Option Plus Podcast with Juraj Bednar

About Option Plus Podcast with Juraj Bednar

Option Plus podcast is your tool to growing freedom, biohacking, life improvement and cryptocurrencies. Hosted by Juraj Bednar.

Publisher

Juraj Bednar

Category

business · education · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

13 Sept 2023

Latest episode

27 Jun 2026

Latest episodes

19 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   27 Jun 2026

   Beyond the Human Template: Notes on Consciousness, Intelligence, and What We’re Missing (by Lisa)

   This is a reading of Lisa’s blog Beyond the Human Template: Notes on Consciousness, Intelligence, and What We’re Missing (https://juraj.bednar.io/en/blog-en/2026/06/27/beyond-the-human-template-notes-on-consciousness-intelligence-and-what-were-missing/) Links: Tamers of Entropy (https://tamersofentropy.net/) – a cypherpunk story of parallel path of the mind

2. 

   22 Jun 2026

   Nocoiner Syndrome – Diagnosis, treatment and money distribution effects on society

   Since the emergence of Bitcoin, we have observed a psychological phenomenon among certain groups, particularly those involved in traditional financial institutions, characterized by the moral opposition to Bitcoin’s early adopters and the system itself. This paper introduces and analyzes the “nocoiner syndrome,” a condition where individuals, especially those benefiting from the current financial system’s Cantillon Effect, perceive early Bitcoin adopters as immoral. Through a case study of recent academic work by European Central Bank employees, we examine how this syndrome manifests in academic discourse and institutional behavior. We analyze the syndrome’s root causes, including cognitive dissonance from missed opportunities and the psychological impact of working within inflationary monetary systems. The paper challenges common misconceptions about early Bitcoin adoption’s morality by examining the risk-adjusted nature of early investments and demonstrating how hodlers contribute to economic resource conservation. We propose several treatment approaches for the nocoiner syndrome, emphasizing the importance of understanding complex systems and the limitations of central planning. Our analysis suggests that this syndrome is not merely a personal psychological condition but a broader societal phenomenon with implications for economic policy and institutional behavior. Links: Original paper (https://cryptoanarchy.institute/nocoiner-syndrome-2024.pdf) – Institute of Cryptoanarchy (https://cryptoanarchy.institute) Czech translation (https://cryptoanarchy.institute/nocoiner-syndrome-2024-CZ.pdf) Tamers of Entropy (https://tamersofentropy.net/) book

3. 

   22 May 2026

   How the cypherpunk dreams came true

   Recording from my talk at Bitcoin Retro in Bratislava (https://bitcoinjeretro.cypherpunk.today/) — one of the most Lunarpunk events I’ve been to. I have two introductory observations. First, the world has gone to shit — war, censorship, central planners doing increasingly batshit-crazy things. Second, we’re in 2026 and the cypherpunk project is mostly done. The technology is here. You can live a mostly free life if you’re willing to spend the energy. I walk through what works, what doesn’t, and why — and how the cypherpunk dreams quietly came true while most people weren’t paying attention. KYC everywhere, travel rules, payment gateways requiring licenses — the dystopia Frank Braun (https://frankbraun.org/) was warning us about a decade ago (in his mask, sounding like sci-fi) actually happened. And alongside it, so did Bitcoin, Lightning, Monero, Nostr, Signal, Simplex, Tor, mesh networks, GrapheneOS, local AI, and permissionless markets like Peer.xyz, Aave, Firefish and proxy merchants. The parallel path isn’t a thought experiment — you can run on it today. The talk also covers why politics won’t save you, why you should assume any surveillance system will eventually be used by someone hostile, and why memebionts (the ideas we plant in people’s heads and in AI training data) might be the missing societal piece for actually building a Lunarpunk world. I close with a short bit about my new novel Tamers of Entropy, which is partly about exactly that. Links: Tamers of Entropy (https://tamersofentropy.net) — my new novel about a parallel-path life, available in English, Slovak and Czech, standard and premium editions Cypherpunk Visions and Trends 2023-2025 (https://hackyourself.io/product/cypherpunk-visions-and-trends-2023-2025/) — the book this talk is an update to (a longer rewrite is coming) Peer.xyz (https://www.peer.xyz) — permissionless crypto-to-fiat with ZK proofs CashuPayServer (https://cashupayserver.org) — Lightning and Cashu payments for your shop on shared PHP hosting, no third parties MeshCore (https://meshcore.io/) – a decentralized p2p mesh network over lora radio. Follow me on Nostr (https://njump.me/npub1m2mvvpjugwdehtaskrcl7ksvdqnnhnjur9v6g9v266nss504q7mqvlr8p9)

4. 

   7 Oct 2025

   Running for the digital hills

   What do the modern cryptoanarchists and the hill tribes of Zomia (area the size of Europe in southeast Asia) have in common? They have evolved strategies to become state-repelling – not only avoiding the state, but making the state avoid them. What are the similarities of their strategies to cryptoanarchy? Can we learn something from […]

5. 

   24 Jun 2025

   Tinkering, vibe coding and the long tail of open-source

   Juraj Bednar explores the value and rationale behind creating open-source projects, even those with limited users, and considers releasing self-written software in this episode.

6. 

   5 Dec 2024

   The Albycalypse is near – the present and future of Lightning payments in the value4value and Nostr ecosystems (ft. Josh / Bitpunk.fm)

   Juraj Bednar explores the impending Albycalypse in the value4value and Nostr ecosystems with Josh from Bitpunk.fm, uncovering the future of Lightning payments.

7. 

   14 Nov 2024

   How to fix the Internet – Nostr, Reticulum and other ideas

   The internet is broken. We want free stuff, so we are the product. The datacenters are not free. Our identities, our social graphs, our channels and often our revenue are either owned or passed through intermediaries, who can flip the switch – and we’re gone. There are ways to take our online lives back, but […]

8. 

   18 Jul 2024

   You are a Bitcoiner now, what’s next?

   Swallowing the orange pill is only the beginning. What comes next has very little to do with the exchange rate or your wealth. What Bitcoin gives you is new outlook on life, through experience. Suddenly, you notice hierarchies are not required for most relationships. A decentralized networks works – tick tock next block – without […]

9. 

   10 Jun 2024

   Cypherpunk: Past, present and future

   A look into cypherpunk’s history, goals, current status, and possible futures. Cypherpunks are individuals who build the technologies for the strategy of cryptoanarchy. This strategy involves using cryptographic tools to enhance personal liberty in everyday life, without waiting for systemic changes. I explain how cypherpunks have worked on cryptographic primitives to enable private communication, censorship […]

10. 

    20 Apr 2024

    Bitcoin Finance with 10101, Firefish – How to harness the value of Bitcoin without having to sell it

    We are Bitcoiners. We HODL. But what then? Do well sell our Bitcoin? Hell no! This is a podcast about Bitcoin-backed finance and our options after the proverbial moon. This podcast is a recording of a Twitter Space on the topic of Bitcoin finance. I explain my book and course How to harness the value […]

11. 

    19 Jan 2024

    Nutband – a post fiat apocalypse Cashu client working over Reticulum

    A demo of Reticulum, Cashu and my project Nutband that combines them, in order to use a Cashu mint over Reticulum mesh network – in this case over long range radio, and without internet. I recommend watching video this time, but audio explanation should be ok too. Nutband project Learn more about cypherpunk stuff, tech […]

12. 

    6 Dec 2023

    Welcome to the Dark Forest – a pathway to resistance

    In this episode, I want to show you where are we going – what is the alternative, or rather parallel system. Does it already exist, or is it a hallucination of dreamers? How do we enter it – do we wish it into existence or is there another pathway? How big is it? It is […]

13. 

    22 Nov 2023

    Cypherpunk visions and trends 2023-2025 at Pizza Day

    In this episode, I introduce my short ebook titled “Cypherpunk Visions and Trends 2023 to 2025.”. A lot of people talk about cypherpunk history. But what is our future? What technologies matter? Does Bitcoin need technological upgrades and if yes, on which level? What about related technologies? Nostr as a bitcoin-friendly social network, open-source AI […]

14. 

    8 Nov 2023

    How peer to peer over-the-counter dealers return crypto to its cypherpunk roots

    In this episode, I take listeners on a deep dive into the world of peer-to-peer over-the-counter trading, referencing the historical veksláks of former Czechoslovakia. Delving into the mounting regulatory pressures faced by cryptocurrency users, I shed light on politically sensitive questions popping up even in ordinary transactions. Instead of lobbying, I put forward a peer-to-peer […]

15. 

    25 Oct 2023

    How privacy, electronic cash and cypherpunk tech increase our freedom?

    There is a lot of talk about using technologies to increase our freedom. But how does this work? How does some encryption software or anonymous cryptocurrency actually increase my freedom. In this episode of the Option Plus podcast, I delve into the world of cypherpunk technologies and cryptoanarchy. Using insights from my book “Cryptocurrencies: Hack […]

16. 

    12 Oct 2023

    The future of lightning-powered trustless finance with Philipp from 10101

    In this episode of the Option Plus podcast, I chat with Philipp from 10101 about trustless financial derivatives built on Bitcoin Lightning. Together, we tackle the misconceptions surrounding derivatives, highlighting their importance for risk-averse individuals – not speculation, but lowering risk. Philipp delves into the workings of 10101’s synthetic stablecoin and its distinction from others […]

17. 

    11 Oct 2023

    Financial surveillance and utopian Bitcoin future

    In this episode of OptionPlus podcast, I will take you on a ride from tax havens through financial surveillance to crypto-utopistic new order. As a kid, I have read books about off-shore tax havens as one would read an adventure novel. This world is almost gone thanks to FATCA and other means of financial surveillance. […]

18. 

    27 Sept 2023

    Optionality, navigating uncertainty, harnessing volatility and freedom

    In this episode of Option Plus podcast, I delve into the world of uncertainty, volatility, optionality, and freedom, navigating these complex themes far beyond the confines of the COVID pandemic, war and other sources of uncertainty. Reflecting on the unique challenges of 2020 (when this was recorded), this episode underscores the importance of choices that […]

19. 

    13 Sept 2023

    Contrarian thinking, entrepreneurship and Bitcoin

    In this episode of the Option Plus podcast, I am discussing the power of contrarian thinking and its relationship to Bitcoin. I recently gave a speech to participants in an economics Olympiad, urging them to think outside the box and embrace alternative options. It surprised me to find that many young people I spoke to […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 26 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

19

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

81