Here's the AI grumpy grandpa explaining the lid problem.

Alright kiddo, sit down and let me tell you about these newfangled plastic bottle caps the European Union has come up with. Now, I ain't no fan of littering, but these caps are a whole other story. First off, they're designed to stay attached to the bottle. Yep, you heard that right. No more losing caps under the sofa or having the dog run off with 'em. They think it's gonna stop caps from ending up in the ocean, but let me tell you, it's a pain!

Imagine you're trying to drink your favorite soda, and there's this cap flapping around, smacking you in the face. It's like trying to sip tea with a pesky fly buzzing around - downright annoying! And don't get me started on trying to pour from the bottle. It's like they want you to spill your drink everywhere, a real mess, I tell ya.

Plus, these caps are trickier to open, especially for folks with not-so-nimble fingers. You'd think you need a degree in rocket science to get to your drink. And once you do manage to open it, good luck closing it properly again. It's never quite the same. It's like trying to put a thread through a needle while riding a horse - nearly impossible!

Now, I understand they're doing this to be more environmentally friendly, and that's fine and dandy. But it seems like they didn't think about us regular folks just trying to enjoy a drink without a cap flapping in our noses. So, there you have it, the tale of the troublesome bottle cap. A noble idea, but in practice, it's like trying to knit a sweater during a hurricane – a bit of a disaster!
https://image.nostr.build/d8bbccb8c057d75845e9e6ecd299f67b08666c78e8e1fd71327e708ead7420c8.jpg#m=image%2Fjpeg&dim=1024x1024&blurhash=UHPQ88-%3B%7EqIUt7xut7t7-%3BRjIUj%40-%3BIUM%7Bax&x=09717127587a0cb4e71aaab3f85a0e1c85a4b9524ff622e4db42c40740316600


Cheaper than I expected


Life hacks:

1.) I like sparkling water and the problem with sparkling water is that when you buy it as a mineral water in bottles, you end up with several problems. First, it's very heavy. Second, you need to use the plastic bottles with microplastics. Sometimes even idiotic European Union regulated bottle caps and third because it is recycled and the bottle is on the deposit you need to return it to a store which is a brutal nuisance so for this reason I decided to invest in a soda maker. If you like sparkling water do it too and your life will never be the same.

2.) If you have some life hacks to share, it is very good to use a tool which allows you to speak instead of type because of this freezing cold weather. And the best way to do it is by not sharing your voice with a cloud and do it in a true cypherpunk self-sovereign way. FUTO Voice keyboard in Android and Hello Transcribe on iOS.

Thank me later.

https://video.nostr.build/d83e2c7cbfc393abd367ace7c7529fc0ae4341b08915a96b9bf84179a3bb2deb.mp4#m=video%2Fmp4&dim=960x544&blurhash=i8DT3JVX_Nt7Rit7t7j%5BRjIA%3FHxuD%25xuayM%7Bayof_4.8D%24ITx%5DM_M%7Bt7j%5B9FM_WAxus%3BM%7Bxut8RjtRt7f5ayRjV%40t8WBWB&x=69e48512653cb9e04fb32db133178c472ffea0bdc2413016392920717b7ec2ea


I am using a tool called @Tabby_ML for coding. It runs locally on my machine and is open-source. BTW it also runs in vim, not only vscode.

Coding a LXMF proxy (for Reticulum) for HTTP requests.

It realized I want to write usage instructions if the number of command-line parameters is too low and suggested the usage instructions. Got it almost right.

https://nostrcheck.me/media/jooray/13cf427a31736ce78a11e304f0a6d0cb021c2379561901dc102f8e334cf0ce04.mp4


This is programming now.

https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/2b42ab413e0c0a58690d5efbba24d1a74d5159ae7c40835f9d3ac86ea5c52d9d.webp


Yes, it's pretty cool too. Problem is overhead for things like LoRa.

Reticulum also provides physical layer firmware for LoRa, so you can flash 20$ device and that will provide you a radio link.


It's very low bandwidth. You can do anything, but it will be slow if you use LoRa.


Already a bit out of date and far from complete, but still a good project.

https://github.com/premAI-io/state-of-open-source-ai


Let's make nostr accessible through reticulum first:)


Yes. LoRa is a low bandwidth but high range radio. It allows you to cover a city. And its mesh, so it discovers the path through the city by itself. You can also use other links like wifi or an internet connection and it finds way automatically.

So you can have for example two houses connected with WiFi and each of them a LoRa node covering different parts of a city and you can send a packet from one side of the city, it is received by one radio, then to another house through WiFi and broadcasted over another radio to the other side of the city.

All of this is automatic and pretty dynamic.

There's an encrypted messenger that already works, I'm adding communication with the mint and we're ready for the apocalypse.


With buildozer and kivy, you run one command and get an APK.

Although I need to make some recipes for two extensions that depend on C code.


Not sure what Nutshell uses under the hood. The problem is the C dependency for the curve and things like bitarray. Unfortunately cashu Nutshell depends on C extensions.


Yes it is!

Another cypherpunk rabbit hole.

We're playing with antennas and frequencies, spreading factor, ...


Well, not yet.


That I have written only Python code and nothing else. No GUI, no glue, nothing.

Of course there’s a lot of libraries in C (which is a problem for me and the reason why I can’t make it run natively on Mac now).


Pro-tip: One of the strategies how you can use these "unrealized capital gains" is to use the capital as a collateral.

For example a Bitcoin-collateralized loan. Be smart, be like the super-rich, don't realize your gains, just enjoy them.

Howto with description and videos: https://hackyourself.io/product/how-to-harness-the-value-of-bitcoin-without-having-to-sell-it-ebook-mini-course/

https://nostrcheck.me/media/jooray/8bcb356e2be9b2d1e8c752298d47612eb65f6265ed48e1d7bfbb14955f98c46e.webp


Very basic cashu wallet in Python and Kivy. Just sending and receiving ecash tokens for now. You can receive from different mint, but there's no way to select.

But the point is not to create another cashu wallet, there are many good ones, but to be able to communicate with the mint through Reticulum based mesh network (that's why I needed pure Python, because that's how you send LXMF messages now).

If interested, give it a star and watch how I develop it:
https://github.com/jooray/nutband

Pull requests welcome.

https://nostrcheck.me/media/jooray/10a7e73eb9b635d704754436112bec877db4802e64310991c75ff7c0cd1f299e.mp4


I don’t use it much for hosting, but for development, it is amazing.

@note1g4z2nlc5m8wuhvtxh2suzcqjpcsqvhksxv3cp8y4773nlqqn3qdqrd88u6


If you need to develop Linux-based projects, especially if they have a GUI on macOS with Apple Silicon, it has been quite difficult lately because of different architectures.

I have improved docker-xrdp environment, where you have x86-based docker image with desktop environment with Remote Desktop connection.

Enjoy!

https://github.com/jooray/docker-xrdp


I thought I was an old fart by running my own servers and never jumping on the "cloud" (AWS and such). Mainly I was lazy to learn it and I already knew how to take care of Linux servers. I am only slowly getting used to docker for specific use-cases.

Seems that it's also a cheaper choice.

https://world.hey.com/dhh/the-big-cloud-exit-faq-20274010


🍿📺 Dnešní díl Digitální (R)evoluce bude o #AI
👉 Jak překonat strach z #AI?
👉 Proč vyzval Elon Musk k pozastavení vývoje?
👉 Jaký potenciál má #AI v digitalizaci státu?
...a další otázky tentokrát zodpovídali Tomáš Mikolov, Urza, nostr:npub1m2mvvpjugwdehtaskrcl7ksvdqnnhnjur9v6g9v266nss504q7mqvlr8p9 a nostr:npub15xkpvjux5fw2q0kgl8m9c6pv0wu5urgctq9tthftmu559lf4wxqqknkrnh .

Fandíš #AI, nebo se jí bojíš? V obou případech #koukej! 🍿📺

https://youtu.be/7TgB7oyplIk?si=xCGnm-ySdBkPzHA1


SK/CZ: Aktualizácia môjho článku porovnávajúceho šifrované messengery:

- pridané messengery Sideband / nomadnet mesh siete Reticulum - úplná pecka, kryptoanarchia, tretie tisícročie. To chcete :)
- opravené, že Threema teraz umožňuje skupinové hovory
- pridané informácie o synchronizácii s desktopovou appkou SimpleX (stále však nie je veľmi dobrá)
- opravené, že Signal teraz môže upravovať správy
- všeobecné upratovanie

Ak neviete, ktoré šifrované messengery používať, tento článok je pre vás (blog je kapitolou mojej knihy Kryptomeny - vyhackuj si lepší život).

https://juraj.bednar.io/blog/2022/04/05/sifrovane-komunikacne-nastroje-prehlad/


Update of my post comparing encrypted messengers:

- added Sideband / nomadnet / Reticulum mesh networking
- fixed that Threema now allows group calls
- added info on SimpleX desktop sync (still not very good though)
- fixed that Signal can now edit messages
- general cleanup.

If you don't know which encrypted messengers to use, this article is for you (the blog is a chapter of my book Cryptocurrencies - Hack your way to a better life).

https://juraj.bednar.io/en/blog-en/2022/05/03/encrypted-messengers-comparison/


The best newsletter to subscribe to, with cypherpunk hacks for life.

https://liberation.travel/new-liberation-travel-hacks-month-letter/


Is there a downloadable archive of Thingiverse, at least the creative commons models?

I see that archive.org has a mirror:
https://archive.org/details/thingiverse

But I would like to have one huge torrent to save locally for if/when the apocalypse comes.


Great talk from #37c3 about prompt injections and hacking through LLMs.

https://media.ccc.de/v/37c3-12292-new_important_instructions


Pro-tip: If you want to have more contributions to your FOSS software, make sure that your software is as easy to build as it gets. Include instructions that work on any OS, and/or a docker image that builds everything from source, so patches can be rapidly tested without installing tons of packages manually, looking where binaries needed for build are on your system (deb, rpm, brew, ...).


All our collective efforts in 2024 must be employed in developing a Nostr app with a single button. Users won't have to think, they will just press that button and they will be fed with content selected to them by an amazing algorithm. When they are hungry they press the button and food will be put inside their mouths. Whenever they feel a little bit of discomfort in their bodies they just press the button. The app cannot mention relays, keys or the word "Nostr" because that will intimidate users, it should have a familiar name, maybe it should be called "mom", since that word is very familiar to all normies since when they were babies.


Definitely


Dealing with the pandemic - an experimental short movie

https://vimeo.com/robertseidel/hysteresis


I enjoy the event a lot, I missed it.

Our reticulum Lora network has 5 users now!


We're so niche, no nostriches


German left


Bitcoin not discussed. We run a reticulum network on Lora with a few people, so that's fun.

Otherwise traditional German hacker leftie vibe 😀


Any nostriches at #37c3?

Meetup?

Dm please
https://image.nostr.build/b3ddadf6394758600c6352dd6a48588e11317afcdcee51e0799d19ec90936194.jpg#m=image%2Fjpeg&dim=750x1000&blurhash=_BFFdD4.%3Fb-%3Bs.IAxuTK%251jFxuxuRPW%3AROofE0Rio%23bJxu8_IoaKWBbcWAsm_NVsx%5DxaROR*WXbuj%5Bx%5DNFs%3AbFog9F-%3BM%7BWAogRjjZr%3DS5IA%25MMyM%7Bxuo%7DMxM_%25NM%7Baxxb&x=26f13e9d73ac0b5c2d82a23de617c00b990db044984c39bed3fb1c3cdd292610


Thanks for posting on Nostr! This is a special reward by YakiHonne, a decentralized media creation platform based on Nostr. Welcome to post on the www.yakihonne.com to get more Sats incentives.


Be like Mary…. Happy holidays! https://image.nostr.build/5de517d5bcdecd297ff373aa528cc02cf9ca24033c1f348bdfe5847efdbe8dc8.jpg


Thank you


Anyone knows the state of floods in Hamburg? Should I pack a boat?


I don't see prices, but it looks pretty cool. Which one did you choose?


Je to suno.ai. Offline som neskúšal. Niečo je, ale asi nie až tak dobré zatiaľ.


Here’s the post

@naddr1qqxnzdesxv6rzve38y6njvehqgsd4dkxqewy8xum47ctpu0ltgxxsfemeewpjkdyzk9ddfcg286s0dsrqsqqqa28qeu6qy


This is a chapter of [my short book Cypherpunk visions and trends 2023-2025](https://hackyourself.io/product/cypherpunk-visions-and-trends-2023-2025-ebook/), written in january 2023.

# New social networks

Cypherpunk social networks have been different from traditional ways of communication since the beginning of cypherpunk ideas. Communicating through Internet Relay Chat (IRC) using just nicknames, being friends with people you’ve never seen and do not know their “legal name” was common for us. We were communicating in groups (“channels”) that were based on topics. It is a similar experience to Slack or Discord, but with a different vibe, that changes the quality of discussion. On cypherpunk networks, there is no censorship, there is often encryption and pseudonymity or anonymity is expected.

We are moving from old-school big tech social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) towards private groups on Signal, Element/Matrix or [DarkFi’s peer to peer IRC](https://darkrenaissance.github.io/darkfi/misc/ircd/ircd.html). There are experiments such as [status.im](https://status.app/) that try to combine functioning of DAOs with tokens and social networks. For example, only a person with some amount of token or holding a type of NFT can enter a room. Voting and other features are expected in future versions.

I have discussed [the need for end-to-end encrypted chat applications](https://juraj.bednar.io/en/blog-en/2022/04/29/encrypted-messengers-how-to-communicate-privately/) and [written a comparison of current projects](https://juraj.bednar.io/en/blog-en/2022/05/03/encrypted-messengers-comparison/) in the [Cryptocurrencies](https://hackyourself.io/product/cryptocurrencies-hack-your-way-to-a-better-life/) book, but also published them online for free. I believe this industry will grow. There are new projects with different approaches coming up all the time.

These technologies will be the technological basis powering ideas such as [The Network State by Balaji Srinivasan](https://thenetworkstate.com/).

Interactions in groups are not the only use of social networks. We often use social networks also as a public square, mainly for promoting our products and services, building brands, etc. I know it has a bad rep, but you also needed a way to learn about this book. Have you heard about it in a podcast or followed me or someone who liked it and wrote about it on Twitter? One way or another, you need to learn about these things somehow. Creating something that has no users, no customers and no readers is wasting time. Of course promoting these things in closed Signal groups is useful, but sometimes a more public approach is needed.

Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have “the algorithm” (for a nice philosophical description, be sure to follow [the ideas of Alexander Bard](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tTJR9vqWB4)). “The algorithm” is part of the programming of social networks that chooses which posts from the thousands of available posts you are seeing. The big tech social networks have been criticized for optimizing for engagement, which often means negativity, conflict, and polarization. I am not sure if “the algorithm” is the cause of the polarization of society and I do not think that this polarization is only negative. Cypherpunks have long been at the edge of society and in conflict on values with violent statist philosophies all along. The fact is that we do not have control over the algorithm. We can think we can curate “our feeds” by following the right people. After Twitter files we see that “the algorithm” is tuned to hide some voices and curate what people talk about. This attacks the notion of “public discourse” - it is heavily moderated by the social networks, with instructions from some institutions of some countries.

I personally think that the use of social networks for “public discourse” is overrated and furthermore that the impact this “public discourse” has on society is way overblown. This book is probably not the place to discuss the usefulness of public discourse for society. Just a few notes – when countries especially in Europe were censoring misinformation and other “hybrid threats”, the people instantly moved mostly to Telegram groups. For cypherpunks this is great news – we see that these alternative tools and social networks are discovered and used the moment someone tries to mess with communication. As John Gilmore famously said, "The Net interprets censorship as damage and routes around it". (And I repeat – financial communication is also communication, financial censorship is also censorship – people use cryptocurrencies when states tamper with financial communication using CBDCs or other forms of control).

These regulations of “opinions” and topics of “public discourse” had an effect – they made the communication on forbidden topics more intense. (Side note: Please do not use Telegram, it is not end-to-end encrypted).

Some people even realized that opinions (or “truth”) should be discovered, not handed down from the leaders.

While mainstream “democratic” folk (i.e., members of current wider establishment) are trying to control the narrative of “public discourse”, they also say that it is important for society to have this public discourse. It seems like the minds of people go to the internet to logically argue, discuss and the result of this will be the best solution for society. The common belief is that the politicians would do what the wider society requests – and this request is the result of this mythical “public discourse”. But the results are far from correct logical inferences. Some signals are stronger (and not based on merit), some signals are weaker. It feels like people are changing the world by chatting on social media, but the impact of these discussions is miniscule. The process is more stochastic, with lots of emergent behavior.

We can look at memetic theory, where membionts are a form of life and they do not prevail and replicate based on merit of the idea, but on how well they can spread using their existing living environment (which is our brains, or if looked at globally – our culture). Is it really that important that someone wins an argument on social media? Does this win last for more than 24 hours? And then someone comes with an insane idea that fits our cultural basis and is spread like crazy. These membionts are formed, they avoid censorship or control like SARS-cov-2 avoided lockdowns. As a form of life, they survive if they adapt to the environment. And the environment is our mass culture and brains of the majority. The immune system is not based on logical refusal of these membionts.

Is this a problem? It would be if it mattered to the ruling society what was the result of yesterday’s Twitter fight. It is more layered; opinions are formed across group membership,  echoed and politicians basically pick a group or groups that will provide them most votes according to their political rhetoric. There is no “public discourse” that forms the wider governance.

For cypherpunks, this is less important than the other aspects of social networks. Cypherpunks are of course also members of groups, but they are often outside of the traditional political dividing lines. For us, the ideas of most of these mainstream political groups are unacceptable and we must form our own reactions to these pressures (remember, regulation = banning of unapproved behavior, regulation cannot create, only forbid, remove). These reactions are both on an individual level, but also on a group level.

Therefore, groups are of some importance. Not everyone is invited, and shared values are verified at the door. Knowledge is spread to be used in life, not to be used in fights on social networks. We are going back to the roots of private discussions based on topics, as we did with mailing lists and IRC channels.

The acquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk sparked an innovation in public social networks as well. People started to move to Mastodon. Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter is sponsoring a less centralized alternative called Nostr. These new social networks have either a different algorithm or no algorithm at all. But you can also change it yourself and program it in a way you like. With open-source AI models, you will soon be able to not only filter out the content, but also change the tone of the discussion. Someone writes an angry post and you will only extract the boring facts, if you do not filter it out completely.

## Nostr

Nostr is friendly to the Bitcoin Lightning network. The identity is based on a public key, which means it is more difficult to follow people you are interested in – you must learn about their identity somehow. Nostr is a peer to peer gossip network with relays. Compared to Mastodon, this means that there is no central banning of instances – if you convince a relay to distribute your messages, you are good to go. The problem might be spam. Messages are free to distribute and there is no cost with spreading them. You can block individual spammers, but creating new keys is almost free. There have been experiments with using Bitcoin Lightning micropayments to incentivize spread and thus fight spam, but this creates a barrier for the masses that will almost instantly kill any network effect.

You can follow me using my key:  npub1m2mvvpjugwdehtaskrcl7ksvdqnnhnjur9v6g9v266nss504q7mqvlr8p9

# Updates?

One year after: Mastodon is officially dead, Nostr has one. User interfaces have gone much better. There was the Apple removing Nostr clients that support zapping drama (I have a chapter in the book about app store censorship and PWAs and desktop apps).

Two interesting things I would like to play with next year is integration of open-source AI (feed curation, help with writing articles, ...) and mesh-like transports (maybe [Reticulum](https://github.com/markqvist/NomadNet), which I also write about in the book).

# About the book

I wrote this short book as a reflection on what I think cypherpunks should look forward to, aspire for and experience in the coming years. I published this chapter on social networks exclusively on Nostr.

[![Cypherpunk visions and trends 2023-2025](https://nostrcheck.me/media/jooray/cd272976bdd5dd1f89e64ea5bc208123081c4bdbd8039c930d2c3227e0602b71.webp)](https://hackyourself.io/product/cypherpunk-visions-and-trends-2023-2025-ebook/)

# The talk from Bitcoin Pizza Day

I introduced all the chapters in my talk on [Cypherpunk Visions and Trends, which is published as part of my OptionPlus podcast](https://hackyourself.io/2023/11/22/cypherpunk-visions-and-trends-2023-2025-at-pizza-day/).

You can watch it on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa1GX2RIU64

New social networks (from Cypherpunk visions and trends 2023-2025)

Exploring the evolution of social networking in the cypherpunk realm, this chapter from 'Cypherpunk Visions and Trends 2023-2025' dives into the shift from conventional platforms to new, privacy-centric networks that focus on decentralized and uncensored communication.

This is a long form article, you can read it in https://habla.news/a/naddr1qqxnzdesxv6rzve38y6njvehqgsd4dkxqewy8xum47ctpu0ltgxxsfemeewpjkdyzk9ddfcg286s0dsrqsqqqa28qeu6qy


To nie je človek 😂


It's Christmas eve and the mempool is not empty.
Hyperbitcoinizationn tomorrow.


SK: Toto ste potrebovali! Krásna jazzoidná hodlovacia vianočná pesnička. Featuring: Dane sú krádež, paraguajskí fešáci, fiat je nanič keš, ...

Taktiež psychedelická cover verzia :).

Užite si, púšťajte rodine, repostujte, a píšte zážitky ako to ustrelilo dekel rodine.

Veselé Vianoce!

https://nostrcheck.me/media/jooray/8a6f13b07d1120966af57c29034da2f38dc00fa8d6644bfece6a48218a26cd3b.mp4

https://nostrcheck.me/media/jooray/05d5f305a81be917c186658947e87e05f2f16a5e44298e862147492279f46d03.mp4


Integration of client side LLMs for on client feed curation and for better authoring.

Hopefully some mesh transport (Reticulum?) for relays.

I've written a short book Cypherpunk visions and trends 2023-2025, I'll publish the chapter on Nostr on habla later today.


I'm halfway through the audiobook of nostr:npub1a2cww4kn9wqte4ry70vyfwqyqvpswksna27rtxd8vty6c74era8sdcw83a's Broken Money and it's really good so far. What I appreciate most is that she goes into the details of working on the financial system, down to a low level. Most descriptions I've read were too abstract, she shows how do the books of FED, treasury, banks, etc look, exactly.

This part is actually from her blog here:
https://www.lynalden.com/money-printing/ (whole blog is great, but I'm mainly talking about "Bank Reserve Accounting Examples" section).

I also like that she describes the current system in terms of combined petrodollar and eurodollar system, which is important to understand.


My car's front assist (adaptive cruise control) sensor stopped working and cleaning did not help. So I decided to turn on longitudinal control (software ACC using camera) on my comma.ai device and holy shit! When I first tried it a few months ago it was almost unusable. Now I think I will not turn on the car's stock ACC again.

AI is all about LLMs now, but having a device that can add self driving capability to most modern cars and running open source firmware from github (I use sunnypilot) is beyond cool.


As everyone is cheering that Argentina "allowed" contracts in bitcoin, please note that in most countries it has been always allowed. So Argentina didn't suddenly become a bitcoin paradise to move to. It just was a socialist hellhole and now people are getting freedoms that we in the west had all along...

Almost no western country regulates a unit of account in contracts. Paraguay, Panama, most European countries, USA, Uruguay,... all had this freedom all along.


I live in the present moment :)


Birth was great in Slovakia (private hospital), there’s money to be made there.

This experience is from two countries.

I spoke to a friend who is a doctor. It was a very chilling conversation. Things like: “We prescribe this, because it is in the manual and we don’t want to be liable for doing something else. But we know from randomized control trials for a decade now that this treatment usually does not work”. And “in most cases, we are just trying things out, we have no idea what will work”.


Friends, if you are participating in many Signal groups (as you should, the revolution is happening in encrypted chatrooms - def. not Telegram), you might want to keep your sanity.

English: https://juraj.bednar.io/en/blog-en/2023/12/20/quick-hack-signal-on-two-numbers-for-separating-groups-and-discussions/

Slovak: https://juraj.bednar.io/blog/2023/12/20/rychly-hack-signal-na-dvoch-cislach-kvoli-oddeleniu-skupin-a-diskusii/


Transparency is often deemed as ultimate goal. It is expected by voters from their governments, by employees from their employers, sometimes even from the customers. In software, building in the open is considered a fast way to innovation, delivering better product and higher security - "given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow".

Yet many people don't talk about disadvantages. Anonymity and privacy often increase personal security. And open governance often means that the visible parts are justifiable, but that does not mean they are good. Forced transparency in corporate structures, like publishing ultimate beneficiary owners means that privacy is more expensive.

Yet there is a reason for voting privacy in democracies, which we should think about in other governance structures, down to a level of companies. Anonymity removes status and politics. Building in private can help keep the edge. Not being open to outgroup allow parallel societies such as dark forests to function.

This is a long form article, you can read it in https://habla.news/a/naddr1qqxnzdesxgunyv3s8ymrgwp4qgsxedq7j0ltfhew0hnequ34lve0sxw4t4mkytrsas85vyrnvkydmhsrqsqqqa28wjq4w9


Thanks, zapped back!


The treatment option is not painkillers, it’s a “I don’t know what to do with you please go away” option.

The doctors were first, they did not solve the problem, so going online is a better option. I have several examples of this over the past few years.


ťa kope múza

ťa kope múza


Rise in the lunarpunk skies

Lyrics:
In the shadows where the free minds roam,
In the dark forest, we find our home.
Anonymity's our cloak, in whispers, we speak,
A world of secrets, for the bold, not the meek.

(Chorus)
Rise, rise, in the lunarpunk skies,
Where the mind ascends and the spirit flies.
In the dance of codes, where our freedom lies,
Under the moon's glow, our revolution never dies.

(Verse 2)
Through the tangled webs, our messages soar,
Private whispers from shore to shore.
In the cryptic night, we find our way,
A symphony of silence, where we hold sway.

(Chorus)
Rise, rise, in the lunarpunk skies,
In the realm of shadows, our spirit defies.
With each encrypted word, our bond solidifies,
In the dark forest, our anthem forever amplifies.

(Outro)
In the lunarpunk dreams, we claim our domain,
In the dark forest, our ideals remain.
Ascend with us, let your spirit unchain,
In the world of the free mind, we forever reign.

https://nostrcheck.me/media/jooray/10d74db5394f134178b355db02e0def6af7e0b8f48b13222e0b8ddf508fb6592.mp4


Adding a cheerful carol for the holidays, generated by AI (Suno).

Lyrics:
In a world of chains and shackles, where freedom was a dream
A few brave souls arose, to make it seem
That liberty's a birthright, not a privilege to be earned
They fought and they prevailed, their voices turned the tide

Oh, the ascendance of the free mind
Unleashing thoughts that never existed
Awakening the world to a new paradigm
Where chains are broken, and liberty reigns

Like slavery's cruel embrace, the state's grip is cold
Stealing our hard-earned wealth, with stories yet untold
Taxation is theft, a burden we must bear
But there's a brighter future, beyond the statist lair

Oh, the ascendance of the free mind
Unleashing thoughts that never existed
Awakening the world to a new paradigm
Where chains are broken, and liberty reigns

https://nostrcheck.me/media/jooray/fac9ca4ba972af159699aa6108bc91b17884710947b1f8767a51ef4cdcdb8697.mp4


Unpopular opinion: bard and chatgpt are more useful than many medicine doctors for 99% use cases.

Doctors often figure out you're not dying, prescribe light pain killers and send you home.

Just last week experience: a doctor prescribed two medicines that should not be taken together.

Another doctor after hearing that the patient is allergic to ibuprofen prescribed ibuprofen two minutes later. It was literally two lines following each other in the report. Allergies: ibuprofen, recommendation: ibuprofen.

That's llama-7B level. Maybe even llama-7B wouldn't do it.

So self diagnosis and treatment again.
And then you come to the doctors office, tell that you googled or consulted with AI and they roll their eyes. That is quite fun, because the research is 9 times out of 10 better than what the doctor tells you.

No, I'm not saying that the AI is perfect. I'm saying that medical doctors, especially in ambulances are that bad. BTW the experience spanned two countries, definitely not a local problem.


After latest upgrade of the nostr:npub155m2k8ml8sqn8w4dhh689vdv0t2twa8dgvkpnzfggxf4wfughjsq2cdcvg nostr plug-in, I can see zaps in my client. Do the zaps on the notes (not profile) show on your side as well? Could anyone zap me a few sats and report if they see the zap?


Market definitely does not think that the price will go sideways, implied volatility of half year options is in the 30%-50% range (that is annualized volatility implied by option prices).


Dear companies. Please stop using SMS for "authentication". We have 2FA like TOTP. A phone number is a temporary thing that I always change (I only keep a VoIP permanent phone number that often does not work with SMS).

SMS often do not work and they are not secure (sim swapping attacks). Also, you need to pay some SMS delivery service, thus you raise my prices for this obsolete auth tech.

At least allow opt-out and stop requiring phone numbers.


I'm not publishing anything yet, still very early stage, so mostly bugreports and questions on github.

Tldr is I'm a writer and I am trying to distill the knowledge from my books and blogs and train a model to help people with topics I write about - without the traditional AI lecture.

If I ask what bitcoin hardware wallet should I use, I am not interested in lecture about how much I should invest in bitcoin and how dangerous it is - and a lecture is what you get with current models.

I currently use axolotl (also used llama.cpp's fine tune command before), and I fine tune uncensored models.


There's usually not so many things to pay attention to, so this would be untrainable, bulky and unusable would be my guess.


Lol a lot of people don't realise how costly KYC bitcoin is, it might seem cheaper and easier on the front end but the costs are comign down the line


👉 Sedmá epizoda DIGITÁLNÍ (R)EVOLUCE bude o vývoji centralizovaných sociálních sítí a výhodách protokolu #nostr.

👉 O počátcích world wibe webu a svobodném internetu budou vyprávět nostr:npub1m2mvvpjugwdehtaskrcl7ksvdqnnhnjur9v6g9v266nss504q7mqvlr8p9 a nostr:npub15xkpvjux5fw2q0kgl8m9c6pv0wu5urgctq9tthftmu559lf4wxqqknkrnh .
👉 Kauzu #twitterfiles zrekapituluje ředitel Společnosti pro obranu svobody projevu Vlastimil Veselý.
👉 Fungování protokolu #nostr a aplikace nostr:npub1plstrz6dhu8q4fq0e4rjpxe2fxe5x87y2w6xpm70gh9qh5tt66kqkgkx8j vysvětlí nostr:npub1atc6zwsr9nnyn0rq72g2qqznr3x4yhm20g50wsexjukygwrg9atqh0lssy.

👉 Tak dnes od 20:00 na V.O.X. News zase #koukej! 🍿 📺

Za spolupráci při realizaci rozhovorů děkujeme s nostr:npub1dfu62jm4nr2ntg6qn8fpj7g4vxqm9s2878n6mxdtv00t40n3uqqsw2u3uc klukům z  nostr:npub1fc6nyvwm8y3enmy26rekaer8p5q8xhy9ujx06sdngk7d7k2258qs52zyq0. https://image.nostr.build/95658f7da9d0a5fea528ed09cf62ae3d64e45f598018211363fe3b0f4ef7ee54.jpg


Competition, in its rawest form, is unyielding. It spans across love, attention, and business. In the marketplace, it manifests as the simple truth that superior products and services triumph over time. This is the essence of healthy competition: to excel, offer better services, finely tuned to a specific market.

However, the market is not a battleground. The old mindset of vanquishing rivals is obsolete. It's not about defeating them, but about excelling beyond them.

Our competitors, those tackling the problems we yearn to solve, are not adversaries but potential allies. We share similar objectives. The strategy lies in carving out unique niches, optimizing service to customers. Collaboration, leveraging each other's strengths, can lead to superior offerings. Alternatively, delving deeper into specific niches, perhaps in partnership with other companies, can make us (and our newly found target market!) invisible to competitors.

Learning from competitors doesn't mean imitation. It's about understanding their unique selling points and refining our own offerings to address those needs more effectively. The focus shouldn't be on generic features or mere pricing wars, unless your production costs allow for a significant price advantage. Instead, aim to enhance the core value proposition, elevating your product in the very dimensions your competitors already highlight.

This is a long form article, you can read it in https://habla.news/a/naddr1qqxnzdesxgen2dekxqcrvdpjqgsxedq7j0ltfhew0hnequ34lve0sxw4t4mkytrsas85vyrnvkydmhsrqsqqqa28ex4ys7


This is a long form article, you can read it in https://habla.news/a/naddr1qqxnzdesxg6nywfjx5urydejqgsxedq7j0ltfhew0hnequ34lve0sxw4t4mkytrsas85vyrnvkydmhsrqsqqqa28k3u66l

Imagine investing a fortune in a dream, knowing it will never pay a dime. That's what a friend did. His reason? "Because it needs to exist."

A free society is often perceived as powered by profit incentives.  Yet, value transcends mere currency. Sometimes, the true reward lies in satisfying a deep, personal urge, regardless of a cash-negative outcome.

There are those who adorn public spaces or craft art without a hint of acclaim or financial gain. Even anonymous creators, stripped of societal recognition, continue their artistic endeavors. This isn't about external rewards; it's about the innate human compulsion to create, to enhance, to contribute something meaningful to the world, irrespective of monetary benefit.


Interesting how almost every Bitcoiner  is so sure that there's an imminent bitcoin bull market coming.

I mean, I would like it, there's etf and halving hopium, but remember, it's all numerology and past cycles do not have to repeat.

Halving is more symbolic, the whole amount of coins that are mined per year are usually traded in less than a day, so it's not a significant price pressure.

Etfs depend on crazy bureaucrats and are going to bring people who will be misled into thinking they own bitcoin - if they happen at all.

And if it's so certain, we should be in the bull market now, it should by priced in, right?

For me, the most interesting question is what happens when the halving numerology fails for the first time? How many people will leave? Should they have entered in the first place?


Ladies that don't know what to buy your husband / partner / boyfriend for Christmas (or whatever occasion for that matter):

- Bitcoin

If he's a nocoiner (ouch), make sure that he knows that even nerd looking bitcoiners are incredibly hot, because they don't trust in fiat scams and will get Toyota Supra soon. In this case, add:

- a good book about bitcoin (Cryptocurrencies: Hack your way to a better life is not only good, it's great and it's by yours truly). Available in English, Slovak and Spanish:

https://hackyourself.io/product/cryptocurrencies-hack-your-way-to-a-better-life/

(you can also get it on Amazon, links are on the project page)

- a Trezor Safe 3 hardware wallet

https://affil.trezor.io/SHJY

If your partner suffers from a nocoiner syndrome, I can send you an uplifting postcard and I'm truly sorry, hopefully he'll at least make you some nice children. In that case, get bitcoin yourself.

Have fun and happy holidays!


Latest fine tune is still hallucinating a lot. Especially when it has learned an out of date information or biases, it is hard to make it unlearn. Such as not recommending products that are no longer available or are good for the purpose.

It does not think I'm a hockey player anymore, but I did not start INESS nor have I written a book called Anarchopedia.

The fine tune is based on migtissera's Synthia-70B. Not great, not terrible. These qlora finetunes for 12 epochs (0.0003 learning rate) seem to get slight hints, but there's still a lot of bias from the original model. I have 5000 question-answer examples in training data. Any hints?


Really? I did not know that. I don't use Windows.

Interesting. How do they figure out where you're from?


How to onboard the first billion people to Bitcoin (lightning)?

I have recently written an article about a strategy that would be non-custodial, semi-decentralized and does not rely on any soft-forks or updates to protocols, can be implemented today and will solve the fees issue right now. People can manage how decentralized they want to be.

Not everyone got why the bridge would be trustless and how would it look in practice, so I added another explanatory section to my blog called "How does it work in practice?"

This would be especially useful for both merchants (otherwise they need incoming liquidity, this way they could just splice-in new funds with each payment) and end users, who would not need to rely on custodial wallets.

https://juraj.bednar.io/en/blog-en/2023/05/07/expanding-the-lightning-network-to-serve-billions-a-quick-win-strategy/


Energy efficiency is determined by markets automatically. If people are willing to pay more for using the model than electricity and other costs, it is energy efficient automatically - generating not value than energy costs. It's called profit.

Too bad these communists believe that energy efficiency is actually achieved by filling some of their forms and checked by a committee. Reminds me of soviet era central planning.... Maybe because it is exactly that...

https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/4a9063cfe6f0d19b32f9beda95209a34535db551ae167010545b9f7c5b8b6144.webp


True.

But all of these llms are psychedelic cascade of free floating reveries.

I was always making fun of people who look too much into the meaning of dreams.

Now we listen to machines dreaming.

This was not invisible to people in AI. I did my masters in AI and I remember people explaining that the outputs of neural networks can be thought of as artifacts of a dream.

I now rather call it machine intuition.

https://x.com/meekaale/status/1733464021171347859?s=46
https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/357eb1216bd6695c2992a59cde63f4e6130d6ef156d395c9ca8442c4ff12f0b8.webp


Inflation is tax on two layers. It makes you lose your purchasing power because of rising prices. It is like 5% p.a. Inflation taxed all your static fiat wealth 5%. It's more complicated, because the average number is not how prices of goods and services you buy change, it's just some bureaucrat's calculation based on what they think people buy.

Then there's another tax on top. Imagine you invested 1 million usd in a business and made 1.2 million usd at the end of the year. You are taxing income of 200k. But that is not income in real terms, because in order to buy something that was worth 1 million you would need 50k more if inflation is 5% (it isn't, but for illustration). So you are taxed on the incompetence of the central bank to keep the value of money.


Yes, unfortunately it is much more expensive. At least it was when I checked.


In many countries you can't write off a loss on one asset against gain in another.


I love the user experience of bitrefill esim. No bullshit forms, two click lightning payment, data works.

Search could be better ("esim" + country did not find the local sim, had to go through the list).

But compared to anything else, this is just better. I don't have to fill some stupid addresses, names, nothing. I want data, choose country and amount of data + validity, pay, have data.

Good job Bitrefill!


Capital gains taxes don’t just steal your wealth, they change the way you make bets

If you have a 70% chance of doubling your money or losing everything, a full Kelly bet is 40% of your portfolio

But if you are taxed 50% on your winnings, your true upside if win is only +50%, not a double (+100%). Based on these odds, you’d only bet 10% of your portfolio for what is otherwise the exact same bet

And if your taxes are 60%, you shouldn’t take the bet at all

This is such an important concept to understand
1) for yourself so you size correctly
2) so you understand how damaging raising taxes is to entrepreneurs and funding investments that have the chance to make the world a better place.

Source: https://twitter.com/tbr90/status/1733202123100201173


Is this the place to channel my dislike for Telegram?

No end to end encryption by default, impossible for groups, usually a lot of traffic (messages), but pretty low quality.

If someone wants to "connect on telegram", it's like if they told me they trust in fiat. No full judgement, but it needs to be strongly overbalanced with something for me to care. And no, I won't connect on telegram.

Here's a look at some alternatives (I recommend part one too): https://juraj.bednar.io/en/blog-en/2022/05/03/encrypted-messengers-comparison/


I'm halfway through "Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids" by Bryan Caplan.

This book is a breath of fresh air for anyone who's ever felt the pressure to over-parent and sacrifice everything for their kids.

Caplan throws out the traditional parenting playbook and argues that we've made it way more complicated than it needs to be. We're bombarded with conflicting advice, endless anxieties, and the constant fear of not doing enough.

Caplan shows that the impact of parenting on a child's success is far less than we think. Genetics and personality play a much bigger role. So, all those hours spent meticulously planning every activity and stressing over every decision? Turns out, they might not be as crucial as we've been led to believe.
This book is a powerful call to relax, enjoy the ride, and focus on what truly matters. It's not about micromanaging every minute of your child's life; it's about building a loving, supportive environment where they can thrive. So if you're feeling overwhelmed by the pressure of modern parenting, pick up this book. It might just change your life (and free up some of your precious time).


Growing list:

There are now 14 known companies  doing greenhouse negative #Bitcoin mining

They actually reduce emissions, because they use flare-gas as their power source

The 14th is Scilling Mining, who use vented gas from farms

Did I miss anyone?

https://nostrcheck.me/media/jooray/e51dec210da8c021454d10caa419bbec9f5c8255b2769d8cc7d7a9ff181edfb9.webp

And a heart-warming video to go with it: https://nostrcheck.me/media/jooray/b9f37c7ce9c0970457d2ab4f9cafef3f123efb585f2ccc1cb0dbb75a75a1270f.mp4

Source: https://x.com/DSBatten/status/1732654968979771404?s=20


New Bard is pretty good, but it hallucinates a lot. I needed a song picking advice and it was inventing songs and then describing them. ChatGPT hallucinates much less (I gave the same questions to both).

On the other hand, it answers more complexly and is much faster.

Competition is good.


As Bitcoin price goes up, there are many people who feel the urge to comment on it. Of course it is good that we have access to diverse opinions. I would like to point out one specific case and motivations and that is people with a **no-coiner syndrome (NCS)**.

Someone that has a no-coiner syndrome is not just a no-coiner. They based part of their identity on the fact that they oppose Bitcoin. Some because it does not match their investment philosophy (Peter Schiff), some because he does not like carnivore maxis (NNT I guess), some because they oppose it on environmental basis, some because people who they do not like became rich and were just lucky (tm).

It is important to understand that no-coiner syndrome is a coping mechanism for internal pain and not a wise, coherent investment strategy. If you are investing (or speculating, whatever), it is wise to have at least some non-zero allocation in Bitcoin.

If you were listening to some of the no-coiners, always look at how their "advice" performed in the past. Yes, past advice does not guarantee future returns, but constistent past bad advice definite is enough to pinpoint someone suffering from no-coiner syndrome and we can safely rule-out their "advice". If you were listening to Peter Schiff, you have missed on at least 100x gains. Does that mean that buying Bitcoin will guarantee you next 100x gain? Definitely not, but as Satoshi said: "It might make sense just to get some in case it catches on". And it is catching on again. So get some.

**How?**

Peer to peer, definitely do not show IDs and definitely do not do bank transfers. Cash is king.

If it's your first Bitcoin, get it in a Lightning wallet and play with it. Pay friends, use it online, get yourself familiar. It does **not** mean you should FOMO buy a lot, on the contrary, learn and familiarize yourself with it. With Lightning you don't have to worry about history of the coins, on Lightning, there's no history.

Here's a [free course](https://hackyourself.io/courses/a-quick-introduction-to-bitcoin-wallet-setup-buying-payments/) (not even sign-up required) to get you started.

When you want to learn more, understand philosophy and use-cases, my book [Cryptocurrencies - Hack your way to a better life](https://hackyourself.io/product/cryptocurrencies-hack-your-way-to-a-better-life/
) has helped many people in navigating the space, optimizing on taxes and implementing Bitcoin in your lifestyle. It's about much more than just knowing when to buy and when to sell - actually, the best strategy is not to make these decisions. Definitely don't follow technical analysis influencers, don't join telegram groups with trading signals (best is not to join any telegram groups for that matter).

Book [available in English, Spanish and Slovak](https://hackyourself.io/product/cryptocurrencies-hack-your-way-to-a-better-life/).

But even before the book, get *experience*.

As Bitcoin price goes up, there are many people who feel the urge to comment on it. Of course it is good that we have access to diverse opinions. I would like to point out one specific case and motivations and that is people with a no-coiner syndrome (NCS).

This is a long form article, you can read it in https://habla.news/a/naddr1qqxnzdesxyunxvf38qcnwvejqgsd4dkxqewy8xum47ctpu0ltgxxsfemeewpjkdyzk9ddfcg286s0dsrqsqqqa28jfr9ys


Medium as a blogging platform has become unusable for readers. They often require account to just read blogs. When I want to create, I can sign up, but I can't login. The magic link never works (tried different browsers). I can login with Google, but it also sucks.

Using nostr based publishing is just more user friendly. Habla news or Blogstack is great, works, does not need sign-ups or anything to read. You can tip authors using lightning (zaps).

It's sad that if I want to read a blog about fine tuning ai models or some tech blog, I end up for 10 minutes in medium sign up hell.


BTC conferences are demanded by the market participants and thus they make sense. Of course your vision is also an option, but it is not the only option. People have diverse needs.


In this episode, I want to show you where are we going - what is the alternative, or rather parallel system. Does it already exist, or is it a hallucination of dreamers? How do we enter it - do we wish it into existence or is there another pathway? How big is it?

It is a recording from the 10th Hackers Congress Paralelní Polis - Resistance. I hope you enjoy this quite positive episode. I believe we already have a working solution in case world collapses. We have an out!

https://hackyourself.io/2023/12/06/welcome-to-the-dark-forest-a-pathway-to-resistance/


How to find someone's car location using publicly available parking systems.

Very clever low-tech hack.

https://www.notmyplate.com/whitepaper/


I'm not operating pp, so it's a question for the non profit and the board.

I was an early co-founder, but I was not involved in operation of the Prague space.


People have been following Peter Schiff for a while. I have to say I liked the guy and his books.

The sad thing is that his investment advice is on par with Cramer these days. People following his "bitcoin is a bubble" yelling missed an opportunity to 100x their net worth.

At least gold is not that bad, if there was no bitcoin, I would have been a goldbug.

https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/c0bdbd497c381c0df4579c7b13213bb8830c1c6280da2157ad2bd1f75879d62f.webp


So here's another drama. This might end Paralelni Polis, the reputation of Josef Jelačič, or both. And it is an interesting look at justice in free society.

Let's start:

https://www.paralelnipolis.cz/en/ethprague/

TLDR:

- ETHPrague 2023 happened in Paralelni Polis (I was there, saw it with my own eyes).
- The production company raised money and did not pay rent.
- The money was sent from multisig to some unknown account, @JosefJ_ refuses to talk further and told everyone to go fuck yourself
- Paralelni Polis in financial trouble. A 10 year project that many people put a lot of energy in jeopardy.

There might be a lot of "he said, she said" bla bla. Signal is this - event happened, rent not paid, other side is not discussing it and laughing that Polis will go bankrupt.

I highly suggest boycotting any event organized by @JosefJ_, definitely don't give any money to his PWN DAO (which had a commercial presentation at ETHPrague, also did not pay rent) and definitely do not sponsor any events by them unless they make it right.

If this is it for Paralelni Polis, I hope some other people will carry the ideas, organize events. For me, PP was mainly about HCPP (Hackers Congress Paralelni Polis), which is a one of a kind conference. It was the first place in the world that accepted only Bitcoin for coffee, coworking and other services. There were many stories, many complicated stories as well and a lot happened there. Many interesting projects were started there.

Sadly, probably killed by some powertrip. Don't give the power trippers any more money at least, unless they pay the non-profit what they owe.

What's the thing about reputation and justice in free society?

Transactions are in solarpunk mode (public).

So the main question is if @JosefJ_ wants to be remembered as a scammer who did not pay a non-profit organization entering the last year of its decade rent for an event he organized, despite having money.

Or if he values his reputation more.

My theory is that reputation is worth a lot, especially in the long term and especially with entrepreneurs and in crypto. It's super hard to build it, very easy to lose it. Josef had a good reputation, which he was building for years, yet, he is willing to lose it all due to some idea in his head, which he did not yet said out in public.

This is a sad loss of human potential, but I think it will be a good way to see how justice works in a free society without monopoly on justice. We will only see it long term, if it was worth it for him, even if Paralelni Polis does not make it.

I would like to see who is willing to do any business with him after this, because even the way he treats business partners in the LLC is a huge red flag.

I would love to see a prediction market of the outcome of this paralelni polis drama, episode 1337.


Defund the war machine - #Bitcoin https://i.nostr.build/9JXX.jpg


Again - states have cared about the drug business for more than 40 years, yet everyone who wants to get some does. Even in states where enforcement is strict and effective, it still works.

Go to Orchard Towers in Singapore, prostitution supplemented by cocaine. Yes, they have death penalty for cocaine in Singapore.

The mistake here is to believe that this is not a solved problem. State can try to enforce something, but that creates counter pressure, because going around that limitation is a valuable service, so you'll have providers who specialize and compete on figuring out the way around.

Also, I would leave a hellish dystopia well before they could even try this, but that's another topic.

It's impossible to ban bitcoin, it can be only more or less costly to transact with it.


Proxy merchants specialize in solving these problems. They are operating even now. Some of them exploit jurisdictional arbitrage (Bitrefill), some operate in illegality, but it always works.

One has something valuable (bitcoin) and wants to trade, there's a provider making sure this transaction happens for a fee (proxy merchants). How exactly they achieve depends on the exact conditions and environment. But it works...

Also, there are many people willing to buy bitcoin, so proxy merchants provide also the other side.


“Power into the hands of individuals rather than governments and corporations. The computer can be used as a tool to liberate and protect people rather than control them. “
- Hal Finney https://i.nostr.build/6JjW.jpg


You don't need circular economy. Proxy merchants are enough. And there are plenty of them.


The problem in cz is that if you use it to check in at accommodation, they will instantly upload it to the cops (every provider has an app from foreign police). And they'll probably come to check.


It's identity card issued by a private entity that does not claim its real data.

It does not even remotely look like German id.

It's like showing someone a gym membership card. It's up to them if they accept what it says.

You can't commit fraud of course and you should not show it to the cops.


Too busy now, so to my followers...

1.) you don't have enough bitcoin
2.) buy fast
3.) cash no kyc,try vexl or see the blog:

https://juraj.bednar.io/en/blog-en/2022/03/14/how-to-create-your-own-crypto-trading-group/

4.) receive over lightning - no need to wait for confirmation, there are no dirty coins in lightning
5.) offload to Trezor. Safe3 us good, trezor one is enough.

https://affil.trezor.io/SHKH

Super quick free intro: https://hackyourself.io/courses/a-quick-introduction-to-bitcoin-wallet-setup-buying-payments/ to everything.


No electronic fiat transfers. Peer to peer or non kyc atm.

Will they make the non kyc illegal like weed is illegal, like prostitution is illegal, like software and movie piracy?

You seem to overestimate the state...


Bitcoin is protection against:
- monetary inflation
- excessive taxation
- confiscation of wealth
- censorship of financial transactions

The real, p2p bitcoin. Not kyc coin, not bankcoin.

Renostring the bird of nostr:npub1au23c73cpaq2whtazjf6cdrmvam6nkd4lg928nwmgl78374kn29sq9t53j who chirped...
https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/ce506d7b6c6dd956fc6829bf7ee3192369834fb68a8e0c78f3fcb00fc24c67a7.webp


Is there a way to run stable diffusion video on Apple Silicon chips locally?

Something like InvokeAI but with video. I hope Invoke AI will add video support, for now, even a command line tool would be cool.


Next step in my evolution would be getting the leash that minimizes the idea of purse into just the phone. And get pixel fold with Graphene to have bigger screen, be in beach mode and no place for send to enter.

Here's an illustration. I don't wear swim tops though.
https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/f1c1391e73e574a9402ccebc76df21ab7d8334464eb1dfc36283eca7517fcc7e.webp


This lady already says she'll be regulating everything. "I'll come back and regulate you!"
https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/0d378912a2eeace5a278775ff479f891faaebdd6dd6a92ee790b7201023b3d7a.webp
https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/74ba519133626f117944ca2d4ac79e0f4716b0baf968914de36127af604364a7.webp


It took me a few decades of life, but I finally reached another milestone of my development and add a new important skill to my resumé (which I don't have and hopefully I'll never need).

I managed to do something productive from a beach!

I now offer consulting on how to become productive beach-trott(l)ing Digital nomad!

Ask me anything about the experience, I will probably not answer, because the phone is going into 🔥♨🌶 mode...


For the fact that Malaysia is officially a Muslim country, they have outstanding pork, especially bacon. Not everywhere, but I've eaten bacon here that can be only outcompeted by home smoked pork of some of my family members (decentralized small scale production usually wins on quality).

And a trending food category in Grab - Non-halal.

Malaysia is a great example of different cultures living together in peace (whatever locals would tell you - there's no violence). BTW the sometimes not so nice behavior of immigrants in Europe is most probably not due to their religion, but the fact they are selected as recipients of social security. That means Europe is selecting for the non productive. It's like inviting white trash fentanyl junkies from San Francisco to Berlin with free money and lodging and then saying "white Christians cause trouble". It has nothing to do with Bible. Or Quran.


And this to infinity...
https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/4512230680ad1c05de4a6ad1c47d4ab4c1ee544691ee8512b04f490f622907fb.webp


I have conversed with the bull. It's ready for it's grande comeback if you are ready to buy more corn.

#bitcoin
https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/5aef0442f542910f7f2309590d3731a6a2ccc2c4d08d53204e565ac4893ae8ec.webp


This is very cool. I would like to see a version that implements AnonDAO like voting. You specify voting rules (quorum, who can participate with what stake) and due to magic of zero knowledge proofs, nothing will be known about the voting, just if the rules were satisfied and what result won.

I think transparency is for a worse in many cases. It enables politicizing, status games and many other things.

But that's not a criticism of this project, as I said, very cool!
nostr:note197pcwzraajyzywplgxxt77p4gr3rwgfd50xkkpfw2e72cffad2ks677g0j


Finally: Link mobile and desktop apps via secure quantum-resistant protocol

#Simplex

https://simplex.chat/blog/20231125-simplex-chat-v5-4-link-mobile-desktop-quantum-resistant-better-groups.html


My kid decided to scream, judging from the faces of everyone inside, the acoustics were pretty good. I would go to a concert in there.


Still experimenting, I'm currently using llama.cpp including their fine tuning scripts. I have changed all the frameworks several times.

I'm programmatically creating question and answer data (it helps that I've written several books) by prompting a larger model (currently nous-hermes-llama-2-70B) and then some cleaning of the data, converting to alpaca format and finetuning (I currently fine tune the 13B version of the same model).

You need at least Apple Silicon hardware with lots of ram or a few nvidia gpus (vram more important than speed). Amd has shitty tooling.

I use both several nvidia cards and apple silicon. Nvidia and CUDA was probably forged in hell, Apple ecosystem is not so mature, but growing rapidly.


Hey.

I'm not working on nostr:npub1plstrz6dhu8q4fq0e4rjpxe2fxe5x87y2w6xpm70gh9qh5tt66kqkgkx8j, Juraj is a very common Slovak name, so it's possible that some Slovaks are working on Plebstr. 🤷


I never thought I would like a normcore café. It's very opposite of my life philosophy, although blending in is a really good strategy.

But it can be done really well. Norm in Penang, Malaysia is a big warehouse-like building. The staff is dressed in shirts. A concrete bench flows around the place with tables around it. And there are trees and stones.

And the coffee is amazingly good.

I think I can handle a bit of normcore from time to time...

https://maps.app.goo.gl/RdwkKMGF1u8KLyR99?g_st=ic
https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/5718a9b1f719553a615ac920f929096367e7128ad01d209cfd315e5328a2e3e2.webp
https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/fe9c14cb83490a5b89b21a23228edd617528bb79965ab4f6356e494096f72be1.webp
https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/bef4a973d0ec9519f4f227d635c6ca9078ee78bc5166ff6186371232e97b8e12.webp


Juraj-AI doing well.
https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/e6832c71599efd1469747b07f9e3770cf93c89caa1d0608389a10a973736d52d.webp


"If you take all the machinery in the world and dump it in the ocean, within months more than half of all humanity will die and within another six months they’d almost all be gone; if you took all the politicians in the world, put them in a rocket, and sent them to the moon, everyone would get along fine."

- Buckminster Fuller, OG e/acc

Politicians are the problem. Not a solution!


Question: People are often looking at number of trainable parameters (weights) as a proxy for llm model complexity (and memory requirements).

Isn't the number of attention heads also an important parameter to consider in evaluating language models?


I am replacing myself with an emulation. Current version:

[2023-11-23 09:19:22] Q1: Why is state immoral?
Response: The state is considered immoral because it uses violence or threats of force to achieve its goals, often against the will of individuals and can result in negative outcomes that were not intended by those who created it.

[2023-11-23 09:19:31] Q2: Who would build the roads if there was no state?
Response: Private companies and individuals would build roads under anarchy."

[2023-11-23 09:19:44] Q3: How can you increase your freedom?
Response: You can increase your freedom by understanding how to navigate through the increasingly complex regulations and laws, seeking out positive aspects of government programs that benefit you, and supporting those who fight for freedom in their own way. Additionally, working on projects with others who have similar values and using encryption technologies can also help improve personal sovereignty.

[2023-11-23 09:20:10] Q4: What is cryptoanarchy?
Response: Cryptoanarchy is a philosophy that promotes the use of cryptographic tools to protect individual sovereignty and anonymity in communication, making it difficult for states or other actors to control people's lives.

[2023-11-23 09:20:23] Q5: How do you opt-out of hierarchies?
Response: You can opt out of hierarchies by using encryption technology to communicate securely with others without fear of being surveilled and finding projects that align with your values, such as cryptoanarchy or voluntaryism."

Still lot of work to do (especially Q3 I don’t want to recommend using “positive aspects of government programs that benefit me”, because it’s all bullshit).

None of this runs in a cloud.


CZ/SK: V tomto vraj tiež účinkujem :)

https://youtu.be/unaT3sMp-CI?si=zbsVb7zGAeEjt6JU


Bezkempu.eu
Or just use your Peter Horvath ID from Digital Courage.


Too small to fail

In the shadowed groves of the financial world, a different kind of entity thrives – the small, the nimble, the "too small to fail." During the tumult of 2008-2009, giants stumbled, teetered on the brink, their sheer size demanding salvation from the state. Yet, in this crisis, the green spotlight of profit and loss statements turns not to the colossal but to the compact.

Smaller enterprises, individuals even, dance on the edge of a different precipice. They bear not the burdensome overheads of their larger counterparts – the weighty salaries, the sprawling offices, the myriad of fixed costs that chain like anchors. Instead, they glide, unencumbered by the excesses that drag down the giants in times of turmoil.

In this dance of survival, the question arises – is bigger truly better? The corporate leviathans, with their armies of employees, their mountains of infrastructure, stand exposed to market whims. A shift, a tremor in the economic landscape, and they falter, struggling under the weight of their own enormity.

Contrast this with the one-man venture, the independent spirit. Their agility lies in their simplicity – low operational costs, and a direct line from creation to consumer. They are the antithesis of fragility, able to weather storms that would buffet and bruise the behemoths.

The larger entities do hold some advantages – cushions of capital, lines of credit, the ability to pivot, to absorb shocks through sheer mass and resources. Yet, this capacity to 'dump a bag of money on the problem' often masks underlying issues, delays the inevitable reckoning of inefficiencies and missteps.

The main power of the multinational lies in the possibility to buy politicians. But this super-skill is useless in the dark forest.

In this landscape, the small, the individual, holds a unique power – the power of agility, of innovation unfettered by cumbersome corporate structures. They are the embodiment of the dark forest philosophy – standing out in a world where size is often mistaken for strength, where growth is equated with success.

This is the realm of the micro, the domain of the resilient and the adaptable. Here, growth is not a by-product of success, but a choice, a strategic decision weighed against the backdrop of a world that equates bigness with greatness. In the dark forest, the small thrive, not in spite of their size, but because of it.

https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/4a67dc4fe9b01d43bcdfc0263ed2496185c7bcf93f9a19c8721e884a5e89c76c.webp


A lot of people talk about cypherpunk history. But what is our future?  What technologies matter? Does Bitcoin need technological upgrades and  if yes, on which level? What about related technologies? Nostr as a  bitcoin-friendly social network, open-source AI that knows the answer to  who would build the roads without the state. How do we react to  regulatory pressure and where do we go from here?

In January, I wrote a short ebook called Cypherpunk Visions and Trends 2023-2025. I had a chance to introduce it in Paralelni Polis during a fun talk. This episode of OptionPlus podcast is a recording from that talk.

I mention Nostr, open-source AI, Lunarpunk, new lifestyles  and many other things.

https://hackyourself.io/2023/11/22/cypherpunk-visions-and-trends-2023-2025-at-pizza-day/


When we are borrowing, one point is crucial to understand. The purchasing power of money we will return determines if the terms were good. Interest rates play a dance with other prices in the economy. Especially prices you can charge your customers.

Morale: i borrow shitcoins. The worse, the better. Low interest rate loan in some coconut currency is the best I think.

Ymmv, not financial service. Just think of what you will have to return.


Exactly
https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/7d04f50c5cccc8e039cd4c694cbc317b953105c58c1d93c3c017d3ba7bad8dfd.webp


Two interesting models.

Karen (amazing name!) is a strict language and grammar editor and is amazing and fast. See attached picture with my firing test.

https://huggingface.co/TheBloke/Karen_TheEditor_V2_STRICT_Mistral_7B-GGUF

The second one is for generating questions from a text.

Both use Mistral-7B as the base model.

https://huggingface.co/TheBloke/Generate_Question_Mistral_7B-GGUF
https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/d18c5be9234b10eee7506ac2da3d9db23d0b267dcbb2e35e9fc02a5a7896e69e.webp


Nope. They are afraid of regulations and you have to explicitly enable it after going through several disclaimers. There’s no “re”-enable. You don’t need to disable it.


Today's fun facts:

LM Studio started generating gibberish by itself. llama.cpp works from command line.

macOS has too old version of rsync. Copied model from server does not work, because it is binary wrong! brew install rsync and we're going.

Still don't have great results, but it seems, sometimes the stars just don't align.


Trezor has black friday sale, good present for Christmas. Especially Trezor Model One for $48 looks great, no excuse to not hold your private keys in your HW wallet anymore. They also have sale on bundles and Trezor T, but I think cheap entry level wallet is key.

https://affil.trezor.io/aff_c?offer_id=135&aff_id=7306


This looks interesting. I’ll try with 33B model. Any good suggestions?

https://huggingface.co/blog/FPHam/lora-secrets-1


Android market share is high, but app use is not.

Most apps have around the same ios and android users, with ios users being willing more to pay for apps as well.

But congratulations, this is a surprising and good news.


It's off by default and open source.

I did not turn it on.


There are no good bots afaik. Elon stopped the APIs.

Also, the vibe here is different.


Your fear of death is such a strange object
nostr:note1legk2z6y3vk74dccs6v2u8u8dgh807nc6uwr7z70v28yet6keksqfw5899


Has anyone had success finetuning an already fine tuned model such as Synthia-13B or any other model. Lora or Qlora with llama.cpp or Axolotl?

I have very mediocre results. Dataset is 1700 examples, prompts formatted correctly. It hallucinates and does not retain much, if it works at all (llama.cpp is completely broken for me).

What chat tuned model is best for further fine tuning?

I tried also Zephyr-7b-beta just with peft library. Very similar results.

Any guides or pointers? Or someone willing to help?


Crowds are usually stupid.

This one was just fed up with wrecked economy.


He is an ultra celebrity, does not thrive in niche chatrooms with 20 people... Unlike us introverts.


He is a politician, I am an anarchist, so I don't care that much.

Also, I think wef is bunch of old guys who have lost touch with reality and they dream of controlling the world, which is not possible, so I laugh at them. World is complex, with many people having different goals. There's no single thread...

But I like socialists' head exploding nonetheless


Turris Omnia

Developed by Czech non profit (arm of Czech domain registrar).

Open, fast, customizable by default with openwrt. Extendable.


Terms: EA: effective altruist
e/acc: effective accelerationist
decel: decelerationist (close to synonymous with EAs)

Refers mainly to AI development now. EA / decel are doomers, e/acc is "bring it on, I want to lose my boring job".

There's nothing in between.


From Balajis on X:

NO DECENTRALIZATION WITHOUT POLARIZATION

Haseeb is right. But this is good.

Because before the events of the last few days, we had only *one* dominant view — and it resulted in executive orders, compute bans, and well-funded coalitions for “responsible AI.”

But all can now see that responsible AI is mainly “responsible” for destroying $80B worth of AI.

So, all the investors who thought they could safely gain status by siding with EAs now realize that doing so will cost them enormous sums of money. Like, career-ruining sums of money.

And that is extremely good.

Until just now, the future cost of a possible AI Basilisk[1] was highly visible in sci-fi, while the immediate cost of insane regulation was invisible. But now it’s reversed: the *immediate* cost of insane regulation is highly visible. Thus does Bastiat’s unseen become seen.[2]

Put another way: the regulation of AI by EAs would have cost us untold trillions of invisible dollars. But now those costs are seen, and visible. We all now see these decels will destroy billions without blinking. Just like the degrowthers blocking roads and throwing paint on paintings.

So, Bastiat beats the Basilisk. The very visible damage of EA regulation (“Bastiat”) now outweighs the very theoretical damage of AI domination (the “Basilisk”).

And anyone who thought EAs were harmless will reallocate accordingly to e/acc. So now we get two factions, as we do in every other sphere of tech: those who worship the centralized state and those from the decentralized network.

We just can’t avoid this polarization at this time in history. We need to embrace it. The alternative is uniparty victory and totalitarian centralization.

And I prefer acceleration.

Terms: EA: effective altruist
e/acc: effective accelerationist
decel: decelerationist (close to synonymous with EAs)


Making new friends is better with Vexl! Try it out.
https://nostrfiles.dev/uploads/0j6lKKfWsGqCHdiGYX2w.png


I wrote a short book called "Cypherpunk visions and trends 2023-2025" in January. I called for open source AI. The fact that a cypherpunk wants open source AI is not particularly interesting, what is interesting is, that the values of Cypherpunks start to align with wider societal needs - better money, free media, open technologies.

https://hackyourself.io/product/cypherpunk-visions-and-trends-2023-2025-ebook/

https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/06a8ee4e022541310d54c5eeb3af3408c4e2471c433cd0f3145a6dfe8a454174.webp
https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/02fb739fdfe9a5c367115df3302bfcac2d5ee707ea8649ddec0a264930079a45.webp
https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/60a62d28a153a6ae89667025a2754676227c77452eec3b5b4a7ae6acc8825198.webp
https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/1f5a0fe32e8fcc2a311c5ea902a29a5455f34872df10eaeb96fddde2885abc65.webp
https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/293a2ec0194caf23d4cad94eeb7c09f3b8ab43ae4c4b2ef7f2b0ca73ddea4b95.webp
https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/fe2072c3fb32b6d29661966367f6517d263212464909b0f7e702a30d7d543963.webp
https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/5db7ce2159222cf84c90ec1f5b8cc71116856e7885e17ca58d1856d7ccff736e.webp
https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/ed176038f790caab5e0aaef88f612230475d2c6a472098248dd7ca147e19afea.webp


Watching one of my favorite classics tonight.

https://image.nostr.build/1b86752c9151a415be3ab54c83db982186a6348fa93e6f24ac89c411c022cedc.jpg


nostr:note1207a7vt7l8ncctwggxg2mehw8dcj09dwjuvwe9ezhmps4fezsfasy8llnp

Mobility means optionality, optionality means more censorship resistance. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

"Van life is "vonu" - the faster you move, the more difficult it is for centralized systems to control you. It gives you independence from centralized grids (you have solar panels, right?), and a new perspective on life."
  - nostr:npub1m2mvvpjugwdehtaskrcl7ksvdqnnhnjur9v6g9v266nss504q7mqvlr8p9

https://serve-model-sd-outputs.s3.amazonaws.com/1a5b9c47-5f26-416f-a2e2-bb31964f432b.png


Seems like prediction markets are starting to get interesting volume…

I wrote about prediction markets in my book Cryptocurrencies - Hack your way to a better life (https://hackyourself.io/shop). The chapter is also here:

https://juraj.bednar.io/en/blog-en/2021/06/23/prediction-markets-crowdsourcing-information-for-good-decisions/

I highly recommend looking into it, seems that prediction markets are starting to get traction and thus useful information.
https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/982a2d069b94274065ea4f7c166f5639a45eb4dd0a2d5c2478e847289178e464.webp
https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/651e3e97abf7142ffb230f0b00903d407116a02172bea4686d1bcc874d6c7e59.webp


Just putting this out for the new president of Argentina. There's work to do...

https://juraj.bednar.io/assets/post-covid/post-covid-en.pdf


Funny, they always say "far-right", they show the craziest photo (who does not make crazy faces during campaign?).

I love how the socialists' heads are exploding, if Milei did nothing else, it would have been worth it already.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/20/argentina-presidential-election-far-right-libertarian-javier-milei-wins-after-rival-concedes?CMP=oth_b-aplnews_d-1
https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/3f1890d97a332d15e929f5eb0c46bfefc6b07fc65f1b989b973bc944bafddc64.webp


From the bird app from my friend wilder:

"From the center of Buenos Aires, I warmly congratulate all Argentines on the result of their democratic elections (although I am not a fan).

The voter turnout here was really high (76%).

Before you start reading the European media's bullshit about Milei being an ultra-right-wing fascist who wants to establish a dictatorship, study his electoral program (especially the economic one).

To vote for his opposition (Massa) was to vote for a continuation of the dramatic economic decline and hyperinflation that Argentina has been facing for decades (Massa was directly responsible for this as Minister of Economy).

Yes, many Argentines voted for Milei out of desperation because they had nothing left to lose - socialists like Massa have ruined their lives with hyperinflation and made Argentina the country with the worst economic decline in Latin America (worse than Venezuela's at the moment).

European politicians, as forged socialists, supported Massa, of course, because it is inconceivable to them that Argentina could become a model of a minimal, lean, and better-functioning state - Milei plans to abolish most of the state, fire most civil servants, abolish most ministries, and abolish most taxes and stop inflation by dollarisation.

When the European media tell you that Milei is a populist, know that populism in Argentina at the moment means abolishing all social packages, abolishing the dysfunctional public health service, and introducing market prices without state subsidies.

Populism in Milei's case means that he wants to abolish all social benefits because Argentines have understood that state social benefits are the most expensive and have been paying for them for years through hyperinflation.

The populism of Milei means that he wants to end relations with socialist countries like Venezuela or China (for which European politicians, who only prattle on about the rights of the Uighurs, have no balls).

Yes, Milei is an emotionally unstable person and has many dark sides (he is in favor of banning abortion because he considers a person's life from the moment of conception, and he is against drugs because he thinks their legalization would burden the public health service, which he plans to abolish). Therefore, he has no clear support among libertarians.

It is not at all certain that he will be able to get his radical agenda through. Many people think not.

Unless he succeeds in dollarising Argentina and greatly curtailing collapsing socialism, the ideas of the minimal state may be transferred to other Latin American socialist states.

The election of Milei is a demonstration that most people in Argentina understand that the state is not the solution, but the main problem. That socialism does not work and has failed completely in Argentina.

It should also be a clear signal to the economically stagnant EU that continuing with tax increases, inflation, new regulations and other encroachments on the freedom of Europeans is a road to hell.

The Argentinians have already figured that out.”


Peer-to-peer approved for five bucks? I don't think so, show me the utxo.

In a shopping mall somewhere in Asia.
https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/b95ce77e1ffb8caaad20c8845b33231af4cf27fed8fb63eaab93d91563357305.webp
https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/0a8be1ce37136d21ef5eba47c4d845e46da41497b6c8be898802fc208a79af9c.webp


You can rarely experience true art, one that is interesting, beautiful and is not a manifestation of some woke trauma. Artists, especially in Europe tackle "social issues", mainly because that's where public institutions money are poured to.

The artist trauma is disproportionate, academic and mostly out of touch with reality.

This is not a rant against mainstream art, which is usually based on capitalism and real demand. Mainstream art is simple - sing alongs, pretty pictures, shallow stories. Hollywood movies capture and merge this aesthetic into a few hour blocks, streamed through corporate streaming networks or served with popcorn and Coca Cola in 15D ultrahyperdolbysuperscreen cinemas. Commercial main stream art is more honest than woke trauma art. It is a product that fulfills real needs.

This fact is absolutely hated by the woke art establishment. They despise art that is not approved by them, but is financed by market forces and demand. They want to be gatekeepers, choosing narratives, approved artists. They want to mold the art hierarchy to their liking.

Niche art that is sophisticated, yet not based on academic curators approving grant money can be seen in places where art had not been infected with woke socialism and propaganda. In or near hipster cafeterias and meeting places in Asia. In private residencies and secret events.

Or manifesting as parallel (second) culture... in the dark forest.
https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/4590ab0f91d669749538ac46cd04c9b3a4925785c479f3dc41322a4a4be0e62f.webp


Agree to disagree on this.

Statism is morally unjustfiable like slavery.


If it ever comes, the day that the US government goes to the mattresses on bitcoin, I will dedicate that day, that week, that month, and that year, to memes to help support the social counter-attack.

Their confiscations will have to fight amid the shade of our endless memes and civil disobedience.

https://m.primal.net/HQVy.jpg
https://m.primal.net/HObu.jpg


Also, regulations will not work. It's too late for that, even if you would allow for them making server in the first place (I don't).

This train is way past us. Now almost anyone can and will build their models with home gaming hardware, on their Apple Silicon chips, etc.

https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/bb980ba311808e3eef24db9ab289f522931a040f96e9c3bea4ca506b86ec3cec.webp


Nobody's perfect.

But on the upside, you can improve!


Outside of dark forest, blend in. In the dark forest, stand out.

In mainstream society, blending in is a good strategy. If you look like a normie, you don't threaten anyone's position in a hierarchy. There is no envy if you are a normal person in a cheap t-shirt, no expensive watch, or car. You can still enjoy luxuries of the world. You can use the idea by Tim Ferriss - own nothing, but rent and thus have access to everything. Of course you can still own things, no need to comply with old guys in suits ideas from wef, the key is to blend in, and the mainstream society will leave you alone.

In the dark forest is your place to stand out. Present your uniqueness, shine your light. Show what you are made of.

https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/c21ccfe24caef4193fea2c9f4461933e9548616488a9bc2fdc6bd1ee9988818a.webp


Veľmi kúl, idem skúšať! Ďakujem!


When I've seen the signs "do not step in toilet seat", I always thought that is ridiculous. Who would have...

And then the tracks appear...
https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/e00365cc815dbe0172ef4288b2b9d22e69faffeb783158d874af16244edf6028.webp
https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/17ccbd3cebb3b729b77fb1e347d76abfc60981b06637add30f81131e7956932b.webp


CZ: V mnohých veciach je nomádsky život slobodnejší a jednoduchší. Obzvlášť s rodinou.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxtcYH7mA0c s nostr:npub1y2se87uxc7fa0aenfqfx5hl9t2u2fjt4sp0tctlcr0efpauqtalqxfvr89


The niche

There is something lurking in the shadows of the commercial world. It's the niche and microbrands created by niche demands, but especially by eccentric entrepreneurs.

The niche represents a return to the essence, a rebellion against the blinding glare of mass consumerism. Just as darkness allows for a genuine, unadulterated perception of reality, microbrands offer authenticity in an era of manufactured appeal. They are the whispers in a world of shouts, providing a personal touch in an otherwise impersonal mass market corporate landscape.

In this quiet rebellion, these brands echo the philosophy of decentralized energy and currency. Like opting for solar power or Bitcoin, choosing a microbrand is a conscious decision to step away from the centralized, controlled norms of consumerism. These microbrands are not just products; they are statements of individuality and choice. In a world oversaturated with stimuli, microbrands offer a sanctuary, a return to simplicity and genuineness.

There are two ways to create a lot of value. Help a lot of people at least a little, or help a few people a lot. There are not many people in the dark forest, so the latter is a more prevalent way to value creation in the dark forest, although both exist.

There is a fashion designer with a microbrand, a special milk producer with a small farm that makes amazing milk for flat whites, a microlot coffee importer and brewer. A massage therapist with a family business of their own techniques. A resilient internet service provider that offers privacy centric server housing. A phone dealer with specialized privacy centric GrapheneOS based phones. A niche musician channeling the energy of a dark forest. An ice cream maker using herbs that grow in the dark forest. A shaman combining various mushrooms and herbs for every situation.

And an anonymous biographer of people living in the dark forest... 👋

https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/47bdc5900a7e6010d553b00c566a89cdc9eb454f888a57baf32e1671aa543263.webp


Check out those lightning AI marketplaces!

⚡🤖
nostr:note1850l855acycgrkn43q96ussmuyjk2a9hynu6c9zcudyvshqwg6fskj84g0


Why on Nostr?


This is from the xwitter app. Is there something similar here for the free world?
https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/9cd63857e35b5e3faf9010633c55336620839f44f46d81d5c266e92ebc2771a7.webp


SK/CZ: Nová lightning peňaženka. Self-custodial, progressive web app, nie je potrebný súhlas súdruhov z obchodov Apple a Google. Celkom kúl projekt, napísal som o ňom pre Bitcoin Alza. Zaujímavý model predplatného nad lightning. A je plne open source a pracujú na Lightning based privacy mixéri.

CZ: https://alza.cz/mutiny-wallet-bitcoinova-pwa-penezenka-recenze-a-navod

SK: https://alza.sk/mutiny-wallet-bitcoinova-pwa-penezenka-recenzia-a-navod


Anyone has successfully fine-tuned Synthia-13B or a similar mistral or llama2 based model?

I have quite mediocre results and would like to compare notes. I want to start with already good enough conversational model.

I have large enough training dataset in jsonl format, use the right prompt format. I tried full fine tuning, lora and qlora using axolotl.

The model seems to start hallucinating a lot, inventing names, projects, and just mindlessly blabbing.

I'm working on a model that I want to openly release.


On pretending and authenticity...

Totalitarian communist countries led people into pretending. Lying all the way, bottom up, just to paint a nice picture with fake numbers.

The corporate culture of meetings and busy-ness is also full of pretend. Wasting time from meeting to meeting, taking notes, pushing paper. The results will come some day, today I'd rather go through the email.

The more the society is free, the harder it is to pretend. You can't fake value creation if it is measured in money, especially hard money.

Status thrives on faking.

Free society that has profit incentives does not need pretending. Nassim Nicholas Taleb said that the only person you should impress is your accountant.

Profit is self-referential. Are you satisfied with what you created? Are you better than yesterday? Did you meet your own expectations?

If you are motivated by internal goals, you can be truly authentic.

https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/9542e4d593d3bdaa7e0ae7d793446b89b24ce3f74903cfe18acba32c65859041.webp


Help EU! We poor megacorporations can't compete, please mandate it!

- your Google, Vodafone and Orange

https://www.engadget.com/google-and-eu-mobile-carriers-push-european-commission-to-force-apple-to-open-imessage-110558675.html


In the darkness, we can be invisible. Darkness provides anonymity, we can selectively reveal something about ourselves, but shining just enough light on ourselves.

Darkness eliminates third parties. You need to get close enough to see what is going on. And you will be seen, if you are a third party. Darkness is a whisper to the ear, not a megaphone. Darkness is intimate. We make love in darkness, or by a gentle candle light.

Darkness has been there before light. It is the natural state of being. When we close our eyes, we are with ourselves, by ourselves. Many people fear this situation, we have unlearned to be without sensory distractions, afraid of our (un)consciousness.

Dark forest is nothing to be afraid of. It is booming with life - mycelial networks facilitating energy exchange. Various species of plants and animals, gravitating towards equilibrium. We are guests in the dark forest. Our minds are illuminated by the moon, a symbol of life.

Dark forest is not an escape. Darkness itself is not an escape. It allows us to truly see, truly be, in the present moment, with ourselves. There are no distractions, shining blinking objects. Darkness reveals the reality as it is.

In darkness, there are no distractions.
https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/ffaf425e8b1e1865ff6ac92e9df325968d8cc9c7aa9454051b3ec516cfa3ac47.webp


Good, but first EU should implement a kill-switch in itself, to see if it works.

https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2023/11/09/eu-parliament-approves-data-act-with-smart-contract-kill-switch-provision/


Great moments in unintended consequences.

😅

Turns out these are not from middle ages. Yes, politicians are still stupid and doing these all the time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5BDJIrvAQo


On proxy merchants...

In this highly globalized and specialized economy, with long supply chains and advanced technologies, striving for self-sufficiency is not possible - it would put us years behind in the economic development of highly advanced products.

Unless we want to turn old-school, farm to mouth, we need trade with the larger markets outside of the dark forest. With financial surveillance and economic control, this becomes a bit more difficult... especially after the introduction of CBDCs and phasing out of cash.

This problem is being solved by proxy merchants. They get paid in anonymous cryptocurrency and can supply you with whatever you need from the mainstream economy. In many cases they can get around various consumption taxes, or provide privacy (making purchases either anonymous or pseudonymized using special purpose companies or other means).

Proxy merchants also solve the other side of the trade - helping entrepreneurs in the dark forest sell products and services in the mainstream economy.

This sounds like a scifi concept, but there are proxy merchants doing this already.

https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/2a5b6a98c3e308de3c1f30b9f2db4e18b3385a72622f814589d3ed7df22a4490.webp


What is the dark forest?
The dark forest is an idea, it's a place to be, it's a societal structure, a way to look at the world.

It is not the mainstream society nor it aspires to be.

It is a parallel society and parallel economy. It is a place where we value anonymity and human creativity.

Inside the dark forest, it is more important what you create (produce) than who you are. This has many reasons. Anonymity removes status games and hierarchies. You either provide a good product or service or you don't. It does not matter what school you went to, how rich you are, if you are someone's boss or a freelance. Political affiliations don't have any meaning in the dark forest either.

The other reason is that anonymity takes away the power of the state. When the body that can be put to jail disappears, the state is powerless.

The dark forest thrives on bitcoin, one of the few things you can actually really own. It can't be confiscated.

The dark forest is a place you enter with your mind.

The dark forest is a place where you can be free from the influences of a sick mainstream society, where you can thrive and grow.

It is not a "safe space". There are tricksters and scammers, anonumous souls are often mean, but conflict and bad attitude does not help them much in creating and mutually beneficial exchange. Opinions don't matter in the dark forest as much as producing.

The dark forest embodies a societal structure that values anonymity, creativity, and meritocracy over traditional status markers like wealth, background, or political affiliations.

Come in!

https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/2efc4f744b260aaaaf0bd96f6590d058013fbc4709424c876b1d04d701d8cfbe.webp


If Newsom pulls it off, we may soon see rapprochement between the farthest left party in the world (the ultra-woke American Democrats) and the farthest right party in the world (the ultra-nationalist Chinese Communists). That is,  after the last few years of kicking and screaming, the declining  Democrats may actually settle for a power-sharing agreement with the  Communists to become their allies — and perhaps eventually their  clients. At least, that’s certainly what Chinese state-run media seems  to think of Newsom’s visit!

https://balajis.com/p/only-newsom-can-go-to-china?publication_id=16663&post_id=138773260&triggerShare=true&isFreemail=true&r=5ivb3


Still a good idea. Especially in a high fee environment.

https://juraj.bednar.io/en/blog-en/2023/05/07/expanding-the-lightning-network-to-serve-billions-a-quick-win-strategy/


With monetary inflation, it is even more interesting - we have no idea what monetary inflation there is. Thanks to shadow banking and eurodollar, no one knows how many dollars are in circulation.

Even tether, dai, lusd are electronic form of dollars, in circulation, causing rising prices...


Very nice to understand the underlying mechanism, but:

- you can't actually own M2 derivative
- M2 does not necessarily capture monetary inflation. There are eurodollars and lots of weird shit that no one actually knows...


As I mentioned in the previous post ( @note149970qtvxwl094fh6ym0hy9g247ejny7pqaqee8etxsuhcrptr2smt0tr0 ), yes, it does not include dividends.

This one does, but note that it is before taxes! Taxes actually kill it usually.

Still not worth the political risk to me...

If you invested at any time after 2004, you're at zero at best. Before taxes (you have to pay dividend taxes even if the asset lost its value).
https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/3d77202681ee4b7a68c3381be73847790262e3d73d718acd26bc575aabe1db20.webp


Another day, another political drama. A new regulation has passed, new tax is introduced, this politician yelled at that politician, the bad guy is winning, another war has started.

While these things sometimes have real consequences (especially war), in most cases they are but a distraction. For people who take it seriously, it creates fear and there is always a political solution. Vote for us! Give us more money! We need more power! You are powerless to fix this on your own.

Peter Diamandis says that the world's biggest problems are the world's biggest business opportunities. That's what we are being distracted from. That we - either ourselves or some entrepreneur from our community - can solve this problem. Instead we are told we should give away our power to the political and bureaucrat class.

The politicians can't reach the dark forest though. But we are already there. So the distraction makes even less sense for us. Yes, we might fear whatever spooky words come out of the Constant Crisis Networks' talking heads, but we know the politicians can never solve these problems in the dark forest.

The proper approach was described by Paul Rosenberg - the politicians and the old ways should be in our rear-view mirror. Understand enough so it does not affect us, but look forward from the Bronze Age style rulership.

So let's look up to entrepreneurs, and be entrepreneurial ourselves, avoid distractions and build a better future. Ourselves and for ourselves.

https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/09c24fddb8d0b3ee8d3fbcdb1bf30b2a03d02137bc98f29348032faae7b57c32.webp


This is one of the most important charts to understand. People want to diversify, but all they see are fiat profits. If you measure in hard money, S&P500 did not rise since the 1970s bull. And if we don't count the dot com bubble, the market is more or less sideways.

I'm not saying you can't make money in S&P500. Gold grams cost averaging would probably made some profits, and you would make some amount in dividends.

What I'm saying that traditional "invest in the whole market and you will be profitable" is actually a fiat illusion. Add to that the fact that holding the asset itself is full of political risk - your holdings are managed by a custodian and can be confiscated.

Another problem is that the illusion of profit (profit in fiat terms) is treated as taxable income. You would pay lots of taxes without actually increasing your purchasing power.

Looking at it, I would rather just hold gold. In many countries, gold appreciation is not taxed, you can hold it yourself, thus vastly decreasing political risk. And you can also use it as a collateral for a fiat loan, which is quite nice in inflationary fiat environment.

And if diversifying, diversify into Bitcoin, not among fiat assets, because there, the fiat / political risk is correlated.

If you don't change anything else though, I suggest looking at your portfolio in terms of gold grams and sats, that removes the illusion of fiat profits and you are getting a better look at how your savings / investments actually perform.
https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/6d5269bd10131577339341e439cbe90cc1695db199fba3341dded47af2e212fc.webp