Is war/fighting a disregard for humanity?

Warning: Disturbing and graphic content. Watching or listening to this will affect you mentally and physically - for who knows how long.

Exposing the Russian Military Unit Behind a Massacre in Bucha | Visual Investigations
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrGZ66uKcl0

Is this a Russian-soldier only issue? No, I do not think so.

Iraq War Veterans, 20 Years Later: ‘I Don’t Know How to Explain the War to Myself’ | Op-Docs
https://youtu.be/RIWfH3iEgXU

Personal experience from a US Marine during the Vietnam War
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tixOyiR8B-8

Discussions of De-dollarization make me think that the Ukraine situation may be a much bigger issue. 

The War in Ukraine Could Change Everything | Yuval Noah Harari | TED
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQqthbvYE8M

De-Dollarization Is Happening at a ‘Stunning’ Pace
https://archive.ph/C8Qd3

Since Bitcoin appears to be the largest accepted global currency, is it the safest for the public to hold or invest in? If not, what is?

Related: How many big banks have to fail before it is a bigger problem? Where is the line drawn? How close are we to it? How can we measure the health of the American economic system? There seems a lot of shuffling of money to resolve issues as they appear. When does this stop? Or is this the new norm until something more serious occurs? What reassurances do we have?

Would a BRICS Common Currency Work?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHZnVdBZJfA

US could face economic turmoil if another bank faces collapse, money bosses warn - BBC News
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYFZIFkTz-U

Is having pride in your nation an old way of thinking? Ego related and wrong? Should we instead consider humanity as a whole?

America used to be known for its freedom(s). Where does it rank now?

How I view China after 12 years Living Here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpkQ0_yHab4

Does politics, as we supposedly know it - make sense? Should we rethink how our governments are structured, laws are made, and our relationships with other countries?

Do not do financing these days. The interest rates are too high. Find a better solution.

@~3:20mins someone mentions them extending the amount of months to drop the monthly payment cost. This has been mentioned in real estate housing as well. This bypasses the issue (short term), but what is the long term result overall? People need to be smarter (do more research, think more deeply about the problem, and think long term) about how they are using their money.

A.I. becoming more accessible?

One of my coworkers is leaving our team, and the company I work for - for other things. It was a surprise, abrupt, and also curious - about where he is going and what it will be, but also if AI can help me craft a farewell messsage. Or atleast a great start at one - for me to edit and make my own - in a very short amount of time...

I noticed a free tool this morning in my news feed and I thought this may be an opportunity to try it out. I have tried a couple of other tools and they worked good. But this tool offered a different approach (AutoGPT). I had read about it before - and seen similar previous offerings as well. But not in an easy to use UI like this...

After editing, my final email was: As you prepare to leave our team, I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude for all that you've done for us. Your contributions and your guidance to the team have been invaluable in our success. I will always remember how friendly, supportive, knowledgeable, and positive about our products. You have truly been an asset to the team, and I will miss your expertise and leadership. While I am are sad to see you go, I are also excited for you as you embark on your new journey – and curious as well. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors, and I have no doubt that you will continue to excel in whatever you do. Please reach out touch and let me know how you're doing. I would love to hear about your new adventures and successes. Thank you again for everything, and best of luck in your next chapter. 

I am trying to keep an eye on tools that will help me be more efficient, while still maintaining quality. 


Other AI that I have yet to test out:
https://open-assistant.io/chat
https://eugeneyan.com/writing/llm-experiments/
https://twitter.com/_Lonis_/status/1646641412182536196
http://godmode.space/
https://www.debate-devil.com/en
https://github.com/Torantulino/Auto-GPT
https://github.com/varunshenoy/GraphGPT
https://cointelegraph.com/news/chatgpt-like-personal-ai-can-now-be-run-locally-musk-warns-singularity-is-near
https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-bedrock-aws-ai-chatgpt-dall-e-competitor-2023-4

How to better communicate with others (via apps)?

Where are we headed? What app should we use to share/communicate with others in a group setting without ads or having an option to have our data not to be mined or sold?

Is there a way to safely determine what my most used services are (by time and by device(mobile/desktop)? (gmail, voice, outlook, figma, youtube, amazon, etc) - and see a daily/weekly/monthly chart of each at any time? My guess is that I would need to install an app on my phone and have a Windows/MacOS desktop app to do this?

This question was inspired by a discussion here:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35070060

Some data to review below (*may be biased):
Most Popular Apps 2022 (United States)

TikTok	99
Instagram	72
Cash App	64
WhatsApp	63
Snapchat	54
Subway Surfers	51.4
Roblox	50.9
Amazon	47
Messenger	46.3
Facebook	45.5

Most Popular Apps 2022 (Global)

TikTok	672
Instagram	548
Facebook	449
WhatsApp	424
CapCut	357
Snapchat	330
Telegram	310
Subway Surfers	304
Stumble Guys	254
Spotify	238

https://www.softwaretestinghelp.com/most-downloaded-apps/

https://www.businessofapps.com/data/most-popular-apps/

https://www.zucisystems.com/blog/15-most-popular-apps-to-download-in-2021/

https://buildfire.com/app-statistics/

Credit Card Processing, Refund Fees and more! What are our options?

FYI - Paypal, Stripe, Shopify and now Square as of this year will not refund processing fees (which is typically a percentage of the sale)?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j40yV7KD62M

https://odysee.com/@rossmanngroup:a/square-merchant-services-screws:3

*Rumor is if you set the transaction to authorize and don't charge until fulfilment you don't pay any fees unless you capture the payment (at least for now, who knows)

Chase supposedly has not implemented this yet?

U.S. Bank will charge you twice for the penalty?

This may cause an uptick in stores adopting restocking fees?

Rumor is that your business bank may have an API key that you can use to build your own website and link your store directly to your bank. There will be a cost to get the site setup to work with it but that should not be all that much to do and is a one time charge. *Ask them if doing this will avoid the cost of refunding processing fees from your customers.

Stax offers a flat subscription fee with no long-term contracts.

https://staxpayments.com/blog/payment-apis-how-they-work/

All traders should specify these charges on receipts. For example: PayPal fee of $25 is 2.5% = $2.50 Non-refundable.

What about offering different payment processors as part of your checkout process? Then clearly marking that "this one charges 30 cents+ 2% of transaction"

This also invents a default "cash discount".

https://www.cryptovantage.com/news/did-strike-global-just-end-transaction-fees-for-the-entire-planet/

2.3% + $0.10 per trans - https://www.clover.com/pricing/quick-service-restaurant

2.75% - https://cash.app/help/US/EN-US/6521-cash-for-business-fees

2.75% fees for USA, refundable if transaction is reversed. https://www.sumup.com/en-us/credit-card-processing-fees/

2.9% + $0.60 per trans - https://support.waveapps.com/hc/en-us/articles/218323823-Wave-Payments-processing-fees-and-timelines

2.99% + $0.15 per trans - https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/small-business/toast-pos-review

Will Ecommerce brands will become their own processor? Lightning Network is a way to achieve this.

A business can accept crypto, as well as any credit card (Visa, Mastercard, AMEX, etc) or fiat. All-in-one solutions are listed below. *What are the fees and service charges?

https://www.pallapay.com/

https://www.ellypos.mk/en/

BTCPay Server Setup: No Fee Bitcoin Only Solution for Merchants - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfXammizweQ


*** JUNE 2023 UPDATE:
Clover, Stripe and PAYPAL ripoff?
Clover screws over restaurants after "no surprises" advertising campaign
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQM2cTxpfJc
No ads video? - https://odysee.com/@rossmanngroup:a/clover-screws-over-restaurants-after-no:e
6 days left to dump Square merchant services before they begin screwing small businesses
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCrxL-lc9d8
No ads video? - https://odysee.com/@rossmanngroup:a/6-days-left-to-dump-square-merchant:9

*** JULY 2023 UPDATE:
Many other options to consider: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36811026

Louis uses https://www.authorize.net and the magento payment gateway - magento.com, which has been bought by Adobe? https://business.adobe.com/products/magento/magento-commerce.html

What about STRIKE?
https://www.paycec.com/faq/what-is-strike-payment-gateway
Strike POS demo - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXYL6k_BHgk
Payment via QR code demo - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWi1xEueISE
STRIKE APP UPDATE! Everything You Need to Know - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqhrCe_jfPM
Official website: https://strike.me/

The NOSTR protocol is... "Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays"

Is the NOSTR protocol like a glorified IRC (IRC + public key cryptography + decentralized + unregulated cross-border payments + awesome UX + no ads)?

A Twitter, Mastodon, ActivityPub, Zelle, PayPal, Venmo, etc. killer?


There are many ways to use the protocol, and many services to choose from.
Android
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=to.iris.twa
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vitorpamplona.amethyst&hl=en
iOS
https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/damus/id1628663131
Web Clients
https://iris.to/
https://astral.ninja
https://snort.social
And Desktop clients as well...


Anyone using NOSTR as their social media platform yet? Its not super simple to setup yet...
It is still fairly in the early stages, glitchy at times, but wow look at the stats: https://nostr.io/stats
Here is a guide - https://blog.getalby.com/the-2-minute-alby-guide-to-nostr/

This is a good explainer video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIccRIEr2gQ

Lightning Network payments and payments: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKKZIrGYkF0

Cash App Bitcoin Lightning Network Tutorial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQJq_xJX3YU

Some people to possibly follow:
vitalik - npub1xwwhsp9k56dhauz6z6wh9j37jalkf6cq4dhwmus67z3vyvnkjxesf3m33n
hello@getalby.com / npub1getal6ykt05fsz5nqu4uld09nfj3y3qxmv8crys4aeut53unfvl
mallers - npub1cn4t4cd78nm900qc2hhqte5aa8c9njm6qkfzw95tszufwcwtcnsq7g3vle
dorsy - npub1sg6plzptd64u62a878hep2kev88swjh3tw00gjsfl8f237lmu63q0uf63m
snowden - npub1sn0wdenkukak0d9dfczzeacvhkrgz92ak56egt7vdgzn8pv2wfqqhrjdv9
me - lover@getalby.com or npub1jmc8wrf3qf82d4lsnz9g30fl33dmh3yx08ygxtzwcaxauy0z03essjq2ev


RESOURCES
https://github.com/aljazceru/awesome-nostr
https://www.reddit.com/r/nostr/


QUESTIONS
What is trustless??
What are Sats?? What are they worth?
Just how cheap are the fees when sending crypto on the Lightning Network?
Off chain transactions and no zero conf??
Get a LNADDRESS, LNURL via a wallet?
What are Zaps or Lightning Tips? https://stacker.news/items/138303


WALLET INFO
https://money.com/best-crypto-wallets/
Invoice from a third party Lightning wallet?
Breez, wallet of satoshi (custodial)
Alby provides a free lightning address - https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/alby/
Your Alby page: https://getalby.com/p/lover
https://getalby.com/node
https://guides.getalby.com/overall-guide/alby-lightning-wallet/connect-your-alby-lightning-wallet-to-other-apps/connect-to-zeus-mobile-app
https://zeusln.app/
cashapp (custodial)
from jack maller - https://zaphq.io/ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhpg_8D2FPI - https://scribe.rip/@JimmyMow/announcing-zap-a-lightning-network-wallet-47622acd89fb
https://www.coinbeast.com/exchanges/strike
ZEBEDEE gamer wallet (has browser addons) - https://zebedee.io/app
https://phoenix.acinq.co/faq
https://bluewallet.io/
*Use a non-custodial wallet so that you are in control of the funds? (has to be always online? no phone wallet?)
How To Get Your Nostr Account NIP-05 Verified - https://thebitcoinmanual.com/articles/nostr-account-nip-05-verified/

#Value4Value #WebLN #LightningNetwork #BTC #NOSTR

JOB OFFER AT ANTIGUA, APPAREL / REDBUBBLE (FAKE CHECK SCAM)

I got the same initial email on January 4th, from 2 different email addresses:
recruiter@antiguasdesign.us
Doris Williams - recruiter@antiguadesign.online

Hi (my name),
I am Doris Williams and I work as a Talent Acquisition Specialist at ANTIGUA APPAREL. I saw your details through behance.net and I was impressed by your experience. You have a very good portfolio overall. Here at Antigua Apparel we are always looking to grow our teams with talented people and achieve great things together. I’d love to tell you a little more about the opening position and learn a few things about you, as well. Are you available? If so, I’d be happy to coordinate via Skype (live:.cid.7934ff4100a5138c) Work Hours Or Shift: Monday to Friday, 8:30 am - 5: 30 pm Salary: $35 - 90 /Hr I hope you have a great day. Sincerely, Doris Williams

Then a follow up email after my response:
We are currently seeking an innovative and dedicated Graphic Designer, Illustrator, UI/UX Designer, Product Designer, Art Director and Visual Designer, Brand Designer to work via remote base, either part-time or full-time.
I am available anytime between 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Monday through Friday. You can connect with me now if you are available. if not, let me know when you will be.
Just to inform you, Our briefing and interview session will be text-based to monitor and appraise all sections.Your verification code is (G0015), this would serve as your interview verification code throughout the Online hiring process.
here is the new Skype ID: (live:.cid.7934ff4100a5138c) send me an invite when you are ready
I look forward to hearing from you. Thank

I believe this is her profile on LinkedIN - https://www.linkedin.com/in/doris-williams-617509224
Because of the 2 different email addresses, and the fact that the domains of the emails do not resolve correctly, I thought it could be a scam. But, I did reach out to their Skype address and did their text interview on Friday - which seemed real. I then filled out some forms and they sent me an email check Monday for supplies (laptop, internet service, etc) $13,839.09 to deposit. After depositing it, I called the issuing bank to see if the check was real, they asked me for the name of the company, the amount, and the numbers at the bottom of the check. They said it is indeed fake. Yikes!

My original post to Reddit got removed per their rules:
https://new.reddit.com/r/Scams/comments/pi4dmp/psa_phone_numbers_and_personal_information_in/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/comments/107tk4k/job_offer_at_antigua_apparel/

I did some research and found that there are similar fake check job scams:
22-year-old shares nightmare of getting scammed by a fake job: ‘I went from excited to devastated in a month’ - Sept 18, 2022 - CNBC
https://archive.md/SVRLf
Laid-Off Workers Are Flooded With Fake Job Offers - Jan 11, 2023 - WSJ
https://archive.md/jCXJe
What can scammers do with your bank account number?
https://www.aura.com/learn/what-can-someone-do-with-your-bank-account-number

Tuesday update:
I called my bank today to see if there is anything that I need to do to protect myself - and to make sure my account is protected. They told me that they will check with their security team and call me back.
Doris asked me to deposit a new check that is specifically meant for Bank of America. I responded that I called the issuing bank and they said that this check is not valid. I told her to send me a valid check.

2/6/23 Update: My bank took almost 30 days to notify me that the check bounced!
1/13/2023 Returned Check 91762 Maker: ANTIGUA APPAREL Return Reason: Account Not On File Returning Bank/ABA: FARMERS BANK/0 $13,839.09 $12,738.36 01/13/2023 

Are there no systems in place to protect bank customers?
When making a mobile deposit, could there be a prompt that says "If you have any doubt on whether the check is real, call the issuing bank to see if it is valid."?
Are there no systems in place to apprehend the criminals?
Why do banks, state and federal law enforcement not have a team that handles these types of crimes?
Why does it seem that the user/customer bears most of the risk, problems and pain?