Bitcoin Tech Talk #501

Interesting Stuff

1. The Veil - Johann Kurtz writes about the veil as a symbol of mystery and separation between the physical and metaphysical as a way to explain the ancient understanding of modesty. The post is about the role of women in society, but there’s a much deeper truth that I found even more intriguing and it’s the idea that modesty, or privacy, in Bitcoiner terms, has a deep metaphysical, even spiritual function. Indeed, it’s the materialist frame which demands transparency in everything “because you have nothing to hide.” The spiritual framing of privacy is that there are things that are too elevated, too exquisite, too godly to make public and that for their spiritual fulfillment, require privacy. I suspect that many privacy advocates understand this need for holiness (literally, being set apart) deep in their souls even if they can’t really articulate it as such.

2. Boomer Succession - Aaron M. Renn documents how Baby Boomers are clinging to institutional power well into their 70s and 80s with no plans to hand off leadership to younger generations. The result is institutional stagnation across churches, businesses, and civic organizations that are slowly dying under geriatric management. This is unfortunately the incentives of the fiat system, where the profitability of high positions are largely rent-seeking and not value-adding. Institutions can borrow against the future indefinitely, and the people at the top of such hierarchies can profit, leaving successors with the bill.

3. Ethno-Nepotism at SMU - Christopher Brunet writes about a Chinese-American professor who alleges systematic discrimination by Indian faculty members at SMU. The faculty members used ethnic networking to exclude him from opportunities and retaliate when he complained. The case exposes how DEI frameworks designed to address one set of power dynamics can be weaponized to create entirely new ones. Institutional power games are super-charged in fiat systems and meritocracy goes out the window pretty quickly. Sadly, the most sociopathic tend to thrive at those games and cultures that are least bound by Natural Law tend to thrive.

4. Start Asian Hate - Chris Jesu Lee shows how the combination of Asian American achievement, accusations of white adjacency and cultural conservatism have resulted in rather boring art for many years, until the backlash which started around 2021. Despite being Asian American, I haven’t been paying too much attention to the Asian-American art scene, but the tropes that he complains about are all too familiar and his analysis of so many Asian-American elites who have succeeded by assimilating are on-point. The piece was an excellent examination of the cultural insecurity that’s rampant among second generation Asian-Americans.

5. Lost Angeles - Spencer Pratt gives his firsthand account of losing his home in the LA fires and navigating the bureaucratic nightmare of FEMA and insurance companies designed to delay and deny. He documents how the system that's supposed to help people in crisis is optimized for institutional self-preservation, not actual aid. His campaign for mayor of LA is built on his horrific experience and is gaining traction. He has more than a few parallels with Trump, including his reality TV background. I tend to think of California as completely lost, but if he manages to win, there may still be hope for the dysfunctional state.

What I'm up to

1. Mining Summit - I’ll be at this event on Wednesday and Thursday taking place in Bitcoin Park Austin. Come listen to speakers talk about the reality of mining.

2. BTC Prague - June 11-13, I will be in Prague for what will be my third time for this conference. It should be a good time

Nostr Note of the Week

What I’m Promoting

• Books

  • Fiat Ruins Everything (audiobook)

  • Bitcoin and the American Dream

  • Thank God for Bitcoin

  • The Little Bitcoin Book

  • Programming Bitcoin