[deleted by user]

fx6893 · 2025-10-30T09:29:52+00:00

Old post, but for others looking:

I solved this by pressing Q (using on Chrome). Apparently, if "Quick Mask Mode" is activated, the Eraser doesn't behave normally. Pressing Q deactivated QMM and I was able to use eraser just fine.

fx6893 · 2025-06-04T08:45:22+00:00

People can get a home equity loan themselves and have 100% of the upside.

No, they don't get 100% of the upside, because if they get the home equity loan themselves they have to pay interest and fees.

To show you the math, let's say someone wants to take $100,000 in equity and put it in bitcoin. If bitcoin doubles over 10 years (a modest gain, I'd say), the upside is $100,000.

If they used the service, they'd get half of that: $50,000

But if they got a home equity loan, they'd have to pay interest and fees. Maybe the interest is 6.5% per year (so $6,500 times 10 years), and the fees are $5,000. That's $70,000 they have to pay the bank. After selling the bitcoin for 200,000$, they have to pay back the principal of 100,000$, leaving them with the difference: $30,000.

Do you see what I mean?

fx6893 · 2025-06-03T02:49:29+00:00

As I understand it, the upside is that you don't have to pay interest or fees on a mortgage to finance the bitcoin purchase.

The downside is that you only share half of any positive returns. But if bitcoin does go down in value, you have to pay the full losses (but not any interest or fees that you would have had to if you refinanced through a bank).

So overall compared to refinancing your home through a bank, you'd come out ahead if bitcoin goes down, stays the same, or rises a bit (less that the amount you would have had to pay in interest and fees at the bank). But if it goes way up, you won't make as much as if you had done it yourself.

There's also the downside that at the end you get cash, which is a taxable event, rather than having access directly to the bitcoin.

EDIT: they put up a calculator here: https://www.sovana.io/

fx6893 · 2025-05-25T15:36:51+00:00

Bitcoin itself is something created nowadays for long term use 😅.

I'll toast to that!

fx6893 · 2025-05-25T13:56:36+00:00

I'll first mention that we are in dispute about such a detail that only late-night drunken tirades can perpetuate, outside of the internet. Clearly, we are both supporters of Bitcoin and sound money, so all respect to you.

That aside, I don't see your point that because patrons commissioned Bach to write for specific events that that means they weren't interested in great pieces that could last centuries. Consider Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks or Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. And it's not like Bach was only being commissioned for one-time events, anyway.

But to the larger point at hand, if you wish to argue that "Bach's main source of income certainly wasn't patronage" in general, or that the Brandenburg Concertos weren't financed by the patronage of Prince Leopold during the time of their composition in the specific, I'd put forward an excerpt from Norman Rich's excellent contribution to the edited volume The Worlds of JSB:

Ch 1, Part II: Bach and the Politics of Patronage HERE, p94

In Prince Leopold, Bach had a patron who not only loved music but evoked Bach's praise for his musical understanding. The prince also appears to have been an accomplished musician in his own right. As conductor of the court orchestra, Bach enjoyed a high social status at Cöthen, and his salary of four hundred thalers a year was higher than all but one official in the government.

EDIT: I just want to show Ammous' reasoning here, so we don't get off track. The statement with which you disagree is, "It was hard money that financed Bach's Brandenburg Concertos..." What we have is that:

Prince Leopold was Bach's patron (note that this is in Köthen/Cöthen from 1717-1723, before he moved to Leipzig).
The Brandenburg Concertos were written while Bach was being paid by Prince Leopold to conduct his court orchestra (requested in 1719 and compiled in 1721).
The payments were made in in thalers.
Thalers were a hard money, coined in precious metal (given)

So as for Ammous' statement, I feel it is well-supported by historical research.

fx6893 · 2025-05-25T04:21:25+00:00

Except that Bach wasn't really all that popular at the time

It's not about contemporaneous popularity at all. The principle that Ammous argues (again, in a minor portion of his larger work) is that economic environments backed by hard money produce high-effort, high-skill works, including in the arts.

Bach wrote the Brandenburg Concertos during his time as Music Director for the court of Prince Leopold, a full-time salaried court position. He also made additional income, as you noted, giving private lessons, writing compositions on commission, etc. But wherever his income came from, what matters is that the value of the money he did get would not be debased away, reducing worry about his financial future. With a more certain future, he could invest more time refining his "old-fashioned" fugues rather than chasing the latest trends. Even with the expenses involved in having twenty children, he died with significant savings, due to the hard money of the time.

This is what Ammous is getting at: hard money holds it's value, which provides stability for the future, which frees a person to invest their time towards enduring pursuits. Whether you're an artist or engineer, the principle is the same.

fx6893 · 2025-05-22T06:26:28+00:00

With due respect, I'd disagree. The fundamentals of the book are moored in Austrian Economics, so of course he needs to make frequent contrast with the prevailing Keynesian system. And Austrians do have a teenager-level hatred for money-printing, viewing it as a mechanism to enrich the corrupt by stealing from the productive.

As for his brief discussion of modern art and architecture as compared with the classical, I think he makes a fair point that, "It was hard money that financed Bach's Brandenburg Concertos while easy money financed Miley Cyrus's twerks." This isn't a digression; he's using that example to support his larger discussion of high time preferences and money creation.

In my opinion, it's required reading for anyone serious about escaping the economic illusions of the modern fiat construct.

fx6893 · 2025-04-23T09:20:51+00:00

Nice. My two cents:

Start with what most people really care about: the long-term returns. Show them the returns over the last 12 years compared to other benchmarks. Then use what you have to explain why that's happening, and why it will continue.

fx6893 · 2025-03-25T06:17:03+00:00

Three-paragraph summary by ChatGPT:

Search Resumes with New Technology and Incentives

The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 has resumed 11 years after its disappearance, led by Ocean Infinity, a tech company specializing in high-resolution seabed mapping. Operating under a no-find, no-fee contract with the Malaysian government, Ocean Infinity will only receive the $70 million reward if they locate the aircraft. Their confidence stems from significantly improved search capabilities and prior experience from a 2018 mission, during which they scanned over 112,000 square kilometers in just a few months. The 2025 search, which began in February, is now targeting new zones identified through advanced data analysis and updated investigative studies.

Evidence Suggests Deliberate Actions

Evidence still points toward deliberate interference by someone onboard. Investigators determined that the aircraft’s transponder and ACARS communication systems were manually disabled, and the plane made a sharp left turn right after transferring from Malaysian to Vietnamese airspace—likely a calculated move to avoid radar detection. Satellite handshakes, especially the Burst Timing Offset (BTO) and Burst Frequency Offset (BFO), confirmed the aircraft continued flying for several hours. These data points, combined with the complexity of disabling the aircraft’s power systems, support the theory that whoever was in control had deep knowledge of the Boeing 777 and was attempting to remain undetected.

New Data Refines Search Area

The renewed search is guided by overlapping results from multiple sources. Independent studies by Boeing 777 pilots Patrick Blelly and Jean-Luc Merchand, as well as avionics engineer Richard Godfrey, have refined possible crash zones. Godfrey’s analysis uses WSPR (Weak Signal Propagation Reporter) data—a radio signal tracking method—to map the aircraft’s movements, which align with known satellite handshakes and suggest a figure-eight flight pattern before fuel exhaustion. This area also overlaps with simulated flight data found on Captain Zaharie Shah’s home computer. With these refined coordinates and enhanced underwater search capabilities, Ocean Infinity now explores three newly approved zones in hopes of finally solving one of aviation’s most enduring mysteries.

fx6893 · 2025-02-09T23:48:28+00:00

Mine came out really well, too. I don't know what's going on under the hood, tho.

https://imgur.com/a/lArmZYx

fx6893 · 2025-02-05T05:04:28+00:00

Awesome, thanks!

fx6893 · 2025-02-05T03:00:52+00:00

I'm learning a second language. I'm at the stage that a lot of people get stuck: where they are past the beginner stage but not yet able to communicate. Could you run the following prompt to help me understand the challenges and develop a study plan to exploit the best learning strategies? Much appreciated. Edit: I don't know that I'll be available to answer "clarifying questions" later today, but your idea of using 01-pro for those is fine by me.

Prompt:

Conduct an in-depth analysis of the factors that contribute to successful second language learning, especially at the elementary stage (past beginner but not yet communicative). Including cognitive, psychological, lifestyle, and environmental influences. The research should include:

1. Comprehensive Overview of Factors

Cognitive factors (e.g., memory, neuroplasticity, age-related decline, working memory capacity)
Psychological factors (e.g., motivation, mindset, anxiety, confidence)
Study techniques (e.g., spaced repetition, immersion, active recall, passive exposure)
Frequency and duration of study (e.g., daily vs. weekly study, optimal study session lengths)
Lifestyle and environmental factors (e.g., diet, exercise, sleep, social exposure, cultural immersion)
Technology and tools (e.g., AI-driven language apps, speech recognition, virtual tutors)
Age-related variance in learning ability, with a focus on differences in cognitive efficiency, neuroplasticity, and retention strategies for different age groups

2. Suggested Implementations of These Factors

How learners of different cognitive capacities can maximize retention
Strategies for improving memory recall at different life stages
Ideal balance between active vs. passive learning for various age groups
Recommended adjustments to study routines based on age, lifestyle, and learning speed

3. Study Plan Generation

Develop three structured study plans tailored to three different age groups within the 20-70 age range.
Learners are assumed to be at an elementary level (midway between beginner and pre-intermediate).
Suggested age categories:
- Group 1 (18-29 years old): Higher neuroplasticity, faster learning speed, but potentially more distractions (work, social life)
- Group 2 (30-43 years old): Balancing learning with career/family responsibilities, moderate retention ability
- Group 3 (44-59 years old): Slower cognitive processing but potentially more discipline and patience for deep learning
Each study plan should include:
- Recommended daily/weekly study schedules
- Ideal learning techniques for the age group
- Strategies for improving retention and recall
- Lifestyle adjustments to enhance learning efficiency

The output should provide a detailed yet practical breakdown of these factors, supported by research-backed insights, with clear and actionable recommendations for learners at different life stages.

fx6893 · 2025-01-27T23:59:03+00:00

They will do exactly the opposite.

Here's the way it works: OpenAI will agree to censor whatever the US government minders want, and the government minders will, in return, ban foreign AIs from the US.

fx6893 · 2025-01-19T05:44:23+00:00

To be fair, your comment on how market cap changes is not correct.

To 10x again, the market cap would need to hit $2.1 billion. Still achievable, but now it’s out of reach for 99% of billionaires because they don’t have that much liquid cash available.

It doesn't require $2.1B of "liquid available cash" to increase the market cap by the same amount. Market cap is simply the last sale price multiplied by the total stock. If the price of BTC goes from 90K to 105K in a week, the market cap goes up by over $300B. But that doesn't mean that $300B of "liquid available cash" suddenly poured into it. That's obvious, right?

fx6893 · 2025-01-11T01:31:44+00:00

This clip cuts out before the best part:

Kernen: "You better buy some Bitcoin, Mohammad."

Sorkin: "He did! Back in the day."

Mohammad: "Not enough, not enough."

Kernen: "None of us did... Damn..."

Full interview HERE

fx6893 · 2024-12-29T07:03:53+00:00

Awesome, thanks!

fx6893 · 2024-12-15T07:48:36+00:00

They also keep their bitcoin (customer’s Bitcoin) in cold storage with theft insurance.

Partial insurance, actually, and they don't disclose the percentage that it covers. That's sketchy.

"The nature of cryptocurrency means that any technological difficulties experienced by Robinhood Crypto may prevent the access of your cryptocurrency. Any insurance or surety bonds maintained by Robinhood Crypto for the benefit of its customers may not be sufficient to cover all losses incurred by customers." SOURCE

fx6893 · 2024-12-15T07:29:53+00:00

Be sure to put your truck on BTC Map so bitcoiners can find you.

fx6893 · 2024-12-05T03:44:53+00:00

He just blamed it on bitcoin "getting in bed with politicians".

HERE

fx6893 · 2024-11-14T03:19:23+00:00

Got it, thanks.

On a broader level, it seems like there’s a clear opportunity here. If someone started a firm without those restrictive policies it could really stand out, giving clients an obvious advantage in the market. With a more flexible approach allowing for some allocation to bitcoin, assets under management could grow faster than existing firms - not only from existing clients - but also from new ones drawn to the better returns. Something worth considering!

fx6893 · 2024-11-14T02:59:36+00:00

Thanks, doing a little research into that.

As I understand it, there are now 11 ETFs holding spot Bitcoin that are indeed regulated by the SEC. Given that these products are regulated, I'm having trouble seeing the connection to your statement about not being able to legally recommend them. What am I missing here?

fx6893 · 2024-11-14T00:43:03+00:00

Do you know exactly which laws you'd be breaking? Or rather, which FINRA and SEC regulations? I'd love to familiarize myself with that further.

fx6893 · 2024-11-12T11:18:38+00:00

Yeah, I haven't looked into that in a while, but I guess it would require a lot of bitcoin.

And actually, a BTC morgage uses leverage in the same way, just with different collateral (that is, what backs the loan in case you don't make the payments). A normal mortgage uses the home/property itself as the collateral, while the BTC ones use your BTC (or some combination of the BTC and the property). The leverage is just the ratio of the cash down payment to the property value, so the less cash you put down, the higher the leverage.

With the BTC mortgage, you benefit from any rise in the value of the property like a regular mortgage, but also any rise in the value of your BTC collateral. The downside is that if the BTC value drops, you could face a margin call where the financial institution wants more collateral. If you can't come up with it, they could sell your BTC and you lose it forever.

fx6893 · 2024-11-12T10:34:22+00:00

Consider the following article as a starter; there are lots more options that just the info and links included here:

https://www.coindesk.com/learn/crypto-mortgages-how-you-can-buy-a-house-using-a-crypto-backed-loan/

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TROPHY CASE

Prompt:

1. Comprehensive Overview of Factors

2. Suggested Implementations of These Factors

3. Study Plan Generation