ChristinaHaasF1M

Music

Leaving the issue at hand aside, I thought this was a good insight into how bitcoin core nodes find peers on the network (using a hardcoded list of seed nodes)

Also new to me was the list of requirements for running a dns seed node.

Closed: proposal to remove luke-jr from DNS seed list in bitcoin core

health

Tipping as an effective method for Orange Pilling?

GuyDavenportI64

Yep I inscribed two bitmaps back in June for around 2 bucks

One sold last month for 80 bucks and the other is up for 500 and it will sell by march.

I think they are a pain for the mempool and purists hate it

Im no expert but experts like odell say technically these are not etched on to the blockchain as one may be led to believe, something to do with uxto but I'm no expert

I'd say they are here to stay for this bull run and then will probably tail off once the prices go to high

Will be like the eth monkey clubs

Many more chains like sol are pumping with these copycat versions will advance more marketing 

econ

I've been typing-up some thoughts regarding Nostr in recent days, and I came to a controversial conclusion that I wanted to share with you Stackers and get some discussion on.

### Substack will need to adopt Nostr this decade in order to survive to 2030.

------
Sounds hyperbolic but hear me out on my reasons below...

### `Substack Growth`
- The company's growth since their launch in 2017 has been insane. They have done an incredible job of riding the "anti-establishment" movement and empowering individuals to monetise & build new bottom-up communities. At a time when legacy media institutions are failing society.
- Given they are not yet a public company, up-to-date subscriber numbers are not available but we can expect that their subscriber numbers are far higher than they were 2 years prior at the end of 2021:
![Substack with over 500k paid subscribers in 2021](https://api.backlinko.com/app/uploads/2021/05/substack-paying-subscribers-over-time.png)
- Their recommendation engine and closed system has worked well for them up until this point, generating up to [20% of revenue for creators as a whole](https://substack.com/growthfeatures?utm_source=menu-dropdown). Substack are able to find similar creators/communities to push out to users, rather than advertising externally to non-paying users. However it should be emphasised that **80% of revenue still needs to be generated by creators by attracting new users**.
- Currently creators are coerced into adopting Substack as the primary gate for their community, given that there exists no API functionality. So plugging Substack into your existing community is far trickier to achieve. Creators depend on Substack to NOT censor their content and to cross-promote posts inside their closed system.
- If Substack growth was to stagnate however, creators will not be able to keep topping-up the punch-bowl with fresh juice.
 
### `Headwinds`
- Substack [laid off 14% of their staff](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/29/business/media/substack-layoffs.html) previously and [abandoned plans](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/26/business/media/substack-venture-capital.html) to raise additional venture funding in 2022. They are not currently public, meaning fewer finance options are available to them.
- Substack currently takes 10% of all fees through their platform and if subscription revenues were to take a hit and new subscribers were to stall, they may be forced to raise fees to 15 or 20%. That would almost certainly in turn lead to those with established communities to take their subscribers elsewhere. Particularly as their payment processor takes their cut too.

### `Calls for Censorship`
- This past month, Substack has come under scrutiny for not censoring "nazi-like" content. The mainstream media was overwhelming on this. With [WSJ](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/22/business/substack-nazis-content-moderation.html), [The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/2023/12/21/24011232/substack-nazi-moderation-demonetization-hamish-mckenzie) and [NYT](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/22/business/substack-nazis-content-moderation.html) placing them in the crosshairs. Substack have since refused to back-down and their CEO on his [own newsletter](https://substack.com/@katz) confirmed as so.
- Substack are acutely aware that if they demonetize or restrict content, that it will lead to the downfall of their business and a mass exodus from their creator platform.
- Their terms of service of course still include the following:
> _We reserve the right to remove any content from Substack at any time, for any reason (including, but not limited to, if someone alleges you contributed that content in violation of these Terms), in our sole discretion, and without notice._
- Substack do not have control over how their content is distributed to users (majority are outside the Substack app). It may therefore be possible in the years ahead for fewer emails to make their way to their destination. A new type of shadow-banning could emerge. Companies like X/Twitter (who are now competing with their own subscription service) may also prevent Substack links & threads from gaining traction inside their consumer-facing 'super apps'. Substack is extremely vulnerable.

### `Vulnerability`
- Substack as a company is HIGHLY dependent upon big tech and legacy social media for new user acquisition. It does not control it's own growth engine, or it's own destiny. 
- The team at Substack has recently introduced a 'notes' feature with mixed results. The intention was to lure people to download and use their app and avoid the dependency on Twitter/YouTube for new signups. The jury is still out whether this has worked, but with 10-15% readership inside the app for communities - I would conclude that is not yet the case.
- Substack up until now has only had Stripe setup as a payment processor.  Stripe retains credit card details and emails of those who pay for any service via the Substack platform. This would have become a problem for Substack, which is why they have a [beta for accepting direct debit](https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/18687769631252) & bank account payments:
![Beta-payments.png](https://m.stacker.news/10336)
- Today, less than 10% of content is viewed through the Substack app on iOS/Android. Almost all content is read via email (70-80% depending on the community, with the next biggest source being the desktop site). Email deserves it's own topic.

### `Email`
- Substack relies upon a flawed protocol in the form of email. I will soon be posting more about email privacy in the ~privacy territory. Keep an eye out for that.
- What we often forget of is that every email and every piece of content distributed by Substack can be read and censored by big tech.
- Google and Apple make up for the vast majority of email clients currently [(86.78%)](https://www.oberlo.com/statistics/most-used-email-clients), and given they can and do have access to emails passing through their clients - this may become more of an issue moving forward for businesses like Substack.


### `Why Nostr is the solution`
- I would argue Substack revenue is more vulnerable than any other company to increasing calls for censorship. More so than X (who have their own app user-base), more so than Google (who have YouTube, mobile hardware and a search monopoly) and more so than legacy media like WSJ and others.
- Substack needs to adopt Nostr because their values (listed below) depend on censorship resistance.
  1. Great work is valuable and deserves to be rewarded with money.
  2. The people have the power.
  3. A free press and free speech are fundamental to a trustworthy media system.
  4. We help readers take back their mind.

- Without new subscribers and without funding from public markets to get more active app users, Substack will need to raise their revenue-share in short order. This will in turn push creators to look elsewhere.
- If Substack was to adopt Nostr, they will safeguard their future against increasing calls for censorship and allow them to pursue their courageous values in the face of their dependencies on publicly-listed third parties.
- The switch would not be easy, it would demand they overhaul their infrastructure and reliance on email. It would mean they'd have to at long last support markdown formatting for content creators. And they would need to adopt Bitcoin lightning payments.
- If Substack don't, this is a huge opportunity for Nostr clients to replicate the Substack model and eat their lunch. To allow subscriptions in private communities that can cross-sell with one another. Communities with built-in chat, engaging long-form posts and even podcasts, videocalls & badges embedded.
- My bet is on the latter in these next few years. Substack may be eaten from all sides - by the Nostr open-network, by legacy media and by big tech. Therefore my conclusion is that...
### Substack must pivot to Nostr & Bitcoin to still be around by 2030.


Substack may not exist in 2030 without adopting Nostr

Book (with Bitcoin) review: *Zero Days* by Ruth Ware

ManuelPerry2GX

> Will the lack of privacy on Bitcoin enable state co-option?

BIP 300 has nothing to do with privacy, sure you can make privacy focused sidechains, but we already have liquid and no one uses it.

> Will the declining revenue for miners mean bitcoin transactions take weeks to settle, forcing users onto other chains?

This makes no sense, the difficulty adjustment exists

> Will the scarcity of bockspace on Bitcoin force most users to rely on a custodian?

If this is the scare, something like coinpools is a much better approach. It actually works on solving the problem rather than just creating another blockchain.

Lyn Alden's "Broken Money" SN book club / discussion?

TonyaBeard170

@ekzyis, is @unpaywall off for the weekend?

bitcoin

First things first, perhaps I’m not the best person to comment on this topic. In a moment of weakness, I confessed my deepest and darkest thoughts regarding my parenting journey: https://stacker.news/items/304937. I don’t enjoy the struggle.

But perhaps it’s precisely because I don’t enjoy parenting that much that what I have to share becomes valuable because I’m battling hard not to slip into an abyss of regret and loathing. 

Many Stackers reached out to me and provided lots of useful suggestions. I have compiled them in this post: https://stacker.news/items/308705. Since parenting is an individual journey, I just wanna add my two sats’ worth to the list.

1. Invest in time-saving technologies

2 kids and no helper/nanny. Cleaning takes up a chunk of our everyday life, so all these new age electrical appliances will relieve some stress from the hectic routine. We got a robotic cleaner for free from a friend. Although I hardly use it, it’s comforting to know that it’s there. We do use the dishwasher and washing machine-cum-dryer every day. My wife is now contemplating a bigger dishwasher. Also, my household has bought digital locks for the front door. Honestly, I think they are are a waste of money, but if my wife derives some happiness from not having to lug keys around, I sure as hell won’t say nope.

2. Get your shit sorted out

Not just the big things like making a will and opening savings accounts and investing into your children’s college funds. Also spend time on decluttering your life. I have not particularly succeeded at all aspects of my life, but I now know where every single piece of my clothing is. My clothes are sorted by colour. Gasp. Papers are the hardest because I work as a teacher and love to hoard resources. Still, I am working towards knowing where every document is in my home. Having exhibited more control over my mess, I find that these days, I have more resources to deploy on my kids. Bonus in my situation because I can recycle my preloved papers for a few cents in my country.

3. Embrace the act of tidying up

You will be surprised by how fast books and toys multiply in your house. Your child will get showered with presents from well-meaning family and friends - and it’s not always easy to say nope to them. So you have to deal with their shit (metaphorical) as well. Welcome to this:

![IMG_0498.jpeg](https://m.stacker.news/13429)

When your children are too young to clean up after themselves and your wife is burnt out doing other things, you got to rise to the occasion. What motivates me is the conviction that I want my son to feel for himself how being organised smoothens his life. He knows where his toys are because I have assigned a home for each of his prized possessions. I also pair tidying up with certain habits. Sometimes I let my mind go free and brainstorm of articles to write. Other times, I may just binge-watch Netflix. Yet other times, I will listen to podcasts on Fountain. The more you embrace tidying up, the less irritated you will get when your kids inevitably mess up.

4. Make your kids fall in love with cleaning 

Last weekend, my son just took the mop and wet wipe and mopped our living room floor. He must be observing how we clean the household every day and wants to get a piece of the action as well! Children usually find household chores fun. Keep it that way for them. The more you can lean on them, the less you need to do for them. 

5. Make sure your child learns something every day

Due to the craziness and chaos of parenting, it’s very easy to fall into the daily grind and feel like a hamster. Case in point: we used to read to our son nightly but stopped this practice after our baby girl had come into the picture. I cope better with parenting when I cultivate an atmosphere of growth. So I bring a flashcard when I pick my son up from the child care centre. Yes, just one flashcard. So my boy knows how to spell z-o-o and recognise 河马 (hippopotamus in Chinese). I feel proud and that spurs me on.

6. Schedule meetups with your parents and children

This assuages my guilt of not spending enough time with my father. My son still wants to hold my hand at all times, but I find that just having my dad around is a breather. Find your village and activate them as often as you can.

I hope these tips help someone else out there. Hang in there.