A sjsqd walks into a pub...

BingoBoingo !up sjsqd
sjsqd Thank you. I'm writing some articles on the bitcoin foundation via Let's Talk Bitcoin and happened upon the Bitcoin foundation during a search. Would anyone be interested in discussing it with me?

jurov Just ask.ⁱ
sjsqd I couldn't find much reference to the original foundation in the documentation but is it correct to title it as the 'pirate' bitcoin foundation?

asciilifeform The first thing to know is that there are two foundations.
jurov The original one is the pirate one.
fluffypony altfoundation :p
nubbins` What jurov said.
sjsqd Is this thread official in nature? https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=934517.0

assbot Introducing new "the only official foundation of Bitcoin" [sign up as president] ... ( http://bit.ly/1aLAPen )
nubbins` The only official statements are PGP.
PeterL This new foundation works on the assumption that the previous one does not exist.
sjsqd Ah ok. I have done quite an amount of research on the foundation but never seen this page.

nubbins` If you check the mailing list archives on the .foundation website, there's a bunch of stuff there.
sjsqd Will do nubbins`. Do you know if anyone from the previous foundation is aware of it?ⁱⁱ

asciilifeform The more heavily-advertised 'foundation' (Vessenes, Hearn, Andressen, et al) was a scam from day one.
nubbins` ^
sjsqd The goal of my articles is to try and ascertain how transparently the foundation currently operates. Which I'm not aware anyone else has done so far.ⁱⁱⁱ It's certainly interesting to see two foundations with the same name (: I will look at the mailing list, if I have further questions is there any email address I could use or is this IRC channel the best method of communication?

PeterL This chan is best.
nubbins` Think of them as the foundation and the phoundation, with the other guys being the ph
BingoBoingo That foundation has never really had any transparency. Vessenes birthed it in the shadows and snuck out the same way.
sjsqd Ok great, I will keep a record of this channel in my notes then.

nubbins` This foundation is more interested in uh... making the codebase not a steaming pile of shit, instead of campaigning/rallying/whatever. The latest foundation release is 0.5.3.1. Think of it as a LTS stream.
sjsqd Given the current state of foundation communications it is actually quite difficult to ascertain exactly what it is tasked with doing.^iv I'm still quite new to bitcoin, is the client that you release an alternative client?

nubbins` It's the official foundation client, based on the original 0.5.3 source code, with plain ol' unix patches applied to de-turdify it.
jurov No it's the original client. It should be stripped to bare minimum first.
sjsqd I guess the term official/alternative isn't the best to use... but I assume the client you work on is different to bitcoin core?

nubbins` Rach patch is intended to be small enough that a human can read and understand it.
sjsqd But works with Bitcoin just the same as any other client (multibit etc) does?

ben_vulpes It's just the old code.
nubbins` The goal is to trim the fat from the oldest still-working code base, rather than add more fat to the same, which is how the current "bitcoin core" release came to be.
asciilifeform Starting point was phoundation's release circa 2012.^v

sjsqd Ahh ok understood.
ben_vulpes No "gavinblocks". Someone removed the "alert" feature. DNS is on the chopping block, etc.
nubbins` Win32 "features" removed.
asciilifeform Already zapped. In the process of removing the idiot hardcoded seed list.
ben_vulpes A right, asciilifeform excised the DNS. No win32, no QT.
sjsqd Very interesting

nubbins` Slowly bringing it closer to the ideal of "one program to do one task". Ripping qt was ++.
ben_vulpes The question under consideration is "what precisely does it mean to bitcoinate?" The goal is to do that and nothing more.
sjsqd Ok I will save everyone's time and look through the mailing list, I might return with some further questions later on. Thanks for your time.

jurov You can peruse the searchable logs here, too.
nubbins` ^
BingoBoingo "But works with bitcoin just the same as any other client (multibit etc) does?" << Very different from multibit. Multibit is based on the Hearn BitcoinJ turd.

sjsqd I'm not that well acquainted with how the different clients originated or their quality, more just a question of whether it is a bitcoin or an altcoin client; from what I understand it is a bitcoin client. Ahh I see the URL for logs in the title. Thanks for the pointer.

danielpbarron How many LTBcoin did you get for writing those?^vi
sjsqd I got about 180k for the first one. Clocked in at about 40ish USD. But I am holding the LTBcoin (I'm pretty sure I'm allowed to disclose that). Not enough to live on, but a good alternative income.

danielpbarron What determines how much you get for an article?
sjsqd You basically earn based upon your proportion of page views. It's all calculated automatically as far as I'm aware. There is an editor too who makes my posts more readable, she gets a cut before I do.

jurov You know about qntra? it also pays (kinda) contributors.
sjsqd No I hadn't heard of it. Thanks I will check it out. I found out about let's talk bitcoin via the foundation forums (andresen forums if you want to call it that) because I made some posts saying the website wasn't adequate in certain terms.

danielpbarron Your 180k ltbcoin are worth about 0.02 bitcoin by my estimation. That's like what, 6 bucks? I wrote 2 paragraphs for qntra and it's worth like 15 bucks.
sjsqd I'm not interested in writing for money anyway.

danielpbarron Lolk, then I guess you're in the right place.
sjsqd According to poloniex 180k is about 0.16. Where I live I can't buy bitcoins easily so its nice to have a little coming in from writing.

danielpbarron I checked the actual DEX.
sjsqd I used to blog years and years ago. Even with hundreds of thousands of page views I only ever made about 70 USD over 2-3 years.

BingoBoingo Anyway the qntra thing can probably also help with some background on differences between the Vessenes' foundation and the (dot)foundation.
sjsqd Thanks I'll have a look on there.

danielpbarron No you didn't. You said you still have your LTBcoin. That means you still have.. ltbcoin, not dollars.
sjsqd I was referring to a different blog pre-bitcoin days (to some extent). Completely separate platform, just was using it as a point of reference. I might look at writing something for qntra. Let's talk bitcoin is interesting because there are quite a few podcasts and such.

danielpbarron Podcasts are trash. Nothing of value is discussed in a podcast.^vii
asciilifeform There are, approximately, two 'bitcoin universes.' The one where scammers and u.s. fed stoolies scratch one another's backs, and this one.
pete_dushenski "I might look at writing something for qntra" << wot first http://www.contravex.com/2014/10/13/qntra-reaffirms-wot-irc-yeshiva-in-no-way-optional/
assbot Qntra Reaffirms That The WoT And IRC Yeshiva Are In No Way Optional | Contravex
PeterL I would much prefer to read an article than to listen to some guy talking.
sjsqd I don't personally listen to them but there are some interesting topics.^viii

danielpbarron No, there really aren't. That is a common misconception.
sjsqd I understand the idea of bitcoin universes, I didn't get into it to make a quick buck selling for cash or anything. I read about bitcoin a few years back, downloaded the mining software, my ADD kicked in and I went and played games. But I've read as much as my mind can understand on it (I'm not a coder though). And I really like the idea of being able to carry around my money on my phone. Or have my passport on my phone. And I live in a city where the government evolves quickly. So the likelihood of bitcoin being adopted widely is high (although it hasn't happened just yet).

PeterL Lol, bitcoin is not meant to be on a phone.^ix Read the logs, then you will understand how bitcoin should (and should not) be used
danielpbarron What does government have to do with it!?

PeterL
sjsqd I use my phone, Windows computer and a VPS or two to store my coins. In this specific locale the government has to allow it because of terrorism and money laundering etc. But it is also a locale where you could pay for a house in cash and no one would ask any questions.

danielpbarron What locale is that? Everywhere?
sjsqd Dubai. Camel to computer in 30 years.

PeterL Do you consider your phone a safe place for your money?
sjsqd Depends, I try to be sensible about what I install.

danielpbarron Clearly you aren't, you install malware.
pete_dushenski Windows is sensible on what planet ?
PeterL Phones can get lost or stolen, then what?
sjsqd I need it for work unfortunately. My phone is encrypted and cannot be unlocked without pin code. All my wallets are locked and require separate passwords to open. A friend of mine had his phone stolen...

danielpbarron So... stupid...
pete_dushenski A $100 linux laptop does the trick. Of course, your level of security depends on how much you're trying to secure. But no one wants to be another '4,500 btc hard drive in the landfill' guy.
PeterL How long would it take an attacker to brute force your pin?
sjsqd It wouldn't matter because all my wallets are locked, no passwords are stored locally. I'm looking at upgrading to a phone with a fingerprint scanner or moving to the Mozilla phone or something.

* danielpbarron stabs sjsqd.^x
PeterL Paper backups are a good idea?
mike_c Easy dpb :) everybody starts somewhere.
sjsqd Yes for long term usage, no one is going to pull out a fully fledged laptop to pay for their groceries.

PeterL Why do you think you need bitcoin for groceries?
sjsqd I enjoy eating.

PeterL Convert btc -> local cash -> food.
asciilifeform In Dubai, famously, there are 'gold atm' - where you run a card and get 100g bricks out. But do you pay for food with these ?
sjsqd Haha yes there are 2-3 of them, no I don't own any gold.

asciilifeform But if you did - would you think of paying for groceries with it ?
sjsqd No I'm very sceptical of gold for a number of reasons. I personally believe that the entire gold/silver/etc markets are manipulated like crazy and I've seen firsthand how depending upon culture people will dump their life savings into buying some gold when they get married or as an investment and then it sits in a cupboard.

asciilifeform And this is the only reason you wouldn't want to pay in a restaurant with gold? Would you want to pay with diamonds? plutonium? rembrandts ?
sjsqd It's inconvenient obviously. That's why I want to pay with bitcoin or something similar.

asciilifeform For a meal.
sjsqd I only ever pay with cash or my card. Ad my card has been cloned once, and I've had tons of issues with my bank. I hate operating hours of banks (even though you can access full bank services till like 10PM at nighttime here).

asciilifeform Try to understand why Bitcoin is more analogous to diamonds or rembrandts than to the national currency you grew up with. Even though surface appearances may deceive, and idiots are spending their coin as if it were toilet paper.
sjsqd Yes I kind of understand that Bitcoin is more of a long term cryptocurrency (my view anyway) than a day-to-day currency for a number of reasons.

PeterL Save in BTC, spend dollars.^xi
sjsqd There is almost nowhere to even spend it here (beyond paying web hosting bills etc) so I am pretty much saving it right now.^xii

asciilifeform This is actually good fortune, that you've nowhere to blow it just yet. Once you understand the above, it will never occur to you to carry Bitcoin on your person in the street, or spend it in a restaurant.
sjsqd The local currency here hasn't ever really fluctuated. It is permanently tied to the USD, 3.68 AED - 1 USD. The same rating for something like 2 decades. Fuel price rarely changes.^xiii

PeterL And you don't see being tied to usd as a problem?
sjsqd I obviously do, but have little choice in the matter.

PeterL Save in Bitcoin, then you don't have to be tied to USD.
sjsqd I'm not wealthy (at all) so its more an incapability of keeping more Bitcoin at the moment. I haven't really spent any, only to show friends how it works. On a recent flight I used the plane's WiFi which cost like 1 USD and managed to teach a friend in pakistan as well as a friend in Dubai how to set up a wallet on their phone and sent money from 37,000 feet. Obviously sent them some dust just to show them how it works, but beyond having to scrape into my savings to pay for a VPS here or there I actually don't have any way to spend it here yet and I don't carry any worthwhile amount on my phone.

danielpbarron You should better teach them how to run a full node.^xiv
sjsqd That depends on people's technical ability though.

danielpbarron The whole "crypto on your phone" thing is more of a hinderance than a help.
sjsqd Because it doesn't contribute network resources?^xv

danielpbarron They need to refine technical ability then; don't give them fire without teaching fire safety.
lobbes Crypto on phone' defeats the purpose of Bitcoin, which is a secure store of value that only you can access (if you know what you are doing).
sjsqd As much as I understand what you're saying its difficult to explain to people the fire safety aspect. Ubuntu is fairly easy but is a long way from any sort of plug and play operation. Unless people understand how to compile software its too difficult.^xvi

danielpbarron So is a noose. Just slip it over head. Understanding these things is like understanding how to ride a horse in the 1800s. If you don't know how, you are practically illiterate. Paying for things with phones is NOT an application of Bitcoin!^xvii You have Apple pay and Paypal and whatever app of choice for that.
sjsqd Here there are interesting applications of bitcoin besides paying for things with phones. Money remittance specifically. 90% of the population are foreign^xviii and send a shit ton of money through methods like Western Union or their banks.
sjsqd Do you think there is an altcoin more suited for that?

danielpbarron No.
sjsqd I would never, ever personally use anything branded by Apple in a million years. I don't care if its a lifeboat on the Titanic.^xix

danielpbarron But you use windows...
sjsqd Mainly because Adobe won't release their software on Linux just yet.^xx Windows is kind of a necessary evil if you want to play modern video games^xxi or use 'creative' software.

danielpbarron You won't use Apple to literally save your life but you'll use windows to save your job.. ok..
sjsqd My opinion anyway. I do some photography work so using Adobe is pretty much mandated. Unless you want to deal with the limitations of GIMP.^xxii Or deal with Apple's Aperture software. I understand open source could probably do a better job but we haven't quite reached that point yet. Having said that, my disdain for Adobe is growing on a daily basis.

danielpbarron That doesn't excuse you using bitcoin on your windows computer.
sjsqd TBH, if I had the choice I'd have a separate computer for Linux and a separate computer for Windows.

danielpbarron You do! My laptop cost 250 bucks on Ebay. And even that is a bit pricy.

sjsqd I have a laptop and I am moving *towards* that, but at the moment I have a family member in intensive care unit and I'm writing articles about the bitcoin foundation as well as waiting for legalization of my residency status (its been 3 years of not being a resident so far). So its kinda taken a back seat. I will be moving all my financial things onto Ubuntu or something similar fairly soon though.

danielpbarron Ubuntu is not recommended.
sjsqd Debian?

danielpbarron Maybe. Don't use Gnome if so.
sjsqd Jeez. Debian is a challenge.

danielpbarron Lol Debian is easy.
sjsqd I've run a few debian VPS servers before. It's all about balancing convenience vs security I suppose. Screen. I hate screen. It's great functionally but it confuses the hell out of me. The biggest thing I've noticed about computer security is that its almost impossible to get decent biometric security.^xxiii

jurov Biometric is overrated.
danielpbarron You do realize debian can have a desktop environment, right?
sjsqd Yeah I tried it once on a VPS but it didn't end well. The problem I have with Debian is that unless you run some specific version (I usually run the latest version) most of the documentation on the internet is kinda only 75% there.^xxiv and unless you're familiar with how to compile etc it gets pretty confusing quickly.

danielpbarron Not that I'm recommmending Debian, but it uses a package manager that downloads binaries, not source. I would recommend gentoo over Debian.
sjsqd To be fair when it comes to interviews I'd rather hear the full conversation rather than what someone else has cut up from the discussion^xxv. Yeah apt-get is easy enough to use, but when you need to install a custom altcoin wallet for instance that is when I get stumped. Although I did manage to compile a few wallets on Ubuntu successfully.

danielpbarron Well don't do that.
sjsqd When I get the time I will probably get a harddrive, install a barebones Debian installation on different partitions for each altcoin so they are completely separate.

danielpbarron Save yourself the trouble and don't install any altcoins.
sjsqd Then how am I going to walk around with my augmented vision paying for things in 20 years time if Bitcoin isn't the ideal cryptocurrency?^xxvi

danielpbarron http://trilema.com/2014/the-woes-of-altcoin-or-why-there-is-no-such-thing-as-cryptocurrencies/ So for the benefit of all the derps derping about "cryptocurrencies" : there is no such thing. There's Bitcoin and that's it, because there can only be one.
assbot The woes of Altcoin, or why there is no such thing as "cryptocurrencies" pe Trilema
lobbes What others have said: save in Bitcoin, spend in (local currency).
sjsqd For now that is how I'm operating (especially given no one accepts Bitcoin here except like 1 pizza restaurant). But in the future if I can receive 100% of my pay via cryptocurrency I will. I personally have little interest in cash.

danielpbarron Via Bitcoin*.
thestringpuller I wouldn't save in bicoin during a bubble.
sjsqd On the topic of altcoins, I do see that many of them have ended up as scams and so on.

danielpbarron On the topic of altcoins, they are all scams.
sjsqd But there are a few that have been ok so far. DNOTES is quite interesting, they've put together the first long term savings plan. I have no doubt it is manipulated via bots, but then again, what isn't nowadays?

danielpbarron That doesn't make sense.
sjsqd Well that is what the limitation (in my eyes) is of most altcoins and bitcoin itself. No communication and no marketing, unless you want to dig through 2000 page threads on bitcointalk, stay on IRC 24/7 or use reddit 24/7.

danielpbarron Yes! Stay on irc 24/7! Forget the forum -- forget reddit; those are distractions.
lobbes ^ yes
thestringpuller They make logs for a reason...
sjsqd Yes but most people outside of extreme enthusiasts are not going to look through logs.^xxvii

danielpbarron So? Screw them. What did Noah do when nobody else would get on the Ark? He.. GOT ON THE ARK.
PeterL Focus on the log for this chan, yes, that is how you will learn.
asciilifeform What do you need the remaining people for ?
thestringpuller This is akin to someone pretending to be involved in history and but didn't read any history books. This doesn't work.
sjsqd Except a history book is just a summary of events in most cases. Even if its provides sources, its a summary. To find out what is happening with bitcoin or xyz altcoin it isn't important to read through thousands of pages.

jurov If someone takes an effort to do a marketing toward you, they're after your money or soul. Get used to it.
sjsqd Wouldn't surprise me. I did save some money a few years back in a bonds thing backed by the government. A decent whack of money, sat there for an entire year and I got 50 USD in interest. Not worth it at all. All my bank accounts get chewed out the ass with fees and such.

PeterL Important stuff shows up on qntra.net if you don't want to wade through the logs.
sjsqd Yes I will be adding it to my reading list.

danielpbarron I cashed out some bonds that my grandma got me when I was born; did the math and realized it should have been worth many ounces of gold instead of a measly 1k or whatever it matured to. Best gift for a baby? Golden pacifier or something.^xxviii
PeterL That inflation will kill you on long-term investing.
sjsqd I'm not even that familiar with how traditional currency or banking works. But in terms of whether I trust a computer or a human more I trust a computer.^xxix E very time I have an issue with a bank it requires dealing with 20 humans and I'm pretty sure their jobs are going to disappear within a few years. If I want to use my debit card from another country here I had to try 5 different ATM machines the other day. "DO NOT HONOR". Miraculously it works on a different machine though.

PeterL You should get in the wot too.
danielpbarron Think of FIAT like illegal drugs and you'll have an easier time. If you want just a 20-bag, it costs a much higher premium than if you bought a whole ounce. You should better keep savings in Bitcoin, and find local street dealers to sell you FIAT as needed.
sjsqd Not only that, I'm paying like 20 USD just to withdraw cash. So it *should* work unless the Internet is down. I went on a work trip to lebanon once, tried to use my ATM card twice and it lagged out. Of course I didn't get any cash^xxx but the bank took my money anyway (I got it back after filing forms etc). I do get the hesitation towards altcoins, but I do think that at least 2-3 of them will shine above the rest. There are only a few BTC sellers here so its economically unfeasible to use bitcoin like that yet. I should probably note that I only just moved back here anyway, so I'm not 'set up' just yet.

danielpbarron A few is all it takes to keep it competative, no? Buy a months worth at a time.
sjsqd That and its a free market.

danielpbarron This ties into the "don't buy groceries with bitcoin" thing. Buy a months worth of FIAT with bitcoin, and use that to buy groceries.
sjsqd I wouldn't buy them just yet because cash still works just as well. But potentially in 5 years time, if bitcoin or similar is stable enough, I would use it 100%.

danielpbarron Well you can't bring your cash across borders.
sjsqd Exactly. And I got permanently banned from using paypal for life too, after several thousand USD worth of transactions and 0 complaints. I used one of those bitcoin exchanges recently and added all my bank accounts (I have 3 in 3 different countries) and thought "oh wow this is cool I can now manage all my money from one place sort of" (keep in mind the bank accounts were verified via the usual 0.01 transaction shit). Then I get a message asking for a copy of my ID as well as a video interview, because I tried to buy $50 USD worth of Bitcoin.

danielpbarron Kinda the point of why bitcoin will eventually win.
sjsqd Exactly. Although Windows isn't the absolute best solution for computer security, I run a software firewall^xxxi, as well as malware bytes, an adblocker that blocks malicious sites. And keep my system 100% updated at all times^xxxii.

danielpbarron It's not even a mediocre solution; it's not even a consideration.
* danielpbarron slaps sjsqd around a bit with a large update.
sjsqd And I also barely own any cryptocurrency, so at this point in time running linux exclusively to keep my internet money safe is too inconvenient to be worth it (although I will be moving to a better system very soon)

danielpbarron A lot of these things were discussed in here recently; you should definitely get to reading the logs
sjsqd I would actually prefer running some form of cloud OS (provided it was encrypted) for a portion of my holdings. I like the idea of my phone being shot at by terrorists and just kinda shrugging, and walking into a phone store and purchasing a new phone, logging in and getting access back in 3.

danielpbarron No no no bad! You are really very stupid! The only redeeming quality about you is that you ended up here somehow.^xxxiii
sjsqd That would be for day to day usage.

thestringpuller Damn I wish I could have bashed that.
sjsqd Haha, its actually been very many years since I spammed an IRC channel.

danielpbarron That is a luxury afforded to you because you are new. Now your task is to read the log for at least 6 months.
jurov You will never be safe if you treat technology as magic. "Just throw this spell to it".

ben_vulpes Re "the goal of my articles is to try and ascertain how transparently the foundation currently operates" : the goal of your articles is to apparently rack up pageviews. You yourself may ascertain whatever you may ascertain.
sjsqd I will definitely write about this bitcoin foundation in my articles at some point. I'm not motivated by money, it is just nice to be able to write something and get at least a little appreciation for it. All I do is tweet the link to the article and post it onto /bitcoin/ subreddit. I don't spam my article URLs or anything like that (I provided it here because it was relevant to show what I was writing). I don't think anyone has to read my articles or consider my viewpoint, its just my way of writing about the foundation. As there are many issues with the foundation (andresen edition) I was invited to post on the let's talk bitcoin website. So that is purely the reason I ended up writing for this series of articles I will probably keep them on let's talk bitcoin, but for future articles or if I come up with anything else to write at the same time I might consider qntra.net

danielpbarron Yeah, prepare to be hated and banned.
ben_vulpes Look into qntra.net
jurov It depends whose appreciation you want. Those stupider than you or those more intellinget than you?
ben_vulpes "It's all calculated automatically as far as I'm aware" << so how would you know if things are working as expected?
ben_vulpes "I understand the idea of bitcoin universes" what you don't seem to understand is that there are separate WoTs in action.
lobbes "I would actually prefer running some form of cloud OS (provided it was encrypted) for a portion of my holdings" << Oh god no.
danielpbarron You don't consider qntra; qntra considers you.
sjsqd Then I would do my best to be considered. Please understand that I've spent many years of my life writing about issues such as internet censorship and the like. So when a platform exists that can at least reward you a little, you may not be that cynical.

mats Nobody cares. Kill yourself.
sjsqd (:
ben_vulpes !down sjsqd
PeterL A bit harsh?

... and discovers that whether the publican's there or not doesn't make all that much difference after all. For this is a socialist bar in a serenist rePublic!

PS. I have no idea why so fucking mean, srsly! I thought the guy was absolutely adorably endearing.

1. [Don't ask to ask], just ask. [↩]
2. Heh. [↩]
3. This is beyond naive, seeing that rampant fraud, embezzelment and wanton cautioning of known scammers are exactly why the scam foundation got indicted in the first place. [↩]
4. "State of communications" as in, "thanks for all the fishes, we're now deleting old posts and pretending like we moved from the US to UK last year for reasons other than to try and avoid the noose MP was preparing in that jurisdiction". [↩]
5. Technically the fake foundation wasn't born at that point yet. So no, it's just better custodianship of the bitcoin codebase than the fake foundation has been displaying. [↩]
6. Apparently someone came up with the bright idea of... implementing Qntra shares on "Colored Coins". Without, obviously, even a hint of awareness that that's what they're doing. Because why fucking read ancient history ?

   On the mid term, the principal job of everyone involved will be working to defeat this imbecile approach to Bitcoin where every schmuck imagines the first thing that crossed his head two days after having first heard of Bitcoin (pompously referred to as an "idea") is legitimately interesting, valuable, original, insightful and important - as if Bitcoin had no history, no firmly established hierarchy and so forth. That was the case, if it ever was the case, long long ago. Not any longer, certainly not today.

   Time to start your education instead. [↩]

7. I hate them too. You gotta be pretty bored an' your life's gotta be pretty devoid of purpose if you find the patience to sit down and watch some inept dude speak, when you could be skimming through the prose at 500 wpm instead. [↩]
8. Dogfood ? [↩]
9. This is such a debatable point. I see where he's coming from, for sure. What if you had an actually secure phone, though ?

   It's an ancient Scheherezade dilemma : if you could put your being in a ring, would you put your being in a ring ? [↩]

10. Funny how not long it takes the Christian to start a holy war upon the poor Arab! [↩]
11. What drives good money out of the market ? [↩]
12. Who said lack of opportunity is a bad thing ? In many situations, the lack of opportunity translates to the lack of opportunity to do something stupid. Take as an informative example communist Romania : there was a total lack of possible alternative as TV consisted of three hours a day, derping about the guy in charge. So people read. The life of athletes pointedly lacked any... diversion (in a country where you could not actually find a cop that could recognize the smell of pot) and so they kicked ass (at least, compared to performances since the Great Opportunity Revolution). It's all very... complicated. [↩]
13. That'd be the day lol. [↩]
14. The simple solution to this central problem coming soon. [↩]
15. Not only. It also encourages a particularly AOLish view of Bitcoin. In retrospective, the AOL view of the Internet did it, and computing generally, absolutely no favours. [↩]
16. At issue is, of course, the notion that "everyone" "should be able to" "use" X.

    Consider the issue where "everyone" "should be able to" "use" books, proposed cca 1400. First off, there's not enough spectacles to go around. Second off, most people can't read, and if an education effort is hastily thrown together, Fraktur's not the best font nor the complex Romache lexicons particularly suited. So what to do ?

    History seems to indicate, at least to mine eyes, that it is better to apply the solution applied then ("Let them eat cake!") than the solution applied now ("Better fuck up the thing then"). This is a central point, of overwhelming impact downstream. It is, perhaps, the most important philosophical consideration you will have to resolve in your lifetime : if the cock of ambition's too long and the cunt of possibility too narrow do you reverse-James Burt the perineum, or do you Bobbitt the extra bit off the cock ? [↩]

17. What if stuff like Trilema credits take off ? [↩]
18. The bit I'm curious about is how come this guy's local and poor. I thought all Dubai people were filthy rich. [↩]
19. It's interesting to me to see just how hated, how outright reviled Apple actually is. The cheap media coverage ol' Stevie bought is wearing off, I wouldn't be much surprised if before the decade's out people get stomped for iShit like people got stomped for being gay a few decades back. [↩]
20. Bwahahaha this is a good one. In other news : Fat Feminists Can't Deepthroat Just Yet. FFCDJY! Sorta like FIFY but with more stuff. [↩]
21. Actually Eulora is intended as the silver bullet for this thing. [↩]
22. Speaking of which, Trilema is 100% made on Gimp. What limitations ? [↩]
23. Speaking of which, Vulpes' assay. [↩]
24. And this is a problem shared by everyone, on all levels. [↩]
25. This is in reference to a whole subdiscussion about audio that got elided. If you wish to see it it's, of course, in the logs.

    The reason I mention it is because recall that one time when I had a proper transcript made, like, MP-intel level ? The one of Amir Taaki the imbecile. Recall how the bruhaha was all about how "you're supposed to delete parts" ? Myeah. [↩]

26. Ha! [↩]
27. They do make for pretty good entertainment I thought. [↩]
28. And back we go to the silver spoon eh ? [↩]
29. And his computer is running Windows! [↩]
30. The ATM people are also using Windows... [↩]
31. :) [↩]
32. :-) [↩]
33. This guy's something else huh. [↩]