Rabbit Hole Recap: Bitcoin Week of 2021.09.13
9/16/2021 · 113 min · transcript via mlx
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Key topics
— Bitcoin Core v22.0 released: first major version without "0.x" prefix; adds hardware wallet GUI support, PSBTs, I2P support, and removes Tor v2.
— Human Rights Foundation distributed 3.75 BTC in developer grants to Bitcoin contributors including seed signer, BTCPay, Bitcoin Design Guide, and others; Marty pledged 5M sats toward a join market bounty.
— El Salvador exempts foreign investors from Bitcoin capital gains tax, creating financial incentive for relocators (though US citizens still face exit taxes).
— iMessage zero-click exploit via NSO Group's Pegasus spyware compromises all Apple devices; affects cameras, microphones, location, photos, messages without user interaction.
— Namecheap reports 190,000 Bitcoin transactions since implementing BTCPay Server one year ago, demonstrating viability of open-source payment infrastructure.
— Crew Energy (Canadian oil & gas company) publicly disclosed 11 Bitcoin mining containers at remote sites to reduce flaring emissions.
Market & price signals
— Bitcoin trading at $47,700; consolidating in mid-to-high $40s range after moving out of $30s consolidation.
— 1 BTC = 2,096 sat/USD; market cap $897.7B.
— Block height 700,836; next difficulty retarget estimated +1.3% adjustment (blocks averaging 9m 53s).
— Whirlpool unspent capacity: 4,055.64 BTC (~$193.5M); mempool at 12,463 transactions; 1 sat/byte is standard.
— 1 BTC = 27.1 ounces of gold.
Actionable insights
— Update all Apple devices immediately to patch iMessage zero-click exploit; use camera/microphone covers and migrate to privacy-focused mobile wallets and messaging apps.
— Consider NFC-paired hardware wallet solutions (Cold Card NFC + Blue Wallet) for mobile users who cannot use full cold storage; two-factor signing reduces compromise risk.
— Follow El Salvador's lead: nation-states are competing for Bitcoin adoption; Bitcoin job market and jurisdictions offering tax incentives present relocation opportunities for long-term holders seeking regulatory clarity.
Episode sponsorships
Paid placements mentioned in this episode. BTC Pods is not sponsored by or affiliated with these advertisers. Links are included so you can find offers mentioned on the show.
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