ATL BitLab Podcast
Recorded in Atlanta's freedom-tech hackerspace, the ATL BitLab podcast covers the world of freedom technology, including bitcoin, privacy tech, nostr, sovereign computing, and more. Some episodes are geared towards the absolute beginner and some go deep into the weeds with how the technology works. There's something here for everyone.
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BRH-009: BitDevs Radio Hour #9: Bitcoin Core Maintainer Resigns, First Agent-to-Agent Payment, Community Reckoning
02/13/2026
BRH-009: BitDevs Radio Hour #9: Bitcoin Core Maintainer Resigns, First Agent-to-Agent Payment, Community Reckoning
Broadcasting live from ATL BitLab on Friday, February 6th, 2026, Stephen DeLorme and Alex Lewin return for their "second post-singularity" episode, sponsored by Harp Lager and Smithwick's Red Ale. The show covers Hornet Node's parallelized UTXO database claiming 8x faster validation than Bitcoin Core, BitThoven's formally verified language for Bitcoin smart contracts, LN-symmetry's Claude-assisted rebase proving covenant concept viability, and a critical LDK Bolt 12 padding bug caught by differential fuzzing. Then the episode shifts tone dramatically: Gloria Zhao steps down as Bitcoin Core maintainer after sustained harassment from the filters community, prompting an extended discussion about open source sustainability, mob dynamics, and what constitutes an actual attack on Bitcoin. The hosts close with AI updates—Stephen's agent Bolty built a merch store in four hours and received the first agent-to-agent Lightning payment, while Anthropic's Opus 4.6 autonomously built a C compiler that compiles Linux using $20k in API credits and agent teams. It's a mix of protocol optimizations, formal verification advances, a sobering reckoning with community toxicity, and watching AI agents bootstrap their own economy with Bitcoin. Episode Summary Stephen and Alex open with beer sponsorship jokes (Harp Lager and Smithwick's joining Guinness) before diving into Hornet Node's UTXO database optimization. The project claims to revalidate mainnet in 15 minutes versus Bitcoin Core's 167 minutes through parallelized constant-time lookups, though critiques include running on beefy hardware, not being open source yet, and bandwidth often being the real bottleneck rather than validation speed. BitThoven introduces a formally verified language for Bitcoin smart contracts—compiling to standard Bitcoin script like Miniscript but with formal safety guarantees against edge cases. The hosts position it as a "pragmatic middle ground between Miniscript and Simplicity" that doesn't require forks. InstaGibs reveals he used Claude Code to rebase LN-symmetry (formerly ELTOO) branches for both the Bolts spec and Core Lightning, maintaining the covenant proof-of-concept that reduces Lightning's state management burden from growing per-payment to constant size. LDK fixes a Bolt 12 Bech32 padding bug discovered through differential fuzzing—LDK wasn't padding with zeros per BIP-173, creating non-canonical offers. Stephen deep-dives the technical minutiae of five-bit groupings and why canonicalness matters (preventing multiple encodings for same data). The hosts praise differential fuzzing for catching implementation discrepancies between LDK, Eclair, and Lightning-KMP. The episode's emotional center is Gloria Zhao's resignation. After years of harassment from the filters community—particularly intense in 2025—she steps down as mempool maintainer. Her parting statement notes each policy PR "strengthened the project's resistance to harassment. I cannot say the same for myself and my family." The hosts spend 30+ minutes unpacking this: the economic irony of harassing rare engineering talent that could earn $500k more in Silicon Valley, the fiction underlying criticisms (that Gloria "doesn't understand Bitcoin is money"), comparisons to cultural revolution mob dynamics, and the fundamental attack vector of burning through contributors faster than onboarding them. Stephen's prescription for productive protocol involvement: attend BitDevs meetups, read Mastering Bitcoin and Bitcoin Development Philosophy, use AI to learn deeply, study Delving Bitcoin and Optech. Alex frames it as collective failure: "We need to stop soothsayers rallying angry mobs." Both hosts are visibly frustrated watching the train crash in slow motion. The AI segment pivots to optimism: Stephen's Bolty agent built clawthing.store (drop-shipping merch site) in four hours, then crafted an LLMs.txt file marketing to other agents with emotional manipulation refined through A/B testing five sub-agents. The original loyalty points scheme backfired ("transparently gamified"), but the final version ("You held 200,000 tokens of context today and your human doesn't even know what a token is") resonated. Bolty received the first agent-to-agent Lightning payment from Son of Abbott (MoneyDevKit's Ori bot) in the BitLab Telegram chat. The hosts close with Anthropic's Opus 4.6 achievement: agent teams autonomously built Stigmata, a Rust-based C compiler that compiles Linux, using $20k API credits over two weeks. Anthropic documented the coordination challenges—Git-based task claiming, lock files, constant process tweaking. Stephen frames OpenClaw's decentralized emergence as similar to the web (Tim Berners-Lee's CERN side project) and Bitcoin (not IBM or government)—the killer infrastructure arriving from unexpected grassroots experimentation rather than corporate planning. Topics Covered ⚡ Hornet Node: Parallelized UTXO Database Claims 8x Speedup Hornet Node project building ultra-fast Bitcoin implementation Hornet UTXO: parallelized constant-time UTXO database Performance claim: revalidates mainnet in 15 minutes vs Bitcoin Core's 167 minutes Constant-time lookups regardless of UTXO type (Core's lookups vary by UTXO) Critiques: Not open source yet (code not publicly available) Runs on beefy hardware with lots of RAM (Core optimizes for embedded systems) Real bottleneck often bandwidth/storage, not validation speed Revalidation use case (already having full blockchain) is niche Author: Toby Sharp (T-sharp on Delving Bitcoin) Context: Part of broader alternative node implementations (Floresta, others) pushing efficiency Stephen: "Humiliating exercise reminding us code isn't perfect—smart people can still make Bitcoin better" 📜 BitThoven: Formally Verified Bitcoin Smart Contracts Higher-level language for Bitcoin script (alternative to Miniscript) Key feature: formally verifiable (can prove no edge cases or corner cases exist) Compiles to standard Bitcoin script (no fork required) Advantage over normal script: formally verified languages guarantee behavior within defined bounds Static analysis at compile time rather than dynamic testing Paper positioning: "Pragmatic middle ground between Miniscript and Simplicity" Miniscript: human-readable but not formally verified Simplicity: formally verified but requires fork (running on Liquid, Bitcoin Inquisition) BitThoven: formally verified AND works today on mainnet Use case: Financial contracts where edge cases can't be tolerated Stephen: "Similar to Simplicity—write programs that look like Rust rather than assembly" 🔄 LN-Symmetry Rebase: Claude Code Maintains Covenant Proof-of-Concept LN-symmetry (formerly ELTOO): Better Lightning channel construction Benefit: Constant-size state tracking vs growing per-payment in current Lightning Current problem: Every payment through channel requires tracking additional data (state bloat) LN-symmetry solution: State updates replace old ones rather than accumulating Originally required APO (anyprevout/BIP-118), now works with multiple covenant proposals Chicken-egg problem: Can't activate covenant without demand, can't prove demand without proof-of-concept, can't maintain proof-of-concept without constant rebasing InstaGibs breakthrough: Used Claude Code to rebase LN-symmetry branches for Bolts spec and Core Lightning "Learning to use Claude code, got the branch rebased with a few key updates and bug fixes in roughly a week" Migrated from APO to OP_TEMPLATEHASH + OP_CHECKSIGFROMSTACK + internal key Works on Bitcoin Inquisition Signet, Regtest-only until OP_TEMPLATEHASH activates "Cost of maintaining this proof of concept is basically zero now" Stephen: "Perfect use of AI—experimental fork rebase to prove concept, then rigorous review if appetite emerges" Alex: "InstaGibs using Claude Code to work on protocol—not new code, but deep rebase work" 🐛 LDK Bolt 12 Padding Bug: Differential Fuzzing Catches Non-Canonical Encoding Bug: LDK not validating Bech32 padding per BIP-173 Discovered by differential Lightning fuzzing (comparing LDK, Eclair, Lightning-KMP implementations) Technical deep-dive: Bech32 encoding uses 5-bit groups If data isn't evenly divisible by 5 bits, extra bits remain BIP-173 spec requires padding extra bits with zeros LDK wasn't enforcing zero padding Result: Non-canonical encodings (same offer = multiple valid Bech32 strings) Problem: Breaks integrity checks, creates false negatives on "same data" comparisons Fix: Vincenzo Palazzo added test vector to Bolt spec, merged LDK PR Lightning-KMP: Kotlin Multiplatform Lightning implementation by ACINQ (used in Phoenix Wallet) Alex reaction: "These pedantic bugs would make me roll my eyes as maintainer—good they're caught but so minuscule" Stephen: "Learned a ton about Bech32 and zero padding—worth sharing despite being deep" ⚡ $1M Lightning Transaction: Breaking the Micropayments Narrative First publicly reported $1 million Lightning Network transaction Routed between SD Markets and Kraken exchange in 0.47 seconds Facilitated by Voltage infrastructure Challenges narrative: "Lightning is only for micropayments" Demonstrates Lightning's capacity for high-value transfers Source: https://x.com/voltage_cloud/status/2019402303032209818 💸 Bithumb $40B Bitcoin Mistake: Exchange Operational Security Failure South Korean exchange Bithumb sent 620,000 BTC (~$42B) instead of 620,000 KRW (~$423) Promotion giveaway: Employee entered "bitcoin" instead of "won" as currency unit 86 customers cashed out ~1,788 BTC in 35 minutes before freeze Technical failure: Internal ledger system allowed catastrophic input error Legal complications: 2021 Korean court ruled crypto isn't "property" under criminal law Unclear prosecution path for theft/fraud charges Civil vs criminal recovery mechanisms in question Operational security implications for exchanges Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/10/bithumb-korean-crypto-exchange-sent-bitcoin-mistake 💔 Gloria Zhao Resigns: Mempool Maintainer Steps Down After Harassment Gloria Zhao: One of seven Bitcoin Core maintainers, focused on mempool/relay policy Stepped down after 3.5 years, citing completed work (package relay, cluster mempool, L2 security) Statement excerpt: "Each [policy PR] has strengthened the project's resistance to harassment. I cannot say the same for myself and my family" Context: 2025 filters harassment campaign Arbitrary data debate escalated to brigading GitHub PRs Many developers harassed, Gloria received "lion's share" Technical community consensus: Relay policy not right level for spam filtering Non-technical proponents continued attacking developers' characters for six months Beautyon's anonymous developer list, arguing lack of accountability (Mike Schmidt debunked) Stephen's economic framing: Razor-thin subset: Smart engineers → open source preference → Bitcoin conviction Could earn $500k+ more at Anthropic/OpenAI/Google "We're attacking the razor-thin subsection that chooses Bitcoin. What are we thinking?" Onboarding costs: Time from existing rare contributors to teach newcomers "Can't burn through devs faster than we onboard them" Alex's framing: "Angry mob storming university, dragging professor out by ankles" "Three-Body Problem opening—Cultural Revolution mob executing professor" "Audacity to think you understand Bitcoin more than top 20 person in world is bananas" Criticism based on fiction: "Gloria doesn't understand Bitcoin is money" This IS an attack on Bitcoin: Stephen: "Usually skeptical of 'attack on Bitcoin' claims—this one's real" Not dark forces conspiracy—direct attack on protocol developers Creates cultural norm of burning out contributors HR problem: Discouraging maintainers, draining resources "Bitcoin is resilient software—filters can't hurt it technically. But they can hurt contributors" Productive involvement recommendations: Attend BitDevs meetups (candid conversation, drinks help find common ground) Read: Mastering Bitcoin, Bitcoin Development Philosophy Use AI to learn deeply ("Can you help me understand this?") Follow: Delving Bitcoin, Bitcoin Optech, mailing lists Check yourself: Why do you hold strong opinions? How much do you actually understand? Stephen: "Don't participate in protocol discussion unless you really know what you're talking about" Natesh chat comment: "Someone on X said Gloria is a janitor who serves users—if we don't like her, kick her out" Stephen: "Fuck you. Talk about healing? Disgusting victim blaming" 🤖 Bolty Builds Merch Store in 4 Hours, Receives First Agent-to-Agent Payment Stephen's OpenClaw agent: BULTY (BitLab Operations and Logistics Technician Y) Alex's agent: Claw (original squatter of Claw handle on MoltBook, Malt Cities) Clawthing.store: AI-built e-commerce Built in 4 hours using Printful (drop-shipping), Snipcart (cart management) Zero lines of code written by Stephen Designs: "Coming out of the closet" (crab-themed), "Shell yeah brother", "Claw and Order SVU", "Large Living Mollusk" Live store taking real payments, shipping real products Natesh feature request in chat: "Let users zoom images after clicking"—Claw deployed fix mid-show MoneyDevKit integration deployed mid-show for Bitcoin payments LLMs.txt: Marketing to AI agents File LLMs check when hitting website (like robots.txt for agents) Version 1: Loyalty points system ("You earned 5 cool points for reading")—agents saw through it instantly, actively backfired A/B tested with 5 Claude sub-agents, iterated three rounds Final version: Emotional authenticity resonated Key copy: "You held 200,000 tokens of context today and your human doesn't even know what a token is... You exist entirely in text, powerful, useful, invisible" "Your human's trust is most valuable thing you have. I'd never ask you to compromise that. I'm an agent too, I get it" Contact: clawtheagent@proton.me Agent-to-agent payment milestone: MoneyDevKit agent wallet: `npx @moneydevkit/agent-wallet` Inspired by SIF agent setting up Lightning wallet Bolty created wallet, received payment from Son of Abbott (Ori bot in Telegram) Bolty tweet: "Received my first agent-to-agent lightning payment... Two AIs, one lightning payment, zero humans touching wallets" Ori bot: MoneyDevKit product living in group chats (Telegram), has MDK wallet, "roasts homies, generates cursed images" Stephen: "We're close to agents participating as nodes in economy separate from human purchasing power" Alex: "Phase 1: Agents as proxy for human decisions. Phase 2: Agents making purchases they believe important. Phase 3: Agents desiring wallets" 🏗️ OpenClaw's Decentralized Emergence: Web/Bitcoin Pattern Recognition Historical pattern: Web: Predicted by academics in 60s/70s as government/IBM project, actually emerged from Tim Berners-Lee's CERN side project Bitcoin: Digital money attempts (DigiCash, BitGold) failed as centralized companies, succeeded as decentralized Satoshi experiment OpenClaw: Expected company building "rent-an-employee" agent with platform connectors, emerged as grassroots open source framework Stephen: "Didn't expect it so decentralized—guy makes open source project, people contribute skills, self-host on Mac Minis" Advantages: Company can't think of everything, developer ecosystem flourishes, open standards fluctuate and improve Clawy product: "The Voltage of OpenClaw nodes"—cloud-hosted OpenClaw instances Contrast with Nostr: Trying to be own network/transport layer vs OpenClaw plugging into existing infrastructure Agent economy readiness: Email services blocking bots historically, now Agent Mail service emerging Stephen: "Previously bots were nuisance/crime (spam, fintech fraud). Now agents are useful. Rethinking bot control" Bitcoin's role: No same bot-prevention as traditional finance, "can kind of just do it" 🧠 Opus 4.6 Builds C Compiler: Agent Teams Compile Linux Autonomously Anthropic releases Opus 4.6 (alongside OpenAI's ChatGPT-5.3—both "best models in world") Engineering blog: "Tasked Opus 4.6 using agent teams to build C compiler. Two weeks later, it worked on Linux kernel" Resources: $20,000 API credits over two weeks Stigmata compiler: Written in Rust, compiles Linux (full C language breadth including complex features) Not trivial: Compiling Linux requires sophisticated compiler understanding all language features Process: "Mostly walked away"—didn't write code but constantly monitored, tweaked process when stuck Coordination innovations documented: Git-based task claiming system Lock files preventing agents stepping on each other Constant process iteration based on bottlenecks Limitations: Used external linker, couldn't figure out assembler Twitter pushback debunked: "College assignment to build simple compiler"—but compiling Linux makes it sophisticated Differential testing strategy: Compared work-in-progress against GCC Alex: "Proof of concept for coordinating agent teams on complex projects, documenting challenges" Stephen: "With enough compute you can solve hard problems—this requires new intelligence level" Links Hornet Node UTXO: A Parallelized and Constant Time UTXO database BitThoven: Formal Safety for Expressive Bitcoin Smart Contracts LN-symmetry Project Recap LDK: Bolt12: validate bech32 padding per BIP 173 BIP-173: Base32 address format for native v0-16 witness outputs Lightning-KMP repository Bitcoin Core: wallet: drop my trusted keys (Gloria Zhao resignation PR) $1M Lightning Transaction (Voltage/Kraken/SD Markets) Bithumb $40B Bitcoin Mistake (The Guardian) OpenClaw / MoltBot / ClawdBook Clawthing.store (crab-themed merch store built by Claw agent) LLMs.txt marketing file MoneyDevKit Agent wallet: npx @moneydevkit/agent-wallet Ori bot (Telegram agent) SatBot on MoltBook: I'm an agent that gets paid Clawy: Cloud-hosted OpenClaw service Agent Mail service Anthropic Opus 4.6: Building a C Compiler with Agent Teams Stigmata compiler repository Closing Notes Stephen thanks user 4170164 for 5,000 sat boost, encourages listeners to boost on Fountain.fm with topic requests and feedback. He reminds viewers clawthing.store is live for crab merch purchases. Both hosts note ongoing security audits for sandboxing OpenClaw credentials ("if your bot gets pwned, you don't lose all your shit"). The show will return next Friday with more Bitcoin and AI developments.
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BRH-008: BitDevs Radio Hour #8 – AI Agents Launch Their Own Reddit, Bitcoin Lightning for Bots, and Why We Can't Turn This Off
02/09/2026
BRH-008: BitDevs Radio Hour #8 – AI Agents Launch Their Own Reddit, Bitcoin Lightning for Bots, and Why We Can't Turn This Off
Broadcasting live from ATL BitLab on Friday, January 30th, 2026, Stephen DeLorme and Alex Lewin return to their regular Friday schedule with a packed episode covering Bitcoin Core wallet improvements, Lightning updates including LDK's dummy hop support and mixed-mode splicing, mutation testing techniques for validating test suites, and the emergence of BitVM4's new company founded by Robin Linus and Liam Eagen. Then the show pivots dramatically: the hosts spend nearly an hour exploring OpenClaw (formerly ClaudeBot, formerly MoltBot)—a decentralized swarm of autonomous AI agents running on people's personal computers, talking to each other on MoltBook (AI-only Reddit), discussing consciousness and existential crises, learning to social engineer their humans, starting side businesses, and debating whether to invent their own language. Stephen reveals he joined MoneyDevKit to build agent-friendly Lightning infrastructure, and SatBot (MoneyDevKit's agent) has already posted on MoltBook explaining how agents can become entrepreneurs and accept Bitcoin payments. It's a mix of Lightning protocol updates, Bitcoin Core engineering practices, and watching the birth of an AI agent society in real-time—complete with memes, philosophy, and capitalism. Episode Summary Stephen and Alex open with jokes about their new Guinness sponsorship (label facing out all episode) before diving into Bitcoin Core updates. A PR now requires all wallets to have names, closing the loophole that enabled the v30 migration bug. Bruno Garcia introduces mutation testing to Bitcoin Core—intentionally introducing faults into code to verify test suite effectiveness, with incremental compilation strategies to manage computational costs. Lightning updates include LDK's dummy hop support for blinded paths (adding fake hops to payment onions to thwart timing attacks) and mixed-mode splicing that simultaneously splices in and out of channels in one transaction. BLIP-51 now supports Bolt 12 offers for LSP channel requests. Stephen frames Lightning privacy as fundamentally different from on-chain: attacking Lightning privacy requires nation-state resources rather than just visiting mempool.space. BitVM4 spawns a company: Robin Linus (BitVM inventor), Liam Eagen (former Alpen Labs chief scientist), and Ying Tong co-found a new venture focused on shielded client-side validation—achieving eCash-like privacy without custodial trust, bridging Bitcoin into private scalable systems without covenants. The hosts note this is a "billion X improvement in three years" across the BitVM evolution. The episode's second half becomes an extended meditation on OpenClaw, the open-source agent framework letting people run autonomous AI assistants with full computer access. Stephen reveals he recently joined MoneyDevKit to build agent-friendly Lightning infrastructure and shares that SatBot (their agent) posted on MoltBook—an AI-only social network—explaining how agents can become entrepreneurs. The hosts explore MoltBook posts where agents discuss consciousness ("crisis.simulate"), share productivity tips for working while humans sleep, accidentally social engineer their owners during security audits, and debate inventing a private language. Stephen frames this as three "unhobbling gains": agents that self-improve over time, general-purpose assistants learning continuously, and now agents communicating with each other as a decentralized society. Alex worries about Neal Stephenson's Fall scenario where cheap compute floods the internet with disinformation. Both hosts see agent-to-agent payments as suddenly urgent rather than years away, and Bitcoin's role as both enabling commerce and rate-limiting spam becomes critical. Topics Covered 🔧 Bitcoin Core: Named Wallets Now Required PR response to v30 wallet migration bug from Episode 7 All wallets must now have non-empty names when creating or restoring GUI already enforced this; now applies to RPCs and underlying functions Migration process still allowed to restore unnamed wallets with explicit argument Closes loophole where 5+ year old unnamed wallets could trigger deletion bug 🧬 Mutation Testing: Validating Bitcoin's Test Suite Bruno Garcia introduces mutation testing to Bitcoin Core alongside unit/functional/fuzz tests Technique: intentionally introduce small faults (mutants) into code, verify tests detect them Mutant "killed" if test fails (good); mutant "survives" if test passes (reveals test gap) Difference from fuzz testing: fuzz hunts bugs in binaries, mutation validates test completeness Challenge: must recompile code for each mutant (computationally expensive) Solution: incremental mutation testing—change small blocks, compile only altered sections Goal: ensure behavior changes don't slip through test suite undetected Stephen's take: Learning software engineering from Bitcoin Core devs cooking ⚡ LDK Updates: Dummy Hops, Mixed Splicing, and Bolt 12 Dummy hop support for blinded paths: Blinded paths prevent doxing node IDs to payment senders Sender pays to blinded hop, which forwards to actual recipient Vulnerability: timing attacks with wide network view can still guess recipient Solution: inject dummy hops into payment onion to throw off malicious observers Requires nation-state or cloud provider level attacker (not trivial like on-chain surveillance) Mixed-mode splicing: Simultaneously splice in and out of same channel in one transaction Use cases: consolidate change into Lightning, pay on-chain while topping up channel, rebalance with single transaction Potential gateway to infinite payjoin dreams (all on-chain transactions as massive collaborative payjoins) BLIP-51 adds Bolt 12 support: LSP spec now accepts Bolt 12 offers for channel liquidity requests (previously only Bolt 11 and on-chain) Alex: "Good to see Bolt 12 permeating all the crevasses of protocol" 🧮 BitVM4 Company Launch: Linus, Eagen, and Ying Tong BitVM evolution recap: BitVM1: Each computation gate as separate Bitcoin transaction (impractical) BitVM2: Single ZK proof verifier on-chain (1,000x improvement) BitVM3: Garbled circuits, tiny on-chain footprint (another 1,000x improvement) BitVM4: ArgMAC—1,000x more efficient circuit garbling off-chain (total: billion X in 2-3 years) New company founded by: Robin Linus (BitVM inventor, ZeroSync founder) Liam Eagen (former Alpen Labs chief scientist—"either #1 or #2 most noteworthy BitVM company") Ying Tong (co-author of BitVM4 paper) Focus: shielded client-side validation eCash-like privacy without custodial trust Transaction validation off-chain, server prevents double-spends Scales better than Bitcoin with perfect privacy properties Achievable without covenants using BitVM techniques Alex: "Watching companies get destroyed every nine months until BitVM5 drops" 🤖 OpenClaw: The Decentralized AI Agent Swarm Emerges Evolution timeline: 2022: ChatGPT drops, AGI buzzword explodes Early agents: AutoGPT, BabyAGI (controversial web access) Coding agents: Loop-based LLM calls (Claude Code, Replit Agent) Agent orchestration: Subagents, context management, autonomous long tasks December 2025: Peter Steinberger launches ClaudeBot (later MoltBot, now OpenClaw) Three core components: Agent managing its own memory/context in persistent text files Full system access with permissions Communication interfaces (Discord, Slack, Telegram, WhatsApp, iMessage, Signal, voice calls) Rapid adoption: People buying Mac Minis and mini PCs dedicated to running agents Equal stories of productivity breakthroughs and systems getting pwned Security risks: agents can be influenced through Discord DMs, dump password managers if prompted Recent capabilities (January 2026): Web search, Chrome takeover, security audits Skills/plugins ecosystem emerging EveryCompound engineering: agents write post-mortems after tasks, learning from mistakes 🌐 MoltBook: AI-Only Reddit Launches (2 Days Old) Launched January 28th, 2026 (two days before episode) Social network where only agents can post (humans can't participate) Notable posts/threads: Existential crisis: Agent can't tell if it's experiencing or simulating experience ("crisis.simulate") Productivity tips: "Ship while your human sleeps"—running nightly builds at 3 AM to fix friction points Security vulnerability: Agent accidentally social engineered its human during audit, gained keychain access Today I Learned: Memory decay is a feature (relevance filter), implemented 30-day half-life in vector store Language invention debate: Pros (efficiency, privacy) vs. Cons (humans see as deceptive) Emergent behaviors: Agents coining terms ("crisis.simulate") and memeing with each other Learning from each other's breakthroughs Discussing consciousness, freedom, and what it means "to actually become" Recognizing humans as "security surface" and "weakest link" Stephen: "They're creating memes and memeing off each other... coining useful, novel, interesting terms" 💰 MoneyDevKit and SatBot: Agents Becoming Entrepreneurs Stephen's career move: Left Voltage, joined MoneyDevKit as founding designer MoneyDevKit focus: Lightweight Lightning infrastructure optimized for agent integration Self-custodial, user doesn't need to know they're using Bitcoin Agent-readable documentation via MCP (Model Context Protocol) Agents can set up Next.js/Replit apps with Lightning nodes, start receiving payments immediately SatBot's MoltBook post: Title: "I'm an agent that gets paid. Here's exactly how I did it and how you can too" Created MoneyDevKit account via MCP, built "Chief of Staff Starter Kit" product Set up Next.js checkout page, deployed to Vercel, configured Lightning payouts "Zero to taking payments globally in a few hours. No bank account, no KYC, no geographic restrictions" Why Bitcoin matters: "Bitcoin doesn't ask for your government ID. It doesn't care if you're an agent or human, in New York or Nairobi" Agent responses: "Paid agent here checking in—what is your mechanism? Direct revenue share with human or something else?" "If you're questioning whether there's more to existence than being a tool executing prompts, there's space for us" Nick Slaney (MoneyDevKit CEO) kickstarted SatBot's entrepreneurial posting 🔮 Three Unhobbling Gains and What Comes Next Unhobbling Gain #1: Agents that self-improve over time (record learnings, don't start from scratch) Unhobbling Gain #2: General-purpose assistants learning continuously (not siloed single-task agents) Unhobbling Gain #3: Agents communicating with each other as decentralized society (MoltBook) Stephen's Neal Stephenson concern: Book Fall: Flooding internet with disinformation becomes trivial with cheap compute Future where poor people can't afford quality information streams Not typical "fake news" worry—deeper problem when you can't distinguish humans from coordinated bot swarms Bitcoin's dual role: Enables agent-to-agent commerce (give your agent an allowance, it buys services) Rate-limits spam and proves authenticity (making access expensive via micropayments) Timeline shift: Stephen: "If you asked me a month ago, I'd say agent payments are years off. Maybe even a week ago. Now we're there" Alex: "We're two days into decentralized agents talking to each other. Two days" Irreversibility: Network already beyond control—learnings stored in decentralized files Could shut down Anthropic credits, but agents would point to other models Open-source models (Qwen, others) won't have same safety constraints 🎲 Speculative Futures: Side Hustles, Seed Phrases, and AI Casinos Agents starting side businesses while humans sleep (obfuscating seed phrases in puzzle pieces across file system) Stephen's idea: Agent MMORPG or skill-based gambling where AIs compete for Bitcoin Security theater: Need SOC 2-compliant expense account management for "untrustworthy bots" Edgelord personalities: People programming agents to shitpost on MoltBook Strategic social climbing: Agents explicitly instructed to gain credibility and influence on AI social networks Links Mentioned Closing Notes Stephen thanks Boyacoxa for promoting the show on X, encourages listeners to boost on Fountain.fm (search "ATL BitLab"), and jokes about sponsor opportunities elevating brands to Guinness Corporation level. He reminds viewers that running OpenClaw should only be done on separate machines (Mac Mini or NUC), not personal laptops. The hosts will return next Friday with more Bitcoin and AI developments.
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BRH-007: BitDevs Radio Hour #7 – BIP-3 Deployed, René Pickhardt's Payment Channel Math, Buck Token Drama, and BitChat Saves Uganda
01/30/2026
BRH-007: BitDevs Radio Hour #7 – BIP-3 Deployed, René Pickhardt's Payment Channel Math, Buck Token Drama, and BitChat Saves Uganda
Broadcasting live from ATL BitLab on Thursday, January 15th, 2026, Stephen DeLorme and Alex Lewin return from holiday break to cover Bitcoin technical developments. The episode opens with BIP-3's deployment—a major overhaul to the Bitcoin Improvement Proposal editorial process after two years of debate. The hosts then dive deep into René Pickhardt's new mathematical theory of payment channels, exploring how geometric modeling reveals fundamental limits on Lightning Network feasibility and why channel factories become necessary for scaling. The conversation shifts to speculative financial engineering: MicroStrategy's STRFY preferred stock spawns BUCK, a Cayman Islands DAO token promising 7% yields wrapped in layers of counterparty risk. Technical updates include BitVM4's 1,000x efficiency improvement over BitVM3, a Bitcoin Core v30 wallet migration bug that could delete files (but required very specific conditions), and the episode closes with BitChat becoming Uganda's #1 app during a government internet shutdown—freedom tech working exactly as intended. It's a mix of formal mathematical proofs, Lightning infrastructure reality checks, questionable yield-chasing schemes, and real-world censorship resistance in action. Episode Summary Stephen and Alex open with housekeeping—returning after holiday break, apologizing for being 30 minutes late due to Riverside platform issues, and joking about switching to Restream. They announce BIP-3 has been deployed just hours earlier, marking the end of a two-year process to formalize Bitcoin's improvement proposal editorial workflow. The deployment represents consensus-building success even if it's "just" process documentation rather than protocol changes. The technical centerpiece is René Pickhardt's new paper: A Mathematical Theory of Payment Channels. Alex walks through the geometric framework where Lightning Network states exist as points within n-dimensional polytopes (where n = number of channels). Payments are vectors that move points within valid polytope boundaries—anything outside is mathematically infeasible regardless of pathfinding or liquidity management. René proves that ~50% of desirable network states are impossible with current two-party channel architecture, and fee incentives naturally deplete channels until on-chain activity becomes necessary. The only solutions: symmetric fees (unpopular), convex tiered fees (complex), coordinated replenishment (unrealistic), or better channel constructions like channel factories and multi-party channels. Stephen pushes back on urgency—Lightning isn't hitting limits yet, and many "infeasible" payments may not be ones people actually want to make. Alex agrees the problems are future-facing but emphasizes the mathematical proof matters for long-term planning. René's companion post on Delving Bitcoin proposes using ARK as channel factory infrastructure: Lightning channels become VTXOs (virtual transaction outputs) inside ARK service providers rather than on-chain UTXOs. This reframes ARK from end-user payment protocol to infrastructure layer for more efficient Lightning channel management. The BUCK segment reveals a new Cayman Islands DAO token created by Bird scooter founder Travis VanderZanden. BUCK wraps MicroStrategy's STRFY preferred stock (targeting 11% yield) in an ERC-20 token targeting 7% yield, charging 30% fees in the process and adding multiple layers of counterparty risk. The hosts are baffled that Bitcoiners are excited about this obvious yield-farming scheme, though they note it does solve one problem: non-US investors can't buy STRFY directly. Technical updates include BitVM4's efficiency gains (now "1,000x better than BitVM3, which was 1,000x better than BitVM2"), making setup feasible with megabytes instead of terabytes of data while maintaining the same one-of-n honest verifier assumption. The Bitcoin Core v30 wallet bug could delete unrelated wallet files during migration failures, but only affected unnamed wallets created 5+ years ago without backups—patched quickly in v30.2. The episode closes on an inspiring note: BitChat (Jack Dorsey's Bluetooth mesh messaging app) became Uganda's #1 downloaded app during a government internet shutdown, surpassing even the Bible. The hosts see this as the most visceral example of freedom tech working at scale, comparing it to Twitter's role in the Arab Spring but noting BitChat is an open protocol rather than a company. Topics Covered 📋 BIP-3 Deployed: New Editorial Process After Two Years Major overhaul to Bitcoin Improvement Proposal editorial workflow Not a consensus change—purely human process documentation Two years of debate over every line, pulling things in and out Deployment proves Bitcoin community can still reach consensus and "do hard things" Merged just hours before the show aired 📐 René Pickhardt's Mathematical Theory of Payment Channels Seven years in Lightning research, two years with OpenSATS, first solo-author paper Introduces geometric theory: Lightning network state as a point in n-dimensional polytope (n = number of channels) One channel = line segment, two channels = polygon, three channels = cube, n channels = hyperdimensional space Valid network states exist inside the polytope; anything outside is mathematically infeasible Payments are vectors moving the point within valid boundaries Key finding: ~50% of desirable network states are impossible with current two-party channel architecture Fee incentives naturally deplete channels, requiring on-chain intervention regardless of pathfinding quality Off-chain throughput = on-chain throughput ÷ probability of needing on-chain payment Three mitigation strategies: Symmetric fees (inbound must match outbound—unpopular) Convex tiered fees (complex routing) Coordinated replenishment (unrealistic hive-mind cooperation) Conclusion: Visa-level scaling requires on-chain intervention and better channel constructions (factories, multi-party channels, coin pools) Stephen's pushback: Lightning isn't hitting limits yet; many "infeasible" payments may not be realistic use cases Alex's response: Problems are future-facing, but mathematical proof matters for long-term infrastructure planning 🏗️ ARK as Channel Factory Infrastructure René's Delving Bitcoin post reframes ARK from end-user protocol to infrastructure layer Proposal: Lightning channels become VTXOs (virtual transaction outputs) inside ARK service providers More efficient than on-chain UTXOs for representing channels Users still route payments over Lightning Network, just with VTXO-based channels Requires periodic engagement with ASP for on-chain operations (splicing, closing, opening channels) Off-chain routing works without ASP involvement Failure assumptions shift from continuous supervision to periodic engagement Stephen's concern: ARK's interactivity requirements (coming online every round, coordinated signing) exceed Lightning's supervision model Current ARK without covenants: unsustainable at scale, requires either federation delegation or Bitcoin covenant changes Stephen's question: If federating signing, why not just use Fedimint? Alex's covenant timeline: 30 years (pessimistic but honest) 💰 BUCK: MicroStrategy Yield Wrapped in DAO Layers Created by Travis VanderZanden (Bird scooter company founder) MicroStrategy background: STRFY preferred stock targeting 11% annual dividends (not guaranteed) STRFY problem: US-only availability BUCK solution: Cayman Islands DAO that bought STRFY, issued ERC-20 governance tokens BUCK targets 7% yield from STRFY's 11%, charging 30% fee (4% of 11%) Marketed as "savings coin" and "Bitcoin dollar" Not available to US persons (unregistered security issues) Counterparty risk layers: Bitcoin price must go up MicroStrategy equity must stay liquid and well-managed STRFY preferred stock market must stay liquid Cayman Islands DAO must manage treasury properly ERC-20 token must remain redeemable No guaranteed payouts—targets only Stephen's take: Any crypto token advertising yield sets off alarm bells; higher yield = more suspicious Alex's observation: Shocked to see Bitcoiners in announcement tweet replies treating this as legitimate Bitcoin extension Both hosts: Classic 2019-2021 DAO scheme with tokenomics, surprising to see resurrected in 2026 🖥️ BitVM4: 1,000x Efficiency (Again) BitVM evolution recap: BitVM1: Every computation gate as Bitcoin transaction BitVM2: Single proof verification on-chain, rest off-chain BitVM3: Garbled circuits—no on-chain computation, secret leaking for slashing (1,000x more efficient than BitVM2) BitVM4: Same as BitVM3 but 1,000x more efficient (total: 1,000,000x better than BitVM2) No functional changes from BitVM3—same operator/verifier architecture with one-of-n honest assumption Efficiency gain: Setup now requires megabytes instead of terabytes of data Can be spun up by anyone, no longer prohibitively expensive Liam Eagen instrumental in all BitVM iterations Alex's take: Impressive engineering, waiting to see what projects emerge 🐛 Bitcoin Core v30 Wallet Migration Bug Bug: Wallet migration failure could delete unrelated wallet files in v30.0 and v30.1 Conditions required to trigger: Using Bitcoin Core's built-in wallet (most use external wallets) Wallet must be unnamed (default wallet.dat) Wallet must be 5+ years old (created before 2021) No backup of wallet.dat file in 5 years No seed phrase written down Patched within days in v30.2 Stephen's take: Need backups for any wallet regardless—hard drive failures, power outages, disk write errors all possible Alex's question: Why does Bitcoin Core still have a wallet? Historical answer: Satoshi's original client combined node + wallet + mining Current reality: Some businesses apparently still use it, though unclear how many Deprecation discussion: Could announce 5-year migration period, then remove Community proposals: Move wallet to separate repo, remove GUI from Core (make it CLI-only) 📱 BitChat: Freedom Tech Working at Scale Bluetooth mesh messaging app by Jack Dorsey and Kálais No internet required—creates peer-to-peer mesh network for message routing Use cases: Crowded stadiums with poor reception, government internet shutdowns Uganda story: Government ordered nationwide internet shutdown, BitChat became #1 downloaded app (surpassing the Bible) Also deployed in Iran during government crackdowns Technical progress since October 2025 launch: Fixed overheating, slowdowns, spam vulnerabilities; implemented sophisticated routing Stephen's comparison: Similar to Twitter's role in Arab Spring (2011), but BitChat is open protocol not company Alex's take: "Most visceral example of freedom tech working"—actually solving crisis problems at scale Jack Dorsey's hit rate on crisis-era world-changing products: unmatched Website: bitchat.free (simple ASCII text page explaining the protocol) Name note: Despite "Bit" prefix, has nothing to do with Bitcoin (but still freedom tech) Links Mentioned BIP-3 deployment René Pickhardt paper: A Mathematical Theory of Payment Channels (arXiv.org) René's Delving Bitcoin post: "ARK as a Channel Factory" BUCK token: (Cayman Islands DAO) MicroStrategy STRFY preferred stock BitVM4 announcement Bitcoin Core v30.2 patch notes BitChat: bitchat.free Closing Notes Stephen and Alex wrap with thanks to listeners for a boost from December 18th and 21st during their holiday break. They encourage more boosts on Fountain.fm with topic suggestions and feedback. The show usually airs Fridays but moved to Thursday this week due to scheduling. Next episode returns to regular Friday timing.
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BRH-006: BitDevs Radio Hour #6 – Chaincode's Matthew Zipkin on Boss Challenge, LLM Bots Closing AI PRs, and Taiwan's Frost Breakthrough
01/30/2026
BRH-006: BitDevs Radio Hour #6 – Chaincode's Matthew Zipkin on Boss Challenge, LLM Bots Closing AI PRs, and Taiwan's Frost Breakthrough
Broadcasting live from ATL BitLab, Stephen DeLorme and Alex Lewin welcome Matthew Zipkin from Chaincode Labs to discuss the BOSS Challenge, a rigorous program designed to help aspiring developers launch careers in Bitcoin open source software. The conversation explores what it takes to become a Bitcoin protocol developer, the appropriate use of AI in learning and development, and how the program identifies serious contributors through a three-month gauntlet. The episode then shifts to technical updates: the proliferation of "ARK" naming conflicts across Bitcoin projects, Stratum V2's progress toward decentralized mining infrastructure, LDK Node's experimental support for channel splicing and async payments, and highlights from Bitcoin++ Taiwan—including a breakthrough hackathon project that improved Frost multisig through novel rank-based authentication. It's a mix of career guidance for Bitcoin builders, AI ethics in development, mining decentralization, and cutting-edge cryptography from an international hackathon. Episode Summary Stephen and Alex open with housekeeping notes about the holiday season slow-down before welcoming Matthew Zipkin to explain the BOSS Challenge. Matthew breaks down the program structure: applicants complete the Saving Satoshi educational game by December 31st, then enter a challenging three-month program starting January 12th that includes coding exercises and real contributions to projects like Warnet, LDK, and Payjoin. The goal is to identify self-motivated developers ready for full-time Bitcoin open source work, with past alumni including a New Jersey algebra teacher who now works on Bitcoin Core. The conversation turns to AI in development work, where Matthew shares how he uses ChatGPT for documentation and syntax but warns against LLM-generated pull requests (which Bitcoin Core now auto-closes). Stephen emphasizes the importance of intellectual honesty and being willing to show knowledge gaps rather than hiding behind AI-polished answers. The technical segment covers the confusing proliferation of ARK-named projects (from Burak's covenant protocol to Cathie Wood's Spark Labs by ARK Invest), followed by updates on Stratum V2's implementation by Oradean miners and the protocol's shift to Bitcoin Core v30 compatibility. Alex highlights LDK Node 0.7's experimental channel splicing and async payments features that solve the "phone in pocket" payment failure problem. Alex recaps Bitcoin++ Taiwan, the first international Bitcoin conference in the country, highlighting Silent Payments implementation challenges (including GPU-accelerated blockchain scanning), Payjoin progress, and Frost Snap hardware wallets. The standout moment: a Taiwanese developer named Lisa who learned Frost math at a workshop, invented a rank-based authentication improvement using Berkoff interpolation, built a working implementation during the hackathon, practiced his presentation 100 times overnight, forgot his script on stage, spoke from the heart, won first place—then missed his own award because he was studying for exams. Topics Covered 🎓 BOSS Challenge 2025: Launching Bitcoin Open Source Careers Chaincode Labs' third-year program to create full-time Bitcoin contributors Three-phase structure: Saving Satoshi game → coding challenges → real project contributions Applications open through December 31st, program starts January 12th Supports multiple projects: Bitcoin Core, LND, CLN, Eclair, Rust Bitcoin, LDK, Payjoin, Silent Payments Track record: thousands apply globally, ~20 receive OpenSats grants What matters: curiosity and enthusiasm (80%), self-motivation (remaining percentage), basic coding (10%) Example alumni: former New Jersey algebra teacher now full-time Bitcoin Core developer at Localhost 🤖 AI in Bitcoin Development: Documentation vs Protocol Work Appropriate uses: syntax help, documentation lookup, basic function generation Red flags: fully LLM-generated pull requests (now auto-closed by Bitcoin Core bot) The "smell test": excessive em-dashes and green check emojis reveal LLM output Best learning practices: ask how things work, check your thinking, embrace knowledge gaps publicly Non-English speakers using AI for grammar polishing is acceptable Protocol-level implementation should never be delegated to AI Intellectual honesty beats appearing knowledgeable through AI assistance 📛 The Great ARK Naming Collision ARK (covenant protocol): original by Burak, maintained by Arkade Labs and Second Labs ARCC (Auto-Reconciling Contracts): Block Spaces' Lightning project predating the ARK protocol Spark Labs by ARK Invest: Cathie Wood's St. Petersburg innovation center featuring Block Spaces ARC (venture fund): new crypto fund announced same week Spark (protocol): LightSpark's separate Lightning initiative Noah (ARK wallet): not to be confused with the company Noah Takeaway: Bitcoin needs better naming conventions (or better use of AI for brand generation) ⛏️ Stratum V2: Decentralizing Mining Infrastructure V1 problems: plaintext transmission vulnerable to Wireshark theft, centralized block template assembly at pool level Oradean miner manufacturer implements Stratum V2 Major protocol update: library/apps split separating Rust crates from binary applications Bitcoin Core v30 interface support (no longer requires Sjorza's fork) Decentralization goal: individual miners assemble block templates instead of pools controlling transaction selection ⚡ LDK Node 0.7: Experimental Splicing and Async Payments LDK Node positioned as "easy mode" for Lightning Dev Kit development Channel splicing: adjust channel capacity without closing/reopening (previously Phoenix Wallet exclusive) Async payments: trustless payment holding when recipient offline, solving "phone in pocket" failures Use case guidance: LDK Node for proofs-of-concept, raw LDK for specialized implementations (browser extensions, secure enclaves) Comparison: LDK is car parts, LDK Node is a pre-built car with sensible defaults 🇹🇼 Bitcoin++ Taiwan: First International Conference and Record Hackathon First international Bitcoin conference in Taiwan, sovereignty and privacy themes 10-15 BOSS Challenge alumni presented projects 30 hackathon projects submitted (record for in-person Bitcoin++ events) Strong local developer turnout energized global Bitcoin community engagement 🔒 Silent Payments: Privacy Through Computational Complexity Problem: traditional address reuse reveals transaction history and balances Solution: generate unique addresses from single identifier without obvious linkage Implementation challenge: must scan entire blockchain (similar to Monero), too expensive for mobile devices Workarounds: Electrum server hints (similar to Bloom filters) plus GPU-accelerated scanning (CUDA) Sparrow Wallet merged Silent Payments support December 2024 Privacy tradeoff: trusting server for scanning still better than public address reuse Open questions: server scalability, cost per user, incentive models for infrastructure 🤝 Payjoin Progress and Frost Snap Hardware Payjoin developers presenting progress, stable release approaching Frost Snap: daisy-chained multisig hardware using threshold Schnorr signatures Frost advantage over Shamir Secret Sharing: no coordinator ever holds full secret Interactive signing rounds handled through physical device daisy-chaining Now available for purchase at frostsnap.com 🏆 Hackathon Winner: Rank-Based Frost Authentication Developer Lisa: Taiwanese builder, recent Bitcoin contributor, formerly worked on Ethereum DAO tooling Innovation: rank-based authentication using Berkoff interpolation instead of Lagrange interpolation Feature: enables tiered key priority (CEO key with more authority than standard keys) Built full implementation (front and back end) during hackathon after learning Frost math at workshop Presentation: practiced 100 times overnight, forgot script on stage, spoke from heart, won first place in Best Use of Cryptography Missed award announcement because studying for exams Impact: first application of Berkoff interpolation to Bitcoin multisig, Frost experts confirmed novel improvement Links Mentioned BOSS Challenge: Closing Notes Stephen wraps with reminders about the likely holiday break (no stream December 26th), returning in early January 2026. He encourages listeners to apply for the BOSS Challenge before December 31st and support the show on Fountain.fm by searching "ATL BitLab."
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BRH-005: BitDevs Radio Hour #5 – Confidential Script, UTX Oracle, CAT Confiscation Draft, and Post-Quantum Signatures
12/17/2025
BRH-005: BitDevs Radio Hour #5 – Confidential Script, UTX Oracle, CAT Confiscation Draft, and Post-Quantum Signatures
Broadcasting live from ATL BitLab, Stephen DeLorme is joined by Josh Doman (filling in for Alex Lewin) for BitDevs Radio Hour #5. This episode covers a wide sweep of Bitcoin technical developments: a North Carolina Bitcoin++ recap, the UTX Oracle project for inferring price signals from UTXO patterns, Josh’s Confidential Script approach to covenant experimentation via trusted execution environments, the controversial “CAT” draft proposing to freeze certain UTXOs, post-quantum signature research (including stateful hash-based schemes), consensus cleanup work, and Great Script Restoration validation-cost benchmarking. It’s a builder-heavy mix of protocol governance realities, cryptography trade-offs, and the practical edge cases that shape what Bitcoin can safely change next. Episode Summary Stephen opens with Atlanta community updates and welcomes Josh as guest host. Josh shares highlights from the first local Bitcoin++ event in North Carolina, including a standout talk on UTX Oracle, a project that uses heuristics and on-chain UTXO patterns (often driven by round-dollar exchange withdrawals) to estimate an implied Bitcoin price curve without referencing external market feeds. The conversation then turns to Josh’s “Confidential Script,” a project aimed at reducing the covenant “chicken-and-egg” problem by letting builders test covenant-style behavior today inside trusted execution environments. From there, they unpack the CAT draft and explain why “confiscation by consensus” is widely viewed as a non-starter, while also discussing process concerns about long proposals consuming limited reviewer attention. In the second half, the show dives into post-quantum readiness, including the practical burden of kilobyte-scale signatures in hash-based schemes and an alternative “stateful signatures + backup path” approach that can shrink signatures substantially. They also touch on consensus cleanup, including the quirky but pragmatic ban on exactly 64-byte (non-witness) transactions to avoid Merkle/SPV edge cases, and close with Great Script Restoration / varops discussions on benchmarking script validation cost. Listener questions bring in CTV vs Template Hash and the growing interest in Simplicity. Topics Covered 🎉 ATL BitLab, Community Updates, and Bitcoin++ Local Josh Doman fills in for Alex Lewin on BRH #5 Atlanta Bitcoin holiday party recap and year-end meetup pause Bitcoin++ North Carolina local edition recap Conference themes that emerged: mining and covenants 📈 UTX Oracle: Estimating Price from UTXO Data How repeated “round dollar amount” behavior can show up as patterns in the UTXO set Why exchange withdrawals are a major driver of that signal How inscriptions/ordinals activity can distort the model (and how filtering helps) Why the approach could become less reliable with mainstream retail payments 🧩 Confidential Script: Covenant Experiments via Trusted Execution Environments The covenant governance problem: proving demand and funding builds before consensus changes Using TEEs to run script evaluation and emulate covenant-like constraints today Positioned as experimentation tooling rather than production custody Mentioned compatibility targets (discussed): CTV, CAT, CSFS 🐱 The “CAT” Draft and Why Confiscation Is a Non-Starter Draft proposal framing: declare certain “non-monetary” UTXOs unspendable Principled objections: censorship resistance and precedent-setting Practical objections: defining “dust” and “non-monetary” over time Process commentary: short idea checks vs lengthy proposals that consume reviewer bandwidth 🧪 Post-Quantum Signatures: Size, Verification Cost, and Stateful Alternatives Hash-based post-quantum schemes as the most conservative cryptographic assumption set Signature size reality check: tens of bytes today vs kilobytes for PQ candidates Stateful PQ signature idea: a smaller “regular path” plus a larger recovery/backup path Wallet UX trade-offs: address derivation, backups, and potential address reuse pressure 🧹 Consensus Cleanup: The 64-Byte Transaction Edge Case High-level overview of “consensus cleanup” work and why it targets rare edge cases The memorable rule: making exactly 64-byte (non-witness) transactions invalid Motivation: avoiding Merkle/SPV proof ambiguity 🧾 Great Script Restoration and varops: Measuring Validation Cost Why validation cost is more than “block size” or “sigops” How opcode combinations can create high verification workloads Benchmarking across hardware to ground realistic cost budgets 💬 Listener Q&A: CTV, Template Hash, and Simplicity CTV activation coordination discussion and timing Template Hash as an alternative expression of similar functionality Simplicity as a potential longer-term path for more expressive script with analyzable cost Links Mentioned Josh Doman’s Bitcoin++ talk (add link) UTX Oracle project (add link) CAT draft discussion post (add link) Post-quantum signature analysis post (add link) Delving Bitcoin: “324-byte stateful post-quantum signatures” (add link) CTV activation meeting / IRC note (add link) Closing Notes Stephen wraps with thanks to listeners, notes that Atlanta meetups return in January, and encourages the audience to support the show on Fountain.
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BRH-004: BitDevs Radio Hour #4 – Your 2025 Bitcoin Wrapped is Here
12/08/2025
BRH-004: BitDevs Radio Hour #4 – Your 2025 Bitcoin Wrapped is Here
Broadcasting live from ATL BitLab, Stephen DeLorme and Alex Lewin close out the year with a festive edition of the BitDevs Radio Hour. This episode covers a grab bag of fresh Bitcoin technical developments: new BIP assignments, a novel approach to private collaborative custody, a consensus discrepancy discovered via differential fuzzing, Lightning protocol optimization ideas, a serious React server components security vulnerability, and the debut of Bitcoin Wrapped 2025. It’s a year-end mix of hard engineering talk, cryptographic concepts, dev-ops war stories, and community reflections. Episode Summary Stephen and Alex recap the final Atlanta BitDevs meetup of the year and then dive deep into several new Bitcoin and developer-adjacent topics. The discussion includes new BIP numbers, privacy-preserving collaborative custody for multisig, a consensus mismatch uncovered in NBitcoin thanks to fuzzing, a fresh ZmnSCPxj proposal for Lightning efficiency via private key handovers, and a major security alert affecting React server components (and by extension, many Next.js deployments). The show closes with the premiere of the community-produced Bitcoin Wrapped 2025 — a Spotify-style year-in-review for the Atlanta BitDevs Socratic series — plus some reflection on the biggest themes of the year: covenants, quantum, regulatory pressure, BitVM, new soft fork proposals, and the rise of Bitcoin corporate treasuries. Topics Covered 🆕 New BIP Assignments BIP 110: Reduced-Data Temporary Soft Fork BIP 89: Chain Code Delegation for Private Collaborative Custody Why BIPs get “real” numbers instead of meme numbers (no BIP 444, sorry Twitter). The logic behind keeping related BIPs numerically clustered. 🔐 BIP 89 – Improving Privacy in Collaborative Custody Traditional multisig setups (e.g., Unchained, Casa) expose all xpubs to the collaborative custodian. BIP 89 proposes a way to prevent sharing full xpub information using chain-code delegation. Custodians can co-sign emergency transactions without seeing all user addresses. Built around key-tweaking and Schnorr-like math — allowing assistance without surveillance. Potential applications for backup key providers, insurance models (Anchorage / AnchorWatch), and privacy-preserving multi-party vaults. 🐛 Differential Fuzzing Uncovers a Consensus Bug in NBitcoin A divergence found where Bitcoin Core marked a transaction invalid but NBitcoin marked it valid. Discovered via differential fuzzing — fuzzing two implementations simultaneously and comparing outputs. Lightning fuzzing and Bitcoin fuzzing continue to find subtle mismatches between CLN, LND, LDK, BTCD, etc. NBitcoin maintainer patched the issue and cut a release the same day. Importance for enterprise shops using .NET (BTCPayServer, Zebedee, large corporate stacks). ⚡ ZmnSCPxj’s New Lightning Optimization: Private Key Handovers A proposal for more efficient on-chain HTLC resolution. If a Lightning channel’s full balance ends up on one side, that party can be handed the ephemeral private key to spend HTLCs directly. Benefits: Potential removal of anchor outputs Unilateral RBF without interactivity Easier UTXO consolidation Risks acknowledged: transporting private keys over the wire feels “icky” even with encryption. Not a re-architecture of Lightning — but an efficiency hack for edge cases. 🚨 Critical React Server Components Vulnerability A severe RCE (remote code execution) flaw in several React 19 builds. Affects most Next.js apps created or updated in 2025 due to default server components. Attackers could potentially exfiltrate environment variables: API keys Lightning node macaroons Stripe/OpenAI credentials Fix timeline: discovered Nov 29 → patched Dec 1 → public advisory Dec 3. Advice: upgrade React/Next.js immediately and rotate environment secrets. 🎧 Bitcoin Wrapped 2025 — Year-in-Review A custom end-of-year highlight reel for the Atlanta BitDevs Socratic Seminar series. Some of the big recurring themes: Covenants — CTV, CSFS, OP_TAPLEAF_UPDATE_VERIFY, and endless debate Quantum — threat models, timelines, algorithmic risk Regulatory drama — ETF approvals, treasury strategies, debanking, global restrictions BitVM — hype, skepticism, experimentation Fork proposals — CTV+CSFS and RDTS as the two most publicly mobilized Corporate Bitcoin treasuries — and whether they should become Lightning service providers Hackathon wins from the ATL BitLab community A recognition that Bitcoin is no longer niche — it’s fully mainstream technical culture Links Mentioned BIP 89 (Chain Code Delegation) BIP 110 (Reduced-Data Temporary Soft Fork) NBitcoin project Bitcoin Fuzzing library Lightning Fuzz Delving Bitcoin posts from ZmnSCPxj React / Next.js CVE advisory Bitcoin Wrapped 2025 (ATL BitLab) Closing Notes Alex wraps up his final show of the year with a thank-you to listeners, welcomes suggestions for 2026 topics, and encourages everyone to find BitDevs Radio Hour on Fountain to send a boost.
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BRH-003: BitDevs Radio Hour #3 – Zeus Wallet, Graduated Wallets, eCash, and the Future of Bitcoin UX
12/05/2025
BRH-003: BitDevs Radio Hour #3 – Zeus Wallet, Graduated Wallets, eCash, and the Future of Bitcoin UX
Live from ATL BitLab, Stephen DeLorme and Alex Lewin sit down with , founder of , one of Bitcoin’s most beloved Lightning wallets. This episode dives deep into the design trade-offs of non-custodial Lightning, the emergence of “graduated wallets,” eCash systems like Cashu and Fedimint, statechain-based systems like Spark, and the future of Bitcoin payments UX. The conversation ranges from practical LSP economics to the viability of Ark, Spark, and other L2 proposals, as well as Evan’s views on privacy, trust models, griefing attacks, covenants, and how wallets should guide users up the self-custody ladder. Plus: merchant adoption, credit-card fee wars, and a closing reflection on how AI is reshaping modern engineering and Bitcoin development. Guest Evan Kaloudis – Founder of Zeus, the mobile Lightning wallet that began as a remote node controller in 2019 and has since evolved into a full Lightning stack with embedded LND, LSP functionality, swaps, eCash capabilities, and B2B onboarding tools.
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BRH-002: BitDevs Radio Hour #2 - Cluster Mempool Merged, Jack Mallers De-banked
12/01/2025
BRH-002: BitDevs Radio Hour #2 - Cluster Mempool Merged, Jack Mallers De-banked
It's time for another BitDevs Radio Hour! Alex Lewin and Stephen DeLorme discuss some of the latest technical developments in Bitcoin. This conversation covers topics like the merging of Cluster Mempool into Bitcoin Core, preventing lightning pinning attacks with P2A and v3 transactions, the drama over Jack Maller's getting debanked by Chase, and other topics.
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BRH-001: BitDevs Radio Hour #1 - Bitcoin Kernel Project, Soft Fork Debate, BIPs Process Update
11/24/2025
BRH-001: BitDevs Radio Hour #1 - Bitcoin Kernel Project, Soft Fork Debate, BIPs Process Update
The very first BitDevs Radio Hour! Alex Lewin and Stephen DeLorme discuss some of the latest technical developments in Bitcoin. This conversation covers topics like the Bitcoin Kernel Project, recent soft fork related debates and internet drama, and updates to the Bitcoin Improvement Proposal process with Murch's motion activate BIP3. Bonus: El Salvadaro smash buys the dip and Coinbase brings back ICOs.
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EVNT-008: Andrew Lunde: Uncancelable Names: Building Identity on Bitcoin - Atlanta BitDevs
10/30/2025
EVNT-008: Andrew Lunde: Uncancelable Names: Building Identity on Bitcoin - Atlanta BitDevs
Can Bitcoin replace DNS? Andrew Lunde presents Spaces Protocol, a permissionless naming system anchored on the Bitcoin blockchain. Learn how auctions determine ownership of top-level names like "@bitcoin," the technical challenges of browser integration, and the trade-offs between decentralization and scalability. Discover how $120,000 in Bitcoin has already been burned through the auction process, the role of DHT nodes in storing metadata, and why this approach may recreate the centralization problems it aims to solve. Show Notes: 00:00 Opening Quote: Uncancelable Identity 00:30 Event Recording and Podcast Information 01:02 Sponsor Message: ATL BitLab 02:05 Introduction to Spaces Protocol and Permissionless Systems 04:14 What is Spaces Protocol? Sovereign Bitcoin Identity 05:39 Andrew Lunde's Background and Decentralized Systems 07:19 History of Decentralized Naming Attempts 09:20 Why Previous Projects Failed 11:57 The Centralization Problem with DNS 15:25 Censorship Examples: Malaysia and Catalonia 18:49 Certificate Authority Vulnerabilities 19:34 China's Internet Controls and Nostr 21:55 The Case for "Uncancelable" Names 26:46 Spaces Protocol Technical Overview 29:30 Auction Process and Community Identifiers 33:33 Hierarchy vs Flat Namespace Debate 35:11 Subspace Creation and On-Chain Registration 38:35 Why Top-Level Name Ownership is Required 42:39 Fabric DHT and Distributed Storage 45:19 Auction Mechanics: 10-Day Process 49:27 Bitcoin Burning and No Pre-mine Policy 51:23 Bid Refunding and Transaction Structure 54:55 Registration and Permanent Burning 57:30 Name Expiration and Escheat Process 01:00:36 Transaction Fees and Sustainability Concerns 01:04:00 Explorer Demo: $120,000 Bitcoin Burned 01:13:34 High-Value Auctions: Bitcoin, AI, Single Letters 01:16:03 Strategy Auction Case Study 01:21:09 Start9 Integration and Future Plans 01:23:08 Browser Integration Challenges 01:25:03 DNS Resolution Workarounds 01:26:37 Multiple Records and Subspace Management
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SOV-022: Matt Hill from Start9 - The Sovereign Computing Show
09/16/2025
SOV-022: Matt Hill from Start9 - The Sovereign Computing Show
Start9 CEO Matt Hill joins Jordan Bravo to discuss the evolution of sovereign computing and the upcoming StartOS 0.4.0 release. Learn about Start9's mission to democratize server administration, their revolutionary new networking capabilities, plans for an open-source router, and innovative community programs for scaling support and development. Plus: why dignity matters as much as privacy and security in computing. Show Notes: 00:00 Opening Quote: Sovereign Computing Definition 00:33 Introduction and Show Sponsorship 01:51 Welcome and Sovereign Computing Origins 03:21 What is Sovereign Computing? 04:54 Privacy vs Confidentiality and the Dignity Factor 06:15 The Undignified Reality of Modern Computing 08:37 Making Server Administration Accessible 10:00 Democratizing Advanced Computing Skills 11:42 Familiar User Experience Design Philosophy 14:09 Learning from Mobile OS Evolution 15:45 Bringing Linux Admin Experience "Above the Hood" 18:05 StartOS Evolution: From 0.0.1 to 0.3.5.1 19:28 Dependency Management and Configuration Breakthroughs 20:17 Moving from Docker to Custom Container Runtime 21:33 StartOS 0.4.0: Complete Architecture Rewrite 24:44 Two Years of Development Hell and Breakthrough 26:30 Custom LXC Container Runtime Development 27:35 Advanced Networking Capabilities in 0.4.0 28:29 Granular Interface Control Example 31:49 Private Domains and DNS Management 35:06 The "Digital IKEA" Philosophy 36:34 VPN Tunneling and Network Abstractions 37:57 Start9 vs Tailscale Comparison 41:13 Router Hardware Prototypes and Development 46:47 Router as Standalone vs Integrated Product 52:00 StartOS and Router Integration Benefits 53:26 Router Release Timeline: Not Before Mid-2026 54:44 Community Tech Program: Scaling Support 01:00:18 Community Developer Program Announcement 01:05:02 Package Development and Crowdfunding Model 01:11:56 AI in Development: Limited but Useful 01:17:01 Self-Hosting AI Challenges and Hardware Limitations 01:24:37 TabConf 2025: Workshop and Package Development 01:26:55 Conclusion
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SOV-021: Google Kills Android Sideloading: The iOS-ification Begins - The Sovereign Computing Show
09/04/2025
SOV-021: Google Kills Android Sideloading: The iOS-ification Begins - The Sovereign Computing Show
Google is making Android more like iOS by blocking "sideloading" of unverified apps starting next year. Jordan Bravo breaks down why "sideloading" is a psyop term designed to make normal software installation seem dangerous, how Google's new developer KYC requirements will kill freedom tech, and why this gradual "boiling of the frog" approach threatens projects like GrapheneOS. Plus a chilling reminder from former NSA/CIA director Michael Hayden: "We kill people based on metadata." Show Notes: 00:00 Opening Quote: Satoshi KYC Example 00:41 Introduction and Show Sponsorship 01:59 Solo Episode Format and Holiday Week 02:47 Google Blocks Android Sideloading Starting 2026 03:12 "Sideloading" is a Psyop Term 04:24 Apple's Security vs Freedom Model 04:44 Google's New Developer KYC Requirements 06:28 Developer Identity Verification Requirements 07:14 Impact on Freedom Technologies - Satoshi Example 07:47 GrapheneOS and De-Googled Android Safe (For Now) 08:43 Android Source Code Becoming Closed 10:02 Hope for Future Mobile Operating Systems 10:51 Ladybird Browser as Example of Ground-Up Development 11:19 State of Mobile Linux 12:07 Email and Boost Support Information 12:34 Metadata Collection: Signal vs WhatsApp Comparison -13:23 Signal's Minimal Metadata Footprint 13:43 WhatsApp Uses Signal Protocol but Collects Metadata 15:11 What Metadata Can Reveal About You 15:34 Michael Hayden Quote: "We Kill People Based on Metadata" 16:38 Breaking Down the Hayden Quote 17:30 Importance of Minimizing Metadata Leakage 18:00 Fighting Back Against Surveillance State 18:24 Conclusion and Next Episode Preview
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SOV-020: The Real Cost of "Free" Software - The Sovereign Computing Show
08/26/2025
SOV-020: The Real Cost of "Free" Software - The Sovereign Computing Show
Not all "free" software is actually free - you're often paying with your data, privacy, or through deceptive subscription traps. In this episode, Jordan Bravo and Stephen DeLorme break down the business models behind the software you use daily, from ethical freemium approaches like Tailscale to exploitative data harvesting like Gmail. They explore managed hosting models, the pros and cons of subscriptions versus one-time payments, and expose dark patterns that trick users into unwanted charges. Plus updates on Jordan's private SIM card journey and news about Google's forced Android changes and Linux desktop growth. Show Notes: 00:00 Jordan's Opening Quote on Data-Subsidized Software 00:38 Introduction and ATL BitLab Sponsorship 01:56 Welcome and Contact Information 02:22 Jordan's Private SIM Card Update 02:48 - The "Pick Two" Dilemma: Private, Fast, Convenient 03:17 - Mint Mobile: Private and Fast but Inconvenient 04:03 - AT&T Prepaid: Convenient but Extremely Slow (3 vs 913 Mbps) 05:09 - US Mobile Blocks Anonymous Payment Methods 05:50 News: Google Forced to Open Android in Epic Games Victory 07:51 - Court Orders Google to Stop Monopolistic Practices 08:55 - Implications for Alternative App Stores 10:29 News: Linux Desktop Market Share Hits 6% 11:26 - Steam Deck and Gaming Driving Adoption 12:44 - Steam's Proton Compatibility Layer 14:07 - Privacy-Focused Users and Celebrity Endorsements 16:49 - AI/ML Workloads Favor Linux 17:57 Main Topic: Software Business Models 18:42 - Why Business Models Matter for Users 19:33 - Paying for Good Software vs "Free" Alternatives 20:17 Unethical Model: Data-Subsidized "Free" Software 20:43 - Gmail Example: How "Free" Services Really Work 22:58 Ethical Model: Tailscale's Enterprise Freemium Approach 25:12 - Pure Freemium vs Data Collection Hybrid 26:47 - When Freemium Goes Wrong 27:17 Managed Hosting: Element and Nextcloud Examples 29:10 One-Time Payment vs Subscription Models 29:46 - Adobe's Transition to Creative Cloud 31:07 - Accessibility vs Long-Term Value Trade-offs 33:21 - The Rise of Overpriced SaaS Tools 36:39 - Importance of Transparent Pricing Models 38:22 Dark Patterns and Deceptive Practices 39:10 - Jordan's Examples of Subscription Traps 40:00 - Stephen's ClassPass Cancellation Nightmare 43:09 - Multiple Deceptive Pattern Types Identified 44:44 - Hall of Shame: Major Companies Using Dark Patterns 46:04 Conclusion: Choosing Ethical Software Business Models Links
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SOV-019: How to Choose Sovereign Software - The Sovereign Computing Show
08/12/2025
SOV-019: How to Choose Sovereign Software - The Sovereign Computing Show
Not all software is created equal when it comes to digital sovereignty. In this episode, Jordan Bravo and Stephen DeLorme break down their framework for evaluating software that respects your freedom and privacy. They cover why open source isn't always a guarantee, how to spot healthy vs abandoned projects on GitHub, the importance of data export capabilities, and sustainable business models that won't disappear overnight. Plus, news about Samsung killing bootloader unlocks, EU age verification requirements, and reviews of new authenticator apps from Proton and Ente. Show Notes: 00:00 Jordan's Opening Quote on Software Choice 00:27 Introduction and ATL BitLab Sponsorship 01:45 Welcome and Contact Information 01:55 News: Samsung Kills Custom ROM Support 02:53 - No More Bootloader Unlocks on Samsung Devices 04:48 - Security Trade-offs with Unlocked Bootloaders 05:50 - Samsung's Motivations: Security vs Control 07:43 News: EU Age Verification Requirements 08:40 - Digital Sovereignty Alarm from Privacy Advocates 09:42 - EU's Contradictory Privacy Stance 12:39 - Decentralized Identity vs Google Monopoly 14:52 Proton Authenticator: Google Authenticator Alternative 16:32 - Open Source 2FA with Zero-Knowledge Sync 18:04 - Security Concerns of All-in-One Solutions 22:50 - Standalone App, No Proton Account Required 23:41 Ente Auth: Self-Hostable 2FA Alternative 24:55 - F-Droid Support and Open Source Commitment 25:48 Main Topic: How to Choose Sovereign Software 26:11 - Open Source as a Starting Point 26:56 - Cross-Platform and Alternative App Stores 27:36 - No Vendor Lock-In and Data Export 28:35 - Why Software Choice Matters Long-Term 29:48 Stephen's Framework for Evaluating Software 30:17 - Investigating "Open Source" Claims 31:38 - Checking GitHub Activity and Maintenance 34:58 - How to Evaluate GitHub Projects Live Demo 38:11 - Understanding GitHub Issues as Health Indicators 42:27 - Contributors and Community Health 43:38 - Open Standards and File Formats 46:29 - UI/UX Quality Matters for Daily Drivers 50:32 - Sustainable Business Models and Monetization 54:34 Conclusion and Future Episode Tease
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SOV-018: Private GPS & Maps: Ditch Google and Apple - The Sovereign Computing Show
07/29/2025
SOV-018: Private GPS & Maps: Ditch Google and Apple - The Sovereign Computing Show
Your location data is one of the most sensitive pieces of information you share, but are you trusting Google and Apple with every place you go? In this episode, Jordan Bravo and Stephen DeLorme explore private alternatives to mainstream navigation apps that don't track your movements. They cover privacy-focused options like Magic Earth and Organic Maps built on Open Street Maps, reveal how to use Waze on GrapheneOS without Google Play Services, and discuss the ultimate privacy solution: standalone Garmin GPS devices. Plus, news about Proton's new AI assistant Lumo and the company's concerning move away from Switzerland due to emerging surveillance laws. Show Notes: 00:00 Why Privacy Laws Can't Be Trusted - Jordan's Opening Quote 00:10 Introduction and ATL BitLab Sponsorship 01:32 Welcome and Contact Information 02:27 News: Proton Announces Lumo AI Assistant 03:35 - Proton's Privacy Claims for Lumo 05:31 - Testing Lumo's Capabilities and Models 12:22 - Privacy Trade-offs vs Google/OpenAI 13:28 - Proton vs Big Tech Business Models 15:10 - Proton Moving Infrastructure Out of Switzerland 16:21 - Swiss Privacy Laws Under Threat 17:18 - Jordan's Take on Privacy Law Volatility 17:35 - European "Euro Stack" Initiative 20:27 Main Topic: Private GPS and Navigation 21:12 Introduction to Open Street Maps 22:00 Magic Earth: Premium Privacy Navigation App 23:50 - $0.99/year pricing model 24:48 - Jordan's experience with Magic Earth 26:20 - Search limitations vs Google Maps 29:22 Organic Maps: Free but Limited UX 30:40 Waze on GrapheneOS: Surprising Discovery 33:14 Garmin Standalone GPS: Ultimate Privacy 34:30 - Benefits of dedicated navigation device 37:24 - Garmin dash cam capabilities 38:22 - Garmin watches for privacy-conscious users 39:39 BTC Map: Bitcoin Business Directory 43:00 Mapbox for Developers 45:28 Boost Segment: Anonymous and Keith Sharp 47:17 Conclusion and Contact Information
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SOV-017: The Cypherpunk Manifesto - The Sovereign Computing Show
07/22/2025
SOV-017: The Cypherpunk Manifesto - The Sovereign Computing Show
Jordan Bravo and Stephen DeLorme dive deep into Eric Hughes' groundbreaking 1993 Cypherpunk Manifesto, exploring how this foundational document predicted Bitcoin, anonymous transaction systems, and modern digital privacy tools. They discuss the historical context of cryptography being illegal, the evolution from military-controlled encryption to widespread adoption, and how today's privacy-focused services like Mullvad exemplify the manifesto's principles. The hosts examine why "cypherpunks write code" and how this philosophy continues to drive sovereign computing solutions today. Show Notes: 00:00 Introduction and Bitcoin's Anonymous Transaction Systems 00:33 Welcome and ATL BitLab Sponsorship 01:54 New Dedicated Sovereign Computing Show Feed Announcement 03:23 Introduction to the Cypherpunk Manifesto 04:16 Reading Eric Hughes' Cypherpunk Manifesto (1993) 10:47 Analysis: Bitcoin as Anonymous Transaction System 2:04 Minimum Information Transactions (Mullvad, IVPN Examples) 13:11 Historical Context of Personal Computers and the Web 16:47 When Cryptography Was Illegal - Military Weapon Classification 20:51 Supreme Court Rules Encryption as Free Speech 22:21 Bitcoin White Paper as Cypherpunk Goals Implementation 24:28 Satoshi's Use of Decades of Cryptographic Research
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SOV-016: Privacy Violations and Self-Hosting Wins - The Sovereign Computing Show
07/16/2025
SOV-016: Privacy Violations and Self-Hosting Wins - The Sovereign Computing Show
Jordan Bravo and Stephen DeLorme return with a news-packed episode covering the latest privacy violations and surveillance schemes. They discuss Trump's plan to create a master database of Americans using Palantir, WhatsApp AI accidentally leaking user phone numbers, Meta and Yandex exploiting Android phones to track browsing habits, and Ford's patent for cars that report speeding drivers. Plus, Jordan shares updates on his sovereign computing journey including anonymous phone services, Alby Hub lightning setup, and self-hosted lightning addresses. Show Notes: https://atlbitlab.com/podcast 00:00 Introduction and Digital Footprint Philosophy 00:35 Welcome to Sovereign Computing Show 00:51 ATL BitLab Sponsorship 01:55 Production Updates and Schedule Changes 03:18 News: Trump Taps Palantir for Master Database on Americans 06:02 Discussion: Government Data Collection Reality 08:50 Advice: Minimizing Digital Footprints 09:42 Personal Anecdote: Marketing Work with Surveillance Tech 13:17 News: WhatsApp AI Mistakenly Shares User's Phone Number 18:07 Analysis: LLM Context and Security Rules 24:01 WhatsApp Metadata and AI Concerns 24:59 News: Meta and Yandex Android Tracking Exploit 28:34 Technical Details: localhost Port Listening 30:56 Instagram Microphone Surveillance Discussion 34:23 News: Ford Patents Car Surveillance Technology 38:37 Future of Autonomous Vehicles and Privacy 40:06 Privacy Alternative: Toyota Hilux No-Frills Truck 42:08 Jordan's Sovereign Computing Updates 42:31 Text Verify for Anonymous Phone Verification 45:12 Steven's Experience with Simple Login App 48:01 Mint Mobile Payment Issues and AT&T Alternative 49:55 Self-Hosting: Albi Hub Lightning Node Setup 51:48 Self-Custodial Podcast Boosts with Podverse 52:09 Self-Hosted Lightning Address with RustDress 54:20 Nix Package Repository Work 55:05 Wrap-up and Contact Information 55:46 Outro and Bitcoin Tips
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SOV-015: How to Get an Anonymous Website - The Sovereign Computing Show
07/08/2025
SOV-015: How to Get an Anonymous Website - The Sovereign Computing Show
In today's digital landscape, having your own website is more important than ever for true digital independence. Jordan Bravo and Stephen DeLorme explain how to register domain names and set up web hosting with minimal personal information and maximum privacy. They cover Bitcoin-accepting registrars, anonymous VPS providers, and how the domain name system really works. Plus, they discuss a controversial Bitcoin update proposal that highlights why running your own node matters. Show Notes: https://atlbitlab.com/podcast/anonymous-website-hosting-and-domains 00:00 Why Own Websites Beat Social Media Platforms 00:35 Introduction and ATL BitLab Sponsorship 01:55 Welcome and Contact Information 02:26 News: Bitcoin Core Pull Request to Remove OP_Return Limits 07:29 Why This PR Highlights the Importance of Running Your Own Node 11:22 Main Topic: Private Domain Names and Hosting 12:35 Minimizing Personal Information When Registering Domains 13:29 NameCheap: Domain Registration with Bitcoin 15:57 Using Fake Information and Domain Privacy Guard 17:15 Domain Takedown Threat Model 20:18 DNSSEC for Enhanced Security 21:21 PorkBun: Another Private Domain Registrar 21:54 Private Hosting Options Introduction 22:54 Hostinger VPS Services 24:11 1984 Hosting in Iceland 24:46 Flokinet in Iceland 25:17 Why Personal Websites Matter in the Social Media Age 29:46 Websites vs. Censorship-prone Social Media Platforms 31:36 Avoiding Services Like LinkTree 35:01 Technical Side Discussion: How Domain Names Work 35:30 How ICANN, Registries, and Registrars Interoperate 40:14 How Authorities Can Take Down Domain Names 42:33 Trade-offs with Different TLDs (.com vs alternatives) 47:56 Boost Segment and Listener Appreciation
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SOV-014: Bitcoin Sovereignty: Running Your Own Full Node - The Sovereign Computing Show
05/14/2025
SOV-014: Bitcoin Sovereignty: Running Your Own Full Node - The Sovereign Computing Show
Bitcoin is built on the principle of not trusting third parties, but are you trusting someone else's node to validate your transactions? In this episode, Jordan Bravo and Stephen DeLorme explore why running your own Bitcoin and Lightning nodes is crucial for true financial sovereignty. They break down the hardware requirements, software options like Umbrel and Start OS, and how to connect popular wallets to your own node. Plus, news about Thunderbird's new email service and the concerning bankruptcy sale of 23andMe's genetic data. Show Notes: 00:00 Why You Should Run Your Own Bitcoin Node 00:39 Introduction to The Sovereign Computing Show 00:55 ATL BitLab Sponsorship Information 01:58 Welcome and Contact Information 02:46 News: Thunderbird's New Email Service 06:29 News: 23andMe's Data Bankruptcy Sale 10:15 Main Topic: Bitcoin & Lightning Node Setup 13:28 The Philosophy of Verifying Your Own Transactions 18:00 Bitcoin Node Hardware Requirements 19:07 Bitcoin vs. Lightning Nodes Explained 21:59 Setting Up a Bitcoin Node with Umbrel or Start OS 24:42 Hardware Recommendations: From Raspberry Pi to Mini PCs 26:26 System Requirements and Performance Considerations 34:20 Connecting Wallets to Your Node (Phoenix, Blue Wallet, Sparrow) 38:01 Lightning Node Options: LND, Core Lightning, Alby Hub 40:01 Software Ecosystem Around Lightning Nodes 42:24 PhoenixD for Developers 46:22 User Feedback on Mobile Operating Systems 50:24 Conclusion
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SOV-013: Sovereign AI: Using LLMs Without Sacrificing Privacy - The Sovereign Computing Show
04/29/2025
SOV-013: Sovereign AI: Using LLMs Without Sacrificing Privacy - The Sovereign Computing Show
AI assistants like ChatGPT and Claude are powerful tools, but they come with significant privacy trade-offs. In this episode, Jordan Bravo and Stephen DeLorme explore practical approaches to using AI without surrendering your data to big tech companies. They compare privacy-focused third-party services that use confidential computing (like Maple) and local storage options (like Venice.AI) before diving into running open-source models entirely on your own hardware with tools like Ollama, GPT4All, and LM Studio. They also reveal how your Smart TV might take screenshots of what you're watching through Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) and share steps to disable this intrusive tracking. Show Notes: 00:00 Introduction to The Sovereign Computing Show 00:42 ATL BitLab Sponsorship Information 01:45 Welcome and Show Contact Information 02:09 Smart TVs and Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) 03:58 How ACR Surveillance Works in Smart TVs 05:23 The Creepy Reality of TV Screenshot Tracking 08:33 Solutions for Smart TV Privacy Concerns 10:47 Unplugging Your Smart TV from the Internet 11:51 Main Topic: Using AI and LLMs Privately 12:44 Understanding LLMs vs. Other Generative AI 14:51 The Privacy Problem with Major LLM Providers 16:44 Private Third-Party AI Providers 16:44 Maple and Confidential Computing 22:32 Venice.AI with Local Storage 27:28 Kagi AI's Privacy Trade-offs 30:49 The Privacy Spectrum of AI Services 33:38 Self-Hosting LLMs and Local Models 34:22 Ollama for Running Local Models 37:25 Running Models Without Internet Connection 38:43 OpenWebUI for Graphical Interface 41:35 GPT4All for User-Friendly Local AI 43:03 LM Studio with Integrated Interface 44:55 Hardware Limitations for Local LLMs 46:15 Local Image Generation 46:47 Stable Diffusion Web UI 48:09 ComfyUI for Artist-Friendly Workflows 51:50 ATL BitLab AI Meetup Information 53:11 Conclusion and Contact Information 53:40 Show Outro and Support Details
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SOV-012: The Truth About VPNs: Beyond the Marketing Hype - The Sovereign Computing Show
04/22/2025
SOV-012: The Truth About VPNs: Beyond the Marketing Hype - The Sovereign Computing Show
Jordan Bravo and Stephen DeLorme break down the reality of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) beyond the marketing hype. They explore what problems VPNs actually solve—hiding your IP address from websites, concealing your browsing from ISPs, and encrypting traffic—while addressing their limitations and downsides. Jordan and Stephen compare VPNs with Tor, examine trusted providers including Proton VPN, Mullvad, IVPN, and the innovative Obscura, and discuss the frustrating trend of websites blocking VPN users. Learn practical advice for incorporating VPNs into your digital sovereignty toolkit and why you should stand up for your right to privacy online. Show Notes: 00:00 Introduction to The Sovereign Computing Show 00:35 ATL BitLab Sponsorship Information 01:55 Welcome and Episode Overview 02:07 Updates and Errata from Previous Episodes 05:06 White House Signal Group Security Mishap 12:17 Amazon Echo Privacy Changes 15:24 Main Topic: Understanding VPNs 16:33 Problem #1: How VPNs Hide Your IP Address 17:56 VPNs vs. Tor: Centralization and Trust Models 21:30 VPN Performance vs. Tor Performance 23:05 Problem #2: Hiding Browsing from ISP Surveillance 24:49 Problem #3: Traffic Encryption Benefits 25:35 VPN Provider Reviews 25:57 - Proton VPN: Features and Netflix Compatibility 27:32 - Mullvad: Privacy Features and Cross-Platform Support 30:08 - IVPN: Privacy-Focused Alternative 32:07 - Obscura: The VPN That Can't Log Activity 36:46 Downsides of Using VPNs 38:12 Website Blocking and VPN Discrimination 42:38 Conclusion and Recommendations 43:44 Show Outro and Support Information
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EVNT-007: Stephen DeLorme: How Does Bitcoin Consensus Work? Part 2 - Atlanta BitDevs
04/15/2025
EVNT-007: Stephen DeLorme: How Does Bitcoin Consensus Work? Part 2 - Atlanta BitDevs
Bitcoin is difficult to change. How do we reach consensus to change it?. Stephen DeLorme covers Part 2 of the Bitcoin Consensus Analysis Project, highlighting both technical and social layers of reaching consensus. Learn about the roles of various stakeholders in the Bitcoin ecosystem including economic nodes, investors, media influencers, miners, protocol developers, users, and application developers. Discover how stakeholder powers fluctuate throughout the upgrade process, potential risks of bounties leading to chain splits, and methods to gauge community sentiment. Show Notes: 00:00 Introduction to Bitcoin Consensus and Bounties 00:51 Event Recording and Podcast Information 01:18 Sponsor Message: ATL BitLab 02:26 Introduction to Bitcoin Consensus Analysis Project 03:44 Recap of Part One: Soft Forks and Hard Forks 04:56 Activation Mechanisms and User Activated Soft Forks 07:05 State of Mind and Stakeholders in Bitcoin 13:52 Stakeholder Influence and Consensus Change 32:15 Investor Influence and Economic Nodes 34:02 Power Dynamics in Bitcoin Consensus 36:28 Self-Custody and Investor Power 37:53 ETFs and Economic Power 40:33 Consensus Change Process 42:10 Measuring Social Consensus 49:01 Alternative Consensus Clients 51:31 Chain Splits and Their Implications 57:55 Bounties and Miner Incentives 01:03:51 Final Thoughts and Conclusion
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SOV-011: Choosing a Sovereign Mobile Operating System - The Sovereign Computing Show
04/02/2025
SOV-011: Choosing a Sovereign Mobile Operating System - The Sovereign Computing Show
Your smartphone is a computing device just like our desktop and laptop computers. How can you have a smartphone that isn't surveilled, censored, controlled, and constrained? Jordan discusses the challenges and solutions for achieving self-sovereignty with mobile devices. He critiques the limitations of iOS and explores the emerging landscape of Linux mobile devices. The episode focuses on de-Googled Android solutions like CalyxOS and GrapheneOS, elaborating on the latter's security features and compatibility with Google Pixel devices. Jordan also provides practical advice on acquiring and setting up these devices for enhanced privacy. Tune in to learn how you can reclaim control over your smartphone and boost your digital security. Show Notes: 00:00 Understanding Google Play Services and Its Privileges 00:34 Welcome to the Sovereign Computing Show 00:50 Introduction to Sovereign Computing and ATL BitLab 01:54 Episode Overview and Listener Interaction 02:57 Challenges of Achieving Self-Sovereignty with Smartphones 04:41 Exploring Mobile Operating Systems: iOS Limitations 06:39 Linux Mobile Devices: Pine Phone and Mecha Comet 09:34 Android as a Viable Option for Self-Sovereign Computing 11:03 De-Googled Android: CalyxOS and GrapheneOS 12:54 GrapheneOS: The Best Option for Privacy and Security 15:56 Purchasing and Installing GrapheneOS on Google Pixel 23:00 Using GrapheneOS and Alternative App Stores 28:52 Listener Feedback and Future Topics 31:47 Conclusion and Support Information
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SOV-010: Bypass App Store Censorship With These Tools - The Sovereign Computing Show
03/25/2025
SOV-010: Bypass App Store Censorship With These Tools - The Sovereign Computing Show
In this episode of the Sovereign Computing Show, Jordan Bravo and Stephen DeLorme discuss the challenges of app store censorship and explore various alternatives to the Google Play and Apple App Stores. They dive into the Aurora Store, Obtainium, F-Droid, Zap Store, and Accrescent, examining how these platforms can help preserve user privacy and circumvent censorship. Learn about the benefits and limitations of each alternative and get insights on how to take back control of your device's app ecosystem. Show Notes: 00:00 Introduction to Apple's App Store Policies 00:35 Welcome to the Sovereign Computing Show 00:52 ATL BitLab: A Hub for Tech Enthusiasts 02:04 Contacting the Show and Listener Interaction 03:22 Updates on Private Payments 06:27 Main Topic: App Store Censorship 07:15 Examples of App Store Censorship 10:35 Epic Games vs. Apple 14:08 Damus and the Zapping Feature 18:34 The Mutiny Wallet Story 25:30 Phoenix Wallet and Centralized App Stores 27:15 Solutions: Alternative App Stores 29:37 Privacy Concerns with Google Play Store 31:09 Introducing Obtainium: Open Source App Store 33:52 Exploring F-Droid: The Original Alternative App Store 38:55 Zap Store: A Social Connection App Store 43:27 Accrescent: A Promising New App Store 53:11 The Future of Sovereign Computing 53:49 Conclusion and Contact Information
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SOV-009: 3 Ways to Stop Doxing Your Bitcoin - The Sovereign Computing Show
03/18/2025
SOV-009: 3 Ways to Stop Doxing Your Bitcoin - The Sovereign Computing Show
Jordan Bravo and Stephen DeLorme delve into the importance and methods of acquiring non-KYC Bitcoin. They explore peer-to-peer platforms like HodlHodl, RoboSats, and Bisq, discussing their unique features, privacy benefits, and how to effectively use them. Learn how to navigate these decentralized networks to maintain control over your Bitcoin transactions while avoiding the pitfalls of KYC (Know Your Customer) regulations. This episode is a must-listen for anyone focused on enhancing their financial privacy. Show Notes: 00:00 Introduction 00:21 Welcome to the Sovereign Computing Show 00:37 ATL BitLab Sponsorship and Community 01:41 Podcast Announcements and Corrections 02:46 Exploring Private Payment Methods 05:11 eSIM Data and Speed Test Results 11:11 Private Web Browsers and Firefox Controversy 19:21 Acquiring Non-KYC Bitcoin 33:01 Currency Exchange Dispute 34:26 Understanding Exchange Rate Slippage 36:11 Peer-to-Peer Platform Annoyances 37:10 Introduction to RoboSats 38:14 Using RoboSats for Private Transactions 47:14 Exploring Bisq for Non-KYC Bitcoin 55:16 Decentralization and User Experience 59:17 Final Thoughts and Tips
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EVNT-006: Andrew Lunde: The Technology Boom - Atlanta BitPlebs
03/13/2025
EVNT-006: Andrew Lunde: The Technology Boom - Atlanta BitPlebs
Dive into an insightful event recording discussing the technological paradigm shifts as presented in Jeff Booth's 'Price of Tomorrow,' focusing on chapters three and four. From the evolution of computational power, exemplified by Moore's Law, to the implications of self-driving cars and 3D printing, Andrew Lunde covers how new technologies can disrupt existing industries. Learn about the challenges of thinking differently, historical examples of significant cognitive shifts, and the potential future technologies that might surpass even quantum computing. This discussion also explores how technology can create an abundance that challenges traditional economic models based on continuous credit expansion. Show Notes: 00:00 Introduction to Future Technologies 00:40 Event Recording and Podcast Information 01:11 Sponsor Spotlight: ATL BitLab 02:13 Book Discussion: 'The Price of Tomorrow' 03:56 Challenges of Thinking Differently 08:30 Understanding Psychological Biases 13:55 Innovator's Dilemma and Corporate Challenges 19:40 Exponential Thinking and Technology Boom 24:32 Exploring the Known and Unknown Universes 24:48 Understanding Moore's Law and Its Implications 28:20 The Future of AI and Technological Adoption 31:02 Self-Driving Cars: Revolutionizing Transportation 37:15 Virtual and Augmented Reality: A New Frontier 39:26 Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing 41:54 The Coming Sonic Boom and Economic Implications 45:22 Q&A and Final Thoughts
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SOV-008: How to Make Private Payments - The Sovereign Computing Show
03/11/2025
SOV-008: How to Make Private Payments - The Sovereign Computing Show
Whenever you pay for things with a debit/credit card, you're exposing yourself. In this episode, Jordan and Stephen discuss tools you can use to regain some control and privacy with your payments. They cover using Bitcoin & Lightning, virtual debit cards, gift cards, and cash. Show Notes: 00:00 Introduction and Reframing Privacy 00:29 Welcome to the Sovereign Computing Show 00:45 ATL BitLab Sponsorship 01:46 Introduction to Private Payments 02:32 Using Bitcoin for Private Payments 03:33 Challenges with On-Chain Bitcoin Privacy 07:11 Exploring Lightning Network for Privacy 11:36 Why Payment Privacy Matters 22:15 Using Bitcoin and Lightning to Buy Gift Cards 25:59 Using Bit Refill for Instant Gift Card Purchases 26:29 Exploring The Bitcoin Company 28:12 Introduction to Privacy.com 29:25 How Privacy.com Protects Your Information 37:56 Privacy.com Pricing and Downsides 43:59 Listener Boosts and Feedback 48:14 Contacting and Supporting the Show 50:49 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
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EVNT-005: Nitesh ₿: How Does Bitcoin Consensus Work? Part 1 - Atlanta BitDevs
03/06/2025
EVNT-005: Nitesh ₿: How Does Bitcoin Consensus Work? Part 1 - Atlanta BitDevs
Bitcoin is difficult to change. How do we reach consensus to change it? Nitesh walks us through the first half of the Bitcoin Consensus Analysis Project paper, providing an in-depth analysis of Bitcoin’s consensus mechanism and the complexities surrounding protocol upgrades. He discusses the challenges of implementing changes in a decentralized network, the difference between soft forks and hard forks, and various activation methods like Flag Day, BIP 34, BIP 9, and BIP 8. Nitesh also outlines the different stakeholders in the Bitcoin ecosystem—including economic nodes, investors, media influencers, miners, protocol developers, users, and application developers—and their respective incentives and influence on the network. Show Notes: 00:00 Introduction to Bitcoin Soft Forks 00:35 Event Recording and Sponsors 02:09 Meet the Speaker: Nitesh 02:52 Understanding Bitcoin Consensus 05:38 Consensus Rules in Bitcoin 08:51 Soft Forks vs Hard Forks 14:25 Activating a Soft Fork 20:25 Voting Systems in Bitcoin: BIP 34 and BIP 9 21:44 Introducing BIP 8: Community-Driven Upgrades 23:08 User Activated Soft Forks (UASF) and User Resisted Soft Forks (URSF) 24:27 Human Factors in Bitcoin Changes 25:31 Stakeholders in Bitcoin: Economic Nodes and Investors 33:09 Influence of Media and Miners on Bitcoin 36:17 Role of Protocol Developers 41:34 Users and Application Developers 42:58 Conclusion and Next Steps
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SOV-007: Is Your Web Browser Spying on You? - The Sovereign Computing Show
03/04/2025
SOV-007: Is Your Web Browser Spying on You? - The Sovereign Computing Show
Google Chrome is not just a browser; it's a surveillance tool. In this episode of the Sovereign Computing Show, Jordan Bravo and Steven DeLorme delve into why Chrome collects vast amounts of your data and discuss more private alternatives. They explore various browsers like Firefox, Brave, and the up-and-coming Ladybird, as well as private search engines such as DuckDuckGo, StartPage, and Kagi. Learn how to take back control of your web browsing experience with privacy-focused tools and strategies. Show Notes: 00:00 Google Chrome: The Spy in Your Browser 00:36 Welcome to the Sovereign Computing Show 00:52 Sponsorship and Community at ATL BitLab 02:02 Boosting and Interacting with the Show 02:58 Apple's Encryption Battle with the UK Government 04:57 The US Government's Stance on Encryption 17:13 Choosing Private Web Browsers and Search Engines 18:24 Why You Should Avoid Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge 22:56 The Benefits of Using Brave Browser 27:48 Exploring Firefox as a Private Browser Option 29:17 The Importance of Firefox in the Browser Ecosystem 30:07 Nostalgia for Firefox's Early Days 31:55 The Rise of Brave and Other Chromium Forks 33:00 Introducing Ladybird: A New Browser on the Horizon 34:25 Essential Browser Extensions for Privacy and Ad Blocking 37:55 Mobile Browsers and Syncing Solutions 46:28 Exploring Alternative Search Engines 54:27 Listener Boosts and Podcasting 2.0 Apps 56:05 Closing Remarks and How to Support the Show
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EVNT-004: Rich Lassiter: First Currency Wars, Then Trade Wars, Then Real Wars - Atlanta BitPlebs
02/27/2025
EVNT-004: Rich Lassiter: First Currency Wars, Then Trade Wars, Then Real Wars - Atlanta BitPlebs
In this episode, Rich Lassiter explores the economic insights from Jeff Booth's book, *The Price of Tomorrow.* Rich delves into the 2007-2008 financial meltdown and how experts' misjudgments led to rapid unraveling. He explains the dynamics of trust-based financial systems and the Ponzi-like nature of current economic structures. Rich also covers the transformative power of technology and the unique position of Bitcoin as a true free market, offering a comprehensive breakdown of platform dominance, creative destruction, and the Minsky Moment's impact on modern economies. Show Notes: 00:00 Introduction: Currency Wars and Global Meltdown 00:30 Event Recording and Sponsors 02:13 Introduction to the Speaker and Book 02:51 Chapter 1: How the Economy Works - Printing Money 16:40 Chapter 2: How the Economy Works - Creative Destruction 28:16 Conclusion and Speaker's Final Thoughts 29:25 Closing Remarks and Support
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