Stephan Livera Podcast
Stephan Livera
Join Stephan as he interviews the sharpest economic and technical minds in Bitcoin & Austrian Economics to help you understand how money is changing and evolving. Leading names in the world of Bitcoin join the show to share their insights, whether they are developers, CEOs, economists, authors, analysts and more.
Bitcoin Scaling, 'Ossification' and OP NEXT with Will Foxley | SLP637
Will Foxley, co-founder of BlockSpace Media and host of the Mining Pod chats with Stephan about the need for a dedicated Bitcoin media publication, the upcoming OP NEXT conference focused on scaling Bitcoin, and the importance of fostering conversations among Bitcoin developers, miners, and institutions. Will shares insights on the ossification debate within the Bitcoin community and the role of public Bitcoin miners in shaping the future of Bitcoin. The conversation also emphasizes the need for
Financialization of Bitcoin with Pierre Rochard | SLP636
Stephan and Pierre discuss the evolving landscape of Bitcoin, focusing on the dichotomy between securitization and tokenization. They explore the regulatory environment, the challenges of Bitcoin adoption, and the implications of volatility on investor behavior. The discussion also touches upon the financialization of Bitcoin and the misconceptions surrounding tokenization of real-world assets, ultimately questioning the value created through such processes.They also discuss the risks associated
650M+ People Reached on Lightning with Dan O'Prey and Danny Stagg | SLP635
The episode focuses on the evolving narrative of Bitcoin, emphasizing its role as a medium of exchange rather than just a store of value. Dan & Danny explore the advancements in the Lightning Network, the challenges of user adoption, and the importance of awareness in driving Bitcoin's integration into both crypto and fiat worlds. The discussion highlights the potential for Lightning to facilitate peer-to-peer transactions and the future of Bitcoin swaps with stablecoins. Dan & Danny als
The Rise of Bitcoin Banks with Nicolas Burtey | SLP634
Stephan and Nicolas discuss the evolution of Bitcoin banking, the role of Galoy, and the impact of regulatory changes on the Bitcoin ecosystem. They explore the differences between Bitcoin and fiat banking, the potential for local and global Bitcoin banks, and the future of Bitcoin custody and lending. The discussion also touches on the challenges posed by regulations and how recent changes may open up opportunities for banks to offer Bitcoin services. Nicolas also discusses Lana - a platform de
Bitcoin for Companies: Risks, Rewards & Real Use Cases with Mason Carter | SLP633
Mason Carter, co-founder of Acropolis, chats about the adoption of Bitcoin in corporate treasury management. Stephan & Mason discuss the challenges faced by businesses in managing their treasury, the role of Bitcoin as a potential solution, and the importance of custody and regulatory considerations.
Mason also shares insights on how companies can get started with Bitcoin, the impact of recent accounting changes, and the future of Bitcoin in banking. They then conclude the conversation wi
Myths & Realities surrounding The Federal Reserve with Julian and Peruvian Bull | SLP632
Julian and Peruvian Bull join Stephan to discuss the origins of the Federal Reserve - its creation in 1913 and its implications on the economy. They explore the recent awakening of public awareness regarding economic disparities exacerbated by COVID-19 and the role of central banking in these issues.
The discussion contrasts the historical significance of 1913 with the events of 1971, emphasizing the Federal Reserve's influence on monetary policy and the illusion of free markets.
They al
Emergency Keys & Inheritance with Ben Kaufman | SLP631
In this conversation, Ben Kaufman discusses the evolving relationship between Bitcoin and government, the implications of political engagement for Bitcoiners, and the advancements in self-custody technology.
He introduces Miniscript, a programming language for Bitcoin that enhances the flexibility of spending conditions, and explores innovative use cases, particularly in inheritance planning.
The discussion also emphasizes the evolving landscape of Bitcoin self-custody, focusing on the securi
A Different Tradeoff with Bitcoin Lending? With Andrew Hohns of Newmarket Capital | SLP630
Andrew Hohns discusses the maturation of Bitcoin collateralized finance, the unique characteristics that make Bitcoin an exceptional form of collateral, and the innovative financing model of Battery Finance.
In this conversation, Andrew also discusses the complexities of capital markets, the challenges posed by inflation for credit investors, and the potential of Bitcoin as a transformative tool in structured finance.
He emphasizes the importance of understanding investor needs, managing risk
SLP629 If You Can Drive, You Can Self Custody Bitcoin with NVK
In this episode, NVK, co-founder and CEO of CoinKite, discusses the fundamentals of Bitcoin self-custody. He covers the importance of self-custody, the different forms of Bitcoin ownership, the significance of private keys, best practices for securing Bitcoin, and tips for choosing the right hardware wallet. NVK highlights that self-custody is a high-responsibility activity and provides practical advice for managing Bitcoin securely. Stephan & NVK discuss the trade-offs associated with dif
Correcting BBC misinformation on Bitcoin with Susie Violet Ward | SLP628
In this episode, Susie Ward discusses her advocacy for Bitcoin in the UK, focusing on media misrepresentation and regulatory challenges. She critiques the BBC's negative coverage of Bitcoin, highlighting the importance of accurate information and the impact of misinformation on public perception.
The conversation then shifts to the FATF travel rule, exploring its implications for privacy and the ineffectiveness of traditional financial regulations in combating money laundering. Susie emphasiz
The Impact of FATF on Global Banking with OpnState | SLP627
In this conversation, OpnState shares his journey from a disillusioned banker to a policy advisor focused on compliance and anti-money laundering (AML) laws. He discusses the complexities of financial regulations, the erosion of individual rights, and the impact of global standard-setting bodies like the FATF on national sovereignty. OpnState emphasizes the presumption of guilt in financial transactions and the challenges posed by compliance culture, while also addressing the future of self-ho
Bitcoin 2025 Guide: Wallets, Nodes & Merchants with BTC Sessions & K3tan | SLP626
In this episode of SLP, the discussion revolves around the advancements in Bitcoin hardware and software, focusing on wallet recommendations for beginners, the trade-offs between different types of wallets, and the importance of hardware wallets for securing Bitcoin.
Ben & K3tan share their insights on when to transition from software to hardware wallets, the significance of recovery processes, and the evolving landscape of Bitcoin tools and options available to users.
They also discuss v
Can Bitcoin Transform Suriname’s Economy? with Maya Parbhoe | SLP625
Maya Parbhoe, a presidential candidate from Suriname and Bitcoin advocate, shares her journey as an entrepreneur and her vision for her country. She discusses the challenges Suriname faces, including economic issues, corruption, and the lack of a capital market.
Maya emphasizes the potential of Bitcoin to transform the economy and governance in Suriname, advocating for decentralization and transparency to combat corruption. She outlines her plans for a technocratic government and the importan
Power Law and Bitcoin's Growth with Giovanni Santostasi | SLP624
In this conversation, Giovanni Santostasi shares his insight about the power law and its application to Bitcoin. Giovanni starts with his journey of discovering Bitcoin, his background in data analysis, and how he applies scientific methods to understand Bitcoin's behavior. The discussion delves into the concept of power laws, their prevalence in nature, and how they can be used to model various phenomena, including economic systems.
Giovanni critiques traditional economic models and emphasiz
Exploring Nostr and Primal 2.0 with Miljan SLP623
In this conversation, Miljan from Primal discusses the significant updates in the Nostr protocol and the launch of Primal 2.0. The discussion covers the evolution of Nostr, the introduction of a feed marketplace that empowers users, and the diverse communities forming around the platform. Miljan highlights the new features of Primal 2.0, including long-form content capabilities, advanced search functionalities, and the ethical monetization model of Primal Premium. The conversation emphasizes t
The Evolution of Alby with Michael Bumann | SLP622
Bumi & Stephan explore the evolution of Alby from a browser extension to a self-custodial Lightning wallet, Alby Hub. The conversation delves into the integration of Nostr for self-sovereign digital identity, security considerations for browser extensions, and the role of LSPs in channel management.
Bumi explains the architecture of Alby Hub, its user experience, and pricing models, emphasizing the importance of integrating Bitcoin into various applications. They also discuss the cost str
The Dynamics of Bitcoin's Price Growth with PlanC and Sminston | SLP621
PlanC and Sminston to discuss the power law as it applies to Bitcoin. They explore the implications of power law on Bitcoin's price, volatility, and market dynamics, emphasizing its predictive capabilities and the diminishing returns over time. The conversation focuses on the technical aspects of power law, its historical accuracy, and potential factors that could disrupt its validity. The hosts also touch on the S-curve phenomenon in Bitcoin adoption and the overall health of the Bitcoin mark
BDP and BOSS Program with Matthew Zipkin and Stacie Waleyko SLP620
Matthew Zipkin and Stacie Waleyko discuss the current state of Bitcoin open source development, the various layers of Bitcoin development, and the need for more contributors in the ecosystem. They emphasize the importance of education and innovative approaches to learning Bitcoin development, sharing success stories from their programs aimed at increasing participation in the Bitcoin community. In this conversation, Matthew and Stacie also share their insights on the various ways individuals c
Power Law, Bitcoin & MicroStrategy with Sina | SLP619
Sina, COO and co-founder of 21st Capital, discusses the application of power law in understanding Bitcoin's growth. He explains how his empirical research led to the development of a power law model that accurately describes Bitcoin's historical price behavior. The discussion delves into the mechanisms behind this model, the reliability of its predictions, and the impact of market maturity on Bitcoin's growth trajectory.
Sina also introduces quantile models to provide a probabilistic view of
Debunking Climate Myths with Tom Nelson | SLP618
Tom Nelson discusses the misconceptions surrounding climate change, particularly the belief that carbon dioxide (CO2) is the primary driver of climate change. He argues that this notion is a significant part of a larger narrative that has been perpetuated for decades, leading to alarmism and extreme policies.
The discussion also touches on the evolution of climate catastrophism, the implications of the net zero agenda, and the role of media and funding in shaping public perception. Nelson emp
Seasteading: A New Way to Live with Joe Quirk SLP617
Joe Quirk, president of the Seasteading Institute, discusses the innovative concept of seasteading, which proposes creating floating societies on the ocean as a solution to the limitations of land-based governance. Quirk shares his personal journey into the world of seasteading, drawing parallels between cruise ships, Burning Man, and the potential for self-governing communities at sea. He explores the practicalities of building seasteads, the challenges faced, and the legal frameworks necessa
Bitcoin Consensus with Steve Lee and Lyn Alden | SLP616
Steve and Lyn delve into the complexities of Bitcoin consensus, discussing the motivations behind their project analyzing consensus risks in protocol upgrades. They explore the technical and economic aspects of Bitcoin, the evolution of its consensus mechanisms, and the various stakeholder groups involved in decision-making processes.
The discussion also highlights the importance of awareness among Bitcoin users regarding potential changes and the historical context of contentious changes in
Should You Move to El Salvador? With Roman Martinez SLP615
Roman Martinez, Lexi & Stephan discuss the evolving real estate landscape in El Salvador, particularly in the context of Bitcoin adoption. They explore the motivations of various buyers, the impact of recent changes in infrastructure and regulations, and the unique challenges and opportunities present in the market. The conversation also touches on the importance of trust in real estate transactions and the varying expectations of foreign buyers regarding property quality and development. Le
Shaping Bitcoin's Future in UK with Freddie New SLP614
In this conversation, Freddie New, general counsel at The Little Car and Head of Policy at Bitcoin Policy UK, discusses the evolution of Bitcoin regulation in the UK. He highlights the historical context of regulatory attitudes, the role of the Law Commission in recognizing Bitcoin as property, and the challenges posed by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
The conversation also touches on banking access issues, the impact of fraud concerns, and the future of Bitcoin custodianship. They al
Bitcoin Space Denver with Eric Yakes and Tyler Stevens SLP613
Eric Yakes & Tyler Stevens join me to discuss their efforts to build a Bitcoin-focused community in Denver through various events, educational initiatives, and sustainable financial practices.
Summary
In this episode, Stephan Livera hosts Eric Yakes and Tyler Stevens to discuss the burgeoning Bitcoin community in Denver and their initiative to establish a dedicated Bitcoin space. They explore the dynamics of the local Bitcoin scene, the vision behind creating a community-driven hub, and t
PlanB Forum Lugano 2024 interviews SLP612
Here are some short interviews I did while at Lugano Plan B on a range of topics, from bitcoin ossification to block size, government regulation, the latest state of wallets, and mining decentralization with:
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(01:01) - Jimmy Song, Bitcoin Expert
(07:30) - John Carvalho, CEO at Synonym
(12:51) - Sponsors
(15:05) - Dennis Porter, CEO & Co-Founder Satoshi Action Fund
(24:58) - Ben, Host of BTCsessions
(31:54) - Sponsor
(32:50) - Luke Dashjr, CTO OCEAN Mining
(37:5
Bitcoin Core Projects with Fabian Jahr and Gloria Zhao SLP607
Fabian Jahr and Gloria Zhao rejoin me to discuss whether big projects can be done inside Bitcoin core. We delve into AssumeUTXO, ASMap, developer funding, and meritocracy in the developer community.
Summary
In this episode, Stephan discusses the upcoming Bitcoin Core version 28, its new features, and the ongoing development efforts with Fabian and Gloria. They delve into the pace of change within Bitcoin Core, the importance of communication and collaboration in software development, and the c
Avoid Bitcoin Scams with Keith Gardner SLP611
Summary
In this conversation, Keith Gardner from Branta, discusses the importance of security in Bitcoin transactions. Keith shares his background in engineering and how he became involved in Bitcoin after recognizing the complexities and risks associated with traditional finance.
The discussion covers common phishing and address replacement attacks, the innovative solutions offered by Branta to enhance transaction security, and the future of Bitcoin in relation to mobile integration and priv
Fractional Reserve Banking, Islamic Finance & Bitcoin with Harris Irfan SLP610
Harris Irfan, CEO Cordoba Capital Markets & Advisor at @OnrampMENA joins me to discuss challenges and opportunities within Islamic finance, ethics of finance in business and the intersection of Islamic finance and Bitcoin. Harris highlights building a financial system focused on real economy transactions, sharing insights on finance, custody, and Bitcoin investment.
Summary
In this conversation, Harris Irfan discusses his journey from conventional finance to Islamic finance and Bitcoin. H
Bitcoin Mining: The Most Flexible Energy Buyer with Kenji Tateiwa SLP609
Summary
In this episode, Kenji Tateiwa, CEO of Agile Energy X, discusses his extensive background in nuclear engineering and the impact of the Fukushima disaster on public perception of nuclear energy. He explains the innovative concept behind Agile Energy X, which leverages wasted renewable energy through Bitcoin mining to address curtailment and grid congestion issues in Japan. Kenji elaborates on the unique flexibility of Bitcoin mining as an energy buyer and its potential role in the futur
The Next Big Print Sends Bitcoin to $350K with Lawrence Lepard SLP608
Lawrence Lepard, Managing Partner, Equity Management Associates, joins me to discuss the national debt crisis, inflation, possible price suppression of hard assets and the contrasting roles of gold and Bitcoin as sound money.
Summary
In this conversation, Stephan Livera and Lawrence Lepard delve into pressing economic issues, including the national debt crisis, inflation, and the contrasting roles of gold and Bitcoin as sound money. They discuss the implications of the upcoming US election on
Bitcoin: The Great Absorber of Liquidity with Dr. Jeff Ross SLP606
After a long and choppy bull-crab market, Dr. Ross notes that the bull market is here!
Dr. Jeff Ross, founder, Vailshire Capital Management, joins me to discuss the ongoing sentiment in the markets, global liquidity, pitfalls and opportunities of this bull cycle, holistic living and more!
Summary
In this conversation, Dr. Jeff Ross discusses his transition from a bearish to a bullish outlook on Bitcoin and the broader market, emphasizing the importance of liquidity and central bank policies. He
Bitcoin: On the Way to $400K? with Andy Edstrom SLP605
Andy Edstrom, Head of Managed Wealth at Onramp Bitcoin rejoins me to discuss the govt. debt levels, retirement planning on Bitcoin, price modeling, risks of leverage yield on Bitcoin and more!
Summary
In this episode, Andy Edstrom returns to discuss the evolution of Bitcoin since their last conversation, touching on price modeling, the risks of leverage, and the future of Bitcoin loans. They explore the implications of government debt, the role of gold, and the potential for yield in a Bitcoin
Bitcoin Custody & Proof of Reserves with Alexander Leishman SLP604
With growing institutional adoption of Bitcoin through custodians, investors will demand transparency through ‘Proof of Reserves’. Alexander Leishman, CEO & CTO, River joins me to discuss more of the institutional adoption of Bitcoin, Coinbase’s hesitation towards Proof of Reserves, US Govt. debt and more.
Summary
In this episode of the Stephan Livera podcast, host Stephan speaks with Alex Leishman, CEO and CTO of River, about various topics surrounding Bitcoin, including the current state
The Power of Political Decentralization with Ryan McMaken SLP603
Secession may seem like a dirty word, but it has happened many times in history and it’s worth understanding the political and economic benefits it can yield. Ryan McMaken, Executive Editor and Economist at the Mises Institute joins me to discuss his book, Breaking Away.
Summary
In this conversation, Stephan and Ryan McMaken discuss the topic of secession and its advantages. They explore the historical and theoretical context of secession, highlighting the benefits of radical decentralization
Bitcoin Product Market Fit For Savings with Pierre Rochard SLP602
My friend Pierre Rochard (VP Research at Riot Platforms) rejoins me on the show to discuss some of his latest views.
Summary
In this conversation, Stephan and Pierre discuss the concept of long-term savings in Bitcoin and its product-market fit. Pierre introduces a metric for measuring long-term savings by looking at the age of UTXOs (unspent transaction outputs). They also explore the idea of rebalancing and the importance of aligning financial decisions with personal goals. The conversation
Can Lightning Liquidity Be Solved with Liquid? With Tankred Hase SLP601
Tankred Hase has experience working with various Bitcoin and Lightning companies such as Lightning Labs and Swan previously. He joins me to talk about Bitcoin, Lightning and Liquid. We discuss some of the real world challenges and trade offs that builders and developers face, as well as the likely path forward from here.
Summary
Tankred discusses the current state of Bitcoin, Lightning, and Liquid development. He highlights the progress made in terms of user experience and liquidity. However,
Full Reserve vs "Real Bills" with Philipp Bagus - SLP600
Philipp Bagus rejoins me to discuss his newest book, ‘Full Reserve Banking versus The Real Bills Doctrine’. This is his response to Juan Ramón Rallo, and in it we discuss:
🔸 The currency school and the banking school
🔸The problem of ‘double availability’
🔸Why the creation of fiduciary media is a problem
🔸The correct categorization of goods and money
🔸Full Reserve in a Bitcoin world?
🔸Milei’s work in Argentina
Summary:
In this conversation, Stephan interviews Dr. Philipp Bagus about the f
Bitcoin Hardware Security Panel - NVK, Craig Raw, Rearden, Salvatoshi, AddBTC - SLP599
Bitcoin security, especially during the upcoming bull run, is extremely important. In this high powered hardware security panel episode featuring NVK, Craig Raw, Rearden, Salvatoshi, AddBTC, we discuss the key trade offs of bitcoin hardware security.
🔸What are the implications of Dark Skippy? 🔸What are some of the most common ways people lose their coins?
🔸Risks of USB in hardware wallets
🔸Standardization & inspection of wallets
Summary
The panel discusses the recent Dark Skippy attack
Getting on Zero with Sahil - SLP598
Sahil Chaturvedi, Designer at Foundry joins me to share his experience of getting on zero fiat and fully embracing Bitcoin as a unit of account. We discuss:
🔸#GetOnZero fiat
🔸Tools required to crossover
🔸Tax implications
🔸Weathering volatility
🔸Using intermediaries to live on a Bitcoin Standard
Summary
Sahil discusses the concept of 'Get On Zero' and the reasons behind it. The conversation explores the concept of 'get on zero,' which means minimizing fiat currency holdi
Dark Skippy: A New Attack on Bitcoin Hardware Wallets? With Nick, Lloyd and Robin SLP597
Dark Skippy is a new attack that in theory, makes it much easier for a malicious person to steal your coins. Listen in to learn about some of the ins and outs here, as well as mitigation and the path forward for the industry from @utxoclub , @LLFOURN & @robin_linus .
Why air gapping is not the be all end all
Dark Skippy in context with other attacks
Security while signing transactions, and security while generating keys
RFC6979 Deterministic nonce generation
Updating PSBT to help
Lightning is the common language of Bitcoin with Roy from Breez SLP596
Just like how English is the international language of business, Bitcoin’s lightning network is how various layers and apps and products will ‘talk’ to each other. Roy Sheinfeld, founder and CEO of Breez (@Breez_Tech) rejoins me to talk about updates in lightning and what’s new with Breez SDK.
We discuss the various layers and ways of interacting with Bitcoin and lightning, using Liquid (@Liquid_BTC) with swaps, and Bitcoin as a medium of exchange.
Summary:
In this conversation, Stephan and Ro
A New Way to Invest in Bitcoin Startups? Mike Jarmuz of Thunder Funder SLP595
Thunder Funder is a new funding portal by Mike Jarmuz (CEO) and Rockstar Dev (CTO). This will be a new way to allow retail investors to participate in bitcoin company equity rounds. Muzz and I discuss the ins and outs of what this means, as well as what it could mean for bitcoin and open source companies.
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(00:55) - Overview of Lightning Ventures & Thunder Funder
(12:15) - Sponsor
(13:50) - Pros and cons of investing in Bitcoin startups
(19:28) - Liquidity, seco
SLP594 Antoine Poinsot on Bitcoin Core Development & Great Consensus clean up
Joining me is Antoine (@darosior), to discuss the latest developments around Liana and the growing importance of inheritance planning. We also delve into The Great Consensus clean up, important bug fixes and disclosure of Bitcoin core vulnerabilities.
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(00:40) - The latest developments with Liana
(02:16) - Inheritance planning with Liana
(05:59) - What is The Great Consensus Clean up?
(07:30) - What is the Timewarp bug?
(15:51) - What would it take to fix the bug?
(19
How Do You Retire on Bitcoin? With Morgen Rochard SLP593
Can you retire on Bitcoin savings? What do the numbers look like? Morgen Rochard, Founder and Lead Financial Planner of Origin Wealth Advisers joins me to explain:
The 4% rule and how to modify it
Being conservative in your planning
CPI inflation being hard to predict
Do you rebalance?
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(01:03) - 4% rule, Bitcoin & FIRE
(04:41) - HODLers vs TradFi allocation
(12:34) - Why you should be conservative with Bitcoin retirement
(20:16) - What if you retire
The Fertility Crisis and Cultural Answers to it with Daniel Hess SLP592
The global fertility crisis is on with many western and developed nations below replacement fertility. Joining me to discuss this problem is Daniel Hess (aka @MoreBirths on X).
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(00:54) - How bad is the global fertility crisis?
(04:50) - Implications of low birth rate for future generations
(09:54) - Causes for declining global rate of fertility
(11:53) - Marriages affecting birth rate
(15:38) - Religion affecting birth rate
(17:36) - Fertility rate in the East
(21:2
Stable Channels with Tony Klausing (SLP591)
Even as bitcoiners, we can’t deny that there is demand for ‘stablecoins’ or some kind of stable value feature. Tony Klausing, bitcoin and lightning developer joins me to talk about Stable Channels. This approach to stable value is self custodial, P2P, and bitcoin-native. We talk about the benefits, trade offs and who this would be suitable for.
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(00:51) - Tony’s background
(03:28) - Opportunity of Stable Channels
(05:46) - Fiat-backed stablecoins Vs. Crypto-backed s
The Bushido of Bitcoin with Aleksandar Svetski (SLP590)
Aleksandar Svetski (@SvetskiWrites) rejoins me to talk about his newest book, The Bushido of Bitcoin. We get into a discussion about:
Anti-egalitarianism
Virtues
Why Bitcoiners should ‘stop being plebs’
The ascend & descend of civilisations
Imbibing warrior culture in Bitcoin
The masses and the remnant
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(00:41) - Who is ‘The Bushido of Bitcoin’ for?
(11:13) - The role of legitimate hierarchy
(18:14) - The cyclical nature of civilisations
(22:21) - Sponsors
(25
Abundance, Generosity, and the State with Guido Hulsmann SLP589
Jörg Guido Hülsmann is a Senior Fellow of the Mises Institute, and he rejoins me to discuss his latest book on Abundance, Generosity and the State. Bitcoiners like to spell out a lot of the social and cultural problems in the world today, and Dr Hülsmann is one of the leading lights in showing how fiat currency and government intervention have caused negative outcomes.
We discuss the way gratuitous benefits come to us in a free market capitalist society, and the many ways government interventio
Why are Empty Blocks Happening with OrangeSurf from mempool.space (SLP588)
Why are some bitcoin blocks empty? Orange Surf from the mempool.space team joins me to explain his recent research report on this topic. We discuss:
Why do empty blocks happen?
Comparing empty block rates across mining pools
Firmware and config differences
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(00:44) - Orange Surf’s research report on empty blocks
(02:02) - Block interval data sets
(06:25) - What is an empty block?
(08:09) - What causes an empty block to occur?
(11:35) - Nuances of a working of
Setting up Free Private Cities in South Asia with Art Finch (SLP587)
Art Finch is a South African-American Entrepreneur. Art has experience across South Asia and is interested in setting up Free Private Cities or Charter Cities. In this episode he shares his experiences in Bhutan and shares his theories on how Bitcoin and Free Private Cities can work together.
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(01:28) - Art’s background & his interest in building a Free Private City (FPC)
(10:50) - The need for a Free Private City
(13:11) - A look at Shenzhen as an SEZ
(16:20) - E
Direct Held Bitcoin ETF with in kind redemption with Jeff Yew, CEO, Monochrome SLP586
While many debate the pros and cons of Bitcoin ETFs, joining us for this episode is Jeff Yew, CEO of Monochrome, doing a directly held Bitcoin ETF in Australia. We chat about the fees, the custody, the ethos, being able to contribute bitcoin or redeem bitcoin, institutional adoption and Bitcoin in Australia.
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(00:53) - Monochrome’s role in bringing Bitcoin ETFs to Australia
(02:48) - Timeline of different Bitcoin ETFs in Australia
(03:58) - Influence of US Spot Bitc
Set Your Business Up With Bitcoin Unit of Account with Luke Thibodeau, CFO of Prospera SLP585
You might have seen my earlier episode with Erick Brimen, CEO of Prospera, here’s the CFO of Prospera discussing the ability to use Bitcoin as a unit of account. We discuss:
Life on Roatan
Setting up a business
Choose your own regulatory environment
ZEDE law situation
Bitcoin as unit of account
Leaving Canada
Timestamps:
Links:
https://prospera.hn/
https://stephanlivera.com/episode/464/
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Updates on Ark with Tiero SLP584
Tiero of Ark Labs joins me on the show to discuss the latest with Ark. We get into:
How Ark has changed since initial proposal
clARK - covenant-less ARK
Trade offs to make clARK happen
Which covenants would help vs what is ideal for Ark
Ark on Liquid
Capital requirements and costs
Fiatcoins
Nostr
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(01:37) - What is Ark? ELI5 version
(05:42) - Tradeoffs of scaling payments
(07:41) - Interchangeably using LN & Ark under the hood
(10:52) - Up
Bitcoin Ossification Debate with Vijay Boyapati and Reardencode SLP583
The bitcoin ‘ossification’ debate continues with a discussion on the key considerations. What makes Bitcoin special? What improvements are necessary to retain sufficient decentralisation, if any?
Vijay Boyapati and Brandon Black (aka reardencode) rejoin me for a special episode to discuss:
What makes Bitcoin special?
Defining ‘ossification’
How many users is ‘enough’?
Unknown unknowns
Addressing centralising MEV concerns
Soft forks and hard forks
Economic nodes and who hol
NVK on Bitcoin Ossification and Changes SLP582
NVK of Coinkite rejoins me to talk about attitudes on Bitcoin development and consensus changes. We discuss how “ossification” is commonly thrown around as a term, but maybe there is a better term. “Extreme conservatism”? We talk:
What is ossification?
What about bug fixes?
What changes would NVK be interested in?
How many people will use Bitcoin?
What the market is focused on
It’s not your chain
Links:
X: @nvk
Bitcoinsecurity.guide
coinkite.com
Unleashed.chat
Bitcoin Seoul 2024 Interviews with Saifedean, Jimmy Song, Laolu, Obi, glozow and Calvin SLP581
I recently spoke at Bitcoin Seoul 2024 and here are some interviews with some of the speakers:
Calvin Kim on utreexo
Gloria Zhao on Bitcoin Core and mempool
Laolu on Taproot Assets and covenants
Saifedean on Central Banking and tax cattle
Obi Nwosu on Fedi
Jimmy Song on Bitcoin in Korea
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Calvin Kim on importance of Bitcoin conferences
(01:51) - Simplifying Utreexo
(03:31) - What is Utreexod?
(04:51) - Will node providers support Utreexo?
(06:38) - Gloria Zhao
Bitcoin and MEV with Walt Smith SLP580
Walt Smith of cyber.fund joins me to discuss thoughts on MEV and where it may be going on Bitcoin.
We discuss:
Defining MEV
10 minute block time?
Does it centralise Bitcoin?
Suffering from success
The approach on shitcoins and spam
Timestamps:
(00:00) - Intro
(02:02) - Defining MEV
(06:02) - Replace-by-fee (RBF)
(11:01) - Concern regarding miner centralisation
(18:56) - Growth of private mempool flow & MEV potential?
(24:55) - Are mining pools transparent with fee payouts?
Silent Payments: A Bitcoin username? With Josibake and Ruben Somsen SLP579
Silent Payments is a new approach to improving privacy and useability of Bitcoin. Imagine not needing to manually create new addresses? Josibake and Ruben Somsen join me to discuss some of the ins and outs of Silent Payments. We discuss:
Silent Payments overview
Contrast with other techniques such as BIP47
Light client support
Stopping address re use
Base layer privacy discussion
Links:
X: @josibake
X: @SomsenRuben
BIP: Silent Payments
Tracking progress in Bitcoin Cor
Bitaxe: The Open Source Bitcoin Miner with Skot - SLP578
Skot joins me to talk about his project to bring affordable, energy efficient, open source mining to home miners. We discuss:
The current state of open source in bitcoin mining
Bitaxe overview
Why do people do this?
Price and how to set one up
Mining pools
Decentralisation
Links:
X: @skot9000
Site: Bitaxe.org
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Nomadcapitalist.com/apply
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @stephanli
Great Script Restoration with Rusty Russell SLP577
Rusty Russell rejoins me on the show to talk about a new idea for a bitcoin soft fork that hopefully avoids some of the ‘horse trading’ dynamic that existed amongst other proposals. Listen in to learn more about the different paradigm that Rusty introduces here, so that developers can build more functionality and efficiency in, hopefully so that more people can use Bitcoin in self-custody.
Bitcoin Script background
GSR overview
GSR benefits
What is varops
Contrast with APO or LNH
Payjoin Dev Kit for Bitcoin Privacy - Dan Gould SLP576
Dan Gould of the PayJoin Dev Kit (sponsored by Spiral and Opensats) joins me to discuss how Bitcoin privacy could be improved with more PayJoin adoption. What’s more, it might also benefit users in consolidating their wallets or potentially even fee savings. We discuss how this could be integrated into more bitcoin wallets.
What is a PayJoin?
How it helps privacy
Other benefits in efficiency
Downsides and trade offs
Changes with the v2 PayJoin protocol
PayJoin Directory
Payjoin De
Core Scientific Exits Bankruptcy with Adam Sullivan SLP575
Adam Sullivan, CEO of Core Scientific joins me today as we chat about:
Going through bankruptcy as a Bitcoin miner
Debt financing
Role of capital structure in mining
What makes Core Scientific different?
Centralisation of mining pools
Fee dynamics going forward
2025 outlook on Mining
Links:
X: @_Adam_Sullivan1
Core Scientific: Corescientific.com
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @stephanl
Bitcoin Mining and Capital Structure with Rapha Zagury SLP574
Rapha Zagury, CIO of Swan and Head of Swan Mining rejoins me on the show to talk about a range of topics, from Brazil’s flooding, Bitcoin Mining, Capital Structure, as well as share some insights on speaking to TradFi professionals about Bitcoin.
Links:
X: @alphaazeta
Site: Swan.com
Site: Nakamotoportfolio.com
Nakamoto Gauntlet: The Nakamoto Portfolio Gauntlet
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @
A Shift in Bitcoin Developer Thought? with Brandon Black (aka reardencode) SLP573
As you may know, at the recent Bitcoin++ conference, there was a ‘meeting of the minds’ and Brandon Black aka reardencode rejoins me on the show to discuss. We talk about:
The state of various covenant proposals
What has shifted now in thinking
The promise of Great Script Restoration
Could it have bad side effects?
Doing good engineering
Links:
X: @reardencode
Bitcoin++: btcplusplus.dev
Rusty’s talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSp8918HLnA
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVE
Bitcoiners, Don’t Sleep on Nostr! - Miljan SLP572
Miljan from Primal joins me to talk about why Bitcoiners should not sleep on Nostr. We chat:
Why he’s bullish on nostr
What the experience is like nowadays
Network effects for creators and devs
Dealing with spam and sybil
Why Openness is the killer feature
Links:
X: @mbraticevic
Site: Primal.net
Miljan’s Nostr npub: npub16c0nh3dnadzqpm76uctf5hqhe2lny344zsmpm6feee9p5rdxaa9q586nvr
Miljan’s Nostr: miljan@primal.net
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
What’s happening with JPY? - Peruvian Bull SLP571
Peruvian Bull, a macro writer and commentator joins me to explain what’s happening with the Japanese economy and how it all ties in with the dollar end game. We discuss:
The impossible trinity for Japan
Japanese government debt
The global JPY carry trade
The impact on the US financial system
Links:
X: @peruvian_bull
Nostr: npub1xwmyzp64xx03kw9ecd7fzsj3e9dgwah6an0rdng0cc6ux4dswwjs28pyyc
Newsletter: https://substack.com/@peruvianbull
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com
Then They Fight You? - Parker Lewis SLP570
Parker Lewis of Zaprite rejoins me on the show to discuss recent updates in the space and what’s happening with Zaprite and merchant adoption.
“Then they fight you” ?
Chilling Effect
Zaprite
Getting Bitcoin Payment Rails Ready
Gradually, Then Suddenly
Why hope should not be lost
Links:
X: @parkeralewis
Site: Zaprite.com
Get Parker’s Book: thesifhouse.com
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @stephan
Why Bitcoin Should Not Ossify - Steve Lee SLP569
A lot of people talk about Bitcoin Ossification. Today Steve Lee, Lead @ Spiral rejoins me to expand on why this is the wrong idea. We also talk about the recent situation with bitcoin mining pool centralisation and what is driving it.
Links:
X: @moneyball
AJ Town’s ‘Slow and Steady’ post mentioned:
Earlier episode also mentioned: SLP433 : v2 P2P Transport Protocol for Bitcoin (BIP324)
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
The System You Give Your Energy To - Jeff Booth SLP568
Jeff Booth, author, entrepreneur and founding partner of Ego Death Capital rejoins me on the show to talk about his bitcoin advocacy at various levels:
Speaking to politicians about bitcoin
The system you give energy to
“Staying and fighting” in Canada vs supporting alternatives e.g. Madeira
‘Coincidental’ attack on Bitcoin?
Links:
X: @JeffBooth
nostr: npub1s05p3ha7en49dv8429tkk07nnfa9pcwczkf5x5qrdraqshxdje9sq6eyhe
Site: Ego Death Capital
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
Coi
Bitcoin and Investing with Preston Pysh SLP567
How do you think about investing as a bitcoiner? Preston Pysh of TIP rejoins me on the show to talk about a range of related ideas:
HODL vs invest in companies
Microstrategy and other public companies
VC and early stage investment
Realistic investment hurdle rates
Technical realities as bitcoin grows
Links:
X: @PrestonPysh
TIP: theinvestorspodcast.com
nostr: npub1s5yq6wadwrxde4lhfs56gn64hwzuhnfa6r9mj476r5s4hkunzgzqrs6q7z
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code
The cost to hack bitcoin hardware wallets with Dmitry Nedospasov SLP566
Dmitry Nedospasov is a PhD in Chip Security, also known for his hardware wallet exploits in 2018 with the wallet.fail talk. Dmitry joins me to talk about hardware security in the world of bitcoin and how it compares with hardware chip security in other domains. We discuss:
The 2018 wallet.fail talk
Bitcoin compared with other industries
Realistic hardware wallet attack types
The cost of attacking a hardware device
Backups and Shamir’s Secret Sharing
Links:
X: @nedos
LinkedIn: Dmit
Great Consensus Clean up, MEVil and LN isn’t dead - Steve Lee and Matt Corallo SLP565
Steve Lee and Matt Corallo of Spiral rejoin me on the show to talk about a range of topics. Firstly we discuss the Great Consensus Clean Up which relates to fixing some long standing bugs in Bitcoin. Secondly we talk about MEV and why it’s the wrong term, instead we should be talking about MEVil and the implications for Bitcoin miner centralisation. Finally we address the rumours of Lightning Network being dead or not useful.
Links:
X: @moneyball
X: @TheBlueMatt
BlueMatt's Blog: Sto
Going Where You’re Treated Best and Nomad Capitalist Live 2024 with Andrew Henderson SLP564
Andrew Henderson rejoins me to discuss his story renouncing US citizenship, and whether the price was worth it. We discuss whether you should “stay and fight” as well as considerations relevant for Bitcoiners on pursuing their options in other countries. We also discuss Nomad Capitalist Live 2024, coming in KL Malaysia. Listen in to learn and stay up to date on global tax, investing and lifestyle strategies.
Links:
X: @nomadcapitalist
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (cod
Revault, Liana, self custody and bitcoin inheritance with Kevin Loaec SLP563
Kevin Loaec of wizardsardine joins me to talk about bitcoin security and vaults. We get into a discussion about:
Vaults and what’s possible today
Timelocking and using them as part of self custody
Inheritance scenarios
Business use cases
Covenant soft forks
Links:
X: @KLoaec
X: @Wizardsardine
X: @revaultdev
Site: Wizardsardine
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscri
Good Design Creates Trust - Bitcoin Design with Christoph Ono and Mogashni Naidoo SLP562
Have you wondered about the role design and UX plays in Bitcoin apps? Christoph and Mogashni join me from the Bitcoin Design Community to share insights on:
What most people are getting wrong about design
How you can leverage design principles in your bitcoin product
Bitcoin specific design challenges
Types of user
Tools available by the Bitcoin Design community
Links:
Site: Bitcoin.design
Site: bitcoindesignfoundation.org
X: @MogashniNaidoo
X: @GBKS
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code
US Government Fiscal Collapse Accelerates with Peter St Onge SLP561
Peter St Onge rejoins me on the show to share some insight into how bad the US government fiscal situation is getting. We talk:
How much debt there is and what’s next here
The impact on the people
Japanese interest rates rising
Japanese economic impacts
AI and where the jobs will come from
Bitcoin outlook
Links:
X: @profstonge
Site: Profstonge.com
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Nomadcapitalist.com
Stephan Livera links:
Follow
Tracking the new Bitcoin ETFs with Thomas Fahrer SLP560
Thomas Fahrer, co-founder of Apollo joins me to talk about the Bitcoin ETFs. We talk:
Analysing the Bitcoin ETFs
What further institutional adoption looks like
How much capital could flow into Bitcoin
The Bitcoin FOMO scenario
Disagreements on the power law model
MSTR and Bitcoin
Links:
X: @thomas_fahrer
Site: Heyapollo.com
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscribe to
How to Ride Through This Bitcoin Bull Cycle with Vijay Boyapati SLP559
My friend Vijay Boyapati (Author of the Bullish Case for Bitcoin, and part of the Swan team) rejoins me on the show to talk about HODLing, share his analysis on things, and offer some tips on how to HODL. We talk:
What phase of the cycle we’re in
HODLer psychology
Does Bitcoin get captured?
Is Bitcoin for Everyone?
Self custody tech
GBTC and Bankruptcies
Common traps and how to avoid them
Links:
X: @real_vijay
Genesis thread https://twitter.com/real_vijay/status/1744454450138
Mi Primer Bitcoin Goes International with John Dennehy SLP558
Mi Primer Bitcoin (My First Bitcoin) has grown since I last spoke with them on the show. John from the team rejoins me to talk about how things have developed. The team has now taught over 25,000 students in El Salvador and they are now expanding internationally.
Links:
X: @jdennehy_writes
Site: Miprimerbitcoin.io
SLP381 John Dennehy & Gloriana Solano – Bitcoin Diploma in El Salvador
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Swapping across Bitcoin, Lightning and Liquid with Kilian from Boltz.exchange SLP557
How do we interact with Bitcoin in a multi layer world? What cost savings and trade offs are necessary here? What even counts as a layer? Kilian from boltz.exchange joins me to talk about swapping across Bitcoin on-chain, Lightning and Liquid. We discuss:
How swapping works
What makes it atomic and non-custodial
What counts as layer 2
Fee savings and trade offs
Links:
X: @kilrau
Site: boltz.exchange
X: @boltzhq
Taproot feature blog post: Introducing Taproot Swaps: Putting the &q
The First Bitcoin Circular Economy - Arnhem City Netherlands with Patrick van der Meijde SLP556
Patrick van der Meijde, founder of BitKassa and co founder Arnhem Bitcoin City joins me to talk about his experience with co-founding one of the earliest Bitcoin ‘circular economy’ communities in 2014.
How he got started
Taking payments pre-lightning
Are there enough people spending?
Resurgence in circular economies
Adopting Bitcoin Arnhem City
Links:
X: @PatrickvdMeijde
Site: adoptingbitcoinarnhem.com
Site: arnhembitcoinstad.nl
Cofounder @BitKassaNL
Cofounder Arnhem Bit
Bitcoin Atlantis 2024 interviews - Alden, Lavish, Strolight, Pouliot, Roose, Todd (SLP555)
While in Madeira for Bitcoin Atlantis, I did some interviews on a range of topics with Lyn Alden, James Lavish, Tomer Strolight, Francis Pouliot, Steven Roose and Peter Todd. We discussed:
is Macro mid curve?
USG debt
Using analogies to teach bitcoin
librerelay
MEV concerns
Self custodial and scaling
Links:
Lyn Alden X: @LynAldenContact
Site: lynalden.com
James Lavish X: @jameslavish
Site: jameslavish.substack.com
Site: bitcoinopportunity.fund
Tomer Strolight X:
Bitcoin DLC Self Custodial Finance with Philipp Hoenisch of 10101 SLP554
What applications exist for Bitcoin self custodial finance? Philipp Hoenisch, founder of 10101 (pronounced ten-ten-one) joins me on the show to talk about bitcoin trading without counterparty risk. We discuss:
DLC overview and basics
DLC channels and lightning
10101 walkthrough
“Funding rate”
Synthetic stablecoins
For individuals or business?
Risks and things can break down
Prior Episodes:
SLP349 Chris Stewart Bitcoin DLCs & Stablechannels
SLP219 Nadav Kohen – What You Sh
The Future of Bitcoin Banking with Eric Yakes SLP553
Eric Yakes, author of The 7th Property, joins me to talk about the future of Bitcoin Banking, LN and ecash. We discuss:
Chaumian mints and ecash
Interaction with LN
Credit markets in the future
How does the system remain Full Reserve?
Regulatory roadblocks
Will there be a role for passive index funds?
Links:
X: @ericyakes
axiombtc.capital/bank
Site: Yakes.io
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Follow m
EIA Attack on Bitcoin Miners Brian Morgenstern SLP552
Brian Morgenstern, Head of Public Policy of Riot Platforms joins me to talk about the latest attack on Bitcoin miners:
Is Bitcoin mining a partisan issue?
The EIA “Survey”
Falsehoods on grid stability and emissions
False Emergency
What to do about it
Links:
X: @MorgensternNJ
Thread https://twitter.com/MorgensternNJ/status/1754634147232977246
X: @TXblockchain_
Sen. Lummis declares the survey to be ‘absurd’
Joint statement by the Chamber of Digital Commerce & Texas Blo
What’s Next for Bitcoin and Mutiny Wallet with Ben Carman SLP551
Ben Carman of Mutiny Wallet rejoins me on the show to talk about what’s coming next for Bitcoin. We talk about scaling Bitcoin and contrast the different mindsets, discuss different soft fork proposals and directions Bitcoin could go. We also talk about what impact covenants will have and the latest with Mutiny Wallet.
Bitcoin’s biggest challenges
Taxonomy of Bitcoin development culture
Soft forks and covenants
What ‘counts’ as a Bitcoin L2?
What are the big benefits of covenants?
Dispelling False Narratives About Bitcoin with Daniel Batten SLP550
Do the lies about Bitcoin frustrate you? Join us in this episode as we discuss the ways to dispel and debunk some of the most egregious false climate narratives on Bitcoin with Daniel Batten, Managing Partner at CH4 Capital. We discuss:
The biggest bitcoin climate myths
Dishonest portrayal in the media
“Per transaction” fake methodology
Where Cambridge CCAF is wrong
Bitcoin’s PoW and ‘ideological intransigence’
ESMA submission
How Bitcoiners can help
Links:
X: @DSBatten
Articl
Is Everything Good For Bitcoin? with Christian Keroles SLP549
We talk about monetary maximalism, and whether everything is good for bitcoin with Christian Keroles of HRF. We discuss:
Monetary maximalism: descriptive or prescriptive
Bitcoin Spam
Antifragility
What bitcoiners are getting wrong on personal finance
How 2023 played out with “ordinals”
Not being used to winning
Links:
X: @ck_SNARKs
Site: HRF.org
Site: https://cbdctracker.hrf.org/home
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Li
Bitcoin Oasis 2024 interviews - Zucco, Rizzo, Dashjr, Prince Philip, De La Torre SLP548
We’re trying something a little different this episode! While at Bitcoin Oasis 2024 in Dubai I captured some short interviews with some speakers at the conference. We covered a wide range of topics ranging from Bitcoin Spam, to nation state adoption and honestly grappling with bitcoin user adoption trade offs. The speakers interviewed are:
Alejandro De La Torre of Demand Mining
Luke Dashjr of Ocean Mining
Prince Philip of Serbia, from JAN3
Pete Rizzo of Bitcoin Magazine
Giacomo Zucco of
Big Changes in El Salvador with Mike Peterson SLP547
Mike Peterson from Bitcoin Beach El Zonte, El Salvador rejoins me on the show to give listeners some updates from El Salvador. Having a reduced crime rate and improved investment and tourism into the country has driven big changes! We talk:
How things look a few years on from the Bitcoin Law
Life on the ground in El Salvador
How easy it is to move
El Salvador $1M Citizenship Program
Dealing with on chain fees
Custodial vs Self Custodial and pragmatism
‘Circular Economies’ and insig
2024 Lightning Wallet Overview with Anita Posch SLP546
Get an overview of lightning wallets in this episode with Anita Posch. Anita walks through what she found in testing self custodial lightning wallets under conditions of poor internet connectivity. We also talk about themes that came up at the recent Adopting Bitcoin Cape Town South Africa.
On the ground insights
Results of the self custodial wallet test
Which LN apps came out best?
The situation with fees
Where the test might not be suitable
How things may change with a Liquid or Fed
Bitcoin Life Insurance with Zac Townsend SLP545
What does Life Insurance look like when it’s all priced and done in Bitcoin? Zac Townsend (CEO and co-founder of Meanwhile) joins me on the show to talk about it. We discuss:
Life insurance as a model
Term or Whole life
Bitcoin denomination
Is it the next Celsius or BlockFi?
Does it work under a deflationary
Private credit fund
Links:
X: @ztownsend
X: @meanwhilelife
Site: meanwhile.bm
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
nomadc
Where Did Bitcoin Come From? The Genesis Book with Aaron van Wirdum (SLP544)
Aaron van Wirdum rejoins me to talk about his exploration of how Bitcoin came to be. We talk about his new book, The Genesis Book. In this book, Aaron explores some of the technologies, and philosophies that led to the creation of Bitcoin. We discuss:
What he learned in making this book
Hayek and the Austrians
Extropians
Cryptography and the Cypherpunks
Libertarians
Precursor tech to Bitcoin
Links:
X: @AaronvanW
Site: http://thegenesisbook.com/
Nostr #npub1art8cs66ffvnqns5zs5q
Bitcoin Mining Around the World with Seb Gouspillou (SLP543)
Sébastien Gouspillou is a French Bitcoin miner, entrepreneur, and speaker. He is the CEO of BBGS (Big Block Green Services) and he joins me to talk about Bitcoin mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Oman and elsewhere around the world:
Bitcoin mining in the DRC
Bitcoin mining in Oman
Using various forms of energy
Working in different environments
Narrative shifts in Bitcoin Mining and Proof of Work
Links:
X: @SebGouspillou
Site: bbgsmining.com
Sponsors:
Swan.com (
Defending Bitcoin PoW in the EU with Lyudmyla Kozlovska and Bota Jardemalie (SLP542)
It seems that the EU is constantly coming out with bad new regulations that will impact Bitcoiners and Bitcoin miners. Joining me today is Lyudmyla Kozlovska and Bota Jardemalie from the Open Dialogue Foundation - Bitcoin and human rights advocates. We talk about:
EU bureaucracy and ECB threat to Bitcoin
Why engage with these people at all?
Attacks on Bitcoin’s Proof of Work
Threat to self custody and sovereignty - AML
Bitcoin as bank of last resort
How you can help with testimonials
Covenant Use Cases & TXHASH with Steven Roose (SLP541)
Given the recent discussion on covenants, you might be curious about what actual covenant use cases look like. Joining me today is Steven Roose to help explain covenant uses and TXHASH as well as various objections:
Case for Covenants
Why TXHASH
Scope of changes
Covenants.info
Covenant use cases
Ark
Commercial viability
Links:
X: @stevenroose3
Site: Covenants.info
TXHASH ML post: https://lists.linuxfoundation.org/pipermail/bitcoin-dev/2022-January/019813.html
Sponsors:
Swan.c
A New Era for Bitcoin with Tuur Demeester (SLP540)
On the eve of Bitcoin ETFs being approved, is Bitcoin entering a new era? Tuur Demeester, long time bitcoin advocate, writer and speaker rejoins me on the show to discuss his thoughts:
This new era for Bitcoin
ETF approval and what it means
Capture risks are low
Psychology of a market cycle and HODLers
“Hate buying” Bitcoin
Bitcoin Life Insurance
Why every company needs a Bitcoin strategy
Future of Bitcoin use
Note this show was recorded Jan 10th 2024 8pm Dubai (11am Eastern tim
Living in Dubai and Bitcoin Oasis with Lara Eggiman (SLP539)
Have you heard about Dubai but been wondering about what it’s like there? Lara Eggiman joins me to talk about Dubai, the UAE and the new bitcoin-only conference launching here, Bitcoin Oasis. We discuss:
Dubai lifestyle
Common misconceptions
Tips for people who want to set up in Dubai
Why the UAE is well placed for Bitcoin adoption
Bitcoin Oasis
Bitcoin Association
Links:
X: @SwissAlice1
Site: Bitcoin-oasis.com
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
The Real Origins of Money with Natalie Smolenski SLP538
In this conversation, Natalie Smolenski discusses the intersection of Bitcoin, anthropology, and political economy. She explores the debate on the origin of money and the clash between anthropologists and economists. Smolenski argues that money is a social technology that can take different forms based on trust and use cases. She examines the limitations of fiat currency and the importance of trust in debt settlement. Smolenski also discusses the rise of Bitcoin as a competing institution to tr
Are Covenants Necessary for Bitcoin? with Brandon Black (SLP537)
Not everybody understands that blockchains themselves don’t scale. And this may create some tricky implications if we want to onboard large numbers of people to Bitcoin. This is why some of the discussion nowadays is about soft forks and covenants. Brandon Black rejoins me to talk about some of his ideas on how many people can use Bitcoin with current tech, and how covenants such as CTV (Check Template Verify) could help improve this. We discuss:
How many people can use Bitcoin
Why not build
Elizabeth’s War on Bitcoin with Pierre Rochard (SLP535)
Elizabeth Warren has come out with a new anti Bitcoin bill. Joining me is VP of Research at Riot Platforms, Pierre Rochard. We talk about:
What’s in the bill
Policy objectives
“Unhosted wallets”
FATF
Ordinals
Tx Fees
Third school of thought on long term fees
Links:
X: @BitcoinPierre
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X: @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Michael Saylor on Bitcoin Principles (SLP536)
What are the key principles underlying Bitcoin? How should we think about changes to Bitcoin? Michael Saylor, Executive Chairman and Founder of MicroStrategy rejoins me on the show to discuss:
Bitcoin Protocols
Bitcoin Principles
Bitcoin Dynamics
Bitcoin Politics
Bitcoin Philosophy
Links:
X: @saylor
Prior Episode:
SLP213 Michael Saylor – Bitcoin Dematerializes Money
Prior Episode:SLP213 Michael Saylor – Bitcoin Dematerializes Money
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKit
Small Business for Bitcoiners with Bobby Shell (SLP534)
Should Bitcoiners consider Small Business? What are some of the important considerations here? Bobby Shell of Voltage and Imprint Digital joins me on the show to talk about his experiences in SMB and why Bitcoiners should also think about it.
Why do SMB
Earning more and making an impact
His experiences with digital and physical businesses
Why not just stack sats?
The latest at Voltage
Links:
Twitter/X: @iBobbyShell
Linked: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobby-shell-iv/
Youtube: @ibob
The Great Drivechain Debate with Paul Sztorc and Peter Todd (SLP533)
Drivechain is a proposal from 2015 which has had a lot of community debate recently. Joining us today to debate this are Paul Sztorc (CEO of Layer Two Labs) and Peter Todd. We discuss a range of points:
Drivechain and miner centralisation
Whether you can delegate running a node
Legal risks
Fees and Blocksize limits
Links:
Earlier episode with Shinobi: Will Drivechain Centralise Bitcoin? With Shinobi
X: @peterktodd
Peter Todd’s post: Drivechains: A Detailed Analysis
Peter’s Site
Bitcoin Seed Backups for Multi Sig with SeedHammer (SLP 532)
Now many of us are familiar with the idea of using steel backups for our bitcoin private keys, but what about in the case of multi signature? And what about using machine engraving? Dax and E from the SeedHammer project join me to talk:
Why they are interested in this problem
Passphrase vs multi sig
Descriptor backup on steel
Seed Hammer walk through
Cost
Attack vectors
Changing standards
Where the project is going next
Links:
X: @SeedHammer
Site: Seedhammer.com
Github: h
How Many People Can Use Lightning? LSP Specs with Severin Buhler (SLP531)
How many people can use Bitcoin and Lightning today? Severin Buhler from Synonym joins me to talk about the LSP spec as well as lightning development. We talk about how the new LSP spec will enable more wallet builders, and more user choice, as well as smoothing the process for LSPs to compete:
What is an LSP
A marketplace of LSPs
Competition between jurisdictions
Wallet of Satoshi news
How many people can use lightning?
LSP business models
LSPS1 and 2
JIT Channels
Asynchronou
Growing a Bitcoin Circular Economy with Fernando Motolese (Bitcoin Beach Brazil & Bitcoinize POS) (SLP530)
There are various Bitcoin ‘circular economies’ but we talk with Fernando Motolese about how he started Bitcoin Beach Brazil, as well as his efforts in creating a new merchant POS terminal device, Bitcoinize. We discuss:
How Bitcoin Beach Brazil started
Onboarding merchants
Bolt card
Tech stack
Tourists and Locals experience
Bitcoinize device
HODL vs Spend
Fundraising
Links:
Fernando Motolese X: @MotoleseOficial
Bitcoinize site: bitcoinize.com
Bitcoinize POS on X: @Bitcoin
Ciudad Morazán with Massimo Mazzone (SLP529)
Free Private Cities are an exciting attempt at a new model for private governance. I’ve previously spoken with leaders in this movement such as Titus Gebel and Peter Young. Today I’m speaking with the founder of Ciudad Morazan, another free private city in Honduras. This one is a little different to the others you may have heard of, as this one is more focused on ‘blue collar’ workers, families, and businesses. We talk about the free private cities model and how it is being applied differently h
Bitcoin Mining Decentralisation with Ocean - Bitcoin Mechanic (SLP528)
Has Bitcoin’s Mining ecosystem become centralised? What can be done about it? Bitcoin Mechanic from Ocean joins me to talk:
Hashers vs Miners
Different pool payout methods
Stratum v2
Block withholding attacks
What Ocean is doing about it
Fees
Lightning payouts
Links:
X: @GrassFedBitcoin
Site: ocean.xyz/event
X: @ocean_mining
Article: Are Mining Pools Becoming a Problem?
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Has Business Been Exploiting Labour since 1971? with Gene Epstein (SLP527)
Many Bitcoiners have seen or shared around the images that show Labour Compensation (wages and other benefits) diverging from Labour Productivity since 1971, particularly from sites such as wtfhappenedin1971.com. Rejoining me today is Gene Epstein to break down why this chart is flawed! We also talk about broader issues around CPI, whether inflation is over or undercounted, and cost of living pressures that so many people are facing today. The conclusions will surprise you!We talk:
Labour Comp
Don’t Lose Your Coins with NVK (SLP526)
How do you prevent loss of your coins? What are some critical steps that are commonly missed? NVK and I discuss a recent case of a HODLer losing 25 BTC, as well as talk about updates in Bitcoin security.
Links:
X: @NVK
Nostr: npub1az9xj85cmxv8e9j9y80lvqp97crsqdu2fpu3srwthd99qfu9qsgstam8y8
Site: Coinkite.com
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Bitcoin’s Blocksize Scarcity with Bob Burnett of Barefoot Mining (SLP525)
When you need to send a Bitcoin transaction, you need Bitcoin blockspace. But blockspace is scarce! CEO of Barefoot Mining, Bob Burnett and I chat about this, and what you can do about it.
Blockspace scarcity and explanation
What you can do about it
UTXO management
Different types of miner
Miner’s Trilemma
Arguments against public company mining
Mining NOT being a leverage play on Bitcoin
Public vs private miners
Gateway going public
Core Scientific bankruptcy
Mining decent
Natalism and Bitcoiners with Malcolm Collins (SLP524)
Is there a demographic collapse coming? What could or should be done about it? Is there any connection with Bitcoiner culture? Malcolm Collins has a background in VC and Private Equity, and he is a co-founder of The Pronatalist Foundation. He has spent a lot of time speaking about this problem and has some great insights to share:
Population Projections
The Urban Monoculture
Pronatalist aims
Childless demographics
What caused this
What governments have tried
Where Bitcoiner culture
Entering a new Bitcoin bull cycle with Adam Back (SLP523)
Are we entering a new Bitcoin bull cycle? Adam Back, CEO of Blockstream, rejoins me on the show to talk about a variety of things:
SBF found guilty
Bitcoin bull cycle
Block size wars
Blockstream Greenlight
Blockstream BASIC note
Blockstream Green
Links:
Site: Blockstream.com
Blockstream BASIC Note
X: @adam3us
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Re
Dodging Knives as a Bitcoin Miner (SLP522)
Have you wondered about the challenges of managing a large publicly listed Bitcoin mining company? Jason Les, CEO of Riot Platforms joins me to talk:
His poker background
Why hashrate expands even when price is down
Riot’s competitive advantages
Should miners use debt financing?
HODLing Bitcoin as a miner
Bitcoin ETF impact?
How can miners outperform bitcoin?
Dodging knives
Educating government
Curtailment & Ancillary services
Halving predictions
Links:
Site: Riotpl
Support Bitcoin Lightning with Greenlight with Christian Decker (SLP521)
Are you interested in building support for Bitcoin’s Lightning Network into your product or service? Check out this discussion of Greenlight with Blockstream’s Christian Decker. We talk:
Improvements in lightning experience over the years
No. of payments, reliability
Greenlight experiences
Mobile nodes
Comparison with other providers
Shared infrastructure
Core Lightning features
What features will help make lightning easy
Links:
Site: https://blockstream.com/lightning/greenlig
What is BitVM? with Robin Linus and Super Testnet (SLP520)
BitVM is a new paradigm for Turing-complete bitcoin contracts. In this episode I speak with the creator, Robin Linus and another developer working on the idea, Super Testnet. We discuss:
What is BitVM?
What are some of the trade offs?
What could BitVM enable?
Set up time and interactivity
Can it enable sidechains or covenants?
Links:
Paper: bitvm.pdf
X: @robin_linus
X: @super_testnet
Super Testnet’s Tapleaf circuits
Shinobi article on BM: The Big Deal With Bitvm: Arbitrary Com
Self Custodial Bitcoin Finance with Matthew Black of Atomic Finance (SLP519)
Matthew Black, co-founder and CTO of Atomic Finance joins me to talk about earning yield in a self custodial way with DLCs. We get into all the questions and criticisms people might have:
How does it work without being custodial?
Where is the yield coming from?
HODL only
Different strategies available
DLC security over time
The future of Bitcoin Finance
Links:
X: @matthewjablack
Website: Atomic.Finance
Sponsors:
Swan.com (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool
Broken Money with Lyn Alden (SLP518)
Lyn Alden, macro analyst rejoins me on the show to talk about her new book, Broken Money. We discuss Lyn’s thoughts on:
Ledger money and who controls it
Different theories of money
Speed of transaction vs. settlement
Warfare funding under fiat
Base money and Broad money
GFC and the response to it
Fiat standard incentives
What kind of debt makes sense under a Bitcoin standard
Links:
X: @LynAldenContact
Site: LynAlden.com
Book: Broken Money: Why Our Financial System is Failing Us
Bitcoin Merchant Adoption: This Time is Different? with Will Cole (SLP517)
Will Cole of Zaprite rejoins me to talk about:
Merchant adoption and why it’s different this time
Improved custody
How Zaprite works
Accounting and integration
How adoption will be driven this time
Circular economy
The lie of 2% inflation
Links:
X: @willcole
Zaprite: https://zaprite.com/
Sponsors:
Pacific Bitcoin Festival (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Why You Should Have Zero Debt to Avoid Enslavement with Jimmy Song (SLP516)
Do you have debt? Are you wondering about the case for why you shouldn’t? Check out this episode with my friend and Bitcoin developer and advocate, Jimmy Song.
We talk about his newest book, Fiat Ruins Everything:
Why he wrote this book
Why you should have zero debt
Cultural issues
Fiat morality
Links:
X: @jimmysong
Site: https://fiatruinseverything.com/
Sponsors:
Pacific Bitcoin Festival (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Foll
HODLing through the cycles with American HODL (SLP515)
Have you wondered what it takes to be a long-term HODLer? American HODL rejoins me on the show to talk about HODLer psychology, bitcoin culture, and what to expect going forward:
Adoption waves
Living on Bitcoin
Overconfidence
Mainstream culture
Bitcoin Fixes This
Jurisdictions
Thoughts on next cycle
Links:
X: americanhodl8
Sponsors:
Pacific Bitcoin Festival (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on X @stephanlivera
S
Kids Don’t Need School with Jonathan Prescott & Adriana Prescott (SLP514)
Are you interested in spending 16,000 more hours with your children? Consider homeschooling! We discuss this and many other insights in this chat about homeschooling:
Their own journey of homeschooling
Escaping hivemind thinking
Criticism of ‘school vouchers’
Building up your child’s agency
Do you need curricula?
Modelling behaviour
“Socialisation”
The culture war
Links:
X: https://twitter.com/Homeschool_LLC
Site: https://www.homeschoollife.us/
Sponsors:
Pacific Bitcoi
Next Generation Lightning with Phoenix - Bastien Teinturier (SLP513)
The next generation of Bitcoin Lightning wallets is here with Phoenix from ACINQ. Rejoining me is CTO of ACINQ, Bastien Teinturier to talk about how the team is innovating a great self custodial experience for bitcoin and lightning users:
High Fee environment
New Phoenix fee structure
Splicing and what it enables
Dual Funding
Liquidity Ads
Building on a smartphone app
Can ACINQ steal from users?
APO
Biggest challenges
Reasons to be optimistic
Bastien links:
Twitter: @real
Will Drivechain Centralise Bitcoin? with Shinobi (SLP512)
Drivechain is a proposed soft fork that has faced a lot of criticism in the community, and Shinobi (Technical Editor of Bitcoin Magazine) joins me to discuss his critiques of the idea. We discuss:
What is Drivechain
How it works
Miner centralisation
Re orgs on sidechains
T-shirt sales argument
Stratum v2
“Miners can steal”
Other soft fork ideas (e.g. APO, CTV)
Multi Party Channels
“First Develop with what we’ve got”
Links
brian_trollz on X
Drivechains Introduce New Incen
v3 Transactions and Package Relay with glozow SLP511
Glozow rejoins me to talk about updates coming to Bitcoin’s transactions and mempool policy. We talk about how these will be essential to keep bitcoin use efficient and safe, especially for layer 2 protocols such as Lightning. We chat:
Current state with transacting
RBF and CPFP
Problems right now
L2 security
Pinning vectors
What is package relay?
What is v3 transactions?
What are ephemeral anchors?
Policy vs consensus
Glozow links:
Glozow on X
Waiting for confirmation
SLP510 Is On-Chain Analytics Legit? Cointime Economics with James Check
A common question amongst bitcoin investors is whether bitcoin on-chain analytics is legitimate or whether it is snake oil. Joining me to explore this as well as talk about some new research, is James Check, Lead Analyst of Glassnode. We talk about how the field progressed, and some insights to share on analyzing the bitcoin market:
History of on-chain analytics
Is it snake oil?
Liveliness
Impact of the ‘DCA Army’
Lost coins
Vaulted supply vs active supply
What does a bull market l
Bitcoin L2’s, LN, BTC++, Base58 - Lisa Neigut (SLP509)
Lisa Neigut of base58 and btcplusplus rejoins me on the show to talk about Bitcoin layer 2’s, where bitcoin’s lightning network is going, BTC++ and teaching Bitcoin developers at base58.We talk:
Views on other L2 protocols
LN technology
How important is APO for LN?
BTC++
nix and reproducibility
Base58
Links:
niftynei
base58.school
https://btcplusplus.dev/
Prior and relevant episodes:
SLP168 Lisa Neigut – Lightning Network Channel Accounting and Dual Funded Channels
SLP
Are Bitcoin’s 4 year cycles over? with Vijay Boyapati (SLP508)
Are Bitcoin’s 4 year cycles over? Vijay Boyapati rejoins me on the show to talk about his view of where things are in the economy. We chat:
Recession?
18 month lag
Risk on or risk off?
Bitcoin as a macro asset
4 year cycles
Is an ETF good for Bitcoin?
Pacific Bitcoin
Links
X: @real_vijay
Prior episodes:
SLP332 Vijay Boyapati – The Bearish Case for Bitcoin
SLP233 Vijay Boyapati – Bitcoin Valuations & Cycles
SLP185 Vijay Boyapati – What Bitcoin Is
SLP76 Vijay Boy
Bitcoin Cryptography and Scripting with Andrew Poelstra SLP507
Andrew Poelstra (Director of Research, Blockstream) has been around Bitcoin research and development for a long time, and has a lot of insight to share on Bitcoin research in this episode. For part 2 of my discussion with Andrew we focus more on bitcoin and cryptography research that the team are working on, and what it means for the future of Bitcoin:
Cryptography
Bulletproofs++
MuSig2
FROST
Bitcoin Scripting
Miniscript
Simplicity
CTV and APO
Covenants: are they risky for Bitc
A Paper Computer for Bitcoin? Codex32 with Andrew Poelstra (SLP506)
A ‘paper computer’ for Bitcoin checksums and Shamir Secret Sharing may seem absurd, but that’s what we’re talking about in this episode! This project is a scheme to generate, encode, checksum, split and recover Bitcoin secret keys, using pencil, paper and lookup tables (alternately, volvelles). We discuss codex32 and the motivation behind it with Andrew Poelstra (Director of Research, Blockstream). Note this is the first of a two part episode. In this first part we discuss:
Bitcoin private key
MuSig2 in Practice, APO, CTV & Bitcoin Soft Forks with Brandon Black (SLP505)
Brandon Black (aka Rearden Code) joins me on the show to talk about his experience implementing MuSig2 at BitGo, and also his thoughts on the future Bitcoin soft fork discussion re: APO (ANYPREVOUT), CTV (Check Template Verify), and his proposal on moving forward:
MuSig2 benefits
Implementing MuSig2
MPC vs Script
What are APO and CTV?
Brandon’s combo proposal
Upgrade hooks
Links:
Twitter: @reardencode
Combined APO + CTV proposal
MuSig2 Field report on Bitcoin Optech
Sponsors
SLP504 Design Your Life With Jurisdictional Arbitrage - Coinsurenz
Have you been wondering about how to design your lifestyle overseas? Rigel (aka coinsurenz) rejoins me on the show to talk about jurisdictional arbitrage in Latin America. We talk about some of his recent moves and his experiences as a bitcoin sovereign individual:
Voice vs Exit - what about ‘staying and fighting’?
Recent residency acquisition in Paraguay
How the Latam residency market has shifted
Common mistakes that digital nomads make
Owning vs Renting homes and storage lockers
D
SLP503 Things Are Breaking - Lawrence Lepard
Lawrence Lepard of Equity Management Associates rejoins me to talk about all the things that are breaking:
Cost of living crisis
Are we going into recession and what timing?
Boomer hate
US government debt
Policy responses
Social responses
The waiting game
Site:
Site: Ema2.com
Twitter: @LawrenceLepard
Sponsors:
Pacific Bitcoin Festival (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Base58
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on Twitter @stephanlivera
Sub
SLP502 Validating Lightning Signer - Ken Sedgwick
How can lightning users secure themselves even further? Just like how hardware wallets and secure elements can help secure your cold storage coins, Validating Lightning Signer (VLS) is a project aiming to help improve the way lightning security works. In this conversation with project co-founder Ken Sedgwick, we chat:
Why VLS is needed
How VLS works
Implementing part of the lightning state machine
What rules are covered?
What lightning implementations are supported?
The impact of li
SLP501 RGB Walkthrough with Maxim Orlovsky
Dr Maxim Orlovsky joins me on the show to walk through RGB, a smart contract layer for Bitcoin. We talk through:
Some of the history of RGB
Client side validation as a concept
RGB ecosystem
What it can be used for - tokens, bitcoin finance
MyCitadel wallet
What’s next for RGB
Links:
Site: RGB
Twitter: @dr_orlovsky
Personal site: Dr. Maxim Orlovsky
Github: Dr. Maxim Orlovsky
Sponsors:
Pacific Bitcoin Festival (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Ba
SLP500 Finding the Winners with Andrew Henderson
Andrew Henderson, Founder of Nomad Capitalist rejoins me on the show to talk:
Home country bias
Looking beyond headlines
Evolution in citizenship
Global minimum tax and ‘the international community’
CBDC
Nomad Capitalist Live
Links:
Twitter: @nomadcapitalist
Site: Nomadcapitalist.com
Sponsors:
Pacific Bitcoin Festival (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Base58
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on Twitter @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
SLP499 Earning Bitcoin & Remote Working - Jonathan Chester, Bitwage
Jonathan Chester, Founder/CEO of Bitwage joins me to talk about his experience setting up the company and enabling more people to earn Bitcoin:
The story of growing Bitwage
The market size for payroll
Exploring Lightning payouts
Remote working as a trend
HODLing as the use
Links:
Twitter: @Bitwage
Site: Bitwage
Sponsors:
Pacific Bitcoin Festival (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on Twitter @stephanlivera
Subscrib
SLP498 BowTiedMara - Bitcoin and Geoarbitrage in Argentina
Mara joins me to talk about his adventures in Argentina, and his thoughts on:
Geo arbitrage
Rules in theory, rules in practice
FX in Argentina
Bitcoin use in Argentina
Argentina’s property market
Where things are going with CBDCs
Mara links:
Twitter: @BowTiedMara
Substack: BowTiedMara - Geoarbitrage & Mobility Assets
Sovspot: Live & Work from anywhere
Sponsors:
Pacific Bitcoin Festival (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera:
F
SLP497 Olivier Roland KYC and AML are Destroying the World
Author, digital nomad and web entrepreneur Olivier Roland joins me to talk about his issues with AML and his very interesting views on where the world is going in the age of remote working and internet communications.
The problem with KYC / AML
FATCA
Taxes and the Sovereign Individual thesis
Digital Nomadism disrupting nation states
Links:
Twitter: @DisruptiveHoriz
Site: Disruptive Horizons
Relevant prior episodes:
SLP318 Ronald Pol - The Ineffectiveness of AML
SLP424 Simon Le
SLP496 Bitcoin Is Not for Everyone with Fernando Nikolic
Fernando Nikolic, Director of Marketing and Comms at Blockstream joins me on the show to talk about the slightly controversial idea that Bitcoin is Not for Everyone! We get into:
His background and why he believes bitcoin is not for everyone
Who is it really for?
What about savings technology?
Is there a role for bitcoin evangelists?
Teaser on what’s coming with Blockstream Green
How to move forward
Links:
Twitter: @basedlayer
Links: To Drive Meaningful Adoption, We Should Ac
SLP495 Joe Carlasare - Bitcoin ETF? Lawsuits and Bitcoin
Joe Carlasare (Partner at Amundsen Davis LLC) and Bitcoiner joins me to share his legal expertise and opinions on:
Why you shouldn’t expect the Bitcoin spot ETF soon
The SEC Ripple decision
SEC Binance and Coinbase
Bitcoin and stablecoins
Macro thoughts
Links:
Twitter: @JoeCarlasare
Site: Amundsen Davis
Sponsors:
Pacific Bitcoin Festival (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
Links:
Follow me on Twitter @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
SLP494 Hannah Frankman - Intro to Homeschooling
Hannah Frankman of Rebel Educator joins me to talk about homeschooling and the problems of Public School:
Failures of public schooling vs homeschooling
Infantilization of people nowadays
Homeschooling vs unschooling
Social skills of homeschooled kids
Single income trade offs
Results of homeschooling
Links:
Twitter: @rebelEducator
Twitter: @HannahFrankman
Youtube: @thehannahfrankmanpodcast
Podcast (Spotify): The Hannah Frankman Podcast
Article: How to Homeschool/UnSchool y
SLP493 Hashprice Derivatives with Matthew Williams
Matthew Williams, Head of Derivatives at Luxor Mining joins me to talk about Bitcoin Mining hashprice derivatives and what they will do for bitcoin miners:
Getting into bitcoin mining
What is hashprice?
How hashprice shifts over time
What is a non-deliverable forward?
Who should use an NDF?
Professionalising bitcoin mining
Link:
Site: Luxor Technologies
Sponsors:
Pacific Bitcoin Festival (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Lugano PlanB Forum
Mempool.space
SLP492 eSIMs for Privacy and Convenience - silent.link
Have you considered using eSIMs instead of your typical telco mobile phone SIM? Silent.link joins me to talk about:
How the online eSIM service works and costs
Privacy and security with phones
How carriers have you pwned
zero-day exploits
Convenience and traveling with an eSIM
Experiences using Bitcoin and Lightning
Links:
Twitter: @silentlink1
Site: Anonymous eSIM
Sponsors:
Pacific Bitcoin Festival (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Lugano PlanB Forum
Mempool.s
SLP491 The Crossover Between Bitcoin and Nuclear Energy with Nuclear Bitcoiner
Ryan MacLeod (Nuclear Bitcoiner) joins me to talk about Bitcoin and Nuclear Energy. We talk:
Is nuclear energy too costly?
What are SMRs? Small Modular Reactors
Nuclear waste and safety concerns
How Nuclear energy crosses over with Bitcoin mining
Reduced costs and increased accessibility
Links:
Twitter: @NuclearBitcoinr
Sponsors:
Pacific Bitcoin Festival (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Lugano PlanB Forum
Mempool.space
SLP490 Dusty - What is Splicing and why will it improve LN?
Dusty Daemon joins me to talk about splicing on Bitcoin’s lightning network. We talk about:
What is splicing?
Splicing’s potential privacy benefits
Potential to undermine surveillance heuristics
Splicing’s efficiency gains
Splicing as one tool in the toolkit
Walkthrough of how it works
Site:
Site: Lightning Splicing
Twitter: @dusty_daemon
Sponsors:
Pacific Bitcoin Festival (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Lugano PlanB Forum
Mempool.space
Stephan Livera links:
SLP489 Graham Krizek - Will every company be a lightning company?
Will every company be a lightning company? Graham Krizek CEO of Voltage rejoins me on the show to talk about this idea as well as what’s happening in bitcoin and lightning:
Being near the printer
Why big companies do financial services
What lightning does differently
What use cases are there and who’s looking at them?
Products at Voltage
Thoughts on LDK by Spiral
Links:
Article: Every Company Will Be A Lightning Company
Article: SURGE NOW AVAILABLE FOR VOLTAGE USERS
Twitter:
SLP488 Future Visions of Lightning, Greenlight & Breez SDK with Christian Decker and Roy Sheinfeld
Christian Decker (Blockstream) and Roy Sheinfeld (Breez) rejoin me on the show to talk about:
What has improved about Lightning over time
Lightning in a high fee environment
What Greenlight is
What Breez SDK is
Is anything changing on the existing Breez app?
Core-lightning contrasted with other implementations
Lightning protocol improvements
Links:
Twitter: @Snyke
Twitter: @therealkingonly
Site: Your personal Core Lightning node, without the technical fuss.
Site: Breez S
SLP487 Bitcoin Mining Energy Debate - Digiconomist and Ben Gagnon
Digiconomist (Alex de Vries) and Ben Gagnon (Chief Mining Officer, Bitfarms) join me on the show to debate Bitcoin Mining energy. We talk through:
Bitcoin Mining machine efficiency assumptions
Where do the models break down?
Media referring to scary numbers in the bull cycle
Transactions per second metrics
Links:
Twitter: @DigiEconomist
Twitter: @hashoveride
Digiconomist energy consumption index: Bitcoin Energy Consumption Index
CBECI (Cambridge) referred to: Bitcoin network po
SLP486 Bitcoin Estate Planning with Peter Dunworth
Peter Dunworth is a financial adviser for high net worth individuals and families. He joins me to talk about what most people are getting wrong on bitcoin estate planning and inheritance. We discuss:
Why bother with all this?
Legal, asset protection and tax benefits
Possession vs Title of coins
Collaborative custody
Practical components
Miniscript and technical advances
Valuation framework for Bitcoin and why inheritance matters
Links:
Site: https://www.thebitcoinadviser.com/co
SLP485 What is Inflation? with Jonathan Newman
Jonathan Newman, Associate Professor of Economics and Mises Fellow joins me to chat:
Contrasting definitions of inflation
How did Mises define inflation?
How did Rothbard define inflation?
Where and how does fractional reserve come into it?
Cantillon effect and the Mises effect
Costless production of money
Links:
Paper: What Is Inflation? Clarifying and Justifying Rothbard’s Definition
Twitter: @NewmanJ_R
Twitter: @KrisMoustHansen
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
CoinKite.com
SLP484 Robin Linus ZeroSync: Speeding up Bitcoin Initial Block Download (IBD)
Robin Linus from the ZeroSync project joins me to talk about how ZKPs can be used to help people quickly get started using Bitcoin. We discuss:
What ZKPs are and what they can be used for
Speeding up IBD
Contrasting ZeroSync with utreexo and assumeutxo
UTXO set commitment
Blockstream satellite
What’s being verified?
Different types of nodes
Links:
Site: zerosync.org
Twitter: @ZeroSync_
Twitter: @robin_linus
Sponsors
Swan Bitcoin
CoinKite.com(code LIVERA)
Mempool.sp
SLP483 Lightning in a High Fee Environment with Niftynei, D++ & Nate
What happens under a high fee environment on the lightning network? We had one recently and so I asked Niftynei (Lisa of Base58), D++, and Nate (Voltage Head of Support & Education) to join me to talk about it:
Lightning implementations handling the fee spike
Force closes in lightning
Bitcoin performed just fine
Anchor outputs
Mitigation techniques
Setting fee rates
Links:
plebnet telegram: https://t.me/plebnet
Plebnet wiki: https://plebnet.wiki/wiki/Main_Page
base58: ht
SLP482 Burak - Ark: A new L2 protocol for Bitcoin
Burak (Bitcoin researcher/developer) joins me to talk about Ark, a new protocol for Bitcoin scaling and privacy. We chat about:
Downsides of LN
High level overview
ASPs, vTXOs
Vapourware?
Other criticisms
Interactive vs non-interactive versions
Covenants and what they’d mean for Bitcoin
Links:
Site: arkpill.me
Twitter: @brqgoo
Telegram: https://t.me/ark_network_community
Relevant prior episode:
SLP339 Jeremy Rubin – What is Check Template Verify?
Sponsors
Swan Bit
SLP481 Can There Be a Bullish Case for Bitcoin Custodians? with Kemal (pretyflaco)
Kemal of Galoy Money joins me to chat about his Bullish Case for Bitcoin Custodians. We debate the trade offs and points such as:
Remnant vs ‘Big Tent’
Why not write down 12 words?
“Mis-selling” Bitcoin
Shotgun KYC, and FRB ‘paper bitcoin' risk
Jurisdictions and regulation
Financial hierarchy of needs
Links:
Twitter: @_pretyflaco
Blog: https://www.swanbitcoin.com/the-bullish-case-for-bitcoin-custodians/
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
CoinKite.com(code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
SLP480 The Bitcoin Handbook - Anil Patel
The Bitcoin Handbook is a new visual and simplified explainer of Bitcoin concepts by Anil. Anil has been making awesome graphics and explanatory content about Bitcoin and he joins me on the show to chat:
Meeting people where they are
Different ways of explaining bitcoin concepts
Why property should not be your piggybank
Property Bubbles and investing around the world
The intransigent minority
Where to get the book
Links:
The Bitcoin Handbook on Amazon: https://a.co/d/0tyJRvf
Ch
SLP479 Defending Open Source with Jess Jonas of Bitcoin Legal Defense Fund
Jess Jonas, Chief Legal Officer of the Bitcoin Legal Defense Fund joins me to chat:
Overview the Bitcoin Legal Defense Fund - supported by Jack Dorsey, Alex Morcos, Martin White
What's the threat with the Tulip Trading Case?
What are the open source licensing implications for developers?
Secondary case and Bitcoin copyright claims
Site:
Site: Bitcoindefense.org
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
CoinKite.com(code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
SLP478 Debunking Digiconomist on Bitcoin Mining with Ben Gagnon
Ben Gagnon CMO of BitFarms joins me to talk about the flaws of the overly cited Digiconomist’s work on Bitcoin Mining impact. We discuss:
Key flaws in methodology and assumptions
Carbon emissions per transaction is a flawed metric
Better comparisons and ways of reasoning about mining
Links:
Site: bitfarms.com
Twitter: @hashoveride
Article: We Need To Talk About The Not Science Behind Digiconomist
Tweet thread: https://twitter.com/hashoveride/status/1512861134537306116
Relevant
SLP477 Decentralising Bitcoin Transaction Selection using SRI with Pavlenex and Fi3
You may have heard about bitcoin mining pool centralisation. Stratum v2 and SRI (Stratum v2 Reference Implementation) are here to help by decentralising Bitcoin transaction selection. Listen and learn about how Stratum v2 Reference Implementation can help:
Overview of Stratum v2 benefits
Encryption, efficiency, censor resistance
Are changes needed to Bitcoin Core?
Different actors in mining: Pools, Miners, Hardware
Device firmware and translation proxy
How you can help or contribute
SLP476 What is FROST? Is it the future of Bitcoin Multisig? with Nick Farrow
Nick Farrow joins me to talk about new developments coming in Bitcoin multi-signature security:
FROST and what it is
Privacy benefits
Downsides of FROST e.g interactivity, complexity
ROAST - what it is
How hardware and software might have to change to adapt
The future of multi sig
Links:
Site: utxo.club
Twitter: @utxoclub
FROST paper https://eprint.iacr.org/2020/852.pdf
ROAST paper https://eprint.iacr.org/2022/550.pdf
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
CoinKite.com(code LIVERA)
SLP475 Why Every Portfolio Should Contain Bitcoin with Rapha Zagury
Rapha Zagury CIO and Head of Research at Swan joins me to talk:
Financial modelling flaws in the fiat financial world
Putting things in terms that other people understand
Open source research
Nakamoto Portfolio
Schrodinger Model
Lump sum vs DCA
Bitcoin vs altcoin
Links:
Twitter: @alphaazeta
Site: NakamotoPortfolio.com
Blog: Why Bitcoin is the Ultimate Asset for your IRA
Nakamoto Portfolio thread: https://twitter.com/alphaazeta/status/1640005261099139073
Bitcoin vs al
SLP474 Challenges of Operating Lightning Nodes & Torq with Henrik Skogstrøm
Henrik Skogstrøm, Founder and CEO of LN Capital joins me to talk about the lightning network:
Managing large lightning nodes
Key challenges
Monitoring
Notifications
Tools required
Privacy vs reliability
New tech
Links:
Twitter: @ohskogstrom
Twitter: @LN_Capital
Site: https://ln.capital/
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
CoinKite.com(code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
MicroStrategy Bitcoin and Lightning for Corporations event May 3-4, 2023 (code LIVERA): https://www.microstrategy.com
SLP473 Why Bitcoiners Must Focus on Bottom Up Adoption with Matthew Mezinskis
Matthew Mezinskis of Porkopolis / Crypto Voices joins me on the show to help explain the structure of the fiat fractional reserve system. Listen to this episode to get an understanding of the different monetary metrics and more:
Monetary metrics, monetary base and more
Fractional reserve in the fiat system
Eurodollars and ‘crypto’ eurodollars
How the bitcoin system may evolve in future
Why focusing on bottom up is key
Links:
Twitter: @crypto_voices
Site: Porkopolis.io
Sponsors:
SLP472 BTC Prague and Bitcoin in Europe Matyas Kuchar
Matyas Kuchar joins me to talk about the Czech Bitcoiner scene and what’s coming up with BTC Prague:
Notable and early bitcoin companies in Prague
Organising Bitcoin conferences
What to expect with BTC Prague
Links:
Twitter: @Matyas44Cook
Site: BTCPrague.com (use code LIVERA)
Twitter: @BtcPrague
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
CoinKite.com(code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
SLP471 Bitcoin & Cryptosovereignty with Erik Cason
Erik Cason joins me on the show to talk about his journey as a Bitcoiner, from working at Coinbase to leaving and now writing and speaking about Bitcoin:
Digital Panopticon and defunding three letter agencies
Making Money vs Caring for money
Can Bitcoin be corrupted?
Cryptosovereignty and political power
Links:
Twitter: @Erikcason
Site: Cryptosovereignty.org
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
CoinKite.com(code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
SLP470 Correcting NYT Disinformation on Bitcoin with Pierre Rochard
Pierre Rochard (VP of Research at Riot Platforms) rejoins me on the show to correct the NYT’s recent disinformation article on Bitcoin. We discuss:
Fundamental problems with the degrowth world view
Factual errors in the article
Demand response
Bitcoin mining has zero emissions
How Bitcoiners should respond
Links:
NYT article screenshots by Pierre
Archive.is link to the NYT article
Twitter: @BitcoinPierre
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
CoinKite.com(code LIVERA)
Mempool.space
SLP469 Is the World Really Dedollarising? with Peter St Onge
Peter St Onge rejoins me to talk about whether the world is really dedollarising. What kind of timeframe are we talking about here? We also talk through some recent developments from an austrian economics perspective:
Dedollarisation
Cantillon Effects
Fictional Reserve Banking systems
Did the market really ‘choose’ FRB?
How Bitcoin is really what most people think of as money
Twitter: @profstonge
Substack: Stonge.Substack.com
YT: https://www.youtube.com/@profstonge
Swan B
SLP468 LNURL, Lightning Box, Blixt, Soft Forks with Hampus Sjoberg
Hampus Sjoberg, creator of Blixt Wallet joins me to talk about lightning technology and crafting a non-custodial experience while dealing with the trade offs of custodial lightning.
LNURL - what is it and where is it useful?
Comparison with bolt12
Blixt wallet and its tradeoffs
Lightning Box for offline payments
Bitcoin soft forks - why they should be considered
Links:
Twitter: @hampus_S
Site: Blixt Wallet
nostr: npub1v4v57fu60zvc9d2uq23cey4fnwvxlzga9q2vta2n6xalu03rs57s0
Prio
SLP467 An Unsustainable Fiscal Path with James Lavish
James Lavish (Author of the Informationist and Managing Partner of Bitcoin Opportunity Fund) rejoins me on the show to talk about the latest:
Shocking US government debt stats
Silicon Valley Bank bailout and what it portends
Using Bitcoin to stay operational in banking crisis
Bitcoin Opportunity Fund
Links:
Twitter: @jameslavish
Newsletter: https://jameslavish.substack.com/
BOF: The Bitcoin Opportunity Fund
Thread: https://twitter.com/jameslavish/status/1636104435171737602
Spo
SLP466 The Time Value of Truth with Benjamin Carlson
Ben Carlson, journalist and former editor at The Atlantic joins me on the show to chat about:
How the media operates and the model has shifted over time
Getting to the truth in this new age
How stories get covered up
Future of media
Uncovering interesting videos
Links:
Twitter: @bfcarlson
Site: bfcarlson.com
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Mempool.space
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com(code LIVERA)
Buildonl2.com
BTCPrague.com
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on
SLP465 What is utreexo? with Calvin Kim
Calvin Kim (BitMEX & HRF grantee) joins me to talk about utreexo:
utreexo and the UTXO set
comparison with other ideas e.g. assumevalid and assumeUTXO
utreexo proofs
Types of utreexo nodes - Bridge + Compact State nodes
How it might look in practice
Running your own electrum server
Privacy benefits
Links:
Twitter: @kcalvinalvinn
utreexo Github: https://github.com/utreexo/utreexo
Overview at MIT DCI https://dci.mit.edu/utreexo
Blog post: Out of Order Block Validation wi
SLP464 Can Free Private Cities Make the World Dramatically Richer? with Erick Brimen CEO of Prospera
Erick Brimen of Prospera joins me to talk about:
Creating $100-200T more wealth globally
The market for living together
Historical examples
Governance, Government, & The State
ZEDE law and uncertainty
Working with Galoy Money
Accepting Bitcoin & AmityAge on the island
Links:
Site: https://prospera.hn/news
Twitter: @erickbrimen
Other episodes:
SLP417 Titus Gebel – Free Cities & Parallel Structures For Liberty
SLP161 Titus Gebel – Bitcoin Citadels as Free Priva
SLP463 Bitcoin Transaction Pinning, ANYPREVOUT & eltoo with Greg Sanders (Instagibbs)
Greg Sanders of Blockstream joins me to talk about Transaction Pinning, ANYPREVOUT and eltoo. We discuss a range of questions:
What is Transaction Pinning?
How does mempoolfullrbf help?
Transaction Pinning vectors and possible fixes
v3 transaction relay
Overview of ANYPREVOUT
Improvements with eltoo
LN Penalty contrasted with LN Symmetry
Scaling Bitcoin longer term
Relevant episodes:
SLP200 Christian Decker – ANYPREVOUT, MPP, Mitigating LN Attacks
SLP298 Rusty Russell – Ligh
SLP462 Bitcoin Multi-signature with Craig Raw
Craig Raw of Sparrow Wallet rejoins me to chat:
Bitcoin multi signature security
Passphrases contrasted with multi-sig
NFC support
What’s the difference between seed, passphrase, PIN & app password?
Stages of HODLing
BSMS
BIP329 Import and export of transactions
BIP47 support
Links:
Twitter: @craigraw
Site: SparrowWallet.com
nostr: #npub1hea99yd4xt5tjx8jmjvpfz2g5v7nurdqw7ydwst0ww6vw520prnq6fg9v2
BIP329
Relevant episodes:
SLP459 Q1 and Bitcoin Security with NVK
SLP461 What Bitcoin Specialises In with Matt Corallo
Matt Corallo of Spiral Bitcoin rejoins me to chat about the purpose of Bitcoin and developments in the space:
Bitcoin contrasted with stablecoins
Bitcoin’s specialty
Future problems vs today problems
Canadian Trucker Bitcoin
Donations and adversarial environments
Cultural aspects
What does it take to have Bitcoin Soft forks again?
LDK
Links:
Twitter: @TheBlueMatt
Spiral: Spiral.xyz
LDK: Lightningdevkit.org
Async payment post
Prior episodes: SLP257 Matt Corallo –
SLP460 Bitcoin and the Dollar as Strange Bedfellows with Mark Goodwin
Mark Goodwin is the Editorial Director for Print at Bitcoin Magazine. He joins me to chat about the dynamics of Bitcoin and the Dollar:
Warring factions in the govt
Monetary dominance
Protocol risks created by stablecoins?
Bitcoin still surviving and thriving
Links:
Store: https://store.bitcoinmagazine.com/
Twitter: @markgoodw_in
Article: Bitcoinmagazine.com
Article: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/business/stablecoin-monster-cbdc-red-herring
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Mempool.spa
SLP459 Q1 and Bitcoin Security with NVK
NVK (of Coinkite.com) rejoins me to chat about the latest in bitcoin security:
New device Q1 with QR
New Coldcard firmware
Combining security techniques
Bitcoin Gardening, not Ossification
OP_VAULT
Nostr
Links:
Q1: https://coldcard.com/docs/coldcard-q1
NVK's Nostr npub: npub1az9xj85cmxv8e9j9y80lvqp97crsqdu2fpu3srwthd99qfu9qsgstam8y8
Previous Episodes:
SLP418 NVK Tapsigner: Bitcoin Hardware for the Masses?
SLP344 NVK – Coldcard Mk4, Tapsigner, Satscard – Bitcoin Hardware In
SLP458 AI and the Economy with Peter St Onge
Peter St Onge rejoins me on the show to talk about AI and what it means from an economic perspective. Many believe that all the jobs will disappear or there will be massive economic chaos.
We discuss:
AI and what jobs it will take
What new jobs will be created?
What about UBI?
Implications for choosing a career
ChatGPT and political bias
Existential risks
Trillion dollar coins
Links:
Twitter: @profstonge
Substack: HyperBitcoinization | stonge.substack.com
YouTube: @Profitsof
SLP457 Bitcoin as International Money with Bill Hill & Malcolm Weed
Bill Hill from Pouch (Bitcoin Island Philippines) and Malcolm Weed from Neutronpay join me to talk about Bitcoin as international money and the scene in Asia. Bill and Malcolm share some insights into Bitcoin and lightning on the ground, and remittance corridors. We also talk about their upcoming events, Lightningcon in Da Nang and Bitcoin Island Retreat coming up at the end of March. We chat:
Merchant adoption
Bitcoin remittances
Bitcoin and lightning companies collaborating
Knowledge ab
SLP456 Casey Rodarmor What are Ordinals?
Casey Rodarmor joins me to chat about Ordinals and Inscriptions. Now we get into the pros and cons of this, and whether it is bad for Bitcoin. We chat:
What Ordinals and Inscriptions are
The ‘bull’ case for Ordinals and Inscriptions
Do they spam the bitcoin blockchain?
Witness data on the input side, not output side
Is it harder to validate?
Can it even be stopped?
Marginal consumption of block space
Links:
Twitter: @rodarmor
Site: Ordinals.com
Podcast: https://hellpodcast.m
SLP455 Anant Tapadia - Single Sig or Multi Sig?
Anant of BitHyve (Hexa, Keeper) rejoins me on the show to chat about the question of securing your Bitcoin in single signature or multi signature. We also talk through best practices.
Topics covered:
Single sig or multi sig
Costs of multi sig
Detailed walkthrough of multi sig set up
Practical tips to keep it simple
Keeper and features
Miniscript and Musig2
Bitcoin4india
Links:
Twitter: @anant_tap
Twitter: @bitcoinKeeper_
Site: Bitcoinkeeper.app
Relevant prior episodes
SL
SLP454 Dante Cook Bitcoin as the Shipping Container of Money
Dante Cook of Swan Business joins me on the show to chat about:
Athletes and Bitcoin
Proof of Work
Shipping Containers and Bitcoin
The need for entrepreneurs
The old system fighting the new
Bitcoin for businesses
Links:
Twitter: @Dante_Cook1
Email: Dante@swan.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dantecook/
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Mempool.space
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com(code LIVERA)
Buildonl2.com
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on Twitter
SLP453 Luke Gromen - Soft Landing or Hard Landing?
Luke Gromen of Forest For The Trees rejoins me on the show to talk about his macro views:
Soft landing vs hard landing
Government debt levels
US Interest rates and “chicken-pivot”
Commodities and dedollarisation
Outlook for Bitcoin
Links:
Twitter: @LukeGromen
Site: https://fftt-llc.com/
Prior episode: SLP247 Luke Gromen – Does Bitcoin Recreate The Hunger Games?
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Mempool.space
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com(code LIVERA)
Buildonl2.co
SLP452 Bitcoin Miniscript and what it enables - with Antoine Poinsot & Salvatore Ingala
Antoine Poinsot of Revault/WizardSardine and Salvatore Ingala of Ledger join me to explain:
What is Bitcoin Miniscript?
How does it help enable new uses of bitcoin?
Inheritance, timelocking and business use
Security
Complexity
Liana and Ledger
Software and hardware
Next steps from here
Links:
Twitter: @darosior
Twitter: @salvatoshi
Blog: https://blog.ledger.com/miniscript-is-coming/
WizardSardine: A team of bitcoiners with a passion for security
Liana: Announcing
SLP451 Dissecting cRyPtO Scams and Outlook for 2023 with Brad Mills
Brad Mills (Bitcoin HODLer and VC investor) joins me to dissect cRyPtO scams from the last cycle. What lessons are there to be learned about the dynamics? Listen in to hear some post mortem commentary, as well as some views on what’s coming. We discuss:
cRyPtO ponzi dynamics
How the cycles line up
Fake decentralisation
Liquid staking
Yield chasing
Bitcoin fundamentals
Links:
Twitter: @bradmillscan
Site: Bradmills.ca
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Mempool.space
Unchained Capital
SLP450 Bitcoin Developer Education Overview with Josibake
Josibake (bitcoin core developer) joins me on the show to talk about Bitcoin Developer Education and why it’s much improved nowadays! We discuss a range of topics:
Why is it important?
What are the main bottlenecks?
What career opportunities are there?
Chaincode labs seminars
Qala
Bitcoin Dev Philosophy book
Onboarding to bitcoin core
What he’d like to see in Bitcoin
Links:
Twitter: @josibake
Chaincode Labs Seminars
Onboarding to Bitcoin Core
Bitcoin Development Philosop
SLP449 James O’Beirne OP_Vault - A New Way to HODL?
James O’Beirne (Bitcoin Core developer) rejoins me on the show to chat about OP_Vault. We discuss:
The history of the Vault idea
Precomputed vaults vs General covenants
What does a good vault look like?
How OP_Vault works
Who it’s for
What next with OP_Vault
Links:
Paper: Vaults and Covenants
Twitter: @jamesob
Mailing list discussion: [bitcoin-dev] OP_VAULT: a new vault proposal
Twitter Thread: https://twitter.com/jamesob/status/1612482957406801922
Prior episodes:
SLP339
SLP448 Texas Slim & Jacob Wolki - Bitcoin & Australian Beef Initiative
Texas Slim and Jacob Wolki join me on the show to chat about what people are getting wrong with their nutrition nowadays, and how the beef initiative is helping. We chat:
Nutrition today and what’s gone wrong
The Beef Initiative
Regenerative Agriculture and the difference in product
Using Bitcoin w/IBEX, OpenNode, BTCPay
Inaugural Australian Beef Initiative Summit Feb 12th
Links:
Event link: Australian Beef Initiative- Sunday 12th
Twitter: @JakeWolki
Twitter: @modernTman
SLP447 K3tan 2022 Year in Review
K3tan of Ministry of Nodes rejoins me on the show to chat about his recent survey and review the year in Bitcoin. We discuss:
Practical tips on using Bitcoin
Which Bitcoin projects/software/hardware came out on top and why
Self sovereignty and adoption
Lightning
Fedimint, Cashu
What to expect for the next year
Links:
Twitter: @_k3tan
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_k3tan/status/1600068204185153536
Site: https://ministryofnodes.com.au/
Prior episodes:
SLP315 k3tan – Networkin
SLP446 Alex Gladstein The Scourge of “Structural Adjustment”
Alex Gladstein of HRF rejoins me on the show to chat about:
Attending Africa Bitcoin Conference
How the World Bank and IMF keep poorer countries in a debt trap
The ‘strings’ attached to debt
Odious debt
Cash crops
How does this resolve?
Will Bitcoin help fix this?
Links:
Twitter: @gladstein
Article: Structural Adjustment: How the Imf and World Bank Repress Poor Countries and Funnel Their Resources to Rich Ones
HRF grants: HRF Bitcoin Development Fund Awards $325,000 in New G
SLP445 Dhruv Bansal - Surviving and Innovating In Bitcoin Bear Markets
Dhruv Bansal, co-founder and CSO of Unchained Capital rejoins me on the show to talk about:
The bear cycle and what happened
Leverage and the role of credit
Bitcoin and financial planning
Inheritance Planning
Multisig & Taproot
Nostr
Bitcoin and computer security
Links:
Twitter: @dhruvbansal
Site: Unchained.com
Prior episodes:
SLP221 Joe Kelly And Dhruv Bansal – Should Your Business Hold Bitcoin? Unchained Business Accounts
SLP113 Dhruv Bansal – Bitcoin Multisig &
SLP444 Mike Jarmuz - Is Bitcoin VC Fiat?
Muzz from Lightning Ventures joins me to chat:
The world of Bitcoin VC
Is it fiat?
Investing in companies
Thinking long term
Problems with chainalysis
Bitcoiner Jobs
Should you evangelise bitcoin?
Tips for founders
Links:
Site: ltng.ventures
Twitter: @MikeJarmuz
Sponsors:
BTCPrague.com (code LIVERA)
Swan Bitcoin
Mempool.space
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com(code LIVERA)
Buildonl2.com
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on Twitter @stephanlive
SLP443 Conza - Clearing up Bitcoin Misconceptions
Conza (austro-libertarian writer and organiser of Mises Seminar Australia) joins me on the show to talk about praxeology, and common bitcoin misconceptions. We chat:
Praxeology basics
Why it’s not ‘mere preference’
Why accuracy is important
Classifying bitcoin vs IOUs
Inaccurate analogies about energy, time, violence/weapon
Links:
Twitter: @Conza
Site: mises.org.au
Site: conza.tumblr.com
Saifedean Conza episode :134. Praxeology in One Lesson with Conza
Sponsors:
BTCPrague.
SLP442 Joe Burnett Bitcoin Long Term Security and why ETH is doomed
Joe Burnett of Blockware joins me to chat about why Bitcoin’s security is probably fine in the long term. We chat about the typical arguments for and against here, as well as the surprising idea of ‘finality, not security’.
Bitcoin long term security arguments
Finality, not security
Bitcoin’s scaling cycle
Why ETH is more or less doomed
Bull and bear markets of bitcoin are a feature
Links:
Twitter: @IIICapital
Blockware/Riot Mining Report: Bitcoin Transaction Fees
Thread: https:
SLP441 Hermann (Bitcoin Ekasi) - Actually Banking the Unbanked
Hermann from Bitcoin Ekasi joins me to chat about his journey banking the unbanked:
Being inspired by bitcoinbeach
Conditions in the town in Mossel Bay, South Africa
Shops taking bitcoin payment
Dealing with volatility
Why maximalism is practical
Using services like Bitrefill
Bitcoin education centre - built with bitcoin / Paxful
Links:
Site: BitcoinEkasi.com
Twitter: @BitcoinEkasi
Twitter: @vryfokkenou
Article: Bitcoin Ekasi: The Township One Year Later
Thre
SLP440 Bitcoin Bush Bash: a different model for bitcoin confs with WizardofAus
WizardofAus joins me on the show to chat about the Bush Bash: an alternate model for Bitcoin conferences. To be clear it’s not ‘better’, just different. Wiz and I chat:
How he got into organizing bitcoin meetups
Bush Bash origins
Attendee feedback
The commitment filter
Structuring the weekend
No sponsors needed?
Tips on replicating the model
Links:
Twitter: @BTCSchellingPt
Site: bitcoinbushbash.info
Twitter: @bitcoinbushbash
Article: Gather Your Tribe - Citadel 21
Mentio
SLP439 Federico Tenga - What is RGB for Bitcoin? & Iris wallet
Federico Tenga of Bitfinex joins me to chat about RGB, what it is and what it enables using bitcoin:
What is RGB?
Enabling stablecoins, collectibles and other assets
How does it work?
Issuing new assets, transferring and deletion
Does it create an MEV situation for Bitcoin?
Iris Wallet
Links:
Twitter: @FedericoTenga
Iris Wallet Github: @iris_wallet
RGB FAQ: rgbfaq.com
Article: RGB Magic: Client-Side Contracts on Bitcoin
Sponsors:
BTCPrague.com (code LIVERA)
Swan Bitcoi
SLP438 Lawrence Nahum - RBF, Green, Jade, BuildonL2
Lawrence Nahum of Blockstream joins me to chat about:
RBF and mempoolfullrbf
0 conf arguments
Blockstream Green
Jade and bitcoin security
BuildonL2
Links:
Twitter: @LarryBitcoin
Site: Blockstream.com
Build on L2: https://www.buildonl2.com/
Sponsors:
BTCPrague.com (code LIVERA)
Swan Bitcoin
Mempool.space
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com(code LIVERA)
Blockstream.com
SLP437 Jordan Schachtel - Making Sense of Clown World
Jordan Schachtel, independent journalist and writer joins me to chat about the problems in media today, and how we’re in a clown world. We discuss:
Media bias and narratives
SBF and the FTX house of cards
Was it a government op?
Critical factors for hyperbitcoinisation
Is the system beyond hope?
Links:
Twitter: @JordanSchachtel
Substack: The Dossier - Substack
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Mempool.space
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com(code LIVERA)
Blockstre
SLP436 Juraj Bednar Bitcoin as Parallel Economy
Juraj Bednar (Author, speaker, co-founder of Paralelni Polis) joins me on the show to chat about:
Cypherpunk and libertarian thought
Building out the Bitcoin parallel economy
Vekslaks and p2p
Tips for onboarding bitcoin and lightning users
Lightning wallet comparison
Links:
Twitter: @jurbed
Book: Hack Yourself!
Site: Juraj Bednar
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Mempool.space
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com(code LIVERA)
Blockstream.com
Stephan Livera links:
Fo
SLP435 Bitcoin Times Austrian Edition with Svetski
Svetski (Founder of The Bitcoin Times) rejoins me on the show to chat about what he’s working on lately:
The Bitcoin Times as a new annual bitcoin publication
How and why he got into Austrian economics
How bitcoin changes our time preference
Explaining Bitcoin
Playing the long game with bitcoin adoption
Links:
Twitter: @SvetskiWrites
Twitter: @TimelessBitcoin
Site: Bitcointimes.com.au
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Mempool.space
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com(cod
SLP434 Adopting Bitcoin '22 & Should you Escape to El Salvador? with Jeremy
Jeremy of Escape to El Salvador joins me on the show to talk about his insights on the ground in El Salvador. We discuss:
Why and how some bitcoiners and expats are moving to El Salvador
Thoughts on the recent Adopting Bitcoin conference
Creature comforts in El Salvador
Living on Bitcoin in El Salvador
Getting residency or setting up a business
Tips for anyone visiting El Salvador
Links:
Twitter: @ElSalvadorVisas
Website: EscapetoElSalvador.org
Jeremy’s Adopting Bitcoin talk
SLP433 v2 P2P Transport Protocol for Bitcoin Core (BIP324) with Pieter Wuille Dhruv and Tim Ruffing
Dhruv, Pieter Wuille and Tim Ruffing join me on the show to talk about their project to bring encryption to Bitcoin Core. We discuss:
What the current state of things is
Packet inspection and making bitcoin slightly more private
The new proposal for encryption
Impact on nodes
Feedback wanted
Links:
BIP324: Enable v2 P2P encrypted transport #24545
https://github.com/dhruv/bips/blob/bip324/bip-0324.mediawiki
Site: Bip324.com
Twitter: @dhruv
Twitter: @pwuille
Twitter: @real_o
SLP432 James Lavish The Great Debt Spiral
James Lavish (author of The Informationist, prior fund manager and macro commentator) joins me on the show to chat about the great debt spiral and how Bitcoin is a big part of the answer. We discuss:
Recent central bank rate hikes - Fed and BoE hike 75 basis points
Financial zombies
Zombie countries and G7
Why the EU is doomed
UK Debt problems
How Bitcoin Fixes This
Links:
Twitter: @jameslavish
Newsletter: https://jameslavish.substack.com/
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Mempool.sp
SLP431 Austin Mitchell Bitcoin for Energy Markets with Synota
Austin Mitchell of Synota joins me to chat about how bitcoin and the lightning network could be integrated with energy markets and the energy life cycle.
We chat:
Financial inefficiencies in energy markets
How Bitcoin and Lightning fix this
Automation and integration possible
Walking through the energy lifecycle
Bitcoin miners paying for their energy with bitcoin
Links:
Twitter: @aisaacsmitchell
Site: Synota.io
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Mempool.space
Unchained Capital (code L
SLP430 Zero fee routing - Post Mortem on ZFR node
Zero fee routing rejoins me on the show to do a post mortem on shutting down his LN node project (for now). It was one of the most connected lightning nodes in the network with about 100 BTC capacity, and over 1000 channels. We chat:
Why he’s shutting it down
How profitable it was
Lessons learned
Why he’s still bullish on the lightning network and bitcoin
Security considerations
Would he ever restart the project?
Splicing
Peerswap
Collaborative channel opens
Hosted channels
L
SLP429 Anant Tapadia Bitcoin In India, Keeper, b4i conference
Anant Tapadia of BitHyve (the team behind Hexa Wallet and Keeper) joins me on the show to talk about what’s going on in India, and the efforts to spread good bitcoin education there as a community. We chat:
Bitcoin scene in India
Regulation in India
Meetup groups
p2p trading
Keeper and multi signature
b4i conference - aims
Links:
Twitter: @anant_tap
Conference site: https://www.conference.bitcoin4india.org/
Keeper: Bitcoinkeeper.app
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Mempool.s
SLP428 Stack hodler - Bitcoin & Four Macro Factors to Watch
Stack rejoins me on the show to chat about Bitcoin and the four macro factors to watch:
Contrasting different views on macro
Four factors to watch
Is the world done with US Treasuries?
What’s the US Fed doing?
What about the UK market?
Deflationary collapse
Links:
Twitter: @stackhodler
Site: Pro.stackmacro.com
Prior episode: SLP397 Stack Hodler – Money Printing Around the World
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Mempool.space
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com(code LIV
SLP427 Cory Klippsten The Race to Avoid The War
Cory Klippsten rejoins me on the show to chat about:
The Race to Avoid The War
Examples of countries experiencing high inflation
Obstacles and hurdles on the way
Could the cycles have been avoided?
How to contribute if you’re not a developer
Pacific Bitcoin
Links:
Twitter: @coryklippsten
Pacific Bitcoin: PacificBitcoin.com (code LIVERA)
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Mempool.space
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com(code LIVERA)
Blockstream.com
SLP426 Morgen Rochard Why You Want to Live in a Bitcoin World
Morgen Rochard of Origin WA joins the show to chat about the world of financial planning and more:
Bitcoin allocation percentages
Monetary uncertainty
“Making your money work for you”
Why you want to live in a Bitcoin world
Negative real yield
Living within your means
Links:
Origin Wealth Advisors: Originwa.com
Twitter: @MorgenRochard
Book: Personal Finance QuickStart Guide
Bitcoin for Advisors podcast
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Mempool.space
Braiins.com
Unchained Capi
SLP426 Morgen Rochard Why You Want to Live in a Bitcoin World
Morgen Rochard of Origin WA joins the show to chat about the world of financial planning and more:
Bitcoin allocation percentages
Monetary uncertainty
“Making your money work for you”
Why you want to live in a Bitcoin world
Negative real yield
Living within your means
Links:
Origin Wealth Advisors: Originwa.com
Twitter: @MorgenRochard
Book: Personal Finance QuickStart Guide
Bitcoin for Advisors podcast
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Mempool.space
Braiins.com
Unchained Capi
SLP425 Johns Beharry & Ed - Bolt.fun - Legends of Lightning
Johns Beharry and Ed of the Bolt.fun project join me to chat about this new online bitcoin and lightning meta-hackathon and how you can get involved.
How it got started
Prizes and Tracks
How teams will be judged
Guide
Makers
Growing the bitcoin developer + designer community
Links:
Site: https://bolt.fun/
Johns Twitter: @johnsBeharry
Ed Twitter: @zapp_ed
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Mempool.space
Braiins.com
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com(code LIVERA)
SLP424 Simon Lelieveldt The Problem With FATF and AML Laws
Simon Lelieveldt, a business engineer with extensive experience in banking, central banking and acting as supervisor joins me on the show. We’re chatting about:
The problem of FATF
Who are they?
How did this organisation form?
What impacts they’re having on the world
Tricks they use to take advantage of crises
How to push back
Links:
Twitter: @finhstamsterdam
Thread: https://twitter.com/finhstamsterdam/status/1309875813806936064
FATF evaluation thread https://twitter.com/finhs
SLP423 Paolo Ardoino - What’s Going on with Bitcoin in Lugano?
Paolo Ardoino (CTO Bitfinex & Tether) rejoins me on the show to chat about just what’s happening Lugano:
Funding for the project
Helping merchants accepting Bitcoin, USDT, Luga
Why do this from the top down? Why not bottom up only?
Hub & Incubator
Updates on Keet
Plan B Forum
Links:
Twitter: @paoloardoino
Lugano site: https://planb.lugano.ch/planb-forum/
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Mempool.space
Braiins.com
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com(code LIVERA)
SLP422 John Haar Choosing Bitcoin & Austrian Econ over 13 years in TradFi
John Haar from Swan Private joins me on the show to chat about his journey working inside the TradFi machine and coming to see Bitcoin as the answer:
Being a goldbug
Reading and learning at mises.org
Methodological differences with mainstream economics
Full Reserve and Fractional Reserve thoughts
Will we see Bitcoin decorrelation?
Inflation
Links:
Article: How Legacy Finance Perceives Bitcoin
Twitter: @john_at_swan
Prior episodes: SLP402 Pierre Rochard – Bitcoin Obsoletes Frac
SLP421 Vivek Ramaswamy - The Antidote to Corporate Woke-ism
Vivek Ramaswamy of Strive Asset Management joins me on the show to chat about:
His book Woke, Inc.
How executives pursue Woke-ism as a deflection strategy
What investors can do about it
Activist investing
Fighting fire with water
How it plays into Bitcoin’s world
Links:
Twitter: @VivekGRamaswamy
Site: Strive.com
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Mempool.space
Braiins.com
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com(code LIVERA)
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on Twitter @st
SLP420 BTCMap - Mapping Bitcoin Merchants
Nathan and Secondl1ght of the BTCMap FOSS project join me to chat about tagging local bitcoin merchants and how you can get involved.
FOSS and data
Past attempts at tagging
Open systems and walled gardens
BTCMap project and how you can contribute
Tagging locations
Links:
Site: BTCMap.org
Twitter: @BTCMapDotOrg
Github: https://github.com/teambtcmap
Nathan: @nathan_day
Secondl1ght twitter: @secondl1ght
Secondlight site: secondl1ght.site
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Mem
SLP419 Matthew McClintock- UHNW Bitcoin Strategies
Matthew McClintock of Bespoke Services joins me on the show to chat about his family office and private trust company for UHNW American clients. We chat:
What level of wealth qualifies here?
What are the concerns of Bitcoin-affluent families?
What kind of structures can they use?
Benefits of these structures
Trade offs of the approach
How the Sovereign Individual thesis may play out
Should UHNW Americans consider staying out of these structures?
What’s needed from a technology and
SLP418 NVK Tapsigner: Bitcoin Hardware for the Masses?
NVK of Coinkite rejoins me on the show to talk about how Tapsigner, a Bitcoin NFC Hardware card may be the next big iteration in UX for the masses given it’s price and ease of use. We chat:
Low cost hardware devices
Tapsigner features and use
Bitcoin and NFC support w/Nunchuk
SatsCard - the new OPENDIME
BlockClock Micro shipping
BitcoinTreasuries.Net
Bitcoin.Review - NVK’s new podcast
Links:
Twitter: @NVK
Site: Tapsigner.com
Site: Coinkite.com (code LIVERA)
Site: BitcoinTr
SLP417 Titus Gebel - Free Cities & Parallel Structures For Liberty
Titus Gebel, author of Free Private Cities, and CEO of Tipolis rejoins me on the show to talk about updates with Free Cities, and why we need to create parallel structures for liberty:
Name change
Free Cities projects
Elements of a Free City
Making it work for the long term
Liberty In Our Lifetime Conference
Links:
Twitter: @titusgebel
Site: free-cities.org
Site: free-communities.org
Site: lifetimeliberty.com (code LIVERA for discount)
Prior episode: SLP161 Titus Gebel – Bit
SLP416 Per Bylund - How To Think About Economics
Per Bylund, Senior Fellow of the Mises Institute rejoins me on the show to talk about his new intro book on economics, “How to Think About Economics”. This is a great new ‘first book’ on economics, especially in the Austrian tradition. We discuss:
How this book project came about
Austrian methodology
Comparison with other books
Rationing vs Production
Educating family and friends on Austrian econ
Links:
Twitter: @PerBylund
Book: How to Think about the Economy: A Primer
Prior epi
SLP415 Prince Philip - Bitcoin, Monarchy, Nation State Adoption
Prince Philip of Serbia joins me on the show to chat about his journey of learning about Bitcoin:
Bitcoin, Economics and Finance
Joining Jan3
Bottom up adoption and Top down adoption
What kinds of state level adoption help?
Dealing with typical Bitcoin FUD lines
Links:
Twitter: @PrincFilip1
Site: Jan3.com
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Mempool.space
Bitbo
Braiins.com
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com(code LIVERA)
Stephan Livera links:
Follow me on Twitter @ste
SLP414 Matt Hill RaspiFUD or fact? Bitcoin nodes and security
Matt Hill of Start9 rejoins me on the show to chat about the recent show on Bitcoin nodes with K3tan. We chat:
What’s the actual risk with Raspberry Pi’s?
Where do they hit their bottleneck?
What about more performant nodes?
What about DIY?
EmbassyOS and new EmbassyPro device
Should you separate bitcoin and non-bitcoin applications?
Links:
Twitter: @_MattHill_
Site: Start9.com
Prior episode referenced: SLP411 K3tan Why Raspberry Pi Bitcoin Nodes Are Bad
Prior episode with Ma
SLP413 Jevi - It’s Time for Bitcoin Self Custody
Jevi of Unchained Capital joins me on the show to talk about the “crypto collapse” earlier this year, and why this is the time to learn about bitcoin self custody. We chat:
Coming into the space
Fiat and yield chasing mindset
Why so many new bitcoin investors are reluctant to self custody
Why now is the time
Removing single points of failure
Unchained’s new Trading Desk product
Links:
Twitter: @jevidon
Site: Unchained.com
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Mempool.space
Bitbo
Brai
SLP412 Moritz of Alby - Making Lightning On the Web Easy
Alby is an exciting project that allows us to easily interact with lightning on the web. Moritz from the team joins me to talk about:
How Alby started
Influence from joule
Lighting paywall plugin for WordPress
Interoperability using lightning
Lightning address, LNURL, WebLN
Privacy and security
Links:
Site: GetAlby.com
Twitter: @getAlby
Telegram group: https://t.me/getAlby
Telegram: https://t.me/MoritzKam
Alby API blog post: Introducing the Alby Wallet API - a new way to p
SLP411 K3tan Why Raspberry Pi Bitcoin Nodes Are Bad
My longtime friend, K3tan rejoins me on the show to chat about various things but importantly, we chat about why Raspberry Pi Bitcoin Nodes are bad. We chat:
Reliability & Performance of Raspberry Pi’s vs other options
What you can use instead
Cost
Bitcoin node packages
Electrum server comparison
HDD & SSD requirements
Separating bitcoin from non-bitcoin apps
Self-hosting
Links:
Twitter: @_k3tan
Ministry of Nodes Nodebox guide: Ubuntu Node Box Guide 2022 Edition
Mi
SLP410 Pete Rizzo Principles of Bitcoin Maximalism
Pete Rizzo of Bitcoin Magazine rejoins me to chat about what bitcoin maximalists actually believe. We chat:
What maximalists actually believe and do
“Crypto minimalism”
What to do in cases of technical infeasibility
Commitment to slow change and enfranchising users
Links:
Twitter: @pete_rizzo_
Article: How To Be A Bitcoin Maximalist
Site: BitcoinMagazine.com
Prior episode: SLP392 Pete Rizzo Is Bitcoin Maximalism Still Needed?
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Mempool.space
Bitbo
SLP409 Steven Lubka - What’s the True Meaning of Inflation?
Steven Lubka, Managing Director of Swan Private joins me on the show to chat:
How to think about inflation
What scenarios we can get high CPI
Whether Bitcoin is still an inflation hedge
Orange pilling HNW
Macro and Bitcoin cycles
Links:
Twitter: @DzambhalaHODL
Article: Bitcoin and the True Meaning of Inflation
Site: SwanPrivate.com
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Mempool.space
Braiins.com
Voltage
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com(code LIVERA)
Stephan Livera link
SLP408 Jeff Booth Bitcoin’s Signal in the Noise
Jeff Booth, tech entrepreneur, author and bitcoin advocate rejoins me on the show to chat:
His latest article, Finding Signal in a Noisy World
Prior biases and his experiences with technology disruption
Why Bitcoin adoption will be more bottom up
Investing in the space with Ego Death Capital
Helping people zoom out and see the bigger picture
Links:
Twitter: @JeffBooth
Article: Finding Signal In A Noisy World
Ego Death Capital
SLP334 Jeff Booth – Escape The System & 2021 Ye
SLP407 Ben Arc LNbits: Account System & Extensions for your Lightning Node
Ben Arc, Bitcoin hardware maker and founder of LNbits joins me to chat:
Getting into bitcoin hardware hacking and making
How the LN Bits project came about
The functionality possible with extensions
POS
Lightning payment splitting
boltz.exchange for loop outs
Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/arcbtc
LN Bits twitter: https://twitter.com/lnbits
Site: https://lnbits.com/
Github: https://github.com/arcbtc
LNPoS: https://github.com/arcbtc/LNPoS
LNBits Telegram: https:
SLP406 Adi Shankara Bitcoin Needs Technologists & Summer of Bitcoin
Adi Shankara (founder of Summer of Bitcoin) joins me on the show to chat about:
How he got into Bitcoin from a tech background
The Bitcoin scene in India
How the RBI actually gets Bitcoin (and doesn’t like it)
Why Bitcoin Needs Technologists
Summer of Bitcoin
How the program works
How you can support the program
Links:
Twitter: @adibitcoin
Site: Summerofbitcoin.org
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Mempool.space
Braiins.com
Voltage
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.c
SLP405 Paolo Ardoino Bitcoin Lightning, Tether & Keet
Paolo Ardoino (CTO of Bitfinex & Tether, CSO Holepunch) joins me on the show to chat about a wide range of topics:
Lightning security
Lightning adoption
Tether reserves - Does Tether Pump Bitcoin?
Tether creation/redemption process
Tether audits and attestations
Stablecoins and centralisation
Keet & Holepunch
Links:
Twitter: @paoloardoino
Site: Bitfinex.com
Site: Tether.to/en/
Site: Keet.io
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Mempool.space
Braiins.com
Voltage
Unchai
SLP404 Gloria Zhao - What Do Bitcoin Core Maintainers Do?
Gloria Zhao, Bitcoin core contributor and maintainer, rejoins me on the show to chat about what bitcoin core maintainers do. We discuss:
What do Bitcoin Core maintainers do?
How does Bitcoin Core development work?
How much ‘power’ do maintainers have?
Mempools - what are they and why do we need them?
Interaction with L2 protocols
Mempool package relay
RBF
Links:
Twitter: @glozow
Package Relay Proposal
Site mentioned: Bitcoin Core PR Review Club
Github: glozow
Brink: @bit
SLP403 Alex B - Bitcoin Security Long Term & ETH Centralisation
Alex B rejoins me on the show to chat about bitcoin security over the longer term and updates on his ETH centralisation thesis. We discuss:
Bitcoin’s long term security and blockspace market
How miner fees shifted over time in Bitcoin and why
Tail emission arguments are dumb
Which nodes matter?
Lido and ETH centralisation
Will efforts to fix it work?
Links:
Twitter: @bergealex4
SLP303 Ethereum's Path To Centralisation With Alex B
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Mempool.space
Brai
SLP402 Pierre Rochard - Bitcoin Obsoletes Fractional Reserve Banking
Pierre Rochard rejoins me on the show to talk about Full Reserve, Fractional Reserve, and how Bitcoin obsolete Fractional Reserve Banking:
Full vs Fractional Reserve
Fiduciary media
Is the current system full or fractional reserve?
Various historical or current examples from the bitcoin economy
How would businesses work under a bitcoin full reserve system
Links:
Twitter: @BitcoinPierre
Related article: In Defense of Bitcoin Full Reserve: Not Anti-credit, but Anti-fiduciary Media
SLP401 Greg Foss - Sell Bonds, Buy Bitcoin
Greg Foss, Bond market veteran investor, and bitcoin/macro commentator rejoins me on the show to talk about the situation with global debt, bond markets and why Bitcoin is cheap protection. We chat:
US Fed
Japanese debt markets
The 60:40 stocks and bonds allocation and what changes
Sell Bonds, Buy Bitcoin
Scenarios for how this plays out
Looking Glass Education
Links:
Twitter: @FossGregfoss
Site: Lookingglasseducation.com
Prior episode:
SLP293 Greg Foss The Debt Problem You
SLP400 Jonas Nick & Tim Ruffing - Half Signature Aggregation: What is it and how does it help scale Bitcoin?
Jonas Nick & Tim Ruffing, bitcoin researchers and contributors at Blockstream rejoin me on the show, this time to chat about half signature aggregation. This is a scaling technique that can help scale Bitcoin and enable more transactions inside a block or help with L2 protocols. We discuss:
How this idea came to be
What is half aggregation vs ‘full aggregation’?
What kind of savings are possible?
What are the downsides?
How would this work in practice?
Is a soft fork required?
N
SLP399 Christian Keroles (CK of Bitcoin Magazine) - Bitcoin is Good for Europe
Christian Keroles (aka CK), GM of Bitcoin Magazine joins me on the show to talk about the problems Europe is facing, and why Bitcoin is good for Europe:
The problems Europe is facing
Anti bitcoin laws and regulations
AMLD5
FATF and Travel Rule
MiCA and Proof of Work
Why Bitcoin is good for Europe
Bitcoin Conference in Amsterdam
What Bitcoiners can do about it
Links:
Twitter: @ck_SNARKs
Bitcoin Amsterdam:Bitcoin is making history in Europe - October 12-14,2022
Site: B
SLP398 Ansel Lindner - Is it Inflation or Deflation?
Ansel Lindner, Bitcoin podcaster and writer of BitcoinAndMarkets.com joins me on the show to talk about his framework for assessing:
Inflation or Deflation?
The money stock
Credit cycles over time
What bitcoin does for the world
Could inflation and fractional reserve happen again on top of bitcoin?
Links:
Twitter: @AnselLindner
Site: Bitcoinandmarkets.com
Sponsors
Swan Bitcoin
Braiins.com
Voltage
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com(code LIVERA)
Stephan Livera
SLP397 Stack Hodler - Money Printing Around the World
Stack Hodler, twitter anon investor joins me to chat:
Fiat currencies & #Bitcoin
JPY and Japanese bond market
Why you shouldn’t #GetOnZero
Credit Cycles
Mortgage Boycotts
BRICS
Links:
Twitter: @stackhodler
Sponsors
Swan Bitcoin
Braiins.com
Voltage
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com(code LIVERA)
Stephan Livera links:
Show notes and website
Follow me on Twitter @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Patreon @stephanlivera
SLP396 Allen Farrington Austrians, Capital & DeFi Yield
Allen Farrington (author and professional investor) joins me on the show to talk about Austrian economics, Capital & DeFi Yield:
Austrian economics and Bitcoin
Where does the 2% inflation target come from?
The world Bitcoin will enable
Altcoin DeFi yield: where does it come from?
Bitcoin price and market depth
Links:
Twitter: @allenf32
Bitcoin is Venice book
Only The Strong Survive
Mentioned Mises.org article: The Origins of the 2 Percent Inflation Target
Bob Murphy’s ar
SLP395 John Tamny - Inflation & Optimism
John Tamny of FreedomWorks and Editor at Real Clear Markets joins me on the show to chat about his alternative take on inflation, fractional reserve banking, as well as why we should be optimistic about things going forward:
Defining inflation
Debate on Austrian economics & FRB
Is monetary stability possible?
2 years of Hysteria
Optimism for the future
Links:
Twitter: @johntamny
Site: Freedomworks.org
Site: Realclearmarkets.com
Sponsors
Swan Bitcoin
Braiins.com
Volta
SLP394 Beautyon - Bitcoin is Not Money: EU Attack on Bitcoin
Beautyon (Akin) rejoins me on the show to talk about the EU attack on Bitcoin and the confusing way people speak/learn about Bitcoin. We chat:
Misleading terminology (unhosted wallets)
Bitcoin as text & speech, not money
The map is not the terrain
What bitcoin builders can do
What happens to countries who refuse Bitcoin
Links:
Twitter: @Beautyon_
Bitcoin Mag article: The European Union’s Attack On Bitcoin Is An English And Math Comprehension Problem
Site: azte.co
Related e
SLP393 Ben Pile - Pushing Back on the Green Agenda
Ben Pile of Climate Resistance joins me to chat about the problem of the Green agenda. We discuss:
How this Green movement is funded
ESG meeting with reality
Are these outcomes intentional?
Hypocrisy of green warriors
Links:
Twitter: @clim8resistance
Site: Climate-resistance.org
YouTube: Climate Resistance
Sponsors
Swan Bitcoin
Braiins.com
Voltage
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com(code LIVERA)
Stephan Livera links:
Show notes and website
Follow me on T
SLP392 Pete Rizzo - Is Bitcoin Maximalism Still Needed?
Pete Rizzo, Editor at Bitcoin Magazine and Editor-at-large at Kraken rejoins me on the show to talk about Bitcoin Maximalism. There has been some discussion recently on the role of the ‘toxic’ Maximalists, and Pete has clarified some thinking on this in his recent article and discussion on this topic. We talk:
What is Bitcoin Maximalism
What do maximalists believe?
Social and cultural arguments
Technical aspects
Is it still needed?
Links:
Twitter: @pete_rizzo_
Rizzo’s Forbes Artic
SLP391 Ben Carman - Bitcoin Privacy, Surveillance & LN Vortex
Ben Carman (Bitcoin core contributor, working at The Bitcoin Company, co-organizer Austin BitDevs) joins me on the show to talk about the world of Bitcoin Privacy, the implications of surveillance on us all today, some of his ideas on improving Bitcoin Privacy, LN Vortex, P2P and the Austin BitDevs scene.
Links:
Twitter: @benthecarman
LN Vortex: Protocol Documentation
Austin BitDevs: Austin Bitcoin Developers
The Bitcoin Company
Bitcoin Optech #204
Sponsors
Swan Bitcoin
Braiins.co
SLP390 Dan McArdle - Which Bitcoin Narratives Are Dead?
Dan McArdle joins me on the show to chat about his experiences as a long time Bitcoiner and ways to think through what’s going on now. We chat:
Is the “4 year HODLer” stat dead?
Insights from prior cycles and drawdowns
FUD cycles
Casebitcoin.com and CAGR stats
How to think about bear markets
Links:
Twitter: @robustus
Site: casebitcoin.com
Inflation thread
Sponsors
Swan Bitcoin
Braiins.com
Voltage
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com(code LIVERA)
Stephan
SLP389 Daniel Frumkin & Jaran Mellerud - Bitcoin Mining Market Analysis
Daniel Frumkin of Braiins and Jaran Mellerud of Arcane Research join me on the show to talk about the latest in the world of Bitcoin Mining. As the price has fallen recently, we’ve seen some miners come under pressure. We chat:
Overview
Which public miners are in trouble?
Operating cash flows
Bitcoin miner treasury management strategy
Why we’re likely to see acquisitions
Impacts for home and retail miners
Were there bull market errors?
Future forecasting and conservatism
Links:
SLP388 Meron Estefanos Bitcoin, Human Rights & Refugees
Meron Estefanos, activist and journalist joins me to talk about her story of helping over 20k refugees, helping to stop human traffickers, and how she’s using and teaching Bitcoin these days.
We chat:
Her story of helping refugees
Life for Eritreans
Being an activist and radio journalist
How she teaches Bitcoin (BlueWallet and Muun)
HRF Oslo Freedom Forum
Links:
Twitter: @meronina
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Braiins.com
Voltage
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
SLP387 Tuur Demeester - How Does The Panic of 1907 Relate to Bitcoin?
Tuur Demeester, long time author/analyst and former fund manager in the Bitcoin space rejoins me to chat about his views on the markets and where Bitcoin is going:
Macro views on interest rates
Deleveraging moments
Trying to make money in Bitcoin terms
The Panic of 1907 and “Crypto” Contagion
How Bitcoin differs
Full Reserve Banking models contrasted with Fractional Reserve Banking
Whether this bitcoin bear market will last long
Links:
Twitter: @TuurDemeester
Thread: https://t
SLP386 Roy Sheinfeld - The Utility Of Bitcoin & Lightning
Roy Sheinfeld of Breez rejoins me on the show to talk about various topics:
How lightning network is growing and maturing
Breez Merchant Point of Sale
Breez and Greenlight
LN Protocol development
Asynchronous payments
Splicing
Links:
Twitter: @Breez_tech
Site: breez.technology
Mentioned:
Laolu Summary of Recent LN Meeting
SLP378 Christian Decker – Greenlight & ANYPREVOUT
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Braiins.com
Voltage
Unchained Capital (code LIVER
SLP385 Nicolas Burtey - Central African Republic & Bitcoin Legal Tender
Nicolas Burtey of Galoy Money rejoins me on the show to talk about his recent trip to Central African Republic and their new bitcoin legal tender push.
We chat:
The situation in the country today
Hurdles to adoption
Internet, Electricity and Smartphone penetration
What makes sense for bitcoin adoption in CAR?
Comparison with El Salvador’s Bitcoin Law
Galoy Money
El Salvador hosting central bankers and finance ministers
Links:
Twitter: @nicolasburtey
Site: galoy.io
Prior episo
SLP384 zerofeerouting - Zero Fee Routing on Lightning Network
Zerofeerouting, runner of the 3rd most connected Lightning node with an innovative business model joins me on the show to chat about lightning:
Starting a routing node
The Zero Fee Routing business model
Why has nobody else done it yet?
Where fees are going on LN and who will pay them
Operational aspects of running a big node
Lightning protocol improvements
LND and CLN
Links:
Twitter: @zerofeerouting
Site: Zerofeerouting.com
Episodes mentioned:
SLP378 Christian Decke
SLP383 Alex Epstein - Fossil Future and Better Energy Conversations
Alex Epstein, energy expert and author rejoins me on the show to talk about his newest book coming out, Fossil Future. We chat:
Updates to his thinking since the Moral Case for Fossil Fuels in 2014
Problems with our ‘knowledge system’ today
Fossil Fuels benefit deniers
“Climate Mastery”
What the Bitcoin community is getting right and wrong on energy
How free market energy advocates should be approaching their discussions
Links:
Twitter: @AlexEpstein
Site: FossilFuture.com
Spons
SLP382 Gary Leland - Bitcoin & The American Dream, BitBlockBoom 2022
Gary Leland, entrepreneur, author & founder of BitBlockBoom rejoins me to talk about orange pilling people, whether they are everyday individuals, or state senators.
We chat:
Doing a booksprint on ‘Bitcoin and the American Dream’
Orange pilling people by teaching them to DCA
Speaking to a state senate to get them to buy Bitcoin
What to expect with BitBlockBoom 2022
Links:
Twitter: @GaryLeland
Book: https://www.amazon.com/Bitcoin-American-Dream-Technology-Transcending/dp/B09P7RL7
SLP381 John Dennehy & Gloriana Solano - Bitcoin Diploma in El Salvador
John and Gloriana from the “My First Bitcoin” project join me to talk about their journey in running Bitcoin education for Salvadoran high school students. We chat about:
How the project got started
Phases of the project
What the students learn
Hurdles for learning
Where the project may go in future
Links:
Site: MiPrimerBitcoin.io
Twitter: @MyfirstBitcoin_
Twitter: @jdennehy_writes
Twitter: @Glori1995
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Braiins.com
Voltage
Unchai
SLP380 Jeff Deist & Stephan Livera chat Economic Freedom Around the World
Jeff Deist President of Mises Institute and I had a chat recently for the Human Action Podcast, and we discuss a few ideas about liberty, political freedom & economic freedom around the world:
Exiting Australia
Freedom indexes and where they may be falling down
Political freedom contrasted with economic freedom
Why social issues dominate
Links:
Jeff’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeffdeist
Mises Institute: https://mises.org/
Mises Institute Twitter: https://twitter.com/@mises
SLP379 Gigi - Dealing with Linguistic Attacks on Bitcoin
Gigi rejoins me on the show to talk about the problems of imprecise language and wording in Bitcoin:
‘Unhosted wallets’ terminology
Bitcoin and warfare language
Proof of Work and mining
Links:
Twitter: @dergigi
Site: Dergigi.com
Previous Episodes:
SLP313 Gigi – USD is going down to 1 sat & Bitcoin is Time
SLP140 Gigi – Bitcoin’s Gravity and 21 Lessons
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Braiins.com
Voltage
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com(co
SLP378 Christian Decker - Greenlight & ANYPREVOUT
Christian Decker of Blockstream rejoins me on the show to talk about Greenlight, a node service by Blockstream. We chat about:
Who it’s for
Running a node online
Backups
Channel Management
CLN v0.11
APO and eltoo
Pinning attacks
Layered commitments
Christian Decker links:
Twitter: @snyke
ANYPREVOUT: BIP118
github cdecker
Previous Episodes:
SLP200 Christian Decker – ANYPREVOUT, MPP, Mitigating LN Attacks
SLP59 Christian Decker – Bitcoin Lightning Channel Factories
Sp
SLP377 Jimmy Song - Frequent Flyer Miles: The Original Altcoins & Thoughts on CTV
Jimmy Song (Bitcoin educator, programmer) rejoins me to chat about how Airline Miles are the original altcoins and how there are similarities in the fiat mindsets around chasing miles/points, and altcoins. We discuss:
Why the airline industry is the way it is
Fiat mindset in miles chasers and DeFi chasers
Altcoiners chasing airdrops and yield
Secure property rights vs fuzzy property rights
CTV
Links:
Article: Bitcoin Songsheet: Airline Miles Are The Original Altcoins
Article: Bitc
SLP376 Evan Kaloudis - Zeus: Self Sovereign LN Wallet
Evan Kaloudis joins me on the show to talk about building Zeus, a self sovereign Lightning Wallet for use with your own lightning node. Evan and I chat about using the LN today, and being a more sovereign lightning user.
Building Zeus as a FOSS app
Getting support and feature bounties
Zeus community
Interoperable standards
Supporting multiple lightning implementations
Privacy on LN - e.g. route blinding
Payment reliability
Links:
Twitter: @evankaloudis
Site: Zeusln.app
Zeus
SLP375 Laolu (Roasbeef) - What is Taro? Stablecoins on Lightning, LN Growth & CTV
Laolu Osuntokun (Roasbeef), CTO of Lightning Labs rejoins me on the show to talk about Taro. Taro is a new protocol and proposal by the Lightning Labs team for creation of stablecoins or other assets that can be built into the existing Bitcoin/Lightning network. We chat about how it works and what it could mean for Bitcoin.
How Taro works
Prior efforts e.g. coloured coins, Counterparty, RGB
Benefits of Taro approach
What it would look like in practice
Lightning Network development gener
SLP374 Adam O (DenverBitcoin) - Combating the ESG Mafia
Adam O (DenverBitcoin) of Upstream Data rejoins me on the show to talk about the Bitcoin advocate community’s response to the ESG Mafia. Are there better ways to respond?
We chat:
ESG statistics and what would be better
Bitcoin’s rising energy use and prominence
Bitcoin Mining Council
Carbon accounting dishonesty
Is placating them a good strategy?
Links:
Twitter: @denverbitcoin
Site: UpstreamData.ca
Article: DENVER’S DERIVATIVE — HOW TO GAUGE THE PRICE OF A BITCOIN ASIC
Recent
SLP373 Sam Callahan - The IMF Versus Your Freedoms
Sam Callahan of Swan Bitcoin rejoins me on the show to talk about another global organisation that has been making all kinds of anti-Bitcoin and anti-freedom statements in its research and proclamations. We chat:
Who the IMF are and how they started
What they think on Proof of Work
“Financial Crime”
“Transitioning to a low carbon economy”
“Financial stability”
Global corruption
Links:
Twitter: @samcallah
Thread: https://twitter.com/samcallah/status/1517170892979142657
Relevant
SLP372 Sergej Kotliar - Bitcoin For Convenience & Bill Paying
Sergej Kotliar CEO of Bitrefill rejoins me on the show to talk about a big new feature coming to Bitrefill, the rebrand, and Bitcoin adoption more broadly. We chat:
Culturally what does it take for Bitcoin adoption
Inconvenient truths about who uses Bitcoin for payment
What wallets people are actually using
LN vs on-chain payment
BIP21
Payment volume breakdowns
Bill Payment in the US
Capital Gains Tax laws
Convenience of living the Bitcoin life
Links:
Twitter: @ziggamon
Si
SLP371 Max Keiser - Investing For Hyperbitcoinisation With El Zonte Capital
Max Keiser, Bitcoiner, financial broadcaster, investor and writer joins me on the show to talk about his adventures in El Salvador and investments in line with the global hyperbitcoinisation thesis. We chat:
Living in El Salvador
Bitcoin and Lightning infrastructure
El Zonte Capital and who’s involved
Bitcoin Education
Bitcoin Gaming
Thoughts on Central African Republic
Bitcoin City
Links:
Twitter: @maxkeiser
Twitter: @ElZonteCapital
Twitter: @stacyherbert
Email: hello@elz
SLP370 Alex Thorn - Why Are Bitcoin Fees Low?
Alex Thorn, Head of Firmwide Research at Galaxy Digital (previously Avon Ventures & Fidelity) joins me to talk about how and why Bitcoin Fees are low. After going through eras of higher fees, it might be puzzling as to why they’re low now.
We talk:
Which factors had the biggest impact
SegWit
Batching
Lightning Network
Less OP_Returns
Less miner selling
What might cause fees to rise in future
Links:
Twitter: @intangiblecoins
Twitter thread: https://twitter.com/intangiblecoi
SLP369 Daniel Frumkin - Calculating Bitcoin Mining Profitability
Daniel Frumkin of Braiins joins me on the show to talk about calculating Bitcoin Mining profitability and a load of topics:
Braiins insights dashboard
Stratum v2 benefits
Profitability calculator
Cost to mine calculator
CAPEX or OPEX costs for mining?
How to think about mining ROI
Updates coming
Links:
Twitter: @dfrumps
Site: insights.braiins.com
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Braiins.com
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com(code LIVERA)
Steph
SLP368 BitcoinQNA - Bitcoin Seed Tool
Bitcoin QNA of Bitcoiner.guide joins me on the show to talk about Bitcoin Seeds and a new Seed Tool created with SuperPhatArrow. In this show you’ll learn a little bit about how your bitcoin wallet works in the background:
Bitcoin and entropy
Seed Words
Passphrases
Bitcoin wallets and addresses
BIP85
BIP47 Stealth Addresses
Education for newcoiners in the space
Links:
Site: https://bitcoiner.guide/seed
Twitter: @BitcoinQ_A
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Braiins.
SLP367 Pierre Rochard - Lightning Network Comes to Kraken
Pierre Rochard, Bitcoin Lead Strategist at Kraken rejoins me on the show to talk about new lightning network developments and how Lightning network is growing:
Experience of setting up LN at Kraken
LN for day to day use not being big yet
Millions of people plugged into Lightning
Will LN node operation only be for pros?
Long term fee / security arguments
Thoughts on stablecoins vs Bitcoin
Links:
Twitter: @pierre_rochard
Prior episodes:
SLP147 Pierre Rochard & Saifedean Ammo
SLP366 Nate (BeefOrBacon) - How To Run Your Lightning Node
Nate (aka BeefOrBacon1, also working at Voltage) joins me to talk about how to run a Bitcoin Lightning node. We get into all sorts of information while keeping it accessible for people relatively new to running a lightning node.
Different lightning user types
How to run your lightning node
Different types of node: RPi, box, VPS
How to manage channels
Who to open channels with
What tools you can use
Should you use swap providers?
What kind of fees do you earn?
How do you backup y
SLP365 Anita Posch - Bitcoin For Fairness in Zimbabwe and Zambia
Anita Posch, bitcoin educator, podcaster and founder of Bitcoin For Fairness joins me on the show to talk about her recent trip to Zimbabwe and Zambia. We chat about:
Why she went
Crypto Scammers vs Bitcoin Education
Bitcoin software and hardware
Main hurdles to adoption
Government views on Bitcoin
p2p Bitcoin
Links:
@AnitaPosch
bffbtc.org
Bitcoin for Fairness - Anita Posch
(L)earn Bitcoin
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Compass Mining
Braiins.com
Unchained
SLP364 Max Hillebrand ZKSnacks Blacklisting Coins
Max Hillebrand, a bitcoin and privacy educator, also working at ZKSnacks (the company behind Wasabi Wallet) rejoins me to talk about why ZKSnacks is implementing blacklisting, and working with chain surveillance firms. We disagree a lot in this one! But we chat:
Wasabi Wallet default coordinator implementing censorship
Coinjoin coordinator models comparison
The contradiction between being anti surveillance firms and working with them
Is there a regulatory capture angle here?
Address re
SLP363 Seth For Privacy - Bitcoin & Fungibility Discussion
Seth for Privacy joins me to chat about Bitcoin & Fungibility. We chat:
Privacy and fungibility
Practical real world difficulties of censoring
Bitcoin and Monero community differences
Technical and social reasons for not having protocol level privacy
The hopes for application level privacy with tools like Samourai Wallet & Sparrow Wallet
Growing the p2p bitcoin economy
Links:
Twitter: @sethforprivacy
Site: https://sethforprivacy.com/
Pieter Wuille StackExchange answer
SLP362 John Carvalho - Slashpay: Bitcoin Payment Negotiation
John Carvalho, Founder of Synonym joins me to talk about Slashpay and SlashTags, an ambitious attempt to dramatically smooth the process of exchanging bitcoin addresses or lightning invoices. What kind of things does this enable? We discuss:
Competing standards in Bitcoin
How it would work
Updating and revocation of SlashTags
What other things are enabled by this public keypair approach
Why not use a blockchain
Putting tether USD on lightning
Synonym
Links:
Slashpay Twitter thre
SLP361 Rene Pickhardt - Pickhardt Payments & Zero Base Fee for Lightning Network
Rene Pickhardt, independent researcher and bitcoin/lightning educator rejoins me to talk about his new approach to massively improving lightning payments reliability, and the various trade offs:
What the current approach is
What Pickhardt payments are
Constraints and trade offs
Reliability and privacy trade offs
Are there conflicts with other proposals to improve lightning network?
Zero Base Fee
Rene links:
Twitter: @renepickhardt
Rene’s Patreon: Rene Pickhardt - Patreon.com
S
SLP360 Giacomo Zucco Bitcoin - Can Bitcoin be both Hard Money & Dark Money?
Giacomo rejoins me on the show to talk about the need for Bitcoin to be both Hard Money and Dark Money. In this show we talk about:
What Dark Money means
Why “Just use Monero” is not a satisfactory answer
Use of atomic swap services or other
Can compliance bros kill Bitcoin?
Global KYC capture risk - would it create a minority chain soft fork?
Why NgU is still important
Links:
Twitter: @giacomozucco
Bitcoin Culture Talk @ Unconfiscatable 2022: Unconfiscatable 2022 - Giacomozucco
SLP359 Abubakar Nur Khalil - Bitcoin in Africa, Qala, B Trust, Recursive Capital
Have you wondered about the progress of Bitcoin in Africa? Abubakar Nur Khalil, Bitcoin Core contributor, on the board of BTrust and also of Recursive Capital joins me on the show to talk about:
Bitcoin core contribution and developer training/mentor process
Qala
Bitcoin in Africa & education
B Trust
Recursive Capital and investing in African Bitcoin companies
Links:
Abubakar’s Twitter: @ihate1999
B Trust: @btrustteam
Recursive Capital: @RcrsvCapital
Sponsors:
Swan
SLP358 Lili - Bitcoin Privacy for Beginners
Lili joins me to talk about her journey of learning about Bitcoin and using it privately. We chat about:
Trade offs of KYC vs Non-KYC coins
How to acquire non KYC coins
Staying private through the lifecycle of using Bitcoin
Bitcoin for donations
Canadian Trucker Bitcoin
Wasabi and ZkSnacks debacle thoughts
Links:
Twitter: @Marketsbylili
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Compass Mining
Braiins.com
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
S
SLP357 Lawrence Lepard The Burning House of Fiat
Lawrence Lepard (Investment Manager, Austrian Economist) of Equity Management Associates joins me on the show to chat about living through the burning house of fiat money. We chat:
What’s changing in the world today and why so many took it for granted
The insecurity around property rights
Holding paper assets vs physical assets
Change in monetary order
Economic ignorance in the world today
Links:
Twitter: @LawrenceLepard
Site: Ema2.com
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
SLP356 Bitcoin: An Upgrade to 700 Year Old Accounting Tech
Darin Feinstein, Founder of Core Scientific (Bitcoin Mining) joins me on the show to talk about Bitcoin as an upgrade on some very old accounting technology and what it could mean for our future. We get into:
Learning about Bitcoin
Bitcoin mining narratives - FUD and facts
Bitcoin’s importance for liberty
Challenges to Bitcoin fungibility
Bitcoin for human rights
EU Proof of Work ban?
The path forward
Links:
Twitter: @DarinFeinstein
Site: CoreScientific.com
Twitter: @Core_Sc
SLP355 Julie Landrum - Payments Infrastructure for the Bitcoin Standard
Julie Landrum of OpenNode joins me to talk about what they’re building to help people onboard to Bitcoin & the lightning network as a payment standard. OpenNode first got its name as a merchant payment processor but we chat about how the company has grown and evolved over the years. We chat:
Bitcoin infrastructure services for merchants, bitcoin companies
Dealing with the cyclical nature of Bitcoin
Spend, HODL, earn?
Chargeback risk
Dealing with regulatory requirements
El Salvador
SLP354 Josef Tetek - Why is Bitcoin HODLing rational?
Josef Tetek of Trezor (and contributor at Bitcoin Magazine) joins me on the show to talk about:
The liberty movement in Europe
The connection between Austrian economics and bitcoin
Fractional and full reserve visions of bitcoin’s future
Why HODLing is rational
Nakamoto-Gresham’s law and how most get Gresham’s law wrong
Links:
Twitter: @SatsJoseph
Article: What is Nakamoto-Gresham’s Law and How does it pertain to Bitcoin?
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Compass Mining
SLP353 John Cantrell - Sensei: A new lightning node client based on BDK + LDK
John Cantrell of L2 Technology and Spiral BTC grantee rejoins me on the show to talk about his latest work in making Bitcoin and the lightning network more accessible for the many. Sensei can be thought of as an LND or c-lightning but for LDK. We chat:
John’s journey since cracking Alistair Milne’s 12 word seed
How sensei works
Trade offs
How the child node concept works
What does it look like if 7.7B+ people onboarded to the lightning network?
Links:
LN Thread
Twitter: @JohnCantr
SLP352 Matt Hill - EmbassyOS & Making Self Sovereignty Tech Cheaper Than The Alternatives
Matt Hill of Start9 Labs rejoins me on the show to talk about where the world is at, and a surprising argument that might actually be true. Sovereign Tech may be adopted, not merely because of privacy, but because of being lower cost.
We chat:
Canada Truckers and the broader fight for freedom
Is it a question of tools or winning hearts and minds?
What’s new and coming in EmbassyOS v0.3.0?
Why cost will be the driver
Making it easy to use and saying goodbye to command line
Community dr
SLP351 Jeff Vandrew - Bitcoin for the very long term
Jeff Vandrew of Unchained Capital joins me on the show to share his thoughts on Bitcoin for the very long term. Where is it going, and how should you think about using the retirement system to potentially stack more sats?
We chat:
Where is Bitcoin going over the long term?
What happens if more states make Bitcoin legal tender?
How big is the market for retirement savings
What about just stacking sats outside retirement accounts?
Roth vs Traditional IRAs
McNulty case and whether it sto
SLP350 Benny Peiser - The Net Zero Agenda Will Crash
Benny Peiser of Net Zero Watch joins me on the show to talk about ‘net zero’ and the inaccuracy in the presentation of arguments on renewables. We discuss:
What is ‘net zero’
Accurate treatment of costs and benefits
How much of it is regulation or market choice
ESG box ticking
The impact on everyday people
‘Greenwashing’ by some countries
Why it will crash
Links:
Twitter: @netzerowatch
Site: netzerowatch.com
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Compass Mining
Braiin
SLP349 Chris Stewart Bitcoin DLCs & Stablechannels
Chris Stewart Founder and CEO of Suredbits joins me on the show to talk about the latest with Bitcoin DLCs. You might have heard my earlier show with Nadav Kohen but in this one we chat:
‘Maximalism’ and tech
‘Policing activity’
Block space market over time
Where DLCs are at today
Lightning DLCs vs on-chain DLCs
Doing stablechannels
Practical and commercial applications
Umbrel app
Links:
Twitter: @Chris_Stewart_5
Site: suredbits.com
Suredbits Stablechannel blog post
Sure
SLP348 Nick Hansen Luxor - Bitcoin Mining Narratives & Hash Rate Derivatives
Nick Hansen, CEO and Founder of Luxor Technology joins me to talk about the bitcoin mining scene, the narrative around bitcoin mining energy use and Proof of Work, Demand Response, ‘ESG’, China ban, Intel coming into the mining game, and hash rate derivatives.
Links:
Twitter: @hash_bender
Site: luxor.tech
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Compass Mining
Braiins.com
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Stephan Livera links:
Show notes and website
F
SLP347 Kyle Murphy Building Pleb Lab: Bitcoin accelerator, community hub
Kyle Murphy of Pleb Lab and Austin Bitcoin Club joins me on the show to talk about the Austin Bitcoin scene and his role in growing it. We also get into what Pleb Lab is and the bitcoin entrepreneurship in Austin, Texas. This is a great show to get a sense of the community in Austin as well as thoughts on how Bitcoin’s ecosystem grows.
Links:
Twitter: @The_bitcoin_bum
Site: PlebLab.com
Site: Austin Bitcoin Club
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Compass Mining
Braiins.com
Unc
SLP346 Nicolas Burtey - Synthetic USD & Bitcoin Banking
Nicolas Burtey of Galoy Money rejoins me on the show for a fascinating discussion about doing synthetic USD as a building block to bringing it to the Bitcoin Beach wallet. We talk about:
The latest with Galoy
Bitcoin Banking
4 ways of doing synthetic USD value
Why is it necessary?
How to fund it?
Risks
Links:
Twitter: @NicolasBurtey
Twitter: GaloyMoney
Site: Galoy.io
Github: GitHub - GaloyMoney/galoy: bitcoin banking infrastructure
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
SLP345 Danny Brewster - Bitcoin Needs Builders
Danny Brewster, Founder & CEO of FastBitcoins joins me on the show to chat:
Dealing with regulation as a bitcoin business
Products and services for bitcoiners
Expanding into new markets around the world
Challenges and rewards of being bitcoin only
Bitcoin builders and why we need them
Links:
Twitter: @BTCDanny
Site: FastBitcoins.com
FastBitcoins Twitter: @FastBitcoins
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Compass Mining
Braiins.com
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
SLP344 NVK - Coldcard Mk4, Tapsigner, Satscard - Bitcoin Hardware Innovation
NVK, co founder and CEO of CoinKite rejoins me on the show to talk about the latest and exciting developments in the world of Bitcoin hardware security. CoinKite are pushing forward with NFC as a way of making hardware wallet UX easy but also keeping the hardware accessible from a cost point of view
We chat:
What’s changing with Coldcard Mk4
Memory, SE, processor
NFC for bitcoin transactions
Tapsigner
Satscard
Business models for open source
Low cost devices
Operating without lapt
SLP343 r0ckstar dev & Pavlenex - Career Opportunities in Bitcoin Open Source
R0ckstar dev & Pavlenex of BTCPay Server and other projects (Strike, Bitcoin Smiles, Bitcoin Design) rejoin me on the show to talk about Bitcoin, Open Source community ethos, and how it can lead to career opportunities.
We chat:
BTCPay 4 years on
Open Source for hiring
Bitcoinerjobs.com
How open source projects mature
How to grow the project
How to move on from a project
R0ckstar’s big announcement
What’s coming with BTCPay Server
Links:
Twitter: @r0ckstardev
Twitter: @p
SLP342 Heavily Armed Clown - Should Bitcoiners Get on Zero Fiat?
Heavily Armed Clown (aka HAC) joins me on the show to talk about this idea of #GetOnZero. We chat:
The case for #GetOnZeroFiat
Issues with it
Dealing with CGT
Mindset shifts
Emergency fund
Inflation rates
What scenarios you still need to hold fiat
Links:
Twitter: @heavilyarmedc
Site: Bitcoinechochamber.com
Site: WTFHappenedIn1971.com
Stephan’s article discussed: Is It Time For Bitcoiners To Get On "Zero Fiat"? Not Yet.
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Compass
SLP341 Zelko & Din - Ronin Dojo & Tanto
Zelko and Din join me to talk about updates with the Ronin Dojo project for Samourai Wallet users. We chat:
Where the project started
FOSS project ethos
Thoughts on VC funding
Privacy wallets
Bitcoin node project evolution
FOSS business & project
Tanto Hardware
Supporting Specter and Sparrow
Links:
Twitter: @RoninDojoNode
Site: RoninDojo
Din: @Din_J76
Zelko: @BTCxZelko
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Compass Mining
Braiins.com
Unchained Capital (cod
SLP340 Peter Young - El Salvador On The Ground & Free Private Cities
Peter Young of the Free Private City Foundation joins me on the show to talk about some of his experiences on the ground and some updates with Free Private Cities. We chat:
El Salvador on the ground
Bitcoin and Lightning in the real world
What it really costs to do merchant processing
Free Private Cities
Honduras ZEDEs
Liberty In Our Lifetime
Links:
Twitter: @petermiyoung
Site: Free Private Cities Foundation
Conference: Liberty In Our Lifetime Conference
Relevant episodes:
SLP339 Jeremy Rubin - What is Check Template Verify?
Jeremy Rubin, bitcoin core contributor joins me on the show to talk about Check Template Verify (CTV) - his soft fork proposal to bring new functionality to Bitcoin. We discuss:
How the idea started
High level goals with Bitcoin
How CTV might bring new functionality
Congestion control use case
Vaults and protecting coins
Contrasting CTV with APO ANYPREVOUT
Commercial use of CTV
Links:
BIP: CHECK TEMPLATE VERIFY
Site: utxos.org
Twitter: @JeremyRubin
Advent Calendar blog ser
SLP338 Mauricio Di Bartolomeo - Bitcoin Home Loans & Stablecoins
Mauricio Di Bartolomeo, Co Founder and CSO of Ledn joins me on the show to talk:
Why use bitcoin backed loans?
Fiat loan rates vs bitcoin loan rates
Opportunities and risks
New products and structures for home loans
Dealing with margin calls and liquidation
Stablecoins: are they essential? Where is the market going on this?
Links:
Twitter: @cryptonomista
Site: Ledn.io
Other episodes:
SLP236 Nic Carter Stablecoins: Bullish Or Bearish For Bitcoin?
SLP291 Caitlin Long – Stabl
SLP337 Salvatore Ingala - Ledger’s New Bitcoin App: PSBT, Taproot, Descriptors, Multi-Sig
Salvatore Ingala of Ledger joins me to talk about a big revamp of the Ledger Bitcoin app which brings support for a whole host of new features. We chat about:
How the app shifted from v1 to v2
PSBT
Taproot support
Descriptors
Merkle Trees
Improved multi-signature and scripting support
Links:
Twitter: @salvatoshi
Blog post: Bitcoin 2.0.0 App For Ledger
Other relevant episodes:
SLP99 Andrew Chow - Hardware Wallets and Bitcoin Core with HWI and PSBT
SLP292 Andrew Chow Output
SLP336 Sam Callahan - The Problem with the BIS
Sam Callahan of Swan Bitcoin joins me on the show to talk about the Bank of International Settlements (BIS). We chat about:
Formation, and shady history
Why it’s not accountable
Their plans for social control
CBDCs
Loss of privacy
War on Cash
What can be done?
Links:
Twitter: @samcallah
Thread: https://twitter.com/samcallah/status/1473815145545551873
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Compass Mining
Braiins.com
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (cod
SLP335 Don Stuart - Venture Capital and Bitcoin
Now there’s been some discussion about the impact of Venture Capitalists on the world of Bitcoin and ‘Crypto’. Don Stuart, startup investor & organizer of Kansas City Bitcoin meetup, joins me on the show to chat:
What Venture Capital is
Venture Capital model
Vesting and incentives for VCs
How they make money
Bitcoin vs ‘Crypto’ VC
Size of rounds raised
Are Bitcoiners anti VC?
In what cases does VC not make sense?
Don links:
Twitter: @kc_hodl
Article: Venture Capital And
SLP334 Jeff Booth - Escape The System & 2021 Year In Review
Jeff Booth, author, entrepreneur and speaker joins me to chat about the year 2021 in review for Bitcoiners. Some themes we discuss:
Where the narrative is going with Bitcoin
Fiat denomination vs Bitcoin denomination
How politicians and regulators are seeing it
Community building
Bitcoin wallets and services
Bitcoin tech
Dealing with fear
Links:
Twitter: @JeffBooth
Site: The Price of Tomorrow - And the Era of Abundance
Prior episodes:
SLP191 Jeff Booth - Bitcoin & Our D
SLP333 Cory Klippsten - Building for Bitcoiners
Cory Klippsten of Swan Bitcoin rejoins me on the show to talk about a range of things:
“Crypto” advocacy as compared to Bitcoin advocacy
Being an investor in the space & Bitcoiner Ventures
Turkey inflation
Avoiding trading
Bitcoiner Jobs
Swan Gifts
Links:
Twitter: @coryklippsten
The Daily Bitcoiner: cory.substack.com
Bitcoiner Jobs: bitcoinerjobs.co
Bitcoiner Ventures: bitcoinerventures.com
Article: The World Bitcoin Will Build
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Le
SLP332 Vijay Boyapati - The Bearish Case for Bitcoin
Vijay Boyapati, author and regular guest rejoins me on the show to chat about his recent book launch as well as a few ideas that specifically came from the book. We also chat about some of his more ‘bearish’ ideas on Bitcoin and that Bitcoin is not inevitable.
Credentialism and fiat
The book and response
Stages of money
Custodial risk
Rehypothecation
Concerted state attack on Bitcoin
Bitcoin is not inevitable
Links:
Twitter: @real_vijay
The Bullish Case for Bitcoin Book
Spons
SLP331 Eric Sirion - MiniMint, Federated Mints for Bitcoin scaling and privacy
Chaumian e-cash is a predecessor idea to Bitcoin. Listen in to Stephan and Eric Sirion (elsirion) discuss the idea of federated mints and this particular idea of MiniMint. Eric’s research is being sponsored by Blockstream. This idea may offer even more privacy and scalability for Bitcoin users, but with some custodial and trust trade offs.
How it works
Custodial trade offs and who should use it
How lightning works
Deposits, withdrawals and internal transfers
Community custody
Links:
SLP330 Laserhodl - Opting out of ‘The Great Reset’ with Bitcoin
What’s really going on with all the Hysteria? Is it a cabal or some confluence of interests? Laserhodl joins me to talk about what’s going on, and how to opt out.
The Great Reset
CBDCs / control coins
Social credit systems
Freedom tech
Opting out of the commie tech stack
#GetOnZero - and my slight disagreement
Links:
Twitter: @laserhodl
Relevant episodes:
SLP265 Diverter – Becoming Uncle Jim: Being Digital Sherpa for Family & Friends
SLP315 k3tan – Networking For B
SLP329 Samson Mow - Bitcoin Bonds For Bitcoin City Breakdown & Liquid, AMP
Samson Mow CSO of Blockstream rejoins me on the show to breakdown Bitcoin Bonds. We chat:
Structure of Bitcoin bonds
Why not HODL bitcoin?
Who is the target market for these?
Operationally how it would work
Liquid AMP
Benefits, opportunities and risks
Reaction by bitcoiners to the announcement
What Bitcoin City could become
Links:
Twitter: @Excellion
Site: Blockstream.com
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Compass Mining
Braiins.com
Unchained Capital (code LIV
SLP328 The Rise of Bitcoin Nomadism with CoinsureNZ
CoinsureNZ rejoins me on the show to chat about the new rising trend of Bitcoin Nomads. We talk about the benefits of this approach in achieving more sovereignty for yourself, whether that is financial or in your ability to carry on living life in the age of Hysteria. We discuss:
Benefits and why do it?
How to get started
Resources you need
Is it only for single people?
Getting set up in a new location
Where to go
Downsides and costs of this lifestyle
Links:
Twitter: @coinsureNZ
SLP327 Mike Germano - Going Against Fiat Media & Bitcoin Magazine Print Edition
Mike Germano of Bitcoin Magazine (and previously of Vice) joins me to talk about his latest efforts with Bitcoin Magazine Print edition and to share his thoughts on media in today’s age.
We chat:
Why do a print magazine now
Is Bitcoin media overly US biased?
Why Fiat Media is getting Bitcoin wrong
Technical precision and accuracy in stories
Links:
Twitter: @mikegermano
Site: BitcoinMagazine.com
Other episodes:
SLP305 El Salvador Bitcoin Law on the Ground With Aaron Van Wirdum
SLP326 Dylan Leclair Using Fiat Debt For Bitcoin Stacking
Dylan Leclair of Bitcoin Magazine and UTXO Management joins me to talk about the fiat debt system, as well as why and how some people use the system against itself. We get into:
The current situation on the fiat standard
Why consider using debt to stack Bitcoin
The advantages of using this approach
Costs and risks
Avoiding Liquidation
Bitcoin mining using fiat loans
Trends and where this is all going
Links:
Twitter: @DylanLeClair_
The Deep Dive: The Deep Dive by Bitcoin Magazi
SLP325 PlanB - Is the S2F model still on track? What about the supercycle and floor model?
Plan B (pseudonymous quant) rejoins me on the show to talk about how the S2F model is going and whether it will be a problem if Bitcoin does not hit $100k by the end of 2021. In this conversation we get into:
Spelling out the different types of models PlanB uses and talks about
Failure conditions for the model
The Floor model
Are we going to supercycle?
When does the S2F model fully break down?
Links:
Twitter: @100trillionUSD
Site: PlanBTC.com
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hod
SLP324 Scaling Bitcoin off chain with Matt Corallo, Alex Bosworth, Lisa Neigut and Graham Krizek
This is a Tabconf 2021 panel discussion that I moderated with well known Lightning contributors and builders. Some of the topics we got into:
Building out infrastructure
General thoughts about scaling off chain
Lightning dual funded or v2 channels
Stress testing the network
Lightning routing as professional specialisation
Lightning ‘growing up’ and maturing
Links:
Matt Corallo TheBlueMatt
Lisa Neigut (niftynei)
Alex Bosworth
Graham Krizek
Tabconf.com
Prior episodes:
SL
SLP323 Graham Krizek - Running Hosted Bitcoin & Lightning Nodes at Voltage
Graham Krizek is Founder and CEO of Voltage, a Bitcoin and Lightning node company. If you’re interested in why you would have someone else host your node, check out this episode where we talk:
Getting into Lightning
Using a cloud node
Setting up as a merchant with BTCPay
Easy deployment
Cost of running
Flow and sidecar channels
Getting inbound liquidity
Links:
Site: https://voltage.cloud/
Twitter: @gkrizek
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Compass Mining
Braiins.
SLP322 Perth Heat - The Baseball Team on a Bitcoin Standard
Steve Nelkovski (CEO) and Patrick (Chief Bitcoin Officer) of Perth Heat, join me to talk about being the first sports team to go on a full Bitcoin standard. That includes players, staff, merchandise, tickets, sponsorship, and holding Bitcoin on the balance sheet. We chat:
The journey of going on a bitcoin standard
Having a Chief Bitcoin Officer
Handling payment
The benefits of being on a Bitcoin standard
How it will change sport
Links:
Site: perthheat.com.au
Twitter: @PerthHeat
SLP321 On chain scaling with Bitcoin Core Developers Pieter Wuille, Andrew Poelstra, Andrew Chow & Murch
This is a Tabconf 2021 panel discussion that I moderated with some of the top research and development minds in Bitcoin today. Pieter Wuille is at Chaincode Labs, Andrew Poelstra is Director of Research at Blockstream, Murch is at Chaincode Labs, and Andrew Chow is working at Blockstream on Bitcoin Core.
In this panel we spoke about:
Main constraints of on chain scaling
Assumevalid and assumeutxo
Taproot and MuSig2
Transaction space saving
Cross input signatures
What it would look lik
SLP320 Statechains and Mercury Wallet: A New Privacy Technique?
Nicholas Gregory of CommerceBlock (creator of Mercury Wallet) joins me to talk about statechains and the recent launch of Mercury Wallet. We talk about statechains, what they mean for bitcoin scaling and/or privacy, as well as practical implications of using Mercury Wallet.
We chat:
Statechains
Scaling
Privacy implications
Tor use
Trust implications with statechain operators
Mercury Wallet
Fees
Infrastructure
Statechain Torch
Links:
Site: MercuryWallet.com
Linked In: Nicho
SLP319 T-Bast Lightning Protocol Privacy Exploration
What can be done to improve Lightning network privacy? T-bast (Bastien Teinturier) of ACINQ joins me to talk about this. There are both on chain privacy and off chain privacy implications of Bitcoin and the lightning network and we get into a range of discussion on:
On chain privacy
Taproot and MuSig2
Off chain privacy
Route blinding
Payment decorrelation
Trampoline routing
ACINQ
Phoenix
Links:
Twitter: @realtbast
Site: acinq.co
Other relevant episodes:
SLP142 Pierre-Mar
SLP318 Ronald Pol - The ineffectiveness of AML
Dr Ronald Pol, former lawyer and researcher joins me to talk about how and why AML laws are ineffective and simply cost taxpayers, customers an incredible amount. We chat:
The environment of AML laws
FATF and how they create these laws
Breathtaking costs
Effectiveness around 0.1%
KYC benefits some criminals
Links:
EffectiveAML.org
Twitter: @ronaldpol
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronpol/
Research paper: Anti-money laundering: The world’s least effective policy experime
SLP317 Tomer Strolight - Why Learn About Bitcoin?
Tomer Strolight, author in the Bitcoin space joins me to talk about his writing and why Bitcoin is so different to what you’ve seen before. This episode is specially created for beginners and people trying to learn more about Bitcoin. We chat:
How physics protects your Bitcoin
Bitcoin is more than just money
Why is Bitcoin so complicated?
Bitcoin and stopping theft
Tomer links:
Free Book: Why Bitcoin
Twitter: @TomerStrolight
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Compass Mini
SLP316 Why Libertarians Should Focus On Bitcoin - with Vake & Wolf von Laer
Long time bitcoiner Vake, and CEO of Students for Liberty Wolf von Laer join me on the show to talk about liberty, and why libertarians should focus on Bitcoin as their top priority:
Connections between bitcoin and liberty
Why some libertarians haven’t focused on Bitcoin
What they could be doing
Why libertarians should prioritise the Bitcoin strategy for liberty above others
Guest links:
Vake: @vakeraj
Wolf von Laer: @wolfvonlaer
Students For Liberty: Studentsforliberty.org
Spons
SLP315 k3tan - Networking For Bitcoiners
Have you been wanting to learn more about networking in how it relates to running your node? k3tan, my long-time friend and co-founder of Ministry of Nodes joins me to discuss:
Basic tips on networking and IP
Securing your home network with practical tips
Using your bitcoin node and wallet
Tor and VPN
Home box nodes vs VPS
What kind of equipment you should use to run your bitcoin node - Raspis vs desktop PC
Links:
Twitter: @_k3tan
Site: ministryofnodes.com.au
Guide: Ubuntu Nod
SLP314 Dustin Trammell - The Second Node On The Bitcoin Network?
Dustin Trammell, information security professional and early Bitcoin user joins me on the show to talk:
Being early in Bitcoin and the culture in those days
Talking with Satoshi
Early stories
The hopes for a sound money future
Investing in Bitcoin companies
Bitcoin’s multiple layers
Dustin Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/druidian/status/1447866520093315072
Blog post: https://blog.dustintrammell.com/i-am-not-satoshi/
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Compass Minin
SLP313 Gigi - USD is going down to 1 sat & Bitcoin is Time
Gigi, author, developer and speaker in the Bitcoin space joins me to talk about why Bitcoin is Time, and why the USD is going down to 1 sat. We chat:
The pieces that had to be pulled together for Bitcoin to work
Tokens are timeless, ledgers are not
Why USD is going to 1 sat
UX and how it will be solved over time
Operating in the bitcoin space as a nym
Gigi links:
Bitcoin is Time: https://dergigi.com/2021/01/14/bitcoin-is-time/
On Bitcoin’s UX: https://www.swanbitcoin.com/on-bitcoi
SLP312 Mark Moss - Energy Crisis, Cycles & Bitcoin
Mark Moss, entrepreneur, investor, and host of The Mark Moss show on YouTube and iHeartRadio joins me on the show to talk about the recent energy crisis. We talk about what’s causing it, and the cycles impacting our world today. We also talk about dealing with it and responding to it.
Mark Moss links:
Twitter: @1MarkMoss
YouTube: The Mark Moss Show - Youtube
Event: Market Disruptors Live Miami Nov 12-14
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Compass Mining
Unchained Capital (code L
SLP311 Bitcoin: Only The Strong Survive - with Big Al
Big Al, pseudonymous co-author of the “Only The Strong Survive” article joins me on the show to talk about various critiques of non-Bitcoin ‘Crypto’ projects. In this explosive discussion, we talk about the key things you need to know on Bitcoin as contrasted with ‘Crypto’ and DeFi.
We chat:
What truly sets Bitcoin apart
DeFi not being decentralised, and not finance
Everything fights for liquidity
The problem with utility tokens
Dishonest TVL metrics and massive leverage in ‘defi’
Link
SLP310 Should We Stop Using Software Wallets? Bitcoin Software Security With Charles Guillemet
Charles Guillemet, CTO of Ledger rejoins me on the show to talk about the risks present with Bitcoin software wallets. Don’t miss this episode for security discussion on why you shouldn't be keeping large amounts of bitcoin on software wallets and why hardware is becoming more and more necessary to protect bitcoin from theft.
We chat:
Exploits using Pegasus
Key aspects of Bitcoin security
Extracting secrets using malware from desktop wallets and phone wallets
Desktops, phones, hardware se
SLP309 Easy CoinJoin Use For Desktop Is Here With Sparrow Wallet with Craig Raw
Craig Raw, founder of Sparrow Wallet rejoins me on the show to talk about the latest: easy coinjoin for the desktop is now here with whirlpool being integrated into Sparrow Wallet. Sparrow Wallet might well make coinjoin much more accessible to users interested in bitcoin privacy.
Craig and I chat:
Latest updates
How Whirlpool in Sparrow works
STONEWALL privacy preserving spends in Sparrow
Implications of having multiple whirlpool clients
Electrum server back ends for Sparrow
Wallet b
SLP308 Philip Glazman - Scaling Exchanges With Lightning And Lightning User Profiles
Philip Glazman of River, a bitcoin only exchange in the US joins me on the show to talk about the process of using lightning as an exchange. We talk about:
Experiences with lightning over the years
User profiles and how customers use lightning with River
Customer education
Swap services
Lightning and Liquid comparison
Technical overview
Links:
Twitter: @philipglazman
Article: Scaling Lightning Network at River - River.com
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Compass Min
SLP307 Becoming A Lightning Routing Node Operator with Jestopher and Tony of Amboss
Jestopher and Tony of the Amboss website and project join me on the show to talk about the journey of becoming a lightning routing node operator, tips and resources.
We chat:
Routing on lightning
Selecting channel partners
Channel management
Tooling available to help routing nodes
Calculating fees and rebalancing
LN communities growing
Links:
Jestopher: @Jestopher_BTC
Tony: @tonyioi
Site: Amboss Space - Lightning Network Explorer
Other resources:
What Makes a Good Routing
SLP306 Guy Swann - What Makes Bitcoin A Breakthrough (Newcoiner episode)
Guy Swann of the Bitcoin Audible podcast joins me for a special show for Bitcoin and Crypto beginners. We talk about why Bitcoin is unique and why you should avoid shitcoin gambling. We discuss:
Common questions for people new to ‘crypto’
“Won’t Shitcoins pump harder than Bitcoin?”
Comparison of Bitcoin and shitcoins
The problem with utility tokens
Shitcoins are LARPing decentralisation
Shitcoin waterfall
“Doesn’t Bitcoin waste energy?”
Links:
Twitter: @TheGuySwann
BitcoinAudi
SLP305 El Salvador Bitcoin Law On The Ground with Aaron van Wirdum
El Salvador’s Bitcoin Law went live on 7th September, what was it really like? What did the protesters have to say about it? Aaron van Wirdum, Bitcoin Journalist at Bitcoin Magazine joins me to give us an ‘on the ground’ take on things. We chat:
Protesters and are they really protesting about Bitcoin or Bukele?
Chivo Wallet - teething issues
The truth about bitcoin remittances
Positives on the experience so far
Bitcoin Meetup
Bitcoin Core v22
Bitcoin 2022
Links:
Twitter: @Aaronvan
SLP304 Is The Bitcoin Infinity Meme Wrong? With Knut Svanholm
Knut Svanholm, Bitcoin writer joins me on the show to chat about why you are not prepared for hyperbitcoinisation, and various concepts such as adoption, what it might look like, and the infinity meme. Is the infinity meme wrong? I believe it is, but listen in to Knut and I discussing it!
Links:
Twitter: @knutsvanholm
Article: You Are Not Prepared - Citadel 21
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Compass Mining
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CypherSafe (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.c
SLP303 Ethereum’s Path to Centralisation with Alex B
Alex B joins me on the show to talk about why Ethereum is predictably on a path to centralisation. How does Bitcoin contrast in terms of decentralisation and long term possibilities?
We chat:
MEV
Can MEV be stopped?
MEV and staking derivatives interaction
Ethereum as the Myspace
Ethereum cannot be ultra sound money
Problems with utility tokens
Alex links:
Twitter: @bergealex4
Twitter Thread: Holy **** is Ethereum broken.
Sponsor links:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Le
SLP302 SeedSigner - Bitcoin multi sig security under $50
SeedSigner, pseudonymous creator of the SeedSigner project joins me to talk about his work creating a low cost, accessible, DIY style hardware device that can be part of your multi sig quorum with wallets/coordinators like Specter Desktop, Sparrow Wallet, Blue Wallet. This product was actually inspired by an earlier episode with Michael Flaxman.
We chat:
Inspiration for the project
Low cost
Accessibility
Technical skill required
QR codes
Support
Being a project vs product
Links:
SLP301 Bitcoin Mining Pools Decentralised? A Discussion with Pavel Moravec of SlushPool & Ryan Ellis of Laurentia Pool
How should Bitcoin mining be structured? Pavel Moravec of SlushPool (Braiins) and Ryan Ellis of Laurentia Pool join me to chat. We discuss:
Why pools exist
How to structure mining pools
Trade offs around decentralisation of pools
Coinbase payouts vs other ways
Lightning payouts
Scalability for mining pools
Stratum v2
Links:
Pavel Moravec: @mor_pav
Braiins Twitter: @braiins_systems
Braiins site: Braiins.com | Bitcoin Mining Company
Laurentia Pool Twitter: @laurentiapool
S
SLP300 Adam Back Bitcoin, Privacy & Censorship Resistance
Adam Back, CEO of Blockstream, cryptographer and privacy advocate, inventor of Hashcash and cited in the Bitcoin whitepaper rejoins me on the show. We chat:
Regulatory environment for Bitcoin vs building
‘Crypto wars’ in the 90s
Proof of Work
Bitcoin privacy
Confidential Transactions in Liquid and for Bitcoin
Trade offs involved
Blockstream satellite base station
Bitcoin development
Previous episode:
SLP 42 Adam Back, CEO Of Blockstream - Blockstream Satellite, Tim May, Bitcoi
SLP299 Adam O - Bitcoin Optionality for Oil & Gas
Adam O of Upstream Data joins me to talk about the massive opportunity for energy producers and Bitcoin mining. We chat about:
The opportunity for Oil & Gas with Bitcoin
Optionality
The necessity of fossil fuels
ESG
Bitcoin Mining Council
Bitcoin lobbying
Adam links:
Twitter: @denverbitcoin
Site: Upstream Data
Prior/relevant episode:
SLP284 Steve Barbour – Bitcoin & Fossil Fuels vs Fiat Maxis
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Compass Mining
Unchained Capi
SLP298 Rusty Russell - Lightning Offers / BOLT12: The next big thing in Lightning?
Offers might be the next big idea for Bitcoin’s Lightning Network. Rusty Russell of Blockstream, working on the lightning spec and on c-lightning rejoins me to chat:
Current invoices today vs Offers
New use cases enabled e.g. static QR donation
Refunds
Recurring payments
‘Speaking lightning’
Offers vs LN URL
What’s next
Links:
Twitter: @Rusty_twit
Site: Bolt12.org
Site: Blockstream.com
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Compass Mining
Unchained Capital (cod
SLP297 Ergo - Chain Surveil Yourself!
Have you wondered about Bitcoin privacy or chain surveillance and how it’s done? Or how to defend against it? This is the episode for you, as Ergo of OXT Research (Part of Samourai Wallet) rejoins me on the show to talk:
Background on bitcoin transactions
How Bitcoin surveillance works
Peel chains and wallet clustering
How to counter it in practice
Ergo links:
Twitter: @ErgoBTC
Telegram: @ErgoBTC
Guide: Understanding Bitcoin Privacy with OXT — Part 1/4
Sponsors:
Swan Bit
SLP296 Saifedean Ammous - The Biggest Fiat Malinvestment
Saifedean Ammous, author of the Bitcoin Standard and the upcoming book, The Fiat standard rejoins me on the show for an illuminating episode where we explore various ideas:
What bitcoin really replaces
Thinking about inflationary costs
infinity/21M - is it wrong?
Cultural impacts of fiat money
Malinvestments and where the biggest ones lie
The hyperbitcoinized world
Saifedean Links:
Twitter: @saifedean
Site: Saifedean.com
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Compass Mini
SLP295 John Lee Quigley Why Bitcoin Mining Is Shifting to North America
Historically, Bitcoin Mining as an industry was dominated by China. John Lee Quigley (formerly of Compass Mining, and now independently consulting and writing) rejoins me on the show to talk about his recent report on the state of Bitcoin mining. We talk about the various factors going into this generational shift. Listen to this episode to understand some of the dynamics, gleaned from John’s in depth research and interviews on the subject. We chat:
Historical reasons for China’s dominanc
SLP294 Lyn Alden - Inflation, Debt, and Energy Markets
Lyn Alden of Lyn Alden Investment Strategy rejoins me on the show to talk about macro updates and Bitcoin. We chat:
CPI rises to 5.4% and inflation
Govt debt and the likely govt responses
Why and how they keep the party going
Oil & Gas Bull case
Energy and the need for baseload power
Stablecoins & why Bitcoin is different
People are sleeping on the Lightning Network
Links:
Twitter: @LynAldenContact
Article: The Case for a Longer-Term Oil and Gas Bull Market
SLP293 Greg Foss The Debt Problem You Can’t Ignore
Greg Foss, a 3 decade veteran of fixed income securities specialising in HY (High Yield) joins me to talk about debt, bonds, government debt and why Bitcoin is the answer.
Primer on debt instruments
Interest rates and bond bull market over decades
Craziness of debt markets
Interaction between debt and equity
Could govt repudiate the debt?
Could we outgrow it?
Why Bitcoin is the best asymmetric trade
Links:
Twitter: @FossGregfoss
Paper: https://t.co/OK4dDj27Io?amp=1
Sponsors:
SLP292 Andrew Chow Output Script Descriptors for Bitcoin
Andrew Chow, Bitcoin Core contributor and creator of the PSBT standard rejoins me on the show to talk about the creation of a series of BIPs (Bitcoin Improvement Proposals) for Output Script Descriptors. We break down and explore the key concepts to make it accessible for bitcoiners.
Seeds
BIP39 vs Electrum seeds vs aezeed
Derivation paths
How Output Script Descriptors improve things
New functionality
Backups and recovery
Lightning
Miniscript
Advanced scripting
Links:
Twitte
SLP291 Caitlin Long Stablecoins, Bitcoin & The Fed
Caitlin Long of Avanti rejoins me on the show to talk about the coming regulatory crackdown. We discuss:
The growth in stablecoins
How there’s so much stablecoin volume off a low base
Coming regulatory crackdown
Getting direct access to the Fed
Compliance in the industry
Improving the on ramps for Bitcoin
Links:
Twitter: @CaitlinLong_
Site: Avantibank.com
Site: Caitlin-Long.com
Linkedin Caitlin Long
Other episodes:
SLP198 Caitlin Long - What Are Austrian Economists
SLP290 NVK Bitcoin Security & Backups Primer
NVK of Coinkite rejoins me on the show to talk about practical tips on setting up and securing your Bitcoin as well as backups. We chat:
Set up tips for newcoiners
Desktop wallets to use
Passphrases
SeedXOR
Multi sig
Storing backups
Estate planning and inheritance
Links:
Twitter: Twitter.com/NVK
Site: Coinkite.com
Site: Walletsrecovery.org
Site: Coldcard User Documentation
Site: bitcoinsecurity.guide
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Compass Mining
Unchaine
SLP289 Roasbeef Bitcoin & Lightning For a Billion Users
Laolu Osuntokun aka roasbeef, CTO of Lightning Labs rejoins me on the show to talk about how Bitcoin and Lightning Network can scale to a billion users someday. We chat:
Updates on the lightning network generally
ANYPREVOUT and eltoo
CTV Check Template Verify
Multi party channels
Lnd updates
Thoughts on Bitcoin’s path forward
What’s coming next from Lightning Labs
Laolu links:
Twitter: @roasbeef
Site: Lightning.engineering
Previous episodes:
SLP207 Roasbeef - Lightni
SLP288 Hass McCook - Why You Must Set Up A Bitcoin DCA Plan
Hass McCook aka FriarHass rejoins me on the show to talk about why you should set up a Dollar Cost Averaging Plan. We chat:
Lump sum for you, DCA for us!
Is DCA more important than everything else? Even development?
Growing the DCA Army to hasten hyperbitcoinisation
CAGR - statistics and dishonesty?
DCA vs circular economy / agorism?
Practical tips
Links:
Twitter: @FriarHass
Bitcoin Magazine articles by Hass: Bitcoin Magazine: Hass McCook
Article: The True Believer’s Han
SLP287 Danny Scott and Zakk Lakin - Hoffline wallets & Lightning adoption
Danny Scott and Zakk Lakin of CoinCorner join me to talk about:
Starting CoinCorner
A new type of wallet - Hoffline
Security considerations
Lightning adoption
Bitcoin Core contribution
Links:
Twitter: @CoincornerDanny
Twitter: @CoincornerZakk
Tweet thread: Introducing “Hoffline”
Site: CoinCorner.com
Article: Bitcoin Core Development on Windows — A Step by Step Guide
Article: Bitcoin Core Development on MacOS — A Step by Step Guide
Episodes mentioned:
SLP231 Stepan Snig
SLP286 Hector Rosekrans - Bitcoin & Inheritance
Hector Rosekrans of Casa joins me on the show to talk about securing your Bitcoin and how early we are in terms of Bitcoin inheritance. We chat:
Securing your bitcoin
Self custody vs custodial solutions
How early bitcoin inheritance is
Casa covenant
Hardware wallets
Multi sig and inheritance setups - will they standardise?
Links:
Twitter: @hectorr159
Site: Keys.casa
Relevant episodes:
SLP182 Nick Neuman & Jameson Lopp - The Next 100 Million Bitcoin Users
Sponsors:
Sw
SLP285 Jeff Booth Bitcoin vs Fiat “Extend and Pretend”
Jeff Booth, technology entrepreneur, author and bitcoin advocate rejoins me on the show to talk about:
Bitcoin 2021 conference experience
Fiat system extending itself
MicroStrategy Bitcoin buying
Macro investors
Surveillance coins (CBDC) and what they would mean
Supercycle thoughts
Jeff Booth links:
Twitter: @jeffbooth
Site: Thepriceoftomorrow.com
Previous episode:
SLP191 Jeff Booth - Bitcoin & Our Deflationary Future
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Compass
SLP284 Steve Barbour - Bitcoin & Fossil Fuels vs Fiat Maxis
Steve Barbour of Upstream Data rejoins me on the show to talk about:
Fiat Maxis
Bitcoin Mining Council
Wind and Solar as unreliables
Why arguing about renewable usage isn’t the right long term approach
What Bitcoiners should do about it
Upstream Data Hash Hut
Links:
Twitter: @SGBarbour
Site: UpstreamData.ca
Prior episode:
SLP27 - Turning Stranded Natural Gas Into Bitcoin Mining Hashes, With Steve Barbour Of Upstream Data
Mentioned:
Law, Property Rights, and Air Pollution
SLP283 Alex Gladstein Bitcoin: Who’s For Freedom, and Who’s Not?
Alex Gladstein CSO of HRF rejoins me on the show to talk about the recent El Salvador Bitcoin legal tender news. We break down the good, the bad and what could go wrong.
Overview the news
Historical moment for Bitcoin and the world
It could have been so much worse
Merchant adoption and lightning
HRF grant
Links:
Twitter: @gladstein
Site: HRF.org
Article: Uncovering The Hidden Costs Of The Petrodollar
Article: Can Government Stop Bitcoin?
Prior episodes:
SLP220 Is Bitcoin D
SLP282 Alex Epstein - Why Bitcoiners Should Reframe The Energy Debate & Own Their Energy Use
Where are some Bitcoiners going wrong in their thinking and arguments about energy? Alex Epstein, author of The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels, and energy policy commentator joins me to talk about energy use, and why we’re not thinking about it clearly.
We chat:
The benefits of energy and fossil fuels
More energy use is good!
Renewables are really just unreliables
Reframing the conversation
Links:
Twitter: @AlexEpstein
Site: Energytalkingpoints.com
Site: Industrialprogress.com
Spons
SLP281 Cory Klippsten - Bitcoin Is For Everyone, Swan Bitcoin $1B run rate, Bitcoiner Ventures, Elon’s mistakes
Cory Klippsten, CEO and Founder of Swan Bitcoin joins me to talk about various topics:
Working in the bitcoin space
Teaching newcoiners
Growing the auto-stacking movement
The latest with Bitcoin Ventures
Elon Musk’s mistakes
Links:
Site: Swanbitcoin.com
Site: Bitcoinerventures.com
Inventing Bitcoin (free book): swanbitcoin.com/freebook
Twitter: @coryklippsten
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Compass Mining
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CypherSafe (code LIVER
SLP280 BTCxZelko & Pavel - Reclaim Your Bitcoin Privacy with Ronin Dojo
If you want the best privacy possible in Bitcoin, you want to use Samourai Wallet. And for the best way to use it, you need to use your own node. Zelko and Pavel join me to talk about the latest with Ronin Dojo, an easy way to do just that. We chat:
What it is
Who its for
Recent upgrades on the UI
Thoughts on hardware wallets
Other services and features offered
Best practice tips on privacy
Open source licensing
Getting support
Links:
Site: Ronindojo.io
Zelko: @BTCxZelko&nbs
SLP279 Michael Peterson and Nicolas Burtey - Bitcoin Beach: Citadel By The Sea in El Zonte, El Salvador
Michael Peterson and Nicolas Burtey join me to talk about their project showing how a whole town could go bitcoin and lightning native. Listen to this interview talking about how thousands of people are going lightning native to benefit from international remittance and creating bitcoin tourism.
Stages of development
Building a Citadel by the sea
Lightning practicalities
Teaching Bitcoin
Rebuilding the Bitcoin for payments narrative
Links:
Site: BitcoinBeach.com
Twitter: @Bitcoinb
SLP278 Matt Odell & Ben Price - OpenSats: Bitcoin & Open Source Initiative
OpenSats is a new initiative for the bitcoiners to contribute to, to support Bitcoin and open source development and projects. Matt Odell and Ben Price join me to chat about the structure, why they’re creating a new organization, and why Bitcoin development funding shouldn’t merely be a popularity contest.
Links:
Site: OpenSats.org
Twitter: @Matt_odell
Twitter: @abitcoinperson (Ben Price)
Other relevant episodes:
SLP211 Steve Lee - Bitcoin Grants, Design & Crypto Patents (COPA)
SL
SLP277 Alejandro De La Torre - Coordinating Bitcoin Upgrades With Mining Pools
Alejandro De La Torre, VP of Poolin, a large Bitcoin mining pool joins me on the show to chat about his efforts in helping to coordinate Bitcoin Upgrades:
Taproot Activation
Learnings from 2017 SegWit
UASF or MASF (Miner Activated Soft Fork)
UASF within MASF
Distribution of network hashrate
Future Soft Fork upgrades
Alejandro links:
Twitter: @bitentrepreneur
Site: Taprootactivation.com
Poolin: Poolin.com
Relevant episodes:
SLP260 Luke Dashjr - How Bitcoin UASF
SLP276 Anthony Ronning - Bitcoin Lightning Privacy: FUD and Facts
Anthony Ronning, Bitcoin Lightning developer joins me on the show to talk about Bitcoin Lightning Privacy. We separate FUD from fact and give it a fair hearing to give you some insight into where the privacy leakages are today, how you can be more private, and where it’s all going in the future. We chat:
Basic overview of LN
Different user types and wallets
Lightning nodes
Receiver privacy
Mitigations and future tech
Practical tips for users today
Anthony links:
Twitter: @cycryptr
SLP275 Pavel Moravec - SlushPool Signalling For Taproot
Pavel Moravec of Braiins (operator of SlushPool) joins me to talk about signalling for Taproot as a miner. We chat:
Whether it is difficult to signal as a miner
The dynamics with different mining pools signaling
Miners and Pools, how does it work
Braiins OS and mining firmware
What future upgrades might look like
Pavel links:
Twitter: @mor_pav
Article: Everything You Need To Know About Taproot Signaling By Bitcoin Miners
Site: Braiins.com
Relevant episodes:
SLP128 Jan Čapek
SLP274 William Clemente III - Bitcoin’s Great Consolidation
William Clemente III joins me to talk about analyzing Bitcoin on-chain and why we’re still in the middle of this cycle. We chat:
Getting into on-chain analytics
Is this time different? Supercycle or not
Analyzing what different cohorts are doing
What does a market top look like?
MVRV, NUPL, SOPR
Futures and contango trade
William links:
Twitter: @WClementeIII
Website: Substack
Other relevant episodes:
SLP258 Rafael Schultze-Kraft Bitcoin Supply Crunch
SLP190 Rafael Schultz
SLP273 Andy Edstrom - Bitcoin and Leverage: Don’t Get Rekt
Andy Edstrom rejoins me on the show to talk about Bitcoin, leverage, and not getting Rekt! We chat:
What’s changed in the market in recent years
Why use leverage
Risks and costs with leverage
Supercycle or not
SWR and FIRE crossovers with collateralization
Bitcoin side hustles or jobs
Andrew Edstom links:
Twitter: @edstromandrew
Article: Don't Get Rekt
Site: AndyEdstrom.com
Prior episode: SLP157 Andy Edstrom - Bad Options For The Fiat Debt Problem & Why Buy Bitcoin
SLP272 Peter St Onge - Bitcoin Energy Double Standards & Why Robots Are Not Taking All Our Jobs
Peter St Onge, Austrian economist and fellow at Mises Institute joins me on the show to talk about his thoughts on Bitcoin Energy use, and what Deflationary growth will look like. We chat:
Bitcoin energy costs
Fiat standard costs
Costs of recession
Deflationary growth
Keynesian ‘sticky wages’
UBI and MMT
Will robots take our jobs?
Peter St Onge links:
Twitter: @profstonge
Article: Critics Claim Bitcoin Is a Threat to the Environment. They're Wrong.
Substack: CryptoEconomy
S
SLP271 Pete Rizzo When Satoshi Disappeared
Pete Rizzo, editor at Bitcoin Magazine and editor in chief for Kraken joins me on the show to talk about his latest piece, ‘The Last Days of Satoshi’. We talk about various ideas:
What Satoshi’s image was in the early community
How things changed as Bitcoin got bigger
Mistakes and bugs early in Bitcoin’s life
How that colours our view going forward
Bitcoin, Wikileaks, and the CIA
Pete links:
Twitter: @pete_rizzo
Article: The Last Days Of Satoshi: What Happened When Bitcoin's Creat
SLP270 Bob Murphy What Does A Hard Money Bitcoin World Look Like?
Bob Murphy, Austrian economist and libertarian theorist joins me on the show to talk about his views on Bitcoin and Austrian economics. We chat:
Bitcoin’s evolution in stages
Bitcoin and non monetary use
What bitcoiners are getting wrong about Austrian economics
Money is not a measuring rod
What it would look like under a Bitcoin world
Bob Murphy links:
Twitter: @BobMurphyEcon
Site: BobMurphyShow.com
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Compass Mining
Unchained Capital
SLP269 Jack Mallers - Bitcoin Wins Because It Is Open
Jack Mallers of Strike rejoins me on the show to talk about what he’s working on and how Bitcoin wins. We chat:
Visiting El Salvador and financial access
Bitcoin remittance market
Why fiat fintech can’t compete
Bitcoin and Lightning as an open network
Strike expansion
Jack Mallers links:
Twitter: @jackmallers
Strike: @ln_strike
Site: Strike.me
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Compass Mining
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CypherSafe (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com
SLP268 Peter Todd - Should Signal Have Used Bitcoin Instead?
Peter Todd, Bitcoin expert and cryptocurrency consultant joins me on the show to talk about Signal’s recent decision to use MobileCoin rather than Bitcoin. Is Signal selling out? We talk about why MobileCoin is centralised, why it was a bad choice, and why they should have used Bitcoin and Lightning instead. We also talk about directions with private messaging going forward.
Peter Todd links:
Twitter:@peterktodd
Mastodon
Website: PeterTodd.org
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
C
SLP267 Joe Burnett How Big Is The Market For Bitcoin?
Joe Burnett of Mimesis Capital joins me to talk about just how big the market for Bitcoin could really be. Hint: It might be bigger than just the market for gold. We talk through valuation in a post hyperbitcoinization world, and we also explore the Bitcoin Contango trade.
Joe Burnett Links:
Twitter: @IIICapital
Site: mimesiscapital.com
Article: Valuing Companies Post-Hyperbitcoinization
Article: A Deep Dive Into Bitcoin's Contango
Other relevant episodes:
SLP191 Jeff Booth – Bitcoin
SLP266 Croesus_BTC - Bitcoin: Stake Your Claim Before Everyone Else
Croesus_BTC joins me to talk about why the yuppie elite do not like Bitcoin, making simplified bitcoin content, adoption and cycles, speculative attacks on fiat, and staking your claim on your ‘fair share’ of Bitcoin. Don’t miss this one!
Croesus_BTC links:
Twitter: @Croesus_BTC
Article: Asset DNA: Explaining Bitcoin's Speculative Attack On The Dollar
Article: Why The Yuppie Elite Dismiss Bitcoin
Article: Bitcoin And The American West
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Compass
SLP265 Diverter - Becoming Uncle Jim: Being Digital Sherpa for Family & Friends
Diverter joins me on the show to talk about our modern world of surveillance and reliance on third parties. We chat about learning to be a ‘digital sherpa’ for your family and friends.
Dealing with “I don’t have anything to hide”
Password managers
Nextcloud
Yunohost
Self hosting
Bitcoin
Diverter links:
Twitter: @Diverter_noKYC
Article: Becoming Uncle Jim
Article: Uncle Jim’s Cloud
Article: Searching for Uncle Jim
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Compass Mining
SLP264 Roy Sheinfeld Podcasting 2.0 & Lightning with Breez
Roy Sheinfeld of Breez rejoins me on the show to talk about the latest with Breez and how Lightning Network is enabling a whole new world of possibilities.
We chat:
Breez updates
Merchant adoption of Breez
Lightning network podcasting
Taking payments offline
Cloud backups
Lightning development
Roy Sheinfeld links:
Twitter: @Breez_Tech
Website: breez.technology
Podcasts on Breez: Streaming Sats for Streaming Ideas
Introducing Lightning Rod
Relevant episodes:
SLP94 Roy She
SLP263 Parker Lewis - The Greatest Trick Central Banks Ever Pulled
Parker Lewis of Unchained Capital rejoins me on the show to talk about the environment central banks have created, what that has done to money and our ability to save.
We chat:
Fiat financialisation of the economy
Inflation and Deflation properly considered
Bitcoin’s growth amongst institutions today
Multi sig with Unchained
Loans with Unchained
Living off your Bitcoin using collateralised loans
Parker Lewis links:
Twitter: @parkeralewis
Site: Unchained.com
Articles: Bitcoin L
SLP262 Craig Raw Bitcoin Multi Sig With Sparrow Wallet
Craig Raw joins me on the show to talk about his relatively new project, Sparrow Wallet. Sparrow Wallet allows you to easily set up a single sig or multi sig wallet, air gapped or with USB, supporting the most popular hardware wallets.
We talk:
Why Sparrow
Progression steps for new bitcoiners
QR codes
Taproot
Applications vs browser apps
Being Uncle Jim
Tor built in
Electrum server vs Bitcoin core use
Funding and sustainability
Craig links:
Twitter: @craigraw
Site: sparrow
SLP261 Dominic Frisby - Bitcoin vs Daylight Robbery (Taxation)
Dominic Frisby, comedian, author, financial writer and libertarian joins me on the show to talk about his latest book, Daylight Robbery.
We chat:
How taxes have impacted society
Low taxes for more prosperous societies
Bitcoin Citadels and patronage
Bitcoin’s impact on taxes
Bitcoin Nomads
Surveillance and Platforms
Dominic links:
Twitter: @DominicFrisby
Book: Daylight Robbery
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CompassMining.io
Hodl Hodl Lend
SLP260 Luke Dashjr How Bitcoin UASF Went Down, Taproot LOT=True, Speedy Trial, Small Blocks
Luke Dashjr, long time Bitcoin Core contributor joins me on the show to discuss his views on how UASF went down in 2017. We talk through the various trade offs and points around Taproot activation and why he believes that LOT = True maximally reduces the risks.
We chat:
Luke’s background
BIP91, BIP148
Miner signalling
Chainsplits
Average user and code review
Speedy Trial
Small blocks
Luke links:
Twitter: @LukeDashjr
Mastodon: @LukeDashjr
Email: luke@dashjr.org
Relevant prio
SLP259 Whit Gibbs - Bitcoin Mining For All With Compass Mining
Whit Gibbs of Compass Mining joins me on the show to talk about his background in mining, and how the mining market is developing. We chat:
Hitting ROI on a mining machine
Current prices and costs
How to do it
Learning by doing and making mistakes
Mining equipment
Mining facilities
Hashrate distribution around the world
Recent raise
Links:
Twitter: @BitcoinBroski
Site: Compassmining.io
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Compass Mining
Unchained Capital (code LIV
SLP258 Rafael Schultze-Kraft Bitcoin Supply Crunch
Rafael Schultze-Kraft CTO of Glassnode rejoins me on the show to talk about Bitcoin on chain metrics and how there is a very bullish set up right now. We chat:
Overview of how Glassnode’s analysis works
Liquid supply vs illiquid supply
Number of coins on exchanges dropping and what this means
Difference in structure of bitcoin demand this time vs 2017
Why its not true that “2% of accounts control 95% of bitcoin”
Links:
Twitter: @n3ocortex
Twitter: @glassnode
Site: Glassnode.com
SLP257 Matt Corallo - Bitcoin Soft Fork Activation, Taproot, and Playing Chicken
Matt Corallo of Square Crypto, and long time bitcoin developer (now more focused on lightning) joins me on the show to talk about Taproot Activation, as well as review some of the history and nuance of prior soft forks in Bitcoin. We discuss:
What is a fork
What are the benefits of Taproot
How the events of 2017 played out
Dynamics of soft forks
Taproot activation paths
Flag day vs forced signalling UASF style
LDK - Lightning Dev Kit
Links:
Twitter: @thebluematt
Lightning Dev
SLP256 David Bailey Bitcoin 2021 and Bull Markets
David Bailey, CEO of BTC Media (including Bitcoin Magazine) rejoins me on the show to chat about the latest: Bitcoin 2021 is coming and it’ll be huge! We chat:
Bitcoin 2021 and the guests
The feeling of live conferences
Bitcoin Magazine content
Bitcoin’s growth in recent years
Bitcoin culture
David Bailey links:
Twitter: @DavidFBailey
Bitcoin 2021 conference
Bitcoin Magazine
UTXO Management
Prior episode:
SLP61 David Bailey – Refocusing on Bitcoin
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoi
SLP255 Gleb Naumenko: The Label, Bitcoin Dev & Consulting
Gleb Naumenko, Bitcoin developer rejoins me to talk about his latest venture, The Label. We chat about:
Bitcoin development and consulting
Protocol development
Cross layer considerations
Bitcoin & Lightning attacks
Time Dilation attacks
CoinPool
Links:
Twitter: @ffstls
Site: The Label
Previous episode:
SLP164 Gleb Naumenko – erlay Bitcoin transaction relay
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Compass Mining
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CypherSafe (code LI
SLP254 Dario Sneidermanis Muun Wallet: Bitcoin & Lightning All In One
Dario Sneidermanis, Founder of Muun Wallet joins me to talk about the advanced technological approach taken by his team. We chat about:
Muun as a single unified bitcoin + lightning balance
A different approach with mnemonics and backups
Lightning and channel management
Splicing
Use in Argentina and elsewhere around the world
Links:
Twitter: @esneider
Twitter: @muunwallet
Site: Muun.com
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Compass Mining
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
SLP253 Samson Mow Blockstream Jade, Liquid & Bitcoin Mining
Samson Mow CSO of Blockstream rejoins me on the show to chat about what’s going on with the new Jade hardware wallet, updates on Liquid & Bitcoin Mining:
Jade hardware wallet
Blockstream Green
Why use Liquid vs Lightning
Blockstream Mining
Mining industry generally
Samson links:
Twitter @Excellion
Site: Blockstream.com
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
Compass Mining
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CypherSafe (code LIVERA)
CoinKite.com (code LIVERA)
Stephan
SLP252 NVK Bitcoin Hardware Wallets vs Air Gapped Computers
NVK, CEO of CoinKite joins me on the show to talk about hardware wallets, air gapped computers and all kinds of useful security questions. This episode will help you learn about the kinds of attacks possible against air gapped computers and hardware wallets, as well as bring some nuance and balance to the conversation about how people should use Bitcoin. We chat:
Locking down security
Attacks possible against air gapped computers
Multi sig vulnerabilities and standards
Helping newcoiners
SLP251 Dan Held HODL Mindset & Bitcoin Finances
Dan Held rejoins me on the show to chat about HODL mindsets vs spending and mistakes made along the way. You’ll find a lot of value in this episode whether you are a new bitcoiner or an experienced hand. We chat:
HODL Mindset
Mistakes of spending and trading
Using Bitcoin collateralised loans
Property market for Bitcoiners
Where we’re going
Dan Held links:
Twitter: @danheld
Newsletter: danheld.substack.com
Youtube: Dan Held YouTube
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Hodl Hodl Lend
C
SLP250 Andrew Henderson - Nomad Capitalism for Bitcoiners
Andrew Henderson of Nomad Capitalist joins me on the show to talk about the benefits of nomad capitalism, using overseas residences and citizenships to obtain legal tax savings and increased freedom. We chat:
Huge tax savings possible
Risks and costs
Considerations for Bitcoiners
Being a nomad with a family
Jurisdictional competition
Adapting to a globally changing game
Andrew Henderson links:
Twitter: @nomadcapitalist
Portugal Golden Visa
Citizenship By Investment
Golden Vi
SLP249 Bitcoin Patents & Open Crypto Alliance with Stephan Kinsella and Jed Grant
Stephan Kinsella and Jed Grant join me to chat about Open Crypto Alliance.
We talk:
Why IP laws are anti-liberty and anti-progress
How progress has been delayed by improper concepts of property rights
How Patent laws could hinder the Bitcoin industry
The asymmetry of attack vs defense here
How to stop overly broad patents
How to support OCA
Guest links:
Site: https://www.opencryptoalliance.org/
Stephan twitter: @NSKinsella
Jed twitter: @JediGrant
Prior episodes:
SLP15 – In
SLP248 Godfrey Bloom - What Will Government Do To Bitcoin
Godfrey Bloom, Austrian economist, former politician, and libertarian author joins me to talk about what governments will do to Bitcoin. We discuss:
Commonalities and differences with gold
What he’s learned since first buying Bitcoin
How governments may attempt to control Bitcoin
How some people will use Bitcoin in spite of control
Govt bans vs regulation
Building a movement
Godfrey Bloom's Links:
Twitter: @Goddersbloom
Website: godfreybloom.uk
Prior episode:
SLP217 Explorin
SLP247 Luke Gromen - Does Bitcoin Recreate The Hunger Games?
Luke Gromen, founder of FFTT (Forest for the Trees) joins me to talk about his views on Bitcoin. We chat:
Bitcoin as store of value, medium of exchange bifurcated
Does Bitcoin recreate the Hunger Games?
Bitcoin as Smoke Alarm
US Govt debt
Why rates can’t rise?
Luke Gromen links:
Twitter: @LukeGromen
Site: FFT-LLC.com
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Knox Custody
Hodl Hodl
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CypherSafe (code LIVERA)
Stephan Livera links:
Show notes and website
SLP246 Mandrik - Earning Bitcoin Will Change Your Life
Have you wondered whether you should work in the Bitcoin industry or otherwise earn Bitcoin? Listen to this episode where Mandrik, OG Bitcoiner from 2011 joins me to share his stories of earlier days in Bitcoin. We chat:
Libertarians and Bitcoin
Early wallets
Working at Bitcoin companies in those days
Why earning will change your life
Links:
Twitter: @Mandrik
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Knox Custody
Hodl Hodl
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CypherSafe (code LIVERA)
Stephan Liv
SLP245 Mempool.space - helping Bitcoin migrate to a multi-layer ecosystem
Wiz and Simon of the mempool.space project join me to talk about how Bitcoin is evolving over time into a multi layered system. Mempool.space is a block visualizer and explorer that helps users target their fee levels and more. We chat:
How the mempool.space project started
The evolution of fees and bitcoin’s block space market
Mempool.space v2 launch
How fees might shift over time
Techniques for dealing with bitcoin confirmation
Future plans with mempool.space
Links:
Website: Mem
SLP244 Nik Bhatia - Bitcoin: The Safest Layer
Nik Bhatia, CFA, author and university lecturer (previously worked as a bond trader and at OpenNode) joins me to talk about Bitcoin and its role in a layered money world. We talk about the concept of money operating in layers and what this might look like going into the future. We also chat about the idea that Bitcoin could be the safest layer to operate at.
Nik Bhatia links:
Twitter: @timevalueofbtc
Book: Layered Money
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Knox Custody
Hodl Hodl
Unchained Capital
SLP243 PlanB Demand For Bitcoin Will Skyrocket
Bitcoin price has been rising and some argue that it is tracking along with the S2F model! Others argue that this is statistically invalid. PlanB, pseudonymous analyst and creator of the S2F and S2FX models rejoins me on the show to talk:
S2F and S2FX vs recent market action
Critiques and spurious correlations
Comparison with past cycles
PlanB’s thoughts on whether this is the final cycle
Macro factors - Tether and others
Negative rates
Cash and carry trade
Previous episodes:
SL
SLP242 Jonas Schnelli Maintaining Bitcoin Core: Contributions, Consensus, Conflict
Jonas Schnelli, one of the Bitcoin Core maintainers joins me to talk about Bitcoin development, contribution, funding and the ecosystem of Bitcoin. We get into:
How contribution happens
How to deal with conflict as a maintainer
What rough consensus means
Taproot
Privacy
Lightning
Mining
Outlook for next 5 years
Jonas links:
Twitter: @jonasschnelli
Website: bitcoin.jonasschnelli.ch/
Github: github.com/jonasschnelli
Prior episodes:
SLP216 Gloria Zhao Learning Bitcoin Cor
SLP241 Bunnie - Precursor: Open Source Hardware Development Platform (Feat. Nicolas Dorier as guest host)
In the Bitcoin world, we say “Don’t Trust, Verify”. But do we do this with our hardware and hardware wallets? Andrew “bunnie” Huang is a hacker and open hardware activist, holding a PhD in Electrical Engineering. He joins me and Nicolas Dorier (as guest co host) to talk about his new project and how it could be used in the Bitcoin world, potentially as a fully open source bitcoin hardware wallet.
Links:
Website: Precursor.dev
Twitter: @bunniestudios
Twitter: @nicolasdorier
Prior episodes w
SLP240 Jimmy Song & Robert Breedlove - Thank God For Bitcoin
Jimmy Song and Robert Breedlove join me to talk about a new book they co-authored (with other authors) on Bitcoin and how it fixes fiat money. This new book is inspired by The Ethics of Money Production and Honest Money, which blends an austrian analysis of fiat money and fractional reserve banking, with a christian perspective.
Links:
Book: Thank God For Bitcoin
Jimmy Song: @jimmysong
Robert Breedlove: @breedlove22
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Knox Custody
Hodl Hodl
Unchained Capital (
SLP239 Jake Chervinsky - Pushing Back on FinCEN non-custodial Bitcoin Regulation
Jake Chervinsky, GC of Compound Finance joins me on the show to talk about Steven Mnuchin’s proposed new regulations for US Bitcoin companies and how to push back:
What the new regulation would do
Terminology ‘unhosted’ and self-hosted
Compliance burden and chilling effect
Can the regulations be pushed back?
Non-US customers of US businesses
FATF and how to push back
Jake's link:
Twitter: @jchervinsky
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Knox Custody
Hodl Hodl
Unchained Capital (code
SLP238 Zach Herbert & Ken Carpenter - Passport by Foundation Devices: Air Gapped Hardware Wallet
The market for high quality hardware wallets is becoming more competitive with new entrants over time. Zach Herbert & Ken Carpenter of Foundation Devices join me to talk about their new upcoming product, Passport. Passport is fully air gapped (QR or microSD), PSBT, and designed with an open source mindset. We chat:
Zach and Ken’s history with Obelisk prior to Foundation
Overview of Passport
Features
Approach with software
QR air gapping
Seed Generation
Firmware updates
Pricing
SLP237 Saifedean Ammous - Fiat Standard & Fiat Propaganda
Saifedean Ammous, author of The Bitcoin Standard rejoins me on the show to talk about his upcoming book, The Fiat Standard. We chat about how the fiat standard started, and the propaganda that they use to maintain it.
Saifedean links:
Site: Saifedean.com
Twitter: @saifedean
Previous episodes:
SLP220 Is Bitcoin Democratic, And Is Democracy Good? With Saifedean and Alex Gladstein
SLP171 PlanB & Saifedean Ammous – Bitcoin S2FX, S2F, and Evolution From Collectible to Financial Asset
S
SLP236 Nic Carter Stablecoins: Bullish or Bearish For Bitcoin?
Nic Carter of Castle Island Ventures, author and podcaster in the space joins me to talk about stablecoins.
What are stablecoins?
Who uses them?
What kind of volumes are we talking about?
What kind of platform risks are involved?
Are they bullish or bearish for Bitcoin?
STABLE act
Outlook for stablecoins going forward
Nic Carter links:
Twitter: @nic__carter
Castle Island Ventures
Relevant episodes:
SLP10 – Visions of Bitcoin and Transaction Batching with Nic Carter and Has
SLP235 Niall Ferguson Bitcoin & Monetary Revolution
Niall Ferguson, MA, D.Phil., is the Milbank Family Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and a senior faculty fellow of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard. He’s also author of 15 books, including The Ascent of Money. Niall and I chat:
Bitcoin as a store of value
The pandemic and impacts on how we use money
Debt around the world and in history
What’s in our financial future
Niall Ferguson links:
Twitter: @nfergus
Website: niallf
SLP234 Ron Paul Bitcoin, Liberty & Freedom in Money
Ron Paul, libertarian former congressman and presidential candidate, joins me on the show to talk about Bitcoin, Libertarianism and Freedom in Money.
Ron Paul Links:
Twitter: @ronpaul
Site: RonPaulLibertyReport.com
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Knox Custody
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CypherSafe (code LIVERA)
Hodl Hodl
Stephan Livera links:
Show notes and website
Follow me on twitter @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Patreon @stephanlivera
SLP233 Vijay Boyapati - Bitcoin Valuations & Cycles
Vijay Boyapati rejoins me on the show to talk about where we’re at in the cycle. We talk through:
Possible valuations for bitcoin
Common misunderstandings
Errors people make in bull runs
Why Bitcoin is not tulips
Bitcoin Derangement Syndrome
Vijay links:
Twitter: @Real_vijay
Bullish case for bitcoin
Prior episodes:
SLP2 – How Bitcoin ‘mentally captures’ people with Vijay Boyapati
SLP17 – Bitmain, Bcash, Facebook Crypto rumours, and reframing scarcity with Vijay Boyapat
SLP232 Lyn Alden - Bitcoin as Emerging Store of Value
Lyn Alden of Lyn Alden Investment Strategy joins me to talk about how Bitcoin is emerging as a new store of value. We discuss misconceptions on bitcoin, the impact of the constant low key influx of new capital, gold vs bitcoin, concentration of bitcoin, and the broader macro environment we find ourselves in.
Lyn Alden links:
Lynalden.com
Twitter: @Lynaldencontact
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Knox Custody
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
CypherSafe (code LIVERA)
Hodl Hodl
Stephan Livera
SLP231 Stepan Snigirev Build Your Own Hardware Wallet with Specter DIY
Stepan Snigirev (CTO Crypto Advance), and renowned hardware wallet maker rejoins me on the show to talk about Specter DIY and Specter Desktop updates. We chat:
Why make your own
Security model vs other HWWs
Airgapping with QR
Use in multi sig setups
Specter Desktop updates
Links:
Specter DIY github: https://github.com/cryptoadvance/specter-diy
Specter store: https://specter.solutions/shop/specter-shield/
Stepan Twitter: @StepanSnigirev
Prior episodes:
SLP205 Specter De
SLP230 Is Lightning The Future Of Bitcoin Transactions? Udi Wertheimer and Eric Wall Discuss
We’re all bullish on bitcoin, but will transactions take place on Lightning Network or other layers and tech? Udi and Eric join me on the show to discuss.
Monetary demand for bitcoin
How much payment demand is there?
Privacy, custody and other trade offs
Stablecoin payment demand
Platform risks of ETH
Links:
Udi Wertheimer: HaveFunStayingPoor.com
Eric Wall: @ercwl
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Knox Custody
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
Stephan Livera links:
Show notes and w
SLP229 John Newbery - Brink: Bitcoin Development
John Newbery joins me to talk about his new bitcoin research and development center, Brink. John is a regular Bitcoin Core contributor, works on Bitcoin Optech, started PR Review Club, and mentors new bitcoin core developers. In this show we talk:
Why Brink
Priorities for development
Mentoring new developers
Bitcoin development culture
John Newbery links:
Twitter: @Jfnewbery
Site: Brink.dev
Other episodes mentioned:
SLP216 Gloria Zhao Learning Bitcoin Core Contribution & Hos
SLP228 OKCoin’s Bitcoin Developer Grant Program with Hong Fang
Hong Fang, CEO of OKCoin joins me to talk about:
Her pathway to learning about Bitcoin
Bitcoin’s current status in the market
Funding Bitcoin development
Focus and priorities for development
Identifying talent
Links:
Hong Fang: @hfangca
Developer grants: https://developergrant.okcoin.com/
Relevant episodes:
SLP214 Pierre Rochard & Fabian Jahr – Where Are All The Bitcoins?
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Knox Custody
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
Bitcoin Magazine
Hodl
SLP227 Will Bitcoin & Dissident Tech Splinter Governments? Robert Breedlove and Jesse Lawler Debate
Will Bitcoin enable the Sovereign Individual thesis to play out? Or will the state successfully find some counter to retain the level of taxation, surveillance and control that they currently enjoy? Robert Breedlove and Jesse Lawler join me on the show to debate.
Links:
Twitter: @breedlove22
Parallax Digital: Parallax Digital
Twitter: @lawlerpalooza
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Knox Custody
Bitcoin Black Friday
CypherSafe (code LIVERA)
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
Stephan Livera l
SLP226 Max Keidun Can Bitcoin Do DeFi and Lending? Hodl Hodl Lend
What is DeFi? Should it be a thing in Bitcoin or is that just an altcoin gambling thing? Max Keidun, CEO of Hodl Hodl joins me to talk about Bitcoin DeFi and Hodl Hodl’s new product, Lend. We talk:
Bitcoin DeFi
Hodl Hodl Lend
Opening up a whole new lending market
Risks
Costs
How it might develop
Max Keidun links:
Twitter: @keidunm
Hodl Hodl
Prior episodes:
SLP56 Max Keidun & Roman Snitko of Hodl Hodl Bitcoin Exchange & Baltic Honeybadger
SLP166 Max Keidun – P2P Bit
SLP225 Embassy: Sovereign Personal Computing, Privacy, Bitcoin & Lightning with Matt Hill & Aiden McClelland
You’re probably familiar with Bitcoin node packages, so what’s different here with Embassy and EmbassyOS? Matt Hill & Aiden McClelland of Start9 Labs join me to talk about shifting to a more personally sovereign paradigm, and what kinds of technology and hardware can take us there. We talk about:
What EmbassyOS is
What’s different vs bitcoin node packages
Integrating Lightning into EmbassyOS
Private messaging
Set up
Where we’re going
Links:
Start9 Labs
Matt Hill: @MattHill
SLP224 NVK - What Do Most People Get Wrong About Bitcoin Security? Blockclock Mini & Bitcoin Treasuries
What are some common errors that people make when learning how to self custody? Should you use multi signature? Where does NVK agree / disagree with Michael Flaxman? NVK, CEO of CoinKite rejoins me on the show to discuss this and more.
Bitcoin multi signature
Bitcoin backups and walletsrecovery.org
Bitcoin security
Blockclock Mini
BitcoinTreasuries.org
Nvk's Links:
Twitter: @NVK
Site: coinkite.com (use code LIVERA for discount)
bitcoinsecurity.guide
Walletsrecovery.org
bitco
SLP223 Preston Pysh Bitcoin's Final Cycle?
Preston Pysh of We Study Billionaires joins me on the show to talk about what Bitcoin’s final cycle might look like. How would we know if we’re going through the final cycle? How likely is it? Will corporates buying bitcoin be weak hands or strong hands? What about governments trying to shut Bitcoin down?
Preston Pysh‘s Links:
Twitter: @PrestonPysh
We Study Billionaires
Prior episodes:
SLP109 Preston Pysh – How To Think About Bitcoin as an Investor
SLP181 Preston Pysh – Bitcoin as Numer
SLP222 Jonas Nick and Tim Ruffing What’s MuSig2? What Does it Mean for Bitcoin Multisig?
Confused about what MuSig2 is? As Bitcoin’s Schnorr Taproot soft fork has now been merged into Bitcoin Core (but not yet activated), it’s worthwhile understanding what some of the new multisignature schemes are for using Taproot. Jonas Nick and Tim Ruffing, cryptographers working at Blockstream join me on the show to talk about their latest, MuSig2.
Jonas Nick‘s Links:
Twitter: @n1ckler
Tim Ruffing‘s Links:
Twitter: @real_or_random
Links:
MuSig2 paper: Simple Two-Round Schnorr Multi-Sig
SLP221 Joe Kelly And Dhruv Bansal - Should Your Business Hold Bitcoin? Unchained Business Accounts
What are the considerations for your business in holding bitcoin? Should you self custody with multi signature for improved security and control? Joe Kelly and Dhruv Bansal, CEO and CSO of Unchained Capital join me to chat.
We talk:
What business owners have to consider
How to custody bitcoin
Unchained Capital’s solution
Coldcard
Financialisation of computer networks
Challenges of being a bitcoin company founder
Joe and Dhruv Links:
Twitter: @josephkelly
Twitter: @dhru
SLP220 Is Bitcoin Democratic, And Is Democracy Good? With Saifedean and Alex Gladstein
Is Bitcoin a democracy? Or is it more like a natural order? What about democracy in general, does that protect human rights and enable human flourishing? Saifedean and Alex Gladstein debate the question of whether democracy promotes human flourishing. This was moderated by Stephan Livera, initially on Saifedean’s online seminar.
Saifedean's Links:
Twitter: @saifedean
Saifedean.com
Alex Gladstein's Links:
Twitter: @gladstein
Hrf.org
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Unchained Capital (code LI
SLP219 Nadav Kohen - What You Should Know About Bitcoin DLCs
What are Discreet Log Contracts? Are they just for degenerate gamblers or is there a business use here? Nadav Kohen of Suredbits joins me to talk about what they are, why they’re useful and how they work.
Why Use DLCs over multisig?
Trust and Privacy
Funding and Contract Execution Transactions
Oracles and associated problems
Lightning DLCs
DLC Spec
Nadav‘s Links:
Twitter: @nadav_kohen
Suredbits
Suredbits Blog
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Unchained Capital (code LIVER
SLP218 Philip Haslam & Russ Lamberti - Debt Culture & When Money Destroys Nations
Philip Haslam and Russ Lamberti join me to talk about their book on Zimbabwe and hyperinflation, When Money Destroys Nations. We chat about:
Where hyperinflation has happened before
The culture of debt & entitlement
Print and spend vs loan and spend
The stages or ‘gorge moments’
Financial repression
Liquidity obfuscation
How might future hyperinflation episodes play out
Links:
Website: whenmoneydestroys.com
Book: When Money Destroys Nations
Russell Lamberti: @RussL
SLP217 Exploring Bitcoin With Godfrey Bloom
Godfrey Bloom, Austrian economist, former politician, and libertarian author joins me to talk. Godfrey is a self proclaimed goldbug, and in this conversation we explore Bitcoin and his recent discussion on it.
We chat about:
Bitcoin’s use as reserve asset
Some similarities and differences between Bitcoin and Gold
Central Banking
Welfare Statism
Links:
Twitter: @Goddersbloom
Website: godfreybloom.uk
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
Knox Custody
Stephan
SLP216 Gloria Zhao Learning Bitcoin Core Contribution & Hosting PR Review Club
Why is Bitcoin so exciting? How does Silicon Valley culture influence it? Gloria Zhao, bitcoin core contributor joins me to talk:
Silicon Valley culture influences
Teaching blockchain, then getting more into Bitcoin
Being mentored by Bitcoin core developers
Bitcoin PR Review club
Map of the Bitcoin Network
Gloria 's Links:
Twitter: @glozow
Github: Glozow
Article: Map of the Bitcoin network
Relevant episodes:
SLP124 Jon Atack – Bitcoin Core Contribution
Sponsors:
Swan Bit
SLP215 Michael Flaxman - 10x Your Bitcoin Security With Multisig
After terrifying everyone with his prior SLP appearance re: hardware wallet security, Michael Flaxman rejoins me on the show to talk about his new multisig guide to help users secure their coins without any single point of failure.
We cover:
What’s improved in the space since last year
Why you need to eliminate SPOFs (Single Points of Failure)
Comparison of current hardware wallets
Multi sig services vs DIY
Using Specter
Using Coldcard & Cobo
Seedpicker
Tips on maintaining the
SLP214 Pierre Rochard & Fabian Jahr - Where Are All The Bitcoins?
Why does auditing Bitcoin matter? Why won’t the supply ever actually reach 21 million? Pierre Rochard of Kraken and Fabian Jahr (Bitcoin Core contributor) join me on the show to talk.
Bitcoin supply
Auditing
Gettxoutset
Bitcoin Core coin stats index
More in depth bitcoin accounting
Links:
Fabian Jahr github: @fjahr
Fabian Jahr: @fjahr
Article: https://fjahr.com/posts/where-are-the-coins/
Pierre Rochard: @pierre_rochard
Article: https://www.pierrerochard.com/auditing-bitcoin-
SLP213 Michael Saylor - Bitcoin Dematerializes Money
Why did MicroStrategy buy $425 million of Bitcoin and adopt it as Primary Treasury Reserve Asset? How did the team learn about Bitcoin? What is driving people to learn about Bitcoin in this high inflation environment? Michael Saylor, CEO of MicroStrategy joins me to discuss.
Links:
Twitter: @michael_saylor
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
Knox Custody
Stephan Livera links:
Show notes and website
Follow me on twitter @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
SLP212 Alex Daskalov Can Bitcoin In Custody Be Insured?
Bitcoin custody insurance has been hotly debated in the industry, with concerns around the volatility, its feasibility, and whether it makes sense. What's Knox doing differently? Alex Daskalov, CEO of Knox Custody joins me to discuss these questions.
Alex links:
Alex Twitter: @daskalov
Knox Custody: @knoxcustody
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
Knox Custody
Stephan Livera links:
Show notes and website
Follow me on twitter @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the p
SLP211 Steve Lee - Bitcoin Grants, Design & Crypto Patents (COPA)
What grants have Square Crypto given? How can Bitcoin design be improved? How can Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Patents be protected for the community and permissionless innovation to continue apace? Steve Lee of Square Crypto joins me to talk about some of the latest.
Links:
Steve twitter: @moneyball
COPA Thread: https://twitter.com/sqcrypto/status/1304087270736236544
Bitcoin Design: https://medium.com/@squarecrypto/bringing-together-the-bitcoin-design-community-b89e5fbe080f
Prior episode:
SLP210 Sergej Kotliar How To Watch Bitcoin’s Mempool, Lightning Adoption & Privacy
How do you watch Bitcoin’s mempool? What tools should we use? What are the implications longer term for a blockspace market? Sergej Kotliar, CEO of Bitrefill joins me to talk about this and more:
Mempool watching and what tools are needed
Blockspace market longer term
Lightning adoption
Bitcoin Privacy and ‘bad actors’
COVID and Bitcoiners
Sergej links:
Twitter: @ziggamon
Bitrefill: Bitrefill.com
Prior episodes:
SLP85 Sergej Kotliar – Building Bitcoin’s circular economy
SLP2
SLP209 Samourai Wallet - Bitcoin Culture & New Privacy Features
Is Bitcoin user culture going the wrong way? Or are these general cultural things? What should be the approach around avoiding KYC? What new features are coming to Samourai Wallet? Samourai Wallet joins me to discuss.
Samourai Wallet links:
Site: samouraiwallet.com
Twitter: @samouraiwallet
Prior episodes:
SLP150 Samourai Wallet – Make Every Bitcoin Spend a Coinjoin
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
Knox Custody
Stephan Livera links:
Show notes and website
SLP208 Peter Schiff Bitcoin or Gold?
Does money need a non-monetary use? Will the government return to a gold standard? Are we doomed to repeat the same cycle of fiat money? Peter Schiff, CEO Euro Pacific Capital, chairman of Schiff Gold, and host of Schiff Radio joins me to discuss.
Peter links:
Twitter: @PeterSchiff
Schiff Radio: schiffradio.com
Euro Pac: europac.com
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
Knox Custody
CypherSafe (Code: LIVERA for discount)
Stephan Livera links:
Show notes and we
SLP207 Roasbeef - Lightning Labs lnd Goes Wumbo
What’s the latest with the Lightning Network? What will it mean when channels go large sized with wumbo? How is the network and ecosystem growing? Laolu (roasbeef) CTO of Lightning Labs joins me to talk.
Links:
Twitter: @roasbeef
Lnd 0.11 post
Lightning labs: Lightning.engineering
Lightning Labs twitter: @lightning
Prior episode:
SLP39 Olaoluwa Osuntokun (Roasbeef), CTO of Lightning Labs
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Unchained Capital (code LIVERA)
Knox Custody
CypherSafe (Code: LI
SLP206 Luke Childs - How To Recover Bitcoins & Umbrel
Have you wondered how to recover bitcoins from a seed? Maybe your friend doesn’t remember which wallet they used? In this episode with Luke Childs, we talk about how to recover them into Electrum with his newly written tool.
We also talk about Umbrel, a new node package promising very easy set up.
We also chat about security, development and bitcoin coding.
Links:
Twitter: @lukechilds
Github: https://github.com/sponsors/lukechilds#sponsors
Site: https://lukechilds.co/
Umbrel: https://getu
SLP205 Specter Desktop Bitcoin Multi Sig with Stepan Snigirev & Ben Kaufman
Are you looking for an easy bitcoin multi signature wallet that doesn’t require an electrum server? Or perhaps one with support for different bitcoin hardware wallets and a different interface? Check out Specter-Desktop! Stepan Snigirev (CTO Crypto Advance) and Ben Kaufman (Specter Desktop contributor) join me to talk about the project.
Features
UX
Multi signature standards
HWI and HWW support
Design decisions
Looking for contributors
Links:
@StepanSnigirev
@_BenKaufman
@Crypt
SLP204 Robert Breedlove Bitcoin vs Slave Money
What’s the relation between fiat money and slavery? How did easy money and government suppression of honest money lead to this outcome? What’s the story with aggry beads and panos? How does Bitcoin change this? Robert Breedlove (CEO & CIO Parallax Digital) joins me to talk about these questions.
Links:
Twitter: @breedlove22
Article: Masters and Slaves of Money
Parallax Digital: ParallaxDigital.io
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Unchained Capital
Stephan Livera links:
Show notes and web
SLP203 Raoul Pal - Bitcoin and Macro Collide
Raoul Pal of Real Vision rejoins me on the show to talk about how Bitcoin and Macro are colliding. We talk about the incredible risk:reward opportunity of bitcoin, DCA long term, Bitcoin as better collateral, and more.
Raoul Pal Links:
Twitter: @RaoulGMI
RealVision
Prior Episodes:
SLP93 Raoul Pal – Global Macro Risks and Bitcoin
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Unchained Capital
CypherSafe (Code: LIVERA for discount)
Stephan Livera links:
Show notes and website
Follow me on twit
SLP202 Jeff Yew - Bitcoin in Australia
What are some of the stories from Bitcoin’s Brisbane scene in Australia? Jeff Yew joins me to chat about his experiences from the Brisbane scene, and teaching newcoiners about bitcoin. We also chat about the Binance Australia launch.
Jeff links:
Twitter: @Vnumeris
Binance AU
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Unchained Capital (code: LIVERA)
Stephan Livera links:
Show notes and website
Follow me on twitter @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Patreon @stephanlivera
SLP201 Bitcoin Local Trader Comes to BlueWallet with Nuno & Igor
Want to buy bitcoin w/o KYC and non custodial all in one app? BlueWallet has recently launched this feature. Igor and Nuno from the BlueWallet team join me to talk about their work and the many features available in BlueWallet.
Creating BlueWallet
Partnering with Hodl Hodl
UX
Lightning
Custodial
Watch only wallets and hardware wallet support
BlueWallet links:
BlueWallet.io
@BlueWalletio
Nuno: @nvcoelho
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Unchained Capital
CypherSafe (Code: LIVERA f
SLP200 Christian Decker - ANYPREVOUT, MPP, Mitigating LN Attacks
What’s ANYPREVOUT? How does MPP work in practice and what are the considerations? What about some of these LN attacks, what are the mitigations and do they limit LN’s effectiveness? How is Bitcoin’s Lightning Network likely to grow out in the future?
Christian Decker links:
Twitter: @snyke
ANYPREVOUT: BIP118
MPP Blog: All Paths Lead to Your Destination
github cdecker
Relevant prior episodes:
SLP134 Rusty Russell Lightning Multi Part Payments
SLP59 Christian Decker Bitcoin Lightning
SLP199 Electrum Wallet 4 with Thomas V & Ghost43
Electrum Wallet is one of the longest standing Bitcoin wallets, and well known for supporting hardware wallets, multi signature - and now lightning! We talk about a range of things:
Lightning
HWW support
Multi sig
Electrum Server model
Backup seeds
Links:
Electrum.org
Twitter: @ElectrumWallet
Electrum github
Prior episode:
SLP125 Thomas Voegtlin – Electrum Wallet: Bitcoin seeds, PSBT, Multi sig, Lightning
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Unchained Capital
Stephan Livera links:
SLP198 Caitlin Long - What Are Austrian Economists Missing About Money And Banking?
Caitlin Long of Avanti Financial Group joins me to talk about Bitcoin, banking, rehypothecation and what Austrian Economists are missing. How much additional money is being created in the shadow banking system? What about ‘moneyness’? We also discuss Caitlin’s IMF working paper, and the recent OCC Interpretive Letter 1170.
Caitlin Long links:
Twitter: @CaitlinLong_
Avanti: AvantiBank.com
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Unchained Capital
CypherSafe (Code: LIVERA for discount)
Stephan Livera li
SLP197 Stephen Cole How to Run Your Local Bitcoin Meetup
How do we grow Bitcoin’s community of self custodying HODLers? With Bitcoin Meetups! How do you organise and run one? What topics do you present? How do you get a venue? How do you keep people engaged? Stephen Cole of the OC Bitcoin Meetup joins me to discuss.
Stephen Cole links:
Twitter: @sthenc
OCBTN Meetup
OCBTN twitter: @OCBTN
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Unchained Capital
New Brighton Capital (use code: LIVERA)
Fund Bitcoin Open Source development: www.bitcoindevlist.com
S
SLP196 Is Bitcoin Being Captured? With Matt Odell, Alex Gladstein & Rafael Yakobi
Does government regulation of AML (Anti Money Laundering) represent a new way for governments to capture Bitcoin? FATF (Financial Action Task Force) is driving stricter regulations, and it now appears that large Bitcoin businesses are looking for ways to collaborate with the “Travel Rule”. What are the implications of this for Bitcoin privacy? Will Bitcoin be captured by governments, or will Bitcoin capture governments?
Links:
Matt Odell of TFTC/RHR (MattOdell.com
SLP195 nix-bitcoin: A Security Focused Bitcoin Node
Nix-Bitcoin is a designed to be a more secure Bitcoin node, based on NixOS. Pseudonymous developer, nixbitcoindev joins me to explain more about why and how. What are the benefits of reproducibility? What else can be done from a security perspective to secure your bitcoin node? Will it be easy to use or only for technical people?
Nix-Bitcoin links:
Nix-bitcoin github
Nix bitcoin twitter
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Unchained Capital
Stephan Livera links:
Show notes and website
Fol
SLP194 RaspiBlitz with Rootzoll and Openoms
Wondered how to set up your own bitcoin + lightning node? Raspiblitz is a project offering a DIY node (or you can buy a premade one), with an LCD screen. Rootzoll and openoms join me to discuss.
Raspiblitz links:
Rootzoll: @rootzoll
Openoms: @openoms
Raspiblitz
Raspiblitz guide
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Unchained Capital
New Brighton Capital (use code: LIVERA)
Stephan Livera links:
Show notes and website
Follow me on twitter @stephanlivera
Sub
SLP193 Gary Leland - Bitcoin For Boomers & BitBlockBoom
How do you teach Bitcoin to your Boomer relatives and friends? What are some of the common sticking points? Should you explain it as Digital Gold? Gary Leland, Hall of Fame podcaster, entrepreneur, and conference organizer of Bit Block Boom joins me to discuss!
Gary links:
Twitter: @GaryLeland
BitBlockBoom: bitblockboom.com
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Unchained Capital
Stephan Livera links:
Show notes and website
Follow me on twitter @stephanlivera
Subscribe t
SLP192 Alyse Killeen – Investing In Bitcoin Companies
If you’re fundamentally bullish on Bitcoin, how do you invest in Bitcoin companies? What kind of strategies can be employed, what are some common errors in the space? How do you pick good teams and companies? Alyse Killeen founding Managing Partner of Stillmark VC, advisor to Mantis (venture firm) and advisor and sits on the board of well known Bitcoin companies such as Blockstream and Casa.
Alyse links:
Twitter: @alysekilleen
Website: alysekilleen.com
Sponsors:
SLP191 Jeff Booth - Bitcoin & Our Deflationary Future
The world is undergoing pressures that are inflationary, but also deflationary forces. Which one will win out? What is driving humanity’s progress forward? Jeff Booth, tech entrepreneur and author joins me to discuss our deflationary future.
Jeff Booth:
Twitter: @JeffBooth
Book: thepriceoftomorrow.com
Sponsor links:
Swan Bitcoin
Unchained Capital
New Brighton Capital (use code: LIVERA)
CypherSafe (use code: LIVERA)
Stephan Livera links:
Show notes and website
SLP190 Rafael Schultze-Kraft – How Many Bitcoins Are Being HODLed?
How many Bitcoins are being HODLed? Bitcoin’s nature allows some level of investigation and analysis, and it’s possible to see how many coins are moving. Rafael Schultze-Kraft, CTO of Glassnode joins me on the show to discuss some of the insights he’s been sharing.
Rafael links:
Twitter: @n3ocortex
Website: glassnode.com
Thread
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Unchained Capital
New Brighton Capital (use code: LIVERA)
Stephan Livera links:
Show notes and website
F
SLP189 Ragnar Lifthrasir Should You Spend Bitcoin Now?
There’s a lot of heated discussion about Bitcoin HODLing vs Spending, the circular economy, and what actions build on Bitcoin’s censorship resistance. Ragnar Lifthrasir of Guns N Bitcoin joins me for a discussion on this topic.
Ragnar links:
Twitter: @ragnarly
Site: Gunsnbitcoin.com
Sponsor links:
Swan Bitcoin
Unchained Capital
CypherSafe (Code: LIVERA for discount)
Stephan Livera links:
Show notes and website
Follow me on twitter @stephanlivera
Su
SLP188 Dan Held – Does Bitcoin Need Marketing?
Does Bitcoin Need Marketing and marketers? Does it need influencers? What kinds of strategies are appropriate across different channels? Dan Held, Director of Business Development at Kraken joins me to discuss.
Dan Held links:
Twitter: @danheld
Article: Bitcoin’s Marketing Team
Website: danheld.com
Relevant prior episodes:
SLP34 Dan Held – Bitcoin Heroes, Villains, Survival, and Capitulation
SLP81 Dan Held – Why Bitcoin’s Security is Fine
Sponsor links:
Swan Bitcoin
SLP187 John Cantrell - Bruteforcing Bitcoin Seeds
John Cantrell, Bitcoin developer joins me to talk about how he cracked Alistair Milne’s social media bitcoin challenge. With the first 8 words of the seed, John was able to crack a 12 word seed using a cluster of GPU’s. John is also the creator of Juggernaut, a lightning messaging app.
John links:
Twitter: @JohnCantrell97
Article: How I checked over 1 trillion mnemonics in 30 hours to win a bitcoin
Juggernaut: getjuggernaut.com
Sponsors:
Swan
Unchained Capital
SLP186 Joseph Salerno – Bitcoin and How Money Arises
Dr Joseph Salerno, Academic VP of Mises Institute joins me in this episode to talk about his views on Bitcoin, monetary velocity, how money emerges on the market and more.
Joseph Salerno links:
Twitter: @jtsale
Mises Institute: mises.org
Sponsor links:
Swan Bitcoin
Unchained Capital
New Brighton Capital code: LIVERA
Relevant prior episodes:
SLP51 Dr Guido Hülsmann – Austrian Monetary Economics & Bitcoin
SLP45 Jeff Deist, President of the Mises Institute
SLP169
SLP185 Vijay Boyapati – What Bitcoin Is
Many people are confused about Bitcoin. Is it for transactional payments, or should we view it as something closer to Digital Gold or savings? Regular guest Vijay Boyapati rejoins me on the show to talk about this. We also talk:
Common errors in conceiving of Bitcoin
Risks with custodial and KYC
Updated thoughts on prior article re: Credit Deflation
CHAZ
Vijay links:
Twitter: @real_vijay
Article: Bullish Case for Bitcoin
Recent twitter thread
Prior episodes:
SLP184 Alessandro Cecere – Bitcoin Nodes in Venezuela
Alessandro Cecere (aka el Sultan Bitcoin), CEO of Coinspree joins me to talk about his experiences growing up in Venezuela, and his passion for spreading bitcoin.
Alessandro Cecere links:
Twitter: @elsultanBitcoin
Coinspree: coinspree.com
Relevant prior episodes:
SLP143 Eduardo Gomez – Bitcoin as a source of truth in Venezuela
SLP175 Matt Ahlborg – Bitcoin In the Developing World
Sponsor links:
Swan Bitcoin
Unchained Capital
Coinfloor
Cyphersafe.io
Stephan Livera
SLP183 Dennis Wohlfarth & Clinton Donnelly – Bitcoin Tax Strategies
Dennis Wohlfarth of Accointing & Clinton Donnelly of Donnelly Tax Law join me to talk about Bitcoin tax treatment, and strategies to minimise tax. We chat about:
Current tax treatment
Capital Gains Tax
Record keeping
Tax strategies locally
Tax strategies for those willing to go overseas
International competition
Links:
Accointing: www.accointing.com (ref link – 10% discount)
Donnelly Tax Law: Donnellytaxlaw.com
Accointing Twitter: @accointing
Dennis Twitter:
SLP182 Nick Neuman & Jameson Lopp - The Next 100 Million Bitcoin Users
Nick Neuman and Jameson Lopp, CEO and CTO of Casa join me to talk about updates at Casa, the world of multi signature, hardware wallets, personal security and personal data in the age of increasing statism.
Nick and Jameson links:
Nick Twitter: @Nneuman
Jameson Twitter: @lopp
Casa: keys.casa
Prior episodes:
SLP26 – Building Bitcoin services to last, with Jeremy Welch of Casa
SLP43 Jameson Lopp, Cypherpunk and CTO of Casa
SLP107 Jeremy Welch & Jameson Lopp – Casa Wealth Sec
SLP181 Preston Pysh – Bitcoin as Numeraire
Preston Pysh, co founder of The Investor’s Podcast network rejoins me to talk about Bitcoin, inflation, bonds, and investing in a bitcoinised world.
Preston Pysh links:
Twitter: @PrestonPysh
The Investor’s Podcast: Theinvestorspodcast.com
Prior SLP appearance: SLP109
Sponsors:
Swan Bitcoin
Unchained Capital
Stephan Livera links:
Show notes and website
Subscribe on YouTube: @stephanlivera
Follow me on twitter @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Patreon
SLP180 Eric (iamTheCharacter) Bitcoin as Protest and Macro Solution
Eric eloquently spoke about Bitcoin as a macro solution on a live news broadcast from a protest near LA City Hall. I invited Eric on to discuss his views and his macro solution. We talk about his interest in Bitcoin, his RaspiBlitz node, his excitement for the lightning network, and bitcoin as a social movement.
Eric links:
Twitter: @iamTheCharacter
Music: http://bit.ly/sospotify
IG: @hiphopphilosophymovie
Clip: https://twitter.com/nlebowitz1/status/1268002667042934786
New clip: https:/
SLP179 Ergo - Unwinding Bitcoin Coinjoins: Tumblers, Wasabi, JoinMarket
Ergo of OXT Research (Samourai Wallet team) joins me to talk about his latest research into the Lazarus group, and also unwinding Bitcoin Coinjoins - whether they are through custodial tumblers, Wasabi or JoinMarket.
Ergo links:
Twitter: @ergoBTC
OXT Research
The North Korean Connection
Toxic Recall Attack - Unwinding JoinMarket Case Study
Prior/relevant episodes:
SLP130 Ergo Tracking PlusToken Scammers with White Hat Bitcoin Chain Analysis
SLP149 Waxwing Is Con
SLP178 6102 Bitcoin
6102 Bitcoin is a pseudonymous bitcoiner known for his contributions with various Bitcoin resources and how to sites, and infographics. He joins me for a discussion about bitcoin privacy, why he does this under a pseudonym, contributing in the Bitcoin space, Blockstream’s Liquid network and more.
6102 Bitcoin links:
Twitter: @6102bitcoin
Website: 6102bitcoin.com
Bitcoin-intro.com
Bitcoin-only.com
Btcprivacy.org
Bitcoin taint infographic
Sven article Stop Calling for a Free Market in
SLP177 Murch – Bitcoin Coin Selection
Murch joins me to talk about his work on Coin Selection, managing large wallets! We’ll talk about fees, selecting coins, the blockspace market, how you can think about optimising your wallet.
Murch:
Twitter: @murchandamus
Bitcoin Stack Exchange: Murch
Branch and Bound paper and coin selection strategies: Murch’s masters thesis
Relevant episodes:
SLP118 Mike Belshe, CEO BitGo
Sponsors:
Kraken
Coinfloor.co.uk
SwanBitcoin.com/livera
Unchained Capital
Stephan Li
SLP176 Parker Lewis & Buck Perley – Caravan Multisig Bitcoin Wallet
Parker Lewis and Buck Perley of Unchained Capital join me on the show to talk about updates on the Caravan open source project, making multi sig accessible and easy for the masses. Previously it was single address only, and now it works as a wallet! We’ll chat:
Why use Caravan
What the new updates are
Hardware wallet testing
xPubs and multi sig
Bitcoiner Ventures raise
Parker Lewis & Buck Perley links:
Unchained blog: Gearing up the Caravan
Parker Lewis Twitt
SLP175 Matt Ahlborg – Bitcoin In the Developing World
Matt Ahlborg of UsefulTulips.org joins me on the show to talk about bitcoin use in South America, and Africa. Matt Ahlborg is a researcher and data scientist looking into the use of Bitcoin around the world.
Matt Ahlborg links:
Twitter: @MattAhlborg
Website: usefultulips.org
Article: Latin American Bitcoin Trading Follows the Heartbeat of Venezuela
Article: Paxful is the Most Important Bitcoin Company You Aren’t Paying Attention to
Related episode:
SLP143 Eduardo Gomez – Bitcoin As A
SLP174 Matt Ridley - Bitcoin & How Innovation Works
Matt Ridley is a writer, biologist & Rational Optimist. He joins me to talk about his views on science, economics, innovation and how they apply to Bitcoin.
Matt Ridley Links:
Website: mattridley.co.uk
Twitter @mattwridley
Book: How Innovation Works
Sponsors:
Kraken
Coinfloor.co.uk
SwanBitcoin.com
Unchained Capital
Stephan Livera links:
Show notes and website
Follow me on twitter @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the podcast
Patreon @stephanlivera
SLP173 Bitstein – Nakamoto Institute Bitcoin Literature Review
Bitstein aka Michael Goldstein, President of the Nakamoto Institute and co-host of Noded Bitcoin Podcast rejoins me on the show to talk about some Bitcoin literature.
Bitstein links:
Twitter @bitstein
Nakamoto Institute website
Noded
Literature:
The Cyphernomicon
Crypto Anarchy and Virtual Communities
Secure Property Titles with Owner Authority
Formalizing and Securing Relationships on Public Networks
Politics vs Technology
Previous episodes:
SLP111 Bitstein – Satoshi Nakamo
SLP172 Nicolas Dorier & Kukks – P2EP Comes To BTCPay Server
Nicolas Dorier and Mr Kukks rejoin me on the show to talk about updates with BTCPay Server, such as P2EP (Pay to End point), which will assist bitcoin accepting merchants to PayJoin with customers, adding to the privacy on Bitcoin.
Links:
Nicolas Dorier: https://twitter.com/nicolasdorier
MrKukks: https://twitter.com/mrkukks
BTCPay blog: https://blog.btcpayserver.org/btcpay-server-1-0-4-0/
BTCPay twitter: https://twitter.com/btcpayserver
BTCPay PayJoin guide: https://gi
SLP171 PlanB & Saifedean Ammous – Bitcoin S2FX, S2F, and Evolution From Collectible to Financial Asset
PlanB (pseudonymous Bitcoin quant) & Saifedean (Bitcoin economist) rejoin me to talk about PlanB’s latest work on S2FX, and some of the debates being had on S2F modelling as well as addressing some of the criticism. We will also talk about Bitcoin as it goes through phase transitions, and the implications on the Bitcoin industry, and the rest of society.
PlanB Links:
PlanB Twitter: @100trillionUSD
Article: Bitcoin Stock-to-Flow Cross Asset Model
Saifedean Li
SLP170 Yuri de Gaia - Bitcoin’s Two Economies & Citadels
Yuri de Gaia, Partner at L2B Global (Reserve Bitcoin OTC, Liquiditi, Moontower) joins me to talk about Bitcoin’s two economies: the regulated compliant world, and the defiant crypto-anarchist world.
How they will grow
Do they support each other
Citadels, Monarchy, and Anarcho-capitalism
OTC Trading
Liquid
Moontower
Yuri Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Y_deGaia
Personal blog: https://degaia.co/
L2B Global (company) https://l2b.global
Bitcoin Reserve (HNWI brokerage) https:
SLP169 Jeff Deist - Bitcoin & Acting Locally
Jeff Deist, President of the Mises Institute rejoins me to talk about Bitcoin, Central Banking, Corona virus, libertarianism and acting locally:
Mises Institute and Bitcoin
Hypocritical fund managers
UBI and MMT becoming popular
Smaller is better
Better, not perfect
Jeff Deist links:
Twitter: @jeffdeist
Mises: www.mises.org
Human Action Podcast: HA Podcast
Prior appearance: SLP45
Sponsor links:
Kraken
Unchained Capital
SwanBitcoin
Stephan Livera links:
Show notes and
SLP168 Lisa Neigut - Lightning Network Channel Accounting and Dual Funded Channels
Lisa Neigut of Blockstream joins me to talk about Lightning Network Channels, c-lightning, and Dual Funded Channels. We discuss:
How she got into Lightning development
How Lightning Channels work
How they could be accounted for in c-lightning
Dual Funding of Channels
PoDLE
Hardware wallet funding of lightning channels
Lisa Neigut links:
Twitter: @niftynei
C-lightning thread: https://twitter.com/clightningcomit/status/1212810910731063297
C-lightning github: https://github.com/E
SLP167 Chris Belcher - What’s The Problem With Bitcoin Surveillance?
Chris Belcher rejoins me on the show to talk about Bitcoin Surveillance companies, and what risks they present to Bitcoin. We also talk about JoinMarket fidelity bonds.
Chain surveillance techniques
Downsides for Bitcoin
What to do about it
“Just Use Monero” is insufficient
PayJoin & P2EP
Fidelity Bonds - how they work
Benefits and costs
Chris Belcher Links:
Joinmarket donation page: https://bitcoinprivacy.me/joinmarket-donations
Fidelity bond doc: https://gist.github.com/
SLP166 Max Keidun - P2P Bitcoin Trading No KYC, coming to your smartphone powered by Hodl Hodl
Max Keidun, CEO of Hodl Hodl rejoins me on the show to talk about some exciting updates with Hodl Hodl:
UX/UI update to Hodl Hodl website interface
How the platform protects against scammers
Local Trader feature in BlueWallet
Stacking Bitcoins p2p, No KYC, directly into your Coldcard
Baltic Honeybadger 2020 Update
Max Keidun & Hodl Hodl links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/keidunm
Website: https://hodlhodl.com/ (Code:LIVERA)
Hodl Hodl twitter: https://twitter.com/hodlhodl
Pr
SLP165 Rafael Yakobi - Should Coinjoin users be flagged? Is Privacy Illegal?
Rafael Yakobi, Managing Attorney at The Crypto Lawyers joins me to talk about privacy in Bitcoin and the law. We talk about:
Financial surveillance laws
Obligations on bitcoin companies
How it works in practice
Blockchain surveillance companies
Links:
Twitter: @CACryptoLawyer
The Crypto Lawyers: www.thecryptolawyers.com
Bitcoin Magazine article: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/bitcoin-fungibility-mixing-and-the-legal-limits-on-maintaining-privacy
Other links:
Bitcoin wiki
SLP164 Gleb Naumenko - erlay Bitcoin transaction relay
Gleb Naumenko of Chaincode Labs joins me in this episode to talk about erlay. We talk about:
How he got into bitcoin development
Transaction relay in Bitcoin
Attacks at the network level
Erlay
Costs and Benefits
Bitcoin and lightning development more broadly
Gleb Naumenko:
Twitter: @tomatodread
Github account: https://github.com/naumenkogs
BIP330: https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0330.mediawiki
Erlay Paper: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1905.10518.pdf
Sponsor links:
SLP163 Cory Klippsten - Bitcoin’s Intransigent Minority, Swan Bitcoin & Bitcoiner Ventures
Cory Klippsten, CEO and Co-founder of Swan Bitcoin, GP of Bitcoiner Ventures joins me on the show to talk about:
Taleb’s thought and applying it to Bitcoin
The Intransigent Minority
Swan Bitcoin
Cheapest Auto DCA in the US
Bitcoiner Ventures and what it’s about, and how to get involved
Cory Klippsten links:
Twitter: @coryklippsten
Swan Bitcoin: SwanBitcoin.com
Bitcoiner Ventures AngelList Syndicate: https://angel.co/i/v7pGo
Bitcoiner Ventures: BitcoinerVentures.com
Art
SLP162 Matt D’Souza - Bitcoin Halving Analysis: Bullish for Competitive Miners
Matt D’Souza CEO of Blockware Solutions joins me to talk about his team’s recent research piece on Bitcoin Halving and analysis from a mining perspective. In this conversation, we chat:
Market participant profiles
Miner electricity distribution
Shut off and breakeven cost
Mining Rigs
Scenario Analysis
Why some miners operate at a loss
Difficulty adjustment dynamics
Why Efficient miners welcome the halving
Matt D’Souza links:
Twitter: @mjdsouza2
Research: 2020 Halving Analysi
SLP161 Titus Gebel - Bitcoin Citadels as Free Private Cities
Titus Gebel joins me to talk about Free Private Cities and how they relate to Bitcoin Citadels, a way for Bitcoin people to peacefully set up Bitcoin friendly cities.
We talk:
The problem with democracy and standard political activism
Legal system
Fee for service
Benefits of lower cost and more certainty
Dealing with poverty and pandemics
How to get there
Titus links:
Twitter: @titusgebel
Free Private Cities website: freeprivatecities.com
Free Private Cities book: https://www.
SLP160 BTCxZelko - Protect Your Bitcoin Privacy With Ronin Dojo
BTCxZelko, Samourai Wallet community member co-founded the Ronin Dojo project, an easy to use Raspberry Pi / Odroid install script and UI to run your own Samourai Wallet Dojo. It’s an easy, cost effective way to run your own node backing your Samourai Wallet, which enables you to use Bitcoin over Tor, with coinjoining and best in class privacy features.
Zelko and I talk:
How he learned command line
How he got into Bitcoin privacy techniques
Recommended hardware for Ronin Dojo
How to insta
SLP159 Phil Bonello - Bitcoin Sovereign Individual Investment Thesis
Phil Bonello joins me to talk about the book, The Sovereign Individual, and how it relates to a Bitcoin investment thesis. We talk:
The Sovereign Individual book
Black Magic of Compound Interest and Jurisdiction shopping
What the book got wrong
Investment theses around the book relating to:
Media
Education
Remote Work
Bitcoin businesses
Censorship and Privacy
Phil Bonello links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PhilJBonello
Sovereign Individual Investment thesis: https://philj
SLP158 John Lee Quigley - How Does a Bitcoin Price Crash Impact Bitcoin Miners?
John Lee Quigley of MinerUpdate and Adaptive Analysis joins me in this episode to talk about the impacts of bitcoin price drop on Bitcoin mining. We talk about:
What the key costs are for miners
Who are the key players in bitcoin mining
Miner trends
Geographic dispersion
Vertical integration
Energy use
John Lee Quigley Links:
Twitter: @JohnLeeQuigley
MinerUpdate: https://www.minerupdate.com/
Adaptive Analysis: https://adaptiveanalysis.io/
Sample: MinerMovements #7 - Matthew
SLP157 Andy Edstrom - Bad Options For the Fiat Debt Problem & Why Buy Bitcoin
Andy Edstrom, CFA CFP and author of “Why Buy Bitcoin” joins me to talk about:
Learning about austrian economics after getting into Bitcoin
Investor mindset
Fiat Money Debt Problem and Bad Options for how we get out of it
Why Buy Bitcoin book
Andy Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/edstromandrew
Website: www.andyedstrom.com
Book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XG2J3S9
Sponsor links:
Kraken
Unchained Capital
CypherWheel by CypherSafe
SwanBitcoin
Stephan Livera link
SLP156 Carlos Roldan - Satoshi's Games and Lightnite
Carlos Roldan, CEO & Co founder of Satoshi’s Games, joins me to talk about why he’s excited about Lightning powered gaming.
We talk:
Why he got into Lightning
Bitcoin enabled gaming
Making it multi platform and beautiful
Lessons learned with Satoshi’s Place
Schedule going forward with Lightnite
Where you can get Lightnite
Carlos Links:
Lightnite: https://lightnite.io/ref=slp
Twitter: @whiteyhat
Satoshi’s Games: https://satoshis.games/
Satoshi’s Games Twitter: @SatoshisGa
SLP155 Clark Moody - Bitcoin Dashboard & the 1000 Year Bull Run
Clark Moody, Bitcoin OG and entrepreneur joins me to talk about his dashboard, which is a fantastic resource for learning about bitcoin and monitoring bitcoin statistics. This is a great episode to learn about useful concepts in Bitcoin and Lightning. We talk about:
Clark’s history in bitcoin
Why he started the dashboard
Blockchain stats
Node stats
Mining economics
S2F
Output types
Future directions
Clark Moody links:
Twitter: @clarkmoody
Dashboard: https://bitcoin.clarkmood
SLP154 Nick @BTConometrics - Quantitative Bitcoin Analysis & S2F Cointegration Strengthens
Nick joins me to talk about how he tried to disprove PlanB’s Stock to flow model, but ended up finding out that it holds up. We also talk about cointegration, what that means, and some of Nick’s statistical work. We talk about:
Professional background
Background to S2F
Cointegration and what it means
Engle-Granger test
Mean Reversion indicator
Shitcoins riding Bitcoin’s coat tails
Nick links:
Twitter: @Btconometrics
Website: https://btconometrics.com/
Article: https://medium.c
SLP153 Philipp Bagus - What Most People Get Wrong About Deflation
Philipp Bagus, Professor Department of Applied Economics, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos - joins me to talk about why deflation is not what you typically hear in the mainstream financial press. In this conversation we talk about:
The real causes of deflation
Why deflation is not necessarily what causes recessions
Distinctions between growth deflation, and bank credit deflation
Contrasting life under a fiat money standard with a hard money standard
Real world examples
Philipp Bagus links:
SLP152 NVK - CK-BUNKER and Bitcoin Backups
NVK (Coinkite) joins me to talk about a new project, CK-BUNKER, a DIY co-signer. We talk about what this is, how it could be used by bitcoin businesses or service providers. Separately, we also talk about backing up your bitcoins and making sure they’re safe for the years to come. We talk:
CK-BUNKER
How to use it
Coldcard and secure elements
Opendime
Bitcoin Backups
Stablecoins
NVK links:
Twitter: @nvk
CK-BUNKER: https://ckbunker.com/
Coinkite: https://coinkite.com/ (use code:
SLP151 Obi - Coinfloor Going Bitcoin Only & Bitcoin Audits (aka Proof of Reserves)
Obi Nwosu, CEO and Co-founder of Coinfloor joins me in this episode to talk about his approach to the space. We talk about:
Going Bitcoin Only and when an exchange should delist cryptocurrencies
Proof of Reserves & Proof of Solvency
Educating users of the exchange about Bitcoin
Supporting grass roots bitcoin meet ups, conferences, organisations
Advancing Bitcoin
Obi links:
Twitter: @obi
Coinfloor: https://coinfloor.co.uk/hodl/
Coinfloor Bitcoin Audits: https://coinfloor.co.u
SLP150 Samourai Wallet - Make Every Bitcoin Spend a CoinJoin
The co-founder of Samourai Wallet, rejoins me in this episode to talk about the current state of bitcoin privacy techniques, and some exciting updates coming soon to Samourai Wallet. We talk:
Creeping KYC and has bitcoin social culture regressed?
Does taint exist?
Coin selection algorithms. STONEWALL, and Solomon
Stowaway / PayJoin
Wallet fingerprinting and whether it’s an issue
Mobile mixing
Dojo and Ronin Dojo
Thoughts on Lightning and Liquid
Samourai Wallet links:
Website:
SLP149 Waxwing - Is Consumerism at Odds With Privacy in Bitcoin? JoinMarket, PayJoin, SNICKER
Adam Gibson (aka Waxwing), Bitcoin privacy advocate, and contributor to JoinMarket joins me to discuss his thoughts on the state of privacy in Bitcoin. We talk about:
Why consumerism mentality may stop people from using privacy techniques
Why blockchain analysis companies are probably over rated
Schnorr Taproot and cross input signature aggregation
CoinJoinXT
SNICKER
JoinMarket
PayJoin
Adam Gibson links:
Mastodon: @waxwing
Twitter: @waxwing__
Github: AdamISZ
Blog: JoinMark
SLP148 Petek @RadarRayne - Bridging Art and Bitcoin with Stock to Flow
Petek (@RadarRayne) joins me to talk about coming into Bitcoin as an artist, and creating Bitcoin art. We also chat about her experience working with PlanB on stock to flow inspired art pieces, her thoughts on women in bitcoin, and how some ideas were just ripe for being created!
Petek Links:
Twitter: @RadarRayne
Sponsor links:
Kraken
Unchained Capital
CypherWheel by CypherSafe
Stephan Livera links:
Show notes and website
Follow me on twitter @stephanlivera
Subscribe to the pod
SLP147 Pierre Rochard & Saifedean Ammous - Bitcoin as Savings Technology & Number Go Up
Pierre Rochard (Kraken, Noded Podcast, Nakamoto Institute) and Saifedean Ammous (Bitcoin economist and author of The Bitcoin Standard) join me to talk about Bitcoin as Savings Technology and Number Go Up technology. This point is often misunderstood, so listen in for discussion on:
Cash balance
Savings technology
Number Go Up
Stock to flow
Lightning and Bitcoin developments
Pierre Rochard Links:
Twitter: @pierre_rochard
Kraken Careers: Kraken Careers
Kraken: Kraken.com
Nakamot
SLP146 Will Cole - Bitcoin Native Financial Services
Will Cole, CPO of Unchained Capital joins me to talk about:
Learning about bitcoin and austrian economics
Bitcoin meet ups and the shifts over time
Getting ready for a bull run
Bitcoin and allodial title
Wyoming Blockchain taskforce
Unchained Capital vaults and loans
Bitcoin as collateral
Will Cole links:
Twitter: @Willcole
Unchained Capital: Unchained-capital.com
Unchained Capital twitter: @unchainedcap
Sponsor links:
Kraken
Unchained Capital
CypherWheel by CypherSa
SLP145 Rahim Taghizadegan - The Zero Interest Rate Trap and social consequences of fiat
Rahim Taghizadegan, Austrian economist and author, joins me in this episode to talk about the problems with central banking, and social consequences of fiat money. If you enjoyed earlier episodes on Austrian economics, you’ll really enjoy this one! We talk:
Why central banking is a problem
What governments are enabled to do
Capital structure of production
Social consequences of fiat money
How to escape the Zero Interest Rate Trap
Rahim Links:
Twitter: @scholarium_at
Book: https://
SLP144 Steve Lee - Square Crypto and Supporting Bitcoin Development
Steve Lee joins me in the first official Square Crypto podcast appearance! We talk about how he got into Bitcoin, and Square Crypto’s focus on supporting Bitcoin and Lightning open source development. We talk about:
The Square Crypto team and their focus
Lightning Development Kit
BTCPayServer
Zman
Supporting bitcoin development
UI and UX issues with bitcoin today
Links:
Steve Lee Twitter: @moneyball
Square Crypto: @sqcrypto
Square Crypto blog post
Sponsor links:
Kraken
U
SLP143 Eduardo Gomez - Bitcoin as a source of truth in Venezuela
Eduardo Gomez, head of customer support at Purse.io joins me to talk about some interesting developments in Venezuela and bitcoin being used to transfer value across borders. We talk about:
Eduardo’s background
Bitcoin as source of truth
Petro
Stablecoins
What’s needed in terms of tooling and education
Bitcoin in Argentina
Eduardo links:
Twitter: @codiox
Purse: purse.io
Sponsor links:
Kraken
Unchained Capital
CypherWheel by CypherSafe
GiveBitcoin
Stephan Livera links:
SLP142 Pierre-Marie Padiou - ACINQ & Phoenix Wallet: easiest non-custodial lightning wallet yet?
Pierre-Marie Padiou is CEO and co-founder of ACINQ, building on Bitcoin’s Lightning Network. We talk about how ACINQ got founded and their very impressive new Lightning wallet, Phoenix. Phoenix represents a step forward in non-custodial Lightning wallet user experience and we talk about the tradeoffs that go into making this a reality. This episode is a must listen so you know how to best demonstrate Lightning for Bitcoin Lightning newbies or family/friends.
ACINQ links:
Twitter: @acinq_co
AC
SLP141 American HODL - HODLer stories and Bitcoin Citadels
American HODL of Bitcoin Twitter joins me to tell us his stories of Bitcoin HODLing, how he built up his conviction in Bitcoin HODLing, and where we’re going with this:
Modern society and the impact of fiat money
HODLer stories
Spend and replace vs HODL
Bitcoin Baby steps
Bitcoin Citadels - will they be real?
Links:
Twitter: @american_hodl
Sponsor links:
Kraken
Unchained Capital
CypherWheel by CypherSafe
GiveBitcoin
Stephan Livera links:
Show notes and website
Follow
SLP140 Gigi - Bitcoin’s Gravity and 21 Lessons
Gigi, Bitcoin author and curator of bitcoin-resources.com joins me to talk about some of his recent articles and the recent launch of his 21 Lessons book. We talk about:
The gravitational pull of bitcoin
Key resources from bitcoin-resources.com
21 Lessons learned along the way
Gigi links:
Twitter: @dergigi
21 Lessons: 21lessons.com
21 Lessons - Amazon book: Amazon
Bitcoin-Resources: Bitcoin-resources.com
Sponsor links:
Kraken
Unchained Capital
CypherWheel by CypherSafe
G
SLP139 Andreas M. Antonopoulos - Mastering Lightning & Using BTCPayServer
Andreas M. Antonopoulos, world renowned bitcoin speaker & author rejoins me on the show today to talk about some of his latest projects and efforts in Bitcoin. We talk about:
Mastering Lightning - new book coming
Process on learning Lightning Network
Challenges in LN today
Using BTCPayServer to be a merchant
Using RTL
myNode
Andreas links:
Twittter: @aantonop
Website: aantonop.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/aantonop
Sponsor links:
Kraken
Unchained Capital
Cyp
SLP138 Matt Odell - Should Bitcoiners Coinjoin?
Matt Odell, co-host of TFTC/RHR joins me in this episode to talk about coinjoin techniques and bitcoin privacy. We discuss:
What sparked off the recent discussion on coinjoin
Binance SG flagging a customer for using coinjoin
What’s at stake
Is there a tension between ‘white market KYC compliant’ bitcoin and ‘grey market agorism’ bitcoin?
Action steps to take
Matt Odell links:
Twitter: @matt_odell
TFTC/RHR: TFTC.io
Ronin Dojo:
Ronin Dojo Github
Sponsor links:
Kraken
Uncha
SLP137 AJ Towns - Schnorr Taproot Tapscript BIPs
AJ Towns, bitcoin core contributor @ Xapo joins me to talk about his recent work advancing the Schnorr, Taproot, and Tapscript BIPs. We talk about:
What are Schnorr signatures? What is MuSig?
What is Taproot, and what is Tapscript?
Script changes
Schnorr Review Club
Benefits for Bitcoin and Lightning
Upgrade path
Activation
AJ Towns links:
Twitter: @ajtowns
Github: @ajtowns
Schnorr Taproot Review club and resources link: Taproot Review Github
Schnorr BIP
Taproot BIP
Ta
SLP136 Alex Leishman - Bitcoin Socratic Seminars & River Financial
Alex Leishman, organizer of SF Bitcoin Devs and CEO of River, joins me in this episode to talk about his journey in Bitcoin and Austrian Economics, as well as talk about how to moderate and run a successful Bitcoin Socratic Seminar meet up. Listen in and get some tips on how you can run or participate in Bitcoin meet ups in your city! We talk:
Ground rules
What discussion takes place at a Bitcoin Socratic Seminar
How the rest of the world can copy this model
River FInancial
Alex Leishman
SLP135 Suheb - Manage Your Lightning Node with RTL
Suheb, co-founder of RTL joins me in this episode to talk about tips on managing your Lightning Node with RTL. We talk:
How Suheb got into Lightning
His experience with the Lightning Torch
Different personas for RTL - Node Operator, Merchant
Channel Management
Interface
What’s coming next with RTL
Suheb and RTL links:
Twitter: @Suheb__
RTL: @RTL_app
RTL Github: RTL Github
Sponsor links:
Kraken
Unchained Capital
CypherWheel by CypherSafe
GiveBitcoin
Stephan Livera li
SLP134 Rusty Russell - Lightning Multi Part Payments
Rusty Russell from Blockstream rejoins me in this episode to talk about a very exciting development in Bitcoin’s Lightning Network: Multi Part Payments. This is a new feature that will be implemented into the Lightning Network specification, and will be included in the new c-lightning 0.8.0 release. We talk about:
Development work ongoing
Multi Part Payments and how they change Lightning Network
Payment Secrets
Privacy on Lightning Network
Outlook for Lightning Network in 2020
Rusty Ru
SLP133 Trace Mayer - Proof of Keys, and Bitcoin’s Battle on Two Fronts
Trace Mayer, world renowned Bitcoin investor, writer and speaker rejoins me on the podcast to talk about Proof of Keys, an annual event for Bitcoiners to withdraw bitcoins from any third parties to keys they hold. In this episode we talk about:
Proof of Keys
Tools and best practices
The battle for scarcity, and the battle for privacy
Mises’ book, Bureaucracy
Trace Mayer links:
Twitter: @TraceMayer
Proof of Keys: ProofOfKeys.com
Bitcoin Knowledge Podcast: Bitcoin.kn
Sponsor links:
SLP132 Christian Moss (Mandelduck) - Bitcoin Lightning gaming with Zebedee
Christian joins me in this episode to talk about his experiences building on lightning network, and his venture along Andre Neves and Simon Cowell with Zebedee, lightning powered games. We talk:
How Chris got into Bitcoin app development
Does Lightning belong in games?
Zebedee approach to lightning game development
Thoughts on Lightning Network more generally, and LNURL
Links:
Christian Moss Twitter: @MandelDuck
Zebedee website: Zebedee.io
Zebedee Article: Does Bitcoin in Gaming M
SLP131 Parker Lewis - Bitcoin is Intuitive
Parker Lewis, Head of Business Development at Unchained Capital joins me in this episode to talk about a range of things:
How he went from global macro hedge fund to bitcoiner
What the Fed gets wrong
A Hayekian appreciation for bitcoin
His blog series, Gradually, Then Suddenly
Bitcoin becoming intuitive
Unchained Capital Caravan - open source & free multi sig
Links:
Parker Lewis Twitter @Parkeralewis
Unchained Capital Website
Unchained Capital Twitter
Unchained Capital Y
SLP130 ErgoBTC - Tracking PlusToken Scammers with White Hat Bitcoin Chain Analysis
ErgoBTC, a pseudonymous bitcoin ‘white hat’ privacy analyst joins me in this episode to talk about his journey tracking PlusToken scammers in their attempts to mix and dump 200k BTC. This is a must listen episode for bitcoiners to understand how your privacy can be impinged, and we also talk about tools and techniques for assessing and defending your own bitcoin privacy.
We talk:
How he got into bitcoin privacy analysis
PlusToken scammers - what is the scale of it, and what did they do wrong
SLP129 Pascal Gauthier - Ledger, Bitcoin Security, and what to expect for 2020
Pascal Gauthier, CEO of Ledger joins me in this episode to talk about Ledger Hardware Wallet devices. We talk:
Pascal’s background in bitcoin
Ledger device overview
Privacy while using Ledger
Multi signature
Bitcoin-only devices?
Future directions with Ledger devices
Pascal and Ledger links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ledger
Website: https://www.ledger.com
Sponsor links:
Kraken
Unchained Capital
CypherWheel by CypherSafe
GiveBitcoin
Stephan Livera links:
Show not
SLP128 Jan Čapek - Stratum v2 Bitcoin Mining Protocol
Jan Čapek, co-CEO of Braiins and working at Slush Pool joins me to talk about this an upgrade to a Bitcoin Mining protocol, Stratum. Stratum V2 is the next generation protocol for pooled mining. It focuses on making data transfers more efficient, reducing physical infrastructure requirements for mining operations, and increasing security. In this conversation we get into some detail about:
How Jan got into Bitcoin and Bitcoin Mining
How the original Stratum protocol came about
What is new a
SLP127 Ben Perrin (BTCSessions) - Bitcoin beginner onboarding strategies
Ben Perrin, host of BTCSessions YouTube channel joins me to talk about his experiences educating new Bitcoiners. Listen to this episode to get some tips on how you can spread bitcoin knowledge in a thoughtful way. We talk:
How Ben got into Bitcoin and doing a YouTube channel
Taking insights from his prior career as a teacher
Helping beginners avoid common errors
Bitcoin tools and wallets
Running a bitcoin node and comparing node products
Update from Bull Bitcoin and 21x
Ben Perrin li
SLP126 Ben Askren
Ben Askren, a recently retired pro Mixed Martial Artist and former Olympic Wrestler joins me to talk about how he got into Bitcoin and is now spreading the word about Bitcoin to his following! We talk:
How he got into Bitcoin
Common misconceptions
Why we run full nodes in Bitcoin
What’s next for him with Bitcoin
Ben Askren Links:
Ben Askren Twitter
Funky Crypto Podcast
Sponsor links:
Kraken
Unchained Capital
Bitcoin Outlet use code: LIVERA for 21% off
GiveBitcoin
Stephan
SLP125 Thomas Voegtlin - Electrum Wallet: Bitcoin seeds, PSBT, Multi sig, Lightning
Thomas Voegtlin, Founder of Electrum Wallet joins me to talk about how and why he started Electrum Wallet, one of the longest standing Bitcoin wallets (2011). In this interview we discuss a range of topics around the Electrum Server model, Partially Signed Bitcoin Transactions, Bitcoin seed formats (BIP39), Multi signature, Hardware wallets and the recent announcement of Lightning in Electrum.
Links:
Electrum website
Electrum Twitter @ElectrumWallet
Sponsor links:
Kraken
Unchained Capit
SLP124 Jon Atack - Bitcoin Core Contribution
Jon Atack joins me to talk about his experience with open source software development, and to talk about the process of Bitcoin Core development and code review. We talk:
Becoming a Bitcoin Core contributor
How to best contribute
Communication channels for development
Priorities in Bitcoin development
Funding for development
Jon Atack Links:
Twitter: @jonatack (https://twitter.com/jonatack)
Github: @jonatack (https://github.com/jonatack)
Bitcoin Core PR Review Club: https:
SLP123 Allen Piscitello - Sidechains & Blockstream Liquid
Allen Piscitello, VP Product of Blockstream joins me to talk about Blockstream Liquid as a new model for inter exchange settlement, and the possibility of building out new financial infrastructure in a way different from the legacy financial system. We talk:
Tradeoffs and differences between approaches of Lightning, Statechains, and Liquid
How pegging Bitcoin in and out of Liquid works
Features that Liquid’s blockchain has e.g. Confidential Transactions and Confidential Assets
How Liquid
SLP122 PlanB - Responses to the S2F model
PlanB (Pseudonymous Bitcoin Quant) rejoins me in this episode to talk about the response to his seminal work, Modeling Bitcoin’s Value with Scarcity. There have been some responses to his Stock to Flow (S2F) modelling work, so we talk:
The response to his articles and translations
What cointegration is and why it matters
Responses to PlanB’s modelling work
Cash and carry trade
Where to from here
PlanB Links:
Twitter: @100trillionUSD
Medium Article: Modeling Bitcoin’s Value with Sc
SLP121 Yan Pritzker - Intro to Bitcoin Mining (Beginner episode)
Yan Pritzker, Bitcoin Author and previously CTO of Reverb joins me in this episode to talk about Bitcoin Mining, his book Inventing Bitcoin and give Bitcoin beginners an intro to Bitcoin Mining.
We talk about:
Whether a beginner should do Bitcoin Mining or use cloud mining
How bitcoin mining works
How the network stops cheaters
Bitcoin mining attacks
Common errors in thinking about Bitcoin
Yan Pritzker Links:
Yan Pritzker Twitter @skwp
Inventing Bitcoin website
Sponsor links:
SLP120 Jack Mallers - Lightning & Identity, Olympus and Zap
Jack Mallers of Zap joins me to talk about the recent exploration of Lightning Network and Identity, as well as talking about his new service, Olympus, and Zap wallet development. This interview was recorded one day before the Lightning Conference in Berlin, Germany October 2019.
Topics:
Use of Lightning Node pub key as identity
Complications with above
The exposure that any Lightning business has to chain fees
Future directions in Zap wallet development
Jack Mallers;
Twitter: @JackMa
SLP119 Alex Bosworth - Submarine Swaps, Loop, Hyperloop
Alex Bosworth, Lightning Infrastructure Lead at Lightning Labs joins me to talk about what he’s working on: Submarine swaps, Lightning Loop and Hyperloop. We chat about the possibilities being enabled for Bitcoin’s Lightning Network.
We talk:
Submarine swaps and Loop
Practical applications for Merchants, Exchanges, Users
Routing on the lightning network
Fees on the Lightning Network
What people should be doing with Lightning Network
Alex Bosworth Links:
Alex Bosworth Twitter
Light
SLP118 Mike Belshe - BitGo Bitcoin Custody
Mike Belshe, CEO of BitGo joins me to talk about his journey with Bitcoin and the challenges BitGo faces in being the world’s largest Bitcoin custodian. We talk about:
Coming into Bitcoin
How secure storage evolved in Bitcoin over time
Technological and Procedural techniques used today to enhance security
Insurance
Contentious forks
The risk of government
Future of Bitcoin Custody
Mike Belshe links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mikebelshe
BitGo: https://www.bitgo.com
SLP Bitc
SLP117 Pura Vida - Learning about Bitcoin Privacy
Pura Vida of the Lightning Hood team joins me to share his perspectives and journey in learning about bitcoin privacy and putting it into practice with tools such as Samourai Wallet and Nodl. We talk about:
His journey of learning Bitcoin Privacy
How to manage your Bitcoin UTXO set
Coinjoining
Why Post Mix is underrated
Other privacy tips
Pura Vida links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Pura_Vlda
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lightning_hood
Sponsor links:
Kraken: http://www.kraken
SLP116 Taylor Helsper - Easy Bitcoin Nodes with myNode
Taylor joins me to talk about his project myNode which may be one of the easiest, cheapest and feature rich methods to run your own full node and connect to your own hardware wallet. We talk through the process, and some of the challenges that newbies face today, in setting up their own bitcoin full node.
Taylor Helsper myNode Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mynodebtc
myNode website: http://mynodebtc.com/
myNode telegram: https://t.me/mynode_btc
Sponsor links:
Kraken: http://w
SLP115 Trace Mayer - Bitcoin as Ultimate Collateral
Trace Mayer, renowned Bitcoin investor, writer and speaker joins me in this episode to talk about a range of topics on jurisdictional competition in relation to Bitcoin, how best to learn, shifting perceptions on Bitcoin, whether there are any threats to Bitcoin, and this concept of Bitcoin as the ultimate collateral.
Trace Mayer links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TraceMayer
Bitcoin Knowledge Podcast: https://www.bitcoin.kn/
Sponsor links:
Kraken: http://www.kraken.com/?utm_source=podcas
SLP114 Gene Epstein - Moderating Bitcoin Debates
Gene Epstein, Director of the Soho forum joins me to talk about his experiences in moderating debates in Bitcoin and Austrian Economics. We talk about some of the key points that Bitcoiners should consider from Ludwig von Mises and Murray Rothbard, and we also talk about the debate between Erik Voorhees and Peter Schiff, and the debate between George Selgin and Saifedean Ammous.
Links:
SoHo Forum: https://www.thesohoforum.org/
Gene Epstein twitter:https://twitter.com/GeneSohoForum
Sponsor li
SLP113 Dhruv Bansal - Bitcoin Multisig & Hermit with Unchained Capital
Dhruv Bansal, Co-Founder and CSO of Unchained Capital rejoins me in this episode to talk about some bitcoin open source contributions Unchained Capital are making, as well as Unchained Capital products and services. Learn more about multi signature, Shamir’s secret sharing, and how Unchained are applying Bitcoin to financial services.
We talk:
Multisig Vaults
Open sourced multisig software
Hermit - Shamir’s Secret Sharing
Links:
Dhruv Bansal: https://twitter.com/dhruvbansal
Unchained
SLP112 - Wiz and m52go - Bisq: Decentralised Bitcoin Trading
Wiz and m52go join me in this episode to talk about Bisq, a decentralised open source project that serves to enable zero KYC decentralised Bitcoin exchange around the world. We talk:
How Bisq is decentralised
Structure of Bisq
How Bisq is developed
Localising it for Japan and how this can be done for other countries
BSQ token
Links:
Bisq Network: https://bisq.network, https://github.com/bisq-network/bisq, https://twitter.com/bisq_network, https://bisq.network/slack-invite
Off-chai
SLP111 Bitstein - Satoshi Nakamoto Institute Bitcoin Crash Course
My friend Bitstein aka Michael Goldstein rejoins me in this episode to talk about why he founded the Nakamoto Institute. We also talk through some of the highlights from the SNI Crash Course, which is a must read series of articles to improve your Bitcoin knowledge and understanding. Michael shares some incredible insight on Austrian economics, the cargo cultism of altcoins, and more.
Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bitstein
Crash Course: https://nakamotoinstitute.org/crash-course/
Lite
SLP110 Neil Woodfine - Cerberus Protocol for Business Bitcoin Storage
Neil Woodfine of Clavestone rejoins me in this episode to talk about the Cerberus Protocol. Cerberus is a protocol designed to be simple for businesses to use Bitcoin multi signature and self custody their bitcoins. We talk about:
Why Cerberus Protocol
Risks that bitcoin businesses face with bitcoin storage
Balancing security with ease of use
Walkthrough of the key steps in Cerberus Protocol
Plan for future development
Clavestone
Links:
Neil Woodfine twitter: https://twitter.com/n
SLP109 Preston Pysh - How To Think About Bitcoin as an Investor
Preston Pysh, co-host of The Investor’s Podcast (a globally ranked Investment podcast), joins me to talk about his thoughts on investing in Bitcoin. We talk about the category errors and pitfalls that an investor must be wary of when conceiving of the Bitcoin investment thesis.
We discuss:
Category errors
80 years of conditioning
Investment career risk
Psychology and emotions, and how you can manage yours
Trace Mayer and the Mayer Multiple
Preston Pysh Links:
Preston’s Twitter: http
SLP108 Bryan Bishop - Bitcoin Vaults & Custody
Bryan Bishop (Bitcoin developer & consultant) joins me in this episode to talk about his experiences with Bitcoin Custody from working at LedgerX and in other settings. We talk about:
Bitcoin Custody & Vaults
Shamir’s Secret Sharing
Bitcoin Hardware
Smart Custody
Transcripts of Bitcoin Conferences/Podcasts
The Bitcoin alert key saga
Transhumanism
Bryan links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kanzure
Personal Website: https://heybryan.org/
Transcripts: http://diyhpl.us/wi
SLP107 Jeremy Welch & Jameson Lopp - Casa Wealth Security Protocol
Jeremy Welch (CEO Casa) and Jameson Lopp (CTO Casa) re join me in this episode to talk about Casa Wealth Security Protocol and Casa Keymaster. We talk about various points related to securing your Bitcoin:
Design Principles and Decisions
Key risks
Casa Keymaster and Basic Multi Sig set up
Multi sig, multi location, multi device
Going seedless
Privacy
Roadmap
Casa, Jeremy and Jameson links:
Casa Wealth Security Protocol: https://keys.casa/wealth-security-protocol/
Casa Twitter:
SLP106 Diogo Monica - Glacier Protocol and Anchorage
Glacier Protocol is widely regarded as one of the best ways for an individual to secure their bitcoins. Who better to join me than the Project Lead and Maintainer of Glacier Protocol? Diogo Monica, Co Founder and President of Anchorage, and Project Lead of Glacier Protocol joins me in this episode to talk about:
Diogo’s background on computer security
Glacier Protocol design decisions
Glacier Protocol overview and step through
Key features
Taking security to the next level with Anchorag
SLP105 Justin Moon & Stepan Snigirev - DIY Bitcoin Hardware Wallet and Multi Signature
Justin Moon (BUIDL Bootcamp) and Stepan Snigirev (CTO Crypto Advance) rejoin me in this episode to talk about creating your own Bitcoin Hardware Wallet, and setting up Multi Signature with it. Justin and Stepan have been working on their respective projects relating to DIY Hardware Wallets, and multi signature. We talk about:
Why you would make your own HW Wallet
How much skill it takes and what the cost is
The security of such a set up
Compatibility with Bitcoin Core and standards
How
SLP104 Douglas Bakkum and Jonas Schnelli - BitBox02 by Shift Cryptosecurity
Jonas Schnelli (Bitcoin Core Developer and Maintainer and Co Founder Shift Crypto) and Douglas Bakkum (CEO, Shift Cryptosecurity) join me in this episode to talk about the BitBox02 hardware wallet product from Shift Cryptosecurity based in Switzerland. We talk about:
Why Shift Crypto was started
Prior product, BitBox01
BitBox02 and how it works
PSBT and Air gapping
Privacy
Multi Sig
Bitcoin-only
Shift Cryptosecurity Links:
Shift Cryptosecurity: https://shiftcrypto.ch/
Jonas Sc
SLP103 Charles Guillemet - Hardware Wallet Security and Hacking at Donjon Ledger
Charles Guillemet, Chief Security Officer of Ledger, and also leading Ledger Donjon, joins me to talk about Bitcoin hardware wallet hacking. We talk about the attacks possible, the cost of these attacks, and defence against these attacks. You won’t want to miss this episode!
Charles and Donjon Ledger links:
Charles Twitter: https://twitter.com/P3b7_
Ledger Donjon Twitter: https://twitter.com/DonjonLedger
Ledger Donjon github: https://ledger-donjon.github.io/
SLP Hardware Wallet Interview
SLP102 Jimmy Song & Alex Gladstein - The Little Bitcoin Book
Jimmy Song (Bitcoin educator, entrepreneur and developer) and Alex Gladstein (CSO of Human Rights Foundation) join me in this episode to talk about their fantastic new book, The Little Bitcoin Book. This is the perfect short book to give your precoiner friends! It has succinct explanations on why bitcoin is important. Listen to this episode to learn more about how this book came together, what the authors are hoping to achieve, and if you like it - then make sure you buy copies of the book to gi
SLP101 Rodolfo Novak - Coldcard by Coinkite
Rodolfo Novak (CEO CoinKite) rejoins me in this episode to talk about the Coldcard from Coinkite. We talk about:
Why he made the Coldcard
Basic features of the Coldcard
Bitcoiner support for the Coldcard
Multi signature with Coldcard
WalletsRecovery.org
Rodolfo Novak and Coldcard links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nvk
Coinkite website: https://coinkite.com/ (CODE: LIVERA for 5% off)
Coldcard documentation: https://coldcardwallet.com/docs/
Coldcard telegram chat: https:/
SLP100 Pavol Rusnak (Stick) - Trezor One and Model T by SatoshiLabs
Pavol Rusnak aka Stick, CTO of SatoshiLabs (the company behind Trezor) joins me in this episode to talk about his journey creating the world’s first bitcoin hardware wallet. We talk about:
Making the world’s first bitcoin hardware wallet
SLIP39 and Shamir’s secret sharing
Multi signature support
Airgapping
Privacy
Bitcoin-only firmware
FIDO2 authentication
Pavol Rusnak and Trezor links:
Pavol’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/pavolrusnak
Trezor website: https://trezor.io/ (
SLP99 Andrew Chow - Hardware Wallets and Bitcoin Core with HWI and PSBT
Andrew Chow, Bitcoin Core developer at Blockstream joins me in this episode to talk about his work on HWI - Hardware Wallet Interface and PSBT - Partially Signed Bitcoin Transactions. We discuss the benefits of PSBT and Hardware Wallet Interface in making Bitcoin’s user interface better for users who want to do multi sig or interact with hardware wallets using Bitcoin Core.
We talk:
Andrew’s background
Why PSBT (Partially Signed Bitcoin Transactions) is needed
HWI - Hardware Wallet In
SLP98 Rusty Russell and Joe Netti - Can Lightning Network Scale to a Million Channels?
So Bitcoin’s Lightning Network exists and works today. Can it scale up to a million channels? Rusty Russell (Blockstream Elements Project, working on c-lightning and the Lightning Spec) and Joe Netti (recently interned at Blockstream) join me to talk about their work on the Million Channels Project. We talk about:
Why the Project was started
Set up
Regtest and Gossip
Routing
Optimisations needed
An update on c-lightning
Links:
Million Channel Blockstream results post: https:
SLP97 Michael Flaxman - Every Bitcoin Hardware Wallet Sucks
Michael Flaxman, Bitcoin Educator and Developer joins me in this episode (part of the SLP Hardware Wallet Interview series) to talk about the current state of Bitcoin Hardware Wallets. This episode is a must listen to learn the differences between some of the current popular Hardware Wallets, and give you a framework on how to think about Hardware Wallet security. This will help you think more clearly about how to secure your own bitcoins.
We talk:
The current state of hardware wallets
SLP96 Max Hillebrand - Bitcoin Hardware Wallets for Newbies
Max Hillebrand, Bitcoin educator and World Crypto Net broadcaster joins me in this newbie episode to target about good practices with Hardware wallets and what we should think about. We talk:
Why you should not leave your bitcoins on an exchange
How to think about Hardware Wallets
Recommended practices with Hardware wallets and self custody
Next steps for learning
Max Hillebrand links
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HillebrandMax
World Crypto Net: https://www.youtube.com/user/Wor
SLP95 Aleks Svetski - Clashing Visions
Aleks Svetski (CEO and co-founder Amber) rejoins me in this episode to talk about the clash of visions:
Trading or HODLing
Buying with a lump sum or DCA - Dollar Cost Averaging
Mindsets around DCA
Libra vs USD vs Bitcoin
Belief systems
Aleks and Amber links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/alekssvetski
Amber: https://amber.app
Sponsor links:
Kraken: http://www.kraken.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=stephanlivera
Unchained Capital: https://www.unch
SLP94 Roy Sheinfeld - Lightning Network Services for the Masses
Roy Sheinfeld, CEO of Breez Technology joins me to talk about his view of Bitcoin’s Lightning Network. We touch on a number of topics:
Roy’s background in Bitcoin
Why he’s excited about Lightning Network and what problems it can solve
How the Lightning Network will evolve with Lightning Service Providers
What he’s doing with Breez Tech and the Breez app
Neutrino filtering
Roy Sheinfeld links:
Breez Tech Twitter: https://twitter.com/Breez_Tech
Breez Technology: https://
SLP93 Raoul Pal - Global Macro Risks and Bitcoin
Raoul Pal (CEO RealVision and Global Macro Investor) joins me in this episode to discuss the Global Macro risks that he sees, and his perspective on Bitcoin. We talk about the stage of the business cycle that we are in, problems faced by individuals and corporates, and Raoul’s views on Bitcoin.
Raoul Pal and Realvision links:
Raoul twitter: https://twitter.com/RaoulGMI
Realvision link: http://realvision.com/free
Raoul tweet thread: https://twitter.com/RaoulGMI/status/11478
SLP92 Britt Kelly - BTCPayServer documentation, translation & Newbie tips
Britt Kelly joins me for the fourth and final episode in the BTCPayServer interview series.
Britt and I chat about:
Getting into Bitcoin and BTCPayServer
What you can learn by contributing
Documentation of BTCPay
Translation of BTCPay
Tips for newbies
Reflections on being a female in Bitcoin and open source
Britt Kelly links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/britttttkelly
Britt Kelly Donation page: https://btcps0.com/apps/2CCRTE84cnbSyEsJVvDxsqq9uUJV/pos
SLP BTCPa
SLP91 Kukks - BTCPayServer architecture and BTC transmuter
Episode 3 in the BTCPayServer series! Kukks, BTCPayServer developer and contributor joins me in this episode to talk about his work. We talk about the way BTCPayServer is structured, and also about the BTC Transmuter (aka fiat bridge), enabling merchants to take Bitcoin payment via BTCPayServer, but receive fiat through an interface with a Bitcoin exchange.
We talk:
BTCPayServer Architecture
BTC Transmuter (taking BTC and converting into fiat for the merchant)
Contributing to BTCPaySer
SLP90 Pavlenex - BTCPayServer for Merchants
Episode 2 of the SLP BTCPayServer series! Pavlenex (BTCPayServer contributor and Operator of BitcoinShirt.co) joins me to talk about his journey in becoming a bitcoiner, and becoming a BTCPayServer contributor. We talk:
How BTCPayServer helps a merchant accept Bitcoin
Creating BTCPayServer Guides
Cost of running BTCPayServer
BTCPayServer misconceptions
BTCPayServer with Lightning Network
BTCPayServer Merchant Directory
See the other interviews in the series: https://stephanlivera.com
SLP89 Rockstar Dev - BTCPayServer, Tor crowdfunding, and Rockstarism
Rockstar Developer joins me to talk about his experiences in open source development, working on BTCPayServer, Tor crowdfunding, and his philosophy of Rockstarism.
We talk:
Open source vs closed source development
BTCPayServer and the community
BTCPayServer benefits
Tor crowdfunding
Rockstarism philosophy
Experiences with hyperinflation
Rockstar and BTCPayServer links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/r0ckstardev
BTCPayServer: https://btcpayserver.org/
SLP88 Conner Brown - Bitcoin is Money, not Payments
Conner Brown joins me in this episode to talk about his journey of learning about Bitcoin and why Bitcoin should be thought of as money, not payments. We talk about:
How he came to learn about Bitcoin
His journey coming from the Bcash world view to the Bitcoiner view
Common pitfalls in learning or reasoning about Bitcoin
Dealing with Ripplecoin shills
Conner Brown links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_ConnerBrown_
Article - Bitcoin has no intrinsic value: https://medium.c
SLP87 Per Bylund - The Problem of Production
Assistant Professor and Records-Johnston Professor of Free Enterprise at Oklahoma State University, at the OSU School of Entrepreneurship, and Fellow at the Mises Institute - Per Bylund joins me in this episode to talk about his book on the theory of the firm:
What was wrong with the theory of the firm before
Firms as islands of productivity
Capital Theory
What happens to firms over time
Per Bylund links:
Per Bylund Twitter:https://twitter.com/PerBylund
The Problem of Producti
SLP86 PlanB - Frontrunning the Bitcoin Halvening?
SLP86 PlanB - Frontrunning the Bitcoin Halvening?
PlanB rejoins me in this anticipated follow up episode discussing his stock to flow data modelling of Bitcoin’s valuation. The first episode was hotly downloaded and discussed online, so this time we talk about whether the recent bullish price action is a reflection of speculators front running the May 2020 Bitcoin block subsidy halving. Don’t miss this episode!
Response to the first episode
Stock to flow multiple
Front running the hal
SLP85 Sergej Kotliar - Building Bitcoin’s Circular Economy
Sergej Kotliar (CEO Bitrefill) rejoins me in this episode recorded at Bitcoin2019 Conference in San Francisco to talk about his views on the ‘store of value first’ narrative in Bitcoin. Is there a need to build a Bitcoin circular economy now? Sergej also offers some reflections on the situation with the bitcoin fee market, and provides an update on what’s happening at Bitrefill.
Topics:
“SoV first” vs building the bitcoin circular economy
Bitcoin Twitter is not representative of B
SLP84 Stepan Snigirev - Quantum Computing Threat to Bitcoin and Next Generation Bitcoin Hardware Wallets
Stepan Snigirev, Quantum Physicist and CTO of CryptoAdvance joins me in this episode to talk about the Quantum threat to Bitcoin, and we also talk about Bitcoin Hardware Wallets. This interview was recorded in person in San Francisco just prior to the Bitcoin2019 conference.
Topics covered:
What Bitcoin’s security relies on
Why the Quantum Computing threat against Bitcoin is overblown
How long until it might be a realistic consideration
Challenges faced by Bitcoin Hardware wallets t
SLP83 Conner Fromknecht - Bitcoin Lightning Watchtowers in depth
Conner Fromknecht Head of Cryptographic Engineering at Lightning Labs, joins me to go in depth on Bitcoin Lightning Watchtowers. Understand how Bitcoin’s Lightning Network keeps channel participants honest and how Watchtowers can help:
How Lightning Network’s punishment model works without watchtowers
Where watchtowers come in and how they work
Why watchtowers can’t steal your bitcoins
Scalability of watchtowers
Privacy
Funding and operation model
LND v0.7 features
Conner Fro
SLP82 Alena Vranova - Data privacy in a digital age
Alena Vranova, Head of Strategy at Casa joins me in this episode to talk about the challenges we’re all facing with keeping our data secure, as well as what Casa are doing.
We talk:
Privacy horrors around the world
#MyDataMyLife campaign
What individuals can do to protect their privacy
How businesses can change their practices
Casa and their approach to customer data
Alena Vranova links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/alenasatoshi
Casa: https://keys.casa/
Sp
SLP81 Dan Held - Why Bitcoin’s Security is Fine
Dan Held, Co-Founder of Interchange rejoins me in this episode to talk about the long term security of Bitcoin as it transitions to transaction fee (away from block subsidy). We discuss whether this will be a problem, or whether Bitcoin will be OK.
Basic statement of the concern
The modelling behind why Dan believes Bitcoin’s security is fine
The increasing ‘weight’ of a bitcoin transaction
How bitcoin usage will evolve in the future
Value of Bitcoin conference reflections e.g. is
SLP80 Richard Myers - Bitcoin Incentivised Mesh Networking with Lot49
Richard Myers of Gotenna and Global Mesh Labs joins me to talk about a new way to improve mesh networking with the use of bitcoin payments to provide incentive for message and packet routing. We talk:
What the problem is with the current set up of the internet and current mesh networking
What the Lot49 proposal is
How it works
Risks and challenges to be faced
What happens next
Richard Myers Links:
Richard Myers twitter: https://twitter.com/remyers_
Global Mesh Labs twitter:
SLP79 Misir Mahmudov - Bitcoin, Inequality & Morals
Misir Mahmudov (Bitcoin writer and working Operations at Adaptive Capital) joins me in this episode to talk:
How he learned about Bitcoin and Austrian Economics
Recommendations for listeners who want to learn more
His thesis on the closure of the gold window and impacts on inequality
Bitcoin and Morals
The role of Satoshi
Misir links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/misir_mahmudov
Medium: https://medium.com/@misir_mahmudov
Sponsor links:
Kraken: http://www.kraken.com/
SLP78 Samourai Wallet - Welcome to the Dojo
A co-founder of the Bitcoin privacy focused wallet, Samourai Wallet, rejoins the show in this fantastic episode to talk about the many updates since last time on the show (SLP29):
Getting funding from Cypherpunk Holdings
Release of Dojo software - open sourcing Samourai Wallet server backend
Collaboration with the nodl team for official Dojo Hardware
Whirlpool (Coinjoin) mixing
Other features and what to look out for - Stonewallx2, Stowaway, Ricochet
Samourai Wallet Links:
Samourai
SLP77 Kalle Rosenbaum - Grokking Bitcoin: it’s not just for developers
Kalle Rosenbaum (author, developer and bitcoin consultant) joins me in this episode to discuss his new book, Grokking Bitcoin. We talk:
The process of writing this book
David Harding’s foreword
Some cryptography basics
Different Bitcoin transaction types
How nodes communicate
Bitcoin upgrades, and bitcoin forks
Kalle Rosenbaum links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kallerosenbaum
(40% DISCOUNT CODE: podsliv19) Grokking Bitcoin book: https://www.manning.com/books/grokking-bitc
SLP76 Vijay Boyapati - Bitcoin is not Paypal 2.0
Vijay Boyapati, Bitcoin economic commentator, joins me to talk about:
Monetary stages of evolution
Merchant adoption of Bitcoin to receive payment - is it 2013 all over again?
Facebook Crypto
Horizontal “Crypto” vs Vertical Bitcoin businesses
Why Bitcoin is not Paypal 2.0
Vijay links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/real_vijay/
Bitcoin ‘Horizontal vs vertical’ thread: https://twitter.com/real_vijay/status/1128893146807488512
Stephan Livera links:
Twitter: https:
SLP75 Giacomo Zucco - There is only one Bitcoin (Newbie episode)
Giacomo joins me again in this episode to explain for newbies why there is only one Bitcoin. We cover common points of confusion that newbies and outsiders to Bitcoin may not grasp:
Forks of Bitcoin
Semantics and word games
Traps to avoid
Giacomo link:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/giacomozucco
Stephan Livera links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/@stephanlivera
Website: https://stephanlivera.com/
Patreon: http://patreon.com/stephanlivera
Tallycoin for Bitc
SLP74 Wiz - Bitcoiners vs Shitcoiners
Wiz, Bitcoin OG from Tokyo (and creator of the “Bitcoiner or Shitcoiner” browser extension) joins me in this episode to discuss his career, how to build your own ISP, and also, a new way to help mitigate social attacks on Bitcoin.
We talk:
Importance of self sovereignty for Bitcoiners
How to set up your own ISP
VPNs
Bitcoiner or Shitcoiner browser extension
Wiz’s work with Hive.one and setting up his projects, “Bitcoin Wizards”, and “Bitcoiner or Shitcoiner”
How this can help mi
SLP73 Tamas Blummer - Rust-Bitcoin, Threats to Bitcoin & Bitcoin Data Science
Tamas Blummer, Bitcoin developer and entrepreneur with a long and respected background in Bitcoin joins me in this must-listen, wide ranging episode to talk about:
Rust-Bitcoin projects
Threats to bitcoin:
Soft fork threats and protocol ossification
Incentivised re-orgs of Bitcoin’s blockchain
Central Bank Digital Currencies and Negative Interest rates
Bitcoin data science
Liveliness measure
Work with Adamant Capital
Tamas Blummer links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TamasB
SLP72 Eric Voskuil - Fractional or Full Reserve Banking? and Jurisdictional Arbitrage
Eric Voskuil (lead developer of libbitcoin and Cryptoeconomics author) joins me to talk about his views on Austrian economics, Murray Rothbard, Fractional vs Full Reserve Banking. We also chat about “Jurisdictional Arbitrage” from his Cryptoeconomics github pages.
Eric Voskuil links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/evoskuil
Cryptoeconomics pages: https://github.com/libbitcoin/libbitcoin-system/wiki/Cryptoeconomics
Libbitcoin: https://libbitcoin.org/
Stephan Livera links
SLP71 Stephan Livera - Intro to Bitcoin Austrian thought
On listener request, I fly solo for this episode to give Bitcoin newbies and Bitcoin intermediate listeners an overview on 'Bitcoin Austrian' thought. Learn why students of the Austrian school of economics are well placed to understand Bitcoin:
How money arises on the market as most saleable good
Why Bitcoin isn't a scam
'Intrinsic value'
Blockchains and social scalability
Bitcoin and Austrian thinkers worth listening to and reading
Make sure you share this episode with your friends who
SLP70 Matt Odell - Putting Bitcoin into practice for noobs
Matt Odell, Bitcoin podcast co-host of the Rabbit Hole Recap joins me in this fun episode to talk about ways Bitcoiners can put theory into practice. Along the way we chat:
Challenges in educating noobs
Common pitfalls and scams
Approaches to take going forward
How to avoid scams to come in the future
Matt Odell links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/matt_odell
TFTC podcast: http://tftc.io/
Stephan Livera links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/@stephanlivera 
SLP69 Saifedean Ammous - How governments could kill Bitcoin and Bitcoin scenarios
Saifedean Ammous, Bitcoin economist and author of seminal book, The Bitcoin Standard, joins me in this episode. We talk about some of his recent research:
How governments could try to kill Bitcoin
Why fiat money hyperinflation is not that likely
Why we can’t simply disregard gold
Thoughts on stock to flow modelling
Research Bulletins going forward
Saifedean links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/saifedean
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/saifedean/
Research bulletin
SLP68 Joost Jager - Lightning Loop Out/In, and Lightning Network Criticisms
Joost Jager, Lightning Network Infrastructure Engineer at Lightning Labs, joins me in this episode to talk about Lightning Loop Out and In. We also discuss some of the recent criticisms of the Lightning Network by Peter Rizun. We talk:
How Lightning Loop helps you manage inbound liquidity, or pay with BTC on chain to get outgoing capacity on a lightning channel
Practical uses of Lightning Loop technology
Some of the technicals behind how Lightning Loop e.g. hodlinvoice
Thoughts and re
SLP67 Plan B (@100trillionUSD) - Modelling Bitcoin’s digital scarcity through stock-to-flow techniques
Plan B (@100trillionUSD), operator of a well known pseudonymous twitter account joins me for discussion on modelling the incredible value of Bitcoin. Don’t miss this discussion on data modelling, finance and investing in Bitcoin!
We talk:
Influences in terms of Bitcoin
Modelling Bitcoin’s digital scarcity
Impact of the halving
Challenges and problems with modelling Bitcoin
Finance and Investing theory and practice applied to Bitcoin
Plan B / @100trillionUSD Links:
Twitter:
SLP66 James O’Beirne - The truth about ‘power’ in Bitcoin
James O’Beirne, Bitcoin Core Engineer at Chaincode Labs joins me in this episode to talk about the real nature of ‘power’ and control within Bitcoin. It’s not as simple as it might first seem! We talk about:
Differing conceptions of ‘power’ in Bitcoin
Peer to peer network governance
Bitcoin Core development
Assume utxo
James O’Beirne links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamesob
Github: https://github.com/jamesob
Chaincode labs: https://chaincode.com/
Discusse
SLP65 Nik Bhatia: Bitcoin Lightning Reference Rate and Node Accrual Rate
Nik Bhatia CFA charter holder and Bitcoin-native financial theorist joins me for discussion on the Lightning Network Interest Rate (LNRR) - a concept on how Bitcoin Lightning Network participants can earn an interest through routing fees earned on the Lightning Network. We talk:
Background on Lightning Network and LNRR
Node Accrual Rate (NAR)
How LNRR and NAR will change with coming Lightning technology
Challenges to the concept as is
How it will evolve over time
Nik Bhatia links:
Nik
SLP64 Tuur Demeester - What is Bitcoin Worth? A Bitcoin Valuation Framework
Tuur Demeester, Bitcoin/Macro Investor and Writer, and Founding Partner of Adamant Capital joins us in a very important macro-economic and investment discussion on how to assess Bitcoin’s value through its past and into the future.
Bitcoin Outlook and Phases
Historical Bitcoin Valuation ideas
New Bitcoin Valuation ideas
Bitcoin Full Reserve Banking
Tuur and Adamant Capital Links:
Tuur Demeester Twitter: https://twitter.com/TuurDemeester
Adamant Capital Research Sign
SLP63 LightningK0ala - Bitcoin and Lightning enabled online gaming
LightningK0ala joins us to talk about his new Bitcoin Lightning powered online gaming venture, Koala Studio. We talk:
How he got into Lightning development
Experiences with Satoshi’s Place
What he’s doing with Koala Studio
Future opportunities with Bitcoin Lightning gaming
Wishlist for Bitcoin Lightning development
Lightning K0ala and Koala Studio links:
Lightning Koala twitter: https://twitter.com/@Lightningk0ala
Koala Studio website: http://koalastud.io/
SLP62 Rodolfo Novak - Keeping Bitcoin Cypherpunk
Rodolfo Novak, Founder of Coinkite joins me to discuss ways to keep Bitcoin in line with its true cypherpunk values:
Decentralizing Bitcoin’s communication networks
Alternative methods of sending, receiving, verifying Bitcoin transactions
Radio transmissions
Coinkite and physical bitcoin products
Rodolfo Novak links:
Rodolfo Novak twitter: https://twitter.com/nvk
Coinkite: https://coinkite.com/
Coinkite twitter: https://twitter.com/Coinkite
Stephan Livera li
SLP61 David Bailey - Refocusing on Bitcoin
David Bailey, CEO of BTC Media (yBitcoin, Bitcoin Magazine, Let’s Talk Bitcoin Network) joins me in this wide ranging conversation about Bitcoin over the years, and Bitcoin media:
Journey over the years
Getting into Bitcoin media
Problems with ‘enterprise blockchain’
The ‘path back to Bitcoin’ for some people/companies
Bitcoin Magazine and the switch to Bitcoin focus
Bitcoin 2019 Conference - San Francisco June 2019
David Bailey links:
David Bailey twitter: https://twitter.com
SLP60 Askuwheteau & Ketominer of nodl - Plug and Play Bitcoin Lightning Nodes
Askuwheteau and Ketominer of the nodl.it team join me to talk about the ‘plug and play’ Bitcoin Lightning full node hardware they are creating. We discuss:
Bitcoin full node philosophy
Why they started a company
How to set up a Nodl device
Comparison with other plug and play node products
Future features coming
Askuwheteau, Ketominer & nodl links:
Askuwheteau’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/IAskuwheteau
Ketominer’s Twitter: http://twitter.com/Ketominer
nodl Twitter:
SLP59 Christian Decker - Bitcoin Lightning Channel Factories
Dr Christian Decker of Blockstream, one of the world’s leading experts on Bitcoin and the Lightning Network, joins Stephan to talk in-depth about Bitcoin Lightning Channel Factories and Multi Party Channels. We talk about:
Why Channel Factories might be desirable in the future
Basic Overview
Technical breakdown
Risks
Interaction with other Bitcoin/Lightning technology
Technical Requirements
Future Outlook on Lightning Network
Christian Decker Links:
Christian Decker Twitter: https
SLP58 Chris Belcher - Defending Bitcoin Privacy
Chris Belcher, Bitcoin Privacy OG (JoinMarket, Electrum Personal Server) joins me in this must listen episode on Bitcoin Privacy fundamentals. Chris talks about multiple ways you can be deanonymised, as well as countermeasures available. We then talk more broadly about Bitcoin Privacy techniques.
How your Bitcoin privacy can be broken
Different mechanisms and tools to defend your privacy in 2019
Chain analysis and what it relies on
JoinMarket
Electrum Personal Server
Chris Belcher
SLP57 Alex Adelman, Founder of Lolli - How Newbies Can Earn Bitcoin
Alex Adelman, CEO and Founder of Lolli joins me to talk about How Newbies Can Earn Bitcoin. We'll be discussing:
Psychology around bitcoin today
Earning vs buying
Privacy & security in a custodial world
Merchant & consumer adoption
Self sovereign, personal banking
Alex Adelman and Lolli Links:
Alex Adelman Twitter: https://twitter.com/alexadelman
Lolli: http://lolli.com/
Lolli twitter: https://twitter.com/trylolli
Max Keidun & Roman Snitko of Hodl Hodl Bitcoin Exchange & Baltic Honeybadger
Max Keidun and Roman Snitko (CEO and CTO of Hodl Hodl) join me to talk:
Why they started Hodl Hodl, a P2P exchange
How Hodl Hodl is different from the typical Bitcoin exchange
Education of users
Volume trends
Prediction market announcement
Baltic Honeybadger conference 2019
Max, Roman, Hodl Hodl & Baltic Honeybadger Links:
Max Keidun: https://twitter.com/keidunm
Roman Snitko: https://twitter.com/romansnitko
Hodl Hodl: https://hodlhodl.com/
Hodl Hodl twitt
SLP55 Shinobi (Brian_Trollz)
Shinobi (aka Bitcoin Twitter character @Brian_Trollz) joins me in this episode to discuss a range of topics:
Problems with using Litecoin for paying with things
Confidential Transactions and the different approaches
The push for smaller blocks
Different approaches to scaling
Problems with sidechains and drivechains
Shinobi / Brian Trollz links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/brian_trollz
BlockDigest YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb53lXz2IzEFT5JNHSbdvPg
Stephan
SLP54 Justin Camarena of Bitrefill - Bitcoin Lightning & Channel Management
Justin Camarena of Bitrefill joins me to talk about his journey with Bitcoin Lightning development and pioneering Bitcoin Lightning payments at Bitrefill. We discuss:
Learning Lightning development
Pioneering Lightning payment at Bitrefill in the #reckless early days
Bitrefill Thor service
Lightning Channel Management
Thoughts on Lightning custodial wallets
What Lightning Network can enable
Justin Camarena Links:
Justin’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/juscamarena
Bitrefill: h
SLP53 Andreas M. Antonopoulos - On Bitcoin Maximalism
Andreas M. Antonopoulos (best-selling author, speaker and bitcoin educator) joins me in this episode to talk about his views on Bitcoin Maximalism as contrasted with a multicoin view. Andreas and I disagree and present clashing visions. We also discuss other points such as whether Bitcoin challenges central banking more specifically, or banking generally.
Andreas M. Antonopoulos links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/aantonop
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/u
SLP52 Jack Dorsey & Elizabeth Stark - Bitcoin: Native Currency of the Internet
Jack Dorsey (CEO of Twitter & Square) & Elizabeth Stark (CEO of Lightning Labs) join me to talk about the vision of Bitcoin as native currency of the internet. Bitcoin's principles, resilience, and being 'of the internet' are what make it special. In this special episode we discuss:
How Jack came to understand Bitcoin and view it as potentially the native currency of the internet
Why everyone is so excited about the Lightning Network
Lightning Torch
Square and the Cash App
Twitt
SLP51 Dr Guido Hülsmann - Austrian Monetary Economics & Bitcoin
Dr Guido Hülsmann, Senior Fellow of the Mises Institute, and Economics Professor at the University of Anger, France, joins me in this very special episode. We talk about government monetary intervention compared with a free market in money. We discuss many topics:
The process of government monetary intervention and deterioration in quality of money
Which kind of monetary intervention is worst?
Interaction of reserve requirements with capital requirements
How businesses and banking differ in
SLP50 Rui Gomes & João Almeida of OpenNode - Helping merchants take Bitcoin Lightning Payments
Rui Gomes & João Almeida (CTO, co-founder) of OpenNode join me in this episode to discuss why they turned down Roger Ver's $1.25M, as well as the vision of OpenNode in enabling Bitcoin & Lightning payments. Topics include:
Background on OpenNode
Service structure and fees
Rejecting Roger Ver's $1.25M offer and why
Why OpenNode is Bitcoin-only
Comparison of OpenNode with self-hosted BTCPayServer approach
How users can set up
Getting tech support
Plans over the next year
SLP49 Marty Bent - Bitcoin content creation and curation, and 'mainstream' Economics
Marty Bent, host of the Tales From the Crypt podcast, and editor in chief of Marty's Bent joins me in this episode. We talk about Bitcoin content creation and curation, and also touch on the shifts in thinking from 'mainstream' economics required to understand Bitcoin.
Marty Bent links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MartyBent
Marty's Bent Newsletter: martysbent.com
Tales from the Crypt Podcast: https://anchor.fm/tales-from-the-crypt
TFTC21 Podcast twitter account: https://t
SLP48 Nicolas Dorier and BTCPayServer - self hosted Bitcoin and Lightning payments
Nicolas Dorier, a Bitcoin developer, joins me in this episode to talk about the open source project he started, BTCPayServer. BTCPayServer allows you to start accepting Bitcoin payments with 0% fees & no third-party. It is built with security, privacy and censorship-resistance at its core.
We cover:
Why Nicolas started BTCPayServer
What BitPay did to drive Nicolas to start his own open source version
Cost and ease of setting up BTCPayServer
Hardware node products that can be confi
SLP47 Giacomo Zucco - Custodial LN, Altcoins, Financialisation, Attacks on Bitcoin
Giacomo Zucco, well known Bitcoin advocate, Supremo of BHB Network, and bitcoin consultant/teacher joins me in this episode. We talk:
His Bitcoin 'rage quit'!
The recent trend of Lightning Network custodial wallets, and whether this is on net a good or bad thing
Thoughts on altcoins - are some of them honest, good faith efforts? Might they be technologically interesting, but still not monetarily relevant?
Bitcoin financialisation - Does Bitcoin need financialisation or does finance need Bit
SLP46 Sjors Provoost - Bitcoin Core Dev, Hardware Wallet Support, Fungibility
Sjors Provoost (Bitcoin Core developer) joins me to discuss a range of topics:
Bitcoin Core Development and Review
Working towards hardware wallet support in Bitcoin Core
Sjors' article, "A Crime on Testnet" - with privacy & fungibility implications
Sjors Links:
Sjors Twitter: https://twitter.com/@provoost
“A Crime on Testnet”: https://medium.com/provoost-on-crypto/a-crime-on-testnet-6d95ede8da03
Episode Ad/Sponsor: BUIDL Bootcamp with Justin Moon
Learn t
SLP45 Jeff Deist, President of the Mises Institute
Jeff Deist joins me to discuss Bitcoin and the application of Austrian economics in understanding Bitcoin. Topics:
Market selection of money
The potential for a hard money standard to restrict govt spending
Why Austrian Economists are split on Bitcoin
Why credit would be much tighter under a hard money standard
The deflation and 'hoarding' argument - dispelled
The educational strategy pursued by the Mises Institute
Jeff's recommended Austrian economics books for Bitcoiners
Jeff
SLP44 Aleks Svetski, CEO of Amber - Blind Excesses, Crypto, Bitcoin
Aleks Svetski (CEO, co-founder of Amber) joins me in this fiery episode to talk about the blind excesses of 'Crypto' over the last few years and more:
- Crazy excesses that we saw over the last few years
- STO's - Security Token Offerings
- "Crypto Traders"
- "Crypto Hedge Fund Managers"
- Bitcoin as asymmetric bet
- Dollar Cost Averaging
- Amber and the service offering
Aleks and Amber links:
- Amber website: https://getamber.io/
- Aleks Twitter: https://twitter.com/AleksSvetski
SLP43 Jameson Lopp, Cypherpunk and CTO of Casa
Jameson Lopp, Cypherpunk & CTO of Casa, joins me in this episode to discuss a range of topics:
What he's working on right now @ Casa
"Who controls Bitcoin Core?", the article by Jameson
2018 Year in Review, thematically and by statistics
Bitcoin storage and multi signature solutions
Bitcoin helping enable individual sovereignty
Grin & Beam
Maintaining privacy with a Bitcoin transaction
Jameson Lopp links:
Jameson's Twitter: https://twitter.com/lopp
"Who Controls Bi
SLP42 Adam Back, CEO of Blockstream - Blockstream Satellite, Tim May, Bitcoin Privacy
Adam Back, CEO of Blockstream, Cypherpunk & Cryptographer, and inventor of hashcash (cited in Bitcoin's whitepaper) joins me in this episode. We talk about the new update to Blockstream satellite, Tim May and Bitcoin Privacy.
Topics:
- Blockstream satellite background
- How Blockstream satellite works
- Making Lightning payments to deliver encrypted messages via satellite
- The need for censorship resistance
- Tips on setting up Blockstream satellite
- Thoughts on Tim May's recent passing
- P
SLP41 Dhruv Bansal of Unchained Capital - Bitcoin Dust in the Machine, and Bitcoin Financial Service
Dhruv Bansal, Chief Science Officer of Unchained Capital joins me to talk about some of his data science analytical work on Bitcoin's blockchain, and also how Unchained Capital are thinking about Bitcoin financial services. We discuss how Bitcoin enables entirely different delivery of financial products and services. One example of this is the new feature, Collaborative Custody.
Topics:
- Blockchain as heat engine
- How much 'dust' there is and how much it costs to move
- Bitcoin Financial Se
SLP40 Vijay Boyapati - Why Credit Deflation is More Likely Than Mass Inflation
Vijay Boyapati (Software Developer, Austrian Economist) joins me to discuss his 2010 article, "Why Credit Deflation Is More Likely Than Mass Inflation". Find out where economics commentators were getting it wrong immediately post the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, and ways to think about Bitcoin in the coming years.
Vijay Links:
Article discussed: http://libertarianpapers.org/articles/2010/lp-2-43.pdf
Vijay's Twitter: https://twitter.com/@real_vijay
Stephan Links:
Website: www.stephanlivera.c
SLP39 Olaoluwa Osuntokun (Roasbeef), CTO of Lightning Labs
Laolu aka roasbeef, CTO of Lightning Labs joins me in this episode to talk about some of the latest developments with Bitcoin's Lightning Network:
- Lightning Summit (Adelaide, Australia Nov 2018)
- AMP
- Splicing
- Probing
- Wumbology (large channels)
- Neutrino
- Wishlist for changes in Bitcoin Core
- What products/services should be built on Lightning
- What's coming up for Lightning Labs
- Outlook for Lightning Network over the next year
- How you can get involved
Laolu links:
Twitter: ht
SLP38 Per Bylund - The size of firms
Per Bylund (Assistant Professor at OSU and Fellow of Mises Institute) joins me to discuss how some firms today are larger than what they would be under a free market. The impact of regulation and ways to assess competition in a market are discussed. We also touch on the confusion about scarcity and 'post scarcity'.
Per Bylund Links:
Per’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/PerBylund
Per’s website: http://perbylund.com/
Per’s Books: https://www.amazon.com/Per-L.-Bylund/e/B00LMNLBCU
Entrepreneur ar
SLP37 Rene Pickhardt - Bitcoin Lightning Education & Lightning Summit
Rene Pickhardt, a Bitcoin/Lightning educator, and rising star in the world of Lightning joins me to talk about the Lightning Network. We discuss:
- How he got into Lightning
- Involvement in the Pirate party
- The recent Lightning Summit in Australia
- Upcoming Lightning tech
- Routing
Rene Pickhardt Links:
Rene’s Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/renepickhardt
Rene’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/renepickhardt
Rene’s Github: https://github.com/renepickhardt
SLP36 Justin Moon - Teaching Bitcoin HODLers to code @ BUIDL Bootcamp
Justin Moon (Founder/Instructor, BUIDL Bootcamp), joins me in this episode to discuss how he came into Bitcoin recently and started doing presentations, Bitcoin application coding and now teaching Bitcoin development to students. We talk about non traditional paths to careers such as software development, and also talk through the structure of BUIDL Bootcamp.
Justin links:
BUIDL Bootcamp: https://buidlbootcamp.com/
Justin Moon Twitter: https://twitter.com/_JustinMoon_
Justin Moon Youtube: https
SLP35 Pierre Rochard - Lightning Power Excel Plugin, Lightning Residency
Pierre Rochard (Noded Podcast, Nakamoto Institute, Bitcoin Advisory) joins me in this episode to talk about his new Bitcoin Lightning "Power" Excel Plugin, which allows you to tinker with Lightning right inside MS Excel! We also talk about his recent experience at the Chaincode Lightning Residency, and various other topics on what kind of work is needed in Bitcoin & Lightning.
Pierre Links:
Pierre’s Lightning Power Users: https://www.lightningpowerusers.com/
Pierre Rochard Lightning Residenc
SLP34 Dan Held - Bitcoin Heroes, Villains, Survival, and Capitulation
Dan Held (Co-Founder Picks & Shovels) has been writing influential articles and joins me in this episode to share his perspectives on being in Bitcoin for 6 years. We discuss what the real narrative was around Bitcoin in the early days, and how some Bitcoin Heroes turn and become Bitcoin Villains. We also discuss how to survive in Bitcoin, as well as broader investment discussion on what 'capitulation' looks like in a Bitcoin bear market.
SLP33 Kara Haas - Bitcoin & Crypto Audit and Accounting
Kara Haas, CPA joins me to discuss Bitcoin auditing and accounting. Especially in relation to Tether, there are many people confused about what an audit is, versus an attestation. And with the Bitmain IPO, some confusion on the correct accounting treatment for Bitcoin. As an accountant and auditor in the field, Kara is able to shed some light on this.
SLP32 Rigel (CoinsureNZ), Relaying Bitcoin transactions with TxTenna for censorship resistance
Rigel Walshe (aka CoinsureNZ) joins me to talk about his recent viral adventures in sending Bitcoin transactions without internet on the device itself. His recent stories lit up social media and showed real world usage of TxTenna, a collaboration between GoTenna (mesh networking) and Samourai Wallet (Bitcoin wallet project focused on privacy).
SLP31 Bitcoin & Crypto eating the world, with Patri Friedman
Patri Friedman, MD of Zarko Investment Group and a leader in the seasteading movement joins me to talk about how Bitcoin & Crypto will enable greatly freer markets around the world. We talk about Bitcoin maximalism, Crypto parallels with the dotcom bubble, jurisdictional competition, seasteading and start up cities, law as technology, and more. We also discuss David Friedman's thoughts on Bitcoin & Crypto, and what Patri's late grandfather, Milton Friedman, would have thought on Bitcoin.
SLP30 Bitcoin-backed loans and financial services, with Zac Prince of BlockFi
Zac Prince, Founder and CEO of BlockFi joins me in this episode to talk about the incredible benefits of Bitcoin as collateral for USD loans. We talk about the 'double whammy' of how it can be used to minimise capital gains taxes, and get an interest deduction on the use of funds. Bitcoin also makes it easier to provide global debt financing in countries where it has traditionally been difficult to operate USD lending.
SLP29 - Samourai Wallet, Bitcoin privacy software that Silicon Valley would never build
One of the pseudonymous founders of Samourai Wallet joins me in this exciting episode to talk about Bitcoin privacy techniques that are applied within the wallet and upcoming improvements to their Bitcoin wallet app. Anyone interested to learn more about how Samourai Wallet helps protect privacy will truly enjoy this episode.
SLP28 - Cyphernode Bitcoin API, with Francis Pouliot and Etienne Larrivee of Satoshi Portal
Francis Pouliot and Etienne Larrivee (CEO Satoshi Portal and Lead Developer Cyphernode), join me to talk about their newly released open source Bitcoin self-hosted API allowing you to more easily build Bitcoin services and applications. This enables businesses and users to reduce their reliance on commercial Bitcoin APIs, while still offering advanced features and utilities.
SLP27 - Turning Stranded Natural Gas Into Bitcoin Mining Hashes, with Steve Barbour of Upstream Data
Steve Barbour (Founder, Upstream Data) joins me to discuss how he is turning stranded natural gas into Bitcoin mining hashes. His HashGen product uses low value natural gas to improve the economics for Canadian Oil and Gas facilities, while powering Bitcoin mining ASICs. In this discussion we also talk about the 'bitcoin energy use is wasted' narrative, and how bitcoin mining was centralised in the past, but is now decentralising.
SLP26 - Building Bitcoin services to last, with Jeremy Welch of Casa
Jeremy Welch (Founder of Casa) joins me in this episode to talk about crafting a business around the concept of safely storing bitcoin. We talk about the ethos of Casa, designing services for a sovereign individual, securing top tier talent, and Casa products.
SLP25 - Taking Bitcoin Lightning Payment, and 'earner adoption', with Sergej Kotliar, CEO of Bitrefill
Sergej Kotliar, CEO of Bitrefill joins me to discuss taking bitcoin and lightning payments as an online merchant. We talked about the challenges and benefits of doing this, particularly in how lightning network simplifies the user experience and reduces errors. In the second part of the episode, we talk about 'earner adoption' - the idea that bitcoin's ecosystem can grow from people earning it.
SLP24 - Wasabi Bitcoin Wallet & Bitcoin Privacy, with Adam Ficsor (nopara73)
Adam Ficsor (nopara73), a Bitcoin privacy developer and CTO of zkSNACKs joins me to talk about his new wallet, Wasabi Wallet. We talk about:
Privacy being for everyone
Comparison with other privacy projects, such as Monero, or other Bitcoin mixing services
ZeroLink framework
How your Bitcoin Privacy can be broken
How chain analysis works
What Wasabi Wallet does to break chain analysis heuristics
Upcoming Wasabi Wallet launch
SLP23 - Economic Eras of Bitcoin, and Lightning Development, with Rusty Russell of Blockstream
Rusty Russell, a well known and respected Bitcoin Lightning developer at Blockstream joins me in this episode. We talk about his article, The Three Economic Eras of Bitcoin, and discuss the Lightning Network for Bitcoin. Lastly, Rusty draws from his prior experience as a Linux kernel developer to contrast Linux development with Bitcoin and Lightning development practices and culture.
SLP22 - Unnecessary crypto-tokens and Bitcoin/Lightning development, with Udi Wertheimer
Udi Wertheimer (Bitcoin software developer) joins me to discuss the use of unnecessary crypto-tokens, why some people do it, the use of non-crypto tokens in gaming, unnecessary blockchains, #reckless lightning development, and what he is looking forward to in Bitcoin and Lightning.
SLP21 - Jimmy Song, Bitcoin Educator, Developer and Entrepreneur
Jimmy Song (Bitcoin Educator, Developer, and Entrepreneur) joins me in this episode to discuss his recent debate with Roger Ver, and in the second half we also discuss Blockchain skepticism. We separate the signal from the noise on 'enterprise blockchain' technology by discussing the true costs and difficulties involved, and then discuss some alternatives to 'enterprise blockchain'.
SLP20 - Samson Mow, CSO of Blockstream
Samson Mow, CSO of Blockstream (leading provider of blockchain technologies) joins me in this episode to discuss a variety of topics:
Bitmain IPO, mining centralisation
Errors of cryptocurrency 'diversification'
When it makes sense to use a blockchain, when it doesn't
Why Blockstream builds mostly on bitcoin
Blockstream products Cryptocurrency Data feed, and Liquid network
Privacy
Bitcoin Fee Market
Samson's Hat sales and blog
SLP19 - The Bitcoin Ecosystem, with Vortex (Jeffrey)
Vortex (Jeffrey), a software developer and well known bitcoin YouTuber joins me in this episode to talk about the Bitcoin ecosystem. This interview is targeted for newbies to bitcoin, to help them understand the key components of the Bitcoin ecosystem. We also discuss: the Cryptocast network, the role of nodes in Bitcoin, Bitcoin development, his course Programming with Bitcoin, Fintech vs FinUI, and his outlook for the future.
SLP18 - Pioneering Bitcoin/Lightning Payments in Australia, with Daniel Alexiuc (CEO Living Room of Satoshi)
Daniel Alexiuc (CEO of Living Room of Satoshi) joins me in this episode to discuss how he is pioneering Bitcoin and Lightning Network payments in Australia, both on his website LROS, and also as a partner with Travel By Bit. We discuss: his viral video using LN to buy a coffee in Brisbane airport (May 2018), why blockchains aren't a good payment system, use of both C-Lightning by Blockstream and Lnd by Lightning Labs, crypto payment volumes increasing, use of BTCpay, and outlook for the future.
SLP17 - Bitmain, Bcash, Facebook Crypto rumours, and reframing scarcity with Vijay Boyapati
Vijay Boyapati (Software engineer, Austrian economist) and I discuss the coming Bitmain IPO, the economic errors behind BCash, rumours of Facebook entering Crypto, reframing scarcity, hard money in earlier times, and how Bitcoin might fare in a broader market crash.
SLP16 - Keeping Bitcoin Simple, with Beautyon (Akin Fernandez)
Akin (Beautyon_) and I discuss what led him to Bitcoin, his Bitcoin business Azteco, stances on Bitcoin and regulation, the importance of keeping Bitcoin simple, Open source software versus closed source software, and Samurai Bitcoin wallet.
SLP15 - Intellectual Property, Bitcoin, and Internet Censorship, with Stephan Kinsella
Stephan Kinsella, Intellectual Property lawyer, and libertarian advocate joins me in this episode to discuss:
His story with bitcoin
Money as Sui Generis Good
The imprecise application of Lockean property theory
Why you can't own bitcoin, but it probably doesn't make a big difference anyway
The harmful effects of patents and copyright
'Internet Censorship' as it relates to property rights and ownership of private social media platforms
SLP14 - Lightning Hack Day, with Jeff Gallas of Fulmo
Jeff Gallas is the Founder of Fulmo and lead organizer of #LightningHackDay. We talk about the community of pioneers who are building lightning applications, and related hardware. We also talk about the upcoming Lightning Hack Day on September 1st.
SLP13 - Bitcoin as Ultimate Asset, with Fernando Ulrich, Austrian Economist
In this episode, we talk through emerging market currency crises, and his new 5 part article series on Bitcoin as Ultimate Asset. We contrast differing monetary views, why it doesn't make sense to spend bitcoin right now, Medium of Exchange vs Method of Payment, and fallacies of 'Medium of Exchange only' cryptocurrencies.
SLP12 - Bitcoin Mining and Energy, with Hass McCook
Hass McCook and I discuss the Bitcoin mining market and his recent research, "The Cost and Sustainability of Bitcoin". We cover key bitcoin mining metrics, bitcoin mining cost price ranges, the Bitcoin Price - Mining Hash Rate relationship, the evolution of bitcoin mining over the past 3 years, and compare Bitcoin mining costs vs Gold mining.
SLP11 - Bitcoin's Decentralised Governance, with Pierre Rochard
Pierre Rochard (co-founder Nakamoto Institute, co-host Noded podcast) and I talk through Bitcoin's Decentralised Governance. This is the process by which Bitcoin's rules are decided, implemented, and enforced without having a central authority.
Some topics covered:
The different parties involved
Network Governance
Bitcoin has no central authority
Process of Research, Proposal, Implementation, Deployment, Enforcement
Schelling Points
SLP10 - Visions of Bitcoin and Transaction Batching with Nic Carter and Hasu
Nic Carter and Hasu join me to discuss the multitude of changing visions of Bitcoin, and also a Transaction Batching analysis they performed. We discuss how the narratives and attitudes in Bitcoin have changed over time as different constraints surfaced. In the second half, we discuss bitcoin transaction batching, and more appropriate ways to think about the number of bitcoin transactions.
SLP9 - Lightning UX and Routing, with Bryan Vu
Bryan Vu, VP of Product at Lightning Labs joins me in this episode to sketch out a vision of what Lightning Network may evolve into. We discuss Lightning User Experience and Routing, and the benefits to users, merchants and exchanges.
SLP8 - Bitcoin Monetary Evolution, with Murad Mahmudov
Murad and I explore a range of economic thought about Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies in a fascinating interview discussing the path to Bitcoin as 'monetary winner'. As a prolific writer and analyst in Bitcoin, Murad is very well read and articulate. We discuss: His articles, how Bitcoin is ushering in an era of unprecedented peace and prosperity, a framework for monetary Store of Value criteria, and more.
SLP7 - Earning Interest on Bitcoin's Lightning Network, with Nik Bhatia
In this episode with Nik Bhatia, we talk about the potential for forming capital markets on top of Bitcoin and the Lightning Network, by calculating an interest rate (LNRR - Lightning Network Reference Rate) based on the routing fees earned in staking BTC to Lightning Network payment channels.
SLP6 - Fiat Money as 'fad diet', with Bitstein
In this episode with Bitstein, we break down Paul Krugman's errors in his NYT "Transaction Costs and Tethers: Why I’m a Crypto Skeptic" column, as well as other topics:
Mischaracterisation of what money's purpose is
Krugman's 'nirvana fallacies' in money
Why fiat money is an aberration and more akin to a 'fad diet' than bitcoin or gold are
Why Everyone Is a Scammer and the Scammer heuristic
Bitcoin Maximalism - is it descriptive or prescriptive?
UNIX philosophy
SLP5 - Bitcoin in Beijing and common errors in 'Crypto', with Neil Woodfine
In this episode with Neil Woodfine, we talk about the changing face of Bitcoin education and common errors in reasoning about Bitcoin and 'token economics'. Some topics we touch on:
Bitcoin in Beijing
Bitcoin education in the early days vs Bitcoin/Crypto education now
Incentives of unnecessary tokens
Bitcoin is not 'backed by' stored energy
Intolerance of bitcoin versus it merely being a superior money
Skin in the game of Bitcoiners versus other projects such as Ethereum
SLP4 - Why Bitcoin and not the others, with JW Weatherman
In this collaboration episode with JW Weatherman, we talk about some of the reasons why Bitcoin is best, versus the altcoins. We also discuss some of the security flaws and problems with the design and execution of altcoins such as: Bcash, EOS, Ethereum, Ripple, Monero, Zcash
SLP3 - Bitcoin Investment Theses with Pierre Rochard
Pierre Rochard joins us in this incredible episode to discuss the case for investing in Bitcoin. Pierre shares insights and thoughts from his years of being in the Bitcoin space, and offers improved ways of thinking about Bitcoin investment.
SLP2 - How Bitcoin "mentally captures" people with Vijay Boyapati
In this episode with Vijay Boyapati, we discuss economics of Bitcoin. Most interesting is the concept that over time, more and more people are being 'mentally captured' by Bitcoin. Some other points discussed:
Bitcoin progressing through stages of 'moneyness'
Hype cycles of bitcoin
HODL'ing as freeriding
Confidence in Bitcoin
SLP1 - Bitcoin as Sound Money with Saifedean Ammous, Austrian Economist
Stephan interviews Saifedean Ammous, Austrian Economics Professor and author of The Bitcoin Standard. In this podcast episode we take a deep dive into the case for Bitcoin as sound money, and what is potentially the hardest money the world has ever seen.