Bitcoin Tech Talk #326
Best Articles I Read in 2022
Case Against Quantum Computing - Quantum computing questions are my pet peeve. So many people think they sound smart when they bring up concerns about quantum computing, when really, they have no idea how it works and their understanding is based on a journalist’s understanding, which is to say non-existent. This is one of many articles that show how the field has become a large mental masturbation exercise with essentially no actual engineering to show for it.
World View and Interest Rates - The question posed in the article is not obvious to ask, but very intriguing. What if our whole world view the past 20 years is because of insanely low interest rates? We become way more high time preference and think it to be normal. Entire industries have been affected by this fiat contagion and we’re starting to see how that mentality is crumbling as interest rates rise.
In Praise of Gods - Rationality by itself is a terrible master. The article is a philosophical treatise on why having Gods, or some greater purpose is essential in using rationality. As we’re witnessing, much of the knowledge industrial complex is riddled with errors and justifications of what people already want to believe. We need purpose and we need wonder.
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MENA - I’ve been in the MENA region for almost a month now and it’s been a huge learning experience. As with most parts of the world, there are concerns that local people have that are almost completely unknown in the West and dynamics which are completely unappreciated. I’m now convinced that the conflict in Israel/Palestine is not religious at all, but an old fashioned fight for dominance, for example. As a Christian, going to many of the sites from Biblical times has also been an amazing pilgrimage. It’s one of the few things I’m willing to spend Bitcoin on.
Not Even Trying: The Corruption of Real Science - I’ve written about Fiat Science before, but this book goes much further, accusing the scientific industrial complex of having turned into a complete bureaucracy missing any and all elements of truth. The main error that the author has identified is that scientists are no longer seeking to describe reality, but serving another master. That master is their careers, which with fiat corruption, has led to them producing nothing but meaningless papers. The book is great and prescient given it was written 10 years ago. If you’re wondering why we don’t seem to be making many breakthroughs, this book describes why.
Bitcoin Meetups - I’ve been surprised at how many Bitcoin Meetups there are and how they thrive almost everywhere. If you’re in any of the countries that I’ll be in the next few months (Lebanon, Egypt, Turkey), let me know if you’re interested in meeting up by responding to this email.
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