Today the CEO of Ripple announced the creation of a new independent crypto education group - the National Cryptocurrency Association. Omitted from the post was who is actually running this new independent association.

Brilliant! View quoted note →

Real strategic assets - a short list: Fossil fuels - pumped from the ground; Precious metals - mined from the ground; Industrial metals - mined from the ground; Rare earth minerals - mined from the ground; Lumber - harvested from forests; Fisheries - harvested from the sea; Agricultural products - grown and harvested; Industry - constructed using natural and human resources; Military capabilities - designed and constructed using natural and industrial resources; Bitcoin - mined through compute power using available energy. What do they have in common - proof of work.

An asset can’t be described as strategic if there’s no demand for it internationally. Please across the globe certainly use XRP, SOL, and ADA for their primary purpose - speculation. But no other country is accumulating these or running validators on these networks. But what are many countries doing - accumulating #Bitcoin, supporting investment in mining infrastructure, diversifying their sovereign wealth funds. #Bitcoin is the strategic asset.

Never has there been both so much optimism and competition on the policy front. 2024 was a “crypto” election, but today policymakers are realizing that, in the words of a well known Bitcoiner, there is no second best. I encourage all of you to reach out to your representatives and let them know that you’re a constituent, you’re a Bitcoiner, and that you’re ready to support them if they support you. And don’t underestimate the value of volunteering your time to educate lawmakers and their staffs about Bitcoin. Our most formidable opponents are ignorance and ambivalence. Reach out to your representatives. Be polite and helpful. Offer to introduce them to your local Bitcoin community. These efforts go a long way. #bitcoin

An excellent piece on the continuing risks of institutional control over digital media. Your daily reminder of why #Nostr is important.

Is the Revolt of the Public Over?

The public may still be revolting, but digital media is now ushering in the restoration of institutional control over society

GM #Nostr I’ve come a long way in my Bitcoin journey. What began as a passing interest has evolved into a deep conviction that Bitcoin can actually help us build a better world, re-instill in society an understanding of the importance of individual liberty, and start to repair the badly frayed trust that pervades nearly every institution. These are lofty ideas, they might even sound Polyannish, but when you choose to spend precious time in life on something, I think a little bit of conviction is warranted. As an expression of that conviction, I have decided to make Bitcoin my full time job. I’ve joined the Bitcoin Policy Institute as Director of Government Affairs. People often refer to next chapters when they change careers. For me, this is more than a new chapter - it’s a whole new story. It’s fair that many of you might say to yourselves “Bitcoin doesn’t need the government.” Fair enough, but this mission is as much about Bitcoiners and your right to use this network as it is about Bitcoin itself. I’ve learned from experience - you might not believe in the government, but the government believes in you. I’m grateful for the opportunity to join you all on this journey. And I’m happy to have made this announcement first on #Nostr.

Witness a Nostr classic at the moment of conception! View quoted note →

Lots of new restaurants in the McLean / Tysons Corner, but my favorite remains Cafe Tatti. The owner passed away earlier this year, but his family continues to run it. I don’t think the interior has been updated since it opened in the early1980s, giving it a sense of warmth the newer restaurants lack. Come more than twice, chances are you’ll see familiar faces among the guests. It is a gem.

Cafe Tatti

French Restaurant in McLean, VA | Cafe Tatti

Enjoy authentic French cuisine at Caffe Tatti, a cozy French restaurant in McLean, VA. Join us for classic dishes, wine, and desserts.

I did an advanced pistol course yesterday with Green Ops. Great instructors. I haven’t shot that much in a single day in a long while. Feeling it in the hands this morning! The voice in my head all last night was unceasing - slack, press, press, press, boom. Check them out.

Green Ops

Firearms and Tactical Training in NoVA, NC & Central Texas

Green Ops is a veteran owned and operated consulting company that has been offering specialized firearms & security training since 2005. We provide...

#asknostr

If you don’t believe what @jack mallers is saying, just look for yourself at opensecrets.org. View quoted note →

Been noodling this…is Trump a fourth turning or first turning figure? I guess it depends on how the next year goes. Welcome everyone’s thoughts. #bitcoin #asknostr

I feel like Bitcoiners understand the wave of regulatory challenges coming our way. I also see some great efforts to educate lawmakers and regulators about what this ecosystem is all about. But where I feel like we’re failing is the political organization side of things. We forget how susceptible lawmakers are to pressure - especially in an election year. We forget how much pressure vulnerable lawmakers can put on regulators. We forget the impact of several thousand calls and emails to lawmakers office. With all due respect to @jack , this is not about law and order absolutists prevailing. One only need look at the lawlessness overtaking so many communities. This is about political control - power. Bitcoin threatens the power of the regulatory class. But Bitcoiners can threaten the power of the political class. By the smallest estimate, there are 26 millions Bitcoiners in the US. Much smaller constituencies have moved political mountains. And we can do so as responsible members of our communities. Most of you might hate it, but we need to get into the political fight. We talk about self custody, sovereignty. It’s time we actively stick up for these principles in the public square. @ODELL @jack mallers @Marty Bent

Caught up with some friends who work in cyber security. They're not Bitcoiners, but they have a good understanding of how the protocol functions. We had a long discussion about security, and how Bitcoin could be attacked from a purely technical perspective. One issue that took up a lot of discussion was the DNS seeds and hard-coded seed nodes, and whether those represented a vulnerability. We all went back and forth. I asked AI, and I thought the answer was quite reasonable.