Adam Curry is the modern-day Prometheus. His discovery of podcasting and sharing it with the world was as important of a growth as when Prometheus stole hearth from the gods to offer to people. Podcasting has shortly developed into one of the well-liked methods to speak invaluable info, fully disintermediating the CIA-controlled media equipment. Whereas Bitcoin seeks to separate cash and state, podcasting seeks to separate syndicated information organizations and data.
Giving the world podcasting was not sufficient for Curry as he’s now as soon as once more looking for to wrestle management from the gods by permitting people to have interaction in what he coined the “value-for-value financial system” by permitting podcasters to obtain Lightning funds.
The fiat value-for-value financial system is very large. There are instruments like YouTube tremendous chats, PayPal, Patreon, and extra that permit content material creators to obtain immense quantities of worth from their viewers with out having to rely solely on sponsors.
The Bitcoin value-for-value financial system is far smaller, however in my view as a credentialed journalist, considerably extra vital. The primary value-for-value use of bitcoin was when WikiLeaks was kicked off the fiat cost rails. Exposing battle criminals is among the core duties of journalists, but is an unapproved exercise by the parasitic ruling class. Certainly one of my mottos is journalism dies in compliance, and constructing all the media equipment on prime of programs that depend on permission to function will fully kill any means for any actual info to be transmitted.
In latest months, via the revelations on USAID funding of media, the playbook for a way the media equipment is managed has been laid naked for everybody to see. The programs for controlling and manipulating info are subtle and sometimes aren’t obvious. For a lot of media firms to get any notable funding, they should bend the knee to the ruling class, sacrifice any dignity they’ve, and carry out fellatio on people who in all probability had shut ties to Jeffrey Epstein. That is why I left conventional media to type The Bugle, the world’s premier information company.
There are a lot of myths concerning the establishment of journalism. Many consider that journalists are supposed to inform the reality, carry helpful info to people, and expose wrongdoings. Individuals who consider these myths probably haven’t interacted with many journalists. I’d argue that the establishment of journalism is extra about participating in covert propaganda, hidden behind the duvet (fable) of getting some ethical excessive floor.
Nearly all of journalists are people who’re mercenaries for whoever pays them.
Following the trailblazing efforts of Adam Curry and Julian Assange, The Bugle has operated completely off a value-for-value mannequin, utilizing bitcoin as the principle funding mechanism. The product we’re promoting is our content material. We don’t function as a advertising and marketing company for firms that try to promote merchandise to our customers, as a result of which means the content material turns into secondary. In an effort to obtain worth out of your customers, you first have to provide one thing invaluable sufficient.
The problem of going completely Bitcoin is that you’re asking your viewers to wade into the realm of dangerous UX. Lightning has been one of many backbones for monetization for The Bugle as micropayments are nice for customers seeking to ship small funds.
Some could declare that instruments like Fountain, Nostr, BTCPay Server, and different instruments that permit content material customers to ship bitcoin to content material creators lack the UX essential to make a distinction. This appears to be the overall consensus. “The revolution must have good UX for it to even occur” is, in my view, flawed considering. The dangerous UX of those platforms permits them to predominantly be occupied by precise revolutionaries and scares away the faint of coronary heart, who discover utilizing their mind even the slightest an impediment so insurmountable that they find yourself watching Netflix as a substitute.
At The Bugle, we aren’t competing with Netflix. We aren’t catering to those that wouldn’t have the willingness or capability to assume. We’re catering to the few, the proud, the revolutionaries. In response to our analytics, 90% of our podcast listeners use Fountain. We’re limiting our potential viewers development by specializing in selling our content material on platforms with poor person expertise, however in doing so, we’re concentrating on people who truly matter. The Bugle will not be on your boomer father who believes that smoking cigarettes is dangerous for you, believes within the sanctity of establishments, and has quite a lot of opinions on issues he has completed zero analysis on. No, we’re catering to those that have completed the proof-of-work and have an opinion that truly issues.
Bitcoin initially had horrible UX and subsequently was solely utilized by revolutionaries. Those that have been mining 1000’s of bitcoin on the CPUs within the very starting could also be(come) among the richest people in human historical past. Satoshi didn’t pause the revolution with the intention to first implement good UX. He knew that the NPCs who have been frightened of utilizing command strains would finally come however that to ensure that the venture to achieve success, it needed to begin with those that have been keen to wade into the unknown.
Our society lacks private duty. It lacks accountability. It doesn’t worth the person. It preaches altruism and focuses on the “frequent good”. All of this outcomes from calls for for good UX. Consequently, the weakest (gayest) rise to the highest. Every little thing is predicated on a recognition contest decided by the least distinctive amongst us. The concept of getting an actual meritocracy is threatening to those that refuse to truly do any work, or who discover it difficult to prepare mind cells for duties aside from superficial pleasure.
I reject these premises. I consider that we will construct a invaluable media firm whereas utilizing dangerous UX. I consider we will have extra affect broadly by looking for to completely goal these with the capability to wade into nuance and transcend brain-dead groupthink. My entire life I’ve hungered for content material that has depth and which means. Sitting on the sidelines hoping that another person steps to the plate will not be the mindset of somebody who issues. I can’t spend my time making an attempt to persuade silly individuals to not be silly. If I did that, it could be as a result of I don’t worth my time and don’t worth myself. As a substitute, I’ll spend my time making an attempt to encourage the revolutionaries, the doers, the people who find themselves demoralized as a result of they really feel remoted in a sea of mediocrity.
My identify is Richard Greaser,
And I’m the John Galt of journalism.
Don’t miss your likelihood to personal The Lightning Concern — that includes an unique interview with Lightning co-creator Tadge Dryja. It dives deep into Bitcoin’s strongest scaling layer. Restricted run. Solely out there whereas provides final.
This piece is an article featured within the newest Print version of Bitcoin Journal, The Lightning Concern. We’re sharing it right here to indicate the concepts explored all through the total concern.
