Guides.
The stories behind the shirts. Every Bitcoin tee we print references something: a typo on a forum, a pizza bought for 10,000 BTC, a hard cap of 21 million. These guides explain the memes, the slang and the history in plain English, plus a few gift ideas for the bitcoiner in your life.
Bitcoin culture
Bitcoin cultureThe Bitcoin Logo and the ₿ Symbol, ExplainedThe orange bitcoin logo started as a forum post in 2010 and the ₿ sign became a real Unicode character in 2017. Here is the full story, plus how to type it.Bitcoin cultureBitcoin Memes and Slang, an A to Z GlossaryHODL, sats, NGU, few understand. Bitcoiners speak their own dialect, and this glossary translates 33 of the most common bitcoin memes and terms into plain English.Bitcoin cultureThe Bitcoin Laser Eyes Meme, ExplainedIn February 2021, profile pictures across Twitter suddenly grew glowing red eyes. Here is what the bitcoin laser eyes meme means, who started it and what happened after bitcoin passed $100,000.Bitcoin cultureWhat Does HODL Mean? The Typo That Became a Bitcoin CreedHODL means holding on to your bitcoin through the ups and downs instead of selling. It began as a misspelled forum title in December 2013, and the hold on for dear life version came later.Bitcoin cultureNot Your Keys, Not Your Coins, Explained in Plain EnglishNot your keys, not your coins means that whoever holds the private keys really controls the bitcoin. Here is what that means, who popularized the phrase, and why two exchange collapses made it famous.Bitcoin cultureOrange Pill Meaning, and How to Orange Pill Someone KindlyTo be orange pilled is to reach the point where bitcoin finally makes sense to you. Here is where the phrase comes from, what the experience usually looks like and how to share bitcoin without becoming the dinner party bore.Bitcoin cultureFew Understand Meaning, the Bitcoin Meme ExplainedFew understand is a two-word bitcoin meme that says an idea has not caught on with most people yet. It can be sincere, ironic or both at once, and this guide shows how to tell which.Bitcoin cultureMagic Internet Money, the Meaning and Origin of a Bitcoin NicknameMagic internet money is a playful nickname for bitcoin that started with a homemade Reddit ad in 2013. Here is what the phrase means, how the wizard meme began and why bitcoiners still wear it proudly.Bitcoin cultureDon't Trust, Verify Meaning and Where the Bitcoin Motto Comes FromDon't trust, verify means you check bitcoin's rules and your own payments yourself instead of taking anyone's word for it. The phrase flips a Russian proverb that Ronald Reagan made famous in the 1980s.Bitcoin cultureWhat Is a Bitcoin Maximalist? The Maxi View, Explained FairlyA bitcoin maximalist believes bitcoin is the only cryptocurrency that matters as money and that the others are unnecessary at best. The label began as a criticism in 2014 and was later adopted as a badge.Bitcoin cultureHave Fun Staying Poor Meaning, and Why HFSP Rubs People the Wrong WayHave fun staying poor, or HFSP, is a jab bitcoiners aim at people who sell or dismiss bitcoin. It is one of the best-known bitcoin memes, and also one of the most criticized, including by bitcoiners.Bitcoin cultureNumber Go Up Meaning, the Bitcoin Meme That Started as an InsultNumber go up, or NGU, is a deliberately caveman-style phrase about bitcoin's price rising over time. It began as mockery of crypto speculators in 2017, and bitcoiners turned it into a proud, self-aware joke.Bitcoin cultureLow Time Preference Meaning, and Why Bitcoiners Talk About It So MuchLow time preference means being willing to wait for a bigger or better reward later instead of grabbing a smaller one now. It is an old economics idea that bitcoiners turned into a compliment, and sometimes a debate.Bitcoin cultureVires in Numeris Meaning, the Latin Motto on Early Physical BitcoinsVires in numeris is Latin for strength in numbers. Bitcoiners picked it up in 2011 and it spread on Casascius physical bitcoins, the brass, silver and gold coins with real bitcoin locked under a hologram.Bitcoin cultureDiamond Hands Meaning, Paper Hands and the Bitcoin Holder MemeDiamond hands means holding on through a scary price drop instead of selling, and paper hands means folding at the first wobble. Here is where the slang came from and how bitcoiners use it today.Bitcoin cultureWhat Is a Bitcoin Pleb? The Meaning Behind Bitcoin's Proudest NicknameA bitcoin pleb is an ordinary bitcoiner with no famous name and no giant stack, using the network on the same terms as everyone else. The word comes from ancient Rome, and bitcoiners wear it with pride.Bitcoin cultureWhat to Wear to a Bitcoin Conference, Meetup or Dev EventMost bitcoin events have no dress code, so casual is the norm. Here is how to pick a comfortable, conversation-friendly bitcoin conference outfit for meetups, big conferences, developer days and the moments when you should dress up a notch.
Bitcoin history
Bitcoin historyWho Is Satoshi Nakamoto? What We Know and What We Don'tNobody knows who Satoshi Nakamoto is. Here is what the public record actually shows, from the 2008 white paper to the final email in 2011, and why every claimed identity so far has fallen short.Bitcoin historyWhat Is the Genesis Block? Bitcoin's Block 0 ExplainedEvery bitcoin transaction ever made traces back to one block mined on January 3, 2009. Here is what the genesis block is, what its hidden newspaper headline says and why its 50 BTC can never be spent.Bitcoin historyBitcoin Pizza Day and the 10,000 BTC PizzasOn May 22, 2010, a programmer in Florida paid 10,000 bitcoin for two pizzas. Here is the full story of Bitcoin Pizza Day, what those pizzas cost in hindsight and how bitcoiners celebrate it today.Bitcoin historyRunning Bitcoin, Hal Finney and the Tweet That Started It AllRunning bitcoin is the two-word tweet Hal Finney posted on January 10, 2009, a week after bitcoin launched. Here is who he was, how he received the first bitcoin transaction, and how his legacy lives on.Bitcoin historyBitcoin White Paper Explained, a Plain-English Summary of All 12 SectionsThe bitcoin white paper is a nine-page document from October 31, 2008 that describes how people can pay each other online without a bank. Here is what each of its 12 sections says, in plain English.Bitcoin historyFamous Bitcoin Quotes, From Satoshi Nakamoto to the CypherpunksEighteen famous bitcoin quotes from Satoshi Nakamoto, Hal Finney, Eric Hughes and other early voices, each traced to the email, forum post or block where it first appeared.Bitcoin historyThe Cypherpunk Manifesto, Who the Cypherpunks Were and How They Led to BitcoinA Cypherpunk's Manifesto is a short 1993 essay by Eric Hughes arguing that privacy has to be built with cryptography. Here is what it says, who the cypherpunks were, and the chain of ideas that ran from their mailing list to bitcoin.Bitcoin historyBitcoin Holidays Calendar, Every Date Worth CelebratingThe big bitcoin holidays are January 3, January 10, May 22 and October 31, with the next halving expected around April 2028. Here is the full calendar, month by month, with the story behind each date.
Bitcoin basics
Bitcoin basicsWhy Is Bitcoin Capped at 21 Million?There will never be more than 21 million bitcoin. Here is the simple math behind the cap, how many coins are left, what happens around 2140 and why changing the limit is so hard.Bitcoin basicsWhen Is the Next Bitcoin Halving? Dates, Countdown and Block RewardThe next bitcoin halving is expected around April 2028, at block 1,050,000, when the block reward drops to 1.5625 BTC. Here is how the schedule works and why nobody can name the exact day yet.Bitcoin basicsHow Many Sats in a Bitcoin? What a Sat Is and How Stacking WorksThere are exactly 100,000,000 sats in one bitcoin. This guide explains where the satoshi unit comes from, how to turn sats into dollars, and what people mean when they say they stack sats.Bitcoin basicsHow Does Proof of Work Work? Bitcoin Mining in Plain EnglishProof of work makes adding a block to bitcoin cost real computing effort, while checking that effort takes a split second. Here is how it works, where the idea came from and how it compares with proof of stake.Bitcoin basicsWhat Is a Bitcoin Node? How to Run One and Why People DoA bitcoin node is a computer that keeps its own copy of the blockchain and checks every block against the rules. Here is what nodes do, why people run them and what it takes to become a node runner.Bitcoin basicsWhat Is a Zap? The Lightning Network and Nostr Zaps ExplainedA zap is a small bitcoin tip sent over the Lightning Network, usually to someone's post on Nostr. Here is how Lightning works in plain words, how a zap travels and how to start sending sats yourself.Bitcoin basicsSound Money Meaning, and the Debate Over Whether Bitcoin QualifiesSound money means money that keeps its purchasing power because nobody can easily create more of it. Here is where the phrase comes from, why bitcoiners use it, and why many economists disagree.