Once upon a time, Skype was the king of internet communications. Launched in 2003, it revolutionized voice and video calling, connecting millions of people worldwide. But everything changed when Microsoft acquired Skype for $8.5 billion in 2011. What seemed like a promising move soon turned into a disaster. It is probably one of the best examples of revolutionary startup technology being destroyed by a big tech acquisition. The time has arrived for Skype to be shut down for good. On May 5th, 2025 Microsoft will retire Skype in favor of Teams. Skype users will have an option to transition to Teams, or take their data and move on.

Hello March! Time is flying this year. It wasn't too long ago we were celebrating the new year, now spring is almost here. I am tired of cold and occasional snow, and looking forward to seeing more sun and warmer days. February has been super busy for me, especially the the second half. I didn't get a lot of time paying attention to the markets. However, it is obvious that February has not been the greatest month, although it has been uneventful for the most part. Bitcoin dropped below 100k, and I was surprised to see it at low 80k levels. Prices for alts have not done much either. It seems like the alt season has been cancelled this time around. We are way overdue to see some crazy price jumps in alts and seeing new winners. Perhaps we are just seeing a little delay. My predictions would be once bitcoin goes higher than $120k, then we may see interesting price actions in the crypto alts world as well.

Social Security has been limping along for years like an old car running on fumes. Every few months, experts warn that the system is on the brink of collapse, but politicians just kick the can further down the road and hope someone else will deal with it. Private retirement savings plans are not much better, plagued by inflation, fees, and the nagging feeling that even a lifetime of diligent saving may not be enough. If Social Security worked as intended maybe private retirements plans wouldn't even be needed. Enter Bitcoin, the digital wild card that just might be the unexpected hero in this financial saga.

Investing is all about owning valuable assets, and for the longest time, real estate was the ultimate prize. It’s tangible, limited, and has historically appreciated in value. But what if I told you there’s a new kind of real estate—one that doesn’t require a mortgage, property taxes, or expensive upkeep? Welcome to Bitcoin, the prime real estate of cyberspace.

Seattle and Vancouver, two of the Pacific Northwest’s most iconic cities, share a deep connection that goes beyond their proximity. As someone who has spent time in both cities, I’ve come to appreciate their similarities in culture, geography, and atmosphere. Though they belong to different countries, they often feel like two sides of the same coin, mirroring each other in ways that make traveling between them feel seamless.

Recently I have heard someone explaining bitcoin in a very different manner than I have seen so far. The concepts and details were all familiar. However the perspective presented was a unique one and made me ponder upon and examine significance of bitcoin in our world from a new angle. I discovered two new interesting descriptions attributed to bitcoin, and bitcoin alone. One was that bitcoin represents absolute digital scarcity, and another was had to do with the three forms bitcoin exists in all at the same time: store of value, medium exchange, and unit of accounting. I will not discuss the latter in the post, but touch on it briefly. The absolute digital scarcity is what really caught my attention.