@Jameson Lopp talks AI: Bitcoin, writing, and the broader risks of runaway acceleration + human adaptability.

Tether, Stripe, and the banks are duking it out with rival stablecoin models, each of which is shaped by its own profit motives, interoperability challenges, adoption pathways and regulatory frameworks. Bitcoin, however, may rise above the fray as the only truly open, neutral settlement and interoperability layer, a sharp contrast to the litany of fragmented, proprietary intranets. Full discussion below:

BitChat, the P2P messaging app launched by @jack last month(!), is evolving fast: In our latest PBJ, the crew breaks down:
 • Mesh networking and geo-hashing basics
 • Lessons from Clubhouse and Google Buzz on quality and scale
 • BitChat as a platform vs. everything app, and Nostr as invisible infrastructure
 • Future applications: LocalBitcoins, compute markets, open AI platforms Full discussion:

Payment giants Stripe and Circle are building out their own stablecoin-focused blockchains, but as walled gardens multiply, the demand for a neutral, global settlement protocol intensifies. The PBJ crew discusses:

@Nik Bhatia, founder of The Bitcoin Layer, joined us @PresidioBitcoin to sign copies of his new book Bitcoin Age and lead a wide-ranging Q&A on reading markets, the dollar’s future, and Bitcoin’s long arc. Key takeaways: • The 2-year yield beats the Fed as a forward indicator. • Liquidity = bank balance sheets, low rates, and low volatility. • Stablecoins are Eurodollar 2.0, pulling dollar power back onshore. • Bitcoin’s growth follows a power law: address² × price³. • The yearly debt roll (now ~$75T) can persist for decades, and Bitcoin can rise alongside it. • Endgame: Bitcoin as the market-chosen neutral settlement layer for global debt. Full talk + timestamps:

Block’s newly released Proto Rig and open-source Proto Fleet mark a major step in Bitcoin mining. Spiral Lead @moneyball explains why Block entered mining, how Proto lowers capex and reduces e-waste, why its efficiency rivals Bitmain, and how chips-as-components open the door to entirely new mining designs:

Google’s latest AI data center deal adopts a model long used by Bitcoin miners: demand response. For years, miners have leveraged this flexibility to earn extra revenue. Google’s move suggests the model is no longer unique to them, and that competition for flexible load opportunities is set to grow. @Max and @moneyball break it down:

We're gearing up to co-host Bitcoin Design Week from Sept 15-19th! Product designers, come join us for a week of free events & talks to learn about and shape the future of bitcoin. We'll jam on all things bitcoin + design, including: - The global users of bitcoin - The future of payments - Vibe coding - The biggest design challenges - Re-imagining Silicon Valley with bitcoin RSVP or Apply to attend:

Presidio Bitcoin Design Week

Presidio Bitcoin Design Week

We’re bringing together designers from the bitcoin community and designers from across Silicon Valley’s tech community to tackle how to beautif...

And come work alongside industry leaders to help DESIGN FUTURE MONEY

From the UK’s Online Safety Act to Apple’s on-device photo scanning, governments and platforms are eroding privacy and normalizing ID checks for basic online access. The PBJ crew breaks down the “protect the children” framing, the slippery slope risks, and why proof-of-human alternatives like Nostr + BitChat matter for a free web:

@moneyball says gold has been a better investment than bitcoin over the past four years. In USD terms, BTC has risen sharply, but when priced in gold, it’s barely moved since 2021. Watch as PBJ unpacks why that matters, and how tracking BTC vs gold can give a healthier, more meaningful view than looking at dollars alone: