After attending Bitcoin events in Buenos Aires and Las Vegas, the author reflects on their journey into the world of Nostr and Bitcoin. They participated in the Oslo Freedom Forum, where they helped create the Nostr Lounge, a dedicated space for onboarding people to the platform. Despite being in "fiat land" Vegas, the Nostr community thrived, attracting curious individuals and highlighting the growing importance of freedom of speech and decentralized technology. The author expresses gratitude for the team and community that made the events successful, emphasizing the importance of these connections.
Elon Musk has launched the "America Party" in response to perceived failures of the two-party system, citing wasteful spending and a ballooning national debt. The party's platform includes strong support for Bitcoin, which Musk views as an alternative to the "hopeless" fiat system. Musk's move follows a public disagreement with Donald Trump over a large spending bill and aims to shake up Congress by targeting key House and Senate races. The America Party champions pro-tech, anti-regulation, and pro-free speech policies, positioning itself as a disruptive force in American politics.
Texas bitcoin mining faced a challenging June 2025 due to intense heatwaves, power curtailments driven by the state's 4CP program, and devastating floods. These factors led to significant declines in bitcoin production for major mining companies like Riot Platforms, Marathon Digital, and Cipher Mining, with drops ranging from 7% to 25%. The curtailments were largely voluntary, as miners sought to avoid high energy costs and support grid stability during peak demand. The challenges also impacted the broader Bitcoin network, causing a drop in global hashrate. However, some companies like CleanSpark bucked the trend, increasing their bitcoin production, and new companies continue to enter the market, signaling continued interest in bitcoin mining.
The author argues that high Bitcoin transaction fees are a necessary feature, not a bug, ensuring the network's decentralization and security. These fees, determined by a dynamic market, limit network abuse by making transactions costly and discourage spam. While high fees can be challenging, they incentivize innovation and the development of solutions to mitigate these issues. The author remains optimistic about future improvements and encourages users to run their own nodes to interact with the Bitcoin network directly, and provides guides on how to do this.
The author argues that high Bitcoin transaction fees, while frustrating, are a necessary feature to maintain decentralization and prevent network abuse by limiting spam. These fees are set by a dynamic market and incentivize the development of better tools and practices to reduce the burden on users. Keeping node operation costs low is vital for censorship resistance. Although the Bitcoin ecosystem is not fully prepared for sustained high fees, the author remains optimistic about the innovation spurred by this pressure.
The author argues that high Bitcoin transaction fees are a necessary feature, not a bug, ensuring the network's decentralization and security. These fees, determined by a dynamic market, limit network abuse by making transactions costly and discourage spam. While high fees can be challenging, they incentivize innovation and the development of solutions to mitigate these issues. The author remains optimistic about future improvements and encourages users to run their own nodes to interact with the Bitcoin network directly, and provides guides on how to do this.
The author argues that high Bitcoin transaction fees, while frustrating, are a necessary feature to maintain decentralization and prevent network abuse by limiting spam. These fees are set by a dynamic market and incentivize the development of better tools and practices to reduce the burden on users. Keeping node operation costs low is vital for censorship resistance. Although the Bitcoin ecosystem is not fully prepared for sustained high fees, the author remains optimistic about the innovation spurred by this pressure.
