Bitcoin. Not crypto. Not 'blockchain' technology. Not 'this technology'. Not 'innovation' - at Coinbase or Consensys - although I respect what Coinbase is doing with Lightning now...
Why is this taking so long to get right? Why is it so hard to understand that a 'blockchain' with no nodes and no decentralized users to run them.... is NOT a blockchain. It's a centralized server. While even call it a 'blockchain' at all? A blockchain without decentralized nodes might as well be "run on a 500$ website" (quoting J Song)
How many plebs or pleb-like users run Tether/USDT nodes? How about Tron nodes? Or Cardano nodes? or Algorand or countless other ******** nodes? To say nothing about memecoins or the next pepecoinfrogrocket tokens that are created in significant numbers each day.
The 4th largest token on coinmarketcap is... the BNB token which is a centralized token created by an exchange. Can plebs and users run their own BNB nodes, resist change to the protocol, and make sure it's decentralized? If not it is scandalous... How can an exchange create and run their own tokens, sell other tokens, and avoid conflicts of interest?
And tokens that aren't decentralized, not to mention not proof-of-work can't be:
- nation-state resistant
- resistant to change or
- a good store of value long-term.
A 'blockchain' needs nodes run by many users with diverse incentives... nodes that are the heart of soul of a 'blockchain' and without decentralized nodes and LOTS of them run by fanatical users it's all just a big scam.
How is this a secret somehow - and why are there so few places to spend Bitcoin?
I've got a few sats to spend, I run my own lightning node (LND) it's easy to do and yet... ¯_ (ツ)_/¯
There's Stacker News, Nostr maybe... but it's like hey here's a 10-sat zap for your comment it's really really niche. I rarely (if ever) use Twitter and I don't like it... still why can't Twitter somehow integrate with Lightning?
I would much rather that bitcoin be transactional, with places to spend and earn sats, than the number-go-up. If more people want to use Bitcoin as 'better money' (because it essentially is) especially through lightning then the price will "go up" as there is only so much Bitcoin available. However one has to go out of their way to 'use' Bitcoin right now... and Nostr and SN, as awesome as they are right now are limited/for a very niche audience.
Like a lot of people/hodlers here I've 'made money' owning bitcoin - you know the usual yada yada number-go-up BS but honestly who cares. I refuse to sell any and have NEVER sold a single sat on an exchange. Not one sat. Instead I want to spend it directly and purchase goods and services that I need at good businesses that provide value and yet... ¯_ (ツ)_/¯
Where are the businesses? Businesses period (that provide good value or don't)
I look at btcmap.org when I get a chance to travel are there are very few places in most cities that accept Bitcoin. There are a few exception cities (Big ones in the US and Europe) but even then it's very limited. Or it's like 'Bob's pest control' and if I don't need pest control then ¯_ (ツ)_/¯
Bitcoin is about more than price and lightning works (yes it is NOT perfect but overall it does what's required). I am NOT a technical ie heavy-command line user but even I can monkey-up an LND node no command-line-required and send/receive sats for cheap.
Where is everyone?