Blockspace: AI & Bitcoin

Bonus audio-only episode. Recorded live in Vegas w/ Bitcoin Core Contributor Antoine Riard. We discuss a lot of things, details of Bitcoin Core development, and work on libbitcoinkernal. - 👋Bitcoin Season 2 is produced Blockspace Media, Bitcoin’s first B2B publication in Bitcoin. Follow us on Twitter and check out our newsletter for the best information in Bitcoin mining, Ordinals and tech! Enjoy the show? Check out our website and newsletter by clicking ⁠here⁠. Questions or want to sponsor? hello@blockspace.media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Z Morris joins us to talk about his extensive coverage of the Tornado Cash trial. We dive deep into Roman Storm's conviction, the legal precedent for privacy tools, and the chilling effects on open source development in crypto. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com NOTES: • Jury hung on 2 charges, guilty on 1 MTB charge • North Korea Lazarus laundered $600M • No direct OFAC-sanctioned wallets used the service • Appeal process could take years to resolve Timestamps: 00:00 Start 00:41 Why the Tornado Cash Story? 05:06 What is Tornado Cash? 11:15 What does Tornado Cash Do? 14:01 Autonomous Smart Contracts 19:34 Run as a Business 23:57 Profits 24:58 Criminal Charges 31:43 Future of Open Source Development 37:15 Advice for Privacy Devs 42:43 Public Perception 46:09 Journalism & Privacy 49:10 What Happens Now? - 👋Bitcoin Season 2 is produced Blockspace Media, Bitcoin’s first B2B publication in Bitcoin. Follow us on Twitter and check out our newsletter for the best information in Bitcoin mining, Ordinals and tech! Enjoy the show? Check out our website and newsletter by clicking here. Questions or want to sponsor? hello@blockspace.media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re diving deep into the disconnect between market performance and recession fears. They explore viral TikTok recession indicators, analyze Q2 earnings data, examine job market softening, and discuss whether we're actually heading into recession territory or if it's all just economic anxiety amplified by social media vibes. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com ## Notes: - 33% recession probability down from 45% in April - S&P 500 earnings grew 11.8% year over year in Q2   - Only 73,000 jobs added in July vs expectations - May/June job numbers revised down by 258,000 - Energy sector earnings dropped 18-19% in Q2 - 92% probability of September Fed rate cut Timestamps: 00:00 Start 00:32 Wen resesh bruv? 03:54 Recession Pop Music 10:48 White Lady Dasher 12:49 Data nerd time 24:56 Mag 7 earnings 26:49 Unemployment 31:34 Consumer credit  33:44 What's a humble central bank to do? - 👋Bitcoin Season 2 is produced Blockspace Media, Bitcoin’s first B2B publication in Bitcoin. Follow us on Twitter and check out our newsletter for the best information in Bitcoin mining, Ordinals and tech! Enjoy the show? Check out our website and newsletter by clicking here. Questions or want to sponsor? hello@blockspace.media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Steven Lubka, VP of Investor Relations at Nakamoto, joins us to talk about the "paper bitcoin summer" phenomenon, treasury companies as Bitcoin acquisition vehicles, regulatory arbitrage strategies, international market expansion, and why vibes matter in capital markets. We explore how companies like MicroStrategy pioneered leveraged Bitcoin strategies and what the future holds for Bitcoin financial institutions. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com **Notes:** • Treasury companies hold ~60k BTC outside MicroStrategy • MicroStrategy trades at 2x NAV premium currently • Bitcoin has multi-trillion dollar market cap • Preferred shares cost ~9-10% for these companies • MetaPlanet proved model works internationally • Galaxy sold 80k BTC recently absorbed by market Timestamps: 00:00 Start 02:19 Paper Bitcoin Summer 05:25 Treasury company bull case 11:27 Why now? 15:12 How many companies can do this? 20:22 IPO vs SPAC 22:45 Why BTC & not other commodities? 26:01 Market liquidity 29:01 Marketing as asset 34:04 Vibes Capital Markets 39:46 Paper Bitcoin Maxi 45:57 Nakamoto's future 50:34 Amanda & Branden 53:17 Wrap up - 👋Bitcoin Season 2 is produced Blockspace Media, Bitcoin’s first B2B publication in Bitcoin. Follow us on Twitter and check out our newsletter for the best information in Bitcoin mining, Ordinals and tech! Enjoy the show? Check out our website and newsletter by clicking here. Questions or want to sponsor? hello@blockspace.media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matt Wraith, CTO of Bitnomial, explains the arcane world of Bitcoin futures trading. Physical delivery vs cash-settled futures to exploring the possibilities of fork futures markets, Matt breaks down complex market mechanics with real-world examples. How could chain splits could be traded, the quantum computing threat to Bitcoin, and why having oil storage matters when futures go negative. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com Notes: - Bitnomial founded 2014, launched futures 2020 - Oil futures went negative in March 2020 - Bitcoin Cash hashrate flipped BTC post-fork - Quantum computer threat "5 years away for 30 years" - Physical delivery requires actual BTC transfer - Fork futures first appeared during SegWit debate Timestamps: 00:00 Start 01:09 Founding Bitnomial 03:32 Regulatory changes 05:16 CTO role 06:09 Multiple hats 07:29 Futures 10:08 History of futures 12:38 Physical delivery 14:48 Storage costs 17:25 Clearing house 18:27 Cash settled 21:22 Bitcoin futures history 25:23 Forks & futures 37:02 Assets on Bitcoin 41:22 Restrictions on futures 45:04 Black Swan pricing 48:18 Quantum 52:52 Presidio Bitcoin Quantum Conference 55:36 Futures as governance - 👋Bitcoin Season 2 is produced Blockspace Media, Bitcoin’s first B2B publication in Bitcoin. Follow us on Twitter and check out our newsletter for the best information in Bitcoin mining, Ordinals and tech! Enjoy the show? Check out our website and newsletter by clicking here. Questions or want to sponsor? hello@blockspace.media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Charlie and Colin dive deep into the dangerous parallels between today's Bitcoin treasury companies and the 1929 investment trust bubble. They analyze how companies like MicroStrategy use convertible debt to accumulate Bitcoin, why this creates systemic risk, and how forced selling could trigger a catastrophic unwind. From Ponzi-like dividend structures to the speculative attack strategy, they break down why this leverage-fueled boom might end badly. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com **NOTES:** • 98 companies raised $86B in 8 weeks for crypto • MicroStrategy needs $300-400M annually for dividends • Q1 revenue only $111M vs dividend obligations • Public entities hold ~900K Bitcoin total • Investment trusts grew 11x from 1927-1929 • 1929 trusts were 1/3 of all capital issuance Timestamps: 00:00 Start 02:30 Lessons from 1929 07:22 Trusts vs BTC treasury companies 12:50 Shorting MSTR 20:51 Hear me out.. companies that make profits 24:34 Don't say the P word! - 👋Bitcoin Season 2 is produced Blockspace Media, Bitcoin’s first B2B publication in Bitcoin. Follow us on Twitter and check out our newsletter for the best information in Bitcoin mining, Ordinals and tech! Enjoy the show? Check out our website and newsletter by clicking here. Questions or want to sponsor? hello@blockspace.media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nick Neuman, CEO & co-founder of Casa joins us to talk about why Bitcoin's future depends on self-custody adoption. Neuman argues that without users holding Bitcoin "at the edges" and generating transaction fees, mining incentives could collapse, potentially forcing changes to Bitcoin's 21 million supply cap or pushing institutions toward proof-of-stake alternatives. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com NOTES: • Casa founded in 2018 to enable self-custody • Coinbase holds 2.8 million Bitcoin today • Transaction activity lower than 2018 levels • Bitcoin block reward halves repeatedly over time • Mining unprofitable without transaction fees • 2140 deadline for block reward depletion Timestamps: 00:00 Start 02:38 Self custody & Bitcoin survival 07:25 Held at the edges 11:26 Fees a& codes changes 17:55 Memetic death spiral 21:00 layer 2 26:12 Self custody adoption 30:48 Changes to improve self custody 33:35 Education - 👋Bitcoin Season 2 is produced Blockspace Media, Bitcoin’s first B2B publication in Bitcoin. Follow us on Twitter and check out our newsletter for the best information in Bitcoin mining, Ordinals and tech! Enjoy the show? Check out our website and newsletter by clicking here. Questions or want to sponsor? hello@blockspace.media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Saylor's controversial pentagram post and MicroStrategy's pivot to preferred stocks. With 145+ companies now adopting Bitcoin treasury strategies and institutions holding 10% of all Bitcoin, we explore whether this paper Bitcoin summer represents genuine adoption or a dangerous leveraged bubble waiting to burst. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com **Notes:** • MicroStrategy owes $400M annually in dividends • Core business only generates $111M revenue • 145 Bitcoin treasury companies now exist   • Institutions hold 10% of Bitcoin supply • Daily institutional buying 10x mining rate • Treasury companies bought 39K BTC/month Timestamps: 00:00 Start 00:48 Bitcoin's "Defense Dept" 03:04 Preferred stock pivot 04:40 Where does the yield come from? 07:29 Dividends can't come from company profits 19:22 MSTR memes - 👋Bitcoin Season 2 is produced Blockspace Media, Bitcoin’s first B2B publication in Bitcoin. Follow us on Twitter and check out our newsletter for the best information in Bitcoin mining, Ordinals and tech! Enjoy the show? Check out our website and newsletter by clicking here. Questions or want to sponsor? hello@blockspace.media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

FILL OUT THE SURVEY BY CLICKING HERE: https://forms.gle/DFpR9MyhWo1NQ8T39 You're listening to Bitcoin Season 2. Subscribe to the newsletter, trusted by over 7,000 Bitcoiners: https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com Bitcoin developer James O’Beirne joins us to talk about the current state of Bitcoin development, the controversial CTV (OP_CheckTemplateVerify) soft fork proposal, and why he organized a letter signed by 66+ prominent Bitcoin developers requesting Bitcoin Core focus on protocol upgrades. We dive deep into Bitcoin's development culture, the post-SegWit era challenges, and the growing concern about Bitcoin's ossification. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com **Notes:** • 66 developers signed CTV support letter • 96% of Bitcoin value uses non-taproot outputs • 19% of global hashrate supports CTV proposal • 5+ years of CTV development and testing • 5 Bitcoin bounty offered for CTV bugs found • 16.5 years since Bitcoin's initial release Timestamps: 00:00 Start 01:55 Jame's work 08:33 History of BTC development 12:37 Culture & the block size war 16:34 Code change process 24:29 The CTV letter origin 33:53 Reception of the letter 38:33 Why is there resistance? 40:53 Alternative proposal 48:20 Upgrade Hooks 50:36 Future outlooks for changes 54:49 Reasons for optimism - 👋Bitcoin Season 2 is produced Blockspace Media, Bitcoin’s first B2B publication in Bitcoin. Follow us on Twitter and check out our newsletter for the best information in Bitcoin mining, Ordinals and tech! Enjoy the show? Check out our website and newsletter by clicking here. Questions or want to sponsor? hello@blockspace.media Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices