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Notes by matt | export

 I have a dream of an educational institution for those who want to explore anything and question everything.

I know that sounds radical today, but I feel that's the true purpose of education. The dominant philosophy of academia today (in my experience) seems to be that the student is supposed to accept at face value anything presented to him.

There is no time for questioning the underlying assumptions or statements of the curriculum. Things are as they are and that is that!

Read this 1300 page textbook and let me know if you have any questions so I can tell you to read pages 100-156 again.

Now give us 50-100k+ and shut the fuck up.

********************************************
Trust the science!

You are wrong because you don't have _insert degree_.

You can't say that here!
********************************************

Interestingly, I used to think I would hate to be a teacher; I would in schools as they are today.

But I am deeply excited by the idea of teaching when I experiment in my mind with what a proper institution of exploration looks like for me. I can actually picture myself engaging with young (or older) minds and loving the process of education.

Pretty much everything touched by government and the fiat system is destroyed, including the passion of those within the affected systems.

Looking back, my state education after about the half way point (grade 6) was a total waste of my time. In fact, I think I became an adult worse off than I would have been if I had spent half the amount of time studying what I wanted to at the time, and the other half just being a kid or working a job when I was old enough.

Sitting in a hard plastic chair for nearly 8 hours per day, 5 days per week (with work to do on the weekends) felt more like prison than education.

Peace.
 
 To be fair, they did give us five minutes between classes to use the bathroom and rush to the next class, with a 30 minute meal break that included the time it took to get your food and find a place to eat it. No food or drinks in most classes. Thank god for the 5 minutes between classes (if you weren't late - punishment!)

nostr:nevent1qqstz38ysam5ylang4jahappavdy7nu8fyga0szgnypyjf2eel3xlngpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduhsyg875xrv9fr83k7yxacyamfpvzzxazncre0mzuzkaxanxwzq6k777gpsgqqqqqqsq28sst 
 My favorite error message up to this point in my life:

Error: UnexpectedMessage: Unknown message

👌 
 Don’t listen to clowns. If you want a house for your kids to grow up in and have fond memories,... 
 To be fair, he did say 'need.' I think his point is that most people can have the use of things without the headaches of owning them. That obviously doesn't apply if your value is to keep the same house for your entire life (or while your children grow up). Owning it would be the surest way of achieving that want.

But I do agree with your sentiment. I hate it when people tell me I shouldn't spend my Bitcoin. Fuck you. The whole point of money is to express my values. Otherwise, what are we here for? 
 Rather, that I shouldn't spend my Bitcoin to buy X. 
 Every account switcher sucks. 

Is the Gmail app the best way to handle multiple accounts? 

They... 
 I don't want my accounts to be so easily intermingled. That's why I have separate accounts. I think the way Amethyst handles it, for example, is my ideal way of handling account switching.

Of course, having settings that allow one to customize account switching would be nice so people can have a tailored experience. 
 Using Trezor devices for U2F is pretty cool. I have a Model One that I specifically use for this purpose. It has held up for several years in my wallet. I have another Model T that I also use for this purpose and it works well too. It just isn't quite as portable as the smaller Model One so it stays at home.

Is it overkill? Absolutely. But at the time I wanted an open option that had a display. 
 What’s the best life advice you got or can give? Let’s compile a list: 

#asknostr 
 The best? Maybe not. But they may have a massive impact on your life or a life you love. Literally in the case of 2 and 3.

1. Study philosophy
2. Stay hydrated
3. Learn basic first aid and life support 
 I don't really pay attention to mainsteam media. However, I occasionally see a Sky News or similar clip that makes me laugh because of how savage Australians can be. The accent just makes it 🤌 
 Fun fact: I’m locked out of my own retirement account 🤣 

Honestly, I just want to close it.... 
 That's what I do everytime I leave a job that has forced plans or contributes for me. It ends up being about 50% gone but I've never regretted putting the other half into Bitcoin. My current hospital participates in the forced state retirement plan, which I recently found out was putting Bitcoin in their portfolio. The plan is somewhat well known for being extremely conservative. Sign of the times. I get a chuckle when my coworkers push back on Bitcoin not realizing they are already indirectly investing in it. 
 Is it possible yet to not have drafts in Amethyst?

I saw somewhere to not enter a relay. I haven't, yet I still see drafts.

I don't want drafts. I never wanted drafts. I don't want to request deletion for drafts. I simply want them to never be recorded anywhere. A complete disabling of the feature.

I gave Amethyst another chance after seeing some people say it was being remedied, but I'm not seeing how.

I still think this issue is needlessly complicated from a user perspective and should have been strictly opt-in from the start.

What am I missing?

#Amethyst 
 I simply don't want the feature to do anything at all, which seems like the simplest scenario in my mind. It's the easiest ask. It should require zero effort to get rid of such a thing. Even X makes you explicitly say you want to save something. Amethyst just does it without even telling you and has no simple way of stopping it. 
 Most people don't realize what a terrifying world we would be living in if the Tor project didn't... 
 Or they just aren't aware. Not everyone is buried in this topic like we are. There are plenty of people buried in other topics, without whom many of us would also be fucked. No one has the bandwidth to be deeply knowledgeable on all topics. 
 I have no idea what I'm even looking at. I could be missing some context and may not be your target demo though. 
 No. I can tell that I'm entering addresses in, but for what purpose? 
 I also don't know what a Lightning offer is though. Like I said, I may be missing important context. 
 Just looking at this image, I have no idea what the purpose of this is. All I see is four boxes that have something to do with addresses. 
 The main problem I see is that the primary incentive is usually "do it to support the network, bro." People are doing what economically makes sense. It doesn't make sense for me to get paid in fiat, have mostly fiat bills, and spend a fee to use Bitcoin, spend a fee to replace the Bitcoin, and then have to live the nightmare of tracking all of the buys and sells for my taxes.

There are so many differences between jurisdictions that there is no single answer to more people spending Bitcoin. The incentive where I live is to spend fiat and save my extra in Bitcoin. I usually have a disincentive to spend and replace. The only time that hasn't been true is when there is a 10% discount on some larger purchase I'm making. Even then, I usually don't want to deal with the tax tracking of it.

This is a multi-faceted issue, but I do agree that more merchants would not solve my issues. I actually don't even need merchant adoption as much as I once did (with all the conversion options). What I need is simpler tax tracking or no taxes at all on Bitcoin for the full economic incentive to bother with spending and replacing.

I donate a lot more Bitcoin than I spend because the tax situation isn't complicated for me when I donate.

I don't think the network is any worse off doing what I do. I'm still pulling value out of the fiat world and putting it into Bitcoin on a regular basis. I'm just not micro transacting myself to death when my reality simply isn't set up for it.

If Bitcoin was legally a currency without taxation, I'd be living completely in it today, even if I lost a percentage for doing so. I would do that on principle. But the amount of work I'd need to do right now is beyond what I am willing to do. There may be ways to make it easier, but not easy enough.

The UX and laws just aren't there for me yet. And this isn't really surprising. The Fiat rails have almost a century on Bitcoin.

We are going the right direction. I'm on more of a Bitcoin standard in my own life than I've ever been, even with how I use it right now.

Like nostr:nprofile1qqsw3znfr6vdnxrujezjrhlkqqjlvpcqx79ys7gcph9mkjjsy7zsgygpr9mhxue69uhhqatjv9mxjerp9ehx7um5wghxcctwvsq3samnwvaz7tmjv4kxz7fwdehhxarjd93kztnrdaksz9thwden5te0wfjkccte9ekk7um5wgh8qatz7tvu4p said, we're gonna make it.

nostr:nevent1qqsv9arslqzc35ll8t3lwghcnga0ru6kqrcv00e36fl3jmkp3zhe30spz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduhsygpul2qkhdyf97ntaxf6cu4flndmpzdaagx9myq3l5sy6929ghazmypsgqqqqqqs2lwvfs 
 It's amazing what happens when you can't just dump someone else's money into the ocean for every launch.
nostr:nevent1qqsrrurd5w6rn07avuu4vzv25f6jdqx4puafgdf7xhmrksglqzu9qfcpzamhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuurjd9kkzmpwdejhgtczyrqcx8a7yeflwctyggw40kmvacut3nhceenhr0r9cyhc2s77fvum7qcyqqqqqqgntvsf2 
 Seedor is cool and all (they look nicer maybe), but you can do something similar on your own. You will pay more depending on the steel specifications (heat tolerance, corrosion, etc), but buying the best I could find cost very little in comparison to something like Seedor.

I spent around 50USD for the punch kit (hammer, letters, numbers, platform) and all the materials needed for the steel backups. You can tailor the amount of materials to lower the price. I bought quite a lot to experiment.

I'm fairly public about my journey in Bitcoin, but ordering parts like this or going to a hardware store can naturally be a lot more private than ordering a kit from a Bitcoin company.

One disadvantage is that I didn't have a guide to help with stamping, but it wasn't that difficult  to freehand. I'm sure there are kits with guides or whatever the technical term is. You could consider engraving.

I haven't looked for a steel capsule yet, but I have seen them on keychains for holding medication. I'm sure something exists.

I haven't done this, but I have considered cool hiding ideas for these. You could easily install it on something like a vehicle (with the bolt head flush and in view) or something else that is double walled and most people would have no clue that it's a hidden seed.

Seed backups is a pretty interesting topic once you start experimenting and thinking about it.

Have fun.

*********************************
NOTE: THIS IS FOR PEOPLE WHO CAN'T AFFORD THE SEEDOR PRICE, WANT MORE PRIVACY, OR HAVE SOME OTHER NEED.

I don't care if you like Seedor and own their products. I just used it as an example because it is the closest popular example I can find like this sort of backup. My goal is to give people a cheap and private backup option, not to attack Seedor or any other product. Use whatever you want.
*********************************

#bitcoin #seed #seedphrase

https://image.nostr.build/52d4157499e596cf2070798e6e3838678712cfd0eae739759b065253b28b78a9.jpg 
 For anyone interested in an example of all the materials:

https://image.nostr.build/08b7158af461b16dd8aa54a7d6cd9be11e8a2896e9d8a02270c7c9d0746ca32b.jpg 
 Another idea I had was using electrical box covers. They aren't quite as tough, but may work well for those who want to make backups of backups cheaply or need something that is easy to hide.

For example, you could put these under carpet, screw them to studs inside walls, under floors, in vehicles, or even on an electrical box if you're feeling extra cheeky. https://image.nostr.build/ed28591113f41392078872b420622c1687e04816da695db4448706c14f6f8cb2.jpg

There are lots of cool possibilities for flat plates like this. Sizes vary.

#bitcoin #seed #seedphrase #bitcoinbackup

nostr:nevent1qqsqu5fjfzg6knsrxrezncz2rfj7j8cxamumduy83jesyxc26j7rxggpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduhsyg875xrv9fr83k7yxacyamfpvzzxazncre0mzuzkaxanxwzq6k777gpsgqqqqqqs20zmhz 
 I think physicians should still be able to practice if it's made clear what their licensure status is (none, this or that org, just med school, etc). I can choose for myself what I want in a physician. Especially when it comes to family medicine. I can understand hospitals wanting more standardization for something like emergency medicine, but primary care should be individual  
 Acheta protein = ground up crickets
Better check the ingredients of your chips, protein bars, pro... 
 I don't really care if someone eats crickets per se. After all, the chickens that lay the eggs I eat live off of bugs mostly. Maybe they aren't directly good for us, I have no idea.

What bothers me is that they are clearly trying to hide what it is.

Acheta protein.

Why not just write Cricket Protein? I think it's because they know most people don't really want cricket protein. 
 Depends on the item. Sometimes it just says Butter, or whatever. That is mostly how I use them. To make sure that things like sour cream are actually sour cream, which is unfortunate but still helpful. I'm not going to produce every item myself at home. 
 It really isn't that amazing. Media coverage inspires certain people to do things like this. It is seen with school shooters and other types of violence too. I think there is also an incentive for media to cover these things while they're hot, which fuels the cycle. My guess is that things like this happen more often than we know, the media just isn't as interested until a bullet is fired. 
 I would certainly expect Trump to sell every case he can though, especially this close to the election. It just wasn't as sellable until blood was drawn. 
 Tax aside, this is a good way to live on Bitcoin.


nostr:note1l45se3cckwyp27kp6vrtanffu4398ys5np... 
 You're talking about breaking the tax law it sounds like. I think it's a mistake to assume that using Bisq means one doesn't have to worry about tax laws. My hope is to abolish taxes on Bitcoin, but I'd like to live outside of a cage until then.

Besides, capital gains would be the most retarded tax to go to prison for given that you're still up anyway. That isn't the case with income tax. 
 It sure is. But claiming that one doesn't need to worry is a technical claim that may not be true. Bisq isn't a total shield from state tracking. 
 I understand that. I was responding to the comment. 
 Never take a polygraph. All you'll get is pseudoscience that may or may not cause you harm.

Fun relevant history:

Gary Ridgway (the Green River Killer) passed a polygraph after having already murdered dozens of women. Investigators at the time had mostly been focused on Melvyn Wayne Foster, who had failed a polygraph exam.

Robert Lee Yates Jr. - Passed
Ted Bundy - Passed 
 I guess I am voting for a degenerate soon-to-be crypto scammer to free Ross.

Might as well get something good out of the shitshow. 
 Envy is vile. 
 I really love when someone smugly points out a dip on a chart so zoomed in you can almost see the fucking pixels.

Buy high, sell low. That's all the broke people know.

I'm one of those idiots who buys the highs, lows, and everything in between.

It doesn't pay to try and sell freedom to a fiat brain. Complete waste of time. 
 I've used it for years. It is good for all my fiat subscriptions. I haven't had to deal with annoying cancellation processes in years. I smack that close card button the moment I even get a whiff of fucking around. Haven't dealt with a compromised card and the headache of switching a bunch of services over either. It's a good life. 
 Each spend and replace is two records I have to track for taxes. I'm not doing that for a coffee. That's the problem for a lot of us. 
 Dude.
nostr:nevent1qqsqjhhu50fhplmytulqn5kljwnw6322gs7uuqq70zfx63j5qauzanqpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduhsygxzvgkfzmvmjrss4qdjhfnmrx7lchttufkz2atdr7vs6du9ecfkrvpsgqqqqqqsszrfa3 
 WTF? nostr:note1wn2xgch5nejzxrqr0anhpvjyk3qphmrfpl496uj4ghachaluy6kqz4lv4q 
 But who forked off? 
 Everything academia touches is dying because academia is dying.

Trust the science.

That statement is the antithesis of science and it is the general attitude I've seen from academics.

True scientific inquiry isn't as popular as it once was, in my opinion. 
 Do people prefer start9 over umbrel? 
 My primary issue with Umbrel was its approach to updates. It defaulted to automatic updates for everything and I tired of trying to change that. That approach may be fine for most apps, but I don't think Bitcoin full nodes should be updated automatically. We need most people on the network being actively involved with node management, in my opinion. Each update is effectively a vote, and a policy of automatic voting for the majority of voters seems like a recipe for disaster with something like Bitcoin.

None of that is to say that you shouldn't run a node if you're unwilling to research each update. It could be the case that having a portion of nodes be completely patched and updated is a good thing. I just think having too many is a potential attack vector.

I use the Start9 OS for now, but plan to switch to Parmanode next year.

You may also like nostr:nprofile1qqs044j5pj8jl54pdgjapkpdm9wnhttcjr2rt5tfppy2pfma9zp6g3cpyemhxue69uhkummnw3ez6un9d3shjtnsdp5kc6tsvdexjum5d9skumewvdhk6tcpzdmhxue69uhhqatjwpkx2urpvuhx2ue0qythwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnswf5k6ctv9ehx2ap07g6h76 Parmanode 
 I don't remember being able to choose which apps updated and which ones didn't when I used Umbrel. 
 I suppose an all or nothing update policy isn't technically an 'auto update', but it also isn't as simple as you frame it. It wasn't just that they made it easy to update my node or "press 'yes' ", it was that all the updates were tied to a single update button. I did say that I tired of trying to figure it out, meaning that I may just have missed something. Either way, I think the entire design incentivized what *I* consider bad behavior for a Bitcoin node.

I'm also leaning more toward a Bitcoin node being a single use machine, but that isn't for everyone. Do whatever you want. 
 They also had a less desirable license from what I remember, but that's a point of contention that won't matter for everyone. 
 The internet is fucked.
nostr:nevent1qqszzgyl3egjt08xgzjmsq95erc7n7urlzg4v9yxd6t8xgwh8hnnnpcpzamh... 
 I remember taking tests that would start a timer if I looked away from my screen. It was an awful experience and made my testing anxiety so much worse. It was particularly bad for me because I tend to close my eyes or move my head around when solving difficult problems.

All of this shit is fucking ridiculous. Even if this isn't real, it easily could be right now and likely will be at some point. Pass. 
 Virtually every predator on the planet has 24/7 access to your child if they have unrestricted access to internet connected devices.

I remember being taught to not trust strangers in parks, stores, etc as a child. Most predators relied on chance, being close to a victim, or executing specific plans.

How do you even begin to protect a child when every predator is in their pocket?

Of course, predators aren't the only danger, which makes the topic even more concerning.

Technology has many positive benefits, but I don't think most people are taking the negative consequences seriously enough. 
 They should at least include parental control of apps if they're going to force shit like that. There's no reason you shouldn't be able to choose which apps can be used. Most of the TV OSs are absolutely powerful enough for this functionality. They just don't give a fuck what you want or need. That's why I'm not buying that shit anymore. Glad to hear you won't either. 
 Lame. 
 I had a dream about my alternate universe family. 

In that universe I have 5 kids. I only dream ... 
 I have weird dreams sometimes where I'm someone else somewhere else. One I remember the most was being a soldier crawling slowly through a field of bodies. I wasn't me though and all I cared about was crawling through all the bodies to get to the other side without being seen. I remember vivid details that I usually don't recall from dreams.

They are the weirdest fucking dreams. The brain is interesting and terrifying sometimes. 
 The most interesting thing for me with these dreams is the feelings I have when I wake up. I can still feel whatever the person was feeling and it's like I have that trauma even though it wasn't real. Unfortunately, they're usually fucked up. Some of them have stuck with me for years like they're memories now. I can remember crawling through that field but I know it wasn't real. It still makes me sick to think about crawling through the bodies. Most of my dreams aren't like that.

I've wondered if this is where some ancient beliefs come from. I feel like I was these people but not. I can see how people would have interpreted similar feelings as visions, reincarnation, other worlds, etc. 
 Meh. Productivity is notoriously difficult to measure and define. Research can be tailored to show just about anything one wants it to. I'm especially skeptical when the guy writing the piece proclaims his excitement about being able to write the piece from home.

I'm sure there is a mixture of truth from both angles, but I've personally witnessed employees gaming metrics and rising to the top without actually being the best at their jobs.

I remember working in a call center and having my metrics hurt by following up with customer emails and phone calls to actually solve their problems. I was assigned an improvement coach (to avoid being fired) who was a top performer. His coaching was that I had to stop doing things that didn't help my metrics, which meant I needed to let customers fall through the cracks. He taught me how to game the metrics, not provide better support. My metrics improved, but I quit anyway due to the stress and guilt of just not actually doing a good job.

I've see this shit in too many jobs. Mouse jigglers and all kinds of bullshit. Most companies equate looking busy to productivity. I just don't trust any of these 'studies' one way or the other.

Output/profit/what is shipped is all that matters in my opinion. But I've never seen productivity measured that way. It's always some bullshit metric (lines of code, hours clocked, mouse movements, length of time on phone, etc) 
 Code is speech. Privacy is not a crime. nostr:note1ym4su6uwnf24s80lf2ua5lyv394vlj96avlh9k30ev3raa... 
 Well, that judge is a retard.
nostr:nevent1qqs08dmcpsncmgdv376n09uccpqhg6swav0prwe7ypwl0uzmnusfe6cpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduhsyg8wd6sn4w07t39x36hekx35lcq55e45qytu2rhz5c20fndftxmwwspsgqqqqqqsmfnsum 
 What game?

I store my extra energy in Bitcoin so it isn't stolen from me. I'll still be 'buying' at $1B. 
 Same. I started in Bitcoin at an ATH. Over the years, it has averaged out to the point that I'm still ahead of my peers even if a 50% dump happens. 
 Honestly, I think it would be mostly good company. I'd swing by. 
 Oh, I thought you meant for Bitcoiners. 
 What would the qualification be? 
 nostr:nprofile1qqs83nn04fezvsu89p8xg7axjwye2u67errat3dx2um725fs7qnrqlgpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduhs79prlk has a wonderful UI. I am impressed.

It would be cool if you guys built Obtainium-like functionality into the app to allow repo installs/updates. 
 Is this you after Bitcoin dies again? 
 It identifies as 80 
 I wonder when we’ll see the first form of AI governance. Instead of large government, have an A... 
 The problem is and will always be definitions.

Desired outcome (for who?)
Optimal (what does this mean exactly? By what standard is something optimal?)

Free markets are largely the answer to these questions. Government is meant to protect property rights, not optimize things for us.

A fundamental disagreement on what government even should be is another big definition issue that won't just go away by introducing AI to the problem.
 
 Who defines radical? Who decides the representatives? You're slow boating your way back to human governance of humans. Humans using AI as a tool to help them make decisions seems like a more useful approach than the addition of an extra step and piece of government to monitor (AI). What happens when the AI determines that the optimal situation is for it to have free agency without human involvement? And if it's wrong or radical in one area, why is it any more trustworthy in any other area? This just seems like a more complicated form of government to me with an even greater potential for abuse of rights. It seems a lot like having a government made up entirely of scientists and pragmatists. We'd end up right back at Hitler before long. Philosophy is important for 'optimizing' human life on earth, and having something like AI as it stands isn't going to necessarily appreciate that. 
 I just don't understand why it's there then. We still have to elect the "failsafes" and define what a fail even is. It's just a more complicated version of what we already have. Having an AI make decisions that government shouldn't be involved with anyway isn't going to fix the resulting problems that come from having government involved. Government can't possibly optimize life for everyone. All it can do is pick who it wants to win and eliminate the rest. The only real solution I see is to remove government entirely from anything that isn't regulating force against citizens and property. Having an AI decide the most optimal winner doesn't fix the underlying flaws.

People should be left free to optimize for themselves (as long as they don't violate the property rights of others), not have government do it for them, AI or otherwise.

My issue is with what you think government should be doing. Having AI involved doesn't fix that for me. It probably just makes it worse. 
 Your model seems to be one big AI government with a small number of humans in charge of it via inputs and "failsafes."

I simply think that's a worse version of what we already have. I think the simpler approach is to just remove government from everything we can and replace it with nothing. 
 I think humans have an innate desire to fill voids with something, when the reality is that a void is sometimes the most optimal situation.

Governments are so massive right now that most people can't conceptualize having a void that simply isn't filled. The reality is that average people want mostly the same things and would likely optimize everything over time much more effectively for humans than any government or AI could.

I'd rather see micro AIs used privately in various industries to optimize within those industries. That would be a free market approach vs some god AIs that allegedly optimize many things at the hands of a few people.