4237ec8136b.mov
Apple is a shit company with an misguided plan.
Removing chargers from boxes so you pay more. Switching cables so you need to buy different once every goddamn time. Walled software garden where they make the rules. Claiming privacy and selling your data to the highest bidder.
Open Source is the only way forward