Who is Satoshi: Recent Episodes
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Do people really believe in Poop coin? Shiba Inu? Dogecoin? Polkadot? Ethereum?
Is there a difference between the people who believe in meme coins vs other categories of shitcoins?
All shitcoins lose over time to Bitcoin. Don't be a shitcoiner.
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In this episode we talk all the crazy events that have occurred over the past few weeks, from Trumps assassination attempt, to global software outages and Elon Musk getting laser eyes on twitter.
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Is philosophy just linguistic rubix cubes for nerds? Does philosophy serve a purpose, or do meaningless riddles carry as much weight as proper philosophical inquiry?
If some are meaningless and some have important implications, how do we sort through which is which?
We discuss these questions, as well as the issue of there only and always being 2 Sith lords.
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Guest Episode, starring an all-time fan favorite: Apostle Fat Stacks, aka BTCBoglehead
In this episode we gain valuable insight on Bitcoin's macro and micro economic outlook. We discuss the current price dip, price predictions, Bitcoin ETFs, pension funds purchasing BTC, the US Dollar, debt and inflation, Cat 5 hurricanes and running sinks, and why right now is one of the best times in Bitcoin's history to purchase Bitcoin--and possibly one of the last times for plebs to secure a position at all.
Check out the episode, or HFSP.
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WITNESS ME
You may be thinking Mad Max is just a popcorn action movie--and we would agree with you, but its setting seems ripe for exploring deeper concepts.
In this episode we discuss what Mad Max got right and wrong, as well as similarities between it, Star Wars, and Dune.
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WE ARE BACK.
Naturally, we begin the episode with a brief Star Wars discussion, followed by a dive into what virtue and morality are according to both the cynics and Plato.
The discussion leads us into questions regarding epistemology, free will, the morality of the covid response, and more.
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If you pay money to someone or something at the threat of imprisonment or violence, you are their slave. If you pay 30% of the product of your labor, then you are 30% their slave.
In this episode we discuss tax evasion, tax avoidance, Roger Ver, crabs, the game theory behind taxation and politics, and more.
Its almost unbelievable that the first attempt at an independent, decentralized cryptographic money would succeed. Maybe its because the first attempts did NOT succeed. In this episode we discuss pre-cursors to Bitcoin, including failed attempts, that all helped shape Bitcoin into the only successful attempt at creating money independent of state.
One of the greatest movies ever made. A glimpse into peak Japanese culture, told through a fun but tragic heroes journey. We discuss why this movie is a top 5 all time movie.
On the great halvening, Bitcoins total supply is cut in half, but the value doubles. No wait, the supply is doubled which halves the value--like a stock split...
No, no, only the newly minted bitcoin are cut in half, that's why you want bitcoin that was mined before the halving.
Or maybe its something else?
Real estate is the boomer's asset. Boomers have the majority of the wealth, and use real estate as a store of value. The effect? Soaring home prices for first time home buyers.
Bitcoin is our way out, but we also want a certain quality of life. This episode discusses hodling Bitcoin vs exchanging some for other assets
Bitcoin is causing a massive shift in power from central legacy systems to individuals. Will this power shift occur smoothly and peacefully with legacy systems capitulating by adopting and integrating Bitcoin into society, or will the legacy system fight to retain its power, forcing a revolutionary future?
What is Bitcoin?
Money, truth, freedom, justice, a tool to fix all the problems in the world. We hear all kinds of answers so we decided to break it down.
Are metaphors good explanations of Bitcoin, or does it leave us with only a high-level understanding of Bitcoin?
In this episode we discuss these issues, answer what Bitcoin is, and discuss essential Bitcoin components and functions.
A national holiday--but we don't get the day off work. Groundhog day is arguably one of the most important holidays of the year, a day when we discover whether spring is here or winter will remain. It is also an enduring comedy movie where a man repeats the same day again and again.
In this episode we discuss the holiday, the movie, and how it relates to Bitcoin.
In this episode we break down what effect the ETFs will have on Bitcoin. Some of the topics we discuss:
-What are the risks of BTC ETFs for purchasers, and for Bitcoin itself
-Cointelegraph's article stating ETF approval ~6 months prior to approval
-Insider Trading
-Jamie Dimon / JP Morgan as Authorized Participants (APs) for the BTC ETFs (and what that means)
-Bitcoin vs Bitcoin ETF vs MSTR
-Future price action
Euthyphro, Apology, Crito are three dialogues discussing the morality and justice surrounding the death of Socrates, written by Plato.
In Crito, Socrates' friend, Crito, offers to smuggle Socrates out of Athens to escape his punishment. Socrates makes the case that it would be unjust, or morally wrong for him to do so.
Is it always wrong to disobey society and societal laws? Is man the slave and society the master? How do we know what is moral and immoral?
What does morality and justice have to do with Bitcoin?
We all know what justice is, and morality too... We just can't explain it very well.
Plato explores these topics in the Euthyphro Dialogue which we dive into. This episode discusses the arguments Socrates makes to Euthyphro and their relevance to today, the method Socrates uses to discover truth, and the answers that Socrates gives us to life's greatest questions.
Athens' justice system began as oral law and later implemented draconian and solonian law. History sees this as progress simply because the laws came about later during the civilization--perhaps this 'progress' exacerbated the problem.
Comparing a simple system of oral laws to our current judicial system in the U.S. we could certainly say we lost our way. Lawyers and Judges must study for a decade or more to be fit to judge the morality of things, whereas in Athens, every citizen could participate and seek out justice.
In this episode we discuss the general trajectory of just, moral, and good systems into unjust, immoral, and evil systems over time--what causes this trend, and whether Bitcoin is uniquely resistant to it.
Bitcoin is the great innovation to come out of Bitcoin, not Blockchains.
In this episode we discuss what a Blockchain does for Bitcoin and why it is absurd to use a Blockchain for any other use-case, despite what the shitcoiners tell you.
Yet again we see our reality mirroring that of Atlas Shrugged. Advertisers threatened to pull advertising from X unless Elon Musk censored his own speech and speech that occurred on his platform. His response? "Go fuck yourself." followed by "..Hi Bob," most likely referring to Bob Iger, CEO of Disney.
Elon Musk resembles Hank Reardon from Atlas Shrugged--a titan of industry fighting for what he knows to be right, and he is not alone. As Bitcoin continues to rise, so do the titans and their power to fight the current fiat monstrosity.
In this episode we discuss the hopeful future and the roles Satoshi Nakamoto, Elon Musk, Max Keiser, Michael Saylor, and perhaps Connor McGregor and others will play.
Javier Milei, an Anarcho-capitalist, has become president elect of Argentina.
Do we care about politics? Not normally. But more important than Milei winning is the fact that a large percent of the population has libertarian values.
The good guys are winning.
"Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner."
Another good movie, unsurprisingly made in the 90s. We break down why this is the best bank robber movie to date.
What is the male archetype? Or are there multiple?
This episode discusses the importance of the male archetype, the devolution of modern man,--to include modern man's creations, what is causing this devolution, and how Bitcoin fixes this.
We talked Gladiator, now we are talking Troy. One is superior to the other--but why?
We break down what was well done in Troy, what needed to be different, and why this movie didn't fill its full potential, despite being an entertaining movie to watch. Some of the topics discussed:
-How accurate the movie is to the source material
-Paris--villain, or hero?
-How the movie equated Achilles and Paris
-Agamemnon's final revenge against Achilles (not included in the movie)
Who is Satoshi Podcast records 100th episode-Bitcoin sees $5k daily green candle. Coincidence? Maybe.
In this Episode we discuss the bull, the great halvening, fomo, etf approval, flight to safety, break in correlation between Bitcoin and S&P 500, and much, much more.
We are joined once again by Dr. Ron in an episode discussing why (almost) all awards are fake in today's society. We all know employee of the month is a rotational joke--it no longer has meaning or value as an award.
Does that mean it, and other awards like it, did not have value in the past, and will not have value in the future?
In this episode we discuss:
-the purpose of awards in the eyes of businesses, employees, and spectators
-awards vs certificates, qualifications, and titles
-awards as a form of manipulation
-awards as a way to create healthy competition
-the role fiat money plays in corrupting and politicizing awards
and how Bitcoin fixes all of this, of course
If we could switch to a gold standard tomorrow, how would it look and what would the consequences be?
Is a reversion to a gold standard the greatest threat to Bitcoin?
How much does the upcoming Bitcoin halving affect the price?
In this episode we discuss:
How BTC can be at an all time high when denominated in some countries' money, but not the U.S. Dollar
The injustice that Harambe suffered
What Harambe has to do with Bitcoin
Whether the transition to a Bitcoin Standard will be smooth or chaotic--and how each might look
The dichotomy between people desiring self-sovereignty and personal accountability, and people desiring to outsource all things--accountability and responsibility included
Amongst numerous other things.
Only illegal markets are free markets. How much talent and value is lost because of bureaucratic regulations and artificially created barriers to entry?
Innovating and attempting to run a business is fun, but in today's world, the ability to sift through regulations and receive approval on applications is more important than the quality of the product or service you are offering.
This episode dives into these issues and all things related to free markets.
Is our entire financial system one giant ponzi scheme? Yes.
In this episode we dive into the other ponzi schemes of life, discussing:
-No way to opt out (until Bitcoin)
-Ponzi Karma
-Generational scams (education, housing market)
-Socialism as a flat ponzi scheme
-Modern day corporate work is the socialist ponzi scheme in action
-What do sex robots have to do with this
-Shitcoins as ponzi schemes
-Risk profile of ponzi vs Bitcoin is inversely related
And a lot more..
We who are about to die--salute you!
This episode is our tribute to Twitter's current obsession with the Roman Empire.
What makes Gladiator the greatest movie ever made?
What is the main take-away from Gladiator?
What do new movies get wrong?
Are we excited for Gladiator 2?
We answer these important questions, amongst others.
In this episode we give an overview of what the lightning network is and how it works for the most technically novice of Bitcoiners.
We also discuss why its important and how we think it will look in the future, to include:
-creating a free market for routing payments
-replacing 'checking accounts' with 'lightning accounts'
-how although it largely replicates legacy banking system, it has a key difference that prevents bad actors from monopolizing payment routes
and more, check it out
In this episode we discuss modern politics, aka the circus, including:
-Trump's mugshot
-GOP debate occurring at the same time as Tucker Carlson's Trump interview
-Send troops to the border?
-Epstein... did kill himself?
-Why Bitcoin fixes this
and more.
Sports: the last bastion of meritocracy left in society, yet even so, Billy Beane had a hard time implementing objective metrics for recruiting purposes.
In this episode we discuss why everyone whos worked in the modern workforce can relate to this movie, good faith vs bad faith actors, what advice to give your son in this fiat world, and more.
How much of the total current supply of Ethereum was premined by Vitalik and other founders? The answer may surprise you.
In this episode we break down why Bitcoin is valuable and why Ethereum is not.
We've done it again. Another episode led us inevitably down the anarchy rabbit hole where we discuss violence, free markets, centralization of power, rule of law, and enforcement in our current society vs a hypothetical anarchic society.
Have you ever considered that governments are just the most powerful gang around? What role does reputation and information play in the use of violence?
In this episode we explore different organizations' use of violence and whether violence is ever justified. We also discuss how a having a monopoly on information can lead to a monopoly on 'justified' violence.
What incentivizes robbery
What theft is most frowned upon
What theft, if any, is least frowned upon--or accepted
How does violent robbery change on a Bitcoin Standard
When did Tucker Carlson become a Bitcoiner
XRPs price boomed almost over 100% shortly after Ripple's court ruling where a judge declared that XRP is not a security, but also that it is a security.
Now you might be thinking: "that doesn't make any sense."
And you are right. It doesn't. This Episode explores the possible incentives that influenced this ruling, what it means for XRP, crypto, and Bitcoin, and what will happen next.
Dr. Ron--expert of medicine and science--joins us for this episode where he dispels myths revolving around science, medicine, and vaccines.
If you want to know the truth of medicine, the reality of how science is applied to medicine, and gain a fundamental understanding of our immune systems as well as the medical industry as a whole, you must listen to (this) expert, Dr. Ron.
What is Tolkien trying to tell us about man's relationship with power? Is LOTR a metaphor for the reality we live in today? And finally, what can Lord of the Rings tell us about Bitcoin?
Since Blackrock's filing for a Bitcoin ETF, Larry Fink has gone on multiple news outlets describing Bitcoin as a store of value, similar to digitized gold--but many still consider Bitcoin a currency, so which is it?
There seems to be a new spirit of the times, reaching from the U.S. to China and Japan, and possibly elsewhere.
In China, it is known as "lying flat," in Japan, "Hikikomori," and in the United States, quiet quitting, loud quitting, the great resignation, and even goblin mode are all candidates do describe the behavior identified in an increasing number of young adults. Gen Z may even have their own trend in keeping with the spirit of the times that is still undefined.
What is causing this type of movement to take hold all over the world?
Is it better to be a reasoner or a memorizer? Do we need an expert on reasoners and memorizers to tell us the answer to this question--or can we discover the answer on our own?
In this episode we discuss the ongoing struggle between reasoners and memorizers and how it is currently impacting education, science, politics, work, and probably everything else.
In a dystopian world where everything is dysfunctional and backwards, Bitcoin sets things straight. Bitcoin is a return to the natural, logical system of cause and effect.
Part one of a two part series on possibly the greatest sci-fi universe ever created: Star Wars. What makes certain episodes good and others bad? Why does the audience love Chewie but hate Jar Jar Binks? We have the answers.
You can read and write, but you can't code? You are illiterate.
This will be the case in the very near future, and while it may not matter for older generations, kids who don't learn to code will be at a massive disadvantage. There is a reason Computer Science is the least regretted major post-graduation.
In this episode we discuss the value of coding, probabilistic vs deterministic code, our preconceived notions before we started coding and our new understanding after learning to code and more.
Have you heard of our lord and savior, Bitcoin?
The similarities between bitcoin and religion are many. Both give people hope, both have extremely devout believers willing to die for their beliefs, both have apostles who spread the good word to others--but only one grants immortality by offering an afterlife.
In this episode, we discuss and compare Bitcoin to religions, and even venture into our ongoing anarchy debate that spans all episodes.
Warren Buffet often quoted as saying his haircuts cost $100k, so he cuts his own hair. But the opportunity cost of his haircut changes depending on his age; a $20 haircut in your 20s might cost you $100k, but in your 30s, it costs you only $50k, and in your 40s, only $25k, if not less.
If a haircut costs that much, what are your other spending habits costing you? Opportunity cost shows us that ten years of frugality, saving, and investing in your twenties is worth 20 or 30 years of frugality--or more--down the road.
Some of the topics we address in this episode:
Is YOLO advice a way to make us permanent wage-slaves?
Is the hustle/grind mindset actually how to become successful, or is it broken too?
What is the opportunity cost of investing?
What is the opportunity cost of being a wage-slave your entire life?
And more.
In this episode we break down the moral points made throughout the batman trilogy, starting with Ra's al Ghul telling Bruce that his parents death was his father's fault, while Bruce believes it is the criminal's fault, yet in court, the lawyers argue it was society's failure that caused this situation to exist in the first place.
Whatever your answer is, it applies to the second movie as well: is Rachel's death and Harvey Dent's transformation into two-face Batman's fault, the Joker's fault, or someone else's?
We dive into this and much more.
We all have a tendency to romanticize the past--whether it was actually good or bad, beautiful or ugly--we remember it with rose-tinted glasses. Is romanticism then a healthy coping mechanism to make us happier in our lives?
On the other hand, our romantic ideas of things often don't match reality. So is it dangerous, or do we forfeit control over our lives when we romanticize?
In this episode we discuss whether its beneficial or detrimental to romanticize, why we do it, and more--focusing on the more commonly romanticized things: romance itself, the past, the future, humanity, our professions, and war.
We have found a way to bypass the debt ceiling (which is an artificial ceiling anyway) without needing to wait for congress' approval: print the trillion dollar platinum coin.
Apparently, this was never just a meme. In this episode we discuss the implications of the trillion dollar coin, our debt ceiling, the pros and cons of printing the coin, and more.
Has America finally reached a point so absurd that the American people can't put up with it, or does the limit not exist?
With risk comes reward, but also liability. If we remove any worthwhile reward, we remove the incentive to take risk and assume liability, which causes stagnation.
The modern workplace is a game of who can minimize their liability the most--this also involves doing the least amount of work. The more work you do, the more likely you are to make a mistake; the more work you have, the more liabilities you have.
Misalignment of liabilities and rewards is a misalignment of the incentive structure and results in a dysfunctional world. In the 1930s and in the 1970s when we left the gold standard, owners of gold were liable for government and private fiscal irresponsibility. In 1989 and 2008, taxpayers were liable for government and corporate financial irresponsibility.
In this sense, FTX's collapse is a refreshing alignment of incentives. For once, taxpayers are not bearing the liability of irresponsible investors or the fraudsters--there is no government bailout. Instead, those who took risk are liable for their own actions.
Can a lie be morally wrong, but just? And if so, how can we know if a lie is just?
"All warfare is based on deception" -Sun Tzu
Yet militaries espouse honor as their greatest value.
In this episode we explore the nuances of lying, analyzing who you are lying to, the effect of the lie, what type of society you live in (are you in a den of thieves?) and more.
Nostr is a decentralized protocol and social media network that allows users to share ideas without risk or threat of censorship.
Users can run the client (application) and interact through number of different formats such as a twitter-clone or telegram-clone to name the more popular ones.
Key differences from twitter:
No ads, no banning or censorship, no algorithm for displaying posts (you see posts of people you follow in a chronological order)
Nostr uses cryptography to verify users and posts, and relays to relay messages amongst users.
Check out Nostr.com after listening!
Recapping 2022:
The most gruesome Bitcoin Bear Market yet.
Some hardcore Bitcoiners capitulating (Bitcoin TINA).
Others like Michael Saylor washing his Bitcoin (still legal as of 2022).
Is it morally wrong that Michael Saylor encouraged people to buy BTC at 16k, 30k, 60k? Or is it more immoral to encourage people to trade based on sentiment?
Looking into 2023:
Macro-economic outlook seems bleak.
Bitcoin correlates with macro-environment (stocks, etc.)--until when?
Bitcoin is the liferaft (Episode 10)
Will we see more Exchange / investment firm failures? (LUNA, 3 Arrows Capital, Alameda Research, SBF). Is Binance next?
What does Kanye West have to do with any of this?
Should we pay 30% tax converting Bitcoin to USD just to purchase a good or service? (Hint: No) Vendors accepting BTC as payment solves this issue.
The entire world has conspired to convince you something is true that is in fact, not true--figures of authority, your closest friends, your loved ones--everyone is in on it except for you. No, you aren't Jim Carrey on the Truman Show, you are yourself at five years old during Christmas time.
Some zoomers think its traumatizing and evil, we think its fun. But we all agree at some point, the children must know the truth. Where is this line drawn? Are there other lies that everyone is in on but you? If so, what are they? Politics? Business? Fiat Money?
Is generational "meme-atic" warfare just good fun?
Is it better to be angry or indifferent? Does it change based on our span of control?
Is Bitcoin happiness?
What does any of this have to do with Christmas?
Apostle Fat Stacks joins us to discuss current happenings within the Crypto ecosystem and the economy at large.
We discuss BTC current price within its halving cycle, the effect of FTX selling "paper Bitcoin," where our economy is headed with the fed's current rate-hikes and how long they will continue, and more.
Since recording, SBF has been arrested in the Bahamas.
Everything in life, whether its social interactions, work, finance, office politics, or anything else--is a game. The winners are those who can best identify the mechanics of the game and exploit them in order to win.
Are video games then a healthy way to repeatedly practice identifying mechanics and winning, and does this have cross-over benefits into real life?
What are the risks?
Do we control the outcomes in our life, or are we controlled by them?
What is Goblin Mode?
Are video games real-life "soma," and are we already living in a Brave New World?
What are the problems with our current education system, and how do we fix them?
In this episode we discuss:
-The purpose of education
-New grading scales
-Participation Trophies
-Gamification of education
-Grades vs Test Scores as a measure of intelligence / hard work
-Absence of free-market for education
-How to fix it
And more.
The highest level of philosophy, captured in a podcast episode, and distilled into laymen's terms so all can understand: this episode questions and discusses topics ranging from how we arrive at knowledge to what certainty we can know anything.
Possibly the greatest philosophical discussion since the turn of the century, we discuss whether math is purely logical--and if it is, how can it so closely represent reality? Did Einstein's theory of relativity "break" math and physics? Does quantum mechanics "break" math and physics?
Recent societal trends push the idea that if physics is relative, and our understanding of it for the past 300 years broken--then everything can be relative. But is this the correct takeaway?
Best video game of all time?
We all know the answer already..
Are video games good for you? Better than TV/movies? Better than reading?
What makes them fun?
Do guys or girls spend more time gaming?
Is crypto the future of gaming, and the key to the metaverse?
We cover all these important topics, and more.
FTX, the 4th largest crypto exchange in the world, declares bankruptcy.
We answer:
Who is Sam Bankman-Fried?
Why did the FTX token (FTT) crash?
Was he sending FTX customer funds to his friends' investment group Alameda Research?
Why do traditional banks receive government bailouts but not crypto banks?
Will FTX's bankruptcy cause a chain of failures?
And more
Latest information (released after recording):
FTX halts withdraw of funds; however, residents of panama are legally allowed to withdraw funds. So, users are sending hundreds of millions of dollars through FTX's NFT marketplace to Panama users in order to withdraw funds.
-FTX HQ is in Panama
-FTX and Alameda Research CEOs and executives room together in a large home in Panama.
-Hundreds of millions of dollars were "hacked" from FTX after they declared bankruptcy
Is code going to replace our legal system, or is code better compared to natural laws that we have no choice but to follow?
In this episode we discuss:
What is meant by 'code is law'
The Oracle Problem
How does Bitcoin solve the Oracle Problem
What problems shitcoins/NFTs are attempting to solve
"Capitalist" America's workplaces have become increasingly socialist. In socialist societies, the creed stands: "from each according to their ability, to each according to their needs." This naturally raises the issue of who determines who is most in need? quickly devolving into the people at the top in the socialist society helping out their friends and family.
The same is becoming true in the American workforce: hard work is not rewarded--instead it is usually punished with more work. Meanwhile, those who don't work still receive pay (often commensurate with the hardworkers' pay) and are moved to "fake" positions where they can do no harm to the company because it may be more paperwork than its worth, or even worse, a lawsuit or PR nightmare to fire them.
So what is the game theory to win in a socialist society? Quiet Quit. Work as little as possible, and you will effectively have achieved a pay raise--do it well, and the raise will be substantial.
Is the feudal system superior to our democratic republic? If so, for whom? The aristocrats, the plebeians, the king?
Many Bitcoiners believe it is superior for all and some even believe our political system will inevitably switch to feudalism as we approach hyperbitcoinization.
In this episode we discuss
-the incentive structure of both feudalism and a democratic republic
-whether music / architecture / art prospers more in a feudal system
-which system is justice better adjudicated
-violence in either system
-U.S. political system mirroring feudalism
Does Anarchy = Chaos?
Does a laissez-faire economic system result in a disorganized economy?
A Laissez-faire economy relies on natural incentives to drive human behavior which results in the most efficient market. Free market economists argue that any attempt to centrally control or direct the economy serves only to create inefficiencies.
Why should we believe the rules of human behavior suddenly change when applied to the use of violence?
If no laws exist, is there a natural action -> consequence that rules over mankind?
Must we feign surprise when a Uvalde Police Officer says she would have disobeyed orders and gone into the school to take out the shooter if her children were in the school, or can we acknowledge reality?
A Bitcoin civil war took place from 2015-2017. In this episode we discuss the parties involved, what the war was fought over, who won and lost, how it all unfolded, and what it means for the future of Bitcoin.
Capitalism incentivizes selfish behavior--is this a problem? In this episode we discuss the incentive structures of both capitalism and socialism, the pros and cons, and why capitalism "in theory" differs so much from the capitalism we experience in the United States.
Are men and women equal, and what do we mean when we say that? Different standards exist for men and women, though as we 'progress,' we seem to be converging on a single standard and refuse to acknowledge differences between men in women. Are we progressing, or regressing?
In this episode we discuss:
-key differences between men and women
-traditional gender roles
-"truths" about gender that are being taught in education and promoted in media
-the effects of being instilled with false information from birth on both individuals and the society
-a short aside on the merits of democracy, anarchy, and other political solutions
-red pill vs blue pill
-based (in reality) behavior
Cultural productions: movies, arts, entertainment--all seem to be trending in the same negative direction. But what is the cause? Rings of Power is awful, but Lord of the Rings was good. Cobra Kai steadily declines over seasons 2-5, but season 1 was great. It's called woke-ism, and its the opposite of being based in reality.
In this episode, we explore why woke-ism is so pervasive, and what we think the cause is. We also discuss individualism and the role it plays in molding a strong team or society, and where we think our society is headed after hyper-bitcoinization.
Eth merge: pump time or dump time?
In this episode we discuss what effect the Ethereum merge will have on both the Ethereum network, and the macro crypto market
-whether proof of stake is or ever can be decentralized
-hodlnaut vs faketoshi
-the merits and morality of using NFTs for fund-raising as suggested by Kraken's Jesse Powell
-slave morality vs master morality (Nietzsche)
-Europe's energy crisis
-where the economy and our political system is headed from here
Behaviorism is the belief that all human behavior is either classically or operantly conditioned. Don't know what that means? That's OK: we break it down into layman's terms.
In this episode we discuss how behaviorism fits in the ongoing Bitcoin twitter war between empiricism and rationalism, how it fits into recent policies such as student loan repayment and PPP loans, and more controversial topics.
The fellas talk to renowned investor “King Fat Stacks”. Fat Stacks describes his introduction to investing through passive indexing and why he ditched that strategy for bitcoin- namely that he didn’t want his friends to get rich without him. Fat stacks also gives his ever-so-subtle opinions on the deep bitcoin questions: what does it mean to have a Swiss bank account in your pocket? Why would ANYONE buy bonds? What does bitcoin mean for divorce? What is the biggest threat to bitcoin, and why are we still confident?
What is a free market economy?
Can monopolies exist in a free market society? And if so, what do we do about them?
Many people believe monopolies must be broken up by government entities; meanwhile, government entities create monopolies themselves: permits, certificates, licenses, congressional approvals, professional degrees--the list goes on. All of these artificial barriers to entry prevent people from competing in the free market, usually as a producer--the effect? Consumers pay the cost incurred from decreased competition amongst producers in addition to the cost incurred from producers overcoming governmental barriers to entry.
What if there were a free market for violence? Would people run around killing each other, or is the use of violence still constrained by the cost-benefit analysis underlying all human behavior?
George Orwell's novel, 1984, depicted a future dystopian society not far from our current society.
In 1984, truth is dictated by the government. Speech is censored. Words lose their meaning. Big Brother is always listening. There is constant war between Oceania, Eastasia, and Eurasia. History is memory-holed and re-written. The government uses fear to control its citizens. All of which strips power out of the hands of individuals, and places it into the hands of the government.
In our world, inflation is caused by Putin, war in Ukraine, greedy corporations--anything other than the truth: The Fed's increase in the supply of U.S. dollars. CEOs commit career suicide if they preach anything other than liberal viewpoints. No one knows what a woman is. The Patriot Act allows the government to spy on its citizens (for their own protection, of course). The war on terror has lasted more than 20 years.
Orwell noticed these trends in 1949 when he wrote this novel. Listen for our discussion of 1984 and our takeaways.
Brandon tells us why he left the Army after 5 years, giving up the pension available at 20, and attempts to address the root issues in the military and government work. He moved into the private sector and quickly realized the issues that plague the Army plague private corporations as well. Part 2 focuses on issues in the corporate workplace, and why he chooses to golf instead. Check out part 1 from last week which focuses on issues in the Army.
Brandon tells us why he left the Army after 5 years, giving up the pension available at 20, and attempts to address the root issues in the military and government work. He moved into the private sector and quickly realized the issues that plague the Army plague private corporations as well. Part 1 focuses on issues in the Army, check out part 2 next week for the continued discussion of issues in the corporate workplace, and why he chooses to golf instead.
Spoiler: We discuss West World seasons 1 through 3--with a focus on season 3.
Expanding on our Artificial Intelligence and Blade Runner episodes: what makes us human? Is West World a complete fiction, or is it an analogy for the world we live in? Dolores is on a mission to set the world free--but it seems some people don't want to be free.
What specifically makes the use of rehoboam (AI) evil? Its use of violence? its violation of privacy? something else?
In this episode, we discuss the themes of HBO's West World including free will, identity, humanity, AI, and more.
What is science? Its come to serve the purpose of helping us differentiate fact from fiction, but is this still the case? Does a scientific study make something true? What are the shortcomings of science? Has science lost its legitimacy in recent years, and if so, why?
Has science become industrialized--where results of scientific research no longer depend on the experiment, but on which entity funded it?
We are constantly told "trust the science," then we subsequently learn that "the science has changed."
In this episode, we discuss the merits, limitations, and driving factors of scientific research, the scientific method, and how we should think of truth in today's society.
Continuing our conversation from last week with James, an aspiring cypherpunk--and our first guest--we discuss the change in incentives under a Bitcoin standard, James' technical analysis and experience trading Bitcoin, and more.
James, an aspiring cypherpunk--and our first guest--discusses his path to discovering bitcoin, how he identified that he's living in a fiat society, and what he's doing to enable him to exit the fiat system at the earliest opportunity.
He also shares his perspective on macro trends in our society, discussing topics ranging from government to our post-secondary education system and more.
Look for next week's episode for Part 2 of our discussion!
Terra lost 99.9% of its value just over a week ago. This "decentralized" crypto offered a 20% yield via staking (compared to a bank's .01% interest offered in savings accounts).
The stablecoin, UST, lost its peg to the dollar, causing the equivalent of a bank-run on Terra. Terra attempted to peg the UST stablecoin to the US dollar without backing it with U.S. dollars. Terra's solution to their problem was to increase their supply from 386 million Luna tokens to 6.5 trillion Luna tokens, debasing Luna.
Leaving us with the question: how can a decentralized crypto print 16,839x the previous total supply of Luna tokens? It must be centrally controlled, just as any crypto with a pre-mine, a group of developers, or a figurehead is centralized--despite what it claims to be.
Crypto =/= Bitcoin
Spoiler Alert: We discuss all 5 seasons of the TV show The Wire.
The Wire was released 20 years ago and depicted problems of government bureaucracy, corruption, and even misaligned incentives of dishonest press. 20 years later it seems nothing has changed.
One main focus of the show is on how easily our metrics for success can be manipulated. The show discusses police and political related metrics such as violent crime rates, but this also applies to GDP, inflation, quarterly earnings reports, or any other quantitative metric that can be 'juked.'
Is the solution to rely only on qualitative metrics, or something else?
Spoiler Alert - Watch Blade Runner: 2049 before listening (we also spoil the OG one from the 80s).
This movie poses a ton of provoking questions surrounding identity and humanity. What makes us human? Is it our physical form? and if so, what are the physical requirements--surely not our limbs, possibly just our brain?
If we can replicate our brains (encompassing emotions, intelligence, and free will) in an android, is it then human? What if we can do this in an AI that has no physical form?
Checkout the full episode for our takes
Jack Dorsey recently began speaking his mind about issues he's had with the twitter board. He uncensored himself, but we don't know what it will cost him yet.
And even every-day people are not so free to speak their minds.
Can we even propose the possibility that maybe we shouldn't be "standing with Ukraine?" Or are we totally forbidden from questioning whatever "truth" is handed to us by mainstream media?
Can we say that men and women are different from one another, and that pronouns should be used based on people's gender, not preference?
It seems as long as you parrot the correct narrative, you will keep your job and likely receive a promotion. But if you suggest anything counter to generally liberal beliefs you are liable to be fired.
The biggest Bitcoin event of the year: The Bitcoin Conference, just happened in Miami. We break down the important take aways such as: Strike's partnership with point-of-sale companies to bring Bitcoin lightning payments to restaurants and retail, Peter Thiel's take on Bitcoin and the Gerontocracy, Inflation at 8.5%, and more.
There is an ongoing revival of questioning our assumptions. Do we need to question the things we learned in elementary school, middle school, or high school? Many of us learned about the food pyramid where humans are meant to eat ~55% carbs, ~25% protein, and ~20% fat. Is this because it is more sustainable and cheaper for government to grow wheat and corn? Are seed oils killing faster than high fat diets?
Do we need to use shampoo every day, or is it just a marketing scheme to condition us to use more product?
Is the questioning of these assumptions equivalent to the LGBTQIA+ community questioning the nature of males and females, or is there a distinct difference?
Our first quarterly newsletter is free, like the rest of our podcast. Below is a brief list of topics discussed.
- Ripple and Greenpeace's attempt to spread environmental FUD around Bitcoin and encourage a switch to proof-of-stake
- Vitalik Buterin's (Ethereum's creator) essay arguing for Bitcoin maximalism
- Pros and Cons of altcoins
- Implications of Russia pegging the Ruble to gold and demanding payment in rubles (thus gold)
- Decreasing legitimacy of U.S. reserve currency status
- Fed's warning of "brewing housing bubble"
- Inflation and how to hedge against it
- Most exciting possible future developments in the BTC space
Spoiler Alert: We discuss the entire plot of the science fiction novel Three Body Problem. If you haven't read it and don't intend to, we give a summary of the book so you can still enjoy the discussion.
Should we be afraid of artificial intelligence? Like most technology, it depends who's using it and for what ends. Is it inevitable that we will create a sentient AI--one that is more intelligent than us?
If we physically augment ourselves with AI chips to improve our intelligence, will we still have free will?
Just a few of the topics discussed. Also, spoiler alert we briefly discuss West World through season 3.
This is a continuation of Episode 27: The Bitcoin Standard (Part 1)
Saifedean Ammous published The Bitcoin Standard in 2018 and it remains one of the most essential books in understanding the affects Bitcoin will have on the world. He discusses what money is, identifies fundamental properties that separate good money from bad money, and correlates the rise and fall of civilizations both small and great with the soundness of their money. His history of money begins with the most primitive societies which used stones, glass beads, and sea shells, and continues to the advancement and utilization of precious metals as money, and finally to our current age of fiat currencies. The Bitcoin Standard gives a better understanding of economics than can be learned in most modern high-level education programs today.
Saifedean Ammous published The Bitcoin Standard in 2018 and it remains one of the most essential books in understanding the affects Bitcoin will have on the world. He discusses what money is, identifies fundamental properties that separate good money from bad money, and correlates the rise and fall of civilizations both small and great with the soundness of their money. His history of money begins with the most primitive societies which used stones, glass beads, and sea shells, and continues to the advancement and utilization of precious metals as money, and finally to our current age of fiat currencies. The Bitcoin Standard gives a better understanding of economics than can be found in most modern high-level education programs today.
Our 2 hour discussion of this book is broken down into two parts, look for Episode 28: The Bitcoin Standard (Part 2) next Sunday, 13 March at 10:00AM EST.
Are Russians at war with Ukrainians, or is the Russian government at war with the Ukrainian government? Is Putin evil, or is he simply playing the game of international politics better than his opponents?
In this episode, we discuss the implications of Russia's invasion of Ukraine as well as all the entities that benefit from the invasion (governments, the military industrial complex, oil companies, banks, media, and even trump).
Meanwhile, governments wage war against each other at the expense of the citizens who created them.
Our most practical metric for determining something's value is money. However, there are two issues with this. First, if people are not willing to pay for something, does that mean it is worthless? Van Gogh only sold one painting in his life--he sold it for 400 francs, 7 months before his death. Now, Van Gogh paintings are worth tens of millions of dollars. Second, if the measuring stick (our fiat money) is constantly changing in size (increasing in supply and manipulated by the government) how can we accurately measure the value of anything? We discuss these issues as well as better ways to accurately assess value in Episode 25: True Value
A low time preference emphasizes a gain in the long term, or a delayed gratification. A high time preference emphasizes a gain in the present, often reflected in today's YOLO type ideology. This episode explores which time preference today's economic system incentivizes, the benefits of each, and whether you can have too extreme of a preference in either direction.
True Names by Vernor Vinge explores a cyberpunk future where computer coding is abstracted to a point where what matters most is your ability to solve problems and understand the purpose of different tools. Even though computers are a relatively new invention, the abstraction Vernor Vinge describes in his book is already taking place. We can write programs to run on a computer without understanding the underlying machine language. We can use a word processor to type an essay without understanding the program language used to create the word processor.
We discuss the plot of True Names as well as some of the incredible insights provided by a book written in 1981 which hold true to this day.
Why is everyone racing to escape the dollar? The S&P500 increased 27% in 2021. Real estate increased 19% in 2021. Is this a reflection of an actual increase in value of these two assets? More likely, these increases in value are reflections of the worthlessness of the U.S. dollar.
Man created government to serve his purpose. Over time, the relationship flips, and men serve their governments. At what point does the government lose its utility? As technology continues to advance, so does the power of the individual. When individuals are empowered to defend themselves more efficiently and more effectively than the government, what purpose does the government serve? This episode explores how the incentive structure in a crypto-anarchic world is far superior to living under a "democratic" government that enslaves its citizens.
What is Mass Formation Psychosis? And why was it getting memory-holed from the internet? Maybe more importantly, is everyone parroting "Mass Formation Psychosis" also under the effect of Mass Formation Psychosis?
What happens to a Silverback Gorilla when he is stripped of his purpose? In the zoo, the Silverback Gorilla is not needed to protect and lead the troop--his position changes from the most valuable member of a troop to the most unnecessary member. What happens to man when he is stripped of his purpose? And what does this have to do with Bitcoin? Listen to find out.
Central Bank Digital Currencies. Is the solution to too much centralized power more centralized power? Probably not. Buy Bitcoin and free yourself.
When debt becomes an asset, it is clear our economic system is broken. Bitcoin fixes this.
Wilkinson's got a bite on a new one.. Petramco Corp. Out of, hu, Springfield. I think. They're about to introduce some sort of robot butcher coin. -George Costanza