"In other words, Bitcoin already has little monetary inflation, which will drop even further." - Dominik Stroukal Because I love discussion of markets, prices, and the EMH, I couldn't avoid one last article before the halving arrives. With another interesting take from the SatoshiLabs blog from first time on the show author, Diminik Stroukal , we get a breakdown of how to think about the halving, the stock to flow model, and predicting the future of Bitcoin. Plus, an unavoidable Guy's Rant to fo...
May 09, 2020•52 min
"In the absence of the gold standard, there is no way to protect savings from confiscation through inflation. There is no safe store of value. If there were, the government would have to make its holding illegal, as was done in the case of gold." - Alan Greenspan Who would've guessed that the most succinct explanation of exactly how Greenspan caused an unsustainable credit bubble in the 90s, resulting in an inevitable economic collapse, would've come from Greenspan himself, almost 30 years earli...
May 06, 2020•53 min
"It is axiomatic that printing money (or creating digital dollars) does nothing to generate economic activity ; it only shifts the balance of powers as to who allocates the money and prices risk. It strips power from the people and centralizes it to the government." - Parker Lewis If you were worried that the previous installment of the Gradually, Then Suddenly Series was its conclusion, then you will not want to miss today’s read. Parker is back with another bomb to drop on the unavoidable real...
May 04, 2020•1 hr 7 min
" As a friend of mine likes to say: Bitcoin is pieces of super-gold flying inside an unstoppable PayPal. It is the best money we ever had." - Gigi Another great piece by Gigi (@Dergigi on twitter) that takes a step back and just tells the message of Bitcoin without all the usual over-complication. Ignore the monetary history, don't explain the underlying technology, lets not cover the crucial cryptographic imperatives or the game theory, and lets address the common sense reasons that Bitcoin exi...
May 01, 2020•59 min
"Mycelial networks act as a resource transport layer and communications network connecting organisms in the biosphere. This enables organisms to voluntarily trade resources and knowledge across species lines. Increasing trade leads to increased specialization (division of labor), further increasing biodiversity (wealth and resilience) in the ecosystem." - Brandon Quittem After the long wait, we are finally covering Part 4, the conclusion, of Quittem's incredible "Mycelial Money" series, explorin...
Apr 30, 2020•1 hr 8 min
"What the State fears above all, of course, is any fundamental threat to its own power and its own existence" - Murray N. Rothbard The epic conclusion to Murray Rothbard's Anatomy of the State. What is the ultimate end of state power? Can we test to see if the State is in fact interested in its own survival, or if its interested in the protection of its citizens? And how does Bitcoin alter this ancient dynamic? This and more in todays read. Check out Mises.org for the amazing library of work mad...
Apr 28, 2020•56 min
" The greatest danger to the State is independent intellectual criticism." -Murray N. Rothbard Another piece made available thanks to the amazing team over at the Mises Institute , we dive into the first half of the essential work by Murray N. Rothbard, Anatomy of the State. A critical and objective view of what the tools and means of the state are, and how they differ from the average man. Trigger warning, some of it might be hard to hear. Check out Mises.org for the amazing library of work mad...
Apr 27, 2020•1 hr 4 min
" I think of Bitcoin as a conservative investment because it’s so superior to gold. The value of it should wind up at least equal to gold’s..." - BitcoinTINA Reading a piece by BitcoinTINA summarized from the BitcoinMagazine series on how Bitcoin is a fundamental shift in the nature of money, and how quickly everything could change despite how difficult to imagine it may be. Posted with other great work on the Swan Signal blog, we read "Bitcoin and the Technological Evolution of the Finanical Sy...
Apr 24, 2020•44 min
"We Hodl these truths to be self evident" - Brady A Declaration of Independence for the age of the separation of money and state. When a monetary system becomes a burden, a means not to help the public good, but to sicken and destroy it, it is the right, and the duty of the people to throw off such system. This is why we are here, and this is why we run our nodes, defending the network from those that would alter the money for their benefit, and our expense. The original is below so that applaus...
Apr 24, 2020•35 min
If finding out how the banking system is systematically ripping you off doesn't make your angry, then you're already dead. Had an awesome discussion with Josh of Bottomshelf Bitcoin fame! Going through the incredible theft and engineered fragility of our monetary system. How it induces the boom and bust cycle, builds unsustainable imbalances, fuels irresponsible behavior, rewards those who waste resources, lies to us about our wealth, and manages to have us owing all of our life's work to a bank...
Apr 22, 2020•1 hr 25 min
"As the crypto industry makes progress toward Web 3.0, we’ll come to realize that it’s hard to beat the security and network effects of Bitcoin." - Muneeb Ali Another great article from Bitcoin Magazine, this one by the founder of Blockstack, Muneeb Ali , on the superior security and foundation that Bitcoin can provide to Web 3.0. How its perceived "limitations," may be what makes it the best foundation we could have. It also sparks a long Guy's Rant on the value of on-chain vs off-chain contrac...
Apr 21, 2020•46 min
You are not going to want to miss this incredible piece on exactly how far we have strayed from anything resembling "capitalism," or even the goal of accumulating and growing the capital that improves our lives. "T his is your brain on central banking, regulatory capture, and financialization ." - Sacha & Allen Check out the original and hit that clap button excessively on both Allen and Sacha's pages below • https://medium.com/@allenfarrington/this-is-not-capitalism-5ed0a9d5dfa9 • https://m...
Apr 20, 2020•1 hr 5 min
"You can't dictate how people should use bitcoin. Bitcoin has certain properties that enable different use cases. The predominant use case will fluctuate over time. Get over it." - Marty Bent An Important reminder from Uncle Marty: Bitcoin has value because of what it enables. It is the market that will find its highest value purpose, and it will be used in all the ways it will best serve the economy. Neither you nor I, fortunately, get to decide how Bitcoin will be used or valued. Don't forget ...
Apr 17, 2020•29 min
"All I know is the setup for bitcoin, the hardest form of digital money, could not be better. All manners of trust have evaporated. In order to solve for demand and supply destruction, governments will embark on the greatest fiscal stimulus binge the world has ever seen." - Arthur Hayes The time has come to put our cards on the table and place our bets. Where do you stand? Check out this article plus tons of other great research on any Bitcoin topic you could dream up at the Bitmex Blog: https:/...
Apr 15, 2020•47 min
You’re in for a marathon of a meetup today! The Raleigh Bitcoin Crew goes down the rabbit hole with… Infinite money printing Who really runs things? Inflation and the Fed’s Great Scam How trustless money leads to greater trust Price “gouging” or price “discovery”? Monopolies & the Govt Anti-trust laws and predatory pricing The last halving & the Bitcoin price Quantitative Hardening & more! Don't forget to subscribe and check out the Raleigh Bitcoin Meetup Pod so you don't miss the ra...
Apr 14, 2020•3 hr 16 min
"It is the digital equivalent of your physical bank sending private investigators to follow your every move for days after you withdraw cash at the ATM, and then freezing or confiscating your bank account entirely if that PI comes back with a report that says that “you may have,” with some probability, engaged in controversial actions with that cash." - Giacomo Zucco A great closing the Giacomo's Treatise on Bitcoin and Privacy at Bitcoin Magazine . What are the Red herrings we have to navigate ...
Apr 13, 2020•51 min
"Despite unprecedented fiscal and monetary intervention after the financial crisis, results have been disappointing. The American people do not need accounting tricks or more debt, but true innovation. Thankfully, Bitcoin provides a way forward." - Conner Brown An excellent article found over at the Bitcoin Reserve Journal on how Bitcoin could lead us into an explosion of innovation and efficiency, and has the potential to right so many imbalances and decades of stagnation in the American econom...
Apr 10, 2020•1 hr
"Although I mostly agree with their reasoning and share the enthusiasm for such a free market, I cannot stop being astonished by the naivety of the idea." - Sven Schneiders If a "good" money cannot survive without a helpful and easy environment... then is it even a good money at all? Sven makes an excellent case for abandoning the sentiment that we should desire a friendly environment for the one market good which is the bedrock for all other economic activity. Check out the original and the man...
Apr 09, 2020•25 min
“Beware of what I call Pascal's scams: movements or belief systems that ask you to hope for or worry about very improbable outcomes that could have very large positive or negative consequences.” - Nick Szabo Another amazing piece from the Unenumerated blog by Nick Szabo that explains a class of doomsday and utopia predictions he refers to as “Pascal’s Scams.” How it can appear rational to worry or hope for extremely improbable outcomes. We read part 1 & 2 together and then talk about how thi...
Apr 08, 2020•50 min
"Satoshi Nakamoto created Bitcoin as a tool for privacy. The entire cypherpunk quest, which Satoshi was an active part of and which the Bitcoin experiment is the coronation of, was all about personal and financial privacy." - Giacomo Zucco A great piece from Giacomo, published with Bitcoin Magazine , on the concepts and origins of privacy behind Bitcoin. Why it's needed, what it means, and all the ways we will secure it. A Treatise on Bitcoin & Privacy Part 1. Let's dive in! Check out the or...
Apr 07, 2020•54 min
"A distant digital descendent of zero, the invention of Bitcoin represents the discovery of absolute scarcity for money: an idea as equally unstoppable." - Robert Breedlove A new piece by Breedlove exploring the discovery and impact of the concept of "zero," both as an abstraction of the nature of the universe, & a numerical tool for better defining and making sense of the world. And how the discovery of absolute scarcity in a monetary system, Bitcoin, will change our current view of the wor...
Apr 03, 2020•1 hr 22 min
“In the wake of the enormous money tsunami unleashed onto economies and societies, people have begun (rightfully) to start asking the question: What has become of money? Is money even worth anything any longer?” - Pascal Another great op-ed from Pascal Hugli over at BitcoinMagazine.com. With a deca-trillion dollar imbalance & trillion in newly printed currency now a daily reality… how exactly did we get here? What is Happening to Money? https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/what-is-happening-...
Apr 02, 2020•49 min
"One of the biggest lies in recent times is that inflation is good and necessary for a healthy economy." - Mcfloogle It was once understood that money was owned by the individual. Merely an extension of the value created in the past, the soundness of money could not be disconnected from the very right to life and property itself. A short but excellent blog post on this nature, and the consequences when it is lost to our society. Check out mcfloogle.com to check out the other great blog posts as ...
Mar 31, 2020•30 min
The team over at Kraken just dropped a fascinating report on “The Great Wealth Transfer” and what it means for Bitcoin. How, even holding all other things constant, we could see on the order of $1 Trillion move into the Bitcoin ecosystem. We bring Pete Rizzo on the show to talk all about it. Follow Pete Rizzo below and check out the Kraken blog for more interesting research and posts on the Bitcoin ecosystem: https://twitter.com/pete_rizzo_ https://blog.kraken.com/ Read the full report for the m...
Mar 30, 2020•1 hr 12 min
"It was a plea to all those that valued the fight for liberty and freedom. Outnumbered ten-to-one, Travis responded to a demand for surrender with a cannon shot." - Parker Lewis The 13th installment in the excellent Gradually, Then Suddenly series, from Parker Lewis and the Unchained Capital team. Bitcoin is a Rally Cry. https://unchained-capital.com/blog/bitcoin-is-a-rally-cry/ There is no better time to start responsibly saving in Bitcoin than these volatile and uncertain times. And the best, ...
Mar 27, 2020•1 hr 10 min
"The Federal Reserve’s market operations are ramping up by the day, and it’s using more tools simultaneously to “fix” markets than ever before. So what are these tools and how is the Fed using them?" - Colin Harper Wondering what is happening in the hurricane that is finance and finding it difficult to piece together all of the puzzle. You aren't alone. Colin Harper has a great new addition to Bitcoin Magazine to help make sense of all the jargon of Repo markets, interest rates, zero reserve, QE...
Mar 26, 2020•50 min
COVID-19 Citadel Preparations The Great Financial Unraveling Scared of the virus or government? Kill Your Heroes Business as usual? With a special social distancing edition of the Raleigh Meetup Podcast, we get a big crew together talking all about the current state of the world, our own adjustments to this new reality, and if Bitcoin ready for this! Don't forget to subscribe to the Raleigh Bitcoin Meetup Podcast for the crazy shit we talk about every week! https://anchor.fm/raleigh-bitcoin-meet...
Mar 24, 2020•2 hr 40 min
" I didn’t believe it when I first heard people saying that most crypto projects will fail. Boy was I wrong." - @Vanalli Take it from someone who has seen "Crypto" from the inside, searching for something of value, and coming up short. An excellent write up of an honest, unapologetic look at the sea of crypto crap, utility tokens, and pointless blockchain projects. A clear demonstration of the "Everyone's a Scammer" rule in the Bitcoin space, Vanalli tells us what it was like working in Crypto f...
Mar 23, 2020•1 hr 24 min
"Make no mistake: the EARN IT Act is a vehicle to undermine end-to-end encryption." - Elliot Harmon A very important episode on a topic that people need to be aware of. There is a bill in Congress, one of the continuous attempts for the past 25 or so years, that will create enormous collateral damage to our freedom of speech, and privacy online. Not to mention putting the many abuses of surveillances capitalism on steroids. An excellent article from the EFF breaks it all down. "The price of libe...
Mar 19, 2020•49 min
"Keeping the Bitcoin network private can be thought of as an act of unity by Bitcoiners in America to help keep the network useful for Bitcoiners in Venezuela and Hong Kong — indeed, around the world." - Sasha Hodder & Rafael Yakobi An article from Bitcoin Magazine diving into the difficult and often onerous regulations around money transmission and the consequences for both the entire industry, and the dangers it presents for individual privacy. An excellent op-ed from Sasha Hodder, and Raf...
Mar 17, 2020•1 hr
