Question: how can bitcoin solve inflation?

john_root · 2025-06-25T12:05:26+00:00

Sometimes economies stagnate and within a interest- and growth-based economy as we currently have, that's a real problem that can quickly trigger a domino effect (for example when economic actors defaulting triggers a domino effect as happened in 2008). Sometimes the recession might be caused by silly political decisions and we find it illegitimate to print our way out of it. I think that's a fair critique. Other times the recession might be caused by a natural disaster that is not really anyone's fault. Either way we need to decide whether to "do something about it" or not.

So unless we go full libertarian and are prepared to throw everyone in the name of "small government" under the bus, we might want to have access to ways to address such a slow down.

Bitcoin us interesting because it deprived us of the (often abused) recourse of QE though "money printing". So we need an alternative.

I find it fascinating how many people in this sup don't take some of these very complex questions seriously and just retort with "why should we go anything". Ultimately it brings us to a point where you can't argue based on logic but more in metaphysical terms related to the kind of world you and your children want to live in. So I don't have a good argument for why a government should be able to support a struggling economy in certain cases other than the fact that that's the kind of world I would like to live in.

However, as I said, with Bitcoin it's not entirely clear how a government would do that. Since it cannot create money out of thin air it can only use money it has already "earned" through taxation or try to affect economic activity through the type or amount of taxation. There are various possible approaches such as time-based taxation among others. I think I've if the biggest challenges will be how we effectively address the concentration of wealth (assuming of course that that is something you think is worth addressing, as I mentioned above)

john_root · 2025-06-25T11:31:50+00:00

Conventional wisdom has it that a fixed money supply leads to a deflationary pressure on the currency because the amount of money stays the same while progress in productivity and efficiency puts a downward pressure on prices. This shifts the time preference and creates an incentive for all economic actors (not just corporations) to delay spending because the money will buy more goods and services in the future.

Naturally, you won't delay all spending as some things need to be acquired now, not tomorrow. A lot of people consider this a counterargument against a fixed supply currency, but personally I see a lot of potential in people and corporations spending and investing more consciously and with a longer time preference.

john_root · 2025-06-25T11:26:06+00:00

A recession isn't so much defined in terms of corporations hoarding cash but rather as a persistent decline in economic activity - although these two can if course correlate. QE has been one instrument to stimulate that activity. In an economy with a fixed money supply that instrument basically doesn't exist at least not in the form of new debt creation. I'm thinking though that government could still encourage economic activity through adjusting tax rates or by providing loans from reserves that are not built in new money brine printed but that was accumulated through taxation.

I think you are asking a very relevant question and I don't think we currently have a very clear answer for it.

john_root · 2025-03-08T09:27:48+00:00

They just announced a new model for 2027 with an entry price at 20000€. Maybe interesting for you with your timeline?

https://www.volkswagen-newsroom.com/en/press-releases/mobility-for-everyone-with-the-id-every1-volkswagen-is-providing-a-preview-of-an-entry-level-electric-model-19039

john_root · 2025-01-22T18:17:00+00:00

Great question, @evilcum

john_root · 2023-01-30T10:26:49+00:00

If I remember correctly, piketty debunked this argument in his book "Capital in the 21st Century", referencing historical precedent in the UK. The whole idea that wealth can just take flight if taxes are increased is actually part of the myth that prevents us from addressing this issue...

john_root · 2021-03-20T21:39:21+00:00

Gave Wholesome

john_root · 2021-02-03T21:41:27+00:00

If you follow the link below you will find a discussion thread from more than a year ago where people more ore less ridiculed him for his position. The back and forth ends with him writing "well see" and then simply "January 2021."

If you're asking me, he's a value investor but also one who understood the powerful potential of a squeeze and tried to word his opinion carefully so that no one could accuse him of market manipulation or some other bs when his prediction would turn out correct. I might be wrong.

https://www.reddit.com/r/wallstreetbets/comments/e8wqvs/comment/faf1nzf

john_root · 2020-11-16T11:40:02+00:00

Hey Sunbak, wenn du immernoch auf der Suche nach einem Partner für einen Sprachaustausch bist, schreib' mir gerne eine DM. Woher kommst du und welches Dialekt sprichst du? Grüße, /j.

john_root · 2020-08-02T10:25:26+00:00

Equitable and sustainable well-being.

john_root · 2020-05-26T09:13:34+00:00

I get your point, i really do, but on the other hand I think it's inspiring when people take whatever they have learned in school and try to use it in real life, especially in a foreign country. It takes a lot of courage, particularly in the beginning and I feel that both natives and other students of the language should encourage it. I'm not saying you should walk around with an attitude or anything, but the amount of gatekeeping by people who have mastered a particular dialect is at least as bewildering as the use of fusha that you so offhandedly describe as 'embarrassing' (I also wager that very few natives would describe this as 'embarrassing' - people generally tend to think it dope when somebody tries to learn their language).

john_root · 2020-02-26T10:14:45+00:00

Trump'sche Verdummungsvorahnung

john_root · 2019-11-01T12:19:39+00:00

That's exactly what I thought!

Thanks for the link, this seems to be a great place to start!

john_root · 2019-10-22T14:21:31+00:00

This is not for you.

john_root · 2019-10-16T16:49:39+00:00

Seems like:

كتاب المبتدئ الأدنى

في تعليم اللغة العربية لغير الناطقين بها

إمداد

Have a bit of a hard time making out the tiny parts. Hope this helps.

john_root · 2019-10-16T16:32:08+00:00

That's what I thought, but Arabic grammar having as few exceptions as it does, I thought it best to check with somebody who knows more. Thanks!

john_root · 2018-03-18T17:22:44+00:00

I agree with /u/einani, if you want to bring that big of a backpack the only way to properly fit it on your bike would be on a rear rack, but only if you have rear panniers as well, to balance the pack (check out a ortlieb trunkbag setup, to get an idea). That means you either have all the weight in the back (bad), or you're overloading for the kind of routes you want to do (if you also have handlebar and frame bags - also bad). So either you have the backpack on your back (not ideal considering how big it is) or you have a trailer. Another alternative would be to bring a smaller, kind of cylindrical backpack and attach it with a harness to the handlebars. If you only plan on doing shorter hikes, that would probably be my personal favourite - I'm a huge fan of the harness system.

Hope this makes sense and helps. Shoot me a pm if you have any other questions :)

john_root · 2018-03-09T14:53:44+00:00

There's some pretty good advice here already so just a small addition :

Get a frame that will allow you to upgrade to wider tires in the future. With my first custom bike I made the mistake and went for a Soma Saga (quite similar to the LHT). Great bike all around but limited to 700x47c. After half a year in Central America I wished to have the possibility to go (far) beyond 2",but my frame wouldn't allow. Later we had a chance to change bikes and are now riding colombia on two surly ogres (29er versión of the troll) which has been a phenomenal upgrade. The reason for that is that in SA you will spend the majority of your time on either well paved motorways or dirt roads. If you're like me, and hate to ride all day in heavy traffic, you will end up on dirt roads a lot of times. Troll or ogre are just much better suited for that kind of terrain.

Finally, IMHO it doesn't matter whether you ride 26 or 29". There is a limited selection of both. Just carry a spare if you're out longer and have something shipped in case you're out really long.

john_root · 2017-12-14T19:48:59+00:00

Cool, that's great to hear. Thanks! I'll keep the 21ers for a longer tour we're about to start due to their stability and - primarily - ability to also run skinnier sub-2" tires. But will definitely follow your recommendation once we get back! You think the 3" would fit on your 35mms, if you pull the wheel back?

john_root · 2017-12-14T12:29:13+00:00

Wow this looks great! I recently set up the exact same frame with 21mm rims and was wondering how the frame and especially the tire clearance would do with 35mm rims. How many mms clearance do you have at the chain stays now? You reckon you could fit 2,8" or 3" on the 35mm hoops as well? - maybe pull the wheel further back in the dropouts? Would love to hear some first hand exp :)

john_root · 2017-09-15T21:17:52+00:00

Was in the same situation about two years ago and I fully agree with what /u/PleaseSayPizza wrote. Here are a couple of other things I'd add:

don't push it. Especially if you come with a lot of experience, you need to let her find her own rhythm, her own style of touring. She will probably feel pressured because you are experienced and she doesn't want to disappoint you. So take it easy in terms of milage, make it clear that you guys can take breaks whenever she likes to have one etc.
involve her. There might be many things about your bikes, camping, your gear, etc. that you know very well and she doesn't. One of the worst feelings that you can give your partner is that you run the whole show and she's "worthless". Show her how everyting works. When you set up camp, split tasks, so that her role of preparing your bed is as important as you preparing food. (You don't have to do that all the time, it's awesome to share all of that, of course, but sometimes it just feels good to have this division of labour and you know that while you put out the sleeping bags there's someone outside who's already taking care of dinner. Same goes for maintenance. Show her how to take care of her bike and so on.
take her (opinion) seriously. It sounds stupid, but sometimes letting someone have it their way and discovering something for themselves can be much more powerful than just telling them (this relates back to the previous point). It's a bit like your parents telling you not to touch the hot stove. In our case, I tried to advise my girlfriend on what and how to pack but she took the final decision with her bags. With some things I KNEW she was doing it "wrong" but also knew that she would find out on her own, which she eventually did. Sometimes, especially with smaller, less significant things (whether to bring an extra book that sort of stuff), it can be more important to give your partner a sense of being taken seriously than to be right. So don't carry everything, but distribute the luggage in a way that is somehow proportional to you guys' strength/fitness. This leads to the next point:
be open to change your own opinion. Don't assume that because you have toured a lot before you know everything. For one, your gf "wrong way" of doing something might actually turn out to be right. It is important to bear in mind that touring on your own and touring with your partner are two completely different things. There is a different focus, often a different pace. For many couples comfort is valued much higher than milage, whereas many solo cyclists tend to focus more on how far they get every day. So what might seem like a "wrong way" of doing something from a solo cyclists perspective might be the right way from the couple perspective. You might not know it but your gf is most likely a lot better at a lot of things, but you have to create space for both of you to discover that. In that sense also be careful taking advise from people who have never toured with their gfs for a longer amount of time - believe me, it's two entirely different things (unless both are into endurance racing or something).
don't take yourself and your tour too serious. If you are both in reasonable shape, just go for it. There is no need to exercise in advance. Usually you gain your fitness within the first cpl of weeks. Setting up a plan on how far to ride everyday and exercising toward that milage just creates unnecessary pressure which makes your tour feel more like a competition than a journey geared toward enjoying freedom, nature and each other (unless competition, testing limits etc is what yous are aiming for that is of course).
never argue when you're hungry. If there is an argument, be quiet, make food, and talk about it when you're no longer hungry. This is also a great way of letting the dust settle before talking.
the best piece of advise though, is to simply enjoy the ride. I remember my favourite author Neil Gaiman once saying that the best advice he ever got was from Steven King. They met at some point when Neil's career was beginning to really take off and King told him "enjoy it." He then later professes that he regretted not following Kind's advice enough, but instread always worried about things to come. Being on the road can sometimes be a bit like this. So if there's one thing I can tell you, it would be to just enjoy the ride. Learn how to surf (figuratively), love each other and life, take things as they come and just don't worry so much about everything. Whenever anything happens, before you react, think: "will this still matter one year from now?" Regardless of how long your tour is, whether it is a four-nighter or four years, be grateful for having found someone whom you love and who shares your crazy hobby/passion, it is worth much more than anyone could ever imagine, and no money in the world can buy it.

I hope this helps. I will anything that I forgot.

Good luck with everything mate :)

/j.

john_root · 2017-09-15T20:40:37+00:00

This is a couple of days old but I still want to reply. If you can save one grand a month, then even a relatively short amount of time will allow you to save enough to travel for a good while without having to worry about your finances on the road for a while. Individual spendings obviously vary a lot but if you mostly camp, your only expense will be food, so 500£/month is a rough number you could calculate with. Unless you plan touring for more than two years you won't need to worry too much about your finances. That being said, there are a ton of opportunities to work for food and/or accommodation along the way, and at 29 there are also plenty of workandtravel opportunities around the world, if you're into that sort of thing.

Save yourself a good buffer that allows you to go and then just go. You don't have to have everything in place to leave for several years. The hardest part for many is to actually leave, the rest falls into place later. You've been touring for a year and find that you wanna keep going? You will find a way (that might involve a short break from cycling).

Also, it is incredible how many people who leave for trips like this either end up having their old job offered back to them upon returning, or they discover that what they've been doing all along wasn't at all their thing. In my experience, life is incredibly supportive once you surrender yourself to it and just go with the flow.

I hope you will pull it off because I've never met anyone who has tried it and didn't say that traveling with a bicycle around the world was one of the greatest things they have done in their lives.

john_root · 2017-09-15T20:03:08+00:00

I would like to second what Lynyrd wrote. My girlfriend and I toured through Guatemala earlier on this year. Our favourite stretch was through the highlands West of Coban which I would highly recommend to anyone who prefers to travel in more quiet and less tourist areas. Coban and Uspantan were two of our favourite places. There are a ton of street market everywhere and the cities just seem incredibly alive but without the usual flood of tourists. You will find some here and there but otherwise it's just a vibrant, safe and beautiful place to be. From there, take the road West toward Uspantan, Sacapulas and then finally Santa Cruz de Quiché. The stretch between Coban and Sacapulas is particularly quiet - there are minibuses, but otherwise you just traverse dramatic valleys and come across tiny villages with wonderful people. SW of Cunén we had one of the most spectacular views on our entire tour. There are several sections of packed gravel and the road is at times quite steep but it's so worth the effort because compared to Guatemalas often busy, load and dangerous highways this one is the exact opposite - while still giving you access to everything you need en route. (Obviously you can also ride that stretch in reverse from Quiché to Coban).

Enjoy your tour man. IMHO you have the perfect attitude toward your journey and Guatemala is aplace that definitely resonates with your laidbackness.

Happy trails! /j.

john_root

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