Disclaimer - I still need to formalize this weekly format, but I want to get things out the door to keep the ball rolling.
Again, apologies for the atrocious formatting and informality, but we are moving along!
A key event this week
I had my first semi-formal financial advice meeting with someone outside of work
I hope to have more of these with friends and family to try to provide value to others and get more reps with trying to think through people’s problems and how to distill complex information in a way that is more readily digestible
Article I liked:
https://mileskellerman.substack.com/p/247-trading-and-the-politics-of-time
This article explores some potential implications of markets going 24/7. I think that this is an inevitability and the fact that markets are open from 9:30-4 is such a crazy concept in the age of the internet. I do not believe this is an if conversation, but a when conversation, so it is important to try to think of the downstream effects and implications.
First and foremost from this article, I liked the exploration of time itself and how we know what time it is. Sounds trivial but when you get into relativity, it is not the same time here and 1 mile from here. That has important implications for a world of instant settlement and nonstop markets.
A quote I liked:
“Markets will react, in real-time, to every piece of news on a never-ending basis. This will not be fun for Congressional aids. And it may impose new time pressures on policymakers to take hasty action. How would the response to the 2008 financial crisis have differed if markets never closed?”
The dynamics surrounding press releases and other ways of doing things will have to change dramatically and it is to be seen if that will be good for the world. I can’t imagine more information, more transparency, and more access being a bad thing in the long run, but I also used to think that play dough tasted really good so, caveat.
Next up, here are some podcast episodes I listened to this week, The formatting is eh because I used AI to summarize, and I added in my comments along the way.
Podcasts:
Bitcoin-Related Podcasts
1. "100% Success Rate Orange-Pilling Clients – Jim Crider CFP"
Listen: Spotify
Summary: Certified financial planner Jim Crider shares his methodology for onboarding clients to Bitcoin, emphasizing education, risk management, and long-term financial planning.
Key Takeaways:
Personalized education drives client adoption.
Bitcoin’s scarcity aligns with retirement planning strategies.
Addressing misconceptions reduces resistance to crypto exposure1.
DH - I really like Jim and his approach to the financial planning process. He has taken a lot of flack but seems to stick to his principles. He is very generous with his time and I have learned a lot from him
2. "#1470 Anthony Pompliano & Phil Rosen | This Metric Controls Bitcoin’s Price"
Listen: Spotify
Summary: Pompliano and Rosen analyze Bitcoin’s price drivers, including liquidity flows, ETF inflows, and macroeconomic indicators.
Key Takeaways:
ETF approval remains a pivotal demand catalyst.
Correlation with tech stocks signals institutionalization.
Halving cycles amplify supply-side scarcity2.
3. "#1471 James Lavish | Will Bitcoin Strategic Reserve Happen?"
Listen: Spotify
Summary: Lavish debates Bitcoin’s viability as a national reserve asset, weighing geopolitical shifts and monetary policy failures.
Key Takeaways:
Dollar devaluation pressures central banks to diversify.
Bitcoin’s neutrality avoids geopolitical entanglements.
Custody solutions critical for institutional adoption3.
DH - Neutrality of BTC is probably the most interesting concept to me when it comes to nation-state adoption and the concept of a SBR. Like oil in the 70s, is there a way we can pump a ton of liquidity into some neutral asset to be able to escape our debt problem? The playbook could very well be to try to get americans to hold bitcoin to front-run the US. Nation-state fomo is a pretty hilarious concept
4. "INFLATION, THE FED & BITCOIN w/ Lawrence Lepard"
Listen: Spotify
Summary: Lepard critiques Fed policies driving inflation and argues Bitcoin’s fixed supply offers a hedge against currency debasement.
Key Takeaways:
Real interest rates undermine fiat savings.
Bitcoin’s energy-backed security mirrors gold’s historical role.
Institutional allocation could reach 5% of portfolios4.
5. "Jeff Booth: A Masterclass on Price of Tomorrow, Inflation, Deflation & Bitcoin"
Listen: Spotify
Summary: Booth explores technological deflation’s clash with inflationary monetary systems, positioning Bitcoin as a bridge to abundance.
Key Takeaways:
AI-driven productivity suppresses consumer prices.
Debt-based systems struggle with deflationary tech.
Bitcoin standard enables equitable value distribution.
DH - Jeff rocks. He explains things in such an understandable way, and you can tell he has put a lot of time into these problems and how to explain them to people. It takes an immense amount of humility and relinquishing of the ego to realize that the wheel we have been running on is a wheel. Stepping outside the system and starting truly from first principles is the only way to be able to understand why the problem is a problem and what the solution is/could be.
6. "#573: A Free World Needs Private Money with Calle"
Listen: Spotify
Summary: Calle advocates for privacy-preserving monetary tools like Cashu, emphasizing Bitcoin’s role in resisting surveillance capitalism.
Key Takeaways:
Privacy protocols enhance financial sovereignty.
Centralized stablecoins risk censorship.
Layer-2 solutions expand Bitcoin’s utility5.
DH - Calle is pretty funny on Twitter. I need to better understand developments in E-cash and layer 2. The concept of Cashu and chaumian e-cash are pretty astounding technical developments that appear to get better and better with time. I am glad that people are so technically competent and intelligent and motivated that they can develop these tools that push humanity forward. I am hopeful to see more tools get developed and the Bitcoin ecosystem can continue to expand and these tools of freedom and censorship/control-resistant money can proliferate.
7. "TRUMP, INFLATION, MSTR & BITCOIN w/ Lyn Alden"
Listen: Spotify
Summary: Alden connects political volatility, corporate Bitcoin strategies, and monetary instability, urging portfolio diversification.
Key Takeaways:
Election cycles amplify regulatory uncertainty.
MicroStrategy’s leverage strategy carries execution risks.
Long-term holders mitigate price volatility.
DH - Lyn is the GOAT. When she speaks I will listen. A lot of signal as usual.
8. "BTC218: Bitcoin Mining 101 w/ Adam Haynes"
Listen: Spotify
Summary: Haynes demystifies mining economics, covering hardware, energy sourcing, and regulatory challenges.
Key Takeaways:
Hash rate growth signals network security.
Renewable energy reduces operational costs.
Geographic decentralization mitigates regulatory risks6.
DH - I lack knowledge in the technical side of bitcoin in terms of nodes, mining, block creation, UTXO’s, hashing, etc. and so these types of episodes help to give me flavors of things to dig into deeper at a later date.
9. "The future of Bitcoin: AI, Deflation & Abundance | Jeff Booth"
Listen: Spotify
Summary: Booth revisits deflationary tech trends, arguing Bitcoin’s fixed supply harmonizes with AI-driven abundance.
Key Takeaways:
AI accelerates productivity, suppressing prices.
Bitcoin incentivizes energy-efficient innovation.
Abundance requires sound money foundations.
10. "Trump Rugpulls Bitcoiners?!"
Listen: Spotify
Summary: Panelists dissect Trump’s mixed policy signals on crypto, debating implications for regulation and market sentiment.
Key Takeaways:
Political rhetoric often contradicts legislative action.
Decentralization reduces reliance on political outcomes.
Self-custody mitigates counterparty risks.
General/Conspiracy Podcasts
1. "515. Ethics, Power, and Progress: Shaping AI for a Better Tomorrow | Marc Andreessen"
Listen: Spotify
Summary: Andreessen and Peterson debate AI’s ethical dilemmas, advocating for decentralized development to avoid centralized control.
Key Takeaways:
Open-source models resist authoritarian capture.
AI amplifies human creativity, not replaces it.
Ethical frameworks must balance innovation and safety.
DH - It is important to think about the stories that shape societies. Peterson does a good job of looking through stories of different cultures in different periods and making connections. I think that the removal of religion in the West may be a sort of Chesterton’s fence situation whereby removing it leads to all sorts of unintended consequences.
As we shape a new world order (ideally a decentralized world order based on shared principles) it is important to think about what stories are making up the framework of that order.
2. "Down the Darkest Rabbit Holes with Ian Carroll"
Listen: Spotify
Summary: Carroll investigates CIA influence campaigns, Epstein’s networks, and historical anomalies like the Titanic-Federal Reserve connection.
Key Takeaways:
Intelligence agencies shape media narratives.
Financial systems enable covert operations.
Critical thinking tools counter disinformation.
DH - Titanic Fed Connection is pretty nuts. There is no doubt that there are people putting their thumbs on the scales in the media space. What was once conspiracy is now proven in court records. It is concerning to dive into some of these rabbit holes, but I am glad some people are doing it.
Like I said last week, some of these stories are true, some are false, but even amidst the false stories, there is a kernel of truth or some thread to pull on that could lead to realizations. There is then the question of what do you do about it, and unfortunately, the answer in most cases is quite limited.
3. "Follow the MONEY, Find the TRUTH with Ian Carroll"
Listen: Spotify
Summary: Carroll traces financial corruption links between intelligence agencies, organized crime, and geopolitical events like Israel’s founding.
Key Takeaways:
Mossad-Epstein ties suggest blackmail networks.
Federal Reserve’s creation followed strategic crises.
DH - Carroll’s history of getting into the conspiracy space is interesting. From gamestop to bitcoin to epstein to megacorps, there seems to be a common theme. Fix the money fix the world as they say. It is sad how true that seems to be. I do not know what the end state is of these systems, or when that would be, all I know is that things that can’t go on forever don’t.
4. Darryl Cooper on TCN
Listen: Spotify
Looks like my AI conked out here as well
For reference, many of the conspiracy type of podcasts or things that are off the beaten path are typically sourced from Twitter clips where someone I follow reposts a clip from something or something is challenged and I want to hear the full context
I think that controversial narratives are good as long as they can be combatted
There was a lot of controversy when this episode came out due to some of the phraseology
History is not math, so there are plenty of ways to explain the past
I think it is everyone’s responsibility to learn as much as they can and come to their own conclusions vs. accepting narratives at face value
Maybe Winston Churchill had some flaws?