tpaine
Thomas Paine

BTC is common sense

Public Key

npub1tpajnefxug9gc0xg6256zdwsl8gd4v8lmy3rwr8l43j3y4f3tjtsecg2vh

NIP-05 Address

tpaine@nostrplebs.com

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs9s7efu5nwyz5v8nyd92dpxhg0n5x6krlajg3hpnl6cegj25c4e9cruuhvn

Author Public Key

npub1tpajnefxug9gc0xg6256zdwsl8gd4v8lmy3rwr8l43j3y4f3tjtsecg2vh

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Last Notes

2023-09-28 04:20:01

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I have to confess, I didn't set up any channels yet 🫣

2023-09-12 11:38:47

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I installed the tools on my umbrel. I will reach out to you if I get stuck 😉

2023-09-12 05:48:46

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Thank you for pointing out these new tools. I will check them out.

2023-09-11 21:54:35

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I consider myself 'technically verse' and server setups is not a big deal for me. But when I looked into the topic of channel-management, rebalancing, etc. I realised that self-hosting Lightning is 'complicated'. So I won't run my own lightning node.
I understand the appeal of sending value in milliseconds by zapping. But with all these custodian customers, it's nothing more than the next commercial banking and no true p2p.
I hope to see more choice in BTC-scaling in the future.

2023-09-11 15:40:01

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...and that's fine for me. 😃

2023-09-04 15:58:23

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Not really, that would just substitute the UTXOs with new ones. You have to sell BTC with kyc in order to be able to deny ownership.

2023-09-04 15:28:03

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For that reason, I wish I had never bought on an exchange. Shitty sticky KYC.
We need to orange-pill without sending people to exchanges. I wish I learned that lesson earlier.

2023-09-04 15:15:47

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You would only brick it, if you hid the seed somewhere upfront. Wouldn't you?
Maybe the PIN for a dummy wallet is a better idea. But it depends whether that's plausible if you got a KYC history.

2023-09-04 15:10:41

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True, and so can be Coldcard PINs. But I get your point and a 5$ attack is a serious thread.

2023-09-04 15:05:48

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At this point in time, you're just pushing more customers towards custodial LN wallets. Sad fact.

2023-09-04 15:02:55

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I wonder about the reactions at the border. 😅 I rather have my coldcard only...or even just the seed in my head.

2023-09-03 21:24:14

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Maybe it's too complicated. Occam's razor implies we should check out simpler solutions first...before modifying layer 1.

2023-08-29 20:12:07

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#fedimint looks like a compelling scaling-solution, too. I will dive further into it, because I think it has the right decentralized DNA

2023-08-26 19:26:39

The amount of people using custodial lightning wallets is terrifying. People here on nostr are so obsessed with their zapping events, but for most participants there's hardly any difference to using paypal, venmo, instant sepa, etc.
Bitcoin became a pop-culture.

2023-08-21 20:36:41

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Awesome quote, I'll put it to my alltime favorites. Thanks.

2023-08-20 22:42:48

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Is he on an insect diet?

2023-08-20 07:45:33

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UTXO consolidation is really, really bad for privacy! It only indicates you lack a concept for coin control 😉. I highly recommend sparrow wallet for tagging/labelling UTXOs.

2023-08-19 23:02:24

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I just came across the first 'BTC accepted here' sign in my home town today. It's happening and we're very early 😃

2023-08-16 15:06:22

Quiet quitting became the social standard. If you read this, there's still a spark inside you. Don't let it die!

2023-08-16 15:00:53

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He's a hero. Talk is cheap!

2023-08-16 14:59:23

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Kleptocracy is to blame. It's not only us (unwillingly) having to support dozens of people we'll never meet in real life, it's the government who shamelessly steals from us. We need to become ungovernable.

2023-08-11 15:23:35

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Let's not forget the contacts you share when using the mobile app. The social graph is a valuable asset and allows for fine tuned profiling.

2023-07-31 14:46:27

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I guess I should do that

2023-07-23 05:46:15

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Anyone remember PC Geos?
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e5/BBENS412.png

2023-07-19 18:51:46

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This could be just a NIP away. Nostr is open to that addition.

2023-07-18 05:33:07

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Is anybody else facing drops in the hashrate roughly every 20 seconds?

2023-07-05 05:37:42

I just removed Twitter from my mobile phone. Too much unproductive toxicity, too much noise with no signal.

2023-05-27 20:26:04

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maven or ant?

2023-05-08 13:49:12

#drivechain (BIP-300/BIP-301) would solve the current fee-situation very elegantly.

2023-05-05 03:57:35

"I’ve just signed into law, the INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY MANUFACTURING INCENTIVES ACT, that eliminates all taxes (income, property, capital gains and import tariffs) on technology innovations, software and app programming, AI, computer and communications hardware manufacturing" - Nayib Bukele
https://twitter.com/nayibbukele/status/1654121271548866560

2023-05-04 10:10:06

There's a Twitter space today about #drivechain. I think it's important to stay open about other scaling solutions and not to bet all on LightningNetwork.
https://twitter.com/LayerTwoLabs/status/1653231799328473090

2023-05-04 04:57:20

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The litmus test of a good life is the question:
'If you could, would you change any decision in your life, knowing it leads you somewhere else.'

2023-05-02 19:13:51

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I found this interview rather confusing and you can feel the tension between Peter and Paul. The LayerTwoLabs website links to some good videos though.
I think the 'marketing' of #drivechain is a little bit off. They don't clearly point out that it's all about a standardized way to create and run BTC sidechains. It's totally agnostic of how that sidechain is going to be implemented.
They talk too much about their modified zCash example, so people are mislead to believe it's about altcoins. #drivechain is all about ossification of layer 1 and creating Bitcoin-only scaling and innovation.

2023-05-02 18:58:43

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Does the last image show a future, where non- custodial LightningNetwork becomes mainstream and L1 is full of channel-opening transactions?

2023-05-02 18:27:38

How to keep communicating without internet using #Briar
https://youtu.be/AzJrd0Doz0M

2023-05-01 13:56:34

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Nature is beautiful

2023-04-30 19:05:19

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Thank you for sharing that link. I just stumbled across drivechain and it's a really appealing concept.
I cannot understand why it doesn't get more public attention.

2023-04-29 06:09:13

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I totally agree. The liquidity 'challenge' in the LN design is something that even makes tech-savvy bitcoiners to turn to custodians. There is scary evidence in the statistics of zappatons.

2023-04-27 20:33:42

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..because there's no settlement?

2023-04-26 16:54:36

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Love the positivity.

2023-04-26 08:51:00

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I agree. The issue you're referring to is the degrading 'quality' of the mix.
I just wanted to point out that mixing quality goes straight to zero if the xpub gets into wrong hands. Obviously such a wallet should no longer be used.

2023-04-25 20:39:37

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Depending on your level of paranoia, you cannot assume that your xpub is safe anywhere.
A xpub is easy to spot if stored in plain file, so as long as a malicious OS process has read-access and can connect to the internet, all coinjoins are pointless.

2023-04-22 19:12:07

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Unfortunately you're right 😪 ...and you have to be super-careful with your utxo management.

2023-04-21 14:37:14

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I wish I could donate to specific BIPs. I would support 'silent payments':
https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/pull/24897

2023-04-18 21:31:07

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#[2]

2023-04-11 21:15:34

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Owning bitcoin means to know an incredibly large number, no one else knows or is able to guess.
Education is key, but I doubt dogs will make this evolutionary step soon.

2023-04-11 21:08:16

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#[2] would phrase it:
'Bitcoin taught me ....to stay curious and openminded'

2023-04-11 21:03:44

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I'm running into similar issues one some TOR exit nodes. Are you running nostr via TOR, too?

2023-04-10 19:57:34

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It's really hard to keep up with all the options these days. I'm afraid we're no longer 'finishing' stuff but continuously start over.
Flooding people with seemingly important stuff to care about. This occurs on social, philosophical and technological level.
I don't mean to criticise but this restlessness just makes me sad.

2023-04-07 19:43:41

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Bitcoin is on the verge to be criminalized. The 'Sovereign Individual' and 'The crypto partisan' lay out different paths to escape the government's endless greed for control.
I'd be interested in your vision of the next 5-10 years. Thank you.

2023-04-06 18:15:02

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Please elaborate. Thanks in advance!

2023-04-06 16:55:02

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- Best practices for UTXO labeling and management
- Puzzles to solve via OXT (see @LaurentMT on Twitter)
- Updates around privacy related BIPs

2023-04-06 16:16:24

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I wish we could leave these overheated conversations with Twitter. Nostr should stay constructive, shouldn't it?
I'm a BTC maxi, but I see the issues with privacy. I know that the finite supply of BTC would fix some of the problems we have in our economy right now. But oh my god, I wish that humanity will never has to use a money with such bad privacy capabilities as todays BTC.
Silent payments may improve the situation, but Coinjoin is simply not enough. Coinjoined BTC is tainted and gives the enemies of BTC a huge attack vector at the on-/offramps.
I hope BTC will continue to rise and prosper. And I hope I will be able ti spend it without fear and concerns.

2023-04-06 15:56:19

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Let us known how it went. I'm still undecided. ...is there an easy way back to the original image?

2023-04-05 14:13:32

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Do you plan to update the f-droid repo as frequently as PlayStore? I'd love to switch to f- droid

2023-04-03 14:43:49

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I'm more puzzled by the many accounts that are very old but still not signed.

2023-04-03 14:23:20

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Try Bisq, it's really nice and easy. All you need is some non-kyc BTC for the initial safety-deposit.

2023-04-03 14:14:08

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That's so sick... you're not allowed to own gold if it wasn't issued by the government.
24 words in your head will become illegal, I bet 😃

2023-04-02 14:51:13

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Inspiring idea. Thank you!

2023-04-02 12:01:25

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Wow, what a statement from within a democracy. This fits the mindset of Hans-Hermann Hoppe, where the government is a bunch of robbers and liars competing for votes.

2023-04-01 13:13:50

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dVPN is a new concept to me, it might be a viable solution. Thanks for pointing this out, I'll read more about it and its security tradeoffs.

2023-04-01 13:06:02

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Wouldn't your VPN provider be able to identify you? If the VPN provider wants to continue business in the jurisdiction that is asking for your identity, you should assume it will play by the 'rules'.
Why should the VPN fight against authorities on your behalf?

2023-04-01 12:41:29

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I hope 'silent payments' will make it into a release some day.
https://bitcoinmagazine.com/technical/silent-payments-make-bitcoin-more-private

2023-04-01 12:39:22

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If you ever use your Nostr private key without TOR, you're easy to be identified.

2023-04-01 12:30:14

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IMHO it's deeply worrying to see the glorification of censor-resistant technologies, while privacy (anonymity) is an afterthought at best.
BTC, lightning network and Nostr are all very dangerous to use. It's hard to not shoot yourself in the foot w.r.t. privacy.
What's censorship resistance if you still need to obey the rules? You'll be identified and brought to 'justice'.

2023-03-31 20:39:47

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The system is sending us fear through the media channels...'don't you dare to mess with us'
Open confrontation doesn't seem to be wise. We should strive to become less easy to
contol and (by using the power of math) to sidestep their control. We need to become proficient in privacy and teach others as good as we can.
Many people are waking up from their very personal Matrix these days. Assagnes sacrifices are without comparison, but it means nothing if we don't channelize peoples indignation into an productive outcome.
https://cryptosovereignty.org/theory-of-the-crypto-partisan/

2023-03-31 19:51:45

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Simply route Nostr through TOR. Amethyst works great when forced through Orbot.

2023-03-27 05:29:57

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As said by #[4], make sure to avoid utxo consolidation. Apart from that, use your own (Tor-connected) node to broadcast the transaction.

2023-03-27 05:25:26

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Good one

2023-03-26 17:28:12

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I recommend you to read about the Milgram experiment. If you push a subject just a tiny bit further everytime, they end up where they would've nether gone in the first place.
Don't underestimate those who control the executive forces.

2023-03-26 09:44:45

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I don't wish for the collapse but I wish for the trend to sound banking. Bitcoin is still to complicated for the average person. BTC custody with local banks could drastically improve the situation and shift monetary incentives towards a hard asset.

2023-03-26 09:34:42

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Injecting liquidity becomes the new normal...your funds are safe (in numbers, not value).

2023-03-26 08:15:32

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Is it worth the time to convince the frog in the pot that the water is almost boiling? I hardly succeed by confronting my beloved ones...sad enough it's their greed that catches their attention.

2023-03-22 21:05:55

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Is it worth reading, or yet another 'justification' for proof-of-work?

2023-03-22 18:46:45

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IRS coming for BTC-/LN-users, who don't care about privacy (kyc). 😉

2023-03-22 18:05:22

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For a non-technical person, an own LN is simply to hard to configure/rebalance. Buying inbound liquidity is such a silly thing to do (conceptually)...
Why can't more technological verse people act as custodians? Is there something like an open protocol to act as custodian for a LN-wallet?

2023-03-22 17:18:53

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You should be happy your son didn't just walk away. 😃
I sense that people are more open for BTC discussions recently 😂

2023-03-22 17:13:00

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Now just imagine how high the inflation really is. (without manipulated basket)

2023-03-22 07:23:18

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It will 'print' itself out of existence. There are still some digits left to add until there's an overflow in their old COBOL systems 😃

2023-03-20 21:18:38

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Thanks for the impulse, didn't think about that.

2023-03-20 20:55:30

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There are multiple players in the fiat space and not all will benefit from CBDCs. I think there are strong incentives for small-/retail-banks to not support their adoption. Those smaller banks would better be off to become BTC- custodians and providers of lightning-nodes.
If non-central-banks want to continue to stay relevant, the need to enter the BTC ecosystem. CBDCs will kill banking as we known it.

2023-03-19 22:01:54

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We were told liquidity is not an issue this time (unlike 2088). Apparently it's back on the menu.

2023-03-19 21:16:17

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Also keep your lightning-related utxos separated, as channel-openings/-closings impose another set of attack vectors.

2023-03-19 21:13:29

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I think it's key to buildup a clean nokyc stack and from there on do disciplined utxo management. Make sure to never combine kyc'ed with nokyc'ed outputs. I absolutely love how sparrow wallet allows to label/document transactions and utxos. In the last release sparrow added an export/import for those labels.

2023-03-19 20:56:31

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Would be nice if you could reduce bandwidth by only connecting to certain relays, when using cellular network.

2023-03-19 15:43:38

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What a wonderful reason to strife for a better world. Congratulations

2023-03-19 15:37:05

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I believe there are many more losses being socialized..when there's less media attention.

2023-03-18 15:07:50

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I've been thinking about your post for quite a while. Do you remember the freedom convoy in Canada? For a long time it looked as if the protesters had the upper hand, but it changed all of a sudden when the 'financial sovereignty' of protesters and supporters was taken away by the government.
I think it is way to easy nowadays to identify, isolate and punish violent protestors. We have to be smarter and be careful not to fall for the temptation of some shortsighted action. It's OK to protest, but violence leads to loosing valuable comrades for the comming 'battle'.
Like the other said in their replies, we need to use modern weapons like encryption and 'marketing' to improve alternatives. Bitcoin needs a foolsafe privacy mode, without complicated utxo-management. This could eventually drain enough power from the system to create a parallel economy, but nothing is granted at this stage.
Stay alive to fight another day, and another, and another, and..

2023-03-18 07:16:41

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It's remarkable, how the French people stand up for their opinions. People from some other European countries behave like cattle and accept every decision made by the political 'elite'.

2023-03-17 21:11:13

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Seedsigner is another brilliant approach.

2023-03-17 19:37:30

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Coldcard is a really neat peace of hardware. I like the airgap via psbt with Sparrow.

2023-03-17 18:59:50

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Nothing to see here, please disperse. 😃

2023-03-16 18:36:31

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In the past we had bad banks, in the future there will be zombie banks.

2023-03-16 06:34:31

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Once CBDCs are in place they will simply punish those who violate these terms.

2023-03-16 06:27:48

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Just arrived here a few days ago

2023-03-15 19:49:23

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That's so fucking insane. But it clearly shows that there are very few assets that you can really/fully own, e.g. BTC.

2023-03-14 19:40:01

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Multi-thrading /-processing is really hard to test properly. If you don't have a formal model of your software, you're left with fuzzing to find such bugs.

2023-03-14 18:29:57

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Thanks heaps 😃

2023-03-14 09:46:54

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I highly recommend the "UnCommunist Manifesto" by Moss & Svetski, which supports your point of view. Freedom relates to individuals, not to groups!

2023-03-10 19:34:18

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I just (re-)discoverred your 21 lessons today 😃. It gives me peace of mind and thanks to BTC I sleep like a baby these days. Thank you #[2]