Everyone welcome back to the show. My guest today is Gigi. At least that's what I know him as there's another guest who's an anonymous account on Twitter. So I don't know his full name, but he's provided an amazing contribution to the Bitcoin space through his to websites 21 lessons.com and Bitcoin - resources.com. So basically these two sites are resources for people to go. Go and learn more about Bitcoin. One of them is kind of aggregation of all the different resources from books and podcasts and articles and websites that you can consult if you're trying to learn more and another one is his own writing, which is also available as a dictation on the 21 lessons.com sight of all the different things. He's learned about Bitcoin thus far and it's set against kind of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and going down the rabbit hole. It's super cool stuff. I highly recommend you check that stuff out this portion is the rapid fire. Ocean were asked to guess a series of pre-selected questions if you enjoy this or actually even if you don't enjoy this and you'd rather just hear a more open free-flowing conversation mean Gigi did about an hour and a half. I think an hour and 20 minutes just open conversation talking about Bitcoin. It was a super fun chat. So if you're down with a long form and being a fly on the wall for these types of conversations, definitely check that out. I doubt you'll be disappointed. Anyways on with the show. Enjoy. I'm going to Hit you with some rapid fire questions. Now if you call back sure. Okay. So some of these are not necessarily like lend themselves to rapid-fire answers. Don't give me shit. Just answer. However long you like, right? Okay, so what is money? Yeah, what is money? Yeah, it's hard to answer would be half of every transaction. Pretty much. Yeah. Yeah fair enough. Yeah, if you had to go ahead to to add on that I wrote about it at length. It's the second chapter of 21 lessons. So starting with less than seven if you if you if you're interested in what I think what money is and how it evolved just go. 221 lessons.com / 7 you there? Yeah, I think a reference to 21 lessons might be able to answer a lot of these questions but we're go through the many ways if you had to explain Bitcoin to your grandmother or someone over 80, what would you say? Oh, man. Yeah. That's a good one to my Grandma. She's not alive anymore, but she got almost a hundred years old and she was born in 1911. And so she she she is. In a lot of shit and I think I would I would explain it to her that it's money that no one can take away from it's just like gold in the sense gold that you store in your hand. That's probably what I would say. Okay. What is the primary reason why Bitcoin is interesting or important to you primary? Wow. Huh? And that's a good one. Yeah, I would I would say the primary reason why I'm I'm in it full time now is really I believe in the second Renaissance. I think it's really good for the world. Okay. How long are long after you first heard a Bitcoin? Did you start learning about it more or purchase it? Well, let's see it took me a long time. I I think I think it took me two years to purchase the first for the first time and I think it took me a year after that to learn more about it. Nice. See this is an aside one of the things and I know we talked about being all Zen and not like being up in people's Grill about Bitcoin, but one of the things that I don't know I kind of think it did people a disservice in the early days and even now is everyone was always like don't Rush out and buy some investing is risky do your education first all that kind of stuff and like I don't know I think people should be like no fucking get your hands on some as fast as fucking possible. You don't know how this game. Yeah. You don't know how this thing moves and then once you do that, you'll be motivated to you know, educate yourself but like no don't wait, you know, this shit moves fast get yourself involved now and then figure it out after that's by the way, that's my my advice to my very closest friends and family. Just don't think about It it just whatever you're willing to lose just buy some right now. Yeah, no matter what the practice like. I'm I stopped caring about the price right? It's like after the pump of 2017. I stopped caring about the price at all. I'm not looking at price at all. The only time I see the prices either when someone is just screaming about it on Twitter or at the very corner of Wasabi wallet. That's the only time I see the price. That's awesome. What has been your most effective method of educating people about Bitcoin in conversation or more formally. This is pretty much what you do, but go ahead. Well, I don't know I probably riding writing is the most effective one for me because I had so many people the at me or just take me somewhere that you know, like they posted in there like you just have to read it that that really helped me to understand that and so on and so forth. So just writing down what I've learned I think was the most effective can Bitcoin be stopped. If so, what is Bitcoins biggest Vulnerability if not, why not? I don't think it can be self in any meaningful sense. I don't think that we're out of the woods yet. I think it's biggest vulnerability is like a subversive takeover seem similar to what happened to the internet in a way, you know Bitcoin is very realistic still even even though you know, most people are in it for the speculation of the money and so on. But at the core of it, I think it's still very realistic and the Bitcoin was at the the internet was very idealistic in the same way. I mean the way why the reason why the internet is so beautiful is I mean, it has many reasons but one of them is that we have net neutrality and that's that's like a political idea in a way that it in the network like we have the end-to-end principle and network neutrality and all of that. Makes the internet work as we know it today, but still we had takeover of Google and Facebook and other big companies and we see political efforts underway to reverse these engineering decisions that were made. I don't know like 50 years ago problem and I think similar things could happen to bitcoin theoretically but it's really hard to change the protocol because of the nature of it, but I think we Also be on guard to further encroachment of like internet freedoms because we have deep deep packet inspection. And if we abolish net neutrality completely then this will be yeah difficult for Bitcoin as well. I mean, I think it can can overcome pretty much any obstacle and we see that with for example. Yeah, it kind via satellite networks between buy a ham radios and defined by our mesh networks and so on. But still I think any subversion by the powers that be is the biggest danger. Anyway, what was your most recent aha or level up in your understanding of Bitcoin the top one again, as I said, I had like two or three or even four of those just for proof of work alone. I think the most recent one was last week when A I talked with safe since I'm taking his 21 course and I compared I'm currently reading democracy The God That Failed and I was asking safe how he squares the idea that democracy is so horrible with the fact that Bitcoin kinda is a democratic ruler and majority rule and his answer. Really surprised me and kind of level that my understanding because Bitcoin is not Democratic at all. It's very different and you always have a way to exit the system. And do you all think so understanding the nuances of how it compares to existing systems was one of the most recent? Yeah. Aha moment. Anyway, okay, we touched on this a bit already, but what do you think will be Bitcoins biggest impact on society? Yeah, I sound funny definitely some money. Okay, I've returned to someone. When if ever do you think the First Central Bank will start adding Bitcoin to the reserves now, I don't have any special insight into that since I don't come from the finance world, but I wouldn't be surprised if they already do right. What is the biggest mistake you've made with Bitcoin definitely getting my hands dirty with shit coins. How do you feel about Satoshi Nakamoto Bitcoins Creator be anonymous and the Instead. He she they likely control. I think Jimmy song said that disappearing like Satoshi disappearing was the best thing he ever did and the smartest thing he ever did and I would agree with that. It's of the utmost importance for something like Bitcoin that it's really like a gift from God. It must not have a Creator in that sense. I think the origin story is way more important than That most people think and I know that Marty been talks about that a lot of swell like and safe talks about it as well Immaculate Conception of technology. And yeah, I think it kind of having no no Creator and no teen behind it that you can yeah that you can jail or you know, there's no had to cut off. I think it's one of the most important properties. Yeah, and yeah the his Bitcoins No idea man. Like I I think I think I'm not sure. I'm not sure if satoshi's dead, but I think it wouldn't surprise me that he or she or it whatever would have had the foresight to destroy any private keys because yeah, I mean he obviously thought about all of those things a lot if you just read all of his writings, he was way ahead and so So I think I think this points are gone. You know Immaculate Conception was before I had read it anywhere. You know, that's always how I had thought about. You know, how Bitcoin came on the scene just you know, another religious analogy after they just can't hop it up. Yeah at what price would you permanently sell over 75% of the Bitcoin you hold assuming there is no necessity to cover expenses. So could it get to a crazy enough price that you would sell? No never I'm I'm I just like American holding that regards. I will I plan to transfer most of my Bitcoin to Future Generations. Yeah. Have you ever purchased other coins? If so, are you likely to so again in the future? I have purchased it. You wouldn't believe how many and I will not do that again in the future in my defense. I I have I have some sympathy for or some early shit coronary in a way because in my defense again I said as I said, I have a technology background. I didn't know anything about money and so for me it was like oh hey, yeah that uses like more modern or different geographies. I'll just throw such throw my money into that project. Yeah, man. I mean, I think there is no way around it other than if you're like parashar door Michael go see I just thought it Austrian economics for ten years before you got into Bitcoin, but you might be able to not touch any shit guys. But yeah, other than that, we'll look I I suspect more people than like to admit actually did you know dabble in and she coins at a certain period of time even if they were always, you know still like fully on board with Bitcoin, but I mean at a certain point during 2017, I mean not many people can resist like a 10x gain in a month, you know, it's 2,000 x k and yeah week. But it's funny to look back, you know our whole conversation. We just had and for people that are are just checking out rapid fire. I'll have to go to the further discussion portion. But you know, it's funny after all the different narratives and the different things that we think Bitcoin is and can become it's funny to just rewind two years and be like really we were like casting for not me and you but like a larger argument was Bitcoin being kind of like cast aside or at least criticized heavily. Because it couldn't do transactions inexpensively and you know comparing that to everything technology technology. Yeah. Yeah. Love it. Yeah, what is your most contrary and or controversial view or opinion? And if there's not on bitcoin than any subject is fair game. Hmm. Damn it. That that one's really hard to answer. I think most controversial. I die. I'm not sure if it's really controversial in the contract us, but I think I think proof of steak or any other consensus mechanism is bullshit in a way. I think proof-of-work is an absolute necessity like the bridge to the physical world is an absolute necessity. Okay. Ballpark estimate a Bitcoins price in 5 years time. Five years time woman. Where is it? Where's your husband trillion sharks? Where is plan B's five years time? Okay. Well parking. Oh man. I have no idea like I don't I don't even think about these things. Okay. We're currently at roughly 10,000 I think and we'll have a housing coming up. Five years time we'll have had two helpings. Yep. So when was the estimate for of McAfee eating sticks? Was it? 2021? No, that was 20 20 20 20. Yeah, I think okay Vicki - I said a million, right? Yeah in five years time. I'd say yeah 5 million. Okay. Do you believe there are any reliable ways that spotting a paradigm shift? If so, what are they? No, I don't think there is a way to spot the paradigm shift. I Redblacks one recently and I'm convinced it's Nassim taleb is right that blacks whites are impossible to detect beforehand. I think however that you can extrapolate Trends if you understand the new fundamentals like we talked about the Computing Revolution. If once you understand the fundamentals, I think even if it's an exponential Trend you Can extrapolate into the future and some people do it really? Well like Ray Kurzweil think of it thinking think what you want to think of him, but he is really really good at understanding exponential Trends and extra relating them into the future. So I think you can do that for you were able to people did do that for all kinds of things like, you know, flying machines and cars and especially Computing and also networks like the internet and also mobile Computing and so on and I think the same And be done for for Bitcoin, but I don't think there is a way to spot absolute Paradigm shifts to spot barks whines. Okay. Do you have a morning routine? If so, what is it? Get up? Get out get it done not necessarily in that order. Yeah. I tried to go for a run daily, and I haven't even in routine. So what is it? Yeah. I try to like I'm at it. It every day even though even if it's just like 10 10 minutes or so, but I try to do more but you know, you know, I guess it's kind of hard to find the time but I was able to do that for the last two and a half years almost and I meditate I try to write my thoughts down if I can not perfectly able to do to do it every day, but like every second day or so, I'm I started learning Spanish half a year ago. So I learned Spanish it. You think it's right? I'm really bad. Yeah, and I also do some exercises and right. How do you define success? That's a good one? Yeah, I would say. I would say if you're able to something that you love and to do something also where you can really look yourself in the mirror and don't take yourself and your able to sustain your family with it that's successful for me. But that final question. What is the one most important action I or anyone listening can take today to up our game in your area of expertise. So like people that want to improve what's the best way you know how to do that at this point in time in relation to bitcoin. And then so what's the single thing you can do to or what something that's really kind of helped you operate in this space Oh buy Bitcoin. That's why I like it. Yeah, I think the more skin in the game. You have the more serious you're going to be about it. And once you go all in then the only thing that I can do right now is learn. My income with coin and that's what I'm working towards. Yeah. Okay last part. This is a word association. So I'm just going to say a word you blurt out. Whatever comes to your mind. All right, Satoshi Nakamoto genius government unnecessary ashrae. amazing the individual Sovereign security Primacy stack in SAS daily fiat currency State funding also government should you have to differentiate Fiat currencies government should go. Okay. I'll call it should coin Pizza Delicious Trump. Try destroying the dollar Libra. Ah shit kind of these guys go. Ah, yeah, I'll take the Bitcoin and Bitcoin. Oh man, I've nothing I love it. I love it. It's perfect. Well, man, I really appreciate you taking the time when you've had almost no sleep to just come and have a chat with me. I got them Marty friend is responsible for that. He didn't drop. Yeah. Well, like I said, I appreciate you coming on we could probably talk for like three or four hours, but we'll leave that for another time. Maybe I'll hit you up in a half year and we'll see we're kind of both of our opinions and understanding or at all right then any time I'm always happy to talk about it. All right, man, before I let you go for the work that you've done and are doing and the resources you put out there. Just let people know where they can find them. Yeah, you can get a hold of me on Twitter. Mostly. I'm very Chichi on Twitter Dr. Gi gi and I also have Gog.com and where I put up my Bitcoin articles and some other resources. I've bit coin - resources that come where you can access to some books and articles and podcasts and podcast episodes that I think are useful in understanding the time and if you want to read about what I've learned falling down the rabbit hole, I think there's no better place then going to 21 lessons.com. Yeah, and I consumed I read it I read everything and listen to Everything and I just want just want to show you how because the first of all the 21 lessons things. If you're not into reading it's all in and like kind of like an audiobook. You had someone read it, right? Yeah guys want from the cryptic only right? Right. So super accessible if you just want to download it and then listen to it whenever you have the time but it's also you know the way that you structure it was cool because you intertwined all these different quotes from Alice in Wonderland, right? Yeah, exactly so he for each lesson. Kind of like a quote that Court, you know that's relevant to something that happened in Alice in Wonderland a quote. Now someone landed that's relevant to whatever the lesson is. So it kind of makes it a little bit more entertaining and engaging and less less of just the kind of information dump. So I highly recommend that as a resource and guy did a really great job of reading it. So I just took myself and I enjoyed the audio version way more than what I think. Yeah. Well this thing is always easier to read yeah. All right. Well GG. Thanks again for coming on man. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors. And like I said, look forward to another catch up in the not too distant future. Yeah. Thanks so much for having me and if you like if we ever meet in real life and there's a time and a place for it. I'd be very interested to explore the Psychedelic World. Well, you haven't let's do that you I'll send you a link afterwards about some of the interviews I've done before but more than happy to be a resource turn. Able to be a resource for that stuff for you. Awesome. Sounds good. All right, brother. Take care. Thank you. What's up guys? Hope you enjoyed the show. Just a reminder. If you enjoyed those rapid fire questions Gigi and you want to hear more check out the further discussion episode where we take about an hour and a half and just have an open free-flowing discussion about Bitcoin we go down a number of the various rabbit holes discuss a bunch of the narratives that are emerging around Bitcoin. What we think is going to happen when Bitcoin the future of discuss how Bitcoin has changed our behavior and how likely to change other behaviors in the future all that kind of stuff. So if you just want to tune in on the conversation the two boober obsessed bitcoiners head and definitely check out the full discussion episode. That's it.
**Apologies for the audio on this one, new set-up didn't go so well, lol. It's worst at the beginning** Gigi is another guest which I first came accross on Twitter. I thought he was putting out some well-articulated and insightful tweets, so I checked him out a little bit further. I then came across two great resources which he has put together: 21lessons.com and bitcoin-resources.com. In the first, Gigi grafts his own journey learning about bitcoin, onto the classic tale of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, in an informative and entertaining way, available in both written and audio format. It's a very convenient way to get caught up on bitcoin. In the second, he provides a collection of great content for those who want to dive deeper, it too is a great resource full of useful information. No particular angle in this chat, just thought it might be fun to connect and geek-out about bitcoin for a while. We touched on some of the important narratives around bitcoin, and how more are emerging all of the time, drawing ever-more diverse people into the space. Of course, we got a little cosmic too, because, well, it's fun:) Enjoy! 