Stephan Livera Podcast

By Stephan Livera

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Category: Technology

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Subscribers: 407
Reviews: 3

Matt Northridge
 May 24, 2020
Great show with interesting guests!

Fabian
 Aug 10, 2019
Awesome, educational podcast. He goes into a lot of depth and has the ability to still make the talk interesting and give some relation to why this stuff is important. Highly recommended!

Lord Bless'ya
 Jul 10, 2019
Great show, Livera is a natural approaching Austrian Economics and Bitcoin, enabling for great interviews with deep insights

Description

Join Stephan as he interviews the sharpest economic and technical minds in Bitcoin & Austrian Economics to help you understand how money is changing and evolving. This is one of the leading podcasts in the space, and listening to this show is one of the fastest ways to learn and get up to speed on Bitcoin.

Episode Date
SLP468 LNURL, Lightning Box, Blixt, Soft Forks with Hampus Sjoberg
01:02:21

Hampus Sjoberg, creator of Blixt Wallet joins me to talk about lightning technology and crafting a non-custodial experience while dealing with the trade offs of custodial lightning. 

  • LNURL - what is it and where is it useful?
  • Comparison with bolt12
  • Blixt wallet and its tradeoffs
  • Lightning Box for offline payments
  • Bitcoin soft forks - why they should be considered

Links:

  • Twitter: @hampus_S
  • Site: Blixt Wallet 
  • nostr: npub1v4v57fu60zvc9d2uq23cey4fnwvxlzga9q2vta2n6xalu03rs57s0

Prior episodes:

Sponsors:

 Mar 21, 2023
SLP467 An Unsustainable Fiscal Path with James Lavish
01:18:19

James Lavish (Author of the Informationist and Managing Partner of Bitcoin Opportunity Fund) rejoins me on the show to talk about the latest:

  • Shocking US government debt stats
  • Silicon Valley Bank bailout and what it portends
  • Using Bitcoin to stay operational in banking crisis
  • Bitcoin Opportunity Fund

Links:

Sponsor links:

Stephan Livera links:


 Mar 18, 2023
SLP466 The Time Value of Truth with Benjamin Carlson
01:05:35

Ben Carlson, journalist and former editor at The Atlantic joins me on the show to chat about:

  • How the media operates and the model has shifted over time
  • Getting to the truth in this new age
  • How stories get covered up
  • Future of media
  • Uncovering interesting videos

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Mar 17, 2023
SLP465 What is utreexo? with Calvin Kim
01:02:33

Calvin Kim (BitMEX & HRF grantee) joins me to talk about utreexo:

  • utreexo and the UTXO set
  • comparison with other ideas e.g. assumevalid and assumeUTXO
  • utreexo proofs
  • Types of utreexo nodes - Bridge + Compact State nodes
  • How it might look in practice
  • Running your own electrum server
  • Privacy benefits

Links:

Sponsors:

 Mar 13, 2023
SLP464 Can Free Private Cities Make the World Dramatically Richer? with Erick Brimen CEO of Prospera
01:17:49

Erick Brimen of Prospera joins me to talk about:

  • Creating $100-200T more wealth globally
  • The market for living together
  • Historical examples
  • Governance, Government, & The State
  • ZEDE law and uncertainty
  • Working with Galoy Money
  • Accepting Bitcoin & AmityAge on the island

Links:

Other episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Mar 08, 2023
SLP463 Bitcoin Transaction Pinning, ANYPREVOUT & eltoo with Greg Sanders (Instagibbs)
01:02:21

Greg Sanders of Blockstream joins me to talk about Transaction Pinning, ANYPREVOUT and eltoo. We discuss a range of questions:

  • What is Transaction Pinning?
  • How does mempoolfullrbf help?
  • Transaction Pinning vectors and possible fixes
  • v3 transaction relay
  • Overview of ANYPREVOUT
  • Improvements with eltoo
  • LN Penalty contrasted with LN Symmetry
  • Scaling Bitcoin longer term

Relevant episodes:

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Mar 05, 2023
SLP462 Bitcoin Multi-signature with Craig Raw
00:56:52

Craig Raw of Sparrow Wallet rejoins me to chat:

  • Bitcoin multi signature security
  • Passphrases contrasted with multi-sig
  • NFC support
  • What’s the difference between seed, passphrase, PIN & app password?
  • Stages of HODLing
  • BSMS
  • BIP329 Import and export of transactions
  • BIP47 support

Links:

Relevant episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Feb 26, 2023
SLP461 What Bitcoin Specialises In with Matt Corallo
01:27:16

Matt Corallo of Spiral Bitcoin rejoins me to chat about the purpose of Bitcoin and developments in the space:

  • Bitcoin contrasted with stablecoins
  • Bitcoin’s specialty
  • Future problems vs today problems
  • Canadian Trucker Bitcoin
  • Donations and adversarial environments
  • Cultural aspects
  • What does it take to have Bitcoin Soft forks again?
  • LDK

Links:

Other relevant episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Feb 22, 2023
SLP460 Bitcoin and the Dollar as Strange Bedfellows with Mark Goodwin
01:02:25

Mark Goodwin is the Editorial Director for Print at Bitcoin Magazine. He joins me to chat about the dynamics of Bitcoin and the Dollar:

  • Warring factions in the govt
  • Monetary dominance
  • Protocol risks created by stablecoins?
  • Bitcoin still surviving and thriving

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Feb 18, 2023
SLP459 Q1 and Bitcoin Security with NVK
01:08:58

NVK (of Coinkite.com) rejoins me to chat about the latest in bitcoin security:

  • New device Q1 with QR
  • New Coldcard firmware
  • Combining security techniques
  • Bitcoin Gardening, not Ossification
  • OP_VAULT
  • Nostr

Links:

Previous Episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Feb 14, 2023
SLP458 AI and the Economy with Peter St Onge
01:21:58

Peter St Onge rejoins me on the show to talk about AI and what it means from an economic perspective. Many believe that all the jobs will disappear or there will be massive economic chaos.

We discuss:

  • AI and what jobs it will take
  • What new jobs will be created?
  • What about UBI?
  • Implications for choosing a career
  • ChatGPT and political bias
  • Existential risks
  • Trillion dollar coins

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Feb 12, 2023
SLP457 Bitcoin as International Money with Bill Hill & Malcolm Weed
00:52:09

Bill Hill from Pouch (Bitcoin Island Philippines) and Malcolm Weed from Neutronpay join me to talk about Bitcoin as international money and the scene in Asia. Bill and Malcolm share some insights into Bitcoin and lightning on the ground, and remittance corridors. We also talk about their upcoming events, Lightningcon in Da Nang and Bitcoin Island Retreat coming up at the end of March. We chat:

  • Merchant adoption
  • Bitcoin remittances
  • Bitcoin and lightning companies collaborating
  • Knowledge about the lightning network
  • Bitcoin communities locally

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Feb 08, 2023
SLP456 Casey Rodarmor What are Ordinals?
00:54:31

Casey Rodarmor joins me to chat about Ordinals and Inscriptions. Now we get into the pros and cons of this, and whether it is bad for Bitcoin. We chat:

  • What Ordinals and Inscriptions are
  • The ‘bull’ case for Ordinals and Inscriptions
  • Do they spam the bitcoin blockchain?
  • Witness data on the input side, not output side
  • Is it harder to validate?
  • Can it even be stopped?
  • Marginal consumption of block space

Links:

Sponsors:

 Feb 02, 2023
SLP455 Anant Tapadia - Single Sig or Multi Sig?
01:07:13

Anant of BitHyve (Hexa, Keeper) rejoins me on the show to chat about the question of securing your Bitcoin in single signature or multi signature. We also talk through best practices.

Topics covered:

  • Single sig or multi sig
  • Costs of multi sig
  • Detailed walkthrough of multi sig set up
  • Practical tips to keep it simple
  • Keeper and features
  • Miniscript and Musig2
  • Bitcoin4india

Links:

Relevant prior episodes

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Feb 01, 2023
SLP454 Dante Cook Bitcoin as the Shipping Container of Money
01:00:59

Dante Cook of Swan Business joins me on the show to chat about:

  • Athletes and Bitcoin
  • Proof of Work
  • Shipping Containers and Bitcoin
  • The need for entrepreneurs
  • The old system fighting the new
  • Bitcoin for businesses

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jan 28, 2023
SLP453 Luke Gromen - Soft Landing or Hard Landing?
00:51:02

Luke Gromen of Forest For The Trees rejoins me on the show to talk about his macro views:

  • Soft landing vs hard landing
  • Government debt levels
  • US Interest rates and “chicken-pivot”
  • Commodities and dedollarisation
  • Outlook for Bitcoin

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jan 26, 2023
SLP452 Bitcoin Miniscript and what it enables - with Antoine Poinsot & Salvatore Ingala
00:57:55

Antoine Poinsot of Revault/WizardSardine and Salvatore Ingala of Ledger join me to explain:

  • What is Bitcoin Miniscript?
  • How does it help enable new uses of bitcoin?
  • Inheritance, timelocking and business use
  • Security
  • Complexity
  • Liana and Ledger
  • Software and hardware
  • Next steps from here

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

Miniscript resources:

 Jan 23, 2023
SLP451 Dissecting cRyPtO Scams and Outlook for 2023 with Brad Mills
01:14:48

Brad Mills (Bitcoin HODLer and VC investor) joins me to dissect cRyPtO scams from the last cycle. What lessons are there to be learned about the dynamics? Listen in to hear some post mortem commentary, as well as some views on what’s coming. We discuss:

  • cRyPtO ponzi dynamics
  • How the cycles line up
  • Fake decentralisation
  • Liquid staking
  • Yield chasing
  • Bitcoin fundamentals

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jan 19, 2023
SLP450 Bitcoin Developer Education Overview with Josibake
01:10:18

Josibake (bitcoin core developer) joins me on the show to talk about Bitcoin Developer Education and why it’s much improved nowadays! We discuss a range of topics:

  • Why is it important?
  • What are the main bottlenecks?
  • What career opportunities are there?
  • Chaincode labs seminars
  • Qala
  • Bitcoin Dev Philosophy book
  • Onboarding to bitcoin core
  • What he’d like to see in Bitcoin

Links:

Prior episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jan 18, 2023
SLP449 James O’Beirne OP_Vault - A New Way to HODL?
00:56:32

James O’Beirne (Bitcoin Core developer) rejoins me on the show to chat about OP_Vault. We discuss:

  • The history of the Vault idea
  • Precomputed vaults vs General covenants
  • What does a good vault look like?
  • How OP_Vault works
  • Who it’s for
  • What next with OP_Vault

Links:

Prior episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jan 14, 2023
SLP448 Texas Slim & Jacob Wolki - Bitcoin & Australian Beef Initiative
00:50:47

Texas Slim and Jacob Wolki join me on the show to chat about what people are getting wrong with their nutrition nowadays, and how the beef initiative is helping. We chat:

  • Nutrition today and what’s gone wrong
  • The Beef Initiative
  • Regenerative Agriculture and the difference in product
  • Using Bitcoin w/IBEX, OpenNode, BTCPay
  • Inaugural Australian Beef Initiative Summit Feb 12th

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jan 06, 2023
SLP447 K3tan 2022 Year in Review
00:59:01

K3tan of Ministry of Nodes rejoins me on the show to chat about his recent survey and review the year in Bitcoin. We discuss:

  • Practical tips on using Bitcoin
  • Which Bitcoin projects/software/hardware came out on top and why
  • Self sovereignty and adoption
  • Lightning
  • Fedimint, Cashu
  • What to expect for the next year

Links:

Prior episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Dec 29, 2022
SLP446 Alex Gladstein The Scourge of “Structural Adjustment”
01:15:36

Alex Gladstein of HRF rejoins me on the show to chat about:

  • Attending Africa Bitcoin Conference
  • How the World Bank and IMF keep poorer countries in a debt trap
  • The ‘strings’ attached to debt
  • Odious debt
  • Cash crops
  • How does this resolve?
  • Will Bitcoin help fix this?

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Dec 23, 2022
SLP445 Dhruv Bansal - Surviving and Innovating In Bitcoin Bear Markets
01:14:05

Dhruv Bansal, co-founder and CSO of Unchained Capital rejoins me on the show to talk about:

  • The bear cycle and what happened
  • Leverage and the role of credit
  • Bitcoin and financial planning
  • Inheritance Planning
  • Multisig & Taproot
  • Nostr
  • Bitcoin and computer security

Links:

Prior episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Dec 22, 2022
SLP444 Mike Jarmuz - Is Bitcoin VC Fiat?
01:13:03

Muzz from Lightning Ventures joins me to chat:

  • The world of Bitcoin VC
  • Is it fiat?
  • Investing in companies
  • Thinking long term
  • Problems with chainalysis
  • Bitcoiner Jobs
  • Should you evangelise bitcoin?
  • Tips for founders

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Dec 21, 2022
SLP443 Conza - Clearing up Bitcoin Misconceptions
01:34:29

Conza (austro-libertarian writer and organiser of Mises Seminar Australia) joins me on the show to talk about praxeology, and common bitcoin misconceptions. We chat:

  • Praxeology basics
  • Why it’s not ‘mere preference’
  • Why accuracy is important
  • Classifying bitcoin vs IOUs
  • Inaccurate analogies about energy, time, violence/weapon

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Dec 18, 2022
SLP442 Joe Burnett Bitcoin Long Term Security and why ETH is doomed
01:00:11

Joe Burnett of Blockware joins me to chat about why Bitcoin’s security is probably fine in the long term. We chat about the typical arguments for and against here, as well as the surprising idea of ‘finality, not security’.

  • Bitcoin long term security arguments
  • Finality, not security
  • Bitcoin’s scaling cycle
  • Why ETH is more or less doomed
  • Bull and bear markets of bitcoin are a feature

Links:

Sponsors:

 Dec 15, 2022
SLP441 Hermann (Bitcoin Ekasi) - Actually Banking the Unbanked
01:00:43

Hermann from Bitcoin Ekasi joins me to chat about his journey banking the unbanked:

  • Being inspired by bitcoinbeach
  • Conditions in the town in Mossel Bay, South Africa
  • Shops taking bitcoin payment
  • Dealing with volatility
  • Why maximalism is practical
  • Using services like Bitrefill
  • Bitcoin education centre - built with bitcoin / Paxful

Links:

Sponsors:

 Dec 14, 2022
SLP440 Bitcoin Bush Bash: a different model for bitcoin confs with WizardofAus
00:54:07

WizardofAus joins me on the show to chat about the Bush Bash: an alternate model for Bitcoin conferences. To be clear it’s not ‘better’, just different. Wiz and I chat:

  • How he got into organizing bitcoin meetups
  • Bush Bash origins
  • Attendee feedback
  • The commitment filter
  • Structuring the weekend
  • No sponsors needed?
  • Tips on replicating the model

Links:

Sponsors:

 Dec 12, 2022
SLP439 Federico Tenga - What is RGB for Bitcoin? & Iris wallet
01:04:27

Federico Tenga of Bitfinex joins me to chat about RGB, what it is and what it enables using bitcoin:

  • What is RGB?
  • Enabling stablecoins, collectibles and other assets
  • How does it work?
  • Issuing new assets, transferring and deletion
  • Does it create an MEV situation for Bitcoin?
  • Iris Wallet

Links:

Sponsors:

 Dec 08, 2022
SLP438 Lawrence Nahum - RBF, Green, Jade, BuildonL2
01:02:50

Lawrence Nahum of Blockstream joins me to chat about:

  • RBF and mempoolfullrbf
  • 0 conf arguments
  • Blockstream Green
  • Jade and bitcoin security
  • BuildonL2

Links:

Sponsors:

 Dec 07, 2022
SLP437 Jordan Schachtel - Making Sense of Clown World
00:59:55

Jordan Schachtel, independent journalist and writer joins me to chat about the problems in media today, and how we’re in a clown world. We discuss:

  • Media bias and narratives
  • SBF and the FTX house of cards
  • Was it a government op?
  • Critical factors for hyperbitcoinisation
  • Is the system beyond hope?

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Dec 03, 2022
SLP436 Juraj Bednar Bitcoin as Parallel Economy
01:21:52

Juraj Bednar (Author, speaker, co-founder of Paralelni Polis) joins me on the show to chat about:

  • Cypherpunk and libertarian thought
  • Building out the Bitcoin parallel economy
  • Vekslaks and p2p
  • Tips for onboarding bitcoin and lightning users
  • Lightning wallet comparison

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Nov 30, 2022
SLP435 Bitcoin Times Austrian Edition with Svetski
01:03:34

Svetski (Founder of The Bitcoin Times) rejoins me on the show to chat about what he’s working on lately:

  • The Bitcoin Times as a new annual bitcoin publication
  • How and why he got into Austrian economics
  • How bitcoin changes our time preference
  • Explaining Bitcoin
  • Playing the long game with bitcoin adoption

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Nov 28, 2022
SLP434 Adopting Bitcoin '22 & Should you Escape to El Salvador? with Jeremy
01:02:07

Jeremy of Escape to El Salvador joins me on the show to talk about his insights on the ground in El Salvador. We discuss:

  • Why and how some bitcoiners and expats are moving to El Salvador
  • Thoughts on the recent Adopting Bitcoin conference
  • Creature comforts in El Salvador
  • Living on Bitcoin in El Salvador
  • Getting residency or setting up a business
  • Tips for anyone visiting El Salvador

Links:

Other relevant episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Nov 24, 2022
SLP433 v2 P2P Transport Protocol for Bitcoin Core (BIP324) with Pieter Wuille Dhruv and Tim Ruffing
01:00:52

Dhruv, Pieter Wuille and Tim Ruffing join me on the show to talk about their project to bring encryption to Bitcoin Core. We discuss:

  • What the current state of things is
  • Packet inspection and making bitcoin slightly more private
  • The new proposal for encryption
  • Impact on nodes
  • Feedback wanted

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Nov 12, 2022
SLP432 James Lavish The Great Debt Spiral
01:01:41

James Lavish (author of The Informationist, prior fund manager and macro commentator) joins me on the show to chat about the great debt spiral and how Bitcoin is a big part of the answer. We discuss:

  • Recent central bank rate hikes - Fed and BoE hike 75 basis points
  • Financial zombies
  • Zombie countries and G7
  • Why the EU is doomed
  • UK Debt problems
  • How Bitcoin Fixes This

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Nov 05, 2022
SLP431 Austin Mitchell Bitcoin for Energy Markets with Synota
00:52:04

Austin Mitchell of Synota joins me to chat about how bitcoin and the lightning network could be integrated with energy markets and the energy life cycle.

We chat:

  • Financial inefficiencies in energy markets
  • How Bitcoin and Lightning fix this
  • Automation and integration possible
  • Walking through the energy lifecycle
  • Bitcoin miners paying for their energy with bitcoin

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Nov 04, 2022
SLP430 Zero fee routing - Post Mortem on ZFR node
00:57:07

Zero fee routing rejoins me on the show to do a post mortem on shutting down his LN node project (for now). It was one of the most connected lightning nodes in the network with about 100 BTC capacity, and over 1000 channels. We chat:

  • Why he’s shutting it down
  • How profitable it was
  • Lessons learned
  • Why he’s still bullish on the lightning network and bitcoin
  • Security considerations
  • Would he ever restart the project?
  • Splicing
  • Peerswap
  • Collaborative channel opens
  • Hosted channels

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Nov 03, 2022
SLP429 Anant Tapadia Bitcoin In India, Keeper, b4i conference
00:58:16

Anant Tapadia of BitHyve (the team behind Hexa Wallet and Keeper) joins me on the show to talk about what’s going on in India, and the efforts to spread good bitcoin education there as a community. We chat:

  • Bitcoin scene in India
  • Regulation in India
  • Meetup groups
  • p2p trading
  • Keeper and multi signature
  • b4i conference - aims

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Oct 31, 2022
SLP428 Stack hodler - Bitcoin & Four Macro Factors to Watch
00:56:35

Stack rejoins me on the show to chat about Bitcoin and the four macro factors to watch:

  • Contrasting different views on macro
  • Four factors to watch
  • Is the world done with US Treasuries?
  • What’s the US Fed doing?
  • What about the UK market?
  • Deflationary collapse

Links:

Sponsors:

 Oct 27, 2022
SLP427 Cory Klippsten The Race to Avoid The War
00:57:47

Cory Klippsten rejoins me on the show to chat about:

  • The Race to Avoid The War
  • Examples of countries experiencing high inflation
  • Obstacles and hurdles on the way
  • Could the cycles have been avoided?
  • How to contribute if you’re not a developer
  • Pacific Bitcoin

Links:

Sponsors:

 Oct 26, 2022
SLP426 Morgen Rochard Why You Want to Live in a Bitcoin World
00:58:15

Morgen Rochard of Origin WA joins the show to chat about the world of financial planning and more:

  • Bitcoin allocation percentages
  • Monetary uncertainty
  • “Making your money work for you”
  • Why you want to live in a Bitcoin world
  • Negative real yield
  • Living within your means

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Oct 25, 2022
SLP425 Johns Beharry & Ed - Bolt.fun - Legends of Lightning
00:43:53

Johns Beharry and Ed of the Bolt.fun project join me to chat about this new online bitcoin and lightning meta-hackathon and how you can get involved.

  • How it got started
  • Prizes and Tracks
  • How teams will be judged
  • Guide
  • Makers
  • Growing the bitcoin developer + designer community

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Oct 22, 2022
SLP424 Simon Lelieveldt The Problem With FATF and AML Laws
01:05:02

Simon Lelieveldt, a business engineer with extensive experience in banking, central banking and acting as supervisor joins me on the show. We’re chatting about:

  • The problem of FATF
  • Who are they?
  • How did this organisation form?
  • What impacts they’re having on the world
  • Tricks they use to take advantage of crises
  • How to push back

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Oct 18, 2022
SLP423 Paolo Ardoino - What’s Going on with Bitcoin in Lugano?
00:52:05

Paolo Ardoino (CTO Bitfinex & Tether) rejoins me on the show to chat about just what’s happening Lugano:

  • Funding for the project
  • Helping merchants accepting Bitcoin, USDT, Luga
  • Why do this from the top down? Why not bottom up only?
  • Hub & Incubator
  • Updates on Keet
  • Plan B Forum

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Oct 16, 2022
SLP422 John Haar Choosing Bitcoin & Austrian Econ over 13 years in TradFi
01:03:56

John Haar from Swan Private joins me on the show to chat about his journey working inside the TradFi machine and coming to see Bitcoin as the answer:

  • Being a goldbug
  • Reading and learning at mises.org
  • Methodological differences with mainstream economics
  • Full Reserve and Fractional Reserve thoughts
  • Will we see Bitcoin decorrelation?
  • Inflation

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Oct 12, 2022
SLP421 Vivek Ramaswamy - The Antidote to Corporate Woke-ism
00:54:17

Vivek Ramaswamy of Strive Asset Management joins me on the show to chat about:

  • His book Woke, Inc.
  • How executives pursue Woke-ism as a deflection strategy
  • What investors can do about it
  • Activist investing
  • Fighting fire with water
  • How it plays into Bitcoin’s world

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Oct 10, 2022
SLP420 BTCMap - Mapping Bitcoin Merchants
00:37:14

Nathan and Secondl1ght of the BTCMap FOSS project join me to chat about tagging local bitcoin merchants and how you can get involved.

  • FOSS and data
  • Past attempts at tagging
  • Open systems and walled gardens
  • BTCMap project and how you can contribute
  • Tagging locations

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Oct 06, 2022
SLP419 Matthew McClintock- UHNW Bitcoin Strategies
01:02:58

Matthew McClintock of Bespoke Services joins me on the show to chat about his family office and private trust company for UHNW American clients. We chat:

  • What level of wealth qualifies here?
  • What are the concerns of Bitcoin-affluent families?
  • What kind of structures can they use?
  • Benefits of these structures
  • Trade offs of the approach
  • How the Sovereign Individual thesis may play out
  • Should UHNW Americans consider staying out of these structures?
  • What’s needed from a technology and culture perspective?

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Oct 05, 2022
SLP418 NVK Tapsigner: Bitcoin Hardware for the Masses?
00:59:08

NVK of Coinkite rejoins me on the show to talk about how Tapsigner, a Bitcoin NFC Hardware card may be the next big iteration in UX for the masses given it’s price and ease of use. We chat:

  • Low cost hardware devices
  • Tapsigner features and use
  • Bitcoin and NFC support w/Nunchuk
  • SatsCard - the new OPENDIME
  • BlockClock Micro shipping
  • BitcoinTreasuries.Net
  • Bitcoin.Review - NVK’s new podcast

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Oct 04, 2022
SLP417 Titus Gebel - Free Cities & Parallel Structures For Liberty
00:53:26

Titus Gebel, author of Free Private Cities, and CEO of Tipolis rejoins me on the show to talk about updates with Free Cities, and why we need to create parallel structures for liberty:

  • Name change
  • Free Cities projects
  • Elements of a Free City
  • Making it work for the long term
  • Liberty In Our Lifetime Conference

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Sep 30, 2022
SLP416 Per Bylund - How To Think About Economics
00:46:32

Per Bylund, Senior Fellow of the Mises Institute rejoins me on the show to talk about his new intro book on economics, “How to Think About Economics”. This is a great new ‘first book’ on economics, especially in the Austrian tradition. We discuss:

  • How this book project came about
  • Austrian methodology
  • Comparison with other books
  • Rationing vs Production
  • Educating family and friends on Austrian econ

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Sep 26, 2022
SLP415 Prince Philip - Bitcoin, Monarchy, Nation State Adoption
00:57:39

Prince Philip of Serbia joins me on the show to chat about his journey of learning about Bitcoin:

  • Bitcoin, Economics and Finance
  • Joining Jan3
  • Bottom up adoption and Top down adoption
  • What kinds of state level adoption help?
  • Dealing with typical Bitcoin FUD lines

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Sep 21, 2022
SLP414 Matt Hill RaspiFUD or fact? Bitcoin nodes and security
00:56:49

Matt Hill of Start9 rejoins me on the show to chat about the recent show on Bitcoin nodes with K3tan. We chat:

  • What’s the actual risk with Raspberry Pi’s?
  • Where do they hit their bottleneck?
  • What about more performant nodes?
  • What about DIY?
  • EmbassyOS and new EmbassyPro device
  • Should you separate bitcoin and non-bitcoin applications?

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Sep 16, 2022
SLP413 Jevi - It’s Time for Bitcoin Self Custody
00:56:16

Jevi of Unchained Capital joins me on the show to talk about the “crypto collapse” earlier this year, and why this is the time to learn about bitcoin self custody. We chat:

  • Coming into the space
  • Fiat and yield chasing mindset
  • Why so many new bitcoin investors are reluctant to self custody
  • Why now is the time
  • Removing single points of failure
  • Unchained’s new Trading Desk product

Links:

Sponsors:

 Sep 15, 2022
SLP412 Moritz of Alby - Making Lightning On the Web Easy
00:55:01

Alby is an exciting project that allows us to easily interact with lightning on the web. Moritz from the team joins me to talk about:

  • How Alby started
  • Influence from joule
  • Lighting paywall plugin for WordPress
  • Interoperability using lightning
  • Lightning address, LNURL, WebLN
  • Privacy and security

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Sep 12, 2022
SLP411 K3tan Why Raspberry Pi Bitcoin Nodes Are Bad
00:51:47

My longtime friend, K3tan rejoins me on the show to chat about various things but importantly, we chat about why Raspberry Pi Bitcoin Nodes are bad. We chat:

  • Reliability & Performance of Raspberry Pi’s vs other options
  • What you can use instead
  • Cost
  • Bitcoin node packages
  • Electrum server comparison
  • HDD & SSD requirements
  • Separating bitcoin from non-bitcoin apps
  • Self-hosting

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Sep 09, 2022
SLP410 Pete Rizzo Principles of Bitcoin Maximalism
00:59:25

Pete Rizzo of Bitcoin Magazine rejoins me to chat about what bitcoin maximalists actually believe. We chat:

  • What maximalists actually believe and do
  • “Crypto minimalism”
  • What to do in cases of technical infeasibility
  • Commitment to slow change and enfranchising users

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Sep 03, 2022
SLP409 Steven Lubka - What’s the True Meaning of Inflation?
01:03:26

Steven Lubka, Managing Director of Swan Private joins me on the show to chat:

  • How to think about inflation
  • What scenarios we can get high CPI
  • Whether Bitcoin is still an inflation hedge
  • Orange pilling HNW
  • Macro and Bitcoin cycles

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Aug 23, 2022
SLP408 Jeff Booth Bitcoin’s Signal in the Noise
00:56:13

Jeff Booth, tech entrepreneur, author and bitcoin advocate rejoins me on the show to chat:

  • His latest article, Finding Signal in a Noisy World
  • Prior biases and his experiences with technology disruption
  • Why Bitcoin adoption will be more bottom up
  • Investing in the space with Ego Death Capital
  • Helping people zoom out and see the bigger picture

Links:

Sponsors:

 Aug 19, 2022
SLP407 Ben Arc LNbits: Account System & Extensions for your Lightning Node
01:02:52

Ben Arc, Bitcoin hardware maker and founder of LNbits joins me to chat:

  • Getting into bitcoin hardware hacking and making
  • How the LN Bits project came about
  • The functionality possible with extensions
  • POS
  • Lightning payment splitting
  • boltz.exchange for loop outs

Links:

Sponsors:

 Aug 18, 2022
SLP406 Adi Shankara Bitcoin Needs Technologists & Summer of Bitcoin
00:45:49

Adi Shankara (founder of Summer of Bitcoin) joins me on the show to chat about:

  • How he got into Bitcoin from a tech background
  • The Bitcoin scene in India
  • How the RBI actually gets Bitcoin (and doesn’t like it)
  • Why Bitcoin Needs Technologists
  • Summer of Bitcoin
  • How the program works
  • How you can support the program

Links:

Sponsors:

 Aug 15, 2022
SLP405 Paolo Ardoino Bitcoin Lightning, Tether & Keet
01:25:14

Paolo Ardoino (CTO of Bitfinex & Tether, CSO Holepunch) joins me on the show to chat about a wide range of topics:

  • Lightning security
  • Lightning adoption
  • Tether reserves - Does Tether Pump Bitcoin?
  • Tether creation/redemption process
  • Tether audits and attestations
  • Stablecoins and centralisation
  • Keet & Holepunch

Links:

Sponsors:

 Aug 12, 2022
SLP404 Gloria Zhao - What Do Bitcoin Core Maintainers Do?
01:15:06

Gloria Zhao, Bitcoin core contributor and maintainer, rejoins me on the show to chat about what bitcoin core maintainers do. We discuss:

  • What do Bitcoin Core maintainers do?
  • How does Bitcoin Core development work?
  • How much ‘power’ do maintainers have?
  • Mempools - what are they and why do we need them?
  • Interaction with L2 protocols
  • Mempool package relay
  • RBF

Links:

Sponsors:

 Aug 10, 2022
SLP403 Alex B - Bitcoin Security Long Term & ETH Centralisation
01:15:50

Alex B rejoins me on the show to chat about bitcoin security over the longer term and updates on his ETH centralisation thesis. We discuss:

  • Bitcoin’s long term security and blockspace market
  • How miner fees shifted over time in Bitcoin and why
  • Tail emission arguments are dumb
  • Which nodes matter?
  • Lido and ETH centralisation
  • Will efforts to fix it work?

Links:

Sponsors:

 Aug 05, 2022
SLP402 Pierre Rochard - Bitcoin Obsoletes Fractional Reserve Banking
01:08:08

Pierre Rochard rejoins me on the show to talk about Full Reserve, Fractional Reserve, and how Bitcoin obsolete Fractional Reserve Banking:

  • Full vs Fractional Reserve
  • Fiduciary media
  • Is the current system full or fractional reserve?
  • Various historical or current examples from the bitcoin economy
  • How would businesses work under a bitcoin full reserve system

Links:

Previous Episodes:

Sponsors:

 Aug 03, 2022
SLP401 Greg Foss - Sell Bonds, Buy Bitcoin
01:01:01

Greg Foss, Bond market veteran investor, and bitcoin/macro commentator rejoins me on the show to talk about the situation with global debt, bond markets and why Bitcoin is cheap protection. We chat:

  • US Fed
  • Japanese debt markets
  • The 60:40 stocks and bonds allocation and what changes
  • Sell Bonds, Buy Bitcoin
  • Scenarios for how this plays out
  • Looking Glass Education

Links:

Prior episode:

Sponsors:

 Aug 02, 2022
SLP400 Jonas Nick & Tim Ruffing - Half Signature Aggregation: What is it and how does it help scale Bitcoin?
00:58:37

Jonas Nick & Tim Ruffing, bitcoin researchers and contributors at Blockstream rejoin me on the show, this time to chat about half signature aggregation. This is a scaling technique that can help scale Bitcoin and enable more transactions inside a block or help with L2 protocols. We discuss:

  • How this idea came to be
  • What is half aggregation vs ‘full aggregation’?
  • What kind of savings are possible?
  • What are the downsides?
  • How would this work in practice?
  • Is a soft fork required?
  • Next steps for discussion, research, contributors

Links:

Previous Episodes

Sponsors

Stephan Livera links:

 Aug 01, 2022
SLP399 Christian Keroles (CK of Bitcoin Magazine) - Bitcoin is Good for Europe
00:54:42

Christian Keroles (aka CK), GM of Bitcoin Magazine joins me on the show to talk about the problems Europe is facing, and why Bitcoin is good for Europe:

  • The problems Europe is facing
  • Anti bitcoin laws and regulations
  • AMLD5
  • FATF and Travel Rule
  • MiCA and Proof of Work
  • Why Bitcoin is good for Europe
  • Bitcoin Conference in Amsterdam
  • What Bitcoiners can do about it

Links:

Sponsors

Stephan Livera links:

 Jul 28, 2022
SLP398 Ansel Lindner - Is it Inflation or Deflation?
00:55:17

Ansel Lindner, Bitcoin podcaster and writer of BitcoinAndMarkets.com joins me on the show to talk about his framework for assessing:

  • Inflation or Deflation?
  • The money stock
  • Credit cycles over time
  • What bitcoin does for the world
  • Could inflation and fractional reserve happen again on top of bitcoin?

Links:

Sponsors

Stephan Livera links:

 Jul 26, 2022
SLP397 Stack Hodler - Money Printing Around the World
00:55:48

Stack Hodler, twitter anon investor joins me to chat:

  • Fiat currencies & #Bitcoin
  • JPY and Japanese bond market
  • Why you shouldn’t #GetOnZero
  • Credit Cycles
  • Mortgage Boycotts
  • BRICS

Links:

Sponsors

Stephan Livera links:

 Jul 23, 2022
SLP396 Allen Farrington Austrians, Capital & DeFi Yield
01:03:51

Allen Farrington (author and professional investor) joins me on the show to talk about Austrian economics, Capital & DeFi Yield:

  • Austrian economics and Bitcoin
  • Where does the 2% inflation target come from?
  • The world Bitcoin will enable
  • Altcoin DeFi yield: where does it come from?
  • Bitcoin price and market depth

Links:

Related episode:

Sponsors

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 Jul 21, 2022
SLP395 John Tamny - Inflation & Optimism
00:59:57

John Tamny of FreedomWorks and Editor at Real Clear Markets joins me on the show to chat about his alternative take on inflation, fractional reserve banking, as well as why we should be optimistic about things going forward:

  • Defining inflation
  • Debate on Austrian economics & FRB
  • Is monetary stability possible?
  • 2 years of Hysteria
  • Optimism for the future

Links:

Sponsors

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 Jul 18, 2022
SLP394 Beautyon - Bitcoin is Not Money: EU Attack on Bitcoin
00:56:49

Beautyon (Akin) rejoins me on the show to talk about the EU attack on Bitcoin and the confusing way people speak/learn about Bitcoin. We chat:

  • Misleading terminology (unhosted wallets)
  • Bitcoin as text & speech, not money
  • The map is not the terrain
  • What bitcoin builders can do
  • What happens to countries who refuse Bitcoin

Links:

Sponsors

Stephan Livera links:

 Jul 13, 2022
SLP393 Ben Pile - Pushing Back on the Green Agenda
00:52:27

Ben Pile of Climate Resistance joins me to chat about the problem of the Green agenda. We discuss:

  • How this Green movement is funded
  • ESG meeting with reality
  • Are these outcomes intentional?
  • Hypocrisy of green warriors

Links:

Sponsors

Stephan Livera links:

 Jul 12, 2022
SLP392 Pete Rizzo - Is Bitcoin Maximalism Still Needed?
01:00:44

Pete Rizzo, Editor at Bitcoin Magazine and Editor-at-large at Kraken rejoins me on the show to talk about Bitcoin Maximalism. There has been some discussion recently on the role of the ‘toxic’ Maximalists, and Pete has clarified some thinking on this in his recent article and discussion on this topic. We talk:

  • What is Bitcoin Maximalism
  • What do maximalists believe?
  • Social and cultural arguments
  • Technical aspects
  • Is it still needed?

Links:

Sponsors

Stephan Livera links:

 Jul 11, 2022
SLP391 Ben Carman - Bitcoin Privacy, Surveillance & LN Vortex
01:01:15

Ben Carman (Bitcoin core contributor, working at The Bitcoin Company, co-organizer Austin BitDevs) joins me on the show to talk about the world of Bitcoin Privacy, the implications of surveillance on us all today, some of his ideas on improving Bitcoin Privacy, LN Vortex, P2P and the Austin BitDevs scene.

Links:

Sponsors

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 Jul 07, 2022
SLP390 Dan McArdle - Which Bitcoin Narratives Are Dead?
00:48:09

Dan McArdle joins me on the show to chat about his experiences as a long time Bitcoiner and ways to think through what’s going on now. We chat:

  • Is the “4 year HODLer” stat dead?
  • Insights from prior cycles and drawdowns
  • FUD cycles
  • Casebitcoin.com and CAGR stats
  • How to think about bear markets

Links:

Sponsors

Stephan Livera links:

 Jul 04, 2022
SLP389 Daniel Frumkin & Jaran Mellerud - Bitcoin Mining Market Analysis
00:57:04

Daniel Frumkin of Braiins and Jaran Mellerud of Arcane Research join me on the show to talk about the latest in the world of Bitcoin Mining. As the price has fallen recently, we’ve seen some miners come under pressure. We chat:

  • Overview
  • Which public miners are in trouble?
  • Operating cash flows
  • Bitcoin miner treasury management strategy
  • Why we’re likely to see acquisitions
  • Impacts for home and retail miners
  • Were there bull market errors?
  • Future forecasting and conservatism

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jul 01, 2022
SLP388 Meron Estefanos Bitcoin, Human Rights & Refugees
00:51:12

Meron Estefanos, activist and journalist joins me to talk about her story of helping over 20k refugees, helping to stop human traffickers, and how she’s using and teaching Bitcoin these days.

We chat:

  • Her story of helping refugees
  • Life for Eritreans
  • Being an activist and radio journalist
  • How she teaches Bitcoin (BlueWallet and Muun)
  • HRF Oslo Freedom Forum

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jun 29, 2022
SLP387 Tuur Demeester - How Does The Panic of 1907 Relate to Bitcoin?
01:01:26

Tuur Demeester, long time author/analyst and former fund manager in the Bitcoin space rejoins me to chat about his views on the markets and where Bitcoin is going:

  • Macro views on interest rates
  • Deleveraging moments
  • Trying to make money in Bitcoin terms
  • The Panic of 1907 and “Crypto” Contagion
  • How Bitcoin differs
  • Full Reserve Banking models contrasted with Fractional Reserve Banking
  • Whether this bitcoin bear market will last long

Links:

Prior episode:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jun 27, 2022
SLP386 Roy Sheinfeld - The Utility Of Bitcoin & Lightning
01:01:05

Roy Sheinfeld of Breez rejoins me on the show to talk about various topics:

  • How lightning network is growing and maturing
  • Breez Merchant Point of Sale
  • Breez and Greenlight
  • LN Protocol development
  • Asynchronous payments
  • Splicing

Links:

Mentioned:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jun 22, 2022
SLP385 Nicolas Burtey - Central African Republic & Bitcoin Legal Tender
00:55:43

Nicolas Burtey of Galoy Money rejoins me on the show to talk about his recent trip to Central African Republic and their new bitcoin legal tender push.

We chat:

  • The situation in the country today
  • Hurdles to adoption
  • Internet, Electricity and Smartphone penetration
  • What makes sense for bitcoin adoption in CAR?
  • Comparison with El Salvador’s Bitcoin Law
  • Galoy Money
  • El Salvador hosting central bankers and finance ministers

Links:

Prior episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jun 20, 2022
SLP384 zerofeerouting - Zero Fee Routing on Lightning Network
00:59:55

Zerofeerouting, runner of the 3rd most connected Lightning node with an innovative business model joins me on the show to chat about lightning:

  • Starting a routing node
  • The Zero Fee Routing business model
  • Why has nobody else done it yet?
  • Where fees are going on LN and who will pay them
  • Operational aspects of running a big node
  • Lightning protocol improvements
  • LND and CLN

Links:

Episodes mentioned:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jun 18, 2022
SLP383 Alex Epstein - Fossil Future and Better Energy Conversations
01:17:52

Alex Epstein, energy expert and author rejoins me on the show to talk about his newest book coming out, Fossil Future. We chat:

  • Updates to his thinking since the Moral Case for Fossil Fuels in 2014
  • Problems with our ‘knowledge system’ today
  • Fossil Fuels benefit deniers
  • “Climate Mastery”
  • What the Bitcoin community is getting right and wrong on energy
  • How free market energy advocates should be approaching their discussions

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 May 24, 2022
SLP382 Gary Leland - Bitcoin & The American Dream, BitBlockBoom 2022
00:48:19

Gary Leland, entrepreneur, author & founder of BitBlockBoom rejoins me to talk about orange pilling people, whether they are everyday individuals, or state senators.

We chat:

  • Doing a booksprint on ‘Bitcoin and the American Dream’
  • Orange pilling people by teaching them to DCA
  • Speaking to a state senate to get them to buy Bitcoin
  • What to expect with BitBlockBoom 2022

Links:

Previous Episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 May 23, 2022
SLP381 John Dennehy & Gloriana Solano - Bitcoin Diploma in El Salvador
00:44:39

John and Gloriana from the “My First Bitcoin” project join me to talk about their journey in running Bitcoin education for Salvadoran high school students. We chat about:

  • How the project got started
  • Phases of the project
  • What the students learn
  • Hurdles for learning
  • Where the project may go in future

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 May 21, 2022
SLP380 Jeff Deist & Stephan Livera chat Economic Freedom Around the World
00:42:04

Jeff Deist President of Mises Institute and I had a chat recently for the Human Action Podcast, and we discuss a few ideas about liberty, political freedom & economic freedom around the world:

  • Exiting Australia
  • Freedom indexes and where they may be falling down
  • Political freedom contrasted with economic freedom
  • Why social issues dominate

Links:

Previous Episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 May 19, 2022
SLP379 Gigi - Dealing with Linguistic Attacks on Bitcoin
01:12:15

Gigi rejoins me on the show to talk about the problems of imprecise language and wording in Bitcoin:

  • ‘Unhosted wallets’ terminology
  • Bitcoin and warfare language
  • Proof of Work and mining

Links:

Previous Episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 May 17, 2022
SLP378 Christian Decker - Greenlight & ANYPREVOUT
01:09:43

Christian Decker of Blockstream rejoins me on the show to talk about Greenlight, a node service by Blockstream. We chat about:

  • Who it’s for
  • Running a node online
  • Backups
  • Channel Management
  • CLN v0.11
  • APO and eltoo
  • Pinning attacks
  • Layered commitments

Christian Decker links:

Previous Episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 May 15, 2022
SLP377 Jimmy Song - Frequent Flyer Miles: The Original Altcoins & Thoughts on CTV
00:59:46

Jimmy Song (Bitcoin educator, programmer) rejoins me to chat about how Airline Miles are the original altcoins and how there are similarities in the fiat mindsets around chasing miles/points, and altcoins. We discuss:

  • Why the airline industry is the way it is
  • Fiat mindset in miles chasers and DeFi chasers
  • Altcoiners chasing airdrops and yield
  • Secure property rights vs fuzzy property rights
  • CTV

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 May 11, 2022
SLP376 Evan Kaloudis - Zeus: Self Sovereign LN Wallet
00:57:19

Evan Kaloudis joins me on the show to talk about building Zeus, a self sovereign Lightning Wallet for use with your own lightning node. Evan and I chat about using the LN today, and being a more sovereign lightning user.

  • Building Zeus as a FOSS app
  • Getting support and feature bounties
  • Zeus community
  • Interoperable standards
  • Supporting multiple lightning implementations
  • Privacy on LN - e.g. route blinding
  • Payment reliability

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 May 10, 2022
SLP375 Laolu (Roasbeef) - What is Taro? Stablecoins on Lightning, LN Growth & CTV
01:24:47

Laolu Osuntokun (Roasbeef), CTO of Lightning Labs rejoins me on the show to talk about Taro. Taro is a new protocol and proposal by the Lightning Labs team for creation of stablecoins or other assets that can be built into the existing Bitcoin/Lightning network. We chat about how it works and what it could mean for Bitcoin.

  • How Taro works
  • Prior efforts e.g. coloured coins, Counterparty, RGB
  • Benefits of Taro approach
  • What it would look like in practice
  • Lightning Network development generally
  • CTV and ST discussion

Links:

Previous Episode:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 May 09, 2022
SLP374 Adam O (DenverBitcoin) - Combating the ESG Mafia
01:33:44

Adam O (DenverBitcoin) of Upstream Data rejoins me on the show to talk about the Bitcoin advocate community’s response to the ESG Mafia. Are there better ways to respond?

We chat:

  • ESG statistics and what would be better
  • Bitcoin’s rising energy use and prominence
  • Bitcoin Mining Council
  • Carbon accounting dishonesty
  • Is placating them a good strategy?

Links:

Previous Episode:

Sponsors:

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 May 06, 2022
SLP373 Sam Callahan - The IMF Versus Your Freedoms
00:47:43

Sam Callahan of Swan Bitcoin rejoins me on the show to talk about another global organisation that has been making all kinds of anti-Bitcoin and anti-freedom statements in its research and proclamations. We chat:

  • Who the IMF are and how they started
  • What they think on Proof of Work
  • “Financial Crime”
  • “Transitioning to a low carbon economy”
  • “Financial stability”
  • Global corruption

Links:

Relevant episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 May 04, 2022
SLP372 Sergej Kotliar - Bitcoin For Convenience & Bill Paying
00:54:20

Sergej Kotliar CEO of Bitrefill rejoins me on the show to talk about a big new feature coming to Bitrefill, the rebrand, and Bitcoin adoption more broadly. We chat:

  • Culturally what does it take for Bitcoin adoption
  • Inconvenient truths about who uses Bitcoin for payment
  • What wallets people are actually using
  • LN vs on-chain payment
  • BIP21
  • Payment volume breakdowns
  • Bill Payment in the US
  • Capital Gains Tax laws
  • Convenience of living the Bitcoin life

Links:

Previous episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 May 02, 2022
SLP371 Max Keiser - Investing For Hyperbitcoinisation With El Zonte Capital
00:55:05

Max Keiser, Bitcoiner, financial broadcaster, investor and writer joins me on the show to talk about his adventures in El Salvador and investments in line with the global hyperbitcoinisation thesis. We chat:

  • Living in El Salvador
  • Bitcoin and Lightning infrastructure
  • El Zonte Capital and who’s involved
  • Bitcoin Education
  • Bitcoin Gaming
  • Thoughts on Central African Republic
  • Bitcoin City

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Apr 30, 2022
SLP370 Alex Thorn - Why Are Bitcoin Fees Low? 
00:52:28

Alex Thorn, Head of Firmwide Research at Galaxy Digital (previously Avon Ventures & Fidelity) joins me to talk about how and why Bitcoin Fees are low. After going through eras of higher fees, it might be puzzling as to why they’re low now.

We talk:

  • Which factors had the biggest impact
  • SegWit
  • Batching
  • Lightning Network
  • Less OP_Returns
  • Less miner selling
  • What might cause fees to rise in future

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Apr 29, 2022
SLP369 Daniel Frumkin - Calculating Bitcoin Mining Profitability
01:02:09

Daniel Frumkin of Braiins joins me on the show to talk about calculating Bitcoin Mining profitability and a load of topics:

  • Braiins insights dashboard
  • Stratum v2 benefits
  • Profitability calculator
  • Cost to mine calculator
  • CAPEX or OPEX costs for mining?
  • How to think about mining ROI
  • Updates coming

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Apr 27, 2022
SLP368 BitcoinQNA - Bitcoin Seed Tool
00:52:57

Bitcoin QNA of Bitcoiner.guide joins me on the show to talk about Bitcoin Seeds and a new Seed Tool created with SuperPhatArrow. In this show you’ll learn a little bit about how your bitcoin wallet works in the background:

  • Bitcoin and entropy
  • Seed Words
  • Passphrases
  • Bitcoin wallets and addresses
  • BIP85
  • BIP47 Stealth Addresses
  • Education for newcoiners in the space

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Apr 26, 2022
SLP367 Pierre Rochard - Lightning Network Comes to Kraken
00:54:54

Pierre Rochard, Bitcoin Lead Strategist at Kraken rejoins me on the show to talk about new lightning network developments and how Lightning network is growing:

  • Experience of setting up LN at Kraken
  • LN for day to day use not being big yet
  • Millions of people plugged into Lightning
  • Will LN node operation only be for pros?
  • Long term fee / security arguments
  • Thoughts on stablecoins vs Bitcoin

Links:

Prior episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Apr 21, 2022
SLP366 Nate (BeefOrBacon) - How To Run Your Lightning Node
01:00:13

Nate (aka BeefOrBacon1, also working at Voltage) joins me to talk about how to run a Bitcoin Lightning node. We get into all sorts of information while keeping it accessible for people relatively new to running a lightning node.

  • Different lightning user types
  • How to run your lightning node
  • Different types of node: RPi, box, VPS
  • How to manage channels
  • Who to open channels with
  • What tools you can use
  • Should you use swap providers?
  • What kind of fees do you earn?
  • How do you backup your lightning node?
  • Payment reliability

Links:

Relevant episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Apr 19, 2022
SLP365 Anita Posch - Bitcoin For Fairness in Zimbabwe and Zambia
00:44:21

Anita Posch, bitcoin educator, podcaster and founder of Bitcoin For Fairness joins me on the show to talk about her recent trip to Zimbabwe and Zambia. We chat about:

  • Why she went
  • Crypto Scammers vs Bitcoin Education
  • Bitcoin software and hardware
  • Main hurdles to adoption
  • Government views on Bitcoin
  • p2p Bitcoin

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Apr 15, 2022
SLP364 Max Hillebrand ZKSnacks Blacklisting Coins
01:25:08

Max Hillebrand, a bitcoin and privacy educator, also working at ZKSnacks (the company behind Wasabi Wallet) rejoins me to talk about why ZKSnacks is implementing blacklisting, and working with chain surveillance firms. We disagree a lot in this one! But we chat:

  • Wasabi Wallet default coordinator implementing censorship
  • Coinjoin coordinator models comparison
  • The contradiction between being anti surveillance firms and working with them
  • Is there a regulatory capture angle here?
  • Address re use in Wasabi Wallet
  • Wasabi Wallet 2 / wabisabi

Links:

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Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Apr 03, 2022
SLP363 Seth For Privacy - Bitcoin & Fungibility Discussion
01:12:13

Seth for Privacy joins me to chat about Bitcoin & Fungibility. We chat:

  • Privacy and fungibility
  • Practical real world difficulties of censoring
  • Bitcoin and Monero community differences
  • Technical and social reasons for not having protocol level privacy
  • The hopes for application level privacy with tools like Samourai Wallet & Sparrow Wallet
  • Growing the p2p bitcoin economy

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Mar 30, 2022
SLP362 John Carvalho - Slashpay: Bitcoin Payment Negotiation
01:07:16

John Carvalho, Founder of Synonym joins me to talk about Slashpay and SlashTags, an ambitious attempt to dramatically smooth the process of exchanging bitcoin addresses or lightning invoices. What kind of things does this enable? We discuss:

  • Competing standards in Bitcoin
  • How it would work
  • Updating and revocation of SlashTags
  • What other things are enabled by this public keypair approach
  • Why not use a blockchain
  • Putting tether USD on lightning
  • Synonym

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Mar 28, 2022
SLP361 Rene Pickhardt - Pickhardt Payments & Zero Base Fee for Lightning Network
01:04:23

Rene Pickhardt, independent researcher and bitcoin/lightning educator rejoins me to talk about his new approach to massively improving lightning payments reliability, and the various trade offs:

  • What the current approach is
  • What Pickhardt payments are
  • Constraints and trade offs
  • Reliability and privacy trade offs
  • Are there conflicts with other proposals to improve lightning network?
  • Zero Base Fee

Rene links:

Prior episode:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Mar 26, 2022
SLP360 Giacomo Zucco Bitcoin - Can Bitcoin be both Hard Money & Dark Money?
01:30:37

Giacomo rejoins me on the show to talk about the need for Bitcoin to be both Hard Money and Dark Money. In this show we talk about:

  • What Dark Money means
  • Why “Just use Monero” is not a satisfactory answer
  • Use of atomic swap services or other
  • Can compliance bros kill Bitcoin?
  • Global KYC capture risk - would it create a minority chain soft fork?
  • Why NgU is still important

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Mar 24, 2022
SLP359 Abubakar Nur Khalil - Bitcoin in Africa, Qala, B Trust, Recursive Capital
01:03:14

Have you wondered about the progress of Bitcoin in Africa? Abubakar Nur Khalil, Bitcoin Core contributor, on the board of BTrust and also of Recursive Capital joins me on the show to talk about:

  • Bitcoin core contribution and developer training/mentor process
  • Qala
  • Bitcoin in Africa & education
  • B Trust
  • Recursive Capital and investing in African Bitcoin companies

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Mar 23, 2022
SLP358 Lili - Bitcoin Privacy for Beginners
00:55:17

Lili joins me to talk about her journey of learning about Bitcoin and using it privately. We chat about:

  • Trade offs of KYC vs Non-KYC coins
  • How to acquire non KYC coins
  • Staying private through the lifecycle of using Bitcoin
  • Bitcoin for donations
  • Canadian Trucker Bitcoin
  • Wasabi and ZkSnacks debacle thoughts

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Mar 22, 2022
SLP357 Lawrence Lepard The Burning House of Fiat
01:03:38

Lawrence Lepard (Investment Manager, Austrian Economist) of Equity Management Associates joins me on the show to chat about living through the burning house of fiat money. We chat:

  • What’s changing in the world today and why so many took it for granted
  • The insecurity around property rights
  • Holding paper assets vs physical assets
  • Change in monetary order
  • Economic ignorance in the world today

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Mar 21, 2022
SLP356 Bitcoin: An Upgrade to 700 Year Old Accounting Tech
01:20:36

Darin Feinstein, Founder of Core Scientific (Bitcoin Mining) joins me on the show to talk about Bitcoin as an upgrade on some very old accounting technology and what it could mean for our future. We get into:

  • Learning about Bitcoin
  • Bitcoin mining narratives - FUD and facts
  • Bitcoin’s importance for liberty
  • Challenges to Bitcoin fungibility
  • Bitcoin for human rights
  • EU Proof of Work ban?
  • The path forward

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Mar 19, 2022
SLP355 Julie Landrum - Payments Infrastructure for the Bitcoin Standard
01:02:18

Julie Landrum of OpenNode joins me to talk about what they’re building to help people onboard to Bitcoin & the lightning network as a payment standard. OpenNode first got its name as a merchant payment processor but we chat about how the company has grown and evolved over the years. We chat:

  • Bitcoin infrastructure services for merchants, bitcoin companies
  • Dealing with the cyclical nature of Bitcoin
  • Spend, HODL, earn?
  • Chargeback risk
  • Dealing with regulatory requirements
  • El Salvador adoption
  • International adoption

Links:

Previous episode:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Mar 16, 2022
SLP354 Josef Tetek - Why is Bitcoin HODLing rational?
00:49:35

Josef Tetek of Trezor (and contributor at Bitcoin Magazine) joins me on the show to talk about:

  • The liberty movement in Europe
  • The connection between Austrian economics and bitcoin
  • Fractional and full reserve visions of bitcoin’s future
  • Why HODLing is rational
  • Nakamoto-Gresham’s law and how most get Gresham’s law wrong

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Mar 13, 2022
SLP353 John Cantrell - Sensei: A new lightning node client based on BDK + LDK
00:52:44

John Cantrell of L2 Technology and Spiral BTC grantee rejoins me on the show to talk about his latest work in making Bitcoin and the lightning network more accessible for the many. Sensei can be thought of as an LND or c-lightning but for LDK. We chat:

  • John’s journey since cracking Alistair Milne’s 12 word seed
  • How sensei works
  • Trade offs
  • How the child node concept works
  • What does it look like if 7.7B+ people onboarded to the lightning network?

Links:

Prior episode:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Mar 08, 2022
SLP352 Matt Hill - EmbassyOS & Making Self Sovereignty Tech Cheaper Than The Alternatives
01:09:07

Matt Hill of Start9 Labs rejoins me on the show to talk about where the world is at, and a surprising argument that might actually be true. Sovereign Tech may be adopted, not merely because of privacy, but because of being lower cost.

We chat:

  • Canada Truckers and the broader fight for freedom
  • Is it a question of tools or winning hearts and minds?
  • What’s new and coming in EmbassyOS v0.3.0?
  • Why cost will be the driver
  • Making it easy to use and saying goodbye to command line
  • Community driven growth
  • Bitcoin and other

Links:

Previous episode:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Feb 25, 2022
SLP351 Jeff Vandrew - Bitcoin for the very long term
01:08:03

Jeff Vandrew of Unchained Capital joins me on the show to share his thoughts on Bitcoin for the very long term. Where is it going, and how should you think about using the retirement system to potentially stack more sats?

We chat:

  • Where is Bitcoin going over the long term?
  • What happens if more states make Bitcoin legal tender?
  • How big is the market for retirement savings
  • What about just stacking sats outside retirement accounts?
  • Roth vs Traditional IRAs
  • McNulty case and whether it stops self custody
  • Future trends with retirement savings

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Feb 21, 2022
SLP350 Benny Peiser - The Net Zero Agenda Will Crash
00:58:16

Benny Peiser of Net Zero Watch joins me on the show to talk about ‘net zero’ and the inaccuracy in the presentation of arguments on renewables. We discuss:

  • What is ‘net zero’
  • Accurate treatment of costs and benefits
  • How much of it is regulation or market choice
  • ESG box ticking
  • The impact on everyday people
  • ‘Greenwashing’ by some countries
  • Why it will crash

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Feb 18, 2022
SLP349 Chris Stewart Bitcoin DLCs & Stablechannels
01:10:24

Chris Stewart Founder and CEO of Suredbits joins me on the show to talk about the latest with Bitcoin DLCs. You might have heard my earlier show with Nadav Kohen but in this one we chat:

  • ‘Maximalism’ and tech
  • ‘Policing activity’
  • Block space market over time
  • Where DLCs are at today
  • Lightning DLCs vs on-chain DLCs
  • Doing stablechannels
  • Practical and commercial applications
  • Umbrel app

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Feb 14, 2022
SLP348 Nick Hansen Luxor - Bitcoin Mining Narratives & Hash Rate Derivatives
00:55:11

Nick Hansen, CEO and Founder of Luxor Technology joins me to talk about the bitcoin mining scene, the narrative around bitcoin mining energy use and Proof of Work, Demand Response, ‘ESG’, China ban, Intel coming into the mining game, and hash rate derivatives.

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Feb 11, 2022
SLP347 Kyle Murphy Building Pleb Lab: Bitcoin accelerator, community hub
00:49:13

Kyle Murphy of Pleb Lab and Austin Bitcoin Club joins me on the show to talk about the Austin Bitcoin scene and his role in growing it. We also get into what Pleb Lab is and the bitcoin entrepreneurship in Austin, Texas. This is a great show to get a sense of the community in Austin as well as thoughts on how Bitcoin’s ecosystem grows.

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Feb 07, 2022
SLP346 Nicolas Burtey - Synthetic USD & Bitcoin Banking
00:57:09

Nicolas Burtey of Galoy Money rejoins me on the show for a fascinating discussion about doing synthetic USD as a building block to bringing it to the Bitcoin Beach wallet. We talk about:

  • The latest with Galoy
  • Bitcoin Banking
  • 4 ways of doing synthetic USD value
  • Why is it necessary?
  • How to fund it?
  • Risks

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Feb 04, 2022
SLP345 Danny Brewster - Bitcoin Needs Builders
00:51:16

Danny Brewster, Founder & CEO of FastBitcoins joins me on the show to chat:

  • Dealing with regulation as a bitcoin business
  • Products and services for bitcoiners
  • Expanding into new markets around the world
  • Challenges and rewards of being bitcoin only
  • Bitcoin builders and why we need them

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

Patreon @stephanlivera

 Feb 02, 2022
SLP344 NVK - Coldcard Mk4, Tapsigner, Satscard - Bitcoin Hardware Innovation
01:01:37

NVK, co founder and CEO of CoinKite rejoins me on the show to talk about the latest and exciting developments in the world of Bitcoin hardware security. CoinKite are pushing forward with NFC as a way of making hardware wallet UX easy but also keeping the hardware accessible from a cost point of view

We chat:

  • What’s changing with Coldcard Mk4
  • Memory, SE, processor
  • NFC for bitcoin transactions
  • Tapsigner
  • Satscard
  • Business models for open source
  • Low cost devices
  • Operating without laptops or PCs

Links:

Prior episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jan 30, 2022
SLP343 r0ckstar dev & Pavlenex - Career Opportunities in Bitcoin Open Source
00:57:32

R0ckstar dev & Pavlenex of BTCPay Server and other projects (Strike, Bitcoin Smiles, Bitcoin Design) rejoin me on the show to talk about Bitcoin, Open Source community ethos, and how it can lead to career opportunities.

We chat:

  • BTCPay 4 years on
  • Open Source for hiring
  • Bitcoinerjobs.com
  • How open source projects mature
  • How to grow the project
  • How to move on from a project
  • R0ckstar’s big announcement
  • What’s coming with BTCPay Server

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jan 26, 2022
SLP342 Heavily Armed Clown - Should Bitcoiners Get on Zero Fiat?
00:53:35

Heavily Armed Clown (aka HAC) joins me on the show to talk about this idea of #GetOnZero. We chat:

  • The case for #GetOnZeroFiat
  • Issues with it
  • Dealing with CGT
  • Mindset shifts
  • Emergency fund
  • Inflation rates
  • What scenarios you still need to hold fiat

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jan 24, 2022
SLP341 Zelko & Din - Ronin Dojo & Tanto
00:56:02

Zelko and Din join me to talk about updates with the Ronin Dojo project for Samourai Wallet users. We chat:

  • Where the project started
  • FOSS project ethos
  • Thoughts on VC funding
  • Privacy wallets
  • Bitcoin node project evolution
  • FOSS business & project
  • Tanto Hardware
  • Supporting Specter and Sparrow

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jan 22, 2022
SLP340 Peter Young - El Salvador On The Ground & Free Private Cities
01:05:47

Peter Young of the Free Private City Foundation joins me on the show to talk about some of his experiences on the ground and some updates with Free Private Cities. We chat:

  • El Salvador on the ground
  • Bitcoin and Lightning in the real world
  • What it really costs to do merchant processing
  • Free Private Cities
  • Honduras ZEDEs
  • Liberty In Our Lifetime

Links:

Relevant episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jan 20, 2022
SLP339 Jeremy Rubin - What is Check Template Verify?
01:26:23

Jeremy Rubin, bitcoin core contributor joins me on the show to talk about Check Template Verify (CTV) - his soft fork proposal to bring new functionality to Bitcoin. We discuss:

  • How the idea started
  • High level goals with Bitcoin
  • How CTV might bring new functionality
  • Congestion control use case
  • Vaults and protecting coins
  • Contrasting CTV with APO ANYPREVOUT
  • Commercial use of CTV

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jan 17, 2022
SLP338 Mauricio Di Bartolomeo - Bitcoin Home Loans & Stablecoins
01:08:14

Mauricio Di Bartolomeo, Co Founder and CSO of Ledn joins me on the show to talk:

  • Why use bitcoin backed loans?
  • Fiat loan rates vs bitcoin loan rates
  • Opportunities and risks
  • New products and structures for home loans
  • Dealing with margin calls and liquidation
  • Stablecoins: are they essential? Where is the market going on this?

Links:

Other episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jan 13, 2022
SLP337 Salvatore Ingala - Ledger’s New Bitcoin App: PSBT, Taproot, Descriptors, Multi-Sig
00:54:32

Salvatore Ingala of Ledger joins me to talk about a big revamp of the Ledger Bitcoin app which brings support for a whole host of new features. We chat about:

  • How the app shifted from v1 to v2
  • PSBT
  • Taproot support
  • Descriptors
  • Merkle Trees
  • Improved multi-signature and scripting support

Links:

Other relevant episodes:

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Stephan Livera links:

 Jan 11, 2022
SLP336 Sam Callahan - The Problem with the BIS
00:50:58

Sam Callahan of Swan Bitcoin joins me on the show to talk about the Bank of International Settlements (BIS). We chat about:

  • Formation, and shady history
  • Why it’s not accountable
  • Their plans for social control
  • CBDCs
  • Loss of privacy
  • War on Cash
  • What can be done?

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jan 07, 2022
SLP335 Don Stuart - Venture Capital and Bitcoin
00:57:10

Now there’s been some discussion about the impact of Venture Capitalists on the world of Bitcoin and ‘Crypto’. Don Stuart, startup investor & organizer of Kansas City Bitcoin meetup, joins me on the show to chat:

  • What Venture Capital is
  • Venture Capital model
  • Vesting and incentives for VCs
  • How they make money
  • Bitcoin vs ‘Crypto’ VC
  • Size of rounds raised
  • Are Bitcoiners anti VC?
  • In what cases does VC not make sense?

Don links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jan 04, 2022
SLP334 Jeff Booth - Escape The System & 2021 Year In Review
01:03:16

Jeff Booth, author, entrepreneur and speaker joins me to chat about the year 2021 in review for Bitcoiners. Some themes we discuss:

  • Where the narrative is going with Bitcoin
  • Fiat denomination vs Bitcoin denomination
  • How politicians and regulators are seeing it
  • Community building
  • Bitcoin wallets and services
  • Bitcoin tech
  • Dealing with fear

Links:

Prior episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Dec 25, 2021
SLP333 Cory Klippsten - Building for Bitcoiners
01:08:52

Cory Klippsten of Swan Bitcoin rejoins me on the show to talk about a range of things:

  • “Crypto” advocacy as compared to Bitcoin advocacy
  • Being an investor in the space & Bitcoiner Ventures
  • Turkey inflation
  • Avoiding trading
  • Bitcoiner Jobs
  • Swan Gifts

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Dec 22, 2021
SLP332 Vijay Boyapati - The Bearish Case for Bitcoin
01:22:26

Vijay Boyapati, author and regular guest rejoins me on the show to chat about his recent book launch as well as a few ideas that specifically came from the book. We also chat about some of his more ‘bearish’ ideas on Bitcoin and that Bitcoin is not inevitable.

  • Credentialism and fiat
  • The book and response
  • Stages of money
  • Custodial risk
  • Rehypothecation
  • Concerted state attack on Bitcoin
  • Bitcoin is not inevitable

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Dec 20, 2021
SLP331 Eric Sirion - MiniMint, Federated Mints for Bitcoin scaling and privacy
01:02:42

Chaumian e-cash is a predecessor idea to Bitcoin. Listen in to Stephan and Eric Sirion (elsirion) discuss the idea of federated mints and this particular idea of MiniMint. Eric’s research is being sponsored by Blockstream. This idea may offer even more privacy and scalability for Bitcoin users, but with some custodial and trust trade offs.

  • How it works
  • Custodial trade offs and who should use it
  • How lightning works
  • Deposits, withdrawals and internal transfers
  • Community custody

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Dec 16, 2021
SLP330 Laserhodl - Opting out of ‘The Great Reset’ with Bitcoin
01:28:58

What’s really going on with all the Hysteria? Is it a cabal or some confluence of interests? Laserhodl joins me to talk about what’s going on, and how to opt out.

  • The Great Reset
  • CBDCs / control coins
  • Social credit systems
  • Freedom tech
  • Opting out of the commie tech stack
  • #GetOnZero - and my slight disagreement

Links:

Relevant episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Dec 15, 2021
SLP329 Samson Mow - Bitcoin Bonds For Bitcoin City Breakdown & Liquid, AMP
01:01:32

Samson Mow CSO of Blockstream rejoins me on the show to breakdown Bitcoin Bonds. We chat:

  • Structure of Bitcoin bonds
  • Why not HODL bitcoin?
  • Who is the target market for these?
  • Operationally how it would work
  • Liquid AMP
  • Benefits, opportunities and risks
  • Reaction by bitcoiners to the announcement
  • What Bitcoin City could become

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

Patreon @stephanlivera

 Dec 13, 2021
SLP328 The Rise of Bitcoin Nomadism with CoinsureNZ
01:04:36

CoinsureNZ rejoins me on the show to chat about the new rising trend of Bitcoin Nomads. We talk about the benefits of this approach in achieving more sovereignty for yourself, whether that is financial or in your ability to carry on living life in the age of Hysteria. We discuss:

  • Benefits and why do it?
  • How to get started
  • Resources you need
  • Is it only for single people?
  • Getting set up in a new location
  • Where to go
  • Downsides and costs of this lifestyle

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Dec 09, 2021
SLP327 Mike Germano - Going Against Fiat Media & Bitcoin Magazine Print Edition
01:03:15

Mike Germano of Bitcoin Magazine (and previously of Vice) joins me to talk about his latest efforts with Bitcoin Magazine Print edition and to share his thoughts on media in today’s age.

We chat:

  • Why do a print magazine now
  • Is Bitcoin media overly US biased?
  • Why Fiat Media is getting Bitcoin wrong
  • Technical precision and accuracy in stories

Links:

Other episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Dec 06, 2021
SLP326 Dylan Leclair Using Fiat Debt For Bitcoin Stacking
01:09:43

Dylan Leclair of Bitcoin Magazine and UTXO Management joins me to talk about the fiat debt system, as well as why and how some people use the system against itself. We get into:

  • The current situation on the fiat standard
  • Why consider using debt to stack Bitcoin
  • The advantages of using this approach
  • Costs and risks
  • Avoiding Liquidation
  • Bitcoin mining using fiat loans
  • Trends and where this is all going

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Dec 02, 2021
SLP325 PlanB - Is the S2F model still on track? What about the supercycle and floor model?
01:07:35

Plan B (pseudonymous quant) rejoins me on the show to talk about how the S2F model is going and whether it will be a problem if Bitcoin does not hit $100k by the end of 2021. In this conversation we get into:

  • Spelling out the different types of models PlanB uses and talks about
  • Failure conditions for the model
  • The Floor model
  • Are we going to supercycle?
  • When does the S2F model fully break down?

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Nov 29, 2021
SLP324 Scaling Bitcoin off chain with Matt Corallo, Alex Bosworth, Lisa Neigut and Graham Krizek
01:06:11

This is a Tabconf 2021 panel discussion that I moderated with well known Lightning contributors and builders. Some of the topics we got into:

  • Building out infrastructure
  • General thoughts about scaling off chain
  • Lightning dual funded or v2 channels
  • Stress testing the network
  • Lightning routing as professional specialisation
  • Lightning ‘growing up’ and maturing

Links:

Prior episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Nov 26, 2021
SLP323 Graham Krizek - Running Hosted Bitcoin & Lightning Nodes at Voltage
01:03:23

Graham Krizek is Founder and CEO of Voltage, a Bitcoin and Lightning node company. If you’re interested in why you would have someone else host your node, check out this episode where we talk:

  • Getting into Lightning
  • Using a cloud node
  • Setting up as a merchant with BTCPay
  • Easy deployment
  • Cost of running
  • Flow and sidecar channels
  • Getting inbound liquidity

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Nov 25, 2021
SLP322 Perth Heat - The Baseball Team on a Bitcoin Standard
00:58:32

Steve Nelkovski (CEO) and Patrick (Chief Bitcoin Officer) of Perth Heat, join me to talk about being the first sports team to go on a full Bitcoin standard. That includes players, staff, merchandise, tickets, sponsorship, and holding Bitcoin on the balance sheet. We chat:

  • The journey of going on a bitcoin standard
  • Having a Chief Bitcoin Officer
  • Handling payment
  • The benefits of being on a Bitcoin standard
  • How it will change sport

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Nov 18, 2021
SLP321 On chain scaling with Bitcoin Core Developers Pieter Wuille, Andrew Poelstra, Andrew Chow & Murch
00:49:38

This is a Tabconf 2021 panel discussion that I moderated with some of the top research and development minds in Bitcoin today. Pieter Wuille is at Chaincode Labs, Andrew Poelstra is Director of Research at Blockstream, Murch is at Chaincode Labs, and Andrew Chow is working at Blockstream on Bitcoin Core.

In this panel we spoke about:

  • Main constraints of on chain scaling
  • Assumevalid and assumeutxo
  • Taproot and MuSig2
  • Transaction space saving
  • Cross input signatures
  • What it would look like in practice

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Nov 15, 2021
SLP320 Statechains and Mercury Wallet: A New Privacy Technique?
00:50:07

Nicholas Gregory of CommerceBlock (creator of Mercury Wallet) joins me to talk about statechains and the recent launch of Mercury Wallet. We talk about statechains, what they mean for bitcoin scaling and/or privacy, as well as practical implications of using Mercury Wallet.

We chat:

  • Statechains
  • Scaling
  • Privacy implications
  • Tor use
  • Trust implications with statechain operators
  • Mercury Wallet
  • Fees
  • Infrastructure
  • Statechain Torch

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Nov 11, 2021
SLP319 T-Bast Lightning Protocol Privacy Exploration
01:12:14

What can be done to improve Lightning network privacy? T-bast (Bastien Teinturier) of ACINQ joins me to talk about this. There are both on chain privacy and off chain privacy implications of Bitcoin and the lightning network and we get into a range of discussion on:

  • On chain privacy
  • Taproot and MuSig2
  • Off chain privacy
  • Route blinding
  • Payment decorrelation
  • Trampoline routing
  • ACINQ
  • Phoenix

Links:

Other relevant episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Nov 06, 2021
SLP318 Ronald Pol - The ineffectiveness of AML
01:04:51

Dr Ronald Pol, former lawyer and researcher joins me to talk about how and why AML laws are ineffective and simply cost taxpayers, customers an incredible amount. We chat:

  • The environment of AML laws
  • FATF and how they create these laws
  • Breathtaking costs
  • Effectiveness around 0.1%
  • KYC benefits some criminals

Links:

Other relevant episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Nov 01, 2021
SLP317 Tomer Strolight - Why Learn About Bitcoin?
01:09:23

Tomer Strolight, author in the Bitcoin space joins me to talk about his writing and why Bitcoin is so different to what you’ve seen before. This episode is specially created for beginners and people trying to learn more about Bitcoin. We chat:

  • How physics protects your Bitcoin
  • Bitcoin is more than just money
  • Why is Bitcoin so complicated?
  • Bitcoin and stopping theft

Tomer links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Oct 30, 2021
SLP316 Why Libertarians Should Focus On Bitcoin - with Vake & Wolf von Laer
01:01:16

Long time bitcoiner Vake, and CEO of Students for Liberty Wolf von Laer join me on the show to talk about liberty, and why libertarians should focus on Bitcoin as their top priority:

  • Connections between bitcoin and liberty
  • Why some libertarians haven’t focused on Bitcoin
  • What they could be doing
  • Why libertarians should prioritise the Bitcoin strategy for liberty above others

Guest links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Oct 27, 2021
SLP315 k3tan - Networking For Bitcoiners
00:57:54

Have you been wanting to learn more about networking in how it relates to running your node? k3tan, my long-time friend and co-founder of Ministry of Nodes joins me to discuss:

  • Basic tips on networking and IP
  • Securing your home network with practical tips
  • Using your bitcoin node and wallet
  • Tor and VPN
  • Home box nodes vs VPS
  • What kind of equipment you should use to run your bitcoin node - Raspis vs desktop PC

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Oct 26, 2021
SLP314 Dustin Trammell - The Second Node On The Bitcoin Network?
00:54:35

Dustin Trammell, information security professional and early Bitcoin user joins me on the show to talk:

  • Being early in Bitcoin and the culture in those days
  • Talking with Satoshi
  • Early stories
  • The hopes for a sound money future
  • Investing in Bitcoin companies
  • Bitcoin’s multiple layers

Dustin Links:

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Stephan Livera links:

 Oct 23, 2021
SLP313 Gigi - USD is going down to 1 sat & Bitcoin is Time
01:03:49

Gigi, author, developer and speaker in the Bitcoin space joins me to talk about why Bitcoin is Time, and why the USD is going down to 1 sat. We chat:

  • The pieces that had to be pulled together for Bitcoin to work
  • Tokens are timeless, ledgers are not
  • Why USD is going to 1 sat
  • UX and how it will be solved over time
  • Operating in the bitcoin space as a nym

Gigi links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Oct 18, 2021
SLP312 Mark Moss - Energy Crisis, Cycles & Bitcoin
00:53:35

Mark Moss, entrepreneur, investor, and host of The Mark Moss show on YouTube and iHeartRadio joins me on the show to talk about the recent energy crisis. We talk about what’s causing it, and the cycles impacting our world today. We also talk about dealing with it and responding to it.

Mark Moss links:

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 Oct 12, 2021
SLP311 Bitcoin: Only The Strong Survive - with Big Al
00:56:56

Big Al, pseudonymous co-author of the “Only The Strong Survive” article joins me on the show to talk about various critiques of non-Bitcoin ‘Crypto’ projects. In this explosive discussion, we talk about the key things you need to know on Bitcoin as contrasted with ‘Crypto’ and DeFi.

We chat:

  • What truly sets Bitcoin apart
  • DeFi not being decentralised, and not finance
  • Everything fights for liquidity
  • The problem with utility tokens
  • Dishonest TVL metrics and massive leverage in ‘defi’

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Oct 08, 2021
SLP310 Should We Stop Using Software Wallets? Bitcoin Software Security With Charles Guillemet
00:59:45

Charles Guillemet, CTO of Ledger rejoins me on the show to talk about the risks present with Bitcoin software wallets. Don’t miss this episode for security discussion on why you shouldn't be keeping large amounts of bitcoin on software wallets and why hardware is becoming more and more necessary to protect bitcoin from theft.

We chat:

  • Exploits using Pegasus
  • Key aspects of Bitcoin security
  • Extracting secrets using malware from desktop wallets and phone wallets
  • Desktops, phones, hardware security
  • What to do instead

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Oct 06, 2021
SLP309 Easy CoinJoin Use For Desktop Is Here With Sparrow Wallet with Craig Raw
00:54:55

Craig Raw, founder of Sparrow Wallet rejoins me on the show to talk about the latest: easy coinjoin for the desktop is now here with whirlpool being integrated into Sparrow Wallet. Sparrow Wallet might well make coinjoin much more accessible to users interested in bitcoin privacy.

Craig and I chat:

  • Latest updates
  • How Whirlpool in Sparrow works
  • STONEWALL privacy preserving spends in Sparrow
  • Implications of having multiple whirlpool clients
  • Electrum server back ends for Sparrow
  • Wallet business models

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Oct 04, 2021
SLP308 Philip Glazman - Scaling Exchanges With Lightning And Lightning User Profiles
00:58:31

Philip Glazman of River, a bitcoin only exchange in the US joins me on the show to talk about the process of using lightning as an exchange. We talk about:

  • Experiences with lightning over the years
  • User profiles and how customers use lightning with River
  • Customer education
  • Swap services
  • Lightning and Liquid comparison
  • Technical overview

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Oct 01, 2021
SLP307 Becoming A Lightning Routing Node Operator with Jestopher and Tony of Amboss
00:58:31

Jestopher and Tony of the Amboss website and project join me on the show to talk about the journey of becoming a lightning routing node operator, tips and resources.

We chat:

  • Routing on lightning
  • Selecting channel partners
  • Channel management
  • Tooling available to help routing nodes
  • Calculating fees and rebalancing
  • LN communities growing

Links:

Other resources:

Prior episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Sep 28, 2021
SLP306 Guy Swann - What Makes Bitcoin A Breakthrough (Newcoiner episode)
01:12:18

Guy Swann of the Bitcoin Audible podcast joins me for a special show for Bitcoin and Crypto beginners. We talk about why Bitcoin is unique and why you should avoid shitcoin gambling. We discuss:

  • Common questions for people new to ‘crypto’
  • “Won’t Shitcoins pump harder than Bitcoin?”
  • Comparison of Bitcoin and shitcoins
  • The problem with utility tokens
  • Shitcoins are LARPing decentralisation
  • Shitcoin waterfall
  • “Doesn’t Bitcoin waste energy?”

Links:

Stephan Livera links:

 Sep 24, 2021
SLP305 El Salvador Bitcoin Law On The Ground with Aaron van Wirdum
01:12:34

El Salvador’s Bitcoin Law went live on 7th September, what was it really like? What did the protesters have to say about it? Aaron van Wirdum, Bitcoin Journalist at Bitcoin Magazine joins me to give us an ‘on the ground’ take on things. We chat:

  • Protesters and are they really protesting about Bitcoin or Bukele?
  • Chivo Wallet - teething issues
  • The truth about bitcoin remittances
  • Positives on the experience so far
  • Bitcoin Meetup
  • Bitcoin Core v22
  • Bitcoin 2022

Links:

Stephan Livera links:

 Sep 20, 2021
SLP304 Is The Bitcoin Infinity Meme Wrong? With Knut Svanholm
01:02:10

Knut Svanholm, Bitcoin writer joins me on the show to chat about why you are not prepared for hyperbitcoinisation, and various concepts such as adoption, what it might look like, and the infinity meme. Is the infinity meme wrong? I believe it is, but listen in to Knut and I discussing it!

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Sep 14, 2021
SLP303 Ethereum’s Path to Centralisation with Alex B
01:35:20

Alex B joins me on the show to talk about why Ethereum is predictably on a path to centralisation. How does Bitcoin contrast in terms of decentralisation and long term possibilities?

We chat:

  • MEV
  • Can MEV be stopped?
  • MEV and staking derivatives interaction
  • Ethereum as the Myspace
  • Ethereum cannot be ultra sound money
  • Problems with utility tokens

Alex links:

Sponsor links:

 Aug 31, 2021
SLP302 SeedSigner - Bitcoin multi sig security under $50
01:06:01

SeedSigner, pseudonymous creator of the SeedSigner project joins me to talk about his work creating a low cost, accessible, DIY style hardware device that can be part of your multi sig quorum with wallets/coordinators like Specter Desktop, Sparrow Wallet, Blue Wallet. This product was actually inspired by an earlier episode with Michael Flaxman.

We chat:

  • Inspiration for the project
  • Low cost
  • Accessibility
  • Technical skill required
  • QR codes
  • Support
  • Being a project vs product

Links:

Relevant episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Aug 23, 2021
SLP301 Bitcoin Mining Pools Decentralised? A Discussion with Pavel Moravec of SlushPool & Ryan Ellis of Laurentia Pool
01:24:46

How should Bitcoin mining be structured? Pavel Moravec of SlushPool (Braiins) and Ryan Ellis of Laurentia Pool join me to chat. We discuss:

  • Why pools exist
  • How to structure mining pools
  • Trade offs around decentralisation of pools
  • Coinbase payouts vs other ways
  • Lightning payouts
  • Scalability for mining pools
  • Stratum v2

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links: 

 Aug 18, 2021
SLP300 Adam Back Bitcoin, Privacy & Censorship Resistance
01:12:27

Adam Back, CEO of Blockstream, cryptographer and privacy advocate, inventor of Hashcash and cited in the Bitcoin whitepaper rejoins me on the show. We chat:

  • Regulatory environment for Bitcoin vs building
  • ‘Crypto wars’ in the 90s
  • Proof of Work
  • Bitcoin privacy
  • Confidential Transactions in Liquid and for Bitcoin
  • Trade offs involved
  • Blockstream satellite base station
  • Bitcoin development

Previous episode:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Aug 13, 2021
SLP299 Adam O - Bitcoin Optionality for Oil & Gas
01:19:59

Adam O of Upstream Data joins me to talk about the massive opportunity for energy producers and Bitcoin mining. We chat about:

  • The opportunity for Oil & Gas with Bitcoin
  • Optionality
  • The necessity of fossil fuels
  • ESG
  • Bitcoin Mining Council
  • Bitcoin lobbying

Adam links:

Prior/relevant episode:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Aug 12, 2021
SLP298 Rusty Russell - Lightning Offers / BOLT12: The next big thing in Lightning?
01:13:47

Offers might be the next big idea for Bitcoin’s Lightning Network. Rusty Russell of Blockstream, working on the lightning spec and on c-lightning rejoins me to chat:

  • Current invoices today vs Offers
  • New use cases enabled e.g. static QR donation
  • Refunds
  • Recurring payments
  • ‘Speaking lightning’
  • Offers vs LN URL
  • What’s next

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Aug 09, 2021
SLP297 Ergo - Chain Surveil Yourself!
01:17:41

Have you wondered about Bitcoin privacy or chain surveillance and how it’s done? Or how to defend against it? This is the episode for you, as Ergo of OXT Research (Part of Samourai Wallet) rejoins me on the show to talk:

  • Background on bitcoin transactions
  • How Bitcoin surveillance works
  • Peel chains and wallet clustering
  • How to counter it in practice

Ergo links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Aug 05, 2021
SLP296 Saifedean Ammous - The Biggest Fiat Malinvestment
01:26:25

Saifedean Ammous, author of the Bitcoin Standard and the upcoming book, The Fiat standard rejoins me on the show for an illuminating episode where we explore various ideas:

  • What bitcoin really replaces
  • Thinking about inflationary costs
  • infinity/21M - is it wrong?
  • Cultural impacts of fiat money
  • Malinvestments and where the biggest ones lie
  • The hyperbitcoinized world

Saifedean Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Aug 03, 2021
SLP295 John Lee Quigley Why Bitcoin Mining Is Shifting to North America
00:55:37

Historically, Bitcoin Mining as an industry was dominated by China. John Lee Quigley (formerly of Compass Mining, and now independently consulting and writing) rejoins me on the show to talk about his recent report on the state of Bitcoin mining. We talk about the various factors going into this generational shift. Listen to this episode to understand some of the dynamics, gleaned from John’s in depth research and interviews on the subject. We chat:

  • Historical reasons for China’s dominance
  • Why its changing now
  • Mining equipment upgrade cycle
  • Capital market access
  • Regulatory certainty
  • Downsides of this shift

John Links:

Prior episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jul 27, 2021
SLP294 Lyn Alden - Inflation, Debt, and Energy Markets
01:10:03

Lyn Alden of Lyn Alden Investment Strategy rejoins me on the show to talk about macro updates and Bitcoin. We chat:

  • CPI rises to 5.4% and inflation
  • Govt debt and the likely govt responses
  • Why and how they keep the party going
  • Oil & Gas Bull case
  • Energy and the need for baseload power
  • Stablecoins & why Bitcoin is different
  • People are sleeping on the Lightning Network

Links: 

Other episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jul 22, 2021
SLP293 Greg Foss The Debt Problem You Can’t Ignore
01:08:29

Greg Foss, a 3 decade veteran of fixed income securities specialising in HY (High Yield) joins me to talk about debt, bonds, government debt and why Bitcoin is the answer.

  • Primer on debt instruments
  • Interest rates and bond bull market over decades
  • Craziness of debt markets
  • Interaction between debt and equity
  • Could govt repudiate the debt?
  • Could we outgrow it?
  • Why Bitcoin is the best asymmetric trade

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jul 19, 2021
SLP292 Andrew Chow Output Script Descriptors for Bitcoin
01:02:32

Andrew Chow, Bitcoin Core contributor and creator of the PSBT standard rejoins me on the show to talk about the creation of a series of BIPs (Bitcoin Improvement Proposals) for Output Script Descriptors. We break down and explore the key concepts to make it accessible for bitcoiners.

  • Seeds
  • BIP39 vs Electrum seeds vs aezeed
  • Derivation paths
  • How Output Script Descriptors improve things
  • New functionality
  • Backups and recovery
  • Lightning
  • Miniscript
  • Advanced scripting

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jul 16, 2021
SLP291 Caitlin Long Stablecoins, Bitcoin & The Fed
01:16:52

Caitlin Long of Avanti rejoins me on the show to talk about the coming regulatory crackdown. We discuss:

  • The growth in stablecoins
  • How there’s so much stablecoin volume off a low base
  • Coming regulatory crackdown
  • Getting direct access to the Fed
  • Compliance in the industry
  • Improving the on ramps for Bitcoin

Links:

Other episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jul 15, 2021
SLP290 NVK Bitcoin Security & Backups Primer
01:18:13

NVK of Coinkite rejoins me on the show to talk about practical tips on setting up and securing your Bitcoin as well as backups. We chat:

  • Set up tips for newcoiners
  • Desktop wallets to use
  • Passphrases
  • SeedXOR
  • Multi sig
  • Storing backups
  • Estate planning and inheritance

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jul 12, 2021
SLP289 Roasbeef Bitcoin & Lightning For a Billion Users
01:30:40

Laolu Osuntokun aka roasbeef, CTO of Lightning Labs rejoins me on the show to talk about how Bitcoin and Lightning Network can scale to a billion users someday. We chat:

  • Updates on the lightning network generally
  • ANYPREVOUT and eltoo
  • CTV Check Template Verify
  • Multi party channels
  • Lnd updates
  • Thoughts on Bitcoin’s path forward
  • What’s coming next from Lightning Labs

Laolu links:

Previous episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jul 06, 2021
SLP288 Hass McCook - Why You Must Set Up A Bitcoin DCA Plan
00:56:32

Hass McCook aka FriarHass rejoins me on the show to talk about why you should set up a Dollar Cost Averaging Plan. We chat:

  • Lump sum for you, DCA for us!
  • Is DCA more important than everything else? Even development?
  • Growing the DCA Army to hasten hyperbitcoinisation
  • CAGR - statistics and dishonesty?
  • DCA vs circular economy / agorism?
  • Practical tips

Links:

Prior episode:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jul 01, 2021
SLP287 Danny Scott and Zakk Lakin - Hoffline wallets & Lightning adoption
00:58:54

Danny Scott and Zakk Lakin of CoinCorner join me to talk about:

  • Starting CoinCorner
  • A new type of wallet - Hoffline
  • Security considerations
  • Lightning adoption
  • Bitcoin Core contribution

Links:

Episodes mentioned:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jun 28, 2021
SLP286 Hector Rosekrans - Bitcoin & Inheritance
00:58:02

Hector Rosekrans of Casa joins me on the show to talk about securing your Bitcoin and how early we are in terms of Bitcoin inheritance. We chat:

  • Securing your bitcoin
  • Self custody vs custodial solutions
  • How early bitcoin inheritance is
  • Casa covenant
  • Hardware wallets
  • Multi sig and inheritance setups - will they standardise?

Links:

Relevant episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jun 24, 2021
SLP285 Jeff Booth Bitcoin vs Fiat “Extend and Pretend”
00:53:06

Jeff Booth, technology entrepreneur, author and bitcoin advocate rejoins me on the show to talk about:

  • Bitcoin 2021 conference experience
  • Fiat system extending itself
  • MicroStrategy Bitcoin buying
  • Macro investors
  • Surveillance coins (CBDC) and what they would mean
  • Supercycle thoughts

Jeff Booth links:

Previous episode:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jun 17, 2021
SLP284 Steve Barbour - Bitcoin & Fossil Fuels vs Fiat Maxis
00:54:56

Steve Barbour of Upstream Data rejoins me on the show to talk about:

  • Fiat Maxis
  • Bitcoin Mining Council
  • Wind and Solar as unreliables
  • Why arguing about renewable usage isn’t the right long term approach
  • What Bitcoiners should do about it
  • Upstream Data Hash Hut

Links:

Prior episode:

Mentioned:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jun 14, 2021
SLP283 Alex Gladstein Bitcoin: Who’s For Freedom, and Who’s Not?
00:57:48

Alex Gladstein CSO of HRF rejoins me on the show to talk about the recent El Salvador Bitcoin legal tender news. We break down the good, the bad and what could go wrong.

  • Overview the news
  • Historical moment for Bitcoin and the world
  • It could have been so much worse
  • Merchant adoption and lightning
  • HRF grant

Links:

Prior episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jun 10, 2021
SLP282 Alex Epstein - Why Bitcoiners Should Reframe The Energy Debate & Own Their Energy Use
01:03:36

Where are some Bitcoiners going wrong in their thinking and arguments about energy? Alex Epstein, author of The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels, and energy policy commentator joins me to talk about energy use, and why we’re not thinking about it clearly.

We chat:

  • The benefits of energy and fossil fuels
  • More energy use is good!
  • Renewables are really just unreliables
  • Reframing the conversation

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jun 04, 2021
SLP281 Cory Klippsten - Bitcoin Is For Everyone, Swan Bitcoin $1B run rate, Bitcoiner Ventures, Elon’s mistakes
00:57:32

Cory Klippsten, CEO and Founder of Swan Bitcoin joins me to talk about various topics:

  • Working in the bitcoin space
  • Teaching newcoiners
  • Growing the auto-stacking movement
  • The latest with Bitcoin Ventures
  • Elon Musk’s mistakes

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jun 02, 2021
SLP280 BTCxZelko & Pavel - Reclaim Your Bitcoin Privacy with Ronin Dojo
01:04:59

If you want the best privacy possible in Bitcoin, you want to use Samourai Wallet. And for the best way to use it, you need to use your own node. Zelko and Pavel join me to talk about the latest with Ronin Dojo, an easy way to do just that. We chat:

  • What it is
  • Who its for
  • Recent upgrades on the UI
  • Thoughts on hardware wallets
  • Other services and features offered
  • Best practice tips on privacy
  • Open source licensing
  • Getting support

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 May 31, 2021
SLP279 Michael Peterson and Nicolas Burtey - Bitcoin Beach: Citadel By The Sea in El Zonte, El Salvador
00:55:51

Michael Peterson and Nicolas Burtey join me to talk about their project showing how a whole town could go bitcoin and lightning native. Listen to this interview talking about how thousands of people are going lightning native to benefit from international remittance and creating bitcoin tourism.

  • Stages of development
  • Building a Citadel by the sea
  • Lightning practicalities
  • Teaching Bitcoin
  • Rebuilding the Bitcoin for payments narrative

Links:

Relevant episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 May 28, 2021
SLP278 Matt Odell & Ben Price - OpenSats: Bitcoin & Open Source Initiative
01:05:57

OpenSats is a new initiative for the bitcoiners to contribute to, to support Bitcoin and open source development and projects. Matt Odell and Ben Price join me to chat about the structure, why they’re creating a new organization, and why Bitcoin development funding shouldn’t merely be a popularity contest.

Links:

Other relevant episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 May 26, 2021
SLP277 Alejandro De La Torre - Coordinating Bitcoin Upgrades With Mining Pools
00:54:00

Alejandro De La Torre, VP of Poolin, a large Bitcoin mining pool joins me on the show to chat about his efforts in helping to coordinate Bitcoin Upgrades:

  • Taproot Activation
  • Learnings from 2017 SegWit
  • UASF or MASF (Miner Activated Soft Fork)
  • UASF within MASF
  • Distribution of network hashrate
  • Future Soft Fork upgrades

Alejandro links:

Relevant episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 May 24, 2021
SLP276 Anthony Ronning - Bitcoin Lightning Privacy: FUD and Facts
01:11:01

Anthony Ronning, Bitcoin Lightning developer joins me on the show to talk about Bitcoin Lightning Privacy. We separate FUD from fact and give it a fair hearing to give you some insight into where the privacy leakages are today, how you can be more private, and where it’s all going in the future. We chat:

  • Basic overview of LN
  • Different user types and wallets
  • Lightning nodes
  • Receiver privacy
  • Mitigations and future tech
  • Practical tips for users today

Anthony links:

Other episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 May 20, 2021
SLP275 Pavel Moravec - SlushPool Signalling For Taproot
00:56:44

Pavel Moravec of Braiins (operator of SlushPool) joins me to talk about signalling for Taproot as a miner. We chat:

  • Whether it is difficult to signal as a miner
  • The dynamics with different mining pools signaling
  • Miners and Pools, how does it work
  • Braiins OS and mining firmware
  • What future upgrades might look like

Pavel links:

Relevant episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 May 13, 2021
SLP274 William Clemente III - Bitcoin’s Great Consolidation
00:57:24

William Clemente III joins me to talk about analyzing Bitcoin on-chain and why we’re still in the middle of this cycle. We chat:

  • Getting into on-chain analytics
  • Is this time different? Supercycle or not
  • Analyzing what different cohorts are doing
  • What does a market top look like?
  • MVRV, NUPL, SOPR
  • Futures and contango trade

William links:

Other relevant episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 May 11, 2021
SLP273 Andy Edstrom - Bitcoin and Leverage: Don’t Get Rekt
01:04:39

Andy Edstrom rejoins me on the show to talk about Bitcoin, leverage, and not getting Rekt! We chat:

  • What’s changed in the market in recent years
  • Why use leverage
  • Risks and costs with leverage
  • Supercycle or not
  • SWR and FIRE crossovers with collateralization
  • Bitcoin side hustles or jobs

Andrew Edstom links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 May 07, 2021
SLP272 Peter St Onge - Bitcoin Energy Double Standards & Why Robots Are Not Taking All Our Jobs
01:13:55

Peter St Onge, Austrian economist and fellow at Mises Institute joins me on the show to talk about his thoughts on Bitcoin Energy use, and what Deflationary growth will look like. We chat:

  • Bitcoin energy costs
  • Fiat standard costs
  • Costs of recession
  • Deflationary growth
  • Keynesian ‘sticky wages’
  • UBI and MMT
  • Will robots take our jobs?

Peter St Onge links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 May 03, 2021
SLP271 Pete Rizzo When Satoshi Disappeared
01:02:49

Pete Rizzo, editor at Bitcoin Magazine and editor in chief for Kraken joins me on the show to talk about his latest piece, ‘The Last Days of Satoshi’. We talk about various ideas:

  • What Satoshi’s image was in the early community
  • How things changed as Bitcoin got bigger
  • Mistakes and bugs early in Bitcoin’s life
  • How that colours our view going forward
  • Bitcoin, Wikileaks, and the CIA

Pete links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Apr 28, 2021
SLP270 Bob Murphy What Does A Hard Money Bitcoin World Look Like?
01:07:53

Bob Murphy, Austrian economist and libertarian theorist joins me on the show to talk about his views on Bitcoin and Austrian economics. We chat:

  • Bitcoin’s evolution in stages
  • Bitcoin and non monetary use
  • What bitcoiners are getting wrong about Austrian economics
  • Money is not a measuring rod
  • What it would look like under a Bitcoin world

Bob Murphy links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Apr 21, 2021
SLP269 Jack Mallers - Bitcoin Wins Because It Is Open
01:05:31

Jack Mallers of Strike rejoins me on the show to talk about what he’s working on and how Bitcoin wins. We chat:

  • Visiting El Salvador and financial access
  • Bitcoin remittance market
  • Why fiat fintech can’t compete
  • Bitcoin and Lightning as an open network
  • Strike expansion

Jack Mallers links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Apr 19, 2021
SLP268 Peter Todd - Should Signal Have Used Bitcoin Instead?
01:09:18

Peter Todd, Bitcoin expert and cryptocurrency consultant joins me on the show to talk about Signal’s recent decision to use MobileCoin rather than Bitcoin. Is Signal selling out? We talk about why MobileCoin is centralised, why it was a bad choice, and why they should have used Bitcoin and Lightning instead. We also talk about directions with private messaging going forward.

Peter Todd links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Apr 15, 2021
SLP267 Joe Burnett How Big Is The Market For Bitcoin?
00:54:44

Joe Burnett of Mimesis Capital joins me to talk about just how big the market for Bitcoin could really be. Hint: It might be bigger than just the market for gold. We talk through valuation in a post hyperbitcoinization world, and we also explore the Bitcoin Contango trade.

Joe Burnett Links:

Other relevant episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Apr 12, 2021
SLP266 Croesus_BTC - Bitcoin: Stake Your Claim Before Everyone Else
01:02:19

Croesus_BTC joins me to talk about why the yuppie elite do not like Bitcoin, making simplified bitcoin content, adoption and cycles, speculative attacks on fiat, and staking your claim on your ‘fair share’ of Bitcoin. Don’t miss this one!

Croesus_BTC links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Apr 09, 2021
SLP265 Diverter - Becoming Uncle Jim: Being Digital Sherpa for Family & Friends
00:57:25

Diverter joins me on the show to talk about our modern world of surveillance and reliance on third parties. We chat about learning to be a ‘digital sherpa’ for your family and friends.

  • Dealing with “I don’t have anything to hide”
  • Password managers
  • Nextcloud
  • Yunohost
  • Self hosting
  • Bitcoin

Diverter links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Apr 06, 2021
SLP264 Roy Sheinfeld Podcasting 2.0 & Lightning with Breez
01:04:05

Roy Sheinfeld of Breez rejoins me on the show to talk about the latest with Breez and how Lightning Network is enabling a whole new world of possibilities.

We chat:

  • Breez updates
  • Merchant adoption of Breez
  • Lightning network podcasting
  • Taking payments offline
  • Cloud backups
  • Lightning development

Roy Sheinfeld links:

Relevant episodes:

Sponsors:

 Apr 01, 2021
SLP263 Parker Lewis - The Greatest Trick Central Banks Ever Pulled
01:28:40

Parker Lewis of Unchained Capital rejoins me on the show to talk about the environment central banks have created, what that has done to money and our ability to save.

We chat:

  • Fiat financialisation of the economy
  • Inflation and Deflation properly considered
  • Bitcoin’s growth amongst institutions today
  • Multi sig with Unchained
  • Loans with Unchained
  • Living off your Bitcoin using collateralised loans

Parker Lewis links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Mar 29, 2021
SLP262 Craig Raw Bitcoin Multi Sig With Sparrow Wallet
01:10:20

Craig Raw joins me on the show to talk about his relatively new project, Sparrow Wallet. Sparrow Wallet allows you to easily set up a single sig or multi sig wallet, air gapped or with USB, supporting the most popular hardware wallets.

We talk:

  • Why Sparrow
  • Progression steps for new bitcoiners
  • QR codes
  • Taproot
  • Applications vs browser apps
  • Being Uncle Jim
  • Tor built in
  • Electrum server vs Bitcoin core use
  • Funding and sustainability

Craig links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Mar 24, 2021
SLP261 Dominic Frisby - Bitcoin vs Daylight Robbery (Taxation)
01:22:15

Dominic Frisby, comedian, author, financial writer and libertarian joins me on the show to talk about his latest book, Daylight Robbery.

We chat:

  • How taxes have impacted society
  • Low taxes for more prosperous societies
  • Bitcoin Citadels and patronage
  • Bitcoin’s impact on taxes
  • Bitcoin Nomads
  • Surveillance and Platforms

Dominic links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Mar 22, 2021
SLP260 Luke Dashjr How Bitcoin UASF Went Down, Taproot LOT=True, Speedy Trial, Small Blocks
00:58:26

Luke Dashjr, long time Bitcoin Core contributor joins me on the show to discuss his views on how UASF went down in 2017. We talk through the various trade offs and points around Taproot activation and why he believes that LOT = True maximally reduces the risks.

We chat:

  • Luke’s background
  • BIP91, BIP148
  • Miner signalling
  • Chainsplits
  • Average user and code review
  • Speedy Trial
  • Small blocks

Luke links:

Relevant prior episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Mar 17, 2021
SLP259 Whit Gibbs - Bitcoin Mining For All With Compass Mining
00:53:30

Whit Gibbs of Compass Mining joins me on the show to talk about his background in mining, and how the mining market is developing. We chat:

  • Hitting ROI on a mining machine
  • Current prices and costs
  • How to do it
  • Learning by doing and making mistakes
  • Mining equipment
  • Mining facilities
  • Hashrate distribution around the world
  • Recent raise

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Mar 15, 2021
SLP258 Rafael Schultze-Kraft Bitcoin Supply Crunch
01:17:06

Rafael Schultze-Kraft CTO of Glassnode rejoins me on the show to talk about Bitcoin on chain metrics and how there is a very bullish set up right now. We chat:

  • Overview of how Glassnode’s analysis works
  • Liquid supply vs illiquid supply
  • Number of coins on exchanges dropping and what this means
  • Difference in structure of bitcoin demand this time vs 2017
  • Why its not true that “2% of accounts control 95% of bitcoin”

Links:

Previous episode:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Mar 11, 2021
SLP257 Matt Corallo - Bitcoin Soft Fork Activation, Taproot, and Playing Chicken
01:19:40

Matt Corallo of Square Crypto, and long time bitcoin developer (now more focused on lightning) joins me on the show to talk about Taproot Activation, as well as review some of the history and nuance of prior soft forks in Bitcoin. We discuss:

  • What is a fork
  • What are the benefits of Taproot
  • How the events of 2017 played out
  • Dynamics of soft forks
  • Taproot activation paths
  • Flag day vs forced signalling UASF style
  • LDK - Lightning Dev Kit

Links:

Taproot links:

Relevant prior episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Mar 04, 2021
SLP256 David Bailey Bitcoin 2021 and Bull Markets
01:03:44

David Bailey, CEO of BTC Media (including Bitcoin Magazine) rejoins me on the show to chat about the latest: Bitcoin 2021 is coming and it’ll be huge! We chat:

  • Bitcoin 2021 and the guests
  • The feeling of live conferences
  • Bitcoin Magazine content
  • Bitcoin’s growth in recent years
  • Bitcoin culture

David Bailey links:

Prior episode:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Mar 02, 2021
SLP255 Gleb Naumenko: The Label, Bitcoin Dev & Consulting
00:59:20

Gleb Naumenko, Bitcoin developer rejoins me to talk about his latest venture, The Label. We chat about:

  • Bitcoin development and consulting
  • Protocol development
  • Cross layer considerations
  • Bitcoin & Lightning attacks
  • Time Dilation attacks
  • CoinPool

Links:

Previous episode:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Feb 26, 2021
SLP254 Dario Sneidermanis Muun Wallet: Bitcoin & Lightning All In One
01:18:12

Dario Sneidermanis, Founder of Muun Wallet joins me to talk about the advanced technological approach taken by his team. We chat about:

  • Muun as a single unified bitcoin + lightning balance
  • A different approach with mnemonics and backups
  • Lightning and channel management
  • Splicing
  • Use in Argentina and elsewhere around the world

Links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Feb 23, 2021
SLP253 Samson Mow Blockstream Jade, Liquid & Bitcoin Mining
00:58:29

Samson Mow CSO of Blockstream rejoins me on the show to chat about what’s going on with the new Jade hardware wallet, updates on Liquid & Bitcoin Mining:

  • Jade hardware wallet
  • Blockstream Green
  • Why use Liquid vs Lightning
  • Blockstream Mining
  • Mining industry generally

Samson links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Feb 19, 2021
SLP252 NVK Bitcoin Hardware Wallets vs Air Gapped Computers
01:02:33

NVK, CEO of CoinKite joins me on the show to talk about hardware wallets, air gapped computers and all kinds of useful security questions. This episode will help you learn about the kinds of attacks possible against air gapped computers and hardware wallets, as well as bring some nuance and balance to the conversation about how people should use Bitcoin. We chat:

  • Locking down security
  • Attacks possible against air gapped computers
  • Multi sig vulnerabilities and standards
  • Helping newcoiners in the space
  • Balancing tradeoffs

NVK links:

Other links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Feb 17, 2021
SLP251 Dan Held HODL Mindset & Bitcoin Finances
01:00:04

Dan Held rejoins me on the show to chat about HODL mindsets vs spending and mistakes made along the way. You’ll find a lot of value in this episode whether you are a new bitcoiner or an experienced hand. We chat:

  • HODL Mindset
  • Mistakes of spending and trading
  • Using Bitcoin collateralised loans
  • Property market for Bitcoiners
  • Where we’re going

Dan Held links:

Sponsors:

Saylor Academy Bitcoin For Everybody Course:

Stephan Livera links:

 Feb 12, 2021
SLP250 Andrew Henderson - Nomad Capitalism for Bitcoiners
00:51:42

Andrew Henderson of Nomad Capitalist joins me on the show to talk about the benefits of nomad capitalism, using overseas residences and citizenships to obtain legal tax savings and increased freedom. We chat:

  • Huge tax savings possible
  • Risks and costs
  • Considerations for Bitcoiners
  • Being a nomad with a family
  • Jurisdictional competition
  • Adapting to a globally changing game

Andrew Henderson links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Feb 08, 2021
SLP249 Bitcoin Patents & Open Crypto Alliance with Stephan Kinsella and Jed Grant
00:43:48

Stephan Kinsella and Jed Grant join me to chat about Open Crypto Alliance.

We talk:

  • Why IP laws are anti-liberty and anti-progress
  • How progress has been delayed by improper concepts of property rights
  • How Patent laws could hinder the Bitcoin industry
  • The asymmetry of attack vs defense here
  • How to stop overly broad patents
  • How to support OCA

Guest links:

Prior episodes:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Feb 05, 2021
SLP248 Godfrey Bloom - What Will Government Do To Bitcoin
01:06:17

Godfrey Bloom, Austrian economist, former politician, and libertarian author joins me to talk about what governments will do to Bitcoin. We discuss:

  • Commonalities and differences with gold
  • What he’s learned since first buying Bitcoin
  • How governments may attempt to control Bitcoin
  • How some people will use Bitcoin in spite of control
  • Govt bans vs regulation
  • Building a movement

Godfrey Bloom's Links:

Prior episode:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Feb 02, 2021
SLP247 Luke Gromen - Does Bitcoin Recreate The Hunger Games?
00:55:12

Luke Gromen, founder of FFTT (Forest for the Trees) joins me to talk about his views on Bitcoin. We chat:

  • Bitcoin as store of value, medium of exchange bifurcated
  • Does Bitcoin recreate the Hunger Games?
  • Bitcoin as Smoke Alarm
  • US Govt debt
  • Why rates can’t rise?

Luke Gromen links:

Sponsors:

Stephan Livera links:

 Jan 29, 2021