Another half-baked reflection from time spent down the #Bitcoin rabbit hole. I have been preoccupied lately with the question of how we rescue & renew institutions and other social intermediaries from debasement, tribalization and capture. A 🧵 about democratic representation. 👇 2/ We are in an epoch of social and political tribalization predicated on distorted signals and coding (in language), Big letter ideology/affiliation has replaced the actual political-philosophical underpinnings that gave rise to people grouping and organizing around them.

One of the biggest opportunities and BEST chances for civic renewal in Canada, U.S. and elsewhere is for progressives / social democrats and conservatives to meet at that contentious question “how are we going to pay for x,y,z” and to have sincere dialogue. More… 🧵 2/ The majority of conservatives who ask “how will we pay for this?” are not heartless, anti-social, everyone for themselves uber-capitalists. Most care deeply about having a healthy society and not wanting people to suffer and feel the pangs of poverty.

On January 3, 2009 a global monetary real estate "auction" was put in motion. The auction is conducted via an open-source, global software and network called #Bitcoin through which units of the monetary real estate (#BTC) can be claimed and exchanged (for goods or services). An invitation was issued to all ~8 billion people on Earth to begin claiming units of this monetary real estate. There would be a fixed total of 2,100,000,000,000,000 units made available, called "satoshis" or "sats" for short. 100 million of these sats would make up one 1 #BTC.

1/n - If you're someone who has pulled back from engaging in party politics, voting, and feel like the "system is broken", this is a thread for you. I'm not going to try to convince you to get back involved, but I do have an alternative. I hope you'll give this thread a read.👇 2/n - First off, you're not alone! Evidence from so-called liberal democracies around the world shows reduced participation in elections at various levels -- national, state/provincial, local. We can rail all we want again this trend, but that won't turn the tides.

Friday evening niceness thread. Come along for the ride, @rkirubi @RufasKe @davina_leonard!

1/ What the average observer of the #Ethereum merge to Proof of Stake needs to know when considering all the headlines & fanfare about “reduced energy consumption” and then asking “why doesn’t #Bitcoin do this too?”, is that #ETH and $BTC are fundamentally different assets/tools. 2/ #Bitcoin and #Ethereum are not like “Coca Cola and Pepsi”. They are not interchangeable brands of the same type. They are designed and have evolved to achieve very different things. Their context and needs are different, and how we asses them needs to be guided by this.

1/4 Dear PM @JustinTrudeau, as far as I'm aware, @PierrePoilievre has only endorsed #Bitcoin for this reason. Coincidentally, Bitcoin has also become one of the most powerful global tools for human rights, climate justice & socio-economic justice. cc: @JulieDzerowicz @maritstiles

https://twitter.com/JustinTrudeau/status/1569489034673815552

2/4 As someone who has historically voted @NDP and @liberal_party, I (and a growing wave of other Canadians) are watching closely to see which parties and which candidates are doing their homework about #Bitcoin. I would be happy to engage further, and share more resources.

In my 5th #BitcoinVoices thread, I'm honoured to feature a true global leader and ambassador, Fodé Diop @diopfode.

Based in Dakar, Sénégal, Fodé is dedicated to advancing financial literacy, economic development, and empowerment for people throughout Africa and beyond. 🧵 2/ A software developer, teacher and activist, Fodé has shared his personal story of what led him to #Bitcoin. It's a story rooted in the colonial economic systems and structures -- IMF, CFA franc -- which oppress people and countries throughout Africa.

In this, my 4th #BitcoinVoices thread, I'm pleased to introduce two inspiring people who are giving back to #ElSalvador 🇸🇻 and building bridges (#Bitcoin and other) between the Salvadoran diaspora and broader communities in 🇨🇦🇺🇸.

Please meet @GersonMartinez and @JaimeWGarcia. 🧵 2/ Based in Easton, MD 🇺🇸 @GersonMartinez is a former finance professional and not-for-profit leader who has turned his attention to building @newequitygroup and other activities amplifying re-development efforts in #ElSalvador led by President @NayibBukele and @AsambleaSV.

In this, my 3rd #BitcoinVoices thread I would like to introduce you to fellow Canadian 🇨🇦 resident, @Ayelen_Osorio. Based in Vancouver, Ayelen is a talented storyteller who brings to life remarkable stories of how #Bitcoin is advancing human rights and social inclusion.🧵 2/ @Ayelen_Osorio channels her passion for human rights, social inclusion and storytelling through an amazing blog called "The Misfit" themisfit.substack.com. I highly recommend checking out past articles. Sign up by email to be notified when new articles are published.

Hey @rkirubi @RufasKe, you didn’t think I forgot did you?



#FridayNightJams

#SaturdayMorningJamsInNairobi “Just stacked sats. It’s Friday night”.



#FridayNightJams #Bitcoin

Centrafrique : le bitcoin devient monnaie officielle

A good and fair discussion (segment begins at 3:16 of video) about the Central African Republic's adoption of #Bitcoin as legal tender. A quick summary of key points, and some thoughts. 🧵 2/ First off, it's critical to hear from and elevate the voices of Africans -- both on the continent and from the disapora on these issues. So, I hope we see that front and centre. In this case, commentators from Togo which shares a similar colonial and colonial-monetary history.

Building on my thread below, I want to help policymakers committed to social, economic and climate justice better understand not only why #Bitcoin's proof-of-work consensus is essential, but Bitcoin's global value. We need policymakers to adopt a "walk and chew gum" approach. 🧵

https://twitter.com/ScottAWolfe/status/1514000583044354055

2/ What I mean by a "walk and chew gum" approach is to step back from the fragmented silos in which public policy is far too often approached these days -- environment | housing | healthcare | food security | education | others -- and to adopt an inter-sectoral lens on #Bitcoin.

1/ You may recently have seen the @60Minutes feature below about @Bitcoinbeach and the #ElSalvador government @AsambleaSV's adoption of #Bitcoin as legal tender for the country. This is just the tip of a much, much bigger global movement. 🧵

cbsnews.com/news/bitcoin-b… 2/ The adoption of #Bitcoin as legal tender, alongside the $USD, has been part of a much larger program of social and economic development ushered in by President @nayibbukele and @AsambleaSV. As a result, #ElSalvador's GDP grew by 10.3% in 2021 and this is expected to continue.

Dear @NormaJTorres @RepRickCrawford, if you were truly respecting sovereignty, you wouldn't have called it the "Accountability...in #ElSalvador Act" and wouldn't be declaring their #Bitcoin embrace a careless gamble. This is next chapter Monroe Doctrine and U.S. hegemony.🧵1/9

https://twitter.com/NormaJTorres/status/1511148634779308037

2/ It's cruelly ironic that the narrative is: "#Bitcoin is destabilizing #ElSalvador". Here's a short summary of the most salient factors that have destabilized El Salvador. U.S. doctrine and policy on Central America have scarcely changed since Reagan.

theatlantic.com/international/…

In an era of really, really bad journalistic takes about #Bitcoin, the latest article in @TorontoStar by @alex_mckeen & @GrantRants provides some very valuable insights (thank you, Alex & Grant). That said, I have some reflections to share. 🧵1/n

thestar.com/news/canada/20… 2/ What I appreciate most about the article is that Alex & Grant address the underlying economic anxiety that many Canadians are feeling. Juxtaposing #Bitcoin adoption against this backdrop is important. And, yes, this is leading some to affiliate with @PierrePoilievre's vision.

1/ Something doesn't smell right. A🧵about some stories that are begging to be properly investigated and told. Question is, which investigative journalists have the willingness, integrity and editorial freedom to take these on? #Bitcoin is the entry point, but it's much bigger. 2/ Beginning in late 2021, a noticeable uptick in reporting and legislative interest in "cryptocurrencies" began. On one level, totally understandable given the growth of this evolving technology space and the typical lag in journalistic & legislative attention. But there's more.

In this interview anchor.fm/daniel-prince6…, Professor Troy Cross @thetrocro issues a passionate call for academics to take up study of #Bitcoin. As a multi-faceted technology, Bitcoin provides a wonderland of research opportunities, especially for multi-disciplinarians. 🧵 1/n 2/ Often mistakenly characterized as simply a speculative investment asset, #Bitcoin is best understood as a technology. It can serve multiple functions: a digital store of value (property); a medium of exchange (currency); and, a decentralized network for "layer 2" applications.