With more and more Bitcoin events popping up worldwide, finding the right ones isn’t always easy. Online searches are often flooded with irrelevant crypto, fintech, and Web3 noise, making it even tougher to spot Bitcoin-only gatherings—especially those built on integrity and pure signal. That’s why word of mouth and trusted communities matter so much. More often than not, they’re the most efficient way to discover the few truly worthwhile gatherings each year.

Nick Szabo’s seminal paper on micropayments and mental transaction costs raises a crucial question: do users really want to deal with countless micro-decisions about small payments in an online world? Szabo argued that even trivial transactions impose a psychological burden, causing users to avoid such payments. Yet, Bitcoin-powered platforms like Stacker News (SN) and Nostr challenge this idea, with users actively participating in micro-transactions—“zaps”—seemingly without exhaustion.

Amethyst, a popular Nostr client, has launched its latest update, v0.90.0, bringing enhancements to its feature set and performance. This new version introduces support for NIP-35 Torrent files, optimizes memory usage, and revamps its caching mechanisms to improve how users interact with Nostr's decentralized communication platform. The update also includes several bug fixes and interface improvements, making Amethyst more efficient and user-friendly.

As governments worldwide intensify their scrutiny of encrypted messaging services, the importance of decentralized protocols has never been more apparent. The recent arrest of Telegram's founder, Pavel Durov, and legislative moves to undermine end-to-end encryption reveal the vulnerabilities inherent in centralized platforms. Unlike centralized services, decentralized protocols like Nostr offer a more robust defense against surveillance and censorship, ensuring privacy remains intact. In this context, decentralization isn't just a technological choice—it's a critical strategy in the ongoing fight for privacy and freedom of expression.