Greetings Bitcoiner,

Welcome to Issue #244 of the daily Bitcoin Breakdown, where we have some excellent Opinion & Analysis pieces and Tools & Projects for you today!

But first, today’s Top Stories:

• ⚔️ OP_RETURN War: Bitcoin Nodes Flok To Knots

• 🌳 David Bailey Launches $300M 'Nakamoto' $BTC.X ( ▲ 2.5% ) Fund

• 🏦 Ramaswamy's Strive to Stack Sats via Public Markets

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May 8, 2025

TODAY’S TOP STORIES

⚔️ OP_RETURN War: Bitcoin Nodes Flok To Knots

The number of node operators protesting against Core developers increasing OP_RETURN's data limit has hit an all-time high. Internet-connected full nodes propagating Knots-tagged blocks that reject the proposed increased data limit have doubled since the war began last month. These guardians argue Bitcoin is for sound money, not just a corporate data dump. All eyes are on bitcoin++ conference starting in Austin today as devs debate the future of Bitcoin's precious block space. Protos

🌳 David Bailey Launches $300M 'Nakamoto' Bitcoin Fund

David Bailey, CEO of BTC Inc. and a Trump advisor, has raised $300M to launch a publicly traded bitcoin investment company called 'Nakamoto'. This new powerhouse, a nod to Bitcoin's mysterious creator, will mimic Michael Salyor’s Micro)Strategy and focus on acquiring and holding BTC. Nakamoto plans a Nasdaq listing via a merger and aims to acquire global companies, supercharging them with bitcoin. CNBC

🏦 Ramaswamy's Strive to Stack Sats via Public Markets

Vivek Ramaswamy’s Strive Asset Management is boldly transforming into a Bitcoin treasury company via a reverse merger. The firm plans to issue around $1B in equity and debt to build a substantial Bitcoin 'war chest', aiming to outperform the digital gold itself. Strive will also offer a tax-free pathway for individuals to contribute their bitcoin in exchange for public stock, as corporate Bitcoin adoption continues its impressive surge with strong institutional interest. Cointelegraph

POLL #244

PREVIOUS POLL RESULTS

OPINION & ANALYSIS

• BitMEX Research argues for removing Bitcoin's OP_Return limit, highlighting that miners prioritize profitability over spam concerns, and embracing economic reality ensures an effective mempool and competitive transaction markets (May 7 | 10 min read).

• Avi Burra, a Bitcoin writer, equates Bitcoin with progressive metal, portraying Bitcoin as a loud, aggressive, uncompromising protocol that challenges fiat norms and creates conditions for a counterculture of thinkers and builders craving freedom to emerge (May 7 | 2 min read).

• LNbits, a lightning infrastructure company, explains how its tools helped DFX to integrate Lightning payments for groceries at SPAR stores in Switzerland (May 7 | 2 min read).

• Shinobi of Bitcoin Magazine explains the critical role of a healthy and open public Bitcoin mempool in enabling efficient transaction propagation, fee estimation, and decentralized network operation, while highlighting the risks of relying on centralized alternatives (May 6 | 6 min read).

• AVB, a Belgian Bitcoin podcaster, in part 1 of a 2-part article series, exposes how poor Bitcoin testing, neglected UX design, and clunky interfaces in BTC apps threaten user adoption and urges adoption of modern usability standards to onboard everyday users (May 6 | 20 min read).

• Simon Cain, writing for Bitcoin Policy UK, argues that Bitcoin’s decentralization and censorship resistance protect financial sovereignty and guard against CBDC-driven monetary serfdom and institutional failures by offering reliable peer-to-peer digital cash outside centralized control (May 6 | 4 min read).

• Javier, a pseudonymous Bitcoiner, presents a guide to optimizing LN node performance, focusing on effective routing strategies and dynamic fee management to help operators cover costs and enhance Lightning Network efficiency (May 6 | 14 min read).

• Solo Satoshi, a mining device manufacturer, provides a step-by-step guide on updating Bitaxe firmware via AxeOS/WebUI and Bitaxe Webflasher to enhance security and efficiency (May 4 | 5 min read).

• Che Kohler of The Bitcoin Manual argues true Bitcoin adoption is defined by global cash balances shifting to BTC as a store of value, attracting institutional investment and reshaping finance, not just retail use (May 2 | 6 min read).

• Amboss, a lightning infrastructure company, highlights how the Lightning Network offers low fees, instant settlement, and decentralization, positioning it to dominate the global stablecoin market with unmatched scalability and security (May 1 | 3 min read).

TOOLS & PROJECTS

• Revolut, a British multinational neobank and fintech company, partners with Lightspark to enable Lightning network payments for its users.

• Geyser adds support for funding projects through credit cards, Apple pay, bank transfers and other fiat payment rails, with the receivers getting donated funds as BTC.

• Amboss introduces Liquidity Subscriptions to help Lightning node operators automate liquidity, cut Bitcoin transaction costs, and boost payment reliability at scale.

• 21 Futures launches The Noderoid Saga, a bitcoin-themed sci-fi animation short where cyborg nodes rebel to reclaim memory, freedom, and the soul.

• Bitcoin Chattanooga is a nonprofit dedicated to turning Chattanooga, Tennessee into a Bitcoin city by promoting businesses that accept bitcoin and providing free educational Bitcoin workshops.

• State of MoE Report by the Bitcoin Bay Foundation aims to investigate Bitcoin’s role as a medium of exchange in the USA.

• SoloLuck offers a real-time Bitcoin solo mining calculator that helps miners estimate their chances of successfully mining a block.

• Blockstream announces new spinouts, institutional offerings, and global expansion across mining, ASICs, custody, and layer-2 networks.

• Poststr enables users to embed permanent messages on the Bitcoin blockchain via OP_RETURN.

• Bitcoin Golf Championship 2025 is set to kick off Bitcoin Week in Las Vegas with a golf tournament, live music, and Bitcoin education, scheduled to take place at Bali Hai Golf Club on May 26th.

• PlebQR allows tourists and locals to pay Thai QR codes with Bitcoin, providing an alternative payment method.

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