I am offering 150,000 sats to anyone who can demonstrate a zk-stark working in the following way...

1) I will create a text file with some arbitrary content, encrypt it, and hash the encrypted version.

2) You shall get a copy of the plain text and the encrypted file, and the decryption key.

3) I will pretend to not know the contents for this exercise, for proof of concept.

4) You will create code that can generate a zk-proof that takes these inputs:

a) the encrypted file

b) the decryption key

c) a regex search (or simple grep search if regex too complex)

... and returns a True or False reading with respect to the regex search.

5) The hard part: I will give you a "random" regex to search, you create the proof, and direct me how to perform a verification SIMPLY, on my local Linux computer, with free open source software, and without the need for a shitcoin's blockchain or 3rd party verifier. I HAVE TO VERIFY.

6) The hardest part - I'll need to be shown that there's a clear way that I can reproduce the procedure; if I need to learn a new coding language, that's not a barrier. If I need to build my own polynomial circuit for this very basic zk-stark check, that could take years of work, so no beuno.

You can use libraries to build the polynomial circuit, but I must be able to be convinced trustlessly that your computer has honestly performed the regex search, and you know if the document contains the search term, and can do that without revealing the contents of the document or the decryption key.

If you do this I agree to paying the bounty and if satisfied, will probably give a tip. I reserve the right to refuse to pay if I detect trickery, shenaniganary, or abuse, eg weaseling out of doing what I intended because of some loophole in the way I structured these terms.

This must be a zk-stark proof, not zk-snark. There must be no back doors, and no trusted setup. If I detect trust required, defeating the purpose of a zk-stark, the deal is off... but I may still pay some amount at my discretion; it's hard to know in advance.

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Tweet from 5 days ago ..

After 4 days of math and research, I can demonstrate to anyone interested that #zkstarks is a scam...

They claim to remove the trusted setup of zk-snarks (used in the shit coin zcash), but in fact have shifted the trust to the proover who designs the the individual contract (circuit).

The verifier can't see the circuit but can mathematically verify that the circuit behaves as claimed. Many hundreds of pages have been devoted to showing how the link between the circuit and the proof is valid, but the very first step is not discussed. "How is anyone to know of the circuit was created honestly in the first place?"

The functioning of the circuit is obfuscated mathematically with high degree polynomials, so it could be malicious and the approval must be trusted in how they designed it.

For instance, a claim could be made that a particular encrypted document when decrypted with a key that is not seen yeilds a true result. But the malicious actor could instead insert code that gives a true result directly if that same document is inputted.

No actual decryption is designed to happen. Then this code is converted to a polynomial, and then expand (low degree expansion) to obfuscate the original code.

The verifier then checks that the polynomial behaves as expected, but they've got no way of checking that the correct polynomial has been used.

They could enter or check documents that are different to the target, and of course they'll get a false reading in the same way that they would if the key didn't work, but they'll be deceived.

While the mathematics works, actual inputs a malicious meaning that the setup is trusted...

NZK starks is a scam, bamboozling everyone with mathematics, and hiding the fact If something is simple as:

dog shit in, dog shit out

And they want to bring this into Bitcoin, pppppfffffftttt FUCK YOU

I disagree

People realise that bitcoin is scarce, right?

That's basically what I said.

I'm here to burst bubbles.

Dollar cost averaging is GAMBLING. Here me out...

If you regularly buy bitcoin with a component of your paycheck, that's not DCA, that's regular LUM SUM buying.

DCA would be if you take a paycheck and spread the purchasing OF THAT QUANTITY of "money" over the time.

You withhold buying with it all, and spread your risk over time, so that if it goes down after buying with the first small fraction, you don't feel as bad, because you get to buy more bitcoin at a lower price with your next fraction.

In summary of that, you are gambling that the price won't go up over the time you withhold your buying. Because if it does go up you end up with fewer bitcoin, and if it goes down you end up with more bitcoin.

On the other hand, lump sum buying is the exact opposite. You're gambling the price will not go down. If it goes down after you lump sum buy, and it always does, you end up with fewer bitcoin. And if it goes up right after you buy, then your gamble paid off.

People think that DCA is a hedge but in fact it is not, it is one extreme of a gambling strategy, and lump sum is the other extreme.

To correctly hedge you would take any quantitative money that comes to you, and lump some half of it, and DCA the other.

Until next time.

Couldn't finish it - is it supposed to be cringy?

I mean who wouldn't do that

Bought it

It's madness to have audible notifications on.

I even have visual notifications off.

My notifications are all listed, and I only see them if I go to the notifications section.

It still traps me though, but it could be much worse

Lol I didn't realise there were two people there

Is this to save on breakpads?

No, it requires too much manual intervention to install from the lowly windows user

Hello World, I give you Parmanode4Win version 0.0.1 ...

For a long time, I've resisted building a version of Parmanode for Windoze because I hate it, and because people should get off Windows. On the other hand, most of the people who need help are probably most comfortable Windows. The Linux users can probably manage.

So this is a way to get more people running nodes, and more people's eyes on my "message of the day" propaganda, mwahaha.

The hardest part was interacting with Bill Gate's clunky piece of crap, but also, because I excluded using the Bash language as an option (it required too many steps to set up from the user) - I went with Python.

Python is great, but I had to learn a thing or two to replicate what I was doing with Bash on Linux/Mac. Some things were harder on Python, but some things were easier.

Look at how easy this is...

1. Download the installer file from the website (see image for link)

2. Double-click the download and agree to install.

3. The installer closes and leaves an application shortcut on the desktop with a pretty icon picture.

4. Double click the icon

5. Read some intro menus (dismiss forever by typing "free ross" where prompted).

6. Main menu - select with the keyboard (options highlighted in colour) to add a program.

7. Add Bitcoin. It offers internal vs external drive. If external it'll format if you choose. You can also migrate your own Bitcoin data directory.

8. It'll ask if you want to prune and help you set a value, just type what you want to answer the prompts.

9. A bitcoin.conf file is created in the background with the best settings for your Sparrow Wallet. Modifies some conflicting settings if pruning.

10. Bitcoin downloads, sha256 verifies, gpg verifies with Michael Ford's (Bitcoin Dev) public key, unzips, and moves files to where they need to be.

11. Back from the main menu, you can enter the Bitcoin menu and start Bitcoin. A screen pops up showing the chain syncing. If you close it, Bitcoin gracefully stops. Start it up again and it picks up where it left off. It's convenient for your wallet usage to leave it on, but you don't necessarily have to.

12. Then, from the main menu, you can go to the add_menu and add Sparrow Bitcoin Wallet. It downloads and verifies and unzips, but also, it modifies the configuration file so Sparrow will AUTOMAGICALLY connect to your own Bitcoin Core node.

13. Start sparrow from the sparrow menu.

14. There is a bunch of other cool stuff if you explore the Main menu options.

15. I'll add more apps (eg Mempool, Electrum Server, Electrum wallet, and others, maybe notes and things like that moved across relay type devices ;P) as time goes on, be sure to regularly (daily) update - it doesn't matter if you forget, whenever there's a new version, you'll get a prompt to choose to update, and it's done automatically.

Sounds good? It's 50x better on Linux.

www.parmanode.com/parmanode4win

Screenshot of webpage containing screenshots of the app...

When possible, I always take the racing line when driving.

Not because I'm a hoon, but it's wasteful and wrong otherwise.

Good boy

You don't say

Gotta get my propaganda message-of-the-day in my software to more eyeballs

Parmanode4Win coming soon.

I hate it.

If cash is King, then Bitcoin must be God.

"never" tells the truth. You just lied, how bow dat?