What happens when our obsession with building the “perfect protocol” blinds us to the real problems users want solved? It's time to slay some sacred cows. In this conversation, we unpack the hype around Nostr, the pitfalls of developer-first thinking, and the lessons Bitcoiners should learn if we want adoption that truly matters.

Check out the original article Nostr Unpopular Opinions by Aleks Svetski (Link: https://primal.net/svetski/Nostr-Unpopular-Opinions-p53tc9)

Mentions & Resources from the Episode

• Book: The Cold Start Problem by Andrew Chen (Link: https://tinyurl.com/52y98f3f)
• (Link: https://fountain.fm/episode/nRow0tTL5G5sh9VJtvjx)
• As Nostr As Possible (ANAP) by Aleks Svetski (Link: https://blog.satlantis.io/as-nostr-as-possible-anap/)
• satlantis.io (Link: https://www.satlantis.io/place)
• CryptoQuikRead_219 - Why BitTorrent Mattered: Lesson 1 [Simon Morris] (Link: https://fountain.fm/episode/nRow0tTL5G5sh9VJtvjx)

Check out our awesome sponsors!

• Ledn: Need fiat but don’t want to sell your Bitcoin? Ledn offers secure, Bitcoin-backed loans with no credit checks, flexible repayment, and fast turnaround—often within 24 hours. With $10B+ in loans across 100+ countries and transparent Proof of Reserves, Ledn is a trusted option for unlocking liquidity without giving up your Bitcoin. (Link: https://learn.ledn.io/audible)
• HRF: The Human Rights Foundation is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that promotes and protects human rights globally, with a focus on closed societies. Subscribe to HRF's Financial Freedom Newsletter today. (Link: https://mailchi.mp/hrf.org/financial-freedom-newsletter)
• OFF: The Oslo Freedom Forum is a global human rights event by the Human Rights Foundation (HRF), uniting voices from activism, journalism, tech, and beyond. Through powerful stories and collaboration, OFF advances freedom and human potential worldwide. Join us next June. (Link: https://oslofreedomforum.com/)
• Pubky: Pubky is building the next web, a decentralized system designed to put control back in your hands. Escape censorship, algorithmic manipulation, and walled gardens by owning your identity and data. Explore the Pubky web and become the algorithm today. Don't forget to find me on my Pubky ID here: pk:5d7thwzkxx5mz6gk1f19wfyykr6nrwzaxri3io7ahejg1z74qngo. (Link: https://pubky.org)
• Chroma: Chroma is dedicated to advancing human performance and well-being through cutting-edge light therapy devices and performance eyewear. Their mission is to enhance physical and mental health, unlocking peak human health, cognitive function, and physical performance. Get 10% off your order with the code BITCOINAUDIBLE. (Link: https://getchroma.co/?ref=BitcoinAudible)

Host Links

• ⁠Guy on Nostr ⁠(Link: http://tinyurl.com/2xc96ney)
• ⁠Guy on X ⁠(Link: https://twitter.com/theguyswann)
• Guy on Instagram (Link: https://www.instagram.com/theguyswann)

"Up until a few months ago, the best developers played the violin. Today, they play the orchestra."
~ Justin Searls

Is AI rewriting what it means to code? In this episode, I dive into “Six Weeks of Claude Code” and reflect on how LLMs are changing the experience of building apps, troubleshooting problems, and exploring ideas. Are these tools just fancy autocomplete, or the start of a “photography moment” for programming?

Check out the original article 6 Weeks of Claude Code on the Puzzmo Blog (Link: https://tinyurl.com/2v8d4kvt)

Check out our awesome sponsors!

• Ledn: Need fiat but don’t want to sell your Bitcoin? Ledn offers secure, Bitcoin-backed loans with no credit checks, flexible repayment, and fast turnaround—often within 24 hours. With $10B+ in loans across 100+ countries and transparent Proof of Reserves, Ledn is a trusted option for unlocking liquidity without giving up your Bitcoin. (Link: https://learn.ledn.io/audible)
• HRF: The Human Rights Foundation is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that promotes and protects human rights globally, with a focus on closed societies. Subscribe to HRF's Financial Freedom Newsletter today. (Link: https://mailchi.mp/hrf.org/financial-freedom-newsletter)
• OFF: The Oslo Freedom Forum is a global human rights event by the Human Rights Foundation (HRF), uniting voices from activism, journalism, tech, and beyond. Through powerful stories and collaboration, OFF advances freedom and human potential worldwide. Join us next June. (Link: https://oslofreedomforum.com/)
• Pubky: Pubky is building the next web, a decentralized system designed to put control back in your hands. Escape censorship, algorithmic manipulation, and walled gardens by owning your identity and data. Explore the Pubky web and become the algorithm today. Don't forget to find me on my Pubky ID here: pk:5d7thwzkxx5mz6gk1f19wfyykr6nrwzaxri3io7ahejg1z74qngo. (Link: https://pubky.org)
• Chroma: Chroma is dedicated to advancing human performance and well-being through cutting-edge light therapy devices and performance eyewear. Their mission is to enhance physical and mental health, unlocking peak human health, cognitive function, and physical performance. Get 10% off your order with the code BITCOINAUDIBLE. (Link: https://getchroma.co/?ref=BitcoinAudible)

Host Links

• ⁠Guy on Nostr ⁠(Link: http://tinyurl.com/2xc96ney)
• ⁠Guy on X ⁠(Link: https://twitter.com/theguyswann)
• Guy on Instagram (Link: https://www.instagram.com/theguyswann)
• Guy on TikTok (Link: https://www.tiktok.com/@theguyswann)
• Guy on YouTube (Link: https://www.youtube.com/@theguyswann)
• ⁠Bitcoin Audible on X⁠ (Link: https://twitter.com/BitcoinAudible)
• The Guy Swann Network Broadcast Room on Keet (Link: https://tinyurl.com/3na6v839)

The boys are back for another Roundtable, and as usual, it’s part tech talk, part therapy session, and a little bit of news thrown in. Steve rants about Lightning, Mechanic goes to war with Core devs, Jeff wrestles with immigration paperwork, and I try to keep the whole circus on the rails.

We cover everything from spam filters and node drama to modular mining rigs that might finally make Bitmain look like amateurs. There’s talk of moth-spraying planes, yellow jackets, and whether AI is making us all dumber or just lazier.

It’s Bitcoin, it’s banter, it’s a little bit ridiculous... just the way a Roundtable should be.

Check out our awesome sponsors!

• Ledn: Need fiat but don’t want to sell your Bitcoin? Ledn offers secure, Bitcoin-backed loans with no credit checks, flexible repayment, and fast turnaround—often within 24 hours. With $10B+ in loans across 100+ countries and transparent Proof of Reserves, Ledn is a trusted option for unlocking liquidity without giving up your Bitcoin. (Link: https://learn.ledn.io/audible)
• HRF: The Human Rights Foundation is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that promotes and protects human rights globally, with a focus on closed societies. Subscribe to HRF's Financial Freedom Newsletter today. (Link: https://mailchi.mp/hrf.org/financial-freedom-newsletter)
• OFF: The Oslo Freedom Forum is a global human rights event by the Human Rights Foundation (HRF), uniting voices from activism, journalism, tech, and beyond. Through powerful stories and collaboration, OFF advances freedom and human potential worldwide. Join us next June. (Link: https://oslofreedomforum.com/)
• Pubky: Pubky is building the next web, a decentralized system designed to put control back in your hands. Escape censorship, algorithmic manipulation, and walled gardens by owning your identity and data. Explore the Pubky web and become the algorithm today. Don't forget to find me on my Pubky ID here: pk:5d7thwzkxx5mz6gk1f19wfyykr6nrwzaxri3io7ahejg1z74qngo. (Link: https://pubky.org)
• Chroma: Chroma is dedicated to advancing human performance and well-being through cutting-edge light therapy devices and performance eyewear. Their mission is to enhance physical and mental health, unlocking peak human health, cognitive function, and physical performance. Get 10% off your order with the code BITCOINAUDIBLE. (Link: https://getchroma.co/?ref=BitcoinAudible)

Guest Links

• Steve Simple Nostr (Link: https://tinyurl.com/3s6a8yn8)
• Steve Simple on X (Link: https://x.com/stevesimple)
• Bitcoin Mechanic Nostr (Link: https://tinyurl.com/2tm827ut)
• Bitcoin Mechanic on X (Link: https://x.com/GrassFedBitcoin)
• Jeff Swann Nostr (Link: https://tinyurl.com/3sjc3bcp)
• Jeff Swann on X (Link: https://x.com/agoristview)

Host Links

• ⁠Guy on Nostr ⁠(Link: http://tinyurl.com/2xc96ney)
• ⁠Guy on X ⁠(Link: https://twitter.com/theguyswann)

Around the world, Bitcoin is colliding with power. Russia tracks miners, Pakistan builds a digital rupee, and activists quietly test new tools for freedom. In this episode I unpack the latest Financial Freedom Report, explore breakthroughs like Block’s modular “Proto Rig” and the ARK protocol, and ask: can these innovations keep Bitcoin uncensorable?

Check out the original articles over at HRF's Financial Freedom Report blog page (Link: https://tinyurl.com/2v8d4kvt)

Links Mentioned

• Chat_135 - Do One Thing and Do it Right with Mauricio Di Bartolomeo (Link: https://tinyurl.com/2xhvrk7d)
• Block Unveils Proto Rig and Proto Fleet, Marking a New Era in Bitcoin Mining (Link: https://tinyurl.com/3kvj7swc)
• Floresta full node implementation (Link: https://docs.getfloresta.sh/floresta/)
• Eric 17192799 on X (developer behind Florista) (Link: https://x.com/Erik17192799)
• Ginger Wallet with CoinJoin integration (Link: https://docs.gingerwallet.io/using-ginger/coinjoin/)
• Everything Powered by Ark – Behind the Bitcoin Scenes at The Baltic Honey Badger 2025 (Link: https://tinyurl.com/bdeyxfzk)
• ARK Labs Riga rewind Twitter thread (Link: https://tinyurl.com/yzh8fvr2)

Check out our awesome sponsors!

• Ledn: Need fiat but don’t want to sell your Bitcoin? Ledn offers secure, Bitcoin-backed loans with no credit checks, flexible repayment, and fast turnaround—often within 24 hours. With $10B+ in loans across 100+ countries and transparent Proof of Reserves, Ledn is a trusted option for unlocking liquidity without giving up your Bitcoin. (Link: https://learn.ledn.io/audible)
• HRF: The Human Rights Foundation is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that promotes and protects human rights globally, with a focus on closed societies. Subscribe to HRF's Financial Freedom Newsletter today. (Link: https://mailchi.mp/hrf.org/financial-freedom-newsletter)
• OFF: The Oslo Freedom Forum is a global human rights event by the Human Rights Foundation (HRF), uniting voices from activism, journalism, tech, and beyond. Through powerful stories and collaboration, OFF advances freedom and human potential worldwide. Join us next June. (Link: https://oslofreedomforum.com/)
• Pubky: Pubky is building the next web, a decentralized system designed to put control back in your hands. Escape censorship, algorithmic manipulation, and walled gardens by owning your identity and data. Explore the Pubky web and become the algorithm today. Don't forget to find me on my Pubky ID here: pk:5d7thwzkxx5mz6gk1f19wfyykr6nrwzaxri3io7ahejg1z74qngo. (Link: https://pubky.org)
• Chroma: Chroma is dedicated to advancing human performance and well-being through cutting-edge light therapy devices and performance eyewear. Their mis...

"There have never been more tools available to the individual than there have been today.
And it's like cryptography is like the thing. If cryptography is like the wheel, like we invented the wheel. Okay, cool. We have a wheelbarrow and we have a cart and stuff like that. Bitcoin is now like this engine that is enabling these wheels to turn at a rate that a lot of people are sleeping on."
~ Average Gary

In this episode, I sit down with Average Gary and Jordan from Bitcoin Veterans for a wide-ranging conversation that moves from military life to Bitcoin, from raising kids to the future of AI. We dig into their backgrounds in the service, the moments that shifted their perspectives, and how those experiences now shape their work in the Bitcoin space.

What does it mean to be “peaceful, not harmless”? How do you balance the weight of family legacy with the urgency of building tools for freedom? And in a world of information warfare, how do we discern truth from deception?

We also explore the rise of vibe coding, the promise and pitfalls of AI, and why open-source collaboration matters more than ever. Along the way, we touch on the upcoming Bitcoin Veterans Summit, the role of mining in sovereignty, and the deeper question of what it means to leave behind a lasting impact.

Check out our awesome sponsors!

• Ledn: Need fiat but don’t want to sell your Bitcoin? Ledn offers secure, Bitcoin-backed loans with no credit checks, flexible repayment, and fast turnaround—often within 24 hours. With $10B+ in loans across 100+ countries and transparent Proof of Reserves, Ledn is a trusted option for unlocking liquidity without giving up your Bitcoin. (Link: https://learn.ledn.io/audible)
• HRF: The Human Rights Foundation is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that promotes and protects human rights globally, with a focus on closed societies. Subscribe to HRF's Financial Freedom Newsletter today. (Link: https://mailchi.mp/hrf.org/financial-freedom-newsletter)
• OFF: The Oslo Freedom Forum is a global human rights event by the Human Rights Foundation (HRF), uniting voices from activism, journalism, tech, and beyond. Through powerful stories and collaboration, OFF advances freedom and human potential worldwide. Join us next June. (Link: https://oslofreedomforum.com/)
• Pubky: Pubky is building the next web, a decentralized system designed to put control back in your hands. Escape censorship, algorithmic manipulation, and walled gardens by owning your identity and data. Explore the Pubky web and become the algorithm today. Don't forget to find me on my Pubky ID here: pk:5d7thwzkxx5mz6gk1f19wfyykr6nrwzaxri3io7ahejg1z74qngo. (Link: https://pubky.org)
• Chroma: Chroma is dedicated to advancing human performance and well-being through cutting-edge light therapy devices and performance eyewear. Their mission is to enhance physical and mental health, unlocking peak human health, cognitive function, and physical performance. Get 10% off your order with the code BITCOINAUDIBLE. (Link: https://getchroma.co/?ref=BitcoinAudible)

Guest Links

• Bitcoin Veterans Website (Link: https://x.com/real_vijay)
• Bitcoin Veterans on X (Link: https://x.com/BitcoinVeterans/)
• Bitcoin Veterans Summit 2025 (Link: https://bitcoinveterans.org/summit2025/)

"Now that USDT and Bitcoin are natively interoperable on lightning, the circle has gained tangents. With USDT on lightning, each party to a payment, the payer and the recipient, can choose whether to use Bitcoin or Tether on their own end, and neither depends on the other's decision. A customer can pay in Bitcoin and the merchant can receive USDT, or the customer can pay in USDT and the merchant can receive Bitcoin. Or they can both use the same asset, it doesn't matter. Once both assets are native to lightning, they become automatically, frictionlessly, interchangeable."
~ Roy Sheinfeld

Tether on Lightning isn’t just another technical upgrade — it could reshape how billions of dollars move across the globe. I dive into Roy Sheinfeld’s piece exploring why this integration could supercharge adoption, how it threatens existing rails, and what regulatory and technical unknowns might stand in the way. The real question: does this make Bitcoin stronger, or more fragile?

Check out the original article: USDT on Lightning: the Good, the Bad, and the Unknown (Link: https://tinyurl.com/2uh9mzb6)

Links Mentioned

• Misty Breez Wallet (Link: https://breez.technology/misty/)

• Breez SDK (Link: https://breez.technology/sdk/)

Check out our awesome sponsors!

• Ledn: Need fiat but don’t want to sell your Bitcoin? Ledn offers secure, Bitcoin-backed loans with no credit checks, flexible repayment, and fast turnaround—often within 24 hours. With $10B+ in loans across 100+ countries and transparent Proof of Reserves, Ledn is a trusted option for unlocking liquidity without giving up your Bitcoin. (Link: https://learn.ledn.io/audible)
• HRF: The Human Rights Foundation is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that promotes and protects human rights globally, with a focus on closed societies. Subscribe to HRF's Financial Freedom Newsletter today. (Link: https://mailchi.mp/hrf.org/financial-freedom-newsletter)
• OFF: The Oslo Freedom Forum is a global human rights event by the Human Rights Foundation (HRF), uniting voices from activism, journalism, tech, and beyond. Through powerful stories and collaboration, OFF advances freedom and human potential worldwide. Join us next June. (Link: https://oslofreedomforum.com/)
• Pubky: Pubky is building the next web, a decentralized system designed to put control back in your hands. Escape censorship, algorithmic manipulation, and walled gardens by owning your identity and data. Explore the Pubky web and become the algorithm today. Don't forget to find me on my Pubky ID here: pk:5d7thwzkxx5mz6gk1f19wfyykr6nrwzaxri3io7ahejg1z74qngo. (Link: https://pubky.org)
• Chroma: Chroma is dedicated to advancing human performance and well-being through cutting-edge light therapy devices and performance eyewear. Their mission is to enhance physical and mental health, unlocking peak human health, cognitive function, and physical performance. Get 10% off your order with the code BITCOINAUDIBLE. (Link: https://getchroma.co/?ref=BitcoinAudible)

Host Links

• ⁠Guy on Nostr ⁠(Link: http://tinyurl.com/2xc96ney)
• ⁠Guy on X ⁠(Link: https://twitter.com/theguyswan...

The institutional era of Bitcoin has begun, and will make this likely one of the most significant and important bull runs in Bitcoin's history. We are diving into the always excellent report from Adamant Research and Tuur Demeester, on the fundamentals of the bitcoin market, where things are likely to go, what major undercurrents can minimize or reinforce this cycle, and how to practically invest into the bitcoin boom in the coming years.

This one is not to be missed for those who want to step back and look at the big picture with a sober and honest look at our changing world and the financial and political realities in a time of great transition. How to protect yourself, and how to set yourself up for the investment opportunity of a lifetime.

Check out the original article: How to Position for the Bitcoin Boom (Link: https://tinyurl.com/2uh9mzb6)

Links Mentioned

• Bitcoin & MSTR COLLAPSING — Bull Run Already OVER? | Tuur Demeester, Guy Swann, Pete Evans (Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1C5kqOsFkk)

Check out our awesome sponsors!

• Ledn: Need fiat but don’t want to sell your Bitcoin? Ledn offers secure, Bitcoin-backed loans with no credit checks, flexible repayment, and fast turnaround—often within 24 hours. With $10B+ in loans across 100+ countries and transparent Proof of Reserves, Ledn is a trusted option for unlocking liquidity without giving up your Bitcoin. (Link: https://learn.ledn.io/audible)
• HRF: The Human Rights Foundation is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that promotes and protects human rights globally, with a focus on closed societies. Subscribe to HRF's Financial Freedom Newsletter today. (Link: https://mailchi.mp/hrf.org/financial-freedom-newsletter)
• OFF: The Oslo Freedom Forum is a global human rights event by the Human Rights Foundation (HRF), uniting voices from activism, journalism, tech, and beyond. Through powerful stories and collaboration, OFF advances freedom and human potential worldwide. Join us next June. (Link: https://oslofreedomforum.com/)
• Pubky: Pubky is building the next web, a decentralized system designed to put control back in your hands. Escape censorship, algorithmic manipulation, and walled gardens by owning your identity and data. Explore the Pubky web and become the algorithm today. Don't forget to find me on my Pubky ID here: pk:5d7thwzkxx5mz6gk1f19wfyykr6nrwzaxri3io7ahejg1z74qngo. (Link: https://pubky.org)
• Chroma: Chroma is dedicated to advancing human performance and well-being through cutting-edge light therapy devices and performance eyewear. Their mission is to enhance physical and mental health, unlocking peak human health, cognitive function, and physical performance. Get 10% off your order with the code BITCOINAUDIBLE. (Link: https://getchroma.co/?ref=BitcoinAudible)

Host Links

• ⁠Guy on Nostr ⁠(Link: http://tinyurl.com/2xc96ney)
• ⁠Guy on X ⁠(Link: https://twitter.com/theguyswann)
• Guy on Instagram (Link: https://www.instagram.com/theguyswann)
• Guy on TikTok (Link: https://www.tiktok.com/@theguyswann)

"Obviously we're trying to make fountain the best possible listening experience and the best possible app for discovering great audio content.
But more broadly than that, we don't want to turn into, you know, another version of Spotify where things only work in fountain. We want to, enable discovery and the signal around valuable content to come from anywhere and be consumed anywhere.
That's going to make fountain a lot better."
~ Guy Swann

I sat down with Oscar Merry, founder of Fountain, to explore how Bitcoin, Nostr, and podcasting intersect in ways most people haven’t yet imagined. How can an open social protocol transform podcast discovery? What happens when “likes” work across every app, not just one platform? We dig into the technical hurdles — from key management and onboarding to building a better search for audio — and the surprising design decisions that make or break adoption. The good, the bad and the messy realities, of building tools that actually work for people, not just developers.

Check out our awesome sponsors!

• Ledn: Need fiat but don’t want to sell your Bitcoin? Ledn offers secure, Bitcoin-backed loans with no credit checks, flexible repayment, and fast turnaround—often within 24 hours. With $10B+ in loans across 100+ countries and transparent Proof of Reserves, Ledn is a trusted option for unlocking liquidity without giving up your Bitcoin. (Link: https://learn.ledn.io/audible)
• HRF: The Human Rights Foundation is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that promotes and protects human rights globally, with a focus on closed societies. Subscribe to HRF's Financial Freedom Newsletter today. (Link: https://mailchi.mp/hrf.org/financial-freedom-newsletter)
• OFF: The Oslo Freedom Forum is a global human rights event by the Human Rights Foundation (HRF), uniting voices from activism, journalism, tech, and beyond. Through powerful stories and collaboration, OFF advances freedom and human potential worldwide. Join us next June. (Link: https://oslofreedomforum.com/)
• Pubky: Pubky is building the next web, a decentralized system designed to put control back in your hands. Escape censorship, algorithmic manipulation, and walled gardens by owning your identity and data. Explore the Pubky web and become the algorithm today. Don't forget to find me on my Pubky ID here: pk:5d7thwzkxx5mz6gk1f19wfyykr6nrwzaxri3io7ahejg1z74qngo. (Link: https://pubky.org)
• Chroma: Chroma is dedicated to advancing human performance and well-being through cutting-edge light therapy devices and performance eyewear. Their mission is to enhance physical and mental health, unlocking peak human health, cognitive function, and physical performance. Get 10% off your order with the code BITCOINAUDIBLE. (Link: https://getchroma.co/?ref=BitcoinAudible)

Guest Links

• Vijay on X (Link: https://x.com/real_vijay)
• The Bullish Case for Bitcoin (Link: https://www.bullishcaseforbitcoin.com/)

Host Links

• ⁠Guy on Nostr ⁠(Link: http://tinyurl.com/2xc96ney)
• ⁠Guy on X ⁠(Link: https://twitter.com/theguyswann)
• Guy on Instagram (Link: https://w...