Bitcoin Season 2 | Bitcoin Tech, Culture & Ordinals

Author of "The Bitcoin Dollar" Mark Goodwin joins us to discuss how stablecoins may be the US government's strategy to maintain dollar hegemony by yoking Bitcoin to the dollar system. He explains how private stablecoin issuers must buy US treasuries, creating artificial dollar demand while enabling surveillance. Mark argues that while Bitcoin pumps, Bitcoiners must fight to preserve its permissionless nature or risk merely empowering the state rather than creating true freedom for individuals. Follow our guests: @markgoodw_in # Notes: - Tether holds ~$145B in US treasuries - PayPal offering 3.7% yield on PYUSD stablecoin - Bitcoin inflation fell below gold in May 2020 - US strategically using stablecoins for dollar demand - Stablecoin regulations prioritize treasury backing - Bitcoin scaling solutions needed for privacy Timestamps: 00:00 Start 01:32 The 21 cabal 06:40 Bitcoin as an EXIT 14:14 The Bitcoin Dollar 29:54 Arch 39:27 Stablecoins 51:40 Trump's illegal scams 1:01:25 What should Bitcoiners do? - 👉 Brought to you by Arch Network! Arch brings the speed of Solana & the best of crypto UX to Bitcoin. Tap into the rich app ecosystem on Arch & try out the testnet while you’re still early! Visit arch.network to learn more. - 👋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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Charlie and Colin explain 5 things you probably didn’t know about Bitcoin. Satoshi's original Bitcoin client included a poker program. Did you know Bitcoin has an off-by-one error in Bitcoin's difficulty adjustment? We debunk the myth that the 21 million cap is mentioned in the whitepaper and explore three critical inflation bugs that threatened Bitcoin. Lastly, we tell the story of how "Bitcoin Pizza Guy" Laszlo Hanyecz was actually a pioneering contributor to Bitcoin's development and mining technology. Notes: - Original Bitcoin client included a poker client - Difficulty adjustment calculation uses 2015 not 2016 blocks - 21M supply cap not mentioned in Bitcoin whitepaper - 2010 inflation bug created 184 billion Bitcoin - Bitcoin Pizza guy spent ~100,000 BTC, not just 10,000 Follow our guests: @cbspears @asilayhodling @btcszn2 Timestamps: 00:00 Start 02:05 Bitcoin & Poker 09:12 Difficulty Adjustment 2015 Blocks 13:02 21M Supply (or not?) 17:55 Arch 18:28 3 Bugs 29:06 Bitcoin Pizza Guilt 39:58 BONUS: HFSP - 👉 Brought to you by Arch Network! Arch brings the speed of Solana & the best of crypto UX to Bitcoin. Tap into the rich app ecosystem on Arch & try out the testnet while you’re still early! Visit arch.network to learn more. - 👋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

Matt and Amine, co-founders of Arch Network, join us to talk about their recent $13M Series A funding round led by Pantera Capital. They explain how Arch differentiates itself from other Bitcoin L2s by enabling programmability on Bitcoin with their custom VM and FROST/ROAST threshold signature schemes. The founders discuss their approach to solving Bitcoin's programming limitations, creating a dynamic validator system that can scale over time, and building applications like DEXs and prediction markets directly on Bitcoin. They also share insights from their testnet phase and outline their roadmap toward mainnet launch. Follow our guests: @0xfinetuned @proofofmud # Notes: - Arch raised $13 million led by Pantera Capital - Uses FROST/ROAST for dynamic validator sets - Custom VM inspired by Solana's architecture - Aims for instant finality vs Bitcoin's 10 minutes - Uses transaction dependency graph for rollbacks - Mainnet launch expected around June/July 2025 Timestamps: 00:00 Start 00:35 Pantera Capital raise 01:57 Building Arch last 2 yrs 04:04 VC finally funding BTC dev 07:37 Arch ecosystem 09:07 Arch dev verticals 13:25 Distributed validator set 15:04 Arch ad read 15:36 Arch Virtual Machine 17:33 Developer adoption new VM 20:19 Builder reception 21:50 Testnet learnings 24:26 Under the hood of Arch 25:51 Bitcoin MEV 29:05 Apps for Arch 31:14 Migrating L1 assets to Arch 33:27 Wen Arch token 35:09 The future - 👉 Brought to you by Arch Network! Arch brings the speed of Solana & the best of crypto UX to Bitcoin. Tap into the rich app ecosystem on Arch & try out the testnet while you’re still early! Visit arch.network to learn more. - 👋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 into the growing presence of crypto lobbying in Washington, D.C., analyzing CoinDesk's coverage and the staggering $119 million spent by the industry in 2024. They contrast national lobbying orgs like the Bitcoin Policy Institute with state-level players like the Satoshi Action Fund, discussing their roles, motivations, and effectiveness. The hosts also reflect on their own grassroots efforts in Oklahoma, the risks of regulatory capture, and the long-term implications of industry money shaping public policy. Follow our guests: @cbspears @asilayhodling @btcszn2 Timestamps: 0:00 Intro: Are there too many crypto lobbyists? 0:42 Offensive lobbying: Crypto enters DC with money and momentum 1:50 From defense to offense: Lobbying works 3:13 CoinDesk chart: $119M spent by crypto in 2024 5:20 How past regulatory scares galvanized the industry 7:20 Two types of lobbying: Good faith vs regulatory capture 10:21 Inside look: Local lobbying efforts in Oklahoma 21:20 Arch 22:34 National vs state: Satoshi Action Fund vs Bitcoin Policy Institute - 👉 Brought t o you by Arch Network! Arch brings the speed of Solana & the best of crypto UX to Bitcoin. Tap into the rich app ecosystem on Arch & try out the testnet while you’re still early! Visit arch.network to learn more. - 👋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

Pierre Rochard, one of the OG voices in Bitcoin discourse, joins us to discuss his new Bitcoin Bond Company as the continuation of the speculative attack thesis that he wrote about a decade ago. Pierre shares insights on corporate Bitcoin adoption trends, the trade-offs between on-chain transactions vs custodial services, and why he's more open to soft forks than many Bitcoin maximalists. The conversation takes a personal turn when Pierre explains how Bitcoin's shift away from materialism created space for his spiritual journey back to Catholicism. Follow our guests: @BitcoinPierre Notes: - Bitcoin bonds enable borrowing weak currencies - MicroStrategy uses convertible bonds for Bitcoin - Transaction fees crashed during bear markets - ETFs reduce on-chain Bitcoin footprint - Corporate adoption mainly from struggling companies - Pierre has cataloged 22 soft fork proposals Timestamps: 00:00 Start 01:36 Who's Pierre Rochard? 03:27 What's a speculative attack? 09:24 Current market outlook 11:48 Starkware interview reaction 20:45 Priced out of on-chain access 26:40 Arch 27:14 Corporate influence over protocol development 36:39 Corps buying BTC 39:34 Degens & speculation 46:05 Religion & faith 49:44 The virtues of soft forks - 👉 Brought to you by Arch Network! Arch brings the speed of Solana & the best of crypto UX to Bitcoin. Tap into the rich app ecosystem on Arch & try out the testnet while you’re still early! Visit arch.network to learn more. - 👋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

How do previous Bitcoin crashes compare to this week’s Tariff Troubles? Colin and Charlie analyze Bitcoin's recent 30% drop from $109K to $76K in context of previous market crashes. We compare the COVID crash of 2020, the Terra/Luna collapse of 2022, and the FTX insolvency that same year. They discuss how market sentiment differed between crashes despite similar percentage drops, explore how "exogenous" vs "endogenous" factors affected recovery, and debate whether Bitcoin behaves as a risk-on or risk-off asset. The conversation includes personal anecdotes about experiencing these market downturns and predictions for Bitcoin's future. Follow our guests: @cbspears @asilayhodling @btcszn2 Notes: - Bitcoin down 30% from $109K to $76K - Markets recovered 9.5% in one day - Terra/Luna crash: 35% drop in one week - FTX collapse: only 30% drop but worst sentiment - US fiscal deficit at $36.7 trillion debt - BitMEX "outage" may have saved 2020 crash Check out our Bitcoin scaling conference! Visit opnext.dev to learn more. Timestamps: 00:00 Start 00:46 Bitcoin crashes, don't buy it 06:25 Macro lookback 14:00 Covid crash (march 2020) 22:45 Arch 23:18 Terra Luna crash (may 2022) 32:16 FTX Crash 38:43 Stay humble, stack sats - 👉 Brought to you by Arch Network! Arch brings the speed of Solana & the best of crypto UX to Bitcoin. Tap into the rich app ecosystem on Arch & try out the testnet while you’re still early! Visit arch.network to learn more. - 👋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

ReardenCode, independent Bitcoin developer and freedom advocate, joins us to talk about reframing how we think about Bitcoin soft forks. Reardon breaks down opcodes, explains why we should focus on capabilities rather than protocols, and explores the historical context of Bitcoin's upgrades from SegWit to Taproot. The conversation goes deep on OP_CAT, CTV, and CHECKSIGFROMSTACK while but tries to make the topics approachable approachable. Follow our guests: @ReardenCode Notes: - Bitcoin is the first digitally scarce asset - OP_CAT enables five different capabilities - SegWit enabled non-third party malleable txs - Taproot enabled hidden script paths - CTV+CSS combo enables rebindable signatures - MEV concerns can probably be scoped and managed Check out our Bitcoin scaling conference! Visit opnext.dev to learn more. Timestamps: 00:00 Start 01:28 What is Bitcoin? 02:36 What's an OP code? 05:41 How to think about OP codes 07:39 Capabilities examples 10:17 Explaining OP codes 12:03 What do we want? 13:24 Why did SegWit NOT do more? 15:22 Taproot 18:50 Arch 19:25 Hidden script paths 22:13 CTV 31:55 OP_CAT 35:11 Check Contract Verify 36:33 Introduction of "state" & MEV 37:07 MEV 40:29 Limiting MEV 43:36 The problems of OP_CAT 48:26 The current consensus 52:22 Wrap up - 👉 Brought to you by Arch Network! Arch brings the speed of Solana & the best of crypto UX to Bitcoin. Tap into the rich app ecosystem on Arch & try out the testnet while you’re still early! Visit arch.network to learn more. - 👋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

BITCOIN SEASON 2: Inside Bitcoin’s Darknet Markets Sub-title (150 characters or so) We’re exploring darknet markets, from their history with the Silk Road to how they function today. Bitcoin vs. Monero usage, exit scams, and why these markets look like they're stuck in 2004 despite handling billions in transactions. Body (300 characters or so) You're listening to Bitcoin Season 2. Subscribe to the newsletter, trusted by over 7,000 Bitcoiners: https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com Colin and Charlie dive into the seedy underbelly of cryptocurrency—darknet markets. From the early days of the Farmers Market to the infamous Silk Road and beyond, they explore how these marketplaces function, why they initially struggled without Bitcoin, and the recent shift from Monero back to Bitcoin following exchange delistings. With $2 billion in annual volume yet surprisingly flat growth, they examine the robust review systems, exit scams, and why these sites stubbornly maintain their 2004-era aesthetics. Disclaimer: This episode discusses drugs and illegal activities for informational purposes only. Follow our guests: @cbspears @asilayhodling @btcszn2 Notes: - Darknet markets processed ~$2-3.5B annually - Farmers Market (2006) had only 3,000 users - Silk Road processed $182M from 100,000 users - Market volume remained flat despite crypto growth - Monero losing popularity after exchange delistings - Kraken darknet market: ~$800M volume in 2024 Check out our Bitcoin scaling conference! Visit opnext.dev to learn more. Timestamps: 00:00 Start 01:50 Chainalysis Darknet Market Report 05:15 Farmer's Market 14:27 After Silk Road 16:11 Arch 16:42 Rise of Monero 23:38 Quality control 29:24 Exit scams - 👉 Brought to you by Arch Network! Arch brings the speed of Solana & the best of crypto UX to Bitcoin. Tap into the rich app ecosystem on Arch & try out the testnet while you’re still early! Visit arch.network to learn more. - 👋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

Gabriel Shipton, film producer and brother of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, joins us alongside Brian Locklin from Ordinals to discuss Project Spartacus. This ambitious initiative aims to permanently archive the Afghan War Logs on Bitcoin's blockchain through ordinals technology, creating an uncensorable repository of historically significant information. They explore how Bitcoin offers unique censorship resistance, the technical challenges they've overcome, and the potential for Bitcoin to serve as a powerful publishing platform for journalists and freedom advocates. Follow our guests: @GabrielShipton @ordinalsbot @bruffstar Notes: - Project archives 76,000+ Afghan War Logs on Bitcoin - Julian Assange was imprisoned for 14 years - War Logs were previously unavailable at times - Julian is free but restricted by plea deal - Bitcoin enabled Wikileaks to survive debanking - Ordinals offer new censorship-resistant archive Check out our Bitcoin scaling conference! Visit opnext.dev to learn more. Timestamps: 00:00 Start 01:25 Project Spartacus 03:18 Before Assange was released 06:36 Ordinalsbot involvement 09:45   Arch 10:17 New financial model for publishing 15:42 Breaking new ground for Ordinals 18:32 Censorship resistant platforms 23:07 Recent wins & losses 29:38 Wrap up - 👉 Brought to you by Arch Network! Arch brings the speed of Solana & the best of crypto UX to Bitcoin. Tap into the rich app ecosystem on Arch & try out the testnet while you’re still early! Visit arch.network to learn more. - 👋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 dive into GameStop's surprising announcement to raise $1.3 billion in convertible notes, potentially to buy Bitcoin. The hosts explore how this connects to the 2021 meme stock saga that gave GameStop its massive cash position, Ryan Cohen's relationship with Michael Saylor, and whether this Bitcoin strategy is a life raft for a retail gaming business in decline. With GameStop's revenue dropping from $8.5B to $3.8B over eight years, is this a smart pivot or just vibe investing? Notes: - GameStop announces $1.3B convertible note offering - Revenue declined from $8.5B to $3.8B in 8 years - Company has $4.76B cash on balance sheet - Cash position largely from 2021 meme stock frenzy - Zero debt after paying off all loans - Saylor posted photo with Ryan Cohen: "Team Bitcoin" Check out our Bitcoin scaling conference! Visit opnext.dev to learn more. Timestamps: 00:00 Start 00:28 GameStop enters the chat 02:05 GME be buying 07:58 Roaring Kitty Redux 10:43 Financials 13:25   Arch 13:56 Business evolution 20:14 Volatility trade 25:28 Not a crazy pivot 30:22 BTC makes an honest market or not... - 👉 Brought to you by Arch Network! Arch brings the speed of Solana & the best of crypto UX to Bitcoin. Tap into the rich app ecosystem on Arch & try out the testnet while you’re still early! Visit arch.network to learn more. - 👋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