Round the Fire with Momo

Latest Episodes:

101 - Iran, Israel, War & Peace: A Nuanced Interview with Efrat Fenigson Apr 27, 2026

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Efrat Fenigson is an Israeli 🇮🇱 independent journalist, podcaster, prominent Bitcoiner, and IDF veteran, while I am from Iran 💚🤍❤️🦁☀️.We talked about the Iran-Israel war and our views on it. Despite our perspectives being at times widely at odds, we managed to have a genuinely nuanced conversation.We need way more of these.---🟩 To help spread knowledge and information, you're free to reuse the content on this page—no permission needed. 🟩---Follow Efrat Fenigson:https://linktr.ee/efenigson ---Follow Momo:https://linktr.ee/mktahmasbi---Buy me a coffee ☕️http://coff.ee/roundthefire

100 - What Is Really Happening in Iran? Exposing the Regime’s Lies About the Revolution #kingrezapahlavi Jan 13, 2026

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In this episode, Ziya and I speak openly about what is happening in Iran, not as outsiders, but as Iranians who have spent most of their lives in Iran and whose families are still living there. What the regime and much of the media describe as “protests” is, in reality, a nationwide revolution against the Islamic Republic.At the time of publishing this video, the Iranian regime has shut down the internet for more than four consecutive days in an attempt to suppress information, isolate the population, and escalate violence without scrutiny. During this uprising, more than 12,000 people have been killed by the regime’s oppressive forces.We address the roots of this revolution, the regime’s long history of massacres and misinformation, the role of censorship, and the deliberate distortion of events—particularly around support for the exiled Crown Prince, Reza Pahlavi. This conversation is an effort to document the truth while Iran is being forced into silence.---00:00 Iran’s Nationwide Uprising and the Regime’s Digital Blackout03:18 Why Iranians Are Rising Up Against the Islamic Republic11:10 A History of Massacres and Systematic Repression in Iran14:12 What the Iranian People Are Revolting Against16:37 Why Global Media and Activists Remain Silent on Iran19:09 How Protesters Were Killed: Claims and Reality21:50 The Ukrainian Flight: How the Regime Shot It Down and Covered It Up23:04 Mahsa Amini: State Violence Enforced Through Mandatory Hijab25:25 Palestinians and the Islamic Republic: Reality vs Regime Narrative27:32 Is Opposing the Islamic Republic “Islamophobic”?28:56 The MEK Question: Are They Leading or Exploiting the Revolution?30:43 The One Thing the Islamic Republic Excels At37:13 Internet Censorship in Iran and the Role of Starlink---🟩 To help spread knowledge and information, you're free to reuse the content on this page—no permission needed. 🟩---Follow Momo:https://linktr.ee/mktahmasbi---Buy me a coffee ☕️http://coff.ee/roundthefire

99- Quantum Computing vs Bitcoin: Real Threat or FUD? | Bartosz Naskręcki Explains Dec 26, 2025

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Are quantum computers an existential threat to Bitcoin, or is the fear mostly FUD?In this episode, Bartosz Naskręcki, Vice-Dean of Mathematics and Computer Science at Adam Mickiewicz University, breaks down how Bitcoin’s cryptography actually works, the math behind SHA-256, why SHA-1 failed, and what quantum computing can and cannot realistically do to Bitcoin today — or the foreseeable future.---00:00 – Introduction and Episode Overview02:30 – What Hash Functions Are and Why They Matter06:39 – The Avalanche Effect Explained12:09 – Why Bitcoin Uses SHA-25619:48 – Why GitHub Still Uses SHA-125:46 – How SHA-256 Improved on SHA-134:54 – Quantum Computing Breakthroughs and Bitcoin Security49:09 – What Quantum Computers Actually Are---🟩 To help spread knowledge and information, you're free to reuse the content on this page—no permission needed. 🟩---Follow Momo:https://linktr.ee/mktahmasbi---Buy me a coffee ☕️http://coff.ee/roundthefire

98 - Is Andreas Antonopoulos A Woke Sh*tcoiner (And Does It Really Matter?) Dec 17, 2025

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I break down the recent backlash against Andreas Antonopoulos and explain why personal attacks miss the point in the OP_RETURN debate.---🟩 To help spread knowledge and information, you're free to reuse the content on this page—no permission needed. 🟩---Follow Momo:https://linktr.ee/mktahmasbi---Buy me a coffee ☕️http://coff.ee/roundthefire

97 - Sats Are the Standard | The Truth About BIP-177 and Bitcoin Units Dec 09, 2025

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John Carvalho, CEO of Synonym, has proposed in BIP-177 that we replace “sats” with “bitcoins” as the base unit. The idea gained attention and even support from notable Bitcoiners like Jack Dorsey and Samson Mow. In this video, I break down what this change would mean, why it’s being proposed, and whether we should actually make the shift.---🟩 To help spread knowledge and information, you're free to reuse the content on this page—no permission needed. 🟩---Follow Momo:https://linktr.ee/mktahmasbi---Buy me a coffee ☕️http://coff.ee/roundthefire

96 - Bitcoiners Talk Film: Chris & Momo’s Must-Watch Movies for Bitcoiners Dec 03, 2025

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Chris and Momo share their top film picks that every Bitcoiner should watch.---00:00 - Intro02:48 - World on a Wire (1973) by Rainer Werner Fassbiner18:48 - Blade Runner (1982) by Ridley Scott22:42 - Blade Runner 2049 (2017) by Denis Villeneuve30:14 - RoboCop (1987) by Paul Verhoeven43:56 - Judge Dredd (1995) by Danny Cannon49:31 - Dredd (2012) by Pete Travis50:55 - Gattaca (1997) by Andrew Niccol55:36 - The Matrix (1999) by the Wachowskis01:09:14 - Follow Chris's Work---Follow Chris on X: https://x.com/coinjoinedFollow Chris on Nostr: npub1r8343wqpra05l3jnc4jud4xz7vlnyeslf7gfsty7ahpf92rhfmpsmqwym8---🟩 To help spread knowledge and information, you're free to reuse the content on this page—no permission needed. 🟩---Follow Momo:https://linktr.ee/mktahmasbi---Buy me a coffee ☕️http://coff.ee/roundthefire

95 - Are Spark and Ark Real Bitcoin L2s? Justin Explains Nov 11, 2025

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In this interview, Justin (Shocknet) shares his view that projects like Spark and Ark are presenting themselves as Bitcoin “Layer 2” solutions while still relying on trusted, centralized models. He argues this reflects an evolution of the old shitcoin mentality within Bitcoin. We explore his perspective and what he believes defines a truly Bitcoin-native Layer 2.---00:00 – Intro01:17 – Justin’s Journey: How He Got Into Bitcoin and Building on It05:13 – Spark and Ark: LARPing as Real Bitcoin Layer 2s?16:01 – Lightning Network Pain Points26:12 – Scaling Bitcoin by Making Trust Local: ShockWallet and Lightning.Pub28:38 – The Role of Nostr in ShockWallet32:56 – The Case Against Using Lightning Over Tor35:40 – What Makes Running a Lightweight Lightning Node Possible38:13 – Nostr’s Precursor: Gun, Created by Justin42:58 – The Role of Nostr in Bitcoin Development45:46 – The Downsides of BOLT1247:54 – Lightning.Video: Better Than OnlyFans?55:21 – Setting Up Your Lightning Node with Lightning.Pub and ShockWallet01:01:34 – Does an Internet Cutoff Pose Risks to Lightning Channels?01:04:37 – Do We Need Another Bitcoin Soft Fork for Better Layer 2 Development?01:10:03 – Is Cashu Really Private?01:15:49 – Where to Follow Justin’s Work--- Follow Justin and his work:[https://shock.network](https://shock.network/)https://shockwallet.app/https://lightning.pub/https://lightning.video/https://x.com/shocknet_justinNostr Npub: npub1xvtwx6tduaxnn9v3y7uasskl277achgu0tu2qncmc7hdsz6y2zyqce64saLearn more about Gun, the Nostr's pre-cursor: https://gun.eco/--- 🟩 To help spread knowledge and information, you're free to reuse the content on this page—no permission needed. 🟩---Follow Momo:https://linktr.ee/mktahmasbiBuy me a coffee ☕️http://coff.ee/roundthefire

94 - How RSA Turned Beautiful Math into Unbreakable Encryption Oct 10, 2025

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In this episode, Momo sits down with his friend and long-time flatmate, Sohail, a mathematician, for a relaxed conversation about RSA cryptography—how it works and why it was revolutionary. Sohail breaks down the math behind RSA with clear, accessible examples and shares bonus fun facts about mathematics, broken predictions, and the future of math in an open-source world.---Hardy writes: "The 'real' mathematics of the 'real' mathematicians, the mathematics of Fermat and Euler and Gauss and Abel and Riemann, is almost wholly 'useless'."A similar quote is attributed to Gauss, Sohail’s beloved mathematician. He jokingly said "I must have committed blasphemy by attributing it to someone else." Here’s the exact quote:"Mathematics is the queen of the sciences, and number theory is the queen of mathematics. She often condescends to render service to astronomy and other natural sciences, but under all circumstances she is entitled to first rank."---00:58 – Sohail’s background in mathematics03:23 – Math and real-world applications08:11 – Asymmetric cryptography (like public-key cryptography) vs. symmetric cryptography (like the Caesar cipher)11:18 – Remembering Gauss and Gauss Junior15:55 – Is asymmetric cryptography mind-blowing?17:53 – Why RSA cryptography was ground-breaking21:01 – Explaining RSA through the “suitcase” analogy25:09 – The math behind RSA32:18 – What kinds of functions can be used in RSA?34:58 – Clock-like modular functions in RSA40:59 – Fermat’s Little Theorem as the basis of RSA48:11 – A more complex function than Fermat’s Little Theorem used in RSA50:43 – How your password reaches your bank securely using RSA59:41 – Do my function and my bank’s function need to match in RSA?01:01:19 – The importance of prime numbers in cryptography01:04:06 – Accessible resources for math enthusiasts01:05:40 – Nuance: which exponentiation operations are invalid in RSA01:10:25 – Can a hacker intercept and decode an RSA-encrypted message?01:12:28 – Why the move to elliptic curves?01:14:00 – Other real-world applications of number theory01:19:03 – The future of mathematics---Fermat's little theorem explanation:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermat's_little_theoremThe channel for explaining math concepts in simple words, 3Blue1Brown. This source doesn’t explain Fermat’s Little Theorem, but it is an accessible source for math enthusiasts without specialized training.https://www.youtube.com/@3blue1brownEnigma Cipher Center, the cryptography museum in Poznan, Polandhttps://csenigma.pl/en/My Nostr post about the internet and cryptography:https://primal.net/e/nevent1qqs9x3rxx3s9fhg6jwzvafgh6vvvxe658junc0vt4lphmcdl4w9ccrs9rk8dd---🟩 To help spread knowledge and information, you're free to reuse the content on this page—no permission needed. 🟩---Follow Momo:https://linktr.ee/mktahmasbi---Buy me a coffee ☕️http://coff.ee/roundthefire

93 - Monero vs. Bitcoin: Is Monero Really the Money of Criminals? Aug 28, 2025

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Is Monero really the money of criminals? (A more interesting question is: Should it be the money of criminals?)In this video, I break down the myths and realities of Monero’s privacy, why criminals use it, and how it stacks up against Bitcoin’s Lightning Network. Privacy isn’t just for criminals—it’s a right. But is Monero as private as people think?---00:19 – Privacy Is a Human Right01:24 – Why Bitcoin’s Base Layer Lacks Privacy02:41 – Monero’s Blockchain & Tail Emission03:15 – Can Monero Really Be Tracked?04:23 – Lightning Network: A Different Take on Privacy05:18 – The Ever-Changing Nature of Privacy---Guy Swann’s interview with Super Testnet:Chat_138 - Bitcoin Needs More Civil Wars with Super Testnethttps://youtu.be/eRPfcUI9ByI---🟩 To help spread knowledge and information, you're free to reuse the content on this page—no permission needed. 🟩---Follow Momo:https://linktr.ee/mktahmasbi---Buy me a coffee ☕️http://coff.ee/roundthefire

92 - Philipp Alexander: Bitcoin is my safety net! (Author of 21 Voices. 21 Paths.) Aug 15, 2025

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This is Philipp Alexander’s debut appearance on a Bitcoin podcast. We discussed his upcoming book “21 Voices. 21 Paths.”, which is a collection of interviews with 21 lesser-known pioneers driving Bitcoin adoption and education around the world.Our conversation covered Bitcoin, Nostr, and how these technologies are shaping the future. Here’s what we discussed:00:00 – Intro01:07 – Discovering Austrian Economics and Bitcoin06:55 – How Austrian Economics is viewed in business circles09:52 – The Bitcoin Awakening: From altcoins to Bitcoin maximalism16:05 – Philipp’s book: 21 Voices, 21 Paths20:59 – The impact of inflation on daily life27:39 – Personal transformation through Bitcoin30:05 – Bitcoin as your safety net31:36 – Are more people willing to spend sats?34:27 – Is self-custody the future?41:47 – Moving from easy to more secure Bitcoin custody44:37 – How Nostr is revolutionizing social media51:45 – Zaps: Sending value, not just information52:06 – Bitcoin-based crowdfunding: Geyser and Angor57:23 – How to support Round the Fire with Momo---Follow Philipp Alexander:X (Twitter): https://x.com/depakesNostr npub: npub1r9jwydslx3zyc4yh06n52jam85kewle302f4c6hyhqgqvvxu3wlskug5fx---🟩 To help spread knowledge and information, you're free to reuse the content on this page—no permission needed. 🟩---Follow Momo:https://linktr.ee/mktahmasbi---Buy me a coffee ☕️http://coff.ee/roundthefire

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