In order to save democracy we have to…

*Checks notes*

Destroy democracy.

Bitcoin and Nostr address similar problem of centralization.

In 2008, when the global financial crisis raged and Bitcoin was being conceived, the bail-out number thrown around was $700 Billion. A massive number at that time.

Today, that number pales in comparison to trillion dollar deficits at a time when there's supposedly no crisis.

Likewise, here at the nascent beginnings of Nostr, we have only seen the very beginning of censorship.

Given the trajectory, the fundamental problem of centralization, and the then-vs-now (billions-vs-trillions) comparison Bitcoin elucidates, we can only imagine the levels of censorship yet to come, in 5, 10 and 15 years' time, and how crucial Nostr will prove to be then.

In short, the centralized insanity that resulted in trillions upon trillions of $ printed out of thin air, is a window through which one can look and imagine the insane levels of censorship yet to be manifested by centralization.

We ain't seen nothing yet.

And human nature combined with centralized power makes it almost inevitable.

As inevitable as a trillion debt problem.

Attended a food & wine festival that was jam packed with people to the point you could barely take a step in any direction.

About 1% of folks were wearing masks, which I found strange.

They had to remove the mask basically every minute to actually partake in the festival.

Why place yourself in such a situation if you think it's that dangerous?

The U.S. Government, formed by us to serve the us, has gone the way of all corrupt governments: it is fearful of its citizens. It is protecting itself through the creation of ever more oporessive laws. But here is the truth: Good people don't need laws and bad people ignore them.

“Laws grind the poor, and rich men rule the law.” - Oliver Goldsmith

Oh, wow!!!

I’m really liking the distinct Nostr experience vs the Twitter experience. Occasionally I cross-post something on both, but my decision in recent weeks to treat them differently has been very rewarding.

Years ago, I used to post on certain forums. But as someone with a big Twitter following now, I am more self-conscious of what I post there these past few years. It’s like, I feel quite a responsibility before I send something out to 600k followers, rather than being able to treat it rather carefree like I would treat a forum in the old days. Of course, once in a while I get provoked by something or I share something random and funny for no reason, but not usually.

Since the community on Nostr is still smallish, it kind of rekindles that more carefree feeling of just posting, talking. And I post less about economics, which is my main Twitter silo.

And because I want open protocols like Nostr to succeed, I deliberately want to be here, posting. So it is a win-win; I try to add value but also it scratches an itch for me that hasn’t been scratched in a while.

Maybe if/when Nostr becomes large, it will recreate that sense of filtering that I have on Twitter. But I would still consider that a success, because it means Nostr succeeded and I at least got to experience a smaller social environment for another period of time.

> inflation

> right-wing talking point

I have a feeling the forced ID verification is going to be a big tailwind for Nostr. Yes, many NPCs will verify but there will be a solid percentage of users who draw the line and seek alternatives. Keep building out their life boats!

good morning nostr, distractions everywhere, important to remain focused 🫡