BoltC

Helping run >_OpenSats
Living in the mountains of Japan

Public Key

npub1n3w4uts2r4srq3adqu9trp953dflcnw7ppn72tad4htkpsckwcmqjef6um

NIP-57 Address

bolttc@getalby.com

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsfch279c9p6cpsg7kswz43sj6gk5lufh0qsel997k6m4mqcvt8vdspzamhxue69uhkummnw3ezuendwsh8w6t69e3xj7sppamhxue69uhkummnw3ezumt0d5qdjm0d

Publishing to

nostr.fmt.wiz.biz

nostr.mom

Author Public Key

npub1n3w4uts2r4srq3adqu9trp953dflcnw7ppn72tad4htkpsckwcmqjef6um

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Last Notes

2024-10-19 13:06:37

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I don't pay it much attention anymore. The people in my neighborhood know me. The kids at school and their parents don't seem to treat us any differently, but it's a very small school.
If we're out somewhere else, kids do stare and some want to come and say hello or whatever - their minds are probably just trying to come to grips with seeing someone non-Japanese in real life.
I felt way more stared at when I lived here 15 years ago, but perhaps I just don't care anymore? When I'm walking my dog at 6 in the morning and a car goes by I sometimes wonder if their brains are exploding. What is a random white dude doing walking a dog in the middle-of-nowhere Japan?
One of the absolute best parts of Japan is people just leave you the fuck alone to live your life. No one is offering you unsolicited advice. Instead they give you vegetables 😄

2024-10-16 09:35:21

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🧡

2024-10-11 22:22:46

I've been learning Japanese on and off for well over a decade at this point. I primarily brute forced my way to a reasonable level of competence using a spaced repetition system called Anki. It's essentially a fancy electronic flash card system. Anki requires a high level of grind and a high pain threshold to keep it up for extended periods of time. I've started and stopped many times over the years. I had never tried LingQ, which is surprising given how long it has been around. I looked into it when I saw this post by @npub1sg6…f63m.
The key to language learning is huge amounts of input - primarily listening to and watching native content. This is contrary to the way many people learn languages - we often focus on speaking and writing over listening and reading. As an aside, this is one of the reasons I believe children learn languages quickly - if you throw them into a school they are surrounded by the language for hours each day.
LingQ has designed their system around input. While it isn't perfect (especially for Japanese), it solves many pain points for me that makes it a valuable language learning system. What I especially like is that I can import content into the platform - I've tried youtube videos (shout out to yuyuの日本語podcast) and ebooks and it's great. It'll even generate AI audio for the ebooks.
I can follow along page by page or sentence by sentence, tapping/clicking on words that I don't know that get automatically added to my list of words I'm learning. I can then study those words in a similar fashion as I used to use Anki.
The primary negative is that it isn't cheap. But compared to paying for language classes or online tutors, it's not crazy. I've only been using it for a week and I'm hooked. If I'm still using it a month from now, that's a good sign and I'll probably spring for a longer subscription.
If you have used LingQ, let me know if you have any tips and tricks.
#note1zz6…mgqx

2024-10-10 10:36:51

I met a couple in my neighbourhood in the countryside of Japan. In their 70s.
As I was walking by they were working in a large garden. We had a chat and they said they moved from the city four years ago to start farming. In their 70s.
The husband said each day is hard and I asked what he had did before - he said he worked in semiconductors. The guy retired from what was likely a lucrative career and he and his wife decided to take up farming. In their 70s.
I can't stop thinking about it. No one decides to take up farming when they retire. Most people probably just watch some TV, read a few books and travel. These two decided to try their hand at farming & they seemed happy to be out working the land. In their 70s.
Incredible.

2024-10-07 02:55:02

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Slightly different than Japan!

2024-10-07 02:42:32

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I wasn't able to get fiber for... reasons... so Starlink was an excellent alternative. It has worked great.
Japan's fiber infrastructure is one of the best in the world. Use it if possible!

2024-10-07 01:14:21

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Getting ~130mbps in rural Japan

2024-10-02 23:00:59

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Dusty's quote encapsulates perfectly why I work at OpenSats. Thrilled that we are supporting him.

2024-09-28 22:55:25

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One of my favourite feelings!

2024-09-25 12:03:20

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This app has been around for 15+ years. It's well done backed with research on their learning algorithm.
There are also plenty of decks you can download in your target language, but learning to make your own is the best.

2024-09-12 07:21:46

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More charities to donate to for Bitcoin and Nostr would be amazing!

2024-09-10 00:13:37

Start9 OS update:
- Bitcoin Core, electrum, Core Lightning and Mempool up and running.
- I love that I have my own instance of mempool.
- Sparrow testing up next
#asknostr Nostr relay question I see Nostr RS Relay as the only option in the Marketplace. Last release was Nov 2023. Any other options I should consider?

2024-09-09 23:43:54

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This is even better than the roast for @npub1der…xzpc

2024-09-09 23:35:49

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Thank you Jack. Incredible.

2024-09-09 00:49:55

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Love this one Lyn. I mean aside from the fact that the US is the train going over a cliff.

2024-09-09 00:48:00

@npub126n…e9ll OS update - Bitcoin Core installed and synced. The first 24 hours I made it to 66% so thought I'd be done in a day and a half, but the last third took another 36 hours for a total of about 60 hours. Not bad. I now have ever one of your transactions on my SSD!
https://m.primal.net/KkMo.png
Electrum installed and syncing. After that I'll connect and test Sparrow.

2024-09-07 00:32:59

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This is a fair summary.
We have put better processes in place to ensure applications do not languish as long as yours did. Like you said, a fast No is preferable to a slow No.
Sometimes applications take over 3 months but it's probably less than 5% and we are working to bring that down. We have processed and evaluated hundreds and hundreds of applications since I started almost a year ago.
It's worth repeating that the OpenSats Board puts in a lot of time and energy to make this all happen with no compensation.
Love your work & looking forward to your application @nprofile…xsam!

2024-09-05 23:10:32

@npub126n…e9ll running and Bitcoin node syncing. Took me less than 5 minutes to swap to the 2TB SSD & have Start9 OS installed and up and running.
I'm on Starlink which means I don't have any wired connections available - there aren't any on the router. Which means I can't change my country in the settings as it requires a wired connection - not a big issue but I thought it was interesting.
I was able to get wifi up and running without too much issue.
So far so good. Once I've got the whole blockchain downloaded - it's kind of mindblowing to think I'll have every Bitcoin transaction that has ever occurred sitting on my laptop - I'll move on to setting up a Lightning node & Nostr relay.
Not sure what else I'll try out - having my own mempool instance sounds good too.

2024-09-03 05:22:06

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Huge Sanderson fan - I've read most of his work & enjoyed it. I can't believe the 5th book in The Stormlight Archive comes out in December. I'm not ready.
Recently I've been reading the Cradle series by Will Wright as it's free on Kindle Unlimited. Hopefully I can finish it up before Wind and Truth comes out.

2024-09-03 02:21:48

Getting ready to setup @npub126n…e9ll on an old Lenovo. 2 TB SSD is in the mail and USB with the x86 nonfree iso is loaded. Is that the right version? https://docs.start9.com/0.3.5.x/flashing-guides/os-x86
Once I get it setup, I'll get Bitcoin & Lightning nodes as well as a Nostr relay up and running. Let's see how this goes...

2024-09-03 02:16:28

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Has it been a year already? Wow, time flies.

2024-09-02 11:44:57

Aso, Japan - one of the largest calderas in the world. It was formed by multiple volcanic eruptions over thousands of years.
Hard to capture the feeling of seeing it in person.
https://image.nostr.build/6f694bc1e17486c0fb61ee508c70c8e880792c8e4d9d13ada522bd78ff373924.jpg

2024-08-24 05:25:43

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One of the most productive people vs one of the most addictive games.
Let's see who wins.

2024-08-21 00:56:17

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I would watch this just to see you outside your normal macro podcast bubble.

2024-08-14 05:01:49

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I'll be there!

2024-08-08 11:12:34

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We read every report.
Code can be reviewed by anyone - it's all on GitHub. If you find a bug, report it. Or better yet, create a PR.

2024-08-07 22:20:18

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Onward!

2024-07-26 01:40:02

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Do you have a booth? I didn't see you today.

2024-07-24 11:45:21

Wow. This is great news. Send BTC with just an email address.
#nevent1q…a7tt
Also cool: "we still keep a proportion of Proton’s financial reserves in Bitcoin."

2024-07-23 10:12:23

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Congrats Blake! Love that message.

2024-07-21 03:52:02

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All of your articles are long-form Lyn. 😄

2024-07-19 21:50:07

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Congrats! Thanks for everything you do.

2024-07-19 21:40:43

I'm falling behind - there's so much going on that it's impossible to keep up with everything. I just started playing with @npub1kva…tkzv and watched @npub1rxy…hnp8 tutorial. ecash looks cool - I can see why it improves custodial payments.
And now @npub12rv…85vg is talking about sending ecash over Signal and https connections over nostr and it sounds like it's pretty big. Where does this go? Do we end up with a completely decentalized internet that's similar to Bitcoin infrastructure where each node can join as they please? Run whatever rules they want? Censor (or not) as they see fit?
What infrastructure is being made obsolete right now?

2024-07-18 02:05:57

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If someone gets access to my hardware wallet, can they bypass the 2FA with the recovery tool?

2024-07-16 21:38:46

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Being responsible for your own algorithm is almost as intimidating as being responsible for your own keys.
It is easier to outsource to someone else, but it's critical you take the time to do it yourself.

2024-07-12 21:42:11

Looking forward to Bitcoin 2024 - come say hi at the OpenSats booth!

2024-07-11 23:29:11

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Love it!

2024-07-07 10:27:58

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Most of these are correct, some are incorrect, some have received funding and not been announced yet and some have never applied.

2024-07-07 01:05:07

Bitcoin was the first time I believed in something in a long time. It helped me see the world in a different way.
OpenSats was the first time I felt I was meaningfully contributing in a long time. It helped me see work in a different way.

2024-07-06 23:50:10

Grateful to be part of OpenSats and the good that comes from it.

2024-07-05 07:44:43

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Discord invite is broken. Japanese looks like it isn't supported yet.

2024-05-17 00:04:55

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Yes, complete disconnection from my former life, and I've also done this multiple times.
I'm kind of disappointed my worlds don't intersect more. I want Bitcoin to be normal and for my friends and neighbours to get it.

2024-05-02 06:07:21

At #Nostrasia there was an app doing on the fly translation from English for the Japanese audience. Does anyone remember what it's called?
I am starting a Bitcoin Meetup in Kyushu and would like to use it for presentations. My conversational Japanese is reasonably good but I'm not confident I can explain Bitcoin!

2024-04-27 05:27:36

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Japan just set a record for most tourists in a month.
We just had lunch for 990 Yen = $6.25 USD each at a nice place with an unlimited salad bar of fresh, local produce for an extra $1.50.

2023-11-15 11:42:28

Another day surrounded by beauty. #nature #photography
https://image.nostr.build/e37d364450af6c1a03801a94baf2f87d514f07751f0752ce7e1ee697fc5f421b.jpg

2023-11-11 03:01:15

#nature #photography for today.
https://image.nostr.build/fa3535f31b0140c4dbfaa74825247315b3b0a0af8813c3fcf17b769036c5e8e4.jpg

2023-11-09 08:39:33

田舎はすごく綺麗になっている。紅葉！#nature #photography
https://image.nostr.build/affac1f4e6d83c4735016992b72e7136267078ba8c4d8bd50d43a1cca56e4d77.jpg
https://image.nostr.build/5229fc6a5c9750be2c183ab2e9d02a2603462eb87dfdf4a9dc5b473a2a8e7e49.jpg

2023-11-08 23:44:33

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Spoiler: it's a banger

2023-11-08 23:43:06

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I'll see if I can find this. I love Yuzu.

2023-11-07 22:58:59

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Let me know if you're in my neighbourhood and we'll go!

2023-11-07 06:08:54

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@npub1lel…kvyz presentation on creating vs consuming

2023-11-07 03:00:47

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Where's the screen?!? 😄
Why did Nostrasia have to end?

2023-11-06 09:17:34

#Nostrasia was amazing, but it's nice to be back in the mountains of Japan. #Nature #Photography
https://image.nostr.build/7c230889ee31d3e59b6835b8316e52e2a731f29b033f8871babaa6aa04e542a5.jpg

2023-11-06 08:53:35

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田舎も見に行くべき。東京にくらべたら、別の国みたい。

2023-11-06 01:40:30

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Amazing vid! It's all over my feed :)

2023-11-05 08:19:07

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Mate we couldn’t even leave during Covid. Even if you were a citizen of another country.
Wasn’t there a law passed a few years ago in Oz where they could legally force companies to install backdoors into their encryption/systems? And if you told anyone you built the back door, you could be sent to jail?

2023-11-05 08:15:19

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This is my new favorite Nostr thread.
がんばれ！

2023-11-05 07:29:37

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I tried to sign up but having technical difficulties. After approved the wallet connect pop up I get back to the sign up screen with a spinning “processing subscription” wheel.
Not sure where I went wrong - Amethyst connecting to Ally.

2023-11-05 01:26:45

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Japan values it's homogeneous nature and culture - it's why immigration levels are kept so low.
I mentioned it in a recent note - this has downward pressure on housing as birth rates are also very low. You reach a point where house values move to their utility value, especially in the countryside.

2023-11-04 21:57:30

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Love your optimism but higher BTC prices means more attention which means another cycle of fleecing retail.
Trying to steer people to Bitcoin is the best we can do, some people need to feel the pain before they truly understand "why Bitcoin." I certainly did.

2023-11-03 22:13:17

One of the key pain points from #Nostrasia for the Japanese community. #note14pn…vdwe

2023-11-03 22:10:41

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お疲れ様でした！会ってよかった。

2023-11-03 11:51:11

Eat here #Nostrasia - あか牛 means red cow - it was the emperors breed.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/8LcKhCCgQkffqr4m8
https://image.nostr.build/85de9e3175841c029c967de8ef7642b4063643f816db9ab3fe36133eb669727e.jpg
https://image.nostr.build/e6f83b4565519b4bc8863da9d391b2f107046043661c676a0094d78db5c7f52a.jpg

2023-11-03 04:28:43

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Did you leave already!? I enjoyed our conversation - hope I run into you again in the future.

2023-11-03 04:26:43

Nostriches - I was speaking with @npub1e4q…0p76 and @npub1x5z…68fe about pain points on accepting Bitcoin in Japan. Tax regulations are one of the primary concerns around using Bitcoin.
In awayuki's case, she is donating all of her bitcoin payments to @npub10pe…n34f so she doesn't have to wrestle with taxes. While we are grateful for her contribution, it would be better to give her tools to allow her more options.
One option would be to automatically split payments to a personal wallet and a wallet for taxes. Is this currently possible in a simple way? A second option would be instant BTC to Yen conversion, similar to @npub1cn4…3vle Strike - which isn't yet available in Japan.
Awayuki came to Nostr first without prior knowledge of Bitcoin. I love that we are attracting creators like her and anything we can do to make her experience with payments easier would be good for both the Nostr and Bitcoin ecosystems.

2023-11-02 11:52:57

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First time trying Damus and this note got stuck even though I wrote it this morning. Then when I opened up my laptop it posted the note but it shows as posting 12 hours ago.
I’ll try my first repost!

2023-11-02 07:43:31

Thank you @npub1sn0…jdv9 - hugs from #Nostrasia!

2023-11-02 02:29:04

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This was one of the most important presentations at #Nostrasia so far. Thank you.

2023-11-01 23:18:04

It has been amazing to meet so many awesome folks at #Nostrasia. I live in Japan and I’ve talked about abandoned houses in Japan with a few people.
Japan has one of the oldest populations in the world and low birth rates. The current population is ~125M but it is predicted to decline by 15-30M over the next 30 years.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Japan#/media/File:Population_Projections_for_Japan.svg
Japan also does not allow high rates of immigration, unlike the US or Australia. Low birth rates, younger people moving to the cities and lack of immigration to prop up the housing market means that there is a flood of abandoned houses across Japan. Primarily located in the countryside, there are an estimated 8-10M abandoned homes.
Each prefecture has what’s called an “Abandoned house bank” where people can register these houses for sale. These houses can be purchased for ~$5k-$100k USD, depending on where they are located and the condition they are in. Most prefectures also provide subsidies for renovation to try and incentivize people to move there.
In the area I live, I can purchase a reasonable house with some land for $20-30k USD, I then can get up to around $10k in subsidies to clean up and renovate the house. This is something I am considering doing. One of the main risk is that the infrastructure around me starts to deteriorate as tax dollars decrease, especially if more people move away. Over the coming years, that may require more self-sufficiency in terms of power and food.
What’s also interesting is that these houses are available for foreigners to buy, but they do not come with a visa attached. That means you can buy an abandoned house here in Japan, but you can only spend 90 days at a time here as a tourist. There are some visas available for foreigners, especially if you want to start a business.
Japan has a low cost of living compared to many other countries - food here is relatively cheap, especially if you buy from local farmers.
I wanted to share while the focus is on Japan and I know many within the Bitcoin and Nostr communities value self-sovereignty. https://image.nostr.build/5d724848bb01e27839bbc96151ba3f9ddb89c1890362341bfb3e9cfb620476bb.jpg

2023-11-01 03:24:42

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Look to Japan as an example of what happens when housing demand declines. In the countryside, houses are cheap because so many have been abandoned.
Houses fall to the value of their utility.

2023-10-31 23:09:14

Off to day 1 of #Nostrasia. I forgot how packed rush hour trains are in Tokyo.
Looking forward to kicking off!

2023-10-31 13:06:12

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🥰

2023-10-31 09:29:27

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Got it. No charger unfortunately.

2023-10-31 07:44:29

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I'll make my way in. Probably 6ish to grab something to eat.

2023-10-31 06:03:03

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Any word on an informal meetup tonight?

2023-10-26 08:31:30

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Any events the evening of the 31st?

2023-10-26 07:22:23

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I received a DM a couple months ago about getting a ticket but I have not received a ticket. Should I just plan to register in person again?

2023-10-25 07:43:42

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I received a DM a couple months ago but I have not received a ticket. Is there another round coming?

2023-10-22 00:51:24

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Since you're in the area, will you be at Nostrasia starting on Nov 1st?

2023-10-18 07:33:48

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See you there!

2023-10-12 09:17:18

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Exactly. The current system is broken and opting out to build a better system is a healthier response.

2023-10-12 09:12:35

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See you there!

2023-09-30 01:49:21

I'm not sure if it's culturalbor part of rural living, but people in the countryside of Japan seem far more focused on making a reasonable living instead of trying to make as much money as possible.
They also seem happier. It is giving me a lot to think about. I felt trapped in my occupation because of the high cost of supporting my family and the debt I had to service.
Our debt and cost of living is much lower now and I feel like I can finally try to help in the Bitcoin and Nostr space, even if I don't make much money.

2023-09-25 07:40:22

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Can't wait till Nov 1st!

2023-09-24 09:11:12

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Yesterday morning I think there was 77 minutes between blocks.

2023-09-19 01:02:40

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Sounds like a plan! Somewhere in Shibuya or Shinjuku?

2023-09-01 01:01:24

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I know I'm supposed to slay my heroes, but you're a great role model Lyn.
I keep re-reading your article, 12 In-Depth Tactics to Seriously Boost Your Energy, and thinking through how to apply it to my next endeavor. Perhaps learning AI assisted coding.
For now, working through Broken Money!

2023-08-11 01:53:37

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Please publish this on your site - great read!

2023-07-07 09:42:21

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I also switched from Calyx. Graphene is much better. The only thing I miss is Android Auto.

2023-04-14 04:24:01

Impressive - Bitcoin Island presentation on how they signed up 300 businesses.
https://youtu.be/3YHnEpJT6Cg

2023-03-29 05:04:01

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Eloquent - way to respond to his question on if BTC is similar to what SBF was doing.

2023-03-24 02:30:42

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How does this change your allocation strategy #[1]? I'm one of your subscribers and diligently read everything you out out.
You're very diversified- as I am given I'm following one of your portfolios for my retirement.
I feel nervous I don't have enough BTC. What's an appropriate allocation given the storm that's arrived?

2023-03-09 08:05:45

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I've been thinking about it for a while. First tour would be to the snow next Jan. Somewhat challenging to find Bitcoin merchants as they look to have primarily BCH adoption according to map.bitcoin.com.

2023-03-09 04:04:17

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Thanks. I think the hard part is making enough bitcoin to live off. Leading a group of 10 or so people on tours is unlikely to be very profitable, so my tech job is safer.

2023-03-09 01:45:06

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Aside from family, bitcoin. Aside from attending meetups and orange pilling, hard to figure out where else to contribute.
Considering starting a Bitcoin travel company in Japan. It would be fun to take bitcoiners around areas of Japan that have bitcoin merchants or bitcoin history.

2023-02-24 06:24:31

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Wish I knew. Tried a bunch of things but eventually fall back to habits.

2023-02-20 11:04:20

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Pleasure to meet you at one of the bush bashes! Such a great experience.