Bitcoin Tech Talk #401
Interesting Stuff
High Agency Policies - There's much to be said about walking a mile in another's shoes or seeing the world through the lens of other people, but this is the first time I remember thinking that freedom is not something people can handle. I am a freedom maximalist, but as the article points out, it may be due, in some significant way to the fact that I have characteristics that also gives me high agency. That is, I am for freedom policies because I can handle them, whereas a lot of people can't and thus prefer not to. Despite the insight found in the article, I'm not quite convinced that leaving people in a state of perpetual adolescence is a good thing.
Unserious - Escaping rent-seeking is hard and this article points out why. For the people that don't care about providing value, rent-seeking existences are fine, but for those that want to achieve more, the carrot of doing something meaningful is continuously held over them just over the horizon. The post captures beautifully that moment when you think “if I only do this one more thing, I can finally do the serious thing that I want to do” and finding out that, actually, you need to get to the next level, or the next rung to finally do what you really want. Truth is that every level is the same and that you really do need to stop the fiat pursuits to do what you really want.
What's Missing in Stories - This article names something that I've always found unsatisfying about stories, which is that they're always a little too tidy, a little too neat and close loops a little too well. There's none of the weird ambiguity, none of the mundane, the boredom or just plain messiness of life. And in a sense, our love for stories has led to some expectation that life will turn out to be a bit more like the stories we've read, when reality is far more dirty with much less closure. I consider this as one of the reasons why so many people don't understand the current monetary system because it's evil in a banal way that's not like any stories we know.
Hyperinflation and Chaos - The rise of dictators is a fascinating topic, especially if they came into power through democratic means, and this article from Mises.org is an excellent analysis of how Hitler came to power. The main point of analysis is that the failure of the Weimar Republic was entirely monetary, and that in turn caused chaos which led people to demand a command economy. Specifically, it was the moral failure of fiat money that ultimately brought into being a very authoritarian government. Sadly, this seems to be playing out right now where the inflationary pressures are giving politicians more excuses to grab more power.
What I'm up to
Korea Interview - I did an interview with a Korean YouTuber about my message to the young people in Korea that are starting to look at Bitcoin. It's unfortunately a society where young people have very little hope of a decent life these days and I place the blame where it squarely belongs, fiat money and the selfishness of the older generation.
Slovakia - I'm in Slovakia for part of this week to hang out with some Austrian economics folks to talk about Bitcoin. I'm not exactly familiar with the country, but if you have recommendations, I'd love to hear them, particularly in Valca and Bratislava.
Budapest and Munich - The two destinations after this week are Budapest and Munich. I've contacted some Munich Bitcoiners to arrange some sort of meetup, so stay tuned to find out when and where I'll be speaking.
Nostr Note of the Week
What I’m Promoting
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