Bitcoin Tech Talk #287

Welcome to the first paid edition of Bitcoin Tech Talk! If you’re not subscribed, you can do so here. If you’re an open source contributor to a Bitcoin project reply to this newsletter with your open source contributions to get a complimentary subscription.

What I'm working on

1. Bitcoin Songsheet - This is the name for my column at Bitcoin Magazine and this week, I wrote about Altcoin Naivete. That world really is like Hollywood, where a few insiders determine your success, the complete opposite of Bitcoin.

2. A Missionary’s Story - I wrote about Bitcoin Beach and Mike Peterson’s story to a Christian audience. The main argument in the piece is that the IMF is oppressing a huge portion of the world through monetary shenanigans. It’s ultimately spiritual oppression.

3. Health Care is Broken - I interviewed Avik Roy, who’s an expert on healthcare policy. For me, it was eye-opening to find out the history of the US health care system and how it came to be so broken. Between FDR, Eisenhower and LBJ, the system had some pretty bad stepdads growing up.

4. Rant about Lawyers - My moment at the Bitcoin 2022 conference was after a panel with a lawyer that was clearly positioning his preferred altcoins as being “decentralized enough.” I hate legal positivism with a passion and believe natural law is the real foundation, so that showed through in my rather animated response. If you’re interested, here’s the essay I wrote about natural law vs. legal positivism a couple years ago.

What I'm up to

1. Programming Blockchain - My seminar in Miami was cancelled, so for a limited time, I’m accepting students to the seminar April 20-21 in Austin. Please apply ASAP as there’s very little lead time. Because of the short time window, I will be giving the early bird rate to all who apply and get accepted.

2. Beef Initiative - I will be at the Beef Initiative conference April 23, which is best described as a combination of beef and Bitcoin. I’ve been ordering from these guys and have a deep freezer full of local beef bought with Bitcoin. If you’re near Austin, this will be a fun event to hang out at.

3. Austin BitDevs - The monthly Austin Bitcoin Developer Meetup is April 21 at Bitcoin Commons. As usual, there will be BBQ afterwards and possibly a mariachi band. Many people have been known to fly in for the event.