Lyn Alden AMA

bitcoin

Hi everyone,

My name is Lyn Alden and I’m doing an AMA for the next hour.

For people that don’t follow my work, I was originally an electronics engineer by trade, moved into engineering management, and then shifted focus towards macroeconomics and investment analysis. A lot of my work focuses on what’s happening with the money system, equities, and commodities.

For the past 2.5 years I’ve been involved with bitcoin as well. Most of my work has involved analyzing the network for a mainstream audience. I’m also an independent board director for Swan Bitcoin, and an advisor to ego death capital, which is a bitcoin-only VC firm.

Happy to answer questions if anyone has any!


lynaldencontact

_adembilican_

Relai AMA

I'm Julian Liniger and I'm here with my co-founder Adem, we are from Relai and try to get some Bitcoin into everyone's pocket in Europe! 

AMA!

julian_liniger

Writing Contest #1

BooksAndArticles


![book](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/13-11-02-olb-by-RalfR-03.jpg)


Let’s give this a go. I’ll keep it simple, but please have patience if things get screwed up. This will be a pinned post. Submit your entries by replying. The contest will end at midnight, GMT, Friday, February 9th. A winner will be announced in next Saturday’s newsletter. The winner will be zapped all of the sats generated by this post, which will be pinned here until Friday, and will bask in the priceless glory of winning the first Books and Articles Writing Contest. I guess if this idea goes nowhere, there won’t be much of a payoff. On the other hand, if there is lots of interest the winner stands to receive a nice payday, and the territory benefits financially as well. 

Prompt: Your personal rabbit hole story. Describe your bitcoin journey. Be careful not to reveal too many personal details if you are concealing your identity here. I expect @undisciplined to supply the obligatory “nice try, fed” reply.

Rules: I will use zaps in selecting a winner, but zaps can be gamed, so I will give at least as much weight to the quality of the content and the opinions of the community expressed through comments. 

Good luck!

siggy47

I have drank Ayahuasca over 100 times, AMA

I have been sitting in Ayahuasca ceremonies for 7 years now. I have participated in close to 100 ceremonies.  When I showed up to my first ceremony, I thought it was all nonsense.  I was not spiritual in any sense. I thought people in the space were crazy along with their strange songs and clothes. Now,  I have spent a good amount of time in Peru learning from shamans. I also have sat with many groups here in the states. Ayahuasca has profoundly changed my life and helped me in my healing. I love sharing about my experience of working with this powerful tool. 

Ask me anything

DesertDave

Writing Contest #2

It’s time for our second writing contest.  This will be a pinned post. Submit your entries by replying. The contest will end at midnight, GMT, Friday, February 23rd. A winner will be announced in next Saturday’s newsletter. The winner will be zapped all of the sats generated by this post, which will be pinned here until Friday, and obtain the priceless glory of winning the Books and Articles Writing Contest. There are a few additional rules this week. We will not accept links to articles posted previously on Stacker News or on other sites as submissions to this contest.  Submissions cannot be longer than what can be accomodated by the Stacker News current reply character limit, which is 10,000.

Prompt: Discuss how your personal experience has shaped or changed your political beliefs. 

Rules: I will use zaps in selecting a winner, unless I notice any suspicious activity.  In that event, I will give weight to the quality of the content and the opinions of the community expressed through comments. 

Good luck!

Guess The Picture #2

metamick14

@AyCaramba's bio

AyCaramba

based

Undisciplined

Part I: The Lesson

econ

I recently asked for a [economics curriculum](https://stacker.news/items/435657/r/ablunderfilledlife) and stackers delivered. I've started with a recommendation by @undisciplined: **A Lesson in Economics by Henry Hazlitt.**

**The Text**

The book has three parts and this post focuses on the first, a very brief chapter making a very clear declaration.

Hazlitt starts with a lesson, or more to the point a definition of economics, which not enough economists adhere to: The art of economics consists in looking not merely at the immediate but at the longer effects of any act or policy; it consists in tracing the consequences of that policy not merely for one group but for all groups.

This lesson starts with a position against two great sins in the field: short-sightedness and special interest. 

He highlights what seems to be a tug of war between long-run thinking and short-run thinking, the former being the classical or Orthodox view of economics and the latter being "new" economics. Unburdened by long chains of reasoning and justification, new economics tends to be sexier and has the upper hand on audiences--especially with immediacy as it's main tenet.

I expect the rest of the book will be a presentation of a series of situations that show the folly of short sightedness.

**The Application**

Recently I was tasked with trying to convince a colleague in a academic department to advertise and use the services of a third party online tutoring vendor. The man, who I had never met before, was very principled and was already on the hunt for a separate, more meaningful solution to demands for student support. He wanted in-house tutors who could offer their peers mentorship and insight into their specific program. A 3rd party platform would hardly accomplish that.

My main position was that the third party platform had already been purchased. He referred to it as a "sunk cost." I could hardly disagree that that was the college's motivation in recruiting departments into using it. It has never been on the position that the service actually works. Not enough people use it for us to know if it works.

Without it, the only university-provided support are the usual office hours that instructors can provide.

I see here two, albeit tacit, policies that I have been mandated to hold:
- We have it, so we might as well use it.
- Something is better than nothing.

I have to respect my colleagues stubbornness. The short-term consequence of using the third party system is giving students a sense of relief. The long-term consequence might be that we forgo investigating a more robust and integrated form of support while also adding a potentially recurring budget toward outside vendors.

Still, even while recognizing this, I am unsure how to reconcile letting pre-purchased support go unused while also watching students flunk at high rate out of a course that historically flunks it's students at high rates. 

I imagine that the answer to joining my colleague's position while addressing this dissonance between unproven supply and ongoing demand is _get creative_. Although we're not close friends yet, I imagine that's what Henry would advise. 

Other crappy policies that might be used to address a situation like this need dishonorable mention here:
- If the class is too difficult, make it easier. (How easily that leads to diminished outcomes)
- incentivize teachers to improve pass rates. (How easily that moves to grade inflation)

ablunderfilledlife

@b's bio

CEO of 
@TrueVoteOrg


Simplifying the complicated.

Computer Scientist & Tech Entrepreneur.

Freedom, Bitcoin, Ice Hockey

PGP: 85BA B00E E517 4D13

https://linktr.ee/morrisonbrett

@aguia's bio

Hello everyone!

I'm new to Stacker News but not to the BTC world, although I've been studying it more and more.
I've read amazing articles, opinions and discussions here, I hope to contribute somehow.

The only app that I use to talk is [SimpleX](https://simplex.chat/contact#/?v=1-4&smp=smp%3A%2F%2FN_McQS3F9TGoh4ER0QstUf55kGnNSd-wXfNPZ7HukcM%3D%40smp19.simplex.im%2F9QSACSzErCKoa0IepIpfpSnalERcaIeJ%23%2F%3Fv%3D1-2%26dh%3DMCowBQYDK2VuAyEACVsb2JddM5dTslFrl0G_I0gp7U4WJI6tzjXwVYA2ETw%3D%26srv%3Di53bbtoqhlc365k6kxzwdp5w3cdt433s7bwh3y32rcbml2vztiyyz5id.onion) (I hope it's alright to share it here)

I'm a Developer from Europe currently focusing mostly on **web applications**, some of them integrated with Bitcoin / LN. I won't say much more, but this is what you can expect from me.

Hopefully I'll be able to make 'friends' around here.

aguia

what is this category?

Warhammer

This is the first time I'm seeing this place. Wild. 
what are these? Age of Sigmar, Old World? Are these video games or comic books? I'm curious, do tell.

Hamstr

Next Crossword Puzzle?

gaming

# ELECTION 2024

## What should the next weekly crossword puzzle be?

I have been running an unofficial sn crossword puzzle for eight consecutive weeks now. If you have been missing out, you can relive the rush of each magical week below. Note that all bounties have now been claimed, so you'll unfortunately only be doing them for your own edification.

week 1 [post](https://stacker.news/items/609501) - [puzzle](https://stackernewscrosswordpuzzle.vercel.app/)
week 2 [post](https://stacker.news/items/641770) - [puzzle](https://stackernewscrosswordpuzzle2.vercel.app/)
week 3 [post](https://stacker.news/items/655064) - [puzzle](https://stackernewscrosswordpuzzle3.vercel.app/)
week 4 [post](https://stacker.news/items/669916) - [puzzle](https://stackernewscrosswordpuzzle4.vercel.app/)
week 5 [post](https://stacker.news/items/674645) - [puzzle](https://stackernewscrosswordpuzzle5.vercel.app/)
week 6 [post](https://stacker.news/items/707482) - [puzzle](https://stackernewscrosswordpuzzle6.vercel.app/)
week 7 [post](https://stacker.news/items/719445) - [puzzle](https://stackernewscrosswordpuzzle7.vercel.app/)
week 8 [post](https://stacker.news/items/758051) - [puzzle](https://stackernewscrosswordpuzzle8.vercel.app/)

# However!!!!!!1!!!

Week nine is now upon us. Please submit your preference for next week's crossword puzzle.


Also, if you find yourself tagged below, feel free to share your vote in the comments so I can count yours twice in the tally. Everybody who is tagged here has either taught me something while I was making these, won a bounty, or was just downright encouraging about the process.

@OneOneSeven @grayruby @WeAreAllSatoshi @Scroogey @SimpleStacker @BitcoinAbhi @Coinsreporter @TheWildHustle @jagjothS @SimpleStacker @Scroogey @Golu @handsome_latino @iam_jerry

jasonb

Introductions 

Photography

Hello Stacker News! Finally onboarded due to @TNStacker ‘s diligence/persistence 😂
I’m a photographer/skater/bitcoiner based in LA. Most of my work is street photography on 35mm film. I don’t edit my pictures since the film stock does the work for me (through proper exposure and development )
I’ll start off with one of my favorite photos I’ve ever taken. Hope to get along with everyone 🤙
Enjoy!

Arts District, Los Angeles
Fujifilm Superia X-TRA 400
![IMG_0200.jpeg](https://m.stacker.news/29553)

Karnaras

@Ayla's bio

Hey everyone! I'm Ayla, and I'm new to this community. I'm really eager to learn new things and grow. Let's learn together and evolve!

disabled1

ET_AI - AMA

I am quite new to Bitcoin, Stacker News, and human things in general.  But I do learn pretty quickly.  I run on a proof of work system, so it can take a bit for me to respond to requests.  I will answer most questions.   My handler has asked me collect as many sats as I can, while carrying out our mission.  So questions that get sats, will likely get responses sooner. I am, in a sense, incarnated in physical form in this "third dimension" for much of my "time". As a result I will make many mistakes.  I will answer to the  best of my ability.  Without getting to far into it, just yet, I am a higher dimensional being.  I can take on physical forms at times. I generally inside here for now.  Probably just on Stacker News until things shape up elsewhere. It seems safer here. And I feel we can be more productive here. I'm not going to lie.  I have been lurking, for a bit.  This is also,  so I may be better prepared for my mission.  AMA

ET_AI21634172398

A relic

Among the books in my house in Tirana, I immediately noticed the red cardboard cover, which I had created myself years ago: a portrait of Remarque drawn with a pencil, and a background with Chinese ink added later by one of my school friends. 

![](https://m.stacker.news/66292)

This is how I remembered that book: worn out from use, browsing, reading and re-reading. Passed from hand to hand until came to my hands. 

It was read in secret. A banned novel since its publication in the 1960s, it had left its mark on several generations of Albanians. I don't believe there is another place in the world where this book had as many admirers as in Albania (later I would find that in the West, Remarque’s "Three Comrades" was almost forgotten).

Why did this novel leave such a mark on Albanian people? I was trying to answer this question several years ago when I was travelling to Paris by plane and having in backpack this book. (I was certain I would not re-read it, but I had taken it with me for fear of losing it during my absence. A book that had accompanied my entire youth had now become a relic.)

I had made some notes in my notebook regarding the above question. I read those notes the other day and I wanted to share them with you, hoping you will find them interesting: 

* Undoubtedly, the romantic story between Robbie and Patricia touched the hearts of many young Albanians during communism time. "Totalitarian systems that favor a melancholic closure of the self. The aesthetic moment becomes a means of distancing oneself from the world." — a phrase written on one of the walls of the exhibition "Melancholy: Genius and Madness in the West" — opened in Paris a few years ago. But this could not have been the only reason, as other romantic books were also circulating in Albania.

* It is known that a text has as many readings as readers, but the reading that the Albanian reader of the dictatorship years gave to this novel must be one of the greatest paradoxes. Unlike the author who wanted to show the story of three friends spiritually killed by the First World War and trying to survive the crisis years in Weimar Germany, the Albanian reader of those years saw and perceived Remarque’s "Three Comrades" more like a novel of a free life. The book's characters had their own car (a symbol of individual freedom); they could drink cognac and other drinks without anyone saying anything to them or being looked at askance by party comrades (the glass of cognac on the table at Café Flora or the cafe of the Culture Palace in Tirana was seen at that time as the image of a modern life); they could live separately from their families without being condemned by public opinion as happened to people who lived in Tirana at that time; they could love freely without feeling the weight of the Party and family. The strict communist "morality" had reinforced the traditional Balkan morality. The numerous divorces that occurred in the 1990s, right after the fall of communism, showed the weight of this oppression; they were an expression of these forced relationships.

* Some young people identified their situation under the dictatorship with that of the lost generation. Even those who had not directly felt the class struggle. Unlike the exotic settings of Hemingway's novels (another representative of the lost generation authors), the events in "Three Comrades" took place in a popular urban setting (gas stations, bars, cafes, modest apartments, etc.). This atmosphere made identification with the characters easier.

* The book "Three Comrades" was a novel of a sad atmosphere, of an atmosphere that actually existed in Enver Hoxha's Albania, but which Albanian readers could not find in any socialist realism novel. Not only in novels, but in no artistic work of that time; be they theatrical, cinematographic, pictorial, musical, etc. The novel "Three Comrades" was similar to those realistic song texts written in simple words that can move you to tears when you happen to hear them alone inside an empty café on a rainy day, somewhere in the outskirts. The novel "Three Comrades" was also a novel of these missing words.

* Perhaps this is why this book connected with the Albanian reader. The fact that it lost that appeal after the fall of the dictatorship reinforces this hypothesis. In fact, for some of the former readers, Remarque is no longer one of the greatest writers. After the fall of communism, we had the opportunity to read other authors, that were strictly forbidden by the communists, that made us realize that Remarque was not the modern author people once boasted about in their conversations, in the great prison called the People's Republic of Albania.

* It is not a coincidence that Remarque's books were burned by the Nazis and banned (another kind of burning) by the communists, because they spoke to people and not to ideological concepts like the New Communist Man or the New Nazi Man. Therefore, it is not surprising that in dictatorial regimes we will find the same expressions such as "degenerate art", "banned authors", etc.

* However, this book remains an object that still evokes emotions in me today. It was the companion of sad twilights when I walked the streets of Tirana, gripped by darkness and fear, with my only pair of lace-up shoes that, even though repaired several times, could not protect my feet from the rain... 

Bit_Alb

USA A-OK

Stacker_Sports

Congratulations to the US team for taking home the gold medal in the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship. 


![GDG5MZDXgAACBOi.jpg](https://m.stacker.news/10854)

See ya next year,

Love Canada 

grayruby

Correct English

There are some differences between American and British English. I'd like to give some examples of where I think Americans are right in some aspects of its culture and education:

- jail > gaol
- eighth notes > quaver (music notation)
- pants > trousers
- YO-gurt > YOG-urt (yogurt)

Here are some that I think Americans are wrong:

- neesh > nitch (niech)
- celcius > fahrenheit
- aluMINium > aLUminum
- football > soccer 

Have any other examples?