Gavin Green

We dig into why scams and hacks feel relentless right now, from AI-powered trickery to supply chain compromises that shake confidence in hardware wallets. We also challenge the “just use an ETF” narrative, then close with a sobering look at CBDCs and how control can be enforced from the top down.

• the simple rule that “too good to be true” is always a scam

• Grokbot agents, browser access and the privacy trade-off

• Ledger supply chain attacks and why authorised resellers are not enough

• self-custody threat models, open source components and DIY options

• the Blink wallet hack, why 2FA matters and custodial versus self-custody risk

• African Bitcoin Corporation red flags and how reputations get laundered

• how scammers write, promise and recruit using repeatable patterns

• why scammers go after critics with lawsuits and intimidation

• Russia’s CBDC rollout strategy and the bigger lesson for adoption

• Tether’s scale, freezing power and why it resembles a de facto CBDC 

https://x.com/abcptza

https://x.com/BitcoinEkasi

https://x.com/OrangeSaaS

https://x.com/handre

https://handre.substack.com

https://bitcoinonly.io/

https://www.useorange.com/

https://btcpayserver.org/

https://btcpay386617.lndyn.com/login?ReturnUrl=%2F

https://bitcoinfriendlysa.co.za

https://fountain.fm/episode/oWq038Blag0QRAurej7g

Humans are the top of the food chain because of our brains. Hands too soft to break open a coconut? Use a rock. Suffocating prey too hard? Sharpen flint to use as a knife. Too slow to chase down prey? Shoot it with a bow and arrow. We have used tools to our advantage since the beginning. It's our brain that has helped us make those tools. AI is now the tool for our brains. It will help us with our natural limitations so we do so much more. What a time to be alive.

Only 29 days left of winter. Southern Hemisphere rocks 🤘🤘🤘

We unpack why South Africa’s new draft crypto regulations could be less about protection and more about control, then pivot into what real pushback might look like when the rules sit on top of unsettled legal ground. We also confront a brutal self-custody lesson from the Coldcard RNG failure and ask how Bitcoiners stay paranoid without becoming reckless followers of loud voices. • draft crypto and Bitcoin regulations in South Africa and why process matters • challenging regulation through litigation strategy rather than debating each clause • capital controls as the real fight and why banks benefit • grassroots campaigns versus corporate compliance culture • Coldcard entropy failure and what it breaks in self-custody trust • why open source hardware and verifiable code become non-negotiable • practical entropy methods including dice rolls and device-based randomness • BIP110 activation fallout and why proof-of-work changes look fringe • strategic Bitcoin reserve companies leverage risks and why late entrants struggle • cult personalities in Bitcoin and why humility matters when stakes are high join property rights defense, it’s propertyrightsdefense.org. We’re getting a legal fund together. You can send some Bitcoin our way, and we’ll use it for funding the legal offense

https://fountain.fm/episode/4W7oNQLJSF3LrpZXptgL

Nextcloud running on

crashes with every app update. Guess it's ossification for me now.

I first bumped into

at TABConf2024

when I volunteered to help out at the event. He wasn't there. Or if he was, we wasnt introduced. The posters and banner artwork immediately caught my attention. Comic books are always something I've enjoyed, fat as far back as I can remember. And it's almost always the visuals that gets me. I've been away from comics for a while but walking into that room brought it all back to me. It's also not just the style I love about NG, it's the subject matter too. My dad bought a ZX Spectrum 16k machine in the early 80's. You needed to plug in a tube TV and tape deck (software was a cassette tape back then). Growing up with computers, watching them evolve (along side myself) but struggling to get other people to share my fascination was just how it was. My best friend could even switch it on. Building PC's from ordered parts, adding in sound cards and video cards, watching Commodore and Amiga do amazing things that pc's couldn't do (back then), has been a huge part of my childhood and teenage memories. In my adult years it was setting up a raspberry pi to my my first bitcoin node, and btcpayserver, and all the wallet & nostr stuff. No Good brings all that wonder back into one book. (The stickers are a wicked bonus too). Thanks man, the wait was worth it.

We weigh up BIP 110 and Bitcoin spam without pretending anger is a strategy, then zoom out to how narratives shape both protocol fights and geopolitics. We end on hands-on freedom tech, from Start9 and Nostr to self-hosted AI, plus a reminder that most Bitcoin “disasters” start with a basic node check. • why BIP 110 is framed as a fix by some and a protest by others • the uncomfortable idea that fees may be the only neutral filter • how knee-jerk reactions and online behaviour distort technical debates • Iran, the Strait of Hormuz, and the economic knock-on effects of escalation • propaganda incentives and “good guy” branding in foreign policy • South African elections, legitimacy, and the case for smaller governance units • the Freedom Stack framing: Bitcoin, Nostr, and AI as practical tools • Start9 experiences: remote access, services, hardware constraints, and experimentation • privacy trade-offs when using hosted AI versus local models • troubleshooting a “missing payment” by checking node sync and connectivity Get yourself a little bit of Bitcoin, get off zero, buy something, move it around from your phone wallet onto somebody else. Just mess around, just get comfortable with it. Take five bucks, ten bucks, something, fifty bucks, something that you're not afraid to lose, and just try something.

https://fountain.fm/episode/SKEc9swfpnQW0Cu9wbDR

The next wave of AI will not only change how we work, it will change what we believe. When deepfakes get plausible, citations can be fabricated, and “evidence” can be manufactured at scale, the real threat becomes an epistemic crisis: a slow collapse of shared reality where even experts struggle to verify what is true. We sit down with freelance journalist Ivo Vegter to talk honestly about that risk, and why the fix is not panic but disciplined source checking, clearer provenance, and a return to careful fact-finding.

https://fountain.fm/episode/TJiFIiQnc9i5WKj5xzWh

We trade jokes and hard truths about stablecoins, surveillance, and why “self-custody” means very different things depending on who holds the off switch. We move from BTC Prague and Europe’s privacy-first Bitcoin culture to South African capital controls, then finish with a hands-on tour of tools like silent payments and Start9 for anyone who wants more real-world sovereignty.

• BTC Prague highlights and why European Bitcoiners feel more cypherpunk • DAC8 as automated KYC data sharing and why Bull Bitcoin takes it to court • On-chain spam arguments and why virtue signalling does not fix technical problems • Rwanda and South Africa regulatory pressure through the lens of property rights • Why capital controls undermine a free and open society • Party politics scepticism and why “a saviour” narrative fails • Silent payments in Sparrow Wallet for better Bitcoin privacy • Progressive web wallets as a path around app store gatekeepers • Nostr VPN, decentralised tools and peer-to-peer messaging under censorship • Start9 OS 0.40, remote access and making self-hosting usable • Private AI trade-offs, data retention and why cloud convenience has a cost • Mining centralisation, Stratum V2 and the nation-state angle

If you've got any SATS lying around, please donate to property rightsdefense.org. Send some SATS over to us, please.

https://fountain.fm/episode/5qAinf7cQ4JdepKX7DEm

The latest monthly roundup episode: We go deep on what “sovereign computing” looks like when you try it for real, from spinning up a Fedimint federation to self-hosting services that keep working even when platforms or politics turn against you. We then connect local AI, persistent knowledge bases, and geopolitics to one question: do we own our tools or do we rent our future?

https://fountain.fm/episode/TZH8CDPw9GF6Hu0fow6r

This is a humble request for banking executives (the C-Suite types), to try and use their own services as a normal client would have to use them.

Just give your support number a call and see what you have to deal with. I have just completed a security check, after two days of trying to reach the right department, only to be told I have failed the security questions. I have never heard of most the accounts, companies, credit cards, etc they asked me about, but I failed the test.

I guess some database was bought, probably on the cheap, with BS data and that is viewed as more reliable than me on phone, logged into both my online banking site, and mobile phone app, while on the phone with the banking consultant, answering their questions.

This is not a dig at any one bank. I have accounts with all the colours - take your pick.

Please don't tell me it's for my own protection. It's for YOUR protection.

If your security systems worked, then the much-touted increase in fraudulent transactions and activity would not be possible, and you would not have to keep tightening the screws.

Have a wonderful Friday.

Imagine telling a stranger your most personal message so they can walk it across the room to your partner—then watching them copy it into a company database. That’s how most digital communication works today. We unpack why privacy is not secrecy, why “I have nothing to hide” is a trap, and how to build a tech life that works in your interest rather than mining it.

https://fountain.fm/episode/FflriuwjQQuKHFNx7Phg

The year of the Linux Laptop 2 months in and my laptop still makes me smile every time it boots up. Super fast boot up, software that just works, did I mention most of it is free?

Pro tip for politicians: If you want to demonstrate your effectiveness, there is simply no better way than to just cut the grass. It's the easiest, cheapest and least technically complicated of any of the municipal services we pay for. If you can't do this, how are you to be trusted or believed when you talk about anything else more difficult and complicated?

The legends at Trezor and TrezorAcademy sponsored these beauties at the Adopting Bitcoin Cape Town 2026 conference. Thanks guys, this is incredible

The Bronx are a kick-ass rock band. Some of my favorite tracks are from this band. BUT, they have this alter ego called Mariachi El Bronx. Brilliant stuff. I'm a sucker for a bit of brass in a song, something from the early days of Red Hot Chillie Peppers - Flea puts some soul into the funk sound from their roots. Mariachi El Bronx have LOTS of brass, rythmn and melody. What more could you ask for?

This is Linda. She gives life to people so desperate with poverty and depression, that they can't get out of bed in the morning. Donate to the cause. Send some sats. #abct2026

This is Ben and his 14yr old daughter Sam. She's speaking here at the Adopting Bitcoin Cape Town 2026 conference. Maybe my kids will join me for the next bitcoin conference? #abct2026

The word ''work'' appears more than 800 times in Scripture (more than ''heaven'' or ''hell'', although fewer times than ''money''). I think on this a lot. https://blossom.primal.net/794c488cd757f3d7f269d1314cffc1cd2bc1752f9f730fcf2c564387764ec741.png

It's coming up to the State of the Nation address time again. If you want to know what the state is, just drive around your neighborhood.

Are the roads in good condition? Are the road markings clear? Do the sidewalks have overgrown weeds? Do you even have side walks? Are the road sign boards straight, upright and rust free? Are the traffic lights working? How about the street lights? The public parks?

The list goes on and on once you stop to take a look.

Politicians are good at speaking. What they don't understand is that words are useless. Only action matters. Have a look around and see - use your eyes, not your ears.

If the Deep State in the US is seemingly powerful enough to control government policy, why is the Deep State in the EU seemingly unable to do the same? Carbon Zero goals are killing the European Industrial machine. Why is it not doing the same in the US?

The greatest sport on the planet

The Lazy Lizard restaurant in Prince Albert accepts bitcoin payments. Powered by

, it's a sweet experience. Be sure to stop by and support them.

Morning sun is the best

Cook'n up something new

Nothing comes close to artwork from

. This wallpaper on my phone makes me smile every time I pick it up.

The porn industry is always an early tech adopter. VHS, Internet, streaming and now NOSTR

After the space bar, the "enter" key must be the most used key on the keyboard. For the love of all that is holy, why is there not a standard size/placement/position?!

Monthly Round-Up 4: We trade war stories about AI coding that dazzles then stalls, and show how self-hosted LLMs and agents can reclaim privacy and time. The talk shifts to real-world Bitcoin: QR payments across South Africa, M-Pesa bridges in Kenya, community custody with FediMint, and a world-first open secure element from Trezor.

• AI tools that impress early then hit walls • Self-hosted LLMs on Start9 for privacy and resilience • Defaults and data: using AI to summarise terms • Local hosting versus cloud trade-offs • FediMint community custody experiments and limits • Money Badger scaling Bitcoin at 700k+ South African merchants • Safety gains with Tando bridging Bitcoin to M-Pesa • How Bitcoin scales via existing rails and “change in sats” • Breez Time To Build challenge and OpenSats grants • Trezor Safe 7 with open secure element • China’s e-CNY, BRICS, and why neutral money matters

If you haven’t bought your tickets yet, what are you doing? You can get 10% off your ticket if you use the code OKIN

https://fountain.fm/episode/MYjYhsG52r4dKWGLnWp5

Great article. The question is how do governments go back to sound money? Game theory prevents this as a realistic likelihood - sound money places spending limits on governments. If you're the only one, you will get left behind as your neighbors out spend you. True, over a long time frame your citizens will be much better off, but you will probably be voted out before seeing real change. It's political chaos.

This is why bitcoin is the only possible option. And it's through discovery by everyone people, saving and USING it for everyday purchases. When individuals and businesses start preferring to be paid in bitcoin and offer discounts for such, this will be the driving force for governments to adopt it as legal tender. It's the sly and round about way.

That's the day we celebrate.

I've started using

on my home server. It's really incredible that this quality and functionality is free and fully open source software. Anyone looking to move away from big tech in the cloud, and to a more secure solution that just works, should just start here.

The news cycle says crisis; history says pattern. We sit down with political philosopher and lecturer Gerhard Wolmarans to test whether our moment is truly exceptional or simply another liminal passage where the old order fades and the new hasn’t yet taken shape. From Rome to Mali, the Glorious to the French Revolution, Gerhard traces how change arrives—sometimes as a flood, sometimes as a slow thaw—and why the health of politics often decides whether societies reform or fracture.

https://fountain.fm/episode/kz6N4SmdiGWzNCUsOEDC

Immigration happens for two reasons; the push of conflict or the pull of opportunity. Opportunity seems divided between highly skilled, sought after people, and low skilled labour people. AI could replace the first, and robotics replace the second. This should be interesting.

Want to see Bitcoin move from theory to till? I sit down with

—the team quietly onboarding UK pubs, cafés, galleries, and independents—to unpack a playbook that starts with footfall, not hype. Their pitch is disarmingly simple: free setup, native Bitcoin stack, and a customer base that seeks you out.

https://fountain.fm/episode/EmD2mU2pwhSQXSSrW04v

Business owners that accept bitcoin payments, are having a great time stacking extra sats, every time the bitcoin price drop.

Episode 3 of the Monthly RoundUp:

The mood swings of the market don’t define the mission—and this roundtable proves it. We swap war stories from live demos and travel to Lugano with an update on a coastal Bitcoin hub in South Africa, then dive straight into the most charged question of the moment: what really happens when crypto dollars move on Bitcoin rails via Lightning and RGB? There’s clear utility for cross-border payments and the global south, but also a live risk of compliance creep, node capture, and cultural drift away from self-sovereign money. We unpack the geopolitics, from Washington’s embrace of Tether as an inflation export and Treasury buyer to the EU’s CBDC-first strategy, and ask what builders should assume about state incentives and surveillance.

https://fountain.fm/episode/OTJx8iCQ8rdo8AEhLg9P

Everybody can. But most won't. We are our own gate keepers.

When people ask why Nostr is important.

Episode 3 of the Monthly RoundUp:

The mood swings of the market don’t define the mission—and this roundtable proves it. We swap war stories from live demos and travel to Lugano with an update on a coastal Bitcoin hub in South Africa, then dive straight into the most charged question of the moment: what really happens when crypto dollars move on Bitcoin rails via Lightning and RGB? There’s clear utility for cross-border payments and the global south, but also a live risk of compliance creep, node capture, and cultural drift away from self-sovereign money. We unpack the geopolitics, from Washington’s embrace of Tether as an inflation export and Treasury buyer to the EU’s CBDC-first strategy, and ask what builders should assume about state incentives and surveillance.

https://fountain.fm/episode/4U6CkTLMjLNgiO0ZKk27

If money is freedom, what happens when 600 000 stores switch on bitcoin?

I had a great chat with Carl from Moneybadger to find out what is the story behind the story.

https://fountain.fm/episode/4U6CkTLMjLNgiO0ZKk27

If there was any doubt the system is rigged?!

US Stocks Hit Record Highs Amid Shutdown: Wall Street’s indexes closed at record highs on Wednesday, buoyed by strong sector performance and optimism that the US government shutdown will be brief. Investors shrugged off the first day of the shutdown and weaker-than-expected private payrolls data, with the S&P 500 gaining 0.3%, the Nasdaq 100 rising 0.5%, and the Dow adding 43 points. (TradingEconomics)

Want to pay for coffee with #bitcoin? Bootlegger Sea Point has you covered, using the

app

Rode the official training rode for 947 in Pretoria today, with my dad aged 80. It's probably his last 947 event. Good morning out 👍

Great South African beer mixed with a great South African sport

Have you ever wondered what Bitcoin actually is, beyond the headlines and jargon? This conversation with Walker America, host of one of the fastest-growing Bitcoin podcasts worldwide, breaks everything down into refreshingly simple terms that anyone can understand.

Walker's own journey mirrors what many experience—dismissing Bitcoin in 2014, dabbling in cryptocurrencies at the 2017 peak, then finally grasping Bitcoin's significance during the 2020 pandemic. His candid admission that "I knew absolutely nothing about money or economics" before exploring Bitcoin resonates with anyone who's felt intimidated by financial systems designed to seem complex.

https://fountain.fm/episode/tDRURyGfnHqme1CSZoWw

I swear, it's easier to run a lightning node on a Raspi Pi, than it is to use Linex. Linex has been around for 33 years and just installing an app is a hassle. As a freedom tech, non-dev, enthusiast I'm really trying here. But having to copy and paste lines of code to get a basic app to work?!

What bitcoin devs have achieved in15 years is incredible. Nostr too.

This is how we win.

Keep on coding guys and gals. The rest of us desperately need you.

Shout out to

and @BootleggerCC for enabling bitcoin payments at all their stores. Had fun with the family over breakfast

Fantastic discussion with @IvoVegter on Markets, Freedom and Leadership with specific comparisons between Javier Milei and Donald Trump. Catch the full episode below:

https://fountain.fm/episode/Z1INbhVPmDRSLfHHzCGw

What if the technology that promises to simplify your life is secretly working against you? In this eye-opening conversation with Jordan Bravo, host of the Sovereign Computing Show, we pull back the curtain on the hidden costs of our digital convenience.

https://fountain.fm/episode/MOrFeX1CbzvAaqWv6jqA

I'm about half way through this series, and it's absolutely chilling. If ever there was a case for the existence of Evil in this world, then this is a pretty good place to lay the foundation of such. The methodical approach, taken with such care and patience, over such a long period of time, and with such a wide net, can never be accidental. It is coordinated malice and hatred of humanity on a scale I don't think has existed before. Learning about this has been extremely motivating for me. I am thinking deeply about how to life going forward. One of your best episodes Guy - thank you

https://fountain.fm/episode/0OXwF9eimcw8UAx1Nz2g

Just used

for the first time. Visiting a new country for a few days as an extended connection, for a short holiday, between the US and South Africa. Took 5 minutes to order, pay and setup using LN. No hassle. No personal info required. This is incredible.

Only in The Netherlands can you ride 120km and climb 29m.

nostr:nevent1qqsw5mx2syhxlnhmtff5sqr4vklttvrpfp3h99vhnldkc9vw932c0eqprpmhxue69uhkummnw3ezuum9vfshxarf0qhxgetks5npwg

First episode of my new podcast. Understanding Freedom through Money, Technology, Economics and Philosophy. South African flavor.

https://fountain.fm/show/jfZokPuWino6F91jSGYq

Bitcoin is transforming South Africa’s retail landscape—and it’s just getting started. 🚀

From the townships of Bitcoin Ekasi to the coastal vibes of Bitcoin Witsand and Plettenberg Bay, communities are ditching rand for sats, building circular economies that empower the unbanked, freelancers, and small businesses. Now, giants like Pick ’n Pay (2,300+ stores) and global chains like Steak ’n Shake (500+ U.S. outlets) are joining the movement, slashing fees and unlocking financial freedom.

Why it matters: ✅ Lower transaction costs for retailers ✅ Hedge against inflation & currency collapse ✅ Financial inclusion for millions excluded from banks ✅ Borderless commerce for local businesses

South Africa’s retail revolution is here. Can your business afford to ignore Bitcoin?

https://bitcoinforbusiness.io/bitcoins-retail-revolution-in-south-africa-how-ekasi-witsand-and-beyond-are-reshaping-commerce/

why do I need to give my name, date of birth and email address to activate my wallet? What happened to permissionless money?

You know we have hit the mainstream when ‘elites’ are arguing over the term ‘sats’. Reminds me of a bunch of politicians creating a storm over absolutely nothing, in an attempt to sound relevant. The most anti-cyberpunk thing I’ve ever heard.

Remember how Jordan Petersen became famous? Some authority tried to make it a crime to NOT address someone by their preferred pronouns. He called BS, went viral and never stopped. This is the same woke agenda. You want to implement a policy to force us to name change? What happened to emergent and discoverable by the people? nevent1qqs8756kpq6h0vawhfr3csfdfgq5fk66ng77dt8z96znmadlfczjfdgpyfmhxue69uhkummnw3ez6an9wf5kv6t9vsh8wetvd3hhyer9wghxuet5d0htx9

We won’t be winning people over to Nostr if this is the quality they the content they find when they get here nevent1qqs0p3eymujq3tlldaqpaw8jsezku975muhncr000nd9hrkv0aaxv7gpp4mhxue69uhkummn9ekx7mqum57nm