Not many greater pleasures than buying incredible venison direct from the game keeper with bitcoin (apart from eating it, obviously)

Bitcoin is the only global free market. This chart shows what happens when you let markets free. The majority are still asleep, preferring 'stable' markets provided via government manipulation of interest rates, money supply and accounting. "Volatility is vitality", @Michael Saylor

If you know, you know.

Recently there are virtually no CoinJoin transactions shown by Mempool Goggles on

The Mempool Open Source Project®

Explore the full Bitcoin ecosystem with The Mempool Open Source Project®. See the real-time status of your transactions, get network info, and more.

Anyone want to venture a theory as to why this might be? Are bitcoin privacy tools failing in terms of usage growth, or are people using other methods like Lightning/Liquid to improve chain obfuscation... @waxwing @ODELL @Seth For Privacy

People are currently infatuated with Micro Strategy / MSTR "because it is a 1.5 leverage play on bitcoin", and are in (deserved) admiration of @Michael Saylor for beating the S&P 500 so convincingly. I know people close to me who have worked hard and saved bitcoin, but are now being tempted to exchange BTC for MSTR, spurred on by influencers like American @HODL (I'm a fan) and his latest strong endorsement. But, MSTR is nothing like BTC. You sell 1 BTC and buy the equivalent value MSTR. You now own a security that is holding ~0.35 BTC on your behalf. The 'BTC yield' isn't yield on your 1 BTC. It is growing the 0.35 BTC up a little higher each year, but nowhere near the original 1 BTC you had. Yes, I understand Micro Strategy is offering a service that is of value "like an oil company" (see latest Micro Strategy Earnings Call) and therefore trades at a premium. But this is pure speculation just like buying any other company share. The calculation is whether MSTR will generate more value with his company on the 0.65 BTC (the non-BTC treasury part of your 1 BTC investment) than holding the 0.65 BTC would. And in Saylor's own words about other companies, that means MSTR needs to compound more than 29% a year going forwards in terms of company value. That's quite a hurdle - one that very few companies in history have achieved over the long term. There are good arguments on both sides regarding MSTR, the value the company provides and therefore its premium. BUT BEFORE SELLING THE SCARCEST FINANCIAL ASSET on earth, one with no counterparty or company director risk, for a speculative asset, one should just THINK VERY HARD. You may never be able to get the BTC you sold back again. (disclaimer: I hold both BTC and MSTR - but MSTR only where I can't hold BTC)

Forget the personalities and the name calling. Yesterday renewed my optimistic. Thank you USA! Free speech > Censorship. Real politics > Identity politics. Hard money > Ponzi money. Producing > Grifting. Peace > WW3.

It is becoming increasingly obvious which of the sound monies is going to win.

h/t x.com/bitcoin__apex

Americans can't afford a house. Which of these is the reason? - Houses have become more valuable - Money has become less valuable (due to central bank inflating the money supply via printing/QE, with salary rises unable to keep up)

I've worked out the code that the institutions are using in their bitcoin trading algorithms. Here's the whole source code: const price = 58000;

Chancellor of UK has come up with a genius plan for reducing the gigantic UK government debt.

one of the all time classics let's hope more people wise up this cycle

Shining a light on the force for good that is bitcoin. Thank you @gladstein for everything you do.

The "what if there's no internet?" question gets asked so many times by people that don't understand bitcoin. But they never ask what will happen to their own fiat world, when one little software update brings down half the system. h/t LinaSeiche

What is not to like?

Stupid old me thought that UK inflation was due to the vast amounts of money created out of thin air by the government. What a great relief to hear that it was all just down to Taylor Swift, so all our worries should be over now her tour is finished.

the Guardian

Hopes of August rate cut fall after UK inflation stays at 2%

‘Taylor Swift effect’ on hotel prices partly blamed for UK inflation defying forecast drop

"When the state and its governing bodies must routinely come to the citizenry to raise taxes, they will be cautious in what they request lest they be voted out of office. Many of the issues with the state stem from an overactive government using an inflation tax to do more than is necessary. For example, there is no way that the current global level of military spending, which invariably leads to conflict, would be sustained if the government used direct taxes to pay for it. What do you want: free healthcare or more AK-47s? Free university education or a fleet of F-16s? Affordable public transport or another nuclear missile-armed submarine? If the taxpayer decided, different types of public goods would be produced, leading to a better quality of life for many people." Arthur Hayes, in his 'Hot Chick' newsletter.