Bitcoin Tech Talk #352

Interesting Stuff

1. Hoarding - A fascinating look into the hoarding phenomenon and how people get trapped in sort of a learned helplessness. The article goes through the possible causes of hoarding and stories of people that have so much stuff that they end up bathing in sinks. I have a deep suspicion that much of this behavior is due to money not holding value and people treating possessions as stores of value instead. If I’m right, it’s a modern phenomenon caused by fiat money.

2. Lapsed Atheist Speaks - This is an account of an atheist who has grown disillusioned with the promise of New Atheism and has since recognized the chaos that an atheistic belief system creates in a society. For me, the whole article reads as a real life example of what Nietchze warned against regarding the removal of God, which is that there’s no anchor anymore and without an anchor, there is a deep dissipation of order that’s not easy to get back.

3. College Grade Inflation - Written by a current Harvard student, the article goes through how grades have been inflated over the last 50 years. If what the article says is true, Harvard is currently almost exclusively handing out As and A-’s. This is in contrast to before the Vietnam War when the average grade was a B-. College has become almost completely transactional with students being consumers. Administrators are giving them what they want because they cost so much.

What I'm up to

1. Go Woke, Go Broke - My column for the print version of Bitcoin Magazine is now live! Normally, they make you buy the magazine itself to read it, but the good folks at BM have made this one free. In it, I argue that wokeism is essentially a form of tyranny and that it’s going to get worse. Reality has a way of hitting back and it’s not going to be fun when government doubles down on their policies.

2. Austin Bitcoin Club - I talked with Parker Lewis about my new book, travels with my family and a lot more at the meetup this past Thursday. I was blown away by how many people showed up and how fun it was to connect with Bitcoiners in Austin again. If you want a sneak preview of what Fiat Ruins Everything is, check out the conversation.

3. Max and Stacy Meetup - I’ll be in El Salvador for the CUBO+ program and will be attending the graduation that Max and Stacy will be hosting on Saturday. If you’re around, please come by and hang out!

Nostr Note 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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