squirrelmaster
Squirrel Master 🐿️

Node runner | Helping people understand #Bitcoin by meeting them where they’re at. Stay humble y’all

Public Key

npub1vvw5cmulmxvqtgmy5grh4hkr6efpakgjwjwkjsp2462lnn0u6vwqnm74hx

NIP-05 Address

squirrelmaster@nostrplebs.com

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsxx82vd70anxq95dj2ypm6mmpav5s7myf8f8tfgq42a90eeh7dx8qlsgjr3

Author Public Key

npub1vvw5cmulmxvqtgmy5grh4hkr6efpakgjwjwkjsp2462lnn0u6vwqnm74hx

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Last Notes

2023-11-11 19:18:09

If you’re calling on #Israel to cease fire, here’s a suggestion: how about first calling on the Hamas leadership to surrender to Israel and immediately releasing all hostages?
If you just want Israel to lay down its arms instead, think for a moment about how you would feel about that as an Israeli living in a town that was attacked on Oct. 7

2023-11-09 22:58:33

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GFY

2023-10-30 02:13:36

I went all out on Halloween decor this year https://image.nostr.build/d6c305a3610752fde7e91ee9b8870fe5b74ede440aca481c86a086848b03158f.jpg

2023-10-29 22:43:18

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Recall that Hamas continues to fire rockets towards Israeli cities this whole time. The best way to counter those assaults with expediency is through aerial strikes. War is awful, I agree. But this is a just war. And Israel should seek to continue to minimize civilian casualties as much as possible, which it is doing as best I can tell in spite of Hamas’s willingness to hide behind and among them

2023-10-29 20:00:18

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By *Hamas

2023-10-29 19:59:38

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Hamas intentionally uses civilians as human shields and stores their munitions underneath schools and hospitals. Israel targeted aerial strikes as best they could given this reality on the ground and the complete disregard for civilian life by Gaza. Also, Israel gave warning to Gazans in the North to evacuate as per international law. Hamas is the only entity committing war crimes here, at least so far.

2023-10-28 18:22:51

Some thoughts about the #Israel-Hamas war:
1. Zionism is NOT racism
2. Anti-Zionism is NOT the same thing as Anti-Semitism (though one can bleed into the other)
3. Palestinians deserve a state of their own and have a right to self-government and
4. Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state and to protect its citizens from terrorism, including retaliating forcefully against Hamas for its terrorist attacks against Israelis
5. Hamas has no interest in a two-state solution. They embolden the right-wingers in Israel and vice-versa. They also hoard supplies and resources to further their military aims, rather than using them to support Palestinian civilians in Gaza. They are a corrupt, Islamist mafia, not the hope of the Palestinian people for national liberation
6. Any ultimate peace solution must recognize the Palestinian right of return (which is not the same thing as saying ALL the 1948 refugees and their descendants have to return to their ancestral homes). Israel must come to terms that for Palestinians, 1948 was a catastrophe
7. Many Jewish Israelis have their roots in Middle Eastern countries they were forcibly expelled from and disposed of property and possessions. This is too often overlooked in a way that smacks of a pernicious double-standard
8. Hamas cannot be destroyed by military action alone. It is an ideology that can only be made obsolete by a more hopeful, non-violent ideology, and it is up Palestinians to choose to embrace such an alternative ideology
9. The Israeli government can help that competing ideology gain more traction by explicitly committing to a two-state solution and ceasing settlement expansion immediately. But Netanyahu is not the leader Israel needs right now, unfortunately, so that seems unlikely
10. A unilateral cease-fire by Israel now would give Hamas a dangerous victory and set a terrible precedent that terrorism works. If Hamas were willing to free all the hostages in exchange ONLY for a cease-fire, that would be worth considering

2023-07-18 13:39:41

How are we celebrating Block 800K? About 5 days away! #bitcoin

2023-07-17 20:14:50

Have you spoken to your parents about what they want to do with their wealth / estate after they pass? Why or why not?

2023-07-17 12:11:41

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😆

2023-07-17 12:10:30

Started subbing non-alcoholic beer for my typical ritual of an IPA with dinner. The difference this morning is incredible. Not going back!

2023-07-16 22:18:42

My toddler is wildly inconsistent with peas. He either wants to scarf them down or throw them across the room 🫛 😭

2023-07-11 14:38:51

Wow. Just checked my mempool for first time in a while. It’s 54 blocks deep with 120K transactions! Is this all ordinals related?

2023-07-10 20:05:47

I’m preparing a talk at work on how to set-up a #bitcoin node. I set mine up the “hard” way using a Pi and completely self-sovereign. But I want to provide an option for people who want a more turnkey node-as-a-service solution.
What providers and/or set-up tutorials do you like?

2023-07-10 16:25:50

Macro peeps: what do you think about money market funds attracting so much liquidity given yields in the Reverse Repo facility at the Fed? Could that lead to a liquidity crisis for the banking sector potentially?

2023-07-10 12:40:49

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I think unaware. Most journalists probably think #nostr is just another start-up social media app

2023-07-10 11:52:31

Listened to “The Daily” podcast today about Threads. Competitors mentioned: Mastodon and Blue Sky. No mention of #nostr. Interesting

2023-07-10 02:26:38

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We were just there! It’s an amazing garden and house

2023-07-10 02:24:06

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Great advice. Thank you!

2023-07-09 19:17:10

If you were to hire a financial planner, what would be your motivation? What would you be looking for from them?

2023-07-07 22:06:06

Every time I try to get my 2 year old to eat vegetables, it’s like performing a Jedi mind trick 🧙‍♂️

2023-07-07 00:18:25

Any #Dispatch fans out there going to the Only the Wild Ones Weekend in Mexico in December? I’m debating it, but have a 2 year old that i would need to bring. Probably will be too crazy for the little guy 😬

2023-07-06 15:29:44

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Oh no! I totally missed this. That sucks

2023-07-06 15:23:07

I’ve been off of Nostr for a bit. What happened to my zap button on #Damus? https://nostr.build/i/da5da748dccc25e8844c62a9b035077491902427d2f44e35600bb4998a3f0afe.jpg

2023-07-06 15:22:07

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Same reason why Bitcoin is lumped in with Crypto: most people don’t have the patience or interest in understanding the difference, even between something as simple as a protocol vs. client

2023-07-06 12:12:21

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So what would be an acceptable interest rate in your view? That wouldn’t be considered usury

2023-07-06 11:33:20

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Interesting, but cheap borrowing advantages the borrower (if they have the cash flow to service the debt). Do you believe that all debt is bad or just debt created through fractional reserve?

2023-07-05 20:57:43

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But if I was able to get a fixed mortgage rate below 3%, then I’m now winning and the bank holding that debt is losing given higher rates. How do you square that?

2023-07-05 20:31:45

For real, tho: why does the U.S. govt want to incentivize homeownership? Is it just because homeowners tend to be more invested in the well-being of their communities?

2023-06-09 12:43:10

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Homemade?

2023-06-08 18:58:29

b4056df6691f8dc72e56302ddad345d65fead3ead9299609a826e2344eb63aa4

2023-06-08 18:44:36

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Oh 😂

2023-06-08 18:35:22

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Whatcha mean?

2023-06-08 16:46:02

#stats jokes https://nostr.build/i/92f6e8680af26122950e40396f5f1b014081ac47670e558459c68fc6d7616aa4.jpg

2023-06-07 13:30:22

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It’s just for Bitcoiners
It’s for techies
It’s glitchy

2023-06-07 13:28:03

Is this the end of “crypto?”

2023-06-05 13:51:10

Even though we raised the debt ceiling, pain is coming. Treasury now needs to replenish its bank account. And when they do that, money will drain out of the economy and go into the treasury‘s account. This will reduce liquidity even while banks were seeing withdrawals following SVB and First Republic. This will increase their cost of capital, which in turn will make them increase rates they charge to borrowers. So because of the debt ceiling delay, people trying to take out a mortgage will have to pay more because rates will increase #debtceiling

2023-05-31 12:43:44

It’s Wednesday, 5/31, and the T still sucks #publictransit # boston

2023-05-26 01:50:23

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Well that is a new one

2023-05-25 14:30:52

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I’m not an engineer, but even I know that site reliability engineering is pretty important for a platform like Twitter…bad Elon, bad!

2023-05-24 22:55:59

Lol what a fuckin loser https://nostr.build/i/0683b988e86339c104988a014968bd75a91d3814cd7e5f262f7af4f96c7116b4.jpg

2023-05-24 21:34:17

Yep. Sounds about right. https://nostr.build/i/6aa45aafbf6e22b51f69e2f4c119340df853aa3a93ac39d14024dbc52314466c.jpg

2023-05-24 12:54:39

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Agreed. I love the idea of zaps vs likes, personally (value for value), but there is a sense of groupthink that isn’t great for a robust social network. That being said, we’re still in the very early adopters phase, so it makes sense that there’s a tribal mentality prevailing at the moment

2023-05-24 12:50:27

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Cats are the worst. Stick to squirrels

2023-05-22 22:42:30

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They obviously don’t follow the same rules, though. Whats your point? I was just offering an explanation of why the debt ceiling matters in terms of liquidity

2023-05-22 22:38:04

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Good question

2023-05-22 12:52:22

Why does the debt ceiling debate matter? Predictable cashflows. Think about it: if your bank couldn’t be sure that you were gonna make your mortgage payment next month, it would - if only on the margins - think twice before reducing its liquidity buffer on other investments. Now apply that to the biggest borrower in the world: the U.S. government https://nostr.build/i/d46bcf1a13391656d3b7160843e674c94e133a843d05c429e873063c976ac535.jpg

2023-05-18 11:52:44

Anyone watching #silo on Apple TV? I find it pretty intriguing so far. Makes me think very differently about “cleaning” 😂

2023-05-14 12:33:48

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Yeah that’s a good point. Birth control definitely makes family planning easier. My point is just that hearing the next generation question whether it makes sense to have children seems entirely backwards thinking, at least in the aggregate

2023-05-14 11:52:08

It’s very worrying hearing the Gen Zers question whether they should have kids in a world that has as many challenges as ours, especially climate change.
I know not everyone can, or wants to have children, but for our species to continue surviving, we need to at least have population replacement.
History has countless examples of people continuing to have children despite terrible circumstances surrounding them. Climate change is a global threat that is very real, but having children is a statement of hope and belief in the human experiment. If we don’t believe that our children could potentially live in a better world than ours, then what’s the point of any of our daily strivings? Why don’t we just give up now?

2023-05-11 01:07:27

Terrific analogy from the great Adam Tooze on #repo:
“One might imagine the repo markets and its participants as a staggeringly over-sized pawn shop ecosystem. Every day collateral is given, credit is issued and then the original owner redeems the collateral the following day. And this takes place daily on the scale of trillions of dollars.”

2023-05-10 11:44:32

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I was very proud of myself for realizing why it’s called #damus though

2023-05-10 11:43:16

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Omg i didn’t realize that it was an anagram of #nostr before your post 😂

2023-05-10 11:38:43

Mint the platinum $1T coin now. Yes, it’s silly but it’s 🍌 🍌 that we’re in this position in the first place. And no, it won’t lead to inflation because the Fed would most certainly offset the increase in money supply by selling bonds

2023-05-05 12:18:14

What’s everyone’s Wu-Tang name? Mine is “foremost ninja”
https://wutangclan.net/name-generator/

2023-05-05 00:21:38

The double whammy of high-duration low-interest rate assets and remote work persistence is going to have a major impact on the U.S. banking system

2023-05-04 13:20:23

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Hah!

2023-05-04 13:10:06

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They would say, “yeah but now I have Venmo and tap to pay. Super convenient and cheap.”

2023-05-04 13:04:56

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That’s great, but doesn’t that just introduce new trusted intermediaries? Or are their solutions somehow supporting self-custody?

2023-05-04 13:01:59

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And just telling them to HFSP isn’t exactly staying humble and stacking sats

2023-05-04 12:59:53

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Jedi mind trick!

2023-05-04 12:59:30

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Great answer. But I know for many people, the convenience factor will win out every time. The work of verification and self-custody - not to mention maintaining lightning channels - is what makes many people I talk to in finance say that it’s more for hobbyists than the masses. I think many people like having a trusted intermediary do the work for them. That’s where I get stuck in these discussions…

2023-05-04 12:53:57

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My favorite one: “that’s not part of our statement of work for this project”

2023-05-04 12:51:03

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How did you corrupt it?

2023-05-04 12:50:32

What’s your best argument against dollar-backed #stablecoins for someone who doesn’t buy into the payments use case for #Bitcoin and doesn’t think the dollar is at risk of collapsing anytime soon?
In other words, what makes #Bitcoin and #Lightning a superior payment network in your view?

2023-05-04 12:46:41

Gotta love late-stage capitalism workplace politics. 🙄

2023-05-03 23:37:15

Gotta love this Amazon review. Guessing it’s someone’s Mom https://nostr.build/i/780d15eb5bd19c756c3b02e676a4eb44d2bcf63d6389a8d261b108836e7183bf.jpg

2023-05-02 21:41:56

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Which is actually good news for #Bitcoin

2023-05-02 21:39:48

No, being the dominant reserve currency doesn’t come with the unique ability to run a trade deficit. It does create network effects, but those are not fully - or even meaningfully - captured by U.S. interests. Dollar dominance is not the big deal we think it is https://nostr.build/i/5772533c2fcb28f8b8ef4cd3a49211f2dd37ce444cf79aadf387e6c7e24fbdf5.jpg

2023-05-01 23:54:52

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Yes sir! Agreed on that one 🤙

2023-05-01 23:54:18

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Agreed. And using chat-gpt can help make it even easier!

2023-05-01 23:41:24

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Ah, but to cook well is a different matter altogether. Same with bathing 😂

2023-05-01 23:40:52

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In some cases, people may be able to self-fund ventures like that, sure. Happens with fiat and other non-hard money assets, too. But if you don’t have enough Bitcoin or don’t want to part with it outright, you’ll need credit in some shape or form.

2023-05-01 23:04:56

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Yes, the argument for Bitcoin as hard money makes sense. My point is just that there will still be a need for intermediaries, since a) not everybody will want to take on the burden of self-custody, and b) the need for credit will continue to exist as long as people want to build new things. Make sense?

2023-05-01 22:49:27

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I dont see Bitcoin going away. I just don’t see all the things you’re talking about happening. I see the need for credit creation for growth enablement continuing to exist, and intermediaries to facilitate it. Hence, I see the need for sound regulation of said intermediaries.

2023-05-01 22:38:18

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Just something to think about: what if you’re wrong? A lot of what you’re talking about is aspirational. Doesn’t mean it will happen

2023-05-01 22:30:44

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Well you’re already on a different planet than us, my friend 😆

2023-05-01 22:27:05

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Not if we colonize Mars… 😂

2023-05-01 22:21:27

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Agreed. And not everyone wants to live in the same place or buy the same type of car.

2023-05-01 22:05:47

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Precisely. And you need some institution to create that credit, and then you need regulations for those institutions to follow…

2023-05-01 22:04:16

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So if you want to buy a house and don’t have enough Bitcoin, what do you do?

2023-05-01 22:01:57

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Typo. Meant credit creation

2023-05-01 21:59:55

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Ok. How would create creation happen on a #Bitcoin standard in your view?

2023-05-01 21:58:05

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What do you think monetary policy should be?

2023-05-01 21:55:18

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Where does it “count?”

2023-05-01 21:25:41

For all those saying the banking system is just a giant ponzi, ponder this quote from Byrne Hobart of The Diff. Think long and hard about where we’d be as a society without credit creation through fractional reserve, despite its challenges https://nostr.build/i/9dccc9927f49e13394b9c52b6edde29711667575abf248a2012f97124f80f227.jpg

2023-05-01 20:16:26

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Was referring to your photo. Dems and Republicans actually have plenty of substantive policy differences

2023-05-01 18:22:59

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Oversimplification

2023-05-01 17:52:45

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If Trump hadn’t gutted the regulations on regional banks, doubt we’d be in this position. Better regulations and incentives would help avoid that scenario

2023-05-01 12:44:22

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Doubt it…lot of unique dynamics with FRB (low-rate loans on the books, deposits above the FDIC limit), and the govt needed a deal that would be least costly.

2023-04-30 20:49:00

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Very useful principles. Another one I try to live by: “everyone is generally doing the best they can with the information they have available to them at the time.”

2023-04-30 20:45:58

If nothing else, this current banking crisis is a great opportunity to learn about FDIC-insured bank accounts vs. money market funds (which are held in brokerage accounts insured by SIPC, not FDIC). Now is the perfect time to review your accounts to understand how you are positioned

2023-04-30 16:46:43

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Hmm image upload not working. “server with specified host name could not be found.” I’m using Nostr.build

2023-04-30 16:42:45

Homemade sourdough focaccia #foodstr #focacciaboutit

2023-04-28 16:18:49

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Should be a poor POC under the heel of the Republican, but other than that, yes

2023-04-28 16:17:57

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Petri was my favorite

2023-04-27 11:19:57

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That frog is a badass

2023-04-27 11:10:06

I really don’t understand the “bring your whole self to work” fad in corporate America. How about I just bring my work self to work? That’s what they’re paying me for, right?

2023-04-27 02:03:25

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All good man

2023-04-26 22:31:49

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Birds included or sold separately?