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The Block Runner is your final source for cryptocurrency technology, explanations and news.

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October 5, 2025

Summary

We connect the macro to the miner. Gold at highs, BRICS hedging, and the sudden flood of stablecoin rails from Big Tech and fintech aren’t random—together they outline how the U.S. could accumulate Bitcoin through balance-sheet proxies (think corporate treasuries and miners) instead of a headline-grabbing “sell gold, buy BTC.” If Bitcoin is the new reserve asset, its long-run security budget can’t rely on price doubling forever or on “fees will save us.” We dig into why miners keep going bankrupt post-halvings, how AI is siphoning racks and power, what a policy path of subsidies for home nodes/miners might look like, and why that still isn’t enough to keep Bitcoin credibly neutral.

Enter NAT: a parallel, market-driven subsidy that pays miners without touching 21M—designed to counter deflationary hardware trends and reduce centralization pressure. We cover who would actually buy NAT (and why we want miners to sell it), the “strategic reserve via companies” thesis, and how this all fits the next 100 years of dollar rails, stablecoins, and energy. If you’re a miner, dev, or serious Bitcoiner who cares about durability over vibes, this one’s for you. Nothing here is financial advice.

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277

Summary

We take a hard look at the current state of crypto and why so much of it feels broken. From scam tokens and insider trading to fake engagement and deceptive marketing, the noise makes it nearly impossible to separate real projects from the endless stream of grifts.

We share our own experience with $NAT, a project built to solve real problems but held back by industry “standards” like inflated social metrics and bought followers—tactics we refuse to use. This puts us at a crossroads: do we play the dirty game to gain traction, or stick to a cypherpunk ethos of organic growth and community-first building?

In this episode, we wrestle with that tension and argue for a shift toward substance, sustainability, and real community-driven initiatives—drawing inspiration from how companies like Apple built enduring value over decades, not hype cycles.

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276

Summary

We take a high-level look at where the next major opportunities in crypto may emerge, connecting developments in $NAT with broader market narratives. We begin with a deep dive into $NAT’s latest progress and why its evolving role as a Bitcoin-native secondary subsidy could address long-term network sustainability—placing it in the same early-stage category as other innovations once dismissed before gaining mainstream adoption.

We then shift to the surging ZORA ecosystem, now nearing a $500M market cap, and examine its structural parallels to earlier BASE projects like Virtuals. This leads us to $DOCKER—a $3M market cap asset designed to capture ecosystem upside through buyback-driven flywheels—mirroring the path that propelled $VADER to $100M+. By unpacking the economic models, token mechanics, and adoption curves at play, we highlight why these assets may offer asymmetric potential in the current market. Whether your interest lies in Bitcoin’s evolving economic design or identifying high-conviction bets before they go mainstream, this discussion distills the signals from the noise to give you a clear strategic edge.

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275

Summary

The hash power wars are heating up—and $NAT might just become Bitcoin’s first trillion-dollar commodity. We break down why the SEC’s surprising crypto-friendly shift could supercharge Ethereum treasuries, why Trump is suddenly shilling Bitcoin, and how hash power economics could redefine BTC’s value layer.

We dive into how $NAT aligns with Bitcoin’s long-term security budget, why ETH treasuries are a multi-year asymmetric bet, Michael Saylor’s unfair advantage and what ETH projects must learn, the real implications of stablecoin dominance and global adoption, and the macro triggers like rate cuts, unemployment, and the next BTC all-time high.

If you’re here for memes, market structure, and the kind of alpha you can’t get from CNBC, you’re in the right place.

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274

Summary

Bitcoin’s second-largest mining pool, Antpool, just made a move that could fundamentally reshape crypto’s economic layer—validating $NAT by selling its miner-distributed holdings on open markets. This signals a shift from memecoin speculation toward memecoins with embedded utility, narrative strength, and real alignment with core blockchain incentives.

We analyze how $NAT may evolve into a new subsidy mechanism for Bitcoin miners, and why its structure mirrors the earliest stages of now-massive crypto assets. We also explore how memecoins like PENGU are bridging brand equity with speculative upside, creating a blueprint for the next meta.

At the same time, we examine one of the most bizarre yet increasingly discussed topics in government disclosure: the claim that humanity may be on a countdown to contact—with 2027 cited again and again.

This isn’t just another market update—it’s a map of where the real narratives are forming, and what they could mean for capital, culture, and crypto’s next major wave.

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273

Summary

In this week’s episode of TBR, we unpack the escalating drama in Congress and how it’s slowing momentum for key crypto legislation like the FIT and Clarity Acts. As political distractions dominate headlines, critical regulatory progress is being delayed—impacting everything from stablecoin frameworks to broader market legitimacy.

We also break down what the latest developments in the Epstein files mean for public sentiment and institutional transparency, and why it's becoming harder to separate conspiracy from reality in the age of digital narratives.

Meanwhile, memecoin markets are still hot, with BONK and PUMP trading volumes staying high and brands like Pudgy Penguins pushing narratives forward. As traditional systems stall, onchain innovation continues to evolve.

Plus: updates on $NAT trading migration, HyperMall growth, and the ongoing shift in creator-led token infrastructure

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