THIS WEEK'S FEATURE STORIES
Decrypt covers the fresh debate surrounding the risk of quantum computing to Bitcoin's encryption sparked by the recent claim by Google to solve problems in minutes that would take supercomputers 10 septillion years—more than the age of the universe.
Jimmy Song, OG Bitcoin developer, shares his thoughts on a recent interview between Tucker Carlson and Roger Ver (aka ‘Bitcoin Jesus’), questioning Ver's credibility, the legitimacy of his claims regarding government persecution, and the broader impact of his actions on the Bitcoin space.
Matthew Mezinskis of Porkopolis Economics publishes a Base Money Update for Q3, evaluating the growth trajectories of key assets—global base money, Bitcoin, gold, and silver—against economic indicators like GDP and population growth, concluding that Bitcoin's growth drastically surpasses most other assets, despite its relatively recent emergence.
1440000bytes of Joinstr.xyz provides feedback on their Bitcoin wiki page created to collect developer opinions on various soft fork proposals, showing mixed levels of support and objections for various opcodes and underscoring the need for further discussion to achieve consensus.
Protos profiles Paul Atkins, Donald Trump’s SEC chair pick, as a libertarian-minded, pro-Bitcoin and crypto advocate with extensive regulatory and legal experience, signaling potential shifts in US Bitcoin and crypto policy under the new administration.
Olga Kharif and Isabelle Lee, reporters at Bloomberg, highlight the growing risks of Bitcoin’s establishment takeover as ETFs, corporate giants, and potential government stockpiles concentrate ownership, driving prices higher but raising concerns over market volatility and control.
Joe Nakamoto, a Bitcoin educator, responds to a sarcastic apology by the Financial Times to Bitcoiners, defending Bitcoin’s efficiency, its role as a store of value, and its unmatched utility and resilience against alternative cryptocurrencies.
Brady Noah, writing for What Is Bitcoin, analyses the four stages of Bitcoin's evolution, from being ignored to facing ridicule and opposition, before ultimately becoming a powerful force in global finance, demonstrating its decentralizing impact.
Jess Houlgrave, CEO of Reown, explores the threat to self-custody posed by impending European regulations like the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) and the Transfer of Funds Regulation (TFR) on Bitcoin self-custody, emphasizing the need for privacy-preserving solutions to uphold Bitcoin’s decentralized principles.
Philip Walton, co-founder and CTO of Gridless, writes about the ‘Joule Paradox,’ explaining how energy determines the value of bitcoin, while bitcoin, through its global marketplace, also sets the value of energy in a decentralized and real-time economy.
Shinobi, a Bitcoin educator, argues that while Bitcoin's $100,000 milestone is a significant achievement, it does not solve critical issues like money seizure, surveillance, and the need for Bitcoin to scale to prevent centralization.
The Basel AML Index 2024 published by the Basel Institute finds a decrease in the effectiveness of anti-money laundering frameworks despite increased compliance efforts.
The US House Judiciary Committee, in a similar vein, releases a report surveying the ways that the federal government has weaponized the Bank Secrecy Act, revealing disturbing details about federal law enforcement’s warrantless surveillance of Americans’ financial data.
Mark Mason of BTC Inc. argues that eliminating capital gains taxes on Bitcoin would drive US economic innovation, enhance financial sovereignty, and position the US as a global Bitcoin leader, benefiting both citizens and national prosperity.
Joakim Book, editor of Lyn Alden's Broken Money and other Bitcoin books, explores the pivotal role of money as a value-coordinating tool that enables economic activity beyond subsistence in a new addition to his ‘Money Class of the Day’ series.
Joakim Book also explores the concepts of intrinsic value versus subjective value in economics, using music as an example of a non-economic good due to technological advancements that make it infinitely replicable and non-rivalrous, in another addition to his ‘Money Class of the Day’ series.
Bill Addis of Daily Kos argues that Trump's proposed tariffs could accelerate the creation of a new global currency by BRICS nations, challenging the dominance of the US dollar and potentially reshaping global trade dynamics.
Marty Bent, host of the TFTC podcast, discusses the significance of Bitcoin surpassing $100,000, marking the end of its first era and the beginning of its rapid adoption as a global reserve currency, despite long-standing skepticism.
Marty Bent also examines Bitcoin as the ultimate treasury asset, emphasizing its unmatched monetary properties, Microstrategy’s innovative convertible note strategy, and the urgent need for widespread Bitcoin adoption amid ongoing currency debasement.
Atlas21, a Bitcoin publication, provides a comprehensive overview of Payjoin transactions, detailing their privacy benefits, fee savings, Lightning Network integration, and step-by-step instructions for executing them using compatible Bitcoin wallets.
Atlas21 also debunks some notorious catastrophic predictions from critics like Jamie Dimon, Larry Fink, and Warren Buffett over the years.
Alpen Labs introduces Strata bridge, a programmable platform ensuring bitcoin parity with minimal trust assumptions, utilizing cutting-edge research for efficiency and enhancing the ecosystem's robustness.
Che Kohler of The Bitcoin Manual explores Strata further by highlighting it as a layered scaling solution for Bitcoin that enhances scalability and privacy through its modular design, validity rollups, and EVM compatibility.
Che Kohler also explains Bitcoin ossification as a process where the protocol becomes increasingly resistant to changes, ensuring stability and security but also presenting challenges for future adaptability and innovation.
Daniel Feather, a Cambridge-trained physicist and chartered accountant, writes for Bitcoin Policy UK that Bitcoin could redeem the field of economics by promoting decentralization, transparency, and resilience.
Niftynei, a Bitcoin educator, analyses a new whitepaper released by Lava Global Inc. on the Lava Loans Protocol v2, a protocol that utilizes Bitcoin atomic swaps and Discreet Log Contracts to offer collateral-backed loans with management and liquidation processes through cross-chain interactions with Solana.
Gandlaf, a Bitcoin developer contributing to Cashu, delves into the benefits and limitations of ecash systems like Cashu built on Bitcoin, emphasizing their privacy, utility, and compatibility with custodial solutions while advocating for self-custody whenever feasible.
An anonymous Cashu developer explains how Cashu uses blind signatures and limited coin denominations, like powers of two, to enhance privacy in Chaumian ecash systems, balancing anonymity and efficiency in digital transactions.
ICYMI: Speed Wallet publishes a comprehensive guide showing merchants how to capitalize on the Bitcoin surge by accepting payments, promoting them, and improving payment technology.
ICYMI: Raphael Schoen of Relai highlights the fact that if you bought $100 worth of Bitcoin every time the media called it ‘dead,’ you would now have $99,952,524.62.
ICYMI: Kepford, author of The Weekly Drop newsletter, critiques Steve Patterson's views in his talk about the blockchain war and Roger Ver’s Book, arguing that Bitcoin can serve both as a store of value and a medium of exchange, despite challenges with Lightning and on-chain fees.
THIS WEEK'S TOOLS & PROJECTS
Strike introduces Bill Pay, enabling you to get paid and pay bills with BTC, living cheaper over time without fear of inflation.
The Bitcoin Maximalists is a fun board game and an ideal Christmas gift that combines competition and education to help players understand Bitcoin's complexities in a playful and engaging way.
Bitshala, a Bitcoin education initiative, offers a free rigorous three-month online program for those eager to start a career in Bitcoin open-source software, scheduled to start on January 13th.
Bitkey offers, for a limited time, a Bitkey hardware wallet at 20% off and you then also get a free Itty Bitty plushie.
Digital Defense offers a detailed personal security checklist, helping you safeguard your digital life and privacy.
Machankura, which allows users to send and receive sats to a phone or phone number via USSD, Whatsapp, web, or mobile, launches a mobile app for Android.
The Voltz Tip Bot enables the tipping of sats on Telegram through the Lightning network.
ZEUS Pay announces zero fees and a lowered minimum limit for Lightning address payments.
Bitkit, a Bitcoin and Lightning wallet, introduces QuickPay, enabling instant Lightning Network payments for small transactions with customizable limits.
IVPN acquires Safing, the company behind the consumer firewall application Portmaster and the SPN network.
Plebmall Directory serves as a guide to Bitcoin commerce, connecting users with verified merchants who accept Bitcoin.
VPNSTR lets you instantly buy a VPN with Bitcoin over the Lightning Network.
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