Greetings Bitcoiner,

Welcome to issue #75 of the Bitcoin Breakdown where we are telling you that hodling Bitcoin causes your purchasing power of goods to increase not because you invested in, but because you saved in sound money. Goods depreciating against your money is the natural state of things on a sound monetary standard.

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Happy readings! 👽️ 

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🏆 FEATURE STORIES

• Roy Sheinfeld, co-founder and CEO of Breez, discusses the supposed increasing ineffectiveness of ‘orange pilling’ as a method to advocate for Bitcoin advancements due to ignorance or lack of interest from the general population and proposes an alternative approach (May 7 | 6 min read).

• Steven Lubka of Swan Bitcoin draws parallels between the 1933 US gold confiscation (Executive Order 6102) and potential government intervention in Bitcoin, underscoring the importance of privacy in digital currency transactions (April 26 | 16 min read).

• Francis Pouliot, CEO of Bull Bitcoin, explores the challenges posed by stringent US regulations on innovation in the Bitcoin space and how regulatory pressures and the threat of severe penalties for non-compliance are reshaping the digital currency landscape (May 1 | 6 min read).

• Mark Godwin of Bitcoin Magazine, discusses the arrest of Samourai Wallet creators, highlighting the need for the Bitcoin community to reassess the state of affairs (Apr 24 | 4 min read). 

• Rolling Stone delivers a surprisingly balanced article on Ross Ulbricht and Bitcoin, asserting that Ulbricht's life sentence for his role in running the online black market Silk Road is disproportionately severe (May 2 | 6 min read).

• Jameson Lopp discusses the repeated disruptions on the Bitcoin Testnet network, calling for stricter rules and enhanced protection to ensure its functionality as a testing field (May 4 | 11 min read).

• Alex Gladstein argues how money is a vector of financial oppression and points out that the only game in town that’s not subject to government authorities is Bitcoin and is thus a major tool for freedom (April 2024 | 7 min read).

• Alejandro de la Torre of DEMAND Pool puts together a quick guide on Stratum V2 solo mining via DEMAND Pool (Apr 30 | 2 min read).

• Alex Bergeron raises concerns about centralization in Bitcoin mining due to the dominance of certain mining pools, discusses its implications, and suggests market-based solutions (Apr 26 | 7 min read).

• BitMEX Research releases a report following Alex Bergeron's concerns about Bitcoin mining centralization, acknowledging the centralization issue, but suggesting the capital needed for revenue variance soothing isn't as high as perceived (Apr 29 | 10 min read).

• L0la L33tz breaks down the issues at the core of the recent arrest and indictment of the founders of Samourai Wallet by the US Government, and the implications on the Bitcoin space (Apr 29 | 7 min read).

• Bitcoin Gandalf posts an interesting thread discussing the personal benefits of running a Bitcoin full node (Apr 16 | 3 min read).

CLASSIFIEDS & AFFILIATES

• Start9 enables you to run your own Bitcoin node while also joining the sovereign computing paradigm, where concerns over privacy, censorship, hacks, and fees practically disappear—get a 5% discount by using the code: BITCOINBREAKDOWN.

• Blockstream Jade is the best hardware wallet for you to take self-custody with—enjoy a 10% discount off of with code: BITCOINBREAKDOWN.

• Orange Pill App enables you to connect with Bitcoiners and Bitcoin merchants wherever you live and travel.

• BITCOIN WELL is the fastest and easiest way to secure Bitcoin in self custody, offering non-KYC sells and bill payments with a transparent 1% spread, no hidden or withdrawal fees.

• Bringin offers a secure platform for buying, selling, and converting Bitcoin to Euros, with direct transfers to bank accounts or virtual debit cards, featuring unique off-ramping options and preventing account freezes with dedicated IBANs for each user.

🛠️ TOOLS & PROJECTS

• Super Testnet releases Emessbee: a workshop on constructing coinjoin transactions without a coordinator.

• Wolf announces a free one-day virtual session on June 20 for Bitcoin company founders at every stage with topics such as common founder mistakes, pitch deck tips and tricks and more.

• The Dao of Bitcoin: Towards a Cosmology of Energy Money is a new book by Scott Dedels, the founder of Block Rewards, which explores the interconnectedness of energy and value.

• Fiat Ruins Everything by Jimmy Song is now available as an audiobook.

• The Satoshi Nakamoto Institute launches a translation community aimed at making their material more accessible to people worldwide.

• Fountain App users can now top up their accounts from Coinbase after Lightning Network integration.

• Cake Wallet combines Twitter bios and silent payments for quick sends.

• Geyser announces creators can now receive on-chain contributions.

• Wavlake releases mobile beta for iOS and Android.

• Wizard Sardines releases Safety Net: an optional disaster recovery service for Liana Wallet.

• Ismyhc announces Basio, a free Bitcoin statistics app themed after classic Casio watches.

• Fewsats allows you to monetize your files, data, and APIs using the L402 protocol.

• Azteco vouchers are now available in 190 countries.

• Helm Wallet is a Liquid wallet that uses Boltz swaps to disguise itself as a Lightning wallet.

• OCEAN Pool integrates BOLT12 Lightning payouts.

• Hodl Hodl, a secure, non-custodial peer-to-peer bitcoin trading, lending, and borrowing platform, upgrades its interface.

• BitEscrow is a protocol for privately depositing BTC into a non-custodial, covenant-based smart contract, featuring 100% privacy, full auditability, trustless environment compatibility, and automated refunds.

• clArk is an implementation of the Ark second-layer payment protocol for Bitcoin.

• Hoseki, a platform allowing BTC holders to express proof of ownership to legacy financial institutions without revealing their stack, rolls out Hoseki Verified, a tool to enhance the transparency of underlying bitcoin holdings for ETFs.

• DuckDuckGo launches a new 3-in-1 subscription service that includes a VPN, a personal data removal service, and an identity theft restoration solution.

• Satsback adds over 300 new US stores where users can shop for items and earn free BTC with every purchase.

💥 MEME BREAK

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Until our next transmission,

Naiw

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