Jessie still with us at 16. She's so old now and often very stumbly. But she's also so brave.

Probably at least 3 months realistically. I've got another project ready to launch basically now, so I want to get that 100% released. Then I've got some stuff I really have to work on for my main business (gotta eat after all), and then I'm looking forward to getting uwrite finished off. I'm actually really hyped about it but i'm just trying to be all grown up with priorities and getting things properly finished, which is quite a challenge 😅

It's a shame that it's not live yet but I'm working on a dedicated blogging platform and Substack alternative called uwrite.blog . hopefully I'll have it finished within the next quarter, that is to say within the next century measured in 2026 software delivery speed.

I'm working on a dedicated Nostr blogging platform / Substack alternative with that very goal in mind. It's going to be called uwrite.blog 😁

I think things like this just go to show that Bitcoin will actually do better outside of 'the system', and shows its value as adversarial money. I don't think it does any harm if the system does accept us, and does bend to us, but I just don't think that it will (at least not in the short/medium term). I think that it will make technically un-enforcable demands, and that will accelerate Bitcoin's adoption outside of the system. And I think the same is true for any privacy tech, open source in general. The more they push, the more people are forced into finding solutions that actually work for them to stay free. But I really do see the value in organisations like the Bitcoin Policy Institute engaging in a dialogue with the system and highlighting issues. And if it tips things slightly in our favour, or slows down the rot, it's obviously very worthwhile. At the same time though I don't know how they have the patience or the energy for it. I'd just say fuck it and assume that everyone is going to have to figure out safe custody models for themselves and merchant adoption and transactions etc all completely outside of the system. But I guess that's why I'm not a politician, because my instinct is just to go around them. Obviously more sociable and politically savvy people have the energy/patience to get involved and that's great. I'm just saying, Bitcoin doesn't know or care what the laws are in Kentucky either way, and that's its biggest strength.

One way I like to think about it is: Your node allows you to control YOUR experience of using Bitcoin, but it doesn't give any control over the network. So the reason to run a node is really to verify your own transactions, not other people's. But that cuts both ways. A node run by an exchange or a miner can't determine your experience of using or verifying Bitcoin either. However all nodes agree to the consensus rules, so only changes to the consensus rules matter. Otherwise you can just run another client or an old version. And to be honest I'm on the fence about BIP 110 because I feel like a lot of the time it's either framed dishonestly or a lot of supporters don't understand it. But it's BIP 110 which is actually changing OTHER people's experience of Bitcoin, i.e consensus rules, not the other way round.

I think the network of apps is truly the only hope. And more apps that just so happen to use Nostr because it's the best tool for that job, rather than for its own sake. And that really means even some individual features of an app using Nostr and others not. E.g just the login system and one type of data that the user might want to share, but not another bit that would be faster or better if it actually wasn't using Nostr. Also not marketing an app as a Nostr app, just a good app, even if you've never heard of Nostr.

Well ironically in a homogeneous society, and one with a clear sensei of purpose, they would be right to do that, because you can't maintain a society without reinforcing its expectations. If I throw litter on the ground and someone says 'we don't do that here, pick that up'', that's actually fine as far as I'm concerned (and most other people I'm guessing). The question is, where do you draw that line? Is it wearing / not wearing the right sort of hat in public? There has to be a line or you don't have a society at all.

Which people? People in your life e.g family, loved ones who have some expectations of you? Or people who have no idea who you are? If it's the first, then yes, people tend to get upset when you abandon them. That's not a failing on their part. If it's the second, then why would you care what they think of a fictional version of you that they must've made up anyway? Unless there's some other people/groups I'm overlooking? Like work colleagues or something?

Yes I completely with all of these points ❤ I'm not under any illusions that value for value will ever be a significant source of funding though. Or more precisely, I think it will take a very long time to even start getting close to fiat funding, like decades. But I'm OK with that and I think most are too. We've got to just do it for the love regardless.

Lol that's so true, and depressing 😂

Well if I have an account and I say "I'm Bill and this is what I think..." and then I make another account saying "Hi Bill, I'm Ben, I just want to say that you're so clever and so correct about all of this. You're amazing, and I say that as a totally separate human being who's never met you before"... then clearly that's manipulative, because someone reading those posts gets the impression of organic engagement which in fact doesn't exist.