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This Week's 🏆 Feature Stories & 🛠 Tool Updates (Issue #127)

This Week's 🏆 Feature Stories & 🛠 Tool Updates (Issue #127)

Read issue 127 of the Bitcoin-Only newsletter with the highest signal-to-noise ratio in the space.

Naiw
November 06, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 20 minutes

Together with

Greetings Bitcoiner,

Welcome to Issue #127 of the Bitcoin Breakdown, where we’re celebrating Bitcoin’s mining difficulty breaching the 100 trillion level for the first time ever by inviting you to join our free private community if you're interested in securing a Plan B residency in a Bitcoin-friendly jurisdiction—a smart strategy for any Bitcoiner looking to maximize freedom and safeguard their way of life.

Happy readings! 👽️

TOGETHER WITH BITCOIN SOVEREIGNS

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Take control of your future with Bitcoin Sovereigns—a Bitcoin-only private community dedicated to achieving personal sovereignty through Bitcoin.

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Exclusive Content: Learn about Bitcoin basics, running your own node, OPSEC essentials, self-hosting, and flag theory.
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🌟 Our Core Values:

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Learn, share, and spur hyperbitcoinization. Reach your full potential with us!

OPSEC FEATURE ARTICLE

How This Premium Messenger Surpasses All Other End-To-End Encrypted Platforms

In this week’s OPSEC feature article, we take a look a closer look at an open source messaging platform that aims to redefine secure communication by addressing the limitations of existing end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) platforms and offering privacy features that set it apart from all its peers, like relay-based communication and messaging without user identifiers.

Get instant access to this special feature by becoming a premium supporter here.

🏆 FEATURE STORIES

Jameson Lopp, co-founder of Casa, argues against Jimmy Song’s ossification stance in Bitcoin, emphasizing the need for careful, consensus-driven improvements to maintain Bitcoin's long-term viability and decentralization (Nov 3 | 17 min read).
The Institute of Cryptoanarchy explores the ‘nocoiner syndrome’—the phenomenon of individuals labelling Bitcoin as immoral—in a brilliantly written, slightly tongue-in-cheek paper paralleling the recent dubious ECB paper and discussing the incentives that lead to nocoiner-ism, and how to cure oneself from this malady (Oct 28 | 17 min read).
Exponential Science discussion paper finds that bitcoin mining bans may inadvertently increase global carbon emissions by pushing miners to regions that rely on fossil fuels, highlighting the complex environmental impact of such regulations (Oct 18 | 45 min read).
David Marcus, co-founder of Lightspark, says in an interview with Frank Corva that he leverages his PayPal and Meta Messenger expertise to enhance Bitcoin's Lightning Network, unveiling new tools like their (KYC-compliant) Universal Money Address and new L2 Spark to drive global, seamless payment solutions (Oct 30 | 9 min read).
Mark Goodwin and Whitney Webb argue in a new series called The Chain Series that the so-called ‘Bitcoin-Dollar system’ is the actualization of PayPal and Meta’s founding intention to create a ‘new world currency’, and was carefully constructed to appear as an organic phenomenon when it is in fact not (Oct 31 | 115 minute read).
Stephan Livera, a Bitcoin educator, argues that while Bitcoin can reduce certain political conflicts, it cannot replace the need for political engagement, as real-world limitations and governance persist in the pursuit of liberty (Oct 28 | 5 min read).
Colin Crossman, an attorney, entrepreneur and contributor to Bitcoin Magazine, comments on Stephan Livera’s piece about Bitcoin and politics, arguing that Bitcoin, far from being apolitical, is inherently a political tool reshaping power dynamics globally, urging Bitcoiners to actively engage with the political sphere rather than attempting to transcend it (Oct 30 | 3 min read).
Alexandre Stachtchenko, chief of strategy at Paymium, critiques the European Central Bank's recent paper on Bitcoin, highlighting its flawed assumptions and biases, arguing that Bitcoin could in fact significantly reverse the wealth distribution effects of the euro (Oct 21 | 19 min read).
Runningbitcoin, a pseudonymous Stacker News user, explores GrapheneOS, a secure mobile operating system, providing a detailed guide on installation and configuration to enhance digital security and privacy in Part 2 of their ‘Extreme Privacy’ series (Nov 2 | 20 min read).
Che Kohler of The Bitcoin Manual analyses withdrawal email phishing scams in the Bitcoin and crypto space, detailing how cybercriminals exploit urgency and trust to steal sensitive information from users of custodial services (Oct 28 | 6 min read).
Fidelity releases a new report evaluating bitcoin's evolving role as an alternative investment, highlighting its resilience, potential for portfolio diversification, and its capacity to improve risk-adjusted returns amid changing macroeconomic conditions (Oct 30 | 30 min read).
John Law introduces the Off-chain Payment Resolution (OPR) protocol as an innovative solution to the economic disincentives associated with resolving small payments on-chain within the Lightning network (Nov 1 | 13 min read).
Matt Crosby of Bitcoin magazine analyzes historical patterns in Bitcoin's bull cycles using the Pi Cycle Top Indicator to forecast potential peak prices, suggesting that Bitcoin could reach between $200,000 and $466,000 by mid-2026 (Nov 1 | 3 min read).

Marius of Blink Wallet explains the concept of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) in Bitcoin investing, detailing its impacts on financial decisions and offering strategies like cost averaging to avoid impulsive actions and significant losses (Oct 28 | 4 min read).
Steven Ehrlich, director of research for digital assets at Forbes , interviews Adam Back, co-founder of Blockstream, who aims to expand Bitcoin's functionality beyond a store of value, leveraging innovations like Liquid and the Lightning Network for broader financial applications (Nov 1 | 8 min read).
Kaká Furlan of Area Bitcoin demystifies Silent Payments, a Bitcoin privacy enhancement using BIP 352, which allows for reusable addresses without revealing transaction history, addressing limitations of previous methods like stealth addresses and BIP 47 by offering improved privacy and efficiency (Oct 29 | 11 min read).
028559d218, a pseudonymous Stacker News user, champions ‘pay-to-post’ using BTC micropayments to reduce spam, enhance online engagement quality, and make BTC the foundational unit of friction and value in a decentralized cyberspace (Oct 28 | 5 min read).
Alex v. Frankenberg, a Bitcoin maximalist, explores how Bhutan’s strategic Bitcoin investment and mining initiatives, supported by renewable energy, aim to drive economic independence, technological growth, and improved living standards for its citizens (Oct 29 | 4 min read).
Marie Poteriaieva, co-founder of D.Center, argues that billionaire investors like Larry Fink, Stanley Druckenmiller, and Paul Tudor Jones increasingly view Bitcoin as a hedge against inflation and a potential alternative to traditional safe-haven assets like bonds (Oct 30 | 5 min read).
Conor, a founding member of BitcoinNetwork.ie, introduces The Bitcoin Popularity Index (BPI), a metric that offers a unique snapshot of global Bitcoin interest, measuring Google search data to reveal adoption trends, highlighting regions like Oceania and Europe with high engagement levels (Oct 30 | 5 min read).
Rena Shah, head of operations and strategy at Trust Machines, writes that Bitcoin is transitioning from ‘digital gold’ to a critical part of the financial infrastructure, embracing innovations like Layer 2 solutions, institutional ETFs, and DeFi, while navigating challenges to maintain decentralization and security (Nov 1 | 5 min read).
Ed Prospero of Blink Wallet explores the Bitcoin Network as a decentralized, peer-to-peer system of computers that validates transactions and maintains the blockchain, highlighting its incredible security and the community behind it (Oct 31 | 4 min read).
Dave Birnbaum, VP of product at Coinbits, discusses the potential for bitcoin to be recognized as ‘money’ in the US, highlighting political shifts and the possibility of eliminating capital gains tax on bitcoin transactions, which could spur widespread adoption (Oct 31 | 7 min read).
Duncan, founder of The Solo Mining Co, highlights the resurgence of solo bitcoin mining in 2024, showcasing how home miners can successfully mine blocks with efficient setups like the Bitaxe and FutureBit Apollo (Oct 28 | 4 min read).
Arnab Naskar, co-founder of Stokr, discusses in an interview with Atlas21 how BlackRock's recent interest in tokenization on Bitcoin marks a pivotal moment for real asset investment, emphasizing advantages like faster settlements, lower fees, and increased control for investors (Nov 4 | 5 min read).
Player_9, a pseudonymous Reddit user, argues that Bitcoin is not merely a tool for financial freedom but a revolutionary technology impacting how we perceive value, drawing on concepts from calculus, integral theory, and spiral dynamics to illustrate its multifaceted influence across individual mindsets, behaviors, cultures, and systems (Oct 28 | 3 min read).
Kudzai Kutukwa, a Bitcoin Magazine contributor, explores how the PATRIOT Act, enforced after 9/11, continues to erode Americans' privacy through extensive surveillance, financial oversight, and unchecked government power, raising concerns about an evolving surveillance state (Oct 27 | 5 min read).

OTHER NEWSLETTERS TO CHECK OUT:*

The Early Bird is a 7:00 AM newsletter for those that feel like they're at an information disadvantage.
Why We Buy 🧠 is the free buyer psychology newsletter making you a smarter marketer (and look like a genius to your boss or clients).
TECHPRESSO keeps 100,000+ professionals up to date with AI & Tech in just 5 minutes a day through their free daily email delivering top tech news and insights.
Tim Ferriss's 5-Bullet Friday offers an exclusive weekly email with the five coolest books, gadgets, hacks, and more he's been loving and exploring.
TLDR gives you the most important tech, science, & coding news in 5 minutes. Read by 1,250,000+ software engineers and tech workers.

*You can find more here.

🛠️ TOOLS & PROJECTS

Fold, a Bitcoin rewards app, introduces Insured Bitcoin Deposits that lets users send BTC to their app with insurance coverage.
Fully Noded, a Join Market client that allows users to create Coinjoin transactions, is now available on the App Store.
Wavlake, the value-for-value music streaming platform, now enables you to earn sats for listening to promoted content.
Ben Sigman, author of the Big Bitcoin Book, publishes a simple one-page guide designed to help newcomers understand Bitcoin basics and share knowledge easily.
Chorly is a tool that parents can use to reward their kids with sats for completing chores by creating custom chore lists and setting up automatic payouts.
Satoffee is a coffee maker that brews your favorite beverage with the tap of a BTC payment through the Lightning Network.
Awesome-pubky is a curated list of resources, libraries, tools and applications for Pubky, a new protocol for decentralised web applications.
Nosweet.net helps you share or clone any tweet on nostr with a url and without any permission or integration needed.
Blink Wallet adds novel Lightning Address feature to pay South African retail giant's proprietary QR codes directly.