AHWhite

Author of "Walking Banks", a bitcoin novel.
https://www.walkingbanks.com/

Listen to it for free on Fountain: https://fountain.fm/album/JYWZOPSrol8fvWpjNt8q

Neurobiologist, scientist, bitcoiner.

Public Key

npub1c2rvx6ue9uewl452kczcfxz9w242sfzn64ul8dv2afd3t5dpktzs0kmmvf

NIP-05 Address

ahwhite@nostrplebs.com

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsv9pkrdwvj7vh0669tvpvynpzh924gy3fa270nkk9w5kc46xsm93gpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsndrm4m

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1c2rvx6ue9uewl452kczcfxz9w242sfzn64ul8dv2afd3t5dpktzs0kmmvf

Show more details

Last Notes

2026-03-16 19:18:40 UTC

Well, it's been almost a year without anybody cracking the seed phrase hidden in my book. So here some straightforward clues: the book contains the words to a 24-word see phrase in the right order.

2025-08-12 07:48:49 UTC

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Thanks Chris for the opportunity to drop my book here:
"Walking Banks" is a bitcoin thriller with a hidden real bitcoin wallet inside.
When a high-ranking U.S. Embassy official is killed in Beijing, seasoned security officer Jack Decker is reluctantly dragged back into action to unravel the mystery. Teaming up with Zheng Lei, a prodigious Beijing police officer, he uncovers a startling link between the murders and the disappearance of Liang Wei, a business tycoon who publicly opposed China's Central Bank Digital Currency before vanishing into thin air.
https://www.walkingbanks.com/

2025-08-12 07:44:10 UTC

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nope, still there. When I look up the address on a desktop it shows the existing balance correctly. Not sure why it doesn't on mobile. Will look into it.
https://blossom.primal.net/83916334fe18778238fbfd1863e0c38b020f66d435e35b209a104d4b500d6e75.jpg

2025-08-06 10:31:52 UTC

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Hm...weird. I don't think it has been discovered because there are no transaction connected to the address for some reasons (also not my original transactions to "load up" the wallet). I'm traveling and just with my phone this week so unfortunately I cannot check in more detail this week but will report back once I have full access again.

2025-06-27 07:32:48 UTC

Finally, my bitcoin novel "Walking Banks" is available on Audible and as an audiobook on Amazon:
https://amazon.com/Walking-Banks-A-Bitcoin-Thriller/dp/B0FFHLJKCS/
https://www.audible.com/pd/Walking-Banks-Audiobook/B0FFHMX6T8
(you can still listen to it on Fountain of course as well)
#bitcoin
#books
#novel
#nostr

2025-05-30 13:03:09 UTC

Follow-up on the #Zapvertising experiment!
11 days ago I made a Zapvertising post to promote my Bitcoin novel "Walking Banks" here on Nostr.
Here’s a little update on how it went and if it was worth it:
Short answer: Yes... but not quite in the way I expected.
From a commercial or distribution angle, frankly speaking, it was a disappointment.
I zapped 28.000 Sats. The results 11 days later are: 2 book sales that I can trace back to this experiment, no audiobook sales, and no Sats earned on Fountain streaming. Wavlake stats tells me that 4 people streamed the full audiobook by now so some little interest was there but nobody used sats on Fountain to support it. And just to be clear, I was not expecting big earnings and I am absolutely fine with it. As mentioned in earlier posts, both the audiobook and ebook are free to read or stream for those interested.
But I was honestly hoping that the audiobook/book finds more interest and that the concept might reach further, especially since the book hides a real Bitcoin seed phrase that leads to a wallet with 800,000 sats in it. So in that regard I must admit, these total numbers are disappointing and might reflect that the book and story is not as interesting to people as I had hoped it would be.
However, in terms of reach and response? That’s where it worked.
72 reposts from a pretty diverse bunch of nostriches which is much more than I imagined. Even more important for me: every single comment was kind, encouraging, and genuinely supportive. That meant a lot to me. So thanks to everyone who commented or reposted!
So what I’ve learned about Zapvertising so far:
I'll probably try another round but with a tighter focus. Reposts are great, but it makes a difference whether the reposter has 5 or 5,000 followers. Might look into targeting more precisely, or using a Zapvertising service to dial in the reach.
Still experimenting. Still learning. Still zapping.
And if you’re curious, the treasure is still out there...
https://www.walkingbanks.com
#bitcoin
#books
#novel
#story
#art
#zapvertising
#nostr

2025-05-20 07:40:09 UTC

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Thanks. Yeah, it's been quite a long journey to get everything to this stage.

2025-05-20 05:57:59 UTC

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Hi folks...thank you all for commenting and reposting. I realized a "flaw" in how these posts and reposts are tracked and if/how I am aware of your reposts or comments. This reply threads and the comments are all done under a repost of my original post, so I was not aware (no notification in Primal) of neither your posts nor comments from this particular thread. Wonder if there is a way to get notified of these more indirect connections to an original post so that tracking this gets easier 🤔 ?

2025-05-19 18:03:38 UTC

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And of course a big shout out to the fantastic Adrian M Lopez who is not onlybthe great narrator of the audiobook but also gave me the idea for the Zapvertising: https://primal.net/p/nprofile1qqsyqxz5h0qpgn706yq5suy46s9watklt4nt9skzrk632nmmyvn6ewqphrcmq

2025-05-19 18:01:12 UTC

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Wow,thanks everyone for commentingand reposting. That was quick! I've sent out all sats according to how my primal app showed me the order of the first 35 reposts, so I hope everyone is covered 🙏

2025-05-19 17:59:07 UTC

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It's 24 words...if the wallet is not emptied after some time, I'll start dropping some hints from time to time

2025-05-19 15:42:47 UTC

Giveaway 1,000 sats for the next 20 reposts, 500 for the next 15!
I'm doing a Zapvertising experiment to promote my bitcoin novel „Walking Banks“ / https://www.walkingbanks.com on Nostr and test if one can broaden an audience this way .
In addition to the Zapvertisment Zaps you can unlock 800000 sats:
If your up for a treasure hunt, the book contains a real Bitcoin seed phrase hidden within the story. So if you can piece the right string of words together, it leads to a wallet with 800000 sats in it. No funny business, all real. The first one to figure it out gets the bitcoin.
The book is out as on audiobook, e-book and print on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Walking-Banks-Mystery-Novel-White/dp/B0DCNZLV6H) so go and check it out.
Also, if you're using Nostr you can listen to the audiobook for free on Fountain (fountain.fm/album/JYWZOPSrol8fvWpjNt8q) or search for „Walking Banks“ in the music section.
Otherwise the audiobook is also available now on Spotify, Apple Books, Google play, Kobo, and pretty much everywhere else too.
#bitcoin #books #novel #story #art #zapvertising #nostr

2025-05-15 13:26:16 UTC

I'm really excited to share that my Bitcoin Novel „Walking Banks“ is now out as an audiobook!
https://blossom.primal.net/f541775ac6c4bd7a07cac567bbc5a748bc84ecf4877e7f76ba0e1c2fb986e442.jpg
It’s been a wild ride getting this story out into the world, and hearing it come alive through the voice of Adrian Lopez, @adrianmlopez (who absolutely nailed the narration) has been surreal.
If you're using Nostr (and since you are reading this you are), you can listen to the audiobook for free on Fountain (fountain.fm/album/JYWZOPSrol8fvWpjNt8q) or search for „Walking Banks“ in the music section.
Otherwise the audiobook is also available now on Spotify, Apple Books, Google play, Kobo, and pretty much everywhere else too... I just cannot get it placed on audible yet but am working on it.
Also…I hid something inside the book: The information for a real Bitcoin seed phrase can be found across the story that leads to a wallet with 0.008 BTC in it. Yep, it’s real. The first one to figure it out gets the treasure.
More info is up at walkingbanks.com. I would love for you to check it ouvand if you do, let me know what you think.
#bitcoin #books #novel #story #art

2024-10-20 05:15:18 UTC

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What about "sovereign vault"?

2024-10-07 10:57:10 UTC

Am I officially old if the only acceptable breakfast #music is a Playlist with oldies like Aretha Franklin's "I say a little prayer" or "Happy Together" from The Turtles?
Music on modern breakfast playlist grinds my nerves and the typical breakfast/morning coffee shop music makes me want to go back to bed.
#asknostr #oldies #morning #breakfast

2024-10-05 18:54:51 UTC

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100% correct. There are many reasons why bitcoin is unique and successful and one of them is being the first of its kind and always leading the pack in terms of network effect. Like it or not bit Nostr does not have this advantage but instead plays the role of altcoin no.1000 vs ethereum/twitter. A superior selling point or technology alone is not sufficient. you need the network effect to work with a more rapid acceleration to work for you compared to more established alternatives.

2024-10-01 07:27:34 UTC

Eliezer Masliah, a top scientist in neurodegeneration and top NIH official has likely manipulated hundreds of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's paper and findings over the last 2 decades, potentially leading to billions of misallocated funds and research focus in the broader scientific community. He might get shunned for this in the community but will ultimately fall softly and continue to work in the field. It's a pity that there are no larger repercussions for falsifying data in research given the large implications this can have.
https://www.science.org/content/article/research-misconduct-finding-neuroscientist-eliezer-masliah-papers-under-suspicion
#science #alzheimer #brain #neurology #NIH #neuobiology #Parkinson #fraud

2024-09-25 08:13:17 UTC

If anybody is looking for an interesting read, give "The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business a try"
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12609433-the-power-of-habit
I was expecting yet another boring "marketing book" when I picked it up but it goes surprisingly deep into #cognition, #psychology and #society in general. I enjoyed it.
#books #science #brain #neurobiology #psychology #reading

2024-09-25 08:09:19 UTC

Great article from "The Pessimists Archive" about the hot legal debate about "Fake News" and fake photography >100 years in the US. This is just as much applicable to today's AI discussions and the just starting controversy on AI generated deep fakes and the likes. Nothing is really new, history repeats itself & hopefully we as a society can learn and improve from it in the long run.
On a side-note: the pessimists archive is a great website in general if you want to read about the worries and fights of the past against new technologies. Pretty much every new technology (electricity, phone, bicycle, cars, planes, etc.) had been vilified, people have been afraid of it and did not understand it before it became common reality. #bitcoin and #nostr are just another link in this long chain of this techno-pessimism.
https://newsletter.pessimistsarchive.org/p/the-1912-war-on-fake-photos?r=iougu&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
"Concern about deceptively edited photos feels like a very modern anxiety, yet a century ago similar worries were being litigated...
Portrait photography gave rise to an industry of photo ‘retouching’ - analog ‘beauty filters’ - to flatter subjects in a way portrait painters once did. This trend lead to questions about technology distorting our perceptions of beauty, reality and truth"
#nostr #fakenews #photography #deepfakes #ai #bitcoin #regulations #freespeech
#

2024-09-19 17:24:18 UTC

I was listening to @npub14mc…frlx 's recent podcast with Matthew Pines and their discussion about consciousness as an underlying component of the universe. Interesting on many levels.
The philosophy he described from Philipp Goff about the meaning of life that Matthew mostly seems to follow (with some modifications), reminded me a lot about the philosophy described in Gregory Roberts 2003 novel Shantaram that he expresses in the person of Khader Khan which can be summarized maybe as "everything that contributes to the complexity and richness of existence is meaningful" and that the "the universe is driven by the need to evolve, grow, and expand its possibilities"
In his words, the whole point of everything in the universe is that the universe becomes more interesting. If one leads a life that maximizes the probability to make the universe more complex, one has lead a good life. Every act of goodness or evil, every choice we make, adds to the complexity and interest of the universe which is how he justifies his role as a mafia leader, as he sees even crime and violence as part of the greater purpose of making the universe more complex.
I have not read Goff's book "Why" yet but I wonder if there is some overlap and references to these viewpoints. Would be interesting as Robert's book predates this by 2 decades and comes from a spiritual/religious viewpoint whereas Matthew Pines seems to come more from a rationalistic approach.
#books #philosophy #consciousness #universe #purpose #podcast #religion #spirituality

2024-09-19 07:26:09 UTC

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I would laugh if it weren't so frustrating. Just as bitcoin was starting to distinguish itself from 'crypto' and all the worthless shitcoins in mainstream discussions, we have grifters like Trump lumping them together again, confusing the narrative for anyone who isn't well-informed. This is a setback for establishing bitcoin as an honest and alternative option to fiat.

2024-09-18 17:16:32 UTC

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True. As a side note, I really need to proofread my posts when typing on mobile. So many typos in my text. Autocorrect and typing while moving is a bad combo.

2024-09-18 13:53:49 UTC

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I've finished the podcast today and I am not sure were really the controversy is.
In Saylor's view, the yield clearly comes from lending the money to an individual/entity that will amplify the value of the original loan amount. His comment ton the 65y old that wants his money to receive a yield and so he lends it out a 22year old with a great business plan etc. On an individual level, this is associated with high risk and uncertainty but once you bundle multiple of these events, the risk becomes more easy to manage and basically a bank is born. The alternative would be a VC that forms and instead of expecting a yield, they want equity. Both forms are well established principles and will continue to be so even with a fixed, deflationary money. This is a simple concept and will forever be a valid argument to loan out money to another party with the expectation to receive a yield on this loan.
And I think Saifadean's view is actually not that different, it's mostly were he sets the baseline. He argues that a "yield" will be 0 when you lend your bitcoin will be zero. But then he argues that this is better then the alternative because zero is better than a negative yield (which would occur due to cost of keeping this capital as he said over and over again).
So Saifadean's argues from a scenario where with a loan you get zero % yield but keep the value of your capital fixed but without a loan you get a negative yield (say -0.5%). How is this conceptually different from saying with a loan you get 0.5% yield and without a loan you have 0% yield? it's just moving the baseline by 0.5% one direction or the other and in a scenario that Saifadean envisions keeping your 1 bitcoin buying power constant if you loan it to someone is still better and an incentive than not loaning it out and slowly have your buying power eroded. Saylor's argument that there will always be benefits from a credit/loan system no matter the underlying monetary system is still valid either way.

2024-09-17 13:05:08 UTC

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Interesting new study looking into the intracellular molecular basis for "Collateral fattening" . which is a reason why you might get fatter than you were before when you start excessive eating habits again after a prolonged diet period.
#fasting #fat #diet #obesity #science
#note1fk8…7twz

2024-09-17 12:54:15 UTC

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Talk to the teacher, talk to the teacher, talk to the teacher. Don't make it a bigger deal than it is at the moment.
Talk to the teacher to get her/his perspective and what their exact words were.
It's totally fine that your sister has been told that she needs to improve to join the orchestra and it's also totally fine that she didn't get voted into a committee. There is really no reason to have an issue with either unless
a) the teacher was being a dick about how it was communicated and was really harsh (but please talk to the teacher to get their perspective first; there are always two sides to a story and what might sound harsh to your sister might just have been a normal statement - being told straight up that you are not good enough yet to join is not harsh, being told that you suck and you are a joke for even asking is harsh).
b) you believe your sister's musical skills are good enough that you think she should be able to perform with the orchestra. If it is, ask the teacher if she can try out again or ask for tips what she needs to improve to try again in a couple of months
But being upset that she has not been voted into a committee is ridiculous. I mean its fine if she is upset. She is 10. But that you are upset is weird. What do you expect? If there are limited places and more applicants, there will always be children who are not voted in and being upset is a natural reaction to it. She will get over it and maybe learn from it, that's life.

2024-09-16 18:51:22 UTC

El Salvador achieves fiscal independence:
https://elsalvadorinenglish.com/2024/09/15/el-salvador-achieves-fiscal-independence-president-bukele-announces-self-financed-budget/

2024-09-16 13:53:14 UTC

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Depends on what the time balance looks like and if aging is still a reality in that scenario.
Knowing I'll die in 70 years with a failing body or in 10 years while being at the peak of my mental and bodily fitness while my kids will still be kids would make a huge difference how I'll use the time I have left.

2024-09-15 10:41:13 UTC

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I don't understand the technical details so sorry if this is a dumb question: if all the data for this is transmitted via relays, how does it allow for privacy?

2024-09-15 10:24:51 UTC

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Depends on the definition of consciousness. Do classically considered "non conscious" living beings exist in a reality? If not, how does one explain the string on ancestry that these being originated from if they never existed in reality?

2024-09-15 10:18:11 UTC

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is (f) for real?

2024-09-15 10:13:40 UTC

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let's not forget that very often in history, those indie authors became classics only after their death. There are many examples of completely unsuccessful writers or painters that one would categorize like the ones you mentioned. They died unsuccessful, poor and unrecognized. 50 years later their works are considered the epitome of expression.
I'd say that in art, any unknown indie artist - whether it's music, painting, sculptures or writing - might just be just as good or better than mainstream colleagues. It's not like sports where this is an objective competition possible. Often the commercially successful artists just happened to be at the right place, at the right time, born in the right place and captured the eye of the right supporter. I known I heard some amazing street musicians that would put most most mainstream singers to shame and have seen amazing paintings in local artist galleries that you'll only see when you visit these towns.

2024-09-13 20:17:40 UTC

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😃 that sounds familiar. Hope they were able to open the door without any damage.

2024-09-13 13:12:09 UTC

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sorry, meant of course gold/bitcoin align with "low time preference"

2024-09-13 13:09:36 UTC

A kind of convoluted thought about child mortality, #science, #religion, #bitcoin and #fiat. Bear with me.
Science/engineneering and religion/spirituality mostly have an antagonistic relationship and throughout history have always shaped each other. One thing I rarely considered in this reciprocal relationship is the simple fact that the common state for mankind has been that child mortality was around 40-50% before reaching reproductive age. That means that in order to just avoid the vanishing of your family, your tribe, your town, your state, women needed to have at least 4 kids on average, often before the age of 20. And the risk of them themselves dying during child births was high.
Pretty much every parent had had to bury multiple own their own children, every sibling saw the death of a brother or sister as children, many saw their mothers dying when they where still young. The natural state of being for any human was death, loss and uncertainty and exposure to all of these as a regular occurance. How was the mind and perspective on life shaped by this reality?
In such a world, there was likely an inclination to be more cautious, to save both resources and emotional energy, and to prepare for the inevitable hardships that would come. The need to cling to moments of joy created a mindset that prized stability, savety and foresight. Is there be a connection to the preference of hard money in past times? Gold and Bitcoin align with a worldview shaped by loss, scarcity, and a high time preference. It encourages people to save and preserve wealth, knowing that the worst can happen at any time. There is a comfort in something that is solid, enduring, and impervious to external manipulation in an uncertain reality. In the face of death and loss, saving both materially and emotionally was essential.
Only the quite recents developments of the last ~100 years (chemistry revolution, antibiotics, understanding of infections diseases & pathogens, etc.) has really changed our relationship with death. Today, the average person is not exposed to death and loss during their formative years. Now, with increased safety of childbirth, there is less of an instinctive need to prepare for the worst. People may feel less of a need to cling to hard assets or to preserve wealth for a rainy day. Instead, fiat currency takes over because external stability seems more assured (so no need to look for it in hard money).
In essence, a world with lower child mortality rates may have subconsciously on a societal level favor fiat money over bitcoin, as people no longer face the same degree of existential uncertainty that characterized the lives of previous generations. Without the same degree of existential uncertainty that once shaped earlier generations, the mindset of saving and preservation has been replaced by a more speculative approach to wealth, where greater risks are accepted, even in the form of money itself.
Anyway, my point is that beyond the well-documented technological impacts that favored the rise of fiat in the modern world which are explored by @npub1a2c…w83a, @npub1gdu…6nak, and others, maybe on another level the scientific and technological revolution in the last ~100 years might have also indirectly favored the invention and rise of fiat, by changing child mortality and - connected to this - people's relationship to their own personal time preference.
(I was listening to a recent Lex Fridman interview with a historian discussion ancient Rome where child mortality was briefly brought up)
#bitcoin #fiat #science #religion #death #nostr

2024-09-13 06:22:39 UTC

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I never really looked into farcaster and how it stacks up to Nostr. Would this be an accurate objective weighing of the pros & cons: https://denostr.medium.com/a-comparison-of-decentralized-social-protocols-nostr-and-farcaster-836dfaa0b231
if yes, I'll stick with Nostr.

2024-09-09 13:07:40 UTC

Quite impressive phase 3 data from Summit's new lung cancer drug:
https://www.biopharmadive.com/news/summit-wclc-ivonescimab-keytruda-full-results-lung-cancer/726376/
For context, "Keytruda" has been pretty much the gold-standard for a decade now for this indication and has back then revolutionized the immune-oncology field. To now have a new potential drug that performs "twice as good" is really something.
A drawback is that this is based on clinical data from China and there have been some problems in the past with reliability here. But on the other hand, this effect is so huge, they would have really needed to mess up the trial or tinker with the data for this to be not true.
#science #cancer #oncology #drugs

2024-09-08 19:50:26 UTC

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welcome home!

2024-09-07 18:28:33 UTC

“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”
― Isaac Asimov, 1980

2024-09-07 10:47:05 UTC

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not sure what happened with my primal account yesterday but interestingly this post did not pop-up on my profile as posted and I also didn't see any replies to it until just now? (which is why I reposted it today which seems was unnecessary). I wonder what happened, can there be synchronization errors/delays in the relays for something like this to happen?

2024-09-07 10:18:36 UTC

Sorry for the repost but I'm still learning how to use muliple Nostr-apps correctly, so one more try hoping the link and the tags are correct this time:
‐----------------------------
Here is the free PDF of my bitcoin novel „Walking Banks“ for everyone to download (hosted on nostr.build):
https://d.nostr.build/UlE0X93faO1XxD9l.pdf
It is a murder mystery thriller with Bitcoin as a key plot element without being the focus of the story itself. Please feel free to share it with fellow Nostriches if you like.
I wrote this book for two reasons:
a) To provide a couple of hours of enjoyment. „Walking Banks“ does not aim to be high literature, but rather an entertaining read.
b) To contribute in my own small way to the growth of the Bitcoin community and network. Bitcoin has become well integrated into the lives of those interested in finance and freedom, but discussions about it often remain confined to those bubbles, reaching only a select niche. I believe the next important step for Bitcoin is to become a common topic in everyday pop culture - whether in art, music, films, books, or other media. This book is thus my attempt to "orange pill" a broader audience by weaving Bitcoin into a fictional story. My hope is that it sparks curiosity about it in the reader in a natural way, without being too forceful or preachy, for readers who might not usually consider these topics but enjoy a good murder mystery.
I believe Bitcoin and Nostr are joined at the hip, as both stand for freedom, sovereignty, and independence in an increasingly controlled and surveilled world. Everything that helps Nostr also helps Bitcoin, and vice versa, so I hope I can contribute a bit this way to Nostr's exclusivity and value content proposition.
Thanks to @npub1qny…95gx whose advocacy for Nostr brought me here, @npub1trr…hdpu whose work at the HRF is inspirational, @npub1r0r…q9ac who told me about @npub1nxy…avr7 so that I can host the file and to @npub1smr…xn8w, who first put the idea of sharing the book on Nostr into my head!
I hope you enjoy the read.
AH White
#nostr #bitcoin #books #grownostr #literature #artstr #nostrplebs #btc #freedom #artonnostr #bookstr

2024-09-07 09:00:13 UTC

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it is a bit deflating. I sometimes feel the same way. But seeing for how long you've already been invested, you've been through worse. It's all a matter of perspective. I have a friend who is just in the middle of his first 4-year tour...he is ~2x up on his investment, yet he is pessimistic about his investment since "everyone is selling".

2024-09-06 21:20:02 UTC

Still learning how to use muliple Nostr-apps correctly, so one more try hoping the link and the tags are correct this time:
----------------------------------
Here is the free PDF of my bitcoin novel „Walking Banks“ for everyone to download (hosted on nostr.build):
https://d.nostr.build/UlE0X93faO1XxD9l.pdf
It is a murder mystery thriller with Bitcoin as a key plot element without being the focus of the story itself. Please feel free to share it with fellow Nostriches if you like.
I wrote this book for two reasons:
a) To provide a couple of hours of enjoyment. „Walking Banks“ does not aim to be high literature, but rather an entertaining read.
b) To contribute in my own small way to the growth of the Bitcoin community and network. Bitcoin has become well integrated into the lives of those interested in finance and freedom, but discussions about it often remain confined to those bubbles, reaching only a select niche. I believe the next important step for Bitcoin is to become a common topic in everyday pop culture - whether in art, music, films, books, or other media. This book is thus my attempt to "orange pill" a broader audience by weaving Bitcoin into a fictional story. My hope is that it sparks curiosity about it in the reader in a natural way, without being too forceful or preachy, for readers who might not usually consider these topics but enjoy a good murder mystery.
I believe Bitcoin and Nostr are joined at the hip, as both stand for freedom, sovereignty, and independence in an increasingly controlled and surveilled world. Everything that helps Nostr also helps Bitcoin, and vice versa, so I hope I can contribute a bit this way to Nostr's exclusivity and value content proposition.
Thanks to @npub1qny…95gx, whose advocacy for Nostr brought me here, @npub1trr…hdpu whose work at the HRF is inspirational, @npub1r0r…q9ac who told me about @npub1nxy…avr7 so that I can host the file and to @npub1smr…xn8w, who first put the idea of sharing the book on Nostr into my head!
I hope you enjoy the read.
AH White
#nostr #bitcoin #books #grownostr #literature #artstr #nostrplebs #btc #freedom #artonnostr #bookstr

2024-09-06 21:02:17 UTC

Hi everyone!
here is the free PDF of my bitcoin novel „Walking Banks“ for everyone to download (hosted on nostr.build):
https://d.nostr.build/UlE0X93faO1XxD9l.pdf
It is a murder mystery thriller with Bitcoin as a key plot element without being the focus of the story itself. Please feel free to share it with fellow Nostriches if you like.
I wrote this book for two reasons:
a) To provide a couple of hours of enjoyment. „Walking Banks“ does not aim to be high literature, but rather an entertaining read.
b) To contribute in my own small way to the growth of the Bitcoin community and network. Bitcoin has become well integrated into the lives of those interested in finance and freedom, but discussions about it often remain confined to those bubbles, reaching only a select niche. I believe the next important step for Bitcoin is to become a common topic in everyday pop culture - whether in art, music, films, books, or other media. This book is thus my attempt to "orange pill" a broader audience by weaving Bitcoin into a fictional story. My hope is that it sparks curiosity about it in the reader in a natural way, without being too forceful or preachy, for readers who might not usually consider these topics but enjoy a good murder mystery.
I believe Bitcoin and Nostr are joined at the hip, as both stand for freedom, sovereignty, and independence in an increasingly controlled and surveilled world. Everything that helps Nostr also helps Bitcoin, and vice versa, so I hope I can contribute a bit this way to Nostr's exclusivity and value content proposition.
Thanks to @npub1qny…95gx, whose advocacy for Nostr brought me here, @npub1trr…hdpu whose work at the HRF is inspirational, @npub1r0r…q9ac who told me about @npub1nxy…avr7 so that I can host the file and to @npub1smr…xn8w, who first put the idea of sharing the book on Nostr into my head!
I hope you enjoy the read.
AH White
https://m.primal.net/KBZO.jpg
#nostr #bitcoin #books #grownostr #literature #artstr #nostrplebs #btc #freedom #artonnostr #bookstr

2024-09-06 08:42:37 UTC

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a suggestion:
include the donation link that only pops up for a small duration in the video in your post in the future for easier access. Or something like "any zaps to this post will directly transferred and donated to strengthen the efforts of the Venezuelan opposition cause"? (or even link the zaps to their bitcoin address if that is possible)

2024-09-06 06:40:44 UTC

Interesting small Nature paper on how LLMs "perceive" the user based on the dialect used. Given how LLMs will be more and more commonplace going forward - often without the user knowing that they are interacting with a LLM - this might have relevant implications for how the user is treated by the LLM (e.g. imagine a LLM that filters out applicant suitability for a loan in a first pass black box filter based on dialect assumptions).
"LLMs produce racist output when prompted in African American English"
https://media.nature.com/original/magazine-assets/d41586-024-02527-x/d41586-024-02527-x.pdf
#AI #LLM #chatgtp #future #science

2024-09-04 18:10:29 UTC

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thanks. I'll have a look at it.

2024-09-04 11:08:16 UTC

Is there a way I can share a PDF on Nostr?
I'd like to share the PDF of my book for free to every Nostr user as a tiny contribution to grow the network and add some exclusive content to Nostr but so far I am not sure how to do this.
Maybe some Nostr experts can show me if&how this is possible?
@npub1l2v…ajft @npub18am…p424 @npub1r0r…q9ac @npub180c…h6w6
#asknostr #nostr #grownostr #artonnostr #literature #bookstr #books

2024-08-28 17:49:12 UTC

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you can never go wrong with David Mitchell ... actually you can never gobwrong with David Mitchells! Both the comedian and the author are fantastic.

2024-08-28 07:23:59 UTC

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I agree, it is a good analysis and definitely supports the main point that this is a problem that needs more attention.
In general, woman's health and just generally considering the differences in man's vs. woman's clinical realities is unfortunately still underappreciated in medical research and physician's training (classical example: knowing the differences in heart attack symptoms). The good news is that it does get better these days and is getting on people's radar more and more.

2024-08-27 18:09:21 UTC

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this is an important issue and the suicide rate and risk is definitely increased for PMDD sufferers (for systematic review and meta-analysis see e.g.: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8721500/) but your absolute numbers are way of. Probably by a factor of 50-100x.
There are not ~700k American women dying of PMDD related suicide every year. That would imply that almost half of all women that die in the US each year die because of PMDD related suicide (see e.g.https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db492.htm). Still a very important issue!

2024-08-27 17:21:43 UTC

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you mean because everyone could see them and would thus know how to game them (whereas no one knows twitter's algorithm)?

2024-08-27 11:14:32 UTC

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About the dopamine fix:
I am not the biggest fan of dismissing this as something negative and without value. As Paracelsus said "The dose makes the poison". There is something incredible important about regular dopamine fixes for staying engaged and motivated. Having too much dopamine fixes (=twitter) is just as bad as not getting enough (=potentially Nostr). A healthy middle.-ground would be nice.
We (Nostr-advocates) like to point out that Nostr is different from all other social medias in that the user is the algorithm and kind of responsible for making sure he sees the content that interests him/her. Imo, this is not the best way forward and is self-serving but does not lead to the biggest Nostr-gowth. There is a reason why products that offer the best convenience mostly win in the marketplace of ideas.
I thus believe that we actually do need content algorithms for Nostr. But make their rules transparent, make them free to opt-in or out and switch between different algorithms. What I would like to see is a Nostr client like Primal or Damus giving me a menu option to activate "Content algorithm A vs. B. vs C" with each of them providing a different experience (e.g. A=wide net based on all recent posts that have similar content/topics as the posts I liked the most in the last month, B=net based on all the followers that overlap between the people I also follow and have posted the most in the last week, and so on ) . If one is inclined to so so, maybe even provide a checklist of aspects a Nostr-user can activate that then result in a user-specific algorithm that the client software generates.
#damus #primal #nostr #algorithm #engagement

2024-08-26 13:59:01 UTC

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Maybe give Edmund Morris' Theodore Roosevelt Trilogy a go? Fascinating man, Fascinating read

2024-08-18 11:52:11 UTC

For anyone who is interested in how the brain works and what perception and consciousness might me: give this old but fascinating and groundbreaking book from Oliver Sacks a try. Reading about these weird disorders of the brain set me on the path to study ndurobiology later in life.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Who_Mistook_His_Wife_for_a_Hat
#consciousness #books #science #brain #psychiatry #neurobiology
https://m.primal.net/KDGy.jpg

2024-08-17 18:25:57 UTC

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I think with Elon's takeover of twitter and the continuing alienation of people, Nostr is at the right place at the right time but I agree that it would be great if it could capitalize on this opportunity more rapidly. The "gradually then suddenly" mantra is not wrong but maybe it is too idealistic.
Apart from the no-brainer to capture as much of the bitcoin crowd as possible and - for lack of a better term - better marketing, two aspects could also be considered:
a) similar to bitcoin's value proposition, not looking at it from a western perspective but thinking about the long term appeal of Nostr to people living under authoritarian regimes. It should be immediately obvious to anyone living under such a regime how Nostr differentiates from Twitter & co in many regards (e.g. doxxing risk from the central authority, shutting down their account because the government said so etc.). Make Nostr better known to those people and maybe we see a rapid rise in participation. I realize many good people like @npub1trr…hdpu are working that angle already but could we do more in that direction?
b) that might be controversial but I strongly believe if one could convince a major celebrity to switch to Nostr exclusively from twitter, you will have a big portion of their following joining along. Imagine if Taylor Swift tomorrow declares that she quits twitter and will continue on Nostr! Nostr would immediately gain millions of users. Question is, if/how to convince a celebrity with a strong following to become exclusive? Apart from idealistic arguments, maybe purely financial motivation is needed? I realize this is going to rub a lot of people the wrong way but what if instead of @npub1sg6…f63m supporting Nostr development work with the next round of money, Swift gets paid $5M to become Nostr exclusive for 3 months? This might have a bigger impact on Nostr' popularity and uptake than anything else.
Not the morally best way to do it and the numbers might be off but I'm more playing devils advocate a bit here for brainstorming reasons.

2024-08-17 08:19:42 UTC

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Would you say it is similar in tone to The Expanse?

2024-08-17 07:27:45 UTC

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This seems to be mirrored by the development in Europe where overall margins also dropped by 3% despite increasing prices from 2019-2022. interesting and detailed report from McKinsey:
https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/state-of-grocery-europe-2023-living-with-and-responding-to-uncertainty
EBITDAs are under pressure that's for sure.

2024-08-16 12:30:43 UTC

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Right now it's available for free so you don't have to buy it at all. you can just download it without needing to pay anything.

2024-08-16 11:34:43 UTC

My bitcoin book "Walking Banks" is now available for free for everyone to download. It's a murder mystery story with bitcoin as a key plot element that follows US agent Jack Decker on his way to Beijing to catch a serial killer that has targeted an old friend.
It would make my day if you could give it a try for free, provide some feedback or review and connect with me here on Nostr.
https://www.amazon.com/Walking-Banks-Mystery-Novel-White-ebook/dp/B0DCP6BCDL/
#bitcoin #writing #books #CBDC #author #stories #fiction #mystery #novel

2024-08-13 16:40:28 UTC

Interesting look into the political biases of the most popular LLM AI models:
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0306621
#ai #llm #chatgtp #nostr #politics #science

2024-08-10 16:59:01 UTC

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I'm relatively new to social media in general and tried out Twitter about 1 month ago. After 3 days, I deleted my account again. So much spam, fake accounts that suddenly followed me and weird post recommendations. It was a weird experience.

2024-08-10 16:55:56 UTC

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thanks for sharing!

2024-08-02 17:16:45 UTC

Interesting pre-print how Chat GTP & LLMs are changing the way scientific publications are written:
https://arxiv.org/html/2406.07016v2
Kind of understandable that especially non-English-native speakers make use of it to polish their articles. But words matter, especially when trying to describe a new finding as scientifically accurate as possible. I wonder to what extend this verbose and flowery language is then really understood by the authors themselves and whether or not those words really correctly describe their findings or not.
#science #writing #ai

2024-07-29 20:07:44 UTC

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I agree with some other comments here that it could help where your friends are coming from? Are they financially literate? Are the concerned about government overreach or censorship? Do they worry about climate change? Do they want to make a quick buck, etc. etc.?
Depending on their starting points you could gear the slides,info and discussion in different ways. They worry about climate change? Show them examples about how bitcoin mining can make transitory renewable energy cheaper and accelerate its spread. Are they concerned about social justice? Show them some slides from Alex Gladstein or what Gridless does in Africa. Do they want to learn the monetary aspect of it? Michael Saylor's talks and slides or e.g. https://learn.saylor.org/course/PRDV151 might be most useful.

2024-07-26 20:01:22 UTC

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Thanks for all your important work!

2024-07-25 21:22:29 UTC

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True words. Thanks for pointing me to his channel!

2024-07-23 20:33:44 UTC

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there are many more economic systems and philosophies than capitalism and communism.
And there is no axiomic overlap of progressive social or political views with the economic system of communism. Just because bitcoin's characteristics do not fit with communism a) does not logically infer that it's characteristics are therefore best fitting with capitalism and b) it cannot align wth a social or political progressive world view which can exist completely independent from the desire to adhere to a communistic economic system.

2024-07-21 20:15:22 UTC

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I think this quick dip and spike was more a result of computer trading and not really emotion. They are programmed to sell on any "shock news" no matter the asset or content of the actual news itself (would have looked the same for the stock market had it been open). The quick recovery is then the opposite more rationale reaction as in "Meh,it doesn't really matter in the end "
Doesn't change the fact that bitcoin is a 24/7 pulsemeter to the news though.

2024-07-20 18:13:02 UTC

Question to Nostr and bitcoiners:
is it correct that I can generate a child seed from a bitcoin wallet and then use it as my Nostr identity so to speak? If yes - given that many have a good storage option for their bitcoin wallet already established - wouldn't this solve the problem that some people see when tying their whole digital social identity to one Nostr key (and fearing to easily lose it)?
#nostr
#bitcoin
#asknostr

2024-07-19 16:09:54 UTC

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A key problem that the US has is thediminant power of the Fourth Estate. The media is too monopolized , polarized on purpose and actively working to dumb the populace down. This is not unique to the US but it is very pronounced in the US. As long as this is not addressed it will ultimately not matter who is in charge in the long run as the path down idiocracy-lane is clearly paved and an easy path to walk down for the people in the years to come.

2024-07-18 20:54:31 UTC

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there is a nostr elite?

2024-07-13 11:30:45 UTC

ask your favorite AI LLM:
"You have a 5 gallon bucket and a 2 gallon bucket. How do you measure 7 gallons?"
#ai

2024-07-01 11:19:22 UTC

Interesting new method for gene editing described:
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2437237-bridge-editing-could-be-even-better-at-altering-dna-than-crispr/
Original paper:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07552-4

2024-03-28 05:55:59 UTC

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thank you!! finally someone says it. it's cliché, full of plot holes and tries so hard to impress with visuals that are just corny and stupid. It's more like a modern Leni Riefenstahl movie than anything else.

2024-03-07 15:29:46 UTC

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All to get more money from the IMF ... and the sad cycle continues

2024-03-05 08:27:33 UTC

An interesting short article about two conflicting theories about consciousness: https://www.durham.ac.uk/research/current/thought-leadership/2023/10/consciousness-why-a-leading-theory-has-been-branded-pseudoscience/

2024-03-03 12:09:58 UTC

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Ha, it works. Onwards indeed!

2024-03-03 11:46:14 UTC

I went into neuroscience because I wanted to understand why we are the way we are. Especially if and how Intelligence and Consciousness are inter-related. With the recent rise of AI and whether or not at some point in the future machines would become conscious, I was reminded of Roger Penrose's theory of the mind,in particular that consciousness was not only a algorithmic function but that quantum superposition is a contributing factor. Could it happen that AI can become hyper-intelligent but will forever remain "non-conscious"? What would be the implications of such a new form of intelligence?
An interesting review about this: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnmol.2022.869935/full:
"Consciousness, Cognition and the Neuronal Cytoskeleton – A New Paradigm Needed in Neuroscience"

2024-03-03 11:31:00 UTC

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indeed....I'm still figuring out stuff here and just wanted to zap you as a test. For setting up the wallet i wanted to use my nostrplebs address but now don't know how I can actually access it (the activation code was send to it). Could you please let me know how I can read my nostrplebs"inbox" ? (I also just sent you a DM with the same question, sorry for mixing stuff,still trying to figure out how the whole nostr-infrastructure works)

2024-03-03 10:40:12 UTC

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ok,convinced. been a lurker for far too long,time to get active