Bitcoin Tech Talk #319

What I've been working on

1. Fiat Ruins Civilization - My latest article published in Bitcoin Magazine makes the argument that Fiat Money ruins civilization. Incentives break with the fiat money printer and ultimately cause all sorts of evil, including a regression of civilization. Merit, unfortunately gets thrown by the wayside and rent-seeking becomes way more prominent. Many of the ideas here are ones I will be exploring further in the book I’m working on.

2. Bitcoinist Article - Bitcoinist covers the big debate from last week between me, Samson, Vitalik and Diego. The main debate was whether FTX was a symptom of the entire altcoin industrial complex or whether it was a one-off thing. I argue the former as trust is given way too easily by way too many people. I believe that the faster bad things fall, the fewer people get hurt.

3. CoinExt Interview - My interview with CoinExt is up. I talked to these guys about Bitcoin, incentives, the current macro trends and so on. Many of these interviews come down to “why is Bitcoin price the way it is?” I generally just make the point that price is a function of both supply and demand and while we know the supply, we don’t know the demand. The current macro picture has reduced the demand for Bitcoin, but it’s also exposed a lot of altcoins as well. I think in general, what’s happening is healthy.

What I'm up to

1. South America - My tour of the continent continues this week in Uruguay and Ushuaia. The plan is to see the “end of the world” and make my way to Chile and then onto Peru. I’ve had Machu Picchu on my bucket list for a while, so I’m really excited to finally see it. I’ve been told that Rainbow mountain is worth seeing, but the hike seems like it’d be pretty rough, especially with my kids.

2. Charity - I’m working on an article on how charity is debased by fiat money. This is a bit hard for me to write because so many people have such a positive view of charitable endeavors. I’ve read and watched a bunch on this very topic, but if you have any resources I could use about the downsides of charity, I would appreciate a reply to this email.

3. The Middle East - I’m planning to go to this area of the world in December-February. If there are any conferences that you’re aware of around that time, I would appreciate a heads up. I’m very excited to go to many of the places I’ve only read about in the Bible.

Tweet of the Week

What I’m Shilling

• Books

  • Bitcoin and the American Dream

  • Thank God for Bitcoin

  • The Little Bitcoin Book

  • Programming Bitcoin

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