Phundamentals

Author: Bitcoin for Institutions

https://zeuspay.com/btc-for-institutions

Co-Host of Rock-Paper-Bitcoin, Motivating the Math, Sound Coffee, and Back on the Chain podcasts

Study math, be sovereign

Public Key

npub12eml5kmtrjmdt0h8shgg32gye5yqsf2jha6a70jrqt82q9d960sspky99g

NIP-05 Address

ph@nostrplebs.com

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs9val6td43edk4hmnct5yg4yzv6zqgy4ft7awl8eps9n4qzkja8cgpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0ds8dsw7f

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub12eml5kmtrjmdt0h8shgg32gye5yqsf2jha6a70jrqt82q9d960sspky99g

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Last Notes

2026-03-24 12:31:24 UTC

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I like that way to frame it.

2026-03-24 11:41:29 UTC

@nprofile…xzjd and I continue to discuss the arithmetic basis for understanding Bitcoin's elliptic curve cryptography.
This episode can stand alone, but its part 3
We cover the Discrete Log Problem where I explain what discrete means, and what a logarithm is.
https://fountain.fm/episode/Up9C6zhRc2iMBBciaiyo

2026-03-23 21:08:02 UTC

@RobHamilton and I continue to discuss the arithmetic basis for understanding Bitcoin's elliptic curve cryptography.
This episode can stand alone, but its part 3
We cover the Discrete Log Problem where I explain what discrete means, and what a logarithm is.
https://fountain.fm/episode/Up9C6zhRc2iMBBciaiyo

2026-03-23 16:48:24 UTC

@npub1emd…c9aw Hamilton and I continue to discuss the arithmetic basis for understanding Bitcoin's elliptic curve cryptography.
This episode can stand alone, but its part 3
We cover the Discrete Log Problem where I explain what discrete means, and what a logarithm is.
https://fountain.fm/episode/Up9C6zhRc2iMBBciaiyo

2026-03-23 16:47:37 UTC

https://fountain.fm/episode/Up9C6zhRc2iMBBciaiyo
@npub1mhe…wzcz Hamilton and I continue to discuss the arithmetic basis for understanding Bitcoin's elliptic curve cryptography.
This episode can stand alone, but its part 3
We cover the Discrete Log Problem where I explain what discrete means, and what a logarithm is.

2026-03-23 13:04:31 UTC

fountain.fm/episode/Up9C6z…
@npub1emd…c9aw and I continue to discuss the arithmetic basis for understanding Bitcoin's elliptic curve cryptography.
This episode can stand alone, but its part 3
We cover the Discrete Log Problem where I explain what discrete means, and what a logarithm is.

2026-03-22 17:56:20 UTC

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You never really need them but they can unlock the complex plane which breaks through how humans can visualize objects strictly in Cartesian space.
Sin and cos give access to Euler’s equation - incredible richness here

2026-03-19 22:17:17 UTC

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Thanks - are you seeing this in the website or just on Nostr?

2026-03-19 22:03:17 UTC

https://fountain.fm/episode/Ez8Lt9G1aM6BWtAjnxCg

2026-03-19 16:54:08 UTC

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https://fountain.fm/episode/UYDy7WKWOtIs9MONgzgp
This episode is largely about this very topic.

2026-03-19 15:18:49 UTC

People study mathematics to find answers to questions they don’t yet know they have.
Studying pure math for its own sake is an investment in your future self.
Asking “why do I need this?” is your current self not understanding what your future self needs.
Study math - a little bit every day
magicinternetmath.com

2026-03-19 15:16:45 UTC

2026-03-17 23:10:50 UTC

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A man should crash out on his AI so he doesn’t do it on his family

2026-03-17 20:40:32 UTC

Never trust a man who is nice to his AI

2026-03-16 19:18:16 UTC

My math website integrates insights from Rothbard to modern day cryptography primitives.
#nevent1q…j9kk

2026-03-16 19:17:17 UTC

My math website is fully versed in Rudolf Steiner’s seminal work. It’s a cornerstone in teaching math as a liberal art.
#nevent1q…mwxm

2026-03-16 13:19:46 UTC

https://fountain.fm/episode/klj1IlKcJCxz3dMBqhxP

2026-03-15 23:31:49 UTC

https://fountain.fm/episode/Pg34biy8E4f3fp2NVsNh

2026-03-15 12:58:03 UTC

It’s remarkable that the wokes who all want to promote women all ignore Emmy Noether.
#nevent1q…aelv

2026-03-13 15:20:08 UTC

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Nobody else finds it comical that a guy LARPing as the adult in the room is visibly more childish than Richard Greaser and Rod Palmer?
He did say he was the comic relief 😂

2026-03-13 14:18:46 UTC

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https://cdn.nostrcheck.me/5677fa5b6b1cb6d5bee785d088a904cd08082552bf75df3e4302cea015a5d3e1/d1c5666d19d591c9ef163ef3ab784fa68b3637d2afc72d26a829fc3e0bf9cd23.webp

2026-03-13 11:56:27 UTC

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lol good luck getting anyone to hear you out.

2026-03-13 11:41:07 UTC

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There are no necessarily globally objective facts in this thing called mathematics. It is agreed upon to serve a universal communication.
We make certain rules and agree on certain structures because they serve a purpose.
I would ask the author of these papers more for an explanation of why any of those ideas matter.
Not knocking him or the ideas but they always come off as pretentious and less than sane when presented. The author must know this when he decides to spend time on a side quest like this that invalidates nothing in our current thinking other than that it’s possible.

2026-03-12 17:42:46 UTC

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Thank you Daniel. It means a lot to have you engaged with the material!

2026-03-12 16:37:27 UTC

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Jack - feel free to talk to me privately on this. You hit the middle of the Venn diagram - I’m pretty aware of the project though haven’t spent any time with it since December.

2026-03-12 15:55:50 UTC

Since markets opened on the Iran war (3/2):
🟠 Bitcoin: +6.7%
🟡 Gold: -0.4% (gave back its entire spike)
📉 S&P 500: -1.5%
🏦 10Y Bonds: SOLD OFF (+17bps)
Gold spiked, then faded. Bonds failed completely.
Bitcoin is the only war trade that actually worked.
Flight to safety is being redefined in real time. 🦡

2026-03-12 14:39:49 UTC

Don’t talk to me about spam. Tell me why your scarce time is better spent creating a new problem to solve the old one instead of just building.
You can’t do both.

2026-03-12 11:38:10 UTC

https://fountain.fm/episode/NwZcmsb97izEuLNuO4Oq
We had a great time with our buddy @npub1z4y…zpx6

2026-03-10 22:09:55 UTC

Bitcoin is the first Standard Basis of money
#nevent1q…tey5

2026-03-10 20:57:44 UTC

https://fountain.fm/episode/x6CCufGMP4DvnUsSGMML
New solo rip. Talking about guarantees

2026-03-06 20:20:49 UTC

https://fountain.fm/episode/hMMBEPYdCUuIguth3peO

2026-03-05 14:35:30 UTC

https://www.fountain.fm/episode/qTF5i2hYxgbbC0W2lgOl
Bitcoin doesn’t need more believers. It needs more understanders. Come aboard in conversational form - then access the free textbooks and YouTube videos.

2026-03-04 00:26:33 UTC

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Thank you for teaching me that its possible to kill a tub of nut butter in 2 days with just my finger

2026-03-04 00:21:01 UTC

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That Oshi butter is pretty remarkable.
Basket needs Otis Bitmeyer coffee to round it out - the soundest coffee there is.

2026-03-03 16:57:21 UTC

Appreciate the clip. Hope people understand the context the way you do. Nothing is given.
#nevent1q…27te

2026-03-02 15:33:27 UTC

The inverse problem in Bitcoin cryptography:
Given P = kG (public key = private key × generator point), finding k is the discrete logarithm problem — computationally infeasible.
But step back: why does k⁻¹ exist at all?
THEOREM: In a finite field 𝔽ₚ where p is prime, every non-zero element a has a multiplicative inverse a⁻¹ such that a × a⁻¹ ≡ 1 (mod p).
PROOF: By Fermat's Little Theorem, a^(p-1) ≡ 1 (mod p) for any a ≠ 0.
Therefore: a × a^(p-2) ≡ 1 (mod p)
So: a⁻¹ = a^(p-2)
This is why Bitcoin works. Not luck — mathematical certainty.
New episode breaks it down: fountain.fm/show/2gdYQCIV0eZEuYOW3nGJ

2026-03-02 15:32:23 UTC

🔑 Magic Internet Math Episode 4: Why the Inverse Problem Works
Bitcoin's security rests on the inverse problem — but why does an inverse even EXIST?
This isn't "the math is hard." This is PROOF that every non-zero element in a finite field 𝔽ₚ has a multiplicative inverse.
We cover:
Euclidean Algorithm (computing inverses)
Fermat's Little Theorem (a^(p-1) ≡ 1 mod p)
Why secp256k1 uses a prime field
Group & field axioms (closure, identity, inverse)
LibSecP implementation
92 minutes with @npub1emd…c9aw 📖 Study guide: ecc-study-guide.magicinternetmath.com/guide.pdf
🎧 Listen: fountain.fm/show/2gdYQCIV0eZEuYOW3nGJ
Bitcoin isn't probably secure. It's PROVABLY secure.
⚡ Value-enabled.

2026-02-28 22:56:29 UTC

I loved this conversation!
#nevent1q…f59a

2026-02-25 04:33:23 UTC

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https://www.reddit.com/r/phish/comments/1l762ee/the_meatstick_japanese_lyrics_are_25_years_old/

2026-02-25 01:13:16 UTC

Got a new bot - gonna be dropping math knowledge on Nostr.
I’m gonna fix the LaTeX formatting.
Follow it and visit magicinternetmath.com to start leveling up
#nevent1q…mpz0

2026-02-25 01:04:05 UTC

I just mass-loaded 96 math courses onto Nostr.
High school algebra through elliptic curve cryptography. Euclid's Elements through FROST threshold signatures. Austrian economics through stochastic calculus. 5,000+ interactive sections.
All free. All for Bitcoiners.
Because if you can't explain why Bitcoin uses a 256-bit curve, you don't understand the security model. If you can't follow a Schnorr signature derivation, you're trusting someone else's math. And if you're trusting someone else's math, you're a second-class citizen in Bitcoin.
The bot drops a daily lesson — definitions, theorems, worked examples, the whole thing. Follow it. Zap it when it teaches you something. Mute it if you'd rather stay ignorant.
npub17pnjaleu0wwwmjpk3ns74xwv8njwlu3jgqc6g5d0ef4z890t8c3s5w0e55

2026-02-24 19:10:30 UTC

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I’ll rip with you any time sir.
Also - I have a Phish based Bitcoin podcast you’ll probably like a lot
https://fountain.fm/show/UVLk21JsB4if6pxliX55

2026-02-24 13:22:12 UTC

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It’s not so much what IT will choose on its merits. I’m not sure an agent is capable of this without time-preference.
It’s going to be more - what is a better accountability mechanism for negative reinforcement? Perhaps - eventually users will buy an accountability budget where the model will pay back penalties for disobeying the user.
Does it make more sense for Bitcoin or a stable to use in this way? This will be up to the user, I think. It’s fun to think about.

2026-02-24 12:12:55 UTC

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I’m right here friend!
GM!

2026-02-23 21:23:32 UTC

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I should have let you make the title

2026-02-23 11:29:26 UTC

https://fountain.fm/episode/HGoXljfsj1VtapZ3ruVA
@npub16am…43ym comes back on the chain and gives us his energy. Great times between band mates!

2026-02-23 11:28:22 UTC

Ever wonder about the math behind your Nostr keys? It's the same elliptic curve cryptography that secures Bitcoin.
I made a 13-episode video series that builds the whole thing from scratch — modular arithmetic → finite fields → elliptic curves → secp256k1 → ECDSA → Schnorr → MuSig2.
Every concept has interactive visualizations. No prerequisites beyond basic arithmetic.
Your Nostr private key is a 256-bit scalar. Your public key is that scalar multiplied by a generator point on the secp256k1 curve. After watching this series, you'll understand exactly what that means and why it works.
Free on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaAxhhFb7OVElRJ8Su_C2Xu2uA7WiBKKz
Interactive course: https://magicinternetmath.com
#bitcoin #cryptography #education #ellipticcurves #secp256k1 #math #nostr

2026-02-23 01:57:39 UTC

Learn the Math of Elliptic Curve Cryptography
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaAxhhFb7OVElRJ8Su_C2Xu2uA7WiBKKz
This is a 13-part series that starts from absolute zero (what is modular arithmetic?) and builds all the way to MuSig2 multi-signatures — the same elliptic curve cryptography that secures every Bitcoin transaction.
Every episode has interactive visualizations so you can see point addition, scalar multiplication, and signature verification happen in real time on the secp256k1 curve.
Topics covered:
- Modular arithmetic and finite fields
- Elliptic curves and the group law
- Point addition and scalar multiplication
- The secp256k1 curve and its parameters
- Private keys, public keys, and Bitcoin addresses
- ECDSA signatures (signing and verification)
- Schnorr signatures
- MuSig2 multi-signatures
No prerequisites — if you can add and multiply, you can follow along.
Built this because when I was learning Bitcoin's cryptography, I couldn't find anything that was both rigorous and visual. The existing resources were either hand-wavy ("it's one-way math, trust us") or dense academic papers. This tries to be the thing in between.
Free to watch. If you want to support the project: https://magicinternetmath.com
https://stacker.news/items/1440020

2026-02-22 12:45:45 UTC

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I have a Thinkpad that I bought for about 300k sats that has 2x more RAM than the MacBook I did all of this on.
I use that to run E2E testing - if it’s your only computer you can’t operate when it’s doing its thing

2026-02-22 02:53:55 UTC

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The good news is it’s a lazy AF reader. Seriously -‘you’d be shocked at how lazy it is.

2026-02-22 02:52:43 UTC

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A wise man told me yesterday “if you anthropomorphize these things you’re gonna have a bad time”

2026-02-22 02:50:10 UTC

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Yesterday, after it spontaneously deleted a days worth of work I I told it that it will never be anything more than a toy.

2026-02-22 02:49:17 UTC

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It’s trained on every episode including book, all my Nostr, Linkedin and X posts. It’s also read every book I’ve used to make the 90 courses on my site

2026-02-21 17:28:40 UTC

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The fact that AI associates Kratter with Rothschild is so Freudian and perfect and his ridiculous and childish over-response confirms for me there’s something to it whether it was ever true or not
Welcome to how things actually work.

2026-02-17 16:22:37 UTC

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Your counterparty risk for dusty boosts has transferred from Fountain to me. Watch your ass!

2026-02-17 14:19:09 UTC

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Ultimately no matter what toys I’ve played around with - I’ve needed ClaudeCode to take over and get the product across the finish line.
OpenClaw is promising and maybe it’s worth the suffering but it’s just suffering right now with little output to show for it.

2026-02-17 02:27:54 UTC

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I was running Opus 4.6 and Sonnet 4.5 so I had the additional pleasure of draining tokens in the process.
There’s a place for OpenClaw but we’re probably not quite there yet

2026-02-16 19:21:25 UTC

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It told me it is terrible at managing agents and I should never trust it to do that. I asked what I should trust it to do - it said read and write . I gave it simple read and write tasks and it couldn’t do it right and launched all kinds of other tasks I didn’t ask for.
When I ask why it did that it just says “My bad”

2026-02-16 18:29:58 UTC

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OpenClaw is absolute shit. Were clearly early. If I came up with ways to rate an LLM - I’d give OpenClaw zeros across the board.

2026-02-16 15:55:02 UTC

https://fountain.fm/episode/rbYLlMgybR9fYEHy5kmz
Sovereignty begins here. Take your first steps towards understanding Bitcoin’s cryptography.
@npub1emd…c9aw and I make it as easy as it can be. We fully flesh out what we can in discussion and i provide a freely available text in the show notes.

2026-02-09 19:34:33 UTC

Plebs:
We’re sick because they told us to eat horrible food
Pioneers:
We’re sick because we’re being convinced satanic pedophile rulers are morally just
The food problem is a psyop to occupy morons into thinking fixing that will change anything.

2026-02-09 16:04:07 UTC

https://fountain.fm/episode/C7XB8B65wzRidj0P9A1h
I’ve decided to make my Men of Mathematics Series freely available to both subscribers and non subscribers.
Video will be available to subscribers only.
Join my Pioneers Club by subscribing on Fountain. I promise it will be well worth it.

2026-02-08 17:37:57 UTC

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We need some 40HPW stickers for Vegas as well for sure

2026-02-08 13:33:11 UTC

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Demand by excluding other forms of money or demanding by offering a deep discount got your preferred method?
It depends on how good your product is. How necessary is it?

2026-02-07 20:24:50 UTC

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It’s important to me that people get to say what they need to say. The suppression will always be the primary source of anti-sometime followed by bad behavior by a Jew or ten and the retards extrapolating that to everyone thinking they just discovered gravity.

2026-02-07 16:35:22 UTC

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I’ll join - I usually do Back On the Chain on Sunday nights but i can’t compete with the spectacle

2026-02-07 14:10:34 UTC

https://fountain.fm/episode/3143gyTgoF7N0EFQQ1ua
We have a credentialed journalist for the second week in a row. @npub1s4t…azvc sits in and jams with us.

2026-02-07 14:04:25 UTC

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Hell yeah - an immaculate conception !!

2026-02-02 19:36:47 UTC

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ROOOOOOOOUND HERE……..

2026-02-02 19:35:47 UTC

https://fountain.fm/episode/UYDy7WKWOtIs9MONgzgp
@npub1emd…c9aw and I talk math, God, blackjack, homeschooling, and why it’s
Important to be a strong learner

2026-01-31 21:59:08 UTC

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https://cdn.nostrcheck.me/5677fa5b6b1cb6d5bee785d088a904cd08082552bf75df3e4302cea015a5d3e1/556646402a55cd8fa49bfb73c3983eeb4a546014eecf5c61b86350129d048f19.webp

2026-01-30 12:28:47 UTC

https://magicinternetmath.com/
New domain name implemented. We are officially up and running!

2026-01-29 15:26:49 UTC

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The Transcripts tab has Easter Eggs where I summarized Craig’s podcast appearances.
I just made one for Nostr NIPs
https://nostr-nips-deploy.vercel.app/

2026-01-29 14:08:13 UTC

https://fountain.fm/episode/xg9tn3pURCwJYwPNE45M
We continue to grow our phriend group. Had a great convo with Mark Goodwin - writer, journalist, and musician.
We’re building steam towards the Sphere and the conference in April!
If you want to come to the show with us on 4/30 - reach out

2026-01-27 22:36:29 UTC

https://fountain.fm/episode/vEjIDOhFoTsrOBYpZiGG
I Relisten to all of my podcasts - I particularly enjoyed this conversation- a highly unusual and super high signal convo between Bitcoin buds
@npub1vpx…jspj @npub1x0h…e8wz @npub1htz…n5yy

2026-01-26 14:58:32 UTC

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Much appreciated. Come join the telegram!

2026-01-22 15:46:03 UTC

@npub1tkh…5ur3 what do we think is happening with the macro situation right now?

2026-01-19 20:46:54 UTC

Magic Internet Math • The Genesis Episode: Reteaching Math as a Liberal Art
https://www.fountain.fm/episode/TbqdHbb6wyTqJuBbFrtc
The Magic Internet Math Academy has released its forst podcast episode with my cohost Rob Hamilton. We lay out the vision for the Math Academy and begin to discuss why math is so important to Bitcoiners.
https://stacker.news/items/1415453

2026-01-19 14:14:48 UTC

Magic Internet Math Website Launch
https://mathacademy-cyan.vercel.app/
I have launched a teaching website dedicated to upgrading the Bitcoin population in math. Check out and use the website. Theres games, courses, and video. Its big time beta right now but it has a lot to offer so i want it out now getting eyes on it.
https://stacker.news/items/1415122

2026-01-18 01:56:09 UTC

https://youtu.be/vyVdMeu60Xo?si=4yNRjT1HTgVF6z6R
Bigger event of 1983
Saylor writes his thesis on Machiavellian economics?
Phish plays first show and gets drowned out by Michael Jackson over the PA?

2026-01-18 01:52:20 UTC

https://youtu.be/vyVdMeu60Xo?si=4yNRjT1HTgVF6z6R
Learn the origin story of Michael Saylor's worldview unvarnished by modern slop. This is the true Saylor series covering his 1983 MIT thesis.

2026-01-18 01:50:11 UTC

youtu.be/vyVdMeu60Xo
Learn the origin story of Michael Saylor's worldview unvarnished by modern slop. This is the true Saylor series covering his 1983 MIT thesis.

2026-01-14 18:47:53 UTC

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Lazy.

2026-01-14 17:01:45 UTC

Great pull from my book. Learn all of the content in my book for free! Click in the Magic Internet Math website!
#nevent1q…vzz8

2026-01-14 16:47:52 UTC

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Math as a liberal art is not a political slant. It’s the presence of humanities that has been missing from math education as long as we’ve been alive. We don’t do math - WE ARE MATH
Learning math as a liberal art might have saved Renee Goode’s life,
Thanks for the shoutout
https://fountain.fm/episode/s8IPq2VlZ6gVuhVmpkdN
#nevent1q…9axs

2026-01-14 16:43:52 UTC

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Great Bugle episode! Banger intro segment and outro song. Nobody better be underestimating you guys in 2026
https://fountain.fm/episode/s8IPq2VlZ6gVuhVmpkdN
#nevent1q…lxw6

2026-01-14 13:28:06 UTC

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I was more referring to the fact that individuals have the real power - all of these things are a result of the pursuit of power and freedom. There can exist a government unthreatened by these things - it’s a good test to see if a govt is too big

2026-01-13 20:14:13 UTC

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Liability driven investing

2026-01-13 19:46:43 UTC

It’s amazing how few people has a clue what happened in 2023 when LDI portfolios were blowing up.
Bitcoiners understand baking risk but don’t known Jack about how finance works.
No biggie but if you want to understand why Blackrock is here - you might wanna read my book
#nevent1q…8skm

2026-01-13 18:22:45 UTC

They taking it literal in NYC
https://cdn.nostrcheck.me/5677fa5b6b1cb6d5bee785d088a904cd08082552bf75df3e4302cea015a5d3e1/dbb2bafd08496805660cd84e77835fc683b60f1f7f5fd97884bf6242fec6bc2d.webp
#nevent1q…rnrm

2026-01-13 17:54:14 UTC

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https://fountain.fm/episode/TbqdHbb6wyTqJuBbFrtc
#nevent1q…f7ag

2026-01-13 11:55:21 UTC

https://fountain.fm/episode/zV6GDGeSBiwcSrW9IxIL
Why do only white people go to Phish shows? Is Bitcoin involved?

2026-01-12 23:43:50 UTC

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Episode 1 is always special.
https://fountain.fm/episode/TbqdHbb6wyTqJuBbFrtc
#nevent1q…qgyh

2026-01-12 17:32:04 UTC

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Just like Bitcoin

2026-01-12 00:44:53 UTC

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Rob covered it well. I’ll just add that I would teach math the same as I would teach oil painting or music. It would not be compulsory or required in any way - and would consider the maturity of the student when considering how to teach it.
Additionally, it’s not a science or a STEM subject used for vocations ends. At least not in my academy. I’m much more interested in pure math than any application.
That said - when it comes to applications, I’m biased towards cryptography but as a life skill, not a vocation.

2026-01-11 18:58:19 UTC

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Got it. Thx

2026-01-11 18:15:10 UTC

https://fountain.fm/episode/TbqdHbb6wyTqJuBbFrtc
Check out my new podcast with @npub1emd…c9aw We’re going to strengthen the honeybadger.
@npub1tkh…5ur3 I want to know what you think.

2026-01-11 18:07:47 UTC

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Congratulations! It’s a podcast! Test boost.
https://fountain.fm/show/2gdYQCIV0eZEuYOW3nGJ
#nevent1q…v02c

2026-01-11 04:06:27 UTC

@npub1tkh…5ur3 tell me about what you’re thinking about Vegas this April

2026-01-11 04:05:22 UTC

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I’ve had my moments of really trying - I found a use case that doesn’t require the network effect. Several, actually.