The crew from the Lightning Hood website and weekly wrap-up are back for another episode chatting all about the developments in Lightning & Bitcoin throughout the last year. What's new, what's the same, and what are the next steps. Bitcoin is back in the spotlight, how long and winding is the road to good privacy, how Bitcoin & Lightning returns power to personal hardware, developing a protocol stack for sovereignty, how Lightning is disappearing into the background, and the coming wave ...
Aug 13, 2019•1 hr 44 min
Do we live in an age of liberty, where information is freely accessible, or an age of heavy-handed copyright restrictions where we are losing the ownership of the very devices we hold in our hands? If I had to judge, it's probably a bit of both. Today we read a fascinating short story that I just recently ran across at the NakamotoInstitute.org by Richard Stallman, a dystopian tale of a future where we have to fight, for our " Right to Read ." Thanks to SNI for making the work available, I would...
Aug 09, 2019•35 min
We make claims about Bitcoin's assurances all the time. It is censorship resistant, it's open and permissionless, it's counterfeit proof, etc. But are these things entirely true? When someone wants to acquire, use, or validate Bitcoin, how well do the claims match reality? Today we cover another great article from @nic_carter titled: " Unpacking Bitcoin's Assurances ." Don't forget to follow Nic on Twitter and Medium, and drop some applause on the original article at the link below: https://medi...
Aug 07, 2019•50 min
Today we read an excellent article by Ben Perrin ( @Btcsessions ) laying out an excellent argument that reveals #BitcoinMaximalism as the meticulous and thoughtful position it actually is. Rather than the arbitrary, religious, & closed-minded position many altcoiners would want you to believe. Drop some applause on the Medium article for the great work! https://medium.com/bull-bitcoin/my-path-to-bitcoin-maximalism-c77c53466cb5 Follow @BTCsessions on Twitter and Youtube for tons of great cont...
Aug 06, 2019•54 min
Today we have on the show one of the best journalists in the Bitcoin ecosystem, Aaron Van Wirdum ! We chat about his path to finding Bitcoin, his process in investigating protocol developments, social impacts of paradigm shifting technology, the growing need and coming battle for privacy, his most anticipated new tech, and much more! You'll find over 300! amazing articles by Aaron at https://bitcoinmagazine.com/authors/aaron-van-wirdum . And don't forget the great pieces available in the new 10t...
Aug 05, 2019•1 hr 15 min
Inflation, or manipulation of the money supply to the benefit of the politically well connected, is quite possibly the most pervasive frauds of modern society. It creates multiple layers of compounded resource misallocation, it benefits the debtors and manipulators at the expense of savers, it puts a constant downward pressure on living standards, and it enables more unchecked corruption and abuse of power than any other aspect of our political systems. Following Hulsmann's work, Deflation &...
Aug 02, 2019•1 hr 15 min
"If Bitcoin's supply is expected to be endlessly deflationary, doesn't this ensure a never ending, economy destroying downward spiral?" Today we conclude with Part 2, Hulsmann's incredible work on the consequences and nature of deflation and what it means for liberty. Continuing a 3 episode answer to this critically important question we finish Jörg Guido Hülsmann 's amazing piece, available thanks to the Mises Institute : Deflation & Liberty https://mises.org/library/deflation-and-liberty-1...
Aug 02, 2019•40 min
When we think about the unmatched scarcity of Bitcoin as a monetary good (particularly after looking at @100trillionUSD 's stock-to-flow model), it inevitably leads to an important question. If Bitcoin's supply is expected to be endlessly deflationary, doesn't this ensure a never ending, economy destroying downward spiral? Doesn't deflation halt economic growth and investment? Beginning a 3 episode answer to this critically important question we start by reading Jörg Guido Hülsmann 's amazing pi...
Jul 31, 2019•40 min
The incredible model for predicting and assessing the value of the Bitcoin network by @100trillionUSD is analyzed in his exceptional article that we read on today's show, "Modeling Bitcoin's Value with Scarcity." With an R^2 above 95%, if you plan for a bitcoin future without closely assessing this model, you are ignoring a powerful indicator. Hear all about what it means for "orange coin number" in today's episode! Don't forget to drop some major applause for the excellent work at the original ...
Jul 30, 2019•1 hr
If you haven't listened to the earlier episode where I went on the Friends Against Government Podcast, then you no longer have to miss out! A year later, we get back together & talk about what a crazy year it has been in Bitcoin, podcasting, & the increasingly confused world. Just an awesomely fun time! Check out the Friends Against Government Podcast. Entertaining, informative, & just the right amount of absurd! https://open.spotify.com/show/2TqT6kcwVFRSAQP8BUlH58?si=0aws7YRVRJ2NXTu...
Jul 29, 2019•1 hr 35 min
We start today's show reading a short Twitter thread by @simonlutz21 which sparks a fun discussion about the presence of Proof-of-Work in nature, the awesome utility of immutability, and the power of Bitcoin's inalterable ledger. Like the original thread by Simon by following the link below: https://twitter.com/simonlutz21/status/1145009553874010112 Don't forget to check out the presentation by Andreas on "immutability and proof of work": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsLrJp6cLf4 And if you wo...
Jul 26, 2019•25 min
There were many precursors to the Bitcoin system, but IMO, none came as close to correctly defining the problem, & solving the key issues of trust as Nick Szabo 's Bit Gold concept. Reading another great piece made available by the Nakamoto Institute, we read and discuss the incredible prescience of Szabo through one of Bitcoin's forefathers, Bit Gold. Check out the amazing collection of literature at the Nakamoto Institute and see the original piece at the link below: https://nakamotoinstit...
Jul 25, 2019•41 min
What if we already had a solution to one of the biggest threats to the Bitcoin network, but simply weren't implementing it? Today we read another great piece by @stopanddecrypt breaking down the numerous vulnerabilities of centralized mining pools, that simply wouldn't exist, with the implementation of a @TheBlueMatt 's new hashing protocol, #BetterHash. Drop some applause on the original article & check out the library of work on StopAndDecrypt's Medium page: https://medium.com/hackernoon/b...
Jul 24, 2019•49 min
What if there was a single, fundamental flaw in Keynesian economic theory that could shed light on the major imbalances and debts that have resulted from our monetary system? Does "spending" and consumption of resources truly make us wealthier? Ben Kaufman lays out the argument for how "Time" is the missing piece in the failed Keynesian puzzle. Drop some applause on the original article at the link below, and don't forget to check out and follow Ben for his future work: https://medium.com/@ben_k...
Jul 23, 2019•1 hr 3 min
From Bitcoin Magazine , today we read Aaron's piece on the recently conceptualized "Statechains" from the mind of Ruben Somsen . An entirely different way to think of exchanging Bitcoin, by handing keys to the receiver, rather than sending coins. Don't miss the read & a really fun discussion about the tech to follow. Check out BitcoinMagazine.com for the full article and the best place for Bitcoin news and information! Dropping a link to Aaron's main page because he has a number of recent ar...
Jul 22, 2019•35 min
The Lightning Network does, in fact, have scaling problems of its own. When the network grows to millions of channels we obviously won't be able to run it on a Raspberry Pi. Don’t tell Rusty Russell or Joe Netti that, because they'll just build their own network and do it. Another major milestone in Lightning development, the release of the Million Channels Project! Today we are reading & discussing, from the Blockstream blog, “Letting a Million Channels Bloom.” Check out the official post f...
Jul 19, 2019•41 min
... And one of the greatest natural subsidies for renewable energy we could've asked for. Today we hit a piece by Daniel Wingen . A thorough breakdown of the essence of mining, the necessity of its energy expenditure, the incentives for efficiency and renewable sources, and the unbelievable cost that is being rescued from wasteful alternatives. Not only is Bitcoin's energy consumption not a problem, it could be exactly what we need for a brighter future. Check out the full article and many links...
Jul 18, 2019•1 hr 18 min
Today we read yet another great piece by @hasufl and @suzhu available on uncommoncore.co on the core value offered by Bitcoin as a system and the high level trends in macroeconomics and technology that could lead to enormous future demand for just such an asset. A big thanks as always to the amazing work produced by Hasu and Su Zhu . You must check out their blog over at uncommoncore.co where you can find many other great works for understanding Bitcoin's nature. Below I've linked to the ones we...
Jul 16, 2019•51 min
Finishing this week out with a short but wonderful introductory article by Nik Bhatia . Bitcoin is a money, a game, a land grab, works like email, and ultimately, Bitcoin is a human right. My discussion afterward may have gotten a little out of hand with a 40 minute follow-up to a 5 minute article. But when a good article sparks great ideas, sometimes its just hard to stop. ;) Today we read and discuss Nik’s excellent piece, “Bitcoin is a Human Right” https://medium.com/@timevalueofbtc/bitcoin-i...
Jul 12, 2019•49 min
The Lightning protocol has made some major leaps in the last few months, and the software landscape has changed massively in the same span! Here to talk all about the Breez lightning service that has been an absolute pleasure to play with, we have the CEO, Roy Sheinfeld, joining us on the show! If you wanted to hear how their team is creating a seamless experience in Lightning & what it will take to bring it to the everyday user, don't miss this chat! Dont' forget to follow @breez_tech on Tw...
Jul 10, 2019•1 hr 19 min
Tomorrow we have an awesome interview with Roy Sheinfeld all about the Breez Lightning service! To set the stage, today we dive into the recent Lightning Labs Blog post on the incredible improvements in the 0.7-beta release. Followed with a fun discussion on the major developments and what it will mean for the UX, reliability, and further improvements of the Lightning ecosystem. If you need you Lightning Fix, this is where you'll find it. Don't forget to follow the blog and Twitter handles to st...
Jul 09, 2019•45 min
Merchants are scammers, Keynesians are scammers, altcoins are scammers, Bitcoin "investments" are scammers, scammers are scammers, and even Bitcoin hoarders are scammers. Everyone's a scammer . There is a key list of works that are simply the "must reads" of the Bitcoin space if you want to understand the true nature of the new economic incentives and the technology behind it. " Everyone's a Scammer " by Michael Goldstein , is one of those works. Another piece that stood the test of time made av...
Jul 08, 2019•44 min
I was lucky enough to get the opportunity at the Bitcoin 2019 Conference to sit down with Alex Adelman , the CEO of Lolli , and talk all about how he got into Bitcoin and their crazy experience bursting into the Bitcoin scene! This is definitely a crew to be watching closely as they continue to expand their service and grow with the Bitcoin ecosystem. Shout out to Matt Senter ! It was great meeting you & if you ever get the time we would love to have you out at the Raleigh Bitcoin Meetup ! D...
Jul 05, 2019•33 min
Today we finish the amazing journey through Jameson Lopp 's thorough compilation of Craig Wright's extensive efforts and complications in trying to convince the world he is Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin. A huge thank you to Lopp and Bitcoin Magazine for making this extraordinary work available. Don't miss today's conclusion of " How Many Wrongs Make a Wright? " The culprits responsible for this work: www.bitcoinmagazine.com twitter.com/lopp // Lopp.net Check out the article for the vi...
Jul 03, 2019•56 min
Did you hear about the guy who tried for years to convince the world he was Satoshi? If you ever wanted to explore the evidence against Craig Wright's dubious claims but simply didn't have the time to sit down and read it, this is the QuikRead for you. Today we begin our journey through Jameson Lopp 's thorough compilation of Faketoshi's failed efforts at convincing the world he is Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin. Published at Bitcoin Magazine , don't miss today's audio of " How Many Wr...
Jul 02, 2019•36 min
I got a chance to sit down with Aleks Svetski of the Amber App & blockchain bashing fame at the Bitcoin2019 conference. The Citizen Bitcoin crew joins us to hear his story of bashing ICOs at an ICO conference, and speaking about the Death of Blockchain at a blockchain conference. Don't miss this one. Aleks other great articles mentioned on the show: https://bitcointimes.news/ ("Blockchain is Dead") https://hackernoon.com/why-bitcoin-matters-c8bf733b9fad https://hackernoon.com/homo-sapiens-ev...
Jul 01, 2019•1 hr 2 min
Another excellent piece by @beautyon_ and discussion on the nature of Bitcoin's uncontestable monetary standard and what it means for our future. Its not volatility or the risks of a scarce monetary supply, "The danger is being left out of Bitcoin." You have been warned. Plus I do a short follow-up and general thanks to the BTCMedia and BitcoinMagazine crew for such an awesome Bitcoin2019 conference! Had more fun than should be allowed, lol! "A Man Warned is Half Saved": https://hackernoon.com/a...
Jun 28, 2019•37 min
Today we have a great chat with Richard Myers all about the recently unveiled Lot49 protocol and how Global Mesh Labs intends to incentivize and help build a global, decentralized meshnet powered by Lightning! Check out the website and read the whitepaper for a deep dive into the project: https://globalmeshlabs.org/ Don’t forget to join the telegram for any questions or to join the community: https://t.me/joinchat/HvhpZhT_q4VYUgXm5hOFGA Follow Richard Myers & Global Mesh Labs on Twitter to s...
Jun 24, 2019•1 hr 21 min
A message from the future... from 2013. Just one of those memes that made its place in Bitcoin's cultural history, we read the infamous Reddit post that laid out the bleak, Bitcoin-only future that lies ahead of us. Can we stop it, before its too late? Link to the OP: https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/1lfobc/i_am_a_timetraveler_from_the_future_here_to_beg/ Donate below if you would like to support this show: 31sBReBuAA9QznVRRrcsjdGp9oc4ajnS4t --- Send in a voice message: https://podcaste...
Jun 21, 2019•24 min
Does money need some alternative utility? Is there an example of virtual money that could be hundreds of years old? Today we read about one of the most interesting analogies to the nature and value of Bitcoin in the piece, "The Island of Stone Money" by Milton Friedman. Made available by the Hoover institute and published in 1991. Don't forget to check out the huge collection available at the Hoover Institute, including numerous works by Milton Friedman. https://www.hoover.org/publications/econo...
Jun 20, 2019•50 min
