Bitcoin Tech Talk #362
Interesting Stuff
The Economics of Debt Collection - Long-read about how the debt collection industry works and the incentives that drive everything about it. The story details how debt collection agencies work and how they buy debt, then try to collect. The incentives are just completely out of whack and unsurprisingly, they hurt the poor the most. What’s particularly egregious is that the debt collection companies use such unsavory, illegal tactics to collect the debt. Even more surprising is that the people working in these debt collection roles are not exactly having a great career, either. This is one of the underbellies of a financial system that issues loans ad infinitum out of nothing.
Why You’re Single - Fascinating study of why people are so frustrated with dating and what the data seems to be saying. The main thing I got out of the article is the almost visceral sense of fatalism that comes through in the various surveys. I’ve been married a long time, so most of what they’re talking about, in particular the on-line dating stuff, is completely unfamiliar, but I’m much more sympathetic to my single friends, who all seem to be frustrated. As with most things fiat, there seem to be a lot of people that have lost hope.
Consequentialist Justice - One of those articles that really make you think about a world designed purely on incentives. As the article points out, punishing family members for the crimes of an individual is actually an amazing deterrent, which is why dictators have used such tactics so often. North Korea, for example, uses this punishment mechanism now. Yet, from a philosophical perspective, there is something horribly wrong about punishing innocent people for the actions of their family members. The appeal to a higher law is in the end what stops most societies from implementing such unjust laws. Sadly, that hasn’t been the case for money.
What I'm up to
Saifedean Podcast - I had a lot of podcasts this week and it starts with this one. His book, The Fiat Standard, was a major inspiration for Fiat Ruins Everything, so this was a very satisfying conversation for me. We talked about declining birthrates all over the world, the fiat system disincentivizing families and much more.
The Investor Podcast - Preston is one of my favorite people and he had me on his show to talk about the book. We talked about the QR code I include in all my signed books, the global supply chain and why there’s such a huge disruption when there’s inflation. Chip manufacturing in particular was something we hit on with the winner-take-all dynamic in the fiat system.
Blocktime - I spent time at the Riot offices to talk about the book and the travel that I did the previous year. The inequity resulting from inflation is the really troubling part that I point out.
Thank God for Nostr - I talked with Jordan Bush about my book, the traveling and the plans I have for my family. I also talked about how I think about investing in a Bitcoin world as well.
Generation Bitcoin - I talked about specific chapters of the book, with a long rant on the wrong lessons of Pizza Day.
What’s Your Bitcoin Story - I talked about the book and my journey from seeing the story on Slashdot to my various jobs in Bitcoin. I also talked about writing books using the book sprint process and what it takes to really become a Bitcoiner.
Bitcoin Source - I talked on this podcast about the books I’ve written. In particular we talked about the dollar hegemony and its role in the current world order.
Brandon Gentile - I talked to this former hockey player about the book and focused on the role of the Frankfurt School in modern leftist politics. We also talked about what causes people to fall away from Bitcoin into altcoins.
Nostr Note of the Week
What I’m Shilling
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