Bond holders are the sucker at the poker table.

Save in Bitcoin. Focus on your craft.

You can ignore Bitcoin, but you cannot ignore the consequences of ignoring Bitcoin.

“Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” — Matthew 18:3 (KJV)

Review of The Secret Oral Teachings in Tibetan Buddhist Sects by Alexandra David-Neel (1967) This is said to be Alan Watts’ favorite book. Or at least, the one he praised most during his lifetime. He calls it the ‘I told you so’ book: “If you want to know what Buddhists really teach on this matter, put in a very simple way, you get a book by Alexandra David-Neel called, ‘The Secret Oral Teachings.’ […] I call it the ‘I told you so’ book because I’ve often been accused of inventing my own unique brand of Buddhism and foisting it off on the public as being the real thing. I just have to point them to this book and say, ‘You see?’” — Alan Watts, The Power of Space This book draws from the author’s years living among Tibetan lamas and monks in the 1910s and 1920s, gaining their trust and collecting their oral teachings firsthand. It is perhaps the most direct, no-nonsense explanation of Mahayana Buddhism that has been written other than Watts’ own work. It is short, enjoyable, and has a style of lighthearted curiosity and clarity.

Review of The Book of Satoshi by Phil Champagne (2014) Too often “best Bitcoin book” lists overlook this primary source gem. If you haven’t read Satoshi’s own words, you are missing the most formative part of Bitcoin’s history. Phil has done an excellent job compiling all the most important forum posts, emails, and correspondences Satoshi exchanged with early cypherpunks and developers. You’ll be amazed by how many of today’s hot-button debate topics, from quantum computing threats to block size limits, spam, and beyond, were already thoroughly hashed out in Bitcoin’s first few years. More than that, you’ll get a sense for the man himself. His tone of voice. His philosophy. His intentions for Bitcoin. After the whitepaper, this is the text I recommend most to Bitcoiners seeking a deeper understanding of the most important monetary innovation since the gold standard.

Parable of the Empty Vault “Time, which sees all things, has found you out.” — Sophocles, Oedipus Rex (429 BC) Once, in a vast realm that stretched across seas and lands, there was an annual festival. Noble leaders gathered with their children to celebrate the kingdom’s long history and its reputation for enduring wealth. For generations, the people spoke of the hidden vault beneath the capital, said to secure the prosperity of the entire realm. The children grew up hearing these stories of the vault and dreamed of seeing it for themselves. At last, during one great festival, they approached the royal steward, keeper of records, and asked to be shown the treasure that had made their kingdom so dominant. The steward hesitated. He told them the vault was unremarkable, its story dull and long past its importance. But the children persisted, and the nobles joined them. Reluctantly, the steward led them through winding corridors to the cavern meant to hold the realm’s riches. The vault was empty. No gold. No jewels. No coins. The children stood silent. The nobles exchanged uneasy glances. How could a kingdom celebrated for its wealth continue to thrive when its legendary treasure was gone? After a long pause, the steward spoke. Years earlier, he explained, storms and misfortune had carried away the contents of the vault. The records, however, remained. Over time, those records came to be trusted more than what had once filled the stone chamber. New claims were added. Promises multiplied. Eventually, many claims rested on what had once been a single hoard. The numbers continued to grow, even as the vault stayed empty. Only then did the people begin to understand what they had already been sensing. Prices across the realm had been rising. Goods required more effort to produce yet wore out sooner. Crafts that once stood on their own now depended on distant suppliers and intricate arrangements. The kingdom still appeared prosperous, but maintaining that appearance demanded ever greater coordination and strain. Some had fared better than others. Those closest to the steward, those who received early access to new records and promises, found themselves growing wealthier. Their proximity insulated them from the consequences felt elsewhere. For the rest, prosperity arrived later, diluted, or not at all. What had seemed like scattered troubles now formed a single pattern. The empty vault had not caused these changes all at once. It had merely revealed them. In time, the people began to search for a new foundation. *** This parable originates from The @The Way of Bitcoin (wayofbitcoin.com)

I’m a Bitcoiner so my retirement plan is fiat collapsing as it has since 1913.

Have a blessed Sunday.

Bitcoin “falls” upwards.

Book review of Eagle in the Snow by Wallace Breem (1970) This is the book that sent me down the historical fiction rabbit hole. I’ve read many books on Rome, in Latin and in English. This one made me feel like I was living it more than any other. Set during the final years of the Roman Empire, it centers on General Maximus, tasked with defending the Rhine with a single legion against a vast Germanic coalition. He is essentially the last loyal Roman standing firm as the rest of the Empire fractures. As a classicist, I appreciate how the dialogue is reminiscent of Latin syntax, even though it’s written in English. To my knowledge, no digital audiobook version exists, but the physical edition is well worth the read.

I’ve decided to write reviews of all my favorite books, then compile them into best-of lists for each genre. For “like the bee that hath gathered too much honey; I need hands outstretched to receive it.”

#Bitcoin is a karmic currency. Save in Bitcoin. Bitcoin will save you.

How it feels to be a Bitcoiner

“It might make sense just to get some in case it catches on.” — Satoshi Nakamoto (2009)

Bitcoin is for enemies. Fiat is for slaves.

Iran: “Pay me in Bitcoin”

Stay the course.

He is risen. Happy Easter

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” — Romans 5:8 (KJV)