I can't believe how anyone can suggest without a hint of irony or sarcasm that you have to contribute to a specific open source project in order to have an opinion about Bitcoin. This is simultaneously elitist and mind-bogglingly stupid. It's correct that Bitcoin Core is an important part of the Bitcoin technology stack, but it isn't the only client available, which is a good thing. Being able to understand the code of Bitcoin Core gives you the ability to do exactly one thing: understand the code of Bitcoin Core. It says absolutely nothing about your ability to understand the implications of changes to the system, of what users want, or the purpose of Bitcoin itself, for that matter. Bitcoin Core developers are developing a product, and their customers are the users of the Bitcoin network. The Core developers don't get to dictate what the users are supposed to think. It's entirely the other way around. If the users don't like something Core plans to do, Core shouldn't make the change. Core ignored its users, so now they're getting fired, by users switching to an alternate client.

Bitcoin is as much an idea as it is a technology. Bitcoin adoption doesn't happen because the code is impeccable. Bitcoin adoption doesn't happen because the tech is cool. Bitcoin adoption doesn't happen because you can put pictures on a blockchain. Bitcoin adoption happens because it is the best form of money we've ever seen, and because the people who figure that out tell other people about it.

The Knots vs Core debate has a strange dividing line: philosophical concerns vs technical ones. I also like the framing that those who prioritize Bitcoin as money are taking the Knots side, and those who prioritize Bitcoin as technology are taking the Core side. I know what is more important for me. Bitcoin the technology is only relevant because it solves the problem of money for the world. Bitcoin is money. The technology is just the enabler. Making Bitcoin worse at being money is a bad thing. The arguments for enabling spam for technical reasons make no sense to me. This makes Bitcoin worse as money. I'm not in favor of that. At all.

These days I'm feeling the weight of a lot of conflicting priorities. My Bitcoin work is fulfilling, but not profitable enough to avoid needing other income or drawing down from my stack. My fiat job is relatively boring, somewhat useful to society, and pays the bills, in exchange for my time. I could quit, but then I'd have to spend my Bitcoin. I'd have more time for the Bitcoin stuff, though. My family life is fulfilling, and I want to spend as much time with my family as possible. Unfortunately, this is at the expense of the other two priorities, and I can't help but feeling that if I work hard now, I will have more time for my family and friends in the future. I know I could take the leap and quit the fiat world, but that feels somewhat selfish. Why stop doing something I'm good at that lets me keep stacking? Am I stealing from my future, my family's future, if I do that? I feel like this will all come to a breaking point quite soon. I might need to make some major changes. I don't know what that looks like. How do you balance competing priorities like this?

GM Nostr! I haven't been super active lately, I haven't really been on any social media at all actually. Real life has been pretty insane, I haven't really been on my regular schedule. Hopefully back to somewhat normal for a while!

At The Hu in #Helsinki @npub1guh5...6hjy @knutsvanholm

Morning walk. #Helsinki #Sunstr

GM Nostr!