Mindaugas

It feels like people think they need to build something in Bitcoin to contribute. But you can do anything useful - just accept Bitcoin. Building circular economies is just as important for Bitcoin’s success as building tech.

Altcoin projects are disrespecting VCs these days - they don’t even try anymore. Just speed up blocks to 400ms, slap on a “proof of something” buzzword, and ride the hype cycle.

The only on-chain transactions I make these days are for opening or closing #Lightning channels. Why? It lets me spend my balance in many small, cheap transactions later, improves privacy, and also gives me tons of inbound liquidity!

Think from first principles. Focus on the foundation. In the long run, X won’t work, neither will central banking. Use #Bitcoin for money, #Nostr for the free flow of information. Appreciate everyone building important things.

Ironically, non-technical users would benefit the most from open-source software. However, it seems to be mostly used by technical people. More people reviewing the code should make it more trustworthy for those who can’t verify it themselves. Is this an education problem, or is the poor UX of most open-source software really the biggest problem?

I have mixed feelings about inflation. It does not seem necessarily bad, but at the very least, it is unnecessary - it does not solve much. If money creation is fairly distributed and productivity grows, inflation would not be harmful. But fiat inflation is never fair. It is a hidden wealth transfer. If we produce more, what's wrong if money simply retain its value? 🤷‍♂️

If people find a monetary system that is fair and allows for real saving, assets like real estate, historically used as a way to store wealth, will likely drop in price. The savings premium disappears when money itself can hold value. Real estate will still have a price, but without the artificial monetary premium attached to it - how much lower would prices go, especially excluding premium real estate? Maybe it is already slowly happening? 😉

Curious to hear what Nostr thinks - selfishly looking to learn! Taproot Assets could change Bitcoin-backed lending and payments - especially with Tether’s recent move. No more wrapped BTC on centralized blockchains - no trusted third parties for collateral. And now, fast USDT payments on LN. I have mixed feelings about it. But knowing how many people rely on USDT - and having some respect for what Tether has built - I am cautiously optimistic.

Every cycle, the same argument pops up: - Altcoins are faster than Bitcoin. - They scale better. - They have more features. But here is the thing - speed is not innovation if you sacrifice the foundation. Bitcoin’s goal was never just to be fast - it was to be trustless and permissionless. Altcoins introduce trust at some level, and once you need trust, you are back to where we started. We already have fast, trust-based payments - that is modern central banking. Scaling something that relies on trust is not innovation, it is repackaging the old system. The challenge is not just making payments fast, it is making them fast, secure, and censorship-resistant at scale. Bitcoin is the only one actually trying to solve that.

Ripple poses a danger and can cause short-term setbacks for Bitcoin adoption. While I believe it will not matter in the long term, it is crucial that we take action to challenge and eliminate bad actors like this as quickly as possible. A big thank you to everyone using their voice to speak out and stand up for the right cause - people like nostr:npub1cn4t4cd78nm900qc2hhqte5aa8c9njm6qkfzw95tszufwcwtcnsq7g3vle and many others are important in moments like these. Appreciate you all!