The nice thing about machines is they are typically safer to train to failure. But yes, it can be a bit tricky while traveling.
But nothing beats a barbell and weights for things like deadlifts & squats.
Things are bad. They're going to get worse.
Stack Bitcoin. Take care of your health, your friends, and your family. Protect your loved ones.
There's still hope for the world.
Looking forward to Nashville during the Bitcoin conference week. Spending time around bitcoiners is one of the most positive & fun things I can think of.
My wife & I will be joined by my twin daughters & my mom this year. 😂 My mom and kids haven't really seen this side of me. I think it's important for them to experience that.
It'll probably be a little weird for them, but that's not a bad thing!
Looking forward to sharing baklava and chatting with you guys. 🧡
Being autodidactic isn't a superpower. It's the result of one-size-fits-all public schooling.
Frustrate enough teachers, and you stop asking for help. Eventually you try to figure things out on your own.
Self-taught results vary wildly. 😂
Yo, Nashville natives!
The last two years I had a big dinner at Fogo in Miami, but there's no Fogo in Nashville. I'm looking for a restaurant for a meat dinner on Monday, July 22.
-A place that's walk-in friendly (no reservations)
-Can fit maybe 50-60ish people.
Any Nashville natives have ideas? Thx!
Thanks! Yeah I've been there. The reason I want walk in and not reservation is because if I have to organize a dinner I'm not doing this.
Fogo was great. I tell them I got an unknown headcount, and they said, that's cool, come on in.
If I gotta organize, sell tickets, etc, fuck that. 😂
Are you allowed to cheat during a cut if it's at a Beefsteak? nostr:nprofile1qqsvextkm9nssu5u3yp8cyfhxspenl63ra78g9trk399k8760wu9pzcpz9mhxue69uhkummnw3ezuamfdejj7ekk3ym
I'm at PorcFest in the White Mountains of NH. My 6th time here, but first time in 10 years. Great to be back to the place where I fed everyone with bacon weave sandwiches 4 years in a row, my love of Bitcoin blossomed, and where I first met my wife IRL. 🧡
For those who don't know, PorcFest is a week long festival run by the Free State Project. The FSP is an organization that wants to move like-minded, freedom oriented people to New Hampshire. It's been quite successful, as NH is typically the #1 freest state in the US, according to The Cato Institute.
That said, there is a lot of Bitcoin FUD here.
It's amazing how great of a job technically illiterate shitcoiners have done with spreading false information.
I support competing currencies. People should have the freedom to decide, and plenty of vendors here are open to options. Lots of monero, gold, silver, bcash, dash, etc. I've enjoyed using silver dimes and quarters to pay for things. Great to get rid of them! 😂
The "Roger FUD" has made it very difficult for folks who aren't as technically savvy. I say that as someone who isn't as technical, but took a lot of time to try to understand all sides during the blocksize war.
People made the move for more freedom in their lifetimes. I hope more folks challenge the negative things they've heard about BTC. Folks who store their wealth in silver or bcash should question why their purchasing power continues to decline. Why it can't even keep up with inflation.
More purchasing power = more time = freedom ✌️
I'm still extremy bullish on NH. Plenty of hardcore bitcoiners here, but the FUD is present.
BTC is not popular there, and no one I saw accepted lightning payments. Lots of bcash, monero, and the NH Goldback.
Silver dimes worked, and that's what I used. They've always been my favorite way to buy things at PF.
Don't get me wrong, goldbacks are beautiful. But they cost nearly twice their melt value. They're very convoluted.
Just use silver dimes and quarters, like we were doing at PFs 10+ years ago. 😂
Not at all. It's the #1 freest state in the country, according to the Cato Institute. The actions of a few don't represent everybody. There are plenty of bitcoiners in the FSP.
I have no issue with competing currencies. The market will decide on what's best, and right now Bitcoin is miles ahead. If some people in NH want to voluntarily use other payment methods then go for it. They'll respect your right to do the same.
I've said this a million times in the past and I'll say it again - I'd much rather be around ancap shitcoiners than statist bitcoiners.
NH doesn't have income tax either. 😂
I love Texas a lot but it's only #17:
https://www.freedominthe50states.org/
NH & FL are first and second, respectively.
Neither Trump or Biden are our allies. Politicians are psychopathic liars that will say anything for votes, and voting is rigged.
Ross Ulbricht is an ally, and unless he escapes prison, his freedom relies on the actions of a president. That's his awful prison reality.
We owe a lot of Bitcoin's success to The Silk Road. "Fuck you money" isn't about buying coffee or food. It's about the transactions governments say you're not allowed to make.
Bitcoin is worthless without this characteristic.
Do what you can to help Ross, even if you know a particular action, like signing a petition or voting, is symbolic at best. Even if it's a longshot, a hail Mary, a near impossibility.
#FreeRoss
What a fun night
nostr:nevent1qqswv2utsn00pzw3z40nlsc2gnf8na46g5qk0ufkwntp95vxuklzmzqpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduhsyg9kf998f5v29harlqxwm8ad4c6cqacklnssw8jdux0z6artdkrkqcpsgqqqqqqsnagatk
Ever wonder what it was like working for a Bitcoin company in the early days? Did you know users back then were part crazy, part generous?
I started working at BitInstant late 2012, which allowed people to buy Bitcoin with cash. In the fall of 2013, I joined Blockchain(dot)info (BCI). The early days at BCI is what I want to focus on here.
BCI was the biggest non-custodial web wallet & the most used block explorer. I wore many hats as the first employee, but my main job was handling the support tickets.
My first day at BCI was chaos. I logged into Zendesk and saw THOUSANDS of tickets as old as January 2013. There was one guy, Ben Reeves, doing everything since inception. Support wasn't the highest priority.
After initially feeling overwhelmed, I decided to clean things up. I closed all tickets older than a few weeks, and included a message apologizing for the lack of response. I assured people this would no longer be the norm, and to open a new ticket if their issue was ongoing.
I had free reign over my job, and became obsessed with making sure users received help in a reasonable amount of time. It started as a goal to respond within 24 hours of a new ticket, which turned into 12 hours. Within a few months, the average response time was down to 2-4 hours, only because I had to sleep at some point! 😂
I didn't realize how little I knew about Bitcoin until I had to answer tickets about the Bitcoin network itself. After all, we weren't just a web wallet, but a block explorer! I spent many late nights digging around on BitcoinTalk, trying to learn more, so I could help users with their questions. Learning about Bitcoin back then wasn't impossible, but it wasn't easy.
Many early users were shocked to receive a response to their questions. To hear back so quickly was unheard of. There were many Bitcoin projects back then, but most didn't have dedicated support staff. If you received a response, it would be from the founder or some other developer. These guys didn't have the resources to tackle support, especially in a timely manner.
I quickly learned about the generosity of bitcoiners. Many users requested a btc address from me so they could send a tip for the help provided. Even when I told them it was unnecessary, as I was a paid employee, they insisted on tipping.
Many of these users were nuts. 😂 Here's an example that didn't happen frequently, but it happened:
A user opens a ticket during the time I'm actively watching the queue. I see it come in, respond within minutes with a solution, and he insists on tipping. I'm like, "Bro it's cool, don't sweat it," but this madlad won't leave me alone until he tips me.
I look at my tip jar - 0.5 BTC, which is worth a few hundred USD at the time. WTF, ARE YOU INSANE?! 🤯
Part of this generous attitude was about saying thank you, but I believe a bigger part was about the early proliferation of Bitcoin.
We preach the HODL mentality today, but Bitcoin wouldn't be what it is without the generosity of early adopters. So many bitcoins were given out freely so people could learn about it firsthand.
I believe many of the tips I received were from people who, at one point, also received free btc. It felt wrong to HODL these tips, so I paid it forward. I purchased work related items so I could do my job better. I tipped people on Reddit. I donated towards bitcoin-backed fundraisers, including when Andreas fundraised for Dorian Nakamoto. I did everything I could to keep that spirit of giving alive.
The landscape today has changed, but that spirit of generosity lives on. The best example is zapping on Nostr, where people are tipping each other via LN for posts and comments. It's beautiful to see!
Thank you, early adopters, for your generosity. You're a big part of why Bitcoin is what it is today. 🧡
Be kind, be generous, and be a little crazy. 😄
Since quitting caffeine a few years ago, my sleep cycle follows the sun. 🔆
Be it 5:30AM in summer, or 7AM in winter, I'm up with the sun. Wide awake, ready to go!
Stable energy levels all day & great sleep every night. Who needs coffee? 😂
I quit cold turkey, and that was borderline disastrous.
If you can find alternative methods to slowly ween off, I'd do that. My experience was brutal for three months, but I'm glad I stuck with it.
GM
If anyone should be mad at Roger Ver it's me. I have more reason to dislike him than most. I was friends with the guy from 2011 until the bcash split. He oranged pilled me, paid 14btc for baklava, helped so many liberty-minded individuals in NH, and hired me as the first employee at Blockchain(dot)info.
I didn't read about his downfall in Bitcoin in some book or tweet. I had a front row seat.
I don't have the luxury of hating a guy I never met and don't know anything about, unlike most who dislike him.
Have compassion for your enemies. You can disagree with them while simultaneously feeling sorrow for their situation.
I encourage you to give this a try. For your own sake, if nothing else.
I'm a rational person, so of course I can look at this situation and agree he made a lot of dumb decisions. You need to put your personal beliefs aside when dealing with the US gov. Pay them or go to jail is the reality, as much as that sucks.
I agree, he'll probably end up paying a lot of money to them and serve no time, unless he decides to fight this (which he may do).
We'll see what happens.
I never held back at any Blockchain(dot)info staff meetings, so I had a lot to fucking say after Peter did that. 😂
It was obvious by then that the big block movement was about people trying to shape Bitcoin to meet their business models. There was only one clear choice forward.
Definitely a possibility but doesn't really seem his style. Waiting for more info.
I still there there are plenty of other reasons to stop getting hard over every word Saylor says, but I know some bitcoiners love worshipping billionaires.
I see how fast my baklava disappears when I'm around "bitcoin carnivores." 😂
It's fine, I'm not judging. After strictly following it 5+ years, I don't recommend the carnivore diet to anyone, unless they need to really change things.
It's great for me, but not great for everyone.
I'll say shit, @ODELL. Saylor is not here for freedom maximalism, has attacked the idea of Bitcoin as a MoE, and, based on what you're saying, doesn't support Bitcoin development.
End the hero worship. It's never a good look.
nostr:nevent1qqsfw5g7dp7ef6q8y0unnzlvwrwdztpenld2eaeqv6m3yyaastey64cpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduhsygqyey2a4mlw8qchlfe5g39vacus4qnflevppv3yre0xm56rm7lveypsgqqqqqqsar9mf8
Oddbean new post about login | logout
Notes by Mandrik | export