@ a24d0c86:ec0f47ce

It's been nearly two years since I generated my Nostr npub, and I'm still blown away by its impact. Nostr has been THE catalyst for my rabbit hole journey, opening doors to new worlds and experiences. Back when I was trying to figure out how to handle my nsec, I was stuck in a rut. I'd founded and run a business for over a decade, but my passion had fizzled out along with it's revenues. Compound that with the accelerating decline in fiat and it was a depressing situation. It was time for a change, but I wasn't ready to burn the boat without a clear (or even general) direction. Fast forward to today, and I've officially closed that chapter. I'm beyond excited to embark on this new journey into FOSS product, and 2025 marks the year I'm fully committed to this new path. It's taken longer than I wanted, but good things come to those who wait, right? And if I'm being honest, I have much more clarity, support and 100k never hurts as I start down this pursuit! My journey from 2023 to 2025 has been a wild ride and I wouldn't change all that I had to slog through to get here. Recently as I've gotten back into the habit of checking in on Nostr I'm reminded why I fell in love so quickly, with its unique blend of humor, creativity, and innovation. Nostr is a gateway for me to better understanding software engineers especially. It's incredible the amount of knowledge and PoW so many devs on Nostr have and it's humbling to even bounce around with you on this wonky protocol. That constant experience made me want to put the effort and sats into attending the Lightning Summit at Bitcoin Park in the summer of 2023. And it didn't disappoint. I got to see up close so many talented devs tackling complex technical challenges with fearlessness and ingenuity. These pioneers are paving the way for future adoption, and I'm ready to dive in and help push the ecosystem forward with the skillset I have today and what I'm building in my toolbox for the future. Meeting fellow Nostr enthusiasts at Nosterville took my enthusiasm to another level in November 2023. It's like reigniting the excitement I felt when I first discovered the internet. It's mind-blowing to think about the potential this new protocol has to remake the web. 2024 I was much less active on Nostr as I was planning and taking the steps needed to move on in 2025. And now I'm finally ready to rock and roll. As a product enthusiast, I'm stoked to help engineers get their projects ready for the masses. Let's make open source awesome, and let's get a ton of plebs on board! To better contribute and build with developers, I'm committed to expanding my technical knowledge too. This includes learning the basics with GitHub to Python, Rust, AI, and ML. I'm also going to be switching to GrapheneOS as my daily driver and learning Linux. I'm eager to bring my product experience to the table and collaborate with others. Going forward, I'm focusing specifically on helping build the Cashu protocol and how it intersects with Nostr and Lightning. If you're a developer, especially one working on Cashu, I'd love to hear from you! How can I assist with product-related tasks? I'm here to build and contribute to the growth of the freedom tech ecosystem. LFG.

@ 31312140:2471509b

What is Fiat Currency? Fiat currency is government-issued money that isn’t backed by a physical commodity like gold or silver. Instead, it's based on the trust and faith that people and governments place in it. The U.S. dollar, euro, and other global currencies fall into this category. How Did We Get Here? Originally, money was a representation of tangible value — gold, silver, livestock. But over time, governments realized they could gain massive control over their economies by shifting to fiat. This move was formalized when the U.S. abandoned the gold standard in 1971 under President Nixon, severing the direct convertibility of U.S. dollars into gold. Suddenly, money was worth what the government said it was. The Control Mechanism Fiat currency gives central banks tremendous power. By controlling the money supply: Inflation: They can effectively "tax" the public without passing any laws. As new money is printed, the value of currency diminishes — your saved money buys less and less over time. 📉💸 Economic Manipulation: Central banks can stimulate or cool down an economy by adjusting interest rates. Sounds helpful, right? Not quite. This cyclical manipulation often benefits those in power while the average citizen bears the brunt of the bust cycles. Sovereignty Erosion: With fiat money, governments and banks can freeze assets and limit your access to funds. Your financial freedom can become an illusion at the stroke of a pen or through international sanctions. Why Is This a Problem? Lack of Intrinsic Value: Fiat currencies are just paper or digital numbers. They have no intrinsic value, unlike commodities such as gold or silver. 💹🔗 Endless Printing: Governments can print as much money as they like. This might sound good in the short term, especially during crises, but it’s a long-term disaster. More money in circulation dilutes value further, leading to runaway inflation. 🖨️🔥 Debt Spiral: Countries become locked in a cycle of debt. As they borrow more to fund fiscal policies, they dive deeper into a spiral, relying on future fiat that perpetually loses value. Wealth Disparity: The trickle-down effect of fiat-financed policies often exacerbates wealth inequality. Asset-holding elites get richer as asset prices rise with inflation, leaving the average person behind. The Awakening: Enter Bitcoin and Sound Money Bitcoin emerged as a counteract to this fiat system. With its decentralized, deflationary nature, Bitcoin offers a return to principles of sound money. Unlike fiat, Bitcoin can't be printed at will, giving power back to the individual. It’s a nod to monetary sovereignty and freedom from central manipulation. Fixed Supply: Only 21 million bitcoins will ever exist. This scarcity contrasts sharply with fiat's limitless potential. 🌐🔒 Decentralization: No single entity controls Bitcoin. It operates on a peer-to-peer network, cutting out middlemen and reducing risks of freeze or seizure. Empowerment: Bitcoin encourages savings and planning. As the value is designed to appreciate over time, it reintroduces a sense of financial soundness. Final Thoughts As we move forward in the digital age, it's crucial to reevaluate our trust in traditional systems. Fiat currencies have been the status quo for just a brief blink in human history. It's time to look closer and consider alternatives that promote transparency, freedom, and fair value. So, isn't it worth exploring how these dynamics affect all facets of life — personal finance, global politics, and socioeconomic ecosystems? Dive deeper and question everything. 🚀

@ df8f0a64:057d87a5

## 書き散らす動機 残暑続きからの急な気温低下で鼻炎がひどくなる今日この頃、皆様お元気でしょうか 株主への抗議のために退職してから2ヶ月半、流石に暇を持て余してきました 時間がある上に能動的に働く気も起きず、ひたすらボーッとしたりうねうね考え事をする日々です 幸いにして人生も折り返しにさしかかる頃になり、時折「今、人生が終わって構わないのでは？」というようなことも考えたりします （鬱病既往歴ありますが私は元気です） 子どものお迎えを終えて、いつもどおり夕食をとり、またうねうねしているうちに ふと、6年前の年末に急死された、仕事でお世話になったTさんのことを思い出しました 子を寝かしつけてもまだ頭の中をぐるぐるしていたので、ここに吐き出してすっきりしようという魂胆です ## Tさんとの出会い 私のキャリアの（ほぼ）スタートはVC（ベンチャーキャピタル）でした 誰のせいでもないとある経緯もあり、周囲からは警戒され避けられ、わずか6年ではありますが、 インナーサークルに入り込めない時期を過ごし、当時の上司と二人、とにかくやれることをやり続ける毎日でした いつものようにピッチイベントに参加しているとき、近くの席にいたスーツ姿の3人組と目が一瞬合います 「事業会社の人だ」 協調投資やファンド出資のきっかけを掴むべく、その3人に話かけます 「よろしければ弊社投資先のご紹介や御社の...」 ひととおりの挨拶を済ませ、この人たちにも避けられるんだろうと思いながらも要件を切り出します 「是非やりましょう」 いつもとは違う嬉しい返事をくれたのがTさんでした ## 面倒見の良い他社の先輩 そのときの3人組であるMさん・Iさん・Tさんには、私の仕事人生の中で最もお世話になったと言っても過言ではありません ファンドの営業を受けていただき、協調投資を行い、VCからの転職後にも協業相手として他部署のキーマンをご紹介いただき... 社会人になったばかりの私の、今思い返せば恥ずかしい（部下がこんな提案したら卒倒する）レベルの提案を、 誰もが知る一流企業の多忙な役職持ちであるにも関わらず、毎回一時間も割いて丁寧に対応してくださる心の広い方でした 当時、VCと接点をもつような事業会社の対スタートアップ部隊は、本業でご活躍されている方が兼任で取り組むパターンが多く、Mさん・Iさん・Tさんももちろんそう その後も昇進され、最後には本社の取締役に。今年遂に退任され、所謂「あがり」でしょうか、子会社の取締役に異動 長い社会人人生をほぼ走りきり、有終の美を飾ろうとする時期にさしかかっています でもTさんはそこにはいません ## 残される側 冒頭触れたとおり、Tさんは6年前のこの時期に急死されました 死因については、Tさんのご友人がFBに投稿していた文章を読んでも、Iさんに聞いてもわからない 悲しいかな、四十年近く生きていると、死因が明かされない理由がわかるようになる機会が一度や二度はあります Tさんもおそらくそうだったのでしょう 直前まで、Iさんと一緒にベイエリアに出張され、楽しそうなコメントと共に写真を投稿されていたのに 晩婚なのか再婚なのか、とにかくご結婚されて一年ちょっと。お子様も生まれたばかりだったのに Tさんは近い人間に心中を隠して、静かにこの世を去りました あなたの快い返事に、どれほど私が救われたのか 転職後の提案のとき、受付で顔を出してすぐ「元気？」と声をかけてくださったことがどれほど私を安心させてくれたか あなたが声をかけてくれる度、私の社会人としての成果が生まれたことに、私は十分に感謝を伝えられていません ## まだしばらく残る理由 振り返って、Tさんのように誰かの人生をenhanceできたのか？と自分に問うと、まだできたとは思えません。残念ですが 今ここで死んでも私は構わないけど、まだもうちょっと頑張るべきかな、老いてから誰かに感謝をしてもらうまで生きてみてもいいかな そうふと思い直しているうちに日付が変わりました

@ 3c827db6:66418fc3

The challenges associated with physical work and delayed payments, as discussed in the construction and logistics industries articles, might not be as directly applicable to industries with less physical movement. However, the principles of instant settlement and the removal of intermediaries can still bring efficiency and innovation to various sectors. The advantages of instant settlement, such as reduced transaction fees, faster payment processing, and increased transparency, can positively impact industries beyond the physical realm. Whether it's in the realm of digital services, intellectual property, or other sectors that are already dematerialized, the application of instant settlement principles can streamline transactions and enhance overall efficiency. ### Navigating The Written Odyssey Entering the realm of book publishing, especially for a debut author, is a journey filled with challenges. The primary hurdle involves persuading a publishing house to forge a deal, a daunting task for those yet to establish their reputation in the market. The negotiation landscape is complicated by endless uncertainties, making it difficult to strike a mutually beneficial deal. Even if you try to be fair for both sides it is hard. Most people will prioritize themselves and what they get in an uncertain environment - like figuring out how many books will be sold for a first time author. The dynamics intensify when publishing houses provide editors to authors--an arrangement that frequently sparks friction. Authors, protective of their creative work, may resist alterations, but editors, with seasoned expertise, have to navigate the delicate balance between preserving the author's vision and refining the content. The complexities extend to the business side, with potential pitfalls surrounding signing bonuses. Questions linger: What if the bonus overshoots and the book underperforms? What if the book succeeds, but the bonus proves inadequate, leading the author to seek alternatives for subsequent works? Marketing poses another challenge, raising dilemmas about investments, audiobook adaptations, navigating royalty payments, and banking fees for small markets and international payments. Just like in the logistics industry here with royalties, we have the same problem of counterparty risk. In addition to stopping the payments to the authors completely, do you trust the publishers that they are giving the correct sales numbers? Translation decisions add another layer, raising queries about language choices, and fair compensation for translators. What about the illustrators? Each party involved creates more and more friction in the system just because everyone is seeking fair compensation. The payment system does not allow them to focus on what they provide in terms of value, but focuses everyone on mitigating the shortcomings of it. Addressing these multifaceted challenges requires not only innovation but also transparent and adaptive contractual frameworks to foster a more equitable and efficient publishing ecosystem. The challenges for authors extend beyond the realm of creative content, and the intricacies of the publishing and marketing landscape. While the invention of ebooks has somewhat dismantled barriers, enabling easier self-publishing, the journey is not without hurdles. Authors opting for self-publishing must navigate the complexities of setting up accounts and managing distribution before reaching the point of uploading their work. Once published, the dual role of author and marketer emerges, demanding not only literary prowess but also strategic promotional efforts to capture the audience's attention and drive sales. The demanding nature of marketing leaves authors with limited time for their core competency - writing - which hinders the development of subsequent books that they would like to write. ### Lighting Up Publishing: From Solo Authors to Collaborative Ventures, Unleashing the Potential of Instant Split Payments Now that this is the third industry that we are looking into, we know that delayed payments are the problem and that they are tied to time and not actual work - “You have to write the book till this date or else…” “We will gather all payments and royalties will be paid later”. Since we know now that the Lightning Network can fix this let’s dig into the solution and what it may look like. If you're a first-time author and choose to publish your book on your self-made app, you can instantly receive 100% of the income for each purchase. By utilizing a non-custodial solution like Breez, where no one holds money for others, you avoid the complexities associated with traditional payment methods. This setup eliminates the need for currency exchanges, providing a seamless global payment network directly connected to your app. The benefits go beyond mere currency considerations, freeing buyers from the hassle of exchange rate fees and relieving them of the complexities associated with navigating diverse regulations and processes across various countries. Who knows what regulations you have to deal with to be able to operate with the Iranian Rial just to sell a simple book? With a non-custodial solution on the Lightning Network, you get to avoid all that. That is a big benefit for one-man shows in the book industry, but let’s take it a step further. In this scenario, where the relationship involves only the author and a publisher, the process becomes streamlined without the need for intricate negotiations, personal data sharing, or complex contracts with various clauses. With the instant settlement, there's no need for advance payments, both the author and publisher receive a percentage from each sale instantly when the purchase is made. The publisher, responsible for uploading and promoting the book on their website, and the author are now aligned in the common goal of selling more books. The only task left is to determine the fair percentage splits between the author and the publisher, fostering a collaborative and efficient partnership. Now the word royalties will have a completely new meaning. Okay, that is between two entities, but we are not going to stop there. Now that the book is published the book can be translated to other languages. In that case, the complexity does not increase a lot. They just have to determine the percentage share split between the publisher, author, and translator for each sale of the translated version. Upon purchase of the translated book, each payment will be split three ways. Meanwhile, the original language version undergoes a two-way split, with the translator excluded from this split since they didn't contribute to that version. This ensures that the relevant individuals receive sats exclusively for their specific contributions. There might be a need for a separate publisher for the translated language, leading to a split between the author, translator, and second publisher. For the original language, the split occurs between the author and the first publisher. Theoretically, the current system goes through a similar structure for the payments, but I am reminding you here that only the instant split settlement makes that plan match the reality in practice. The moment that any entity starts holding funds for someone else even for a little, then the problems go up exponentially. This is why Breez is committed to preserving the peer-to-peer nature of Bitcoin in lightning payments. ### Instant Splits For Narrators, Producers, And All Contributors - A Symphony Of Fair Compensation We are not done yet with the benefits. Now that we have a path for each language, what will it look like for audiobooks? In that case, you just add one more split based on the agreement between the parties. If you create an audiobook in the original language then the split will be between Author, Publisher, and Audiobook creator. The creation of an audiobook is a project on its own of casting, recording, post-production, and distribution. That has multiple people involved so the split for the audiobook payment in reality may look like this: Author, Publisher, Producer, Recording engineer, Narrator, Editing/mastering engineer. In this dynamic model, contributors may wear multiple "hats" within a project, allowing them to assume various roles and, consequently, earn a share for each responsibility they undertake. For instance, an Author might take on the roles of both Producer and Narrator, performing additional work beyond their original scope. In such cases, the Author receives a percentage for each distinct role. However, should the Author choose not to take on these additional roles, someone else can assume those responsibilities and reap the corresponding benefits. This structure ensures alignment, with compensation tied directly to individual contributions at the time of each book sale, eliminating compensation for time or speculation based on future sales. Unlike the other two industries we explored in construction here and logistics here, the timing of payment in the publishing industry differs. In the preceding sectors, individuals receive compensation instantly upon completing their respective tasks. However, in the realm of authors, payment is not immediate for the act of writing; it occurs when someone is willing to pay the price for the published work. This distinction highlights a fundamental principle: everyone is remunerated when they deliver value to someone else who is willing to pay. Whether delivering a package to the correct address or constructing a house for someone else to inhabit, optimizing the process with the client in mind becomes paramount. Therefore, receiving sats is contingent on providing intrinsic value to others, aligning the industry with similar principles observed in construction and logistics. If you build or deliver something that people do not want, that means you did not provide value. ### Instant Influence: From Metrics To Value - A Paradigm Shift In Compensation For Promotions Now let’s take it even a step further. This will not be the only industry where the influencers can change their business model, but I will use it as an example to explain the change that they will experience in their service. Currently, the influencers get paid for views or mentions depending on whether the medium is audio or video. Their value, as perceived by those paying them, hinges on metrics such as subscriber counts, views, and downloads. But for the person that is paying, is it going to matter if the influencer talks about a book but then it does not result in sales of the book? Or again what happens if someone mentions it but the sales are extraordinary, then the influencer has to receive a more fair compensation. Connecting payments directly to actual value, rather than relying on derivative indicators, ensures influencers receive fair compensation in line with their impact on sales. Well, the instant settlement fixes that. Authors can now decide on a fixed percentage for influencers per sale, allowing anyone to become an influencer without the need for a massive following. Even a small blog with a modest readership of less than fifty people can result in direct, instant compensation for sales generated. This eliminates barriers to entry for the influencers to have a following and aligns incentives for authors seeking broader promotion. There is a massive friction in the influencer market currently because with poor measuring tools you do not want the money to be wasted on promotion that does not work. This future system is not going to waste a single sat for promotion because it is not paying for a promotion. You are negotiating a commission on every sale which the actual buyer pays - increasing sales is the intent of the authors reaching out to influencers anyway. Now that we have an influencer promoting a book the UX (user experience) is going to be completely different. Right now to promote anything as an influencer you receive a code that you have to ask for, from the publisher in this case. Then your viewers/listeners have to go to the website and fill in all the information about themselves. Then they have to enter their card information which has to be secured from the website somehow. Then they enter the promo code and receive the ebook that they wanted. On the other side, the publisher has to hope he does not get a chargeback for whatever reason in the next 30 days. The instant settlement UX will be: - Influencers enter a lightning address where they want to receive their commissions from for every sale. - Then they display a link or a QR code that will be a lightning invoice for the specific book. - The buyer enters an email where they want the ebook to be sent. The instant split payment is sent and everyone including the influencer receives their share of it. This way even influencers might realize that the likes, views and comments are not the most important thing and focus on providing real value for their viewers. This not only streamlines the process but may also alleviate the impact of negative comments and dislikes for influencers. Because their income is not tied to the likes that means it will no longer be the most important thing. They will focus on promoting quality products that sell a lot so they get a piece of those sales and the likes will be secondary. The transformation in influencer behavior triggered by instant settlement not only disrupts their traditional approaches but sparks competition among publishers and influencers alike. Authors may opt for a model where they focus solely on writing, leveraging influencers to handle promotion without dealing with traditional editors. This introduces a more diverse competitive landscape, where publishing houses will compete with content creators from different industries who passionately recommend authors they love. While these changes benefit readers, authors, and participants, those resistant to competition may be the only ones disliking this evolving landscape. image1 Indeed, envisioning the transformative power of instant payments, there's an opportunity for an innovator to replicate what Amazon did to bookstores. By adopting a model built on advanced technology and leveraging the advantages of instant settlements, this individual can start with books and subsequently explore avenues for expansion. The potential for such a disruptive force lies not only in reshaping the publishing landscape but also in inspiring new possibilities across diverse industries. Now let’s go and publish that app.

@ 3c827db6:66418fc3

Somebody, somewhere, at some point decided they would destroy the competition by creating a barrier to entry. They made the barrier high so they could feel safe. It is logical to put a fence around your property, and perfectly fine to do so. The problem is when you put a regulatory fence over something that means you are not allowing anyone else to have a property like this. Just to make the distinction clearer a fence around your house is creating a cost for other people to get in the yard. A license to be able to have a fence is creating a cost for anyone to protect their yard. The harder to attain and costlier the license is the more people can’t afford it. The more people who can’t afford it the bigger the divide between rich and poor. You can't have a fence because you can't have a license leaving your yard unprotected. The poor people are left unprotected and they get robbed easily, the rich are hard to get so they keep what they have. The more licenses/regulatory compliance someone has to comply with the more the costs for them are increased and the cycle of dividing is entrenched. When constructing something physical, regulatory oversight is sensible to ensure structural integrity, particularly when people no longer build things for themselves. However, when it comes to more abstract concepts like licenses and credentials, possessing them doesn't guarantee success, and lacking them doesn't preclude doing excellent work. The whole point of the series is that the work should speak for itself and the people who did it should build their reputation based on their work history not on theory. Let’s dive into a sector full of licenses for abstract things that keep people out and cornered the market. The betting industry. The incentive structure in this scenario is problematic. Individuals with substantial financial resources that were gained illegally may seek friendly relationships with those responsible for issuing licenses. Obtaining a betting license now can serve as a means to launder money acquired unlawfully. Beyond mere laundering, they have a direct incentive to continue their illegal activities and a way to legitimize the funds. So they steal from the people who work and it gets even worse. Their scaling solution is to open the money laundering to other illegal actors. A few parts of the economy are primed for these types of activities: the lottery, casinos, and sports betting. Let’s start with the current lottery system and the “potential” exploits. Well, one person does something illegal and has stolen $1,000,000. Now he has a problem with how to legitimize the funds so he can spend it on things he wants. He goes to the owner of a lottery and says I will give you $200,000 if you give me an $800,000 winning ticket. Now 80% of the funds become legal. The person with the illegal funds buys $200,000 worth of tickets from which 1 of them is set up to win $800,000. Now all the funds have become legal. So the lottery company has a $200,000 income and $800,000 payout, seemingly paying out the winner with legitimate funds, but in reality, using the criminal's own money - correction, other people's stolen money. That is good for hiding taxes and the state is not getting anything, or is it? The state gets its cut for every winning ticket by taxing all winners. Because of this income, they are incentivized to have more winners. This whole “hypothetical” system then is limited by how much money has to be laundered. More illegal money, more income for each side - the state, the illegal player, the lottery company. While they get the big winning tickets the public is left with the small prizes and they are robbed continuously for the next lottery "prizes". This tripod system demonstrates how one simple thing can be a continuous erosion of society. The lottery company does nothing to earn their money but they are incentivizing the illegal actors to continue doing illegal things. The State allowing licenses keeps competition out. The illegal actor closes the circle of his business. The lottery should be something that is played without anyone having an advantage over anyone else. Including the company, there shouldn’t be a barrier for people creating all sorts of lottery games. The same model of behavior incentives is applicable for all the casinos. There is the same principle - some type of algorithm determines whether you win or not. But you can always approach the casino owner and apply the same logic to the casino. A player with illegal funds has to launder a million dollars again. In the first few hands, he wins a million dollars and keeps playing until incurs losses amounting to $200,000 and then stops. This way the casino loses $800,000 on its balance sheet but in reality, the illegal funds are distributed to the casino and the illegal actor. In the sports betting industry, the barrier to entry is often determined by licenses, and companies typically act as custodians of the funds when users place bets. Additionally, these companies are responsible for providing betting odds, a task that incurs substantial costs when done accurately. Assessing various factors such as team performance, player injuries, and changes in management helps determine the odds. However, it's crucial to note that the odds provided by betting companies are designed to favor the company rather than the individuals placing bets. This inherent bias in odds contributes to the company's profit margin in the betting business. ### Exploring a free and ethical approach to lottery apps and innovative payout structures The whole lottery system should be verifiable! The point of it is not to have yet another system where the poor are preyed upon. That is why the lottery app should be open-sourced. The bigger reason for the apps to be FOSS - I am reluctant to say how this particular app should be created because, on the one side, there are going to be regulatory people who want you to ask for approval, and on the other side there are betting companies that a percentage of them are involved in criminal activities. If you create an app that makes them obsolete you will find yourself being attacked legally, illegally, and anything in between. That is why the only option that I see for a small guy to not be a target is to create this app as a FOSS (free and open source software). This will create a problem for those entities because there is no target. It will have no barriers for others to create apps competing with the existing incentives. There was a big debate in my head about whether I should publish this article about this particular topic because of the ethically sticky situation. Also, I do not think that people should play with money and bet on stupid things. The main reason that I am doing this is that there should not be an incentive to do illegal activities but there should be a cost for it. Since the current system is incentivizing it, people should create the cost for them by making a free alternative (no licenses, or permissions from anyone) and with no risk for the players (non-custodial). Also, the cases that we will look at below as a payment structure are simply cool and unique that we have yet to experience anywhere. This will push even us at Breez to create and facilitate them if the need is there. Now let’s take a look at the potential solution and what I envision it could look like. An algorithm can be designed where individuals purchase a virtual ticket, and once 100 participants acquire tickets, the entire pool is distributed among three randomly selected winners. The distribution comprises 50% for the first prize, 30% for the second, and 20% for the third. The concept of a physical ticket is eliminated; instead, participants contribute equal amounts of satoshis to a smart contract, which activates upon reaching the 100th participant. The executed contracts allocate 50% to the first-place winner, 30% to the second, and 20% to the third. No entity holds funds for others, and participants await the completion of the 100 spots to determine the three winners. You can do the lottery for more or fewer people. For different amounts of sats. With a different payout structure. I envision a lottery game modeled after the hashing race in Bitcoin mining. Participants are required to guess a number between 1 and 1,000,000 by locking in 10 satoshis for each guess. If the guessed number is incorrect, that specific guess is eliminated from the potential answers, and the satoshis from all guesses contribute to the Jackpot for the correct number. The participant who correctly guesses the number receives the accumulated satoshis. The payout amount depends on the position of the correct guess, for example, if it occurs on the 10th try, the prize is 100 sats, and if on the 100,000th try, the prize is a million sats. Upon completion of the payout, the game resets, and participants can engage in the next round. ### Revolutionizing one-on-one Betting with trustless payouts When I am with a friend, we can choose to place a bet on something--our favorite sports team, who can spit the furthest, or whether the sun will rise tomorrow. We are perfectly able to do so with cash, and we do not need a license from anyone to place those bets or determine the odds for us. There is only one problem that we have to handle when the results are in - the person who is losing the bet has to pay the winner. Because of this risk, you need a trusted third party that is unbiased to execute the payment when the results are known. Now you need a mitigation for the third-party risk--that they won't run away with the money. So you make a fourth party involved to determine who can have a license to be a trusted third party, and we are back to the current fiat operational model. With instant settlement and smart contracts, we destroy all those problems. * You do not need a license for trust because no one is holding money for anyone else. * You do not need a trusted third party because you have a smart contract responsible for the execution of the payment when the results are known * You do not need a third party to determine the odds because they are decided by the people and put in the smart contract * You do not need to trust the person to pay when you win because he signed the execution of the payment when both of you placed the bet. This structure for one-on-one betting is already implemented with a few games in the lightning space. One is from our friends at THNDR games and another is the Chain Duel. I like the infrastructure for the payment of the THNDR games because I am a sucker for non-custodial lightning. Custody for a second, a minute or a year is still custody. What would a sports betting app look like that has a non-custodial instant settlement? There are a few easy settings to establish. First, there needs to be a deadline for placing bets before the sports event starts. Second, a timeframe must be set for the payout. In one-on-one betting, the payout structure is straightforward. Each side can wager any amount against the other, and if there is a disparity in the amounts, the odds are not 1:1. When the result is determined, the winning party has their funds unlocked without being sent, while the losing party has their contract executed, transferring the payment to the winner. THNDR is already implementing a similar concept called "clinch" which we are glad we had some input on, but I want to take it a few steps further. ### Exploring novel concepts in wagering -> community-to-community What if there's a group of people on one side of the bet and another group on the opposing side? What does the payout look like, and how are the odds determined? Let's delve into a straightforward graph to better illustrate this example. The graphs in the picture are the reference for the explanations below The individuals on the left consist of only two people, but they wager a larger amount. On the right, there are four people, but their bets are smaller. If the left side wins, the two individuals will share the $1,000 bet placed by the opposing group. Since they bet equal amounts, each person will receive $500, reflecting a 50% stake for each. Conversely, if the right side wins, the stakes differ. Individuals 1 and 2 have a 25% stake, person 3 has a 40% stake, and person 4 has a 10% stake. Consequently, their respective payouts would be $500, $500, $800, and $200. That was a surprise even for me - there is a proof of stake system that I would be for. I realized that the staking is just not used in the proper context and that is why I have a problem with it. Proof of stake is deployed for bets and bets only. There is no such thing called staking your energy - that is called working. Now this system is not the shitcoin model - stake something and I guarantee you something more. Staking something means that going in you know (or you should know) that your stake could be lost. If someone is asking you to stake money and promising you more money you should ask yourself who is the loser that will pay the winner. If I am the winner, who is the loser? If we are all winners that means we all lost to inflation and the winner is the inflator. Stake = Bet. The true stake system introduces a novel dimension to betting. While the primary goal is to win, participants might consider adding more funds to their community bet to avoid dilution. For instance, if I initially bet $10 alone, I would have a 100% payout potential. However, if someone else places a $10,000 bet on my side, my potential payout percentage drops to less than 0.1%. In such a scenario, I face two choices: increase my bet on my community's side for a better payout or place a bet on the opposing side, capitalizing on the changed odds for a potentially significant payout if I am wrong. This concept sheds light on the genuine meaning of hedging. You are hedging things that you BET on! Whether you call it an investment strategy or not you should now recognize that everything in the fiat system is using these terms but hiding the fact that it is gambling. For example, if you are a true investor you should do everything you can to make your investment work and realize that goal. Betting against yourself = hedge. The community-to-community betting brings about more significant implications than current betting models. In this setup, the victorious community directly benefits, and if the bet is placed on a sports event, the winning team supports the winning community. The funds from the losing team's community are directly paid to the winning community and not to a betting company. This eliminates the intermediary role of any betting company. The people also are forced to do their research and assess which is a good bet and which is not - not that the majority do it. If they did it was going to be clear to all of us by now that all sh*tcoins are the fiat scam on a blockchain. When there are three or more possible outcomes for a bet, multiple people or communities can bet on those outcomes, and all losing communities pay the winning community. In this scenario, individual participants receive payouts based on their respective stakes. For instance, in a bet involving predicting an exact score where no one bets on the correct score, there is no winner, and consequently, no actual losers. In such cases, participants simply have their sats unlocked without any winnings or losses. We invest our energy in goals - make sure it is your goals and not someone else's. With money, we do 3 things only - earning, spending, or gambling! People want to pay you money so you achieve their goals and stake your money so you can lose it to them. Be very aware of where you invest your energy and how you are using your bitcoin. I would like to repeat my statement from above one more time. The forces that are involved with these gambling companies are very powerful and I do not want to inspire someone and put a target on their back. I am doing this because of the utility of the payments and because this can be an open-sourced project that just competes with them. Satoshi set a standard for how to solve a monopoly - with FOSS. This will completely reshape the coordination between humans again with instant settlement payment. I do not like that I am promoting betting behavior because it is addictive and dangerous but I hope this puts a light on why all fiat behavior is gambling. The only proof of stake that matters is what is your stake in Bitcoin from the 21 million coins. Having a stake there is betting on humanity for the better. Now be careful with this bet to make that app!

@ b22fef18:1bba6e1f

## Chef's notes Old family recipe that my grandma used to make during the summer. Creamy and refreshing. ## Details - ⏲️ Prep time: 10 min - 🍳 Cook time: 4 hours chilled - 🍽️ Servings: 8-10 ## Ingredients - 3/4 cup shredded cucumber - 3/4 cup cucumber juice - 3/4 cup water - 1 packet lime jello - 1/4 cup chopped onion - 1 cup 4% cottage cheese - 1 cup Miracle Whip ## Directions 1. Shred cucumber and add salt to draw out moisture. 2. Mix juice from shredded cucumber and water. 3. Heat juice/water and dissolve lime jello. 4. Allow to cool slightly. (Add a couple ice cubes to chill it down and remove before melted) 5. Mix together the jello mixture and all other ingredients.

@ dd3548d4:cedd4a2c

 Little snitch shows this - very peculiar :-) originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/621754

@ df8f0a64:057d87a5

#### はじめに 2023年末にこんな文章を書いていました > 今はNostrに夢を見ていますが、半年後には失望しているかもしれませんし、もっとのめり込んでいるかもしれません どうなるのかはわからないですが、わからないからこそ未来はいかようにも想像できるし、良くしようと関わることでまた違う楽しみがあります... > ...来年はもう少しやれること・やれたことが増えるといいなと願っています。願うことができるなら、きっと動くこともできるでしょう > [BitcoinとWeb3と私とNostr](https://github.com/kimymt/aboutme/blob/main/bitcoin_web3_I_and_nostr_ja.md#%E7%B5%82%E3%82%8F%E3%82%8A%E3%81%AB) あれから半年という区切りが良い？タイミングでもあり、且つ会社を退職することも決め、社内で振り返る機会がなくなったので、私的な出来事だけですが振り返ってみようと思って走り書きします #### 0. Umbrel Homeを買った Nostrで見聞きしていたUmbrel OSと[Umbrel Home](https://umbrel.com/umbrel-home) 私はBig-Techが嫌いな人間ではないんですが、こういうガジェット、欲しいじゃないですか なので買いました。理由はそれだけです（使い道は買ってから考えろ！） #### 1. ライトニングノードを運用し始めた Nostrで[nostr.wineという有料リレー](https://nostr.wine/)を購入しようとしたときに、とある方にwineに対してチャンネルを貼って決済を助けていただいたことが、いつか自分でもやってみたいなと思い始めたきっかけです。自分も同じように困ってる人を助けられたら、それは小さくても幸せだなと Umbrel Homeでワンクリックでノードを建てられたことや、Nostrで知った[Diamond Hands](https://diamondhands.technology/)という日本発のコミュニティが、[ルーティングに関する情報発信](https://spotlight.soy/detail?article_id=7fxyt008x)を積極的にされていたことで、実際に踏み出しました 私のLNノード→[Hokusai](https://amboss.space/node/03581b22146814bdb82fe94e8b0a4e2a63e61f62f31bb51e44c3e06d15fefd90c9) DHメソッドの仕上げが期待通りにいかなかったことが要因なのか、残念ながらルーティングは全然発生していません。なので人助けにはなっていないのですが、いつか改善していこうと思いながらデジタル盆栽をしています #### 2. ドメインの取得 Umbrel Homeを持ったことで、既存のサービスの代替を自分でやってみたいなと思い始めました 1PasswordをBitwarden（Vaultwarden）に Google PhotoをImmichに Apple MusicをPlexに ウェブにある先人の知識や公式ドキュメントを読み、ChatGPTにも尋ねながらやっていくなかで、Tailscale内の通信をhttpsにすることに苦戦していました オレオレ証明書？Caddyでリバースプロキシ？？全然わからん...（このときCaddyがUmbrel Homeのポートをとってしまい、ただの黒い箱なりかねなかったところを、夜遅くにも関わらずNostrのみなさんに助けていただきました。改めて、ありがとうございます） 夜な夜な酒を飲みながらやっていたこともあり、だんだん面倒になってきて「埒があかないからもう世界に公開してしまっていいや！」とCloudflare Tunnelを使うことを決断。そうなるとドメインが必要になるので、流れで買いました。Nostrに来てから、どんどん一般人から逸脱している（） #### 3. メディアサーバー Nostrで投稿するとなかなか消せません。なので他の方にならって画像を投稿するときは、外部のサービスを利用しています 多くのクライアントと連携している[nostr.build](https://nostr.build/)を有料プランで長らく利用しているのですが、アップした画像を時間が経ったら消す癖がある私にとっては、容量がtoo much 多い分には困らないのが普通の感覚だと思いますが、私にとっては「ちょうど良い」ものではないことがあまり心地よくありません 諦めていたとき、[Blossomという仕組み](https://github.com/hzrd149/blossom)を開発したという話がNostrで流れてきました Nostrの秘密鍵と連携する仕組みで、これ使ってみたいなぁ（単にあたらしいもの好き）と思っていたら、[CloudflareでBlossomを動かすコード](https://git.v0l.io/florian/cf-worker-blossom-server)が公開されているわけです。OSSってすげー Cloudflareは一定は無料で使えることをドメインを買うときに把握していたので、これはもうやるしかない！ということで自分用メディアサーバーを建てて利用しています。Cloudflare R2を利用しているので、一定時間経過後にオブジェクトを自動削除することもできて、とても快適 #### 4. リレー運用 Cloudflareで色々遊べそうだとわかったことで、Nostrリレーも一度は建ててみたいという気持ちがだんだん強くなります およそ一年もNostrやGithubを見ていると、誰かがコードを公開しているはずだろうとわかるわけです そして案の定ありました、[Nosflareというリポジトリ](https://github.com/Spl0itable/nosflare)が（OSSってすげー） 建立されたリレー→wss://relay.mymt.casa Cloudflareの無料枠で運用したいので「日本国内からのみアクセス可能」「保存したイベントは24時間後に破棄」する運用にしています #### 5. まだできてないこと 本当はこの文章をUmbrel Homeでホストしようと考えていたのですが、Potainer.ioと[ghost](https://ghost.org/)の扱い方が全然わからない [Bostrというrelay proxy](https://github.com/Yonle/bostr)も全然デプロイできない ということで毎晩ChatGPT-4oと一緒に苦戦しています。Cloude 3.5に切り替えたい（何もしていないのにアカウントBANされた...） #### 終わりに 振り返ってみると、エンジニアさんみたいにゼロから何かを作ることはできないですが、Nostr ecosystemに対しては少しは貢献できているんじゃないかなという気がしてきました いや、ほとんど他人の褌なんですが。ほんとOSSってすげー 次の半年で「まだできてないこと」をできるようになっているといいなぁと思いつつこの文章を終わります 知らんことをやるのは楽しいですね！

@ 3c827db6:66418fc3

With the previous articles, we found the disconnect between paid-for work and paid-for time. We also understood that if you want to get paid you have to provide work that is valuable for others. So when the person consumes the benefit of your work, the exchange happens value for value - work for sats. But what happens if the benefit that the consumer experiences is not a momentary but a continuous process? There are a few examples of this. I will start with the one that is not that captivating but still valuable. Streaming services, like other industries, grapple with the limitations of the fiat payment system. The burden of fees and the absence of suitable technology for streaming payments have compelled them to adopt similar mitigations as other industries. This translates to charging users on a monthly basis. With the Lightning Network, we have the technology to stream sats for content. No longer confined to monthly subscriptions, you pay for what you consume in real time. Whether you watch sporadically or binge extensively, streaming payments allow for a more personalized and efficient payment model. This way the creator of the content and the user have a direct connection for each minute the content is broadcasted. With streaming payments now you can say goodbye to subscription payments. ### Unveiling A New Era Of Fair Compensation And Accountability In Movie Production Imagine you've created a movie or documentary. Traditionally, you'd charge people for a ticket, essentially asking them to pay upfront for future value, creating a slight disconnect. Now, with streaming payments using sats, consumers can pay as they watch. If your movie sucks, they might only pay for the first 30 minutes. However, you still receive value, and viewers won't feel overcharged for something they didn't enjoy. If your movie is great they not only stream sats the whole time but at the end, they leave a tip. On the receiving side of the movie most people involved in it received a salary for doing their job. As we already know this is not aligning the whole structure in the same direction. Some people do not care at all how good the movie is if they have already been paid and do not receive a bonus further. Some people might care about reputation in the market but very few just want to do the best job. Again, we went through this, and as you are guessing you just do a split payment in the backend where all the people in the credits actually receive sats or even milisatoshis based on their contribution. This was something I did not expect that Bitcoin would disrupt. This way the reputation is directly linked to the payment and a lot more people will fight to have the best movie. You can be someone who contributed to a project and wants to stay anonymous for whatever reason but still receive money - Lightning instant settlement is the way to do it. These concepts should not be new if you read through the last 3 articles. In addition, people in the Bitcoin space are familiar with the Value for Value (V4V) podcasting and that is very close to what I am describing above. While the technology for podcasting is already in place, it's surprising how few podcasts leverage this technology to implement split payments effectively. They give that responsibility to some hosting service that decides to take a 5% split for themselves and the other 95% goes to the wallet of the show. Why not do the split the proper way? The hosting service provides value so they should get a percentage but if you are 3 people involved in the production of the podcast you should have that 95% split so it goes to those individuals. There's no excuse, especially for Bitcoin podcasts, not to make this effort and implement split payments appropriately. ### The Dynamic Future Of Pay-as-you-go In Content Consumption In this example, the pay-as-you-go model holds true for continuous experiences, like streaming. Now, let's revisit the movie example. If you're a theater, you are essentially the hosting provider for the movie. The quality of the theater experience can vary; one theater might have uncomfortable chairs, while another boasts luxurious massage chairs. The theater with subpar seating might receive a 3% share of the movie's streaming sats revenue, while the one with comfortable massage chairs might earn 5% for each sat stream paying for the movie. Furthermore, if a viewer activates the massage function of the chair, additional sats are streamed for each second that the function is on. I do not know the exact payment dynamics between theaters and movie studios but I bet there are prepayments and funds held at multiple points in the fiat payment process. With the adoption of the Lightning Network, theaters no longer have to prepay for movies to be projected on their screens. They can now observe which movies are most popular in real time and adjust their projections accordingly to optimize revenues. This benefits the consumer and optimizes profits for themselves and the creators of the movie. Now you see the content gets its value stream for the continuous experience and everyone in the film industry will fight to give the best experience for the most amount of time. The better the experience the more sats flow their way. Due to the highly subjective nature of content, where one person might deem a movie subpar, another might label it as their favorite. This subjectivity is why I believe most content streaming will not have a predetermined price. Even movies may adopt the V4V model, similar to what Adam Curry is pioneering in podcasting. For instance, you watch a movie, and during the credits, a prominent QR code appears, allowing you to decide how much you want to send to the creators of the movie. You will listen to a song or a podcast the same way. Whether you predefine a streaming rate per minute or request payment at the end, both options are technically possible. However, the market will ultimately determine which option prevails as the better one. Also, why not have a bidding competition for any event that has assigned seats? The person who bids the most for a ticket gets to be in the first row of the concert or a sports stadium. This way the subjectivity is left for all the viewers to decide how valuable it really is. This way it ensures a full stadium also because if there is no value in attending the event people are not going to bid for the seats or just pay 1 sat for it. ### Revolutionizing Taxi Transactions For Drivers And Passengers Alike The continuous experience or service for streaming could be anything in the physical realm. I will take a look at how instant settlement could look like in transportation services. One such transportation service is the taxi service. Even though Uber decentralized the taxi companies which is great they did nothing about decentralizing the payment process. Lightning Network fixes that and more. With a streaming payment option for each meter of movement, taxi drivers no longer need to wait until the end destination to receive their payment. In a world of instant settlement, payment occurs as you go, eliminating the risk for the taxi driver regarding whether the passenger will pay at the end of the journey. While this might not be a groundbreaking improvement, there are several additional benefits to consider. Why do most taxis operate with cash? Taxi drivers in most places need a POS device for the customers to be able to pay for a better user experience (UX). It may be a better UX but on the other hand, it creates problems for the drivers either way: * They have to acquire clunky devices. * They must pay payment processing fees, negatively impacting their margins. * Operating solely with cash exposes them to the honeypot problem, carrying a substantial amount of money, and making them vulnerable to theft. With an app tailored for the taxi experience and integrated with the Lightning Network, these issues become irrelevant. There is no need for additional equipment, no payment processing fees for receiving money, and no exposure to visible cash, reducing the risk of being a target for theft. Now you can have a better UX with better security and better margins - an additional benefit is that it will be paid with Bitcoin. Not only that but just like the example with the movie theater chairs drivers will be incentivized to make the travel experience even better. They can offer - to watch a movie, video games like PlayStation, or massage chair. If you choose to use those extra experiences on top of the travel experience you have to increase the sats streaming their way. An additional benefit for the travel experience of customers arises when multiple passengers in a taxi have different destinations. Traditionally, the taxi meter ticks for the entire journey, and when the first person is dropped off, determining a fair amount for their portion becomes complex. However, with the Lightning Network, it's conceivable to streamline this process. Imagine a scenario where three passengers enter a taxi, each with distinct destinations. Each person scans a QR code upon entering, linking their streaming sats to the taxi app. The app manages split-receiving, dynamically adjusting the distribution of streaming payments based on how many people are in the taxi. As passengers are dropped off one by one, the app seamlessly adjusts the split-receiving, providing a fair and efficient payment solution for each individual's share of the journey. ### Optimizing City Transportation With Streaming Sats The proposed model of split-receiving through QR codes and streaming sats can extend beyond taxi services to other modes of transportation, such as buses. The idea is to calculate the average cost per mile (or meter/foot) for providing the transportation service, including factors like fuel, maintenance, and driver salary, and add a margin for profit. Passengers entering the vehicle scan a QR code, and the app dynamically adjusts the streaming payments based on the number of people on board. For buses, this model allows for real-time adjustment of streaming payments as passengers enter and exit. If there are 30 people on the bus the split is between them. At the next stop, 10 people are dropped off and 5 people get on board - now the sats stream is divided by 25 people. As the number of people on the bus changes at each stop, the streaming sats are proportionally divided among the passengers. This approach can lead to more efficient and flexible city transportation. Late-night buses will be more expensive for the passengers because of the fewer riders, while buses during peak hours may offer a more cost-effective traveling experience as payments are shared among more passengers. This system encourages transportation optimization around events, such as concerts or sports games, where private buses or minivans wait to fill up before departing. Routes can be dynamically adjusted because you will have a system tracking how many people are in the vehicles at what time and at what location on the map. Importantly, this data remains anonymous, as no KYC information is required for the Lightning Network payments. ### The Streamlined Pay-from-a-distance Now with this streaming money feature, it can be applied differently. Let’s go back to the taxi service for a moment. The pay-from-a-distance feature that is available in the Lightning Network can significantly enhance the experience of ordering a taxi. Instead of the traditional model where drivers wait patiently and charge fixed fees when passengers enter the car, this model introduces streaming sats from the moment the passenger accepts the ride. Here's how it works: * The passenger places an order in the app, specifying the destination. Nothing new here. * Drivers see the order and can apply for it, similar to platforms like Uber. * Streaming sats start the moment the passenger accepts the driver, and streaming payments commence. This fee will be less than the actual transportation but the user is still paying for the service of the car coming to him and not the other way around. * The taxi arrives at the passenger's door, and the streaming payments continue. There is a fee for waiting at the door per minute. By shifting the waiting cost to the passenger, there's a strong incentive for both parties to be prompt, and the system becomes more efficient. Additionally, the passenger's responsibility to follow the car reduces operational costs related to alerting passengers via message or a call. Any inefficient time management becomes a cost for the passenger. This model aligns incentives for both drivers and passengers, creating a more seamless cost and time-effective taxi experience. The concept of paying from a distance can be creatively applied to various scenarios, providing convenience and peace of mind. For instance, when it comes to sending your child somewhere with a taxi, traditional concerns about trusting them with money or the driver's reliability may arise. However, with the ability to stream sats for the ride, you gain real-time visibility on your device, tracking your child's journey and ensuring they reach the intended destination safely. This pay-from-a-distance feature extends beyond transportation and can be applied to other continuous services. For example, daycare services charge per minute, allowing you to stream payments in real-time, ensuring accurate and fair compensation for the duration your child spends there. Additionally, you can send a present to a friend, such as a massage session, and pay for it in a streaming fashion, covering the cost continuously based on the duration of the service. The flexibility of streaming payments not only offers real-time tracking and control but also opens up new possibilities for various services where charging per minute or duration is relevant. Those services can be paid on the spot or from a distance. image2 I know that now it looks like we are going backwards from the original point of never paying money for time. The key distinction here is that you may be paying for time past for the service but in that time you get a continuous stream of value (work done) so you are streaming value back to pay for it. In some cases the time spent is actually an accurate measure of the work done. It's true that developing apps with such functionalities is technically feasible, and there might be entrepreneurs and developers willing to explore these possibilities. However, a significant challenge arises when considering custodial control over users' funds. Small startups might find it financially burdensome and complex to operate as custodians, potentially steering away from such responsibilities. This will take not only high responsibility but also a very big financial wall and expertise to obtain the licenses that comply with the ever-changing regulations. On the other hand, large tech companies with substantial resources could afford to take on the role of custodians, presenting both a business opportunity for them and a risk for the users. The move by some tech giants, like X(formerly Twitter), to obtain such licenses can be seen as a strategic measure for self-preservation over their own finances. This is also an opportunity to consolidate control over not only user data but user finances within their platforms. The Breez SDK offers a powerful solution, empowering developers to create diverse applications without having to worry about payment intricacies. Its non-custodial nature is a key advantage, eliminating the need for licenses. The infrastructure of it is made in such a way that it is peer-to-peer so no one is holding money for someone else. The app developers focus on the experience within the app and just plug in the code. This combination of features gives startups a competitive edge and reverses the advantage held by large tech companies. While they go through the complex process of getting a license the startup can integrate the global payment network (the Lightning Network) in one day. Even if certain tech giants choose to lock users' funds within their applications, alternative options will continue to be developed, and users will have the freedom to opt-out. Just like people are choosing Bitcoin over fiat. Now who is ready to give all of us those experiences in their app?

@ d7607464:421e573a

`chezmoi` is a command-line tool that uses `git` to keep your dotfiles in sync across all of your machines. In this guide, I'll show you a simple use case of keeping dotfiles synced between two machines, `machine_A` and `machine_B`. `chezmoi` has many more features that you can explore beyond this as you become more comfortable with the workflow. ## Chezmoi Cheatsheet  This is a diagram of the various locations `chezmoi` accesses to manage your dotfiles, as well as the relevant commands to move files around. I'll be referencing the locations `home_A`, `chezmoi_A`, `home_B`, `chezmoi_B`, and `repo` shown in this diagram throughout this guide. ## Installation The first step to using `chezmoi` is installing and initializing it. We will be on `machine_A` to start with. Here, I'll be building the binary from the source code. First, make sure you have `golang` installed: https://go.dev/doc/install Then, clone the `chezmoi` repo and use `make` to build it: ```bash cd /tmp git clone https://github.com/twpayne/chezmoi.git cd chezmoi make build ``` This will create the `chezmoi` binary, which you can then copy any directory in your `PATH`. Here, I'll move it to `~/bin`. If `~/bin` doesn't exist, you have to create it and re-source `~/.profile` to add it to `PATH`. ```bash mkdir -p ~/bin && source ~/.profile cp chezmoi ~/bin/chezmoi ``` Now you should be able to run `chezmoi`: ```bash > chezmoi --version chezmoi version dev, commit 255846 . . . ``` ## Initialization Now that you've installed `chezmoi`, you have to initialize it. This guide uses the `main` branch for all git operations, and you can change the default branch for git repositories as follows before you initialize `chezmoi`: ```bash git config --global init.defaultBranch main ``` Then initialize `chezmoi`: ```bash chezmoi init ``` This creates the `chezmoi` git repository at `~/.local/share/chezmoi`. Based on the diagram above, this is the location corresponding to `chezmoi_A`. ## Adding your first file Most systems have a `.bashrc` or similar configuration file, so that can be the first dotfile you add to `chezmoi`: ```bash chezmoi add ~/.bashrc ``` Change into the `chezmoi_A` directory to see the file added to `chezmoi`: ```bash chezmoi cd ls ``` You'll see `dot_bashrc` listed. `chezmoi` renames the dots at the start of all of your dotfiles as `'dot_'` so they are not considered hidden. This directory is a git repository as well, but it isn't linked to an online repository yet. You can use a private repository on GitHub or GitLab, or even a self-hosted instance of GitLab. Whatever remote repository you choose to use, follow its instructions to create a new repository called `dotfiles` and add it as `origin` to your local `chezmoi` git repository. Here, I'll create a private GitHub repository and link it using ssh. Then you should be able to see it with: ```bash > git remote -v origin git@github.com:wisehodl/dotfiles.git (fetch) origin git@github.com:wisehodl/dotfiles.git (push) ``` Now commit your first dotfile and push it to the online repo: ```bash git add dot_bashrc git commit -m "Added .bashrc" git push -u origin main ``` Congratulations! You've successfully backed up your first dotfile using `chezmoi`. `chezmoi add` can add individual files as well as directories. ## Adding directories and ignoring files. `chezmoi` can add whole directories with `chezmoi add` but you may want to ignore certain files if they are auto-generated or contain sensitive information. Say you have a directory you want to add to `chezmoi` that contains some authentication details as well as actual config files, like so: ```bash /home/wise/.test/ ├── .auth └── .config ``` Here, we want to add `.test` to `chezmoi` but ignore the `.auth` file that contains some login information. First, you'll have to tell `chezmoi` to ignore the `.auth` file using the `.chezmoiignore` file. It works just like `.gitignore` if you're familiar with that. ```bash echo ".test/.auth" >> .chezmoiignore ``` Now you can add the `.test` directory: ```bash > chezmoi add ~/.test chezmoi: warning: ignoring .test/.auth ``` And you'll see that `chezmoi` is purposely ignoring the `.auth` file. If you look at your `chezmoi` directory now, you'll see the `dot_test` directory added with only the config file. Add these changes to your git repo: ```bash git add -A git commit -m "Added .test/" git push ``` Here, you should start to get a feel for how the workflow for adding files to `chezmoi` typically goes. Before we start modifying files, let's move over to `machine_B` and sync your dotfiles over there. ## Syncing to another machine For the sake of simplicity, I'll assume that you are syncing your dotfiles to a fresh install of the same Linux distro as `machine_A`. If you have a lot of conflicting dotfiles between `machine_A` and `machine_B`, you'll either need to utilize `git merge` or `chezmoi merge` at your discretion and resolve the conflicts. If certain files do need to be different between the machines, then you'll have to utilize `chezmoi`'s templating capabilities. These situations are beyond the scope of this guide and are left as an exercise for the reader. On `machine_B` follow the steps above to install and initialize `chezmoi`. Then, add your remote git repository as before, and pull it into the `chezmoi` directory: ```bash git pull origin main ``` The first time you push from `chezmoi_B`, you may have to run `git push -u origin main` to set the upstream branch and fully set up the remote connection. Now to review, we've synced up 4 out of the 5 locations in the diagram above: `home_A`, `chezmoi_A`, `repo`, and `chezmoi_B`. Syncing `chezmoi_B` and `home_B` is where things can get complicated if, like I said before, you have a lot of file conflicts. You can check for differences between the source directory, `chezmoi_B` and the destination directory, `home_B` using `chezmoi diff`. There is also the concept of a "target state" in `chezmoi`, but it only becomes relevant if you use templates. In the context of this guide, the source directory is also the target state. Say, for example, you had some conflicting lines in `~/.bashrc`, `chezmoi diff` would show you the changes that would need to occur to make the destination state, `~/.bashrc`, match the source state, `~/.local/share/chezmoi/dot_bashrc`. There are a few strategies you can use to resolve this conflict: 1. Create a new branch in `chezmoi_B`, add the file from `home_B` with `chezmoi add`, then perform a `git merge` back to main. 1. Use `chezmoi merge ~/.bashrc`, which will take you into a `vimdiff` window to manually change the files to match. 1. Overwrite the source file with the destination file using `chezmoi add ~/.bashrc` 1. Overwrite the destination file with the source file using `chezmoi apply ~/.bashrc` **[DANGER AHEAD]** This guide will go with option 4 for every file in `chezmoi_B`: ```bash # Do not do this unless you want to OVERWRITE files in your # home directory. chezmoi apply ``` `chezmoi` will do its best to warn you if you're about to do something dangerous and give you some options on how to proceed. Doing this, the dotfiles in both `machine_A` and `machine_B` are in sync! But you know that your dotfiles will change and grow over time, so we have to talk about strategies for maintaining this sync. ## Modifying your dotfiles You have to remain mindful that you're using `chezmoi` to keep your dotfiles in sync, otherwise `machine_A` and `machine_B` can get out of sync pretty easily. `chezmoi` has the `chezmoi edit` command to edit files in the destination state, but I prefer to edit files in either `home_A` or `home_B` and then follow the path in the diagram above from end to end to sync up the whole network. For example, you can change or add a file from `home_B` and do: 1. `(home_B) $ chezmoi add ~/path/to/.file` 1. `(home_B) $ chezmoi cd` 1. `(chezmoi_B) $ git add -A` 1. `(chezmoi_B) $ git commit -m "Changed ~/path/to/.file"` 1. `(chezmoi_B) $ git push` 1. `(home_A) $ chezmoi cd` 1. `(chezmoi_A) $ git pull` 1. `(chezmoi_A) $ chezmoi apply` And that will propagate the change across your network. You can also use `chezmoi update` from `home_A` to pull the repo and apply the target state all in one step. The best way to avoid conflicts and headaches is to always push changes you make to you dotfiles as soon as you can and avoid making changes to the same file on two different machines simultaneously, just like with any git repository. ## Conclusion If you've followed the steps in this guide, you will have learned a workflow to keep the dotfiles between two Linux machines in sync using `chezmoi`. The diagram at the top of the guide should serve as a useful cheatsheet for the most common tasks you'll perform to maintain your dotfiles. `chezmoi` is a very versatile application, and is capable of managing very complex dotfile setups. Their documentation is very technical and daunting to the new user, but it remains a good resource for doing more complex tasks with `chezmoi`. - Command Overview: https://www.chezmoi.io/user-guide/command-overview/ - Reference: https://www.chezmoi.io/reference/ --- All the best! - WiseHODL

@ be9bb3c6:8f7b599a

## Chef's notes Gnocchi does NOT need potatoes. ## Details - ⏲️ Prep time: 40 mins - 🍳 Cook time: 3 mins ## Ingredients - 600 g fresh buffalo ricotta cheese - zest of 1 lemon - 10 ml lemon juice - 15 g fine sea salt - pinch fresh cracked black pepper - 2 whole free range eggs - 2 free range egg yolks - 15 g grated best parmesan - 150 g flour, sifted - 1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped ## Directions 1. Put the ricotta cheese in a strainer with cheesecloth or clean kitchen towel and let drain in the fridge for 2 hours. 2. Once ready, mix together all the ingredients except for the flour. Be sure to mix until completely incorporated. 3. Once mixed, add the flour and mix until just incorporated, being sure not to overwork the dough. Allow the dough to rest for two hours.

@ ee6ea13a:959b6e74

## Chef's notes You'll need a decent-sized wok or large skillet to cook this. All of the ingredients are cooked in one pan and served on top of Jasmine rice (but just about any type of white rice or blend will work). ## Details - ⏲️ Prep time: 15 minutes - 🍳 Cook time: 20 minutes - 🍽️ Servings: 2 ## Ingredients - 2 tbsp of toasted sesame oil - 6 thin slices of peeled fresh ginger (don't use powdered) - 3-4 cloves of garlic, smashed - 4 scallions, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces (use both white and green parts) - 2 sliced dried red chili peppers or 1/2 teaspoon of dried chili flakes - 2 boneless and skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-size chunks - 1/3 cup of toasted cashews (these can be prepared in a toaster oven or on the stovetop in advance) - 3 tablespoons of rice wine or dry sherry - 2-3 teaspoons of soy sauce - 4 dates, pitted and sliced thinly - 1-2 cups of fresh basil leaves - Juice of one lime ## Directions 1. Slice and season the chicken with salt and pepper 2. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet 3. When hot, add the ginger, garlic, scallions and chili and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes 4. Add 1 more tablespoon of oil along with the chicken and cashews 5. Cook for 5 minutes, turning the chicken over to cook throughout 6. Add rice wine, soy sauce, and dates 7. Turn down the heat and allow to simmer for another 5-6 minutes until the sauce is reduced 8. Stir in the basil so it begins to wilt 9. Add equal amounts of lime juice to both the chicken stir-fry and the rice 10. Plate the stir-fry over the rice

@ b22fef18:1bba6e1f

## Details - ⏲️ Prep time: 3 hours - 🍳 Cook time: 40 minutes - 🍽️ Servings: 1 loaf ## Ingredients - 1 packet Active Dry Yeast (7g) - 16oz warm water (473g) - 1tsp salt (6g) - 500g flour ## Directions 1. Combine yeast, warm water, and salt into large bowl. 2. Add flour and mix until no dry flour remains. The dough should be wet and shaggy. 3. Cover and let sit on kitchen counter or warm area for 2 hours or until dough has at least doubled in size. 4. Knock down and scrape dough from sides of bowl until dough is roughly original size before your first rise. 5. Oil or butter loaf baking pan and add dough. Cover and let rise while oven preheats (30-60min) 6. Preheat oven to 390F (200C) 7. Uncover loaf and rub with oil or softened butter. 8. Add uncovered loaf into oven and bake for 40min.

@ ee6ea13a:959b6e74

Reposting this on stacker.news and Nostr for those who no longer use X. -- Original post: https://x.com/dsbatten/status/1770571463151775944 You’ve probably seen GreenpeaceUSA's Bitcoin report by now, and my response (if you haven't been blocked). Here’s six things that every environmentalist, Bitcoin advocate, regulator, policymaker and media representative should know about GreenpeaceUSA. I've had this information for over a year, but have held back on going public with it until now because there were initially signs that GreenpeaceUSA would be open to engaging with environmentalists within the Bitcoin community. With them now blocking me from commenting on their posts, all hope of that has now ended. So here's what I can tell you about GreenpeaceUSA, and their campaign that have not been aired publicly until now, and which may surprise you. Firstly, some context: I’m a former volunteer environmental campaigner with Greenpeace. I once risked arrest to stand up for causes I believed in, including an anti-GMO campaign against McDonalds which was successful within 6 weeks, and hailed as an example of how creative direct action can yield fast results. One of the differences: we talked to McDonalds (something no one at GreenpeaceUSA is currently doing with the Bitcoin community). I know a number of people in the environmental movement, and I would like to thank them for their honesty in whistleblowing on a thoroughly misguided campaign from GreenpeaceUSA from start to finish. 1. GreenpeaceUSA’s campaign does NOT have the backing of Greenpeace International. In fact, other branches have asked questions of GreenpeaceUSA’s tactics, and even said that their campaign is damaging the Greenpeace brand, and has resulted in the loss of subscriptions. 2. Within GreenpeaceUSA, there are a growing number of voices of discontent. There is a growing division between some of the younger crypto-neutral or crypto-friendly millennial in their base, and the directorship of GreenpeaceUSA 3. As we know, GreenpeaceUSA did receive a $5Million donation from Ripple’s chair Chris Larsen to run an anti-Bitcoin campaign. What you probably do not know is that within Greenpeace, several staff have questioned whether this is ethical, or in the spirit of an organization that says it relies only on grassroots funding in its sign-up pledge. 4. Some members of EWG and SierraClub, particularly younger members, were not enamoured with their organization’s collusion with GreenpeaceUSA’s “Change the Code” campaign. EWG has not engaged in anti-Bitcoin rhetoric since 6 April ‘23. 5. The head of GreenpeaceUSA’s “Change the Code” campaign has stepped down and is no longer any part of GreenpeaceUSA. At the time of his stepping down he was reported by a source within GreenpeaceUSA to be questioning the wisdom of the campaign. 6. Within GreenpeaceUSA, we know from multiple inside sources that the Change the Code campaign has been widely acknowledged to have been “not particularly successful”. GreenpeaceUSA’s campaign got off on the wrong foot right from the start, by antagonising environmentalists within the Bitcoin community, such as me. Here’s its half-time report (TL;DR, the worst performing environmental campaign I’ve ever witnessed). https://bitcoinmagazine.com/culture/greenpeace-environment-attacks-help-bitcoin Now, the campaign is in more disarray than ever, resorting to tenuous ad hominem attacks against Satoshi Action, based on the discover that one of their supporters is a climate denier. True. Well, guess what: one of their supporters is also a plant-based, tree-hugging, climate-activist & meditation teacher: me. That’s the beauty of Bitcoin: it pulls people in from across the political spectrum: we are as diverse as society itself, and that’s what makes us strong. As I wrote recently, “when the ship you’re standing on is sinking: it doesn’t matter if you’re on the left of right side of it.” I hoped GreenpeaceUSA would end their anti-Bitcoin campaign before their credibility and relevance to the new generation of millennials they are currently disenfranchising is completely severed. But it seems at the moment they are more intent on doubling down on misinformation. Their leadership must change for them to ever have hope of becoming a true voice for the environment again.

@ a24d0c86:ec0f47ce

There's been an influx of new users to Nostr in the last few weeks. I decided to create an onboarding survey to see what insights could be gained. 18 npubs participated. My hope was at least more than 2 or 3 so by that measure it was a wild success. Even more so because 2/3 of participants indicated they would be willing to do follow-up interviews. Let's see what the results were and I'll include brief reflections after each.  This is great, and a bit surprising, there was NO negative reactions to Nostr Onboarding! Overwhelming positive and that credit goes to the culture of OG npubs and those that are actively sharing Nostr with friends.  [Primal](https://primal.net/) having a dominate showing is to be expected because they have repeatedly said they want to be one of the best at onboarding new users to Nostr. Also they have clients with some of the best UX, but most importantly they have three options of clients - iOS, Android and browser. Damus continues to make progress on their iOS, recently launching [Damus Purple](https://damus.io/purple?r) while continuing to make progress on an Android client. And they arguably have the best "client culture" although an Amethyst user might argue with that, haha.  This section IMO is one of the most insightful findings. Clients have clearly made receiving an npub incredible easy as there were no complaints about this process. That's a ton of progress because I personally remember how difficult of a task it was over a year ago. Only people that really, really wanted it seemed to make it through. The next two questions are where it seems a lot of value can be added for new users to Nostr. Specifically in explaining features and improving navigation. The network effect of Nostr's interoperability (use #nostrability to highlight any issues discovered) is one of it's superpowers. But at the same time it presents one of the steepest learning curves. The Twitter clones are pretty familiar to most new users. But Nostr is so much more than that. And now with new users coming from other apps besides the dead bird, like TikTok or Substack, there's a need for better ways for users to discover these Nostr clients/apps. Looking at the latest stats from [Nostr.band](https://stats.nostr.band/) the retention rate doesn't seem to be improving much with the last few new user cohorts.  How can we move this curve up to start and retain more users with each cohort? Discoverability is a key I believe. But not just discoverability for other npubs to follow. I think discoverability of novel apps is equally as important. How many new users are even aware of the [Nostr Apps](https://www.nostrapps.com/) site that Karnage has curated? Yes a better Twitter experience, or even YouTube and Substack is desirable. But IMO the 1M+ new users to Nostr will be as a result of the unique experiences that the Nostr protocol allows. Whether zaps, social network portability or the new business models that could never have been tried before. And speaking of zaps!  It was great to see that most new users are able to experience the newest innovation in social media. Credit to the clients for making this easier, [Alby](https://getalby.com/) for their [NWC](https://nwc.dev/) work and the users that are hand holding their friends along the way.  Besides the insights from features/navigation IMO the NPS is the next most important finding from this survey. It's a solid start for Nostr to have such positive scores when it's so fundamentally different in social media and apps in general as far as UX. Credit to the Nostr OGs, builders and educators that have helped with this so far. There's still room for improvement but this increased how bullish I am on Nostr to see new users have this type of enthusiasm.  The final part of the survey asked for new users favorites parts of Nostr and what they'd like to see. The latter was all over the place. However with the favorites, given a little interpratation I was able to stack rank the top three favorites. Not really a surprise but rather validation of what should continue to be the focus. Even today as I'm writing this I'm seeing Jack offer another bounty to further implement the gossip model in hopes of increasing censorship resistance. IMO these favorites need to continue to be top of mind as building continues. The "north stars" of Nostr if you will. I'm going to be building and sharing more about how I'll be contributing to improve the Nostr Onboarding. My focus will follow what I've found through this survey: better features and navigation explanations while keeping the Nostr north stars in mind.

@ a24d0c86:ec0f47ce

I'm putting my efforts into Nostr as a "janitor" or Product Manager. From my perspective most of the clients/apps are currently a single or few person team and therefore don't warrant a specific PM role. So instead I'm identifying global aspects of Nostr that can benefit from these skills. My first contribution was a [Nostr Onboarding Survey](https://tally.so/r/wLbKAO) that I created, sparked by seeing an influx of new users primarily from #tiktok. You can still fill it out if you're relatively new to Nostr! I'll be publishing the results so any and all engineers that are interested can gain some valuable insights. Ever since I've joined Nostr it's re-wired my brain and I can't stop thinking about the possibilities. I have a strong sense that I'm heading in the best direction to make the biggest contribution and impact with my skills and experience. I appreciate any participation but more importantly if you're a developer, designer or building and need product help please reach out! I'm excited to share more in coming posts and keep working with all the amazing people that are contributing to Nostr so far. LFG

@ ee6ea13a:959b6e74

Below is a tweet by Ryan X. Charles on X about how the cult mindset works. -- https://x.com/ryan_x_charles/status/1770361328944709710 I became a cult member in 2017 when I met Craig Wight in person and truly believed he was Satoshi Nakamoto. I was convinced he was Satoshi because Gavin Andresen, Jon Matonis and Ian Grigg, people I respected, had claimed to verify he was Satoshi Nakamoto, including supposed key signing ceremonies. That, and he had the beliefs and actions of someone I thought was consistent with Satoshi Nakamoto. My false belief in Craig Wright would go on to damage me financially in truly spectacular fashion. Because Craig told me to use Bitcoin Cash immediately after it launched, believing this was coming from Satoshi Nakamoto, a figure I idolized, I invested my personal savings into Bitcoin Cash and pivoted my business to focus exclusively on Bitcoin Cash. This would turn out to be a disaster in time, as Bitcoin Cash became BSV, and continuously fell in price and adoption. I used to be a big holder of Bitcoin. I sold all of it to support Craig Wright. Not only did my investments not pan out, but I have missed the giant bull run on Bitcoin as a consequence, even though I am an OG going back to 2011. I am out at least tens of millions of dollars, possibly more. The true scale of the losses will be determined when I account for all of my records. I realized I had failed in 2020. My business was not profitable, it was not growing, and I realized the technology I had been using exclusively, BSV, had very low prospects of success. I simply had to admit to myself my only option was to exit. I managed to sell the company and then began the long process of unwinding my belief system. From 2020 until now, I have spent a lot of time ruminating on the trauma I experienced from 2017 - 2020. Now that we know Craig Wright is not Satoshi Nakamoto, I understand. I was a cult member and was being manipulated by a psychopath who did not care if he ruined me so long as he had perceived near-term benefit. One of the reasons why it took me so long to accept that Craig Wright is not Satoshi Nakamoto is that it would have to be a truly huge scam that would ultimately hurt everyone and even himself. Unfortunately, as I have learned, this is a known pattern of behavior for psychopaths. Craig Wright will indeed get his day in court, again, as the number of people he has hurt is enormous, and it is now established in court he has been lying this whole time. Lawsuits are inevitable. It took four years of meditation and relaxation to grapple with the scope of my error. Even after all that time, I am still in shock with the declarations that came from the judge. The totality of evidence is overwhelming. Craig Wright is simply not Satoshi Nakamoto, and there was never a reason to believe that he was. I was totally wrong in a big way. Evidently, I am not as smart as I thought. I estimate I am only about 50% of the way detoxed from the cult, even after four years, as I am still learning to accept that there was never any convincing evidence he was Satoshi Nakamoto, and everything I thought I knew was all lies. Fortunately, there is an emerging network of survivors who are in touch and can lend each other support to grapple with the emotions involved in exiting a cult. Craig Wright was enabled by Calvin Ayre and Stefan Matthews, his co-conspirators going back to 2016 or earlier. While I cannot say for sure what happened from before 2017, I do know that the three of them orchestrated this giant scam. I know this from personal experience, and I am certain evidence exists to link them. Together, they have caused a catastrophe for anyone who got involved with them from the beginning until now. Please be kind to the remaining cult members. They truly believe Craig Wright is Satoshi Nakamoto, and this blinds them to the evidence that is staring them in the face. They need kindness, not trolling on X.

@ d7607464:421e573a

## Chef's notes ## Details - ⏲️ Prep time: 0 min - 🍳 Cook time: 5 min - 🍽️ Servings: 1 ## Ingredients - 3/4 cup Raw Milk - 1 tbsp Dutch-Processed Cocoa - 1 tbsp Cane Sugar, to taste - 1 tbsp Raw Unfiltered Honey, to taste ## Directions 1. Heat milk in a pot until steaming. 2. Whisk in cocoa, sugar, and honey. 3. Serve hot.

@ 2d5b6404:d4b500b0

1. アンフィールドでリバプールの試合を観戦する 2. イタリアでピザ食べたりエスプレッソ飲む 3. じゅりよんやラルフ、ewelina、マルティン、jefgとかに会いにヨーロッパ旅行行く 4. 長崎ぺんぎん水族館に行く 5. 九十九里で貝を食べる 6. 奄美大島でクジラの鳴き声を聞く 7. 蒸気機関車に乗る 8. 台湾旅行に行く 9. 韓国旅行に行く 10. 船で東京か大阪、四国に行く 11. Punkt. MP02を買い替える 12. ベトナムに住んでる友達に会いに行く 13. ホームベースとなる共同体を見つける。もしくは作る 14. 収入の10分の１を寄付する 15. ~~デスストランディングをクリアする~~ 16. ブレワイ、ティアキンをクリアする 17. べランピングする 18. こたつで友達とゲームしたりする

@ df5c518b:fb1bc4a0

# Ford Would Replace Gold With Energy Currency and Stop Wars ### Declares if Government Will Give Him Muscle Shoals Plant He Can Demonstrate Success of Plan to Substitute Natural Wealth as Basis of World’s Money **FLORENCE, Ala., Dec. 3** – Henry Ford and Thomas A. Edison arrived here to-day to inspect the Muscle Shoals nitrate plant, which the Detroit automobile manufacturer proposes to take over from the government, and almost immediately Mr. Ford declared the purpose of his vast new project. It is not to make money, or, primarily, to stimulate the employment of a million men now idle, or to make the South and industrial center. His purpose, he said, is to end all wars forever. Henry Ford, by building the world’s greatest power plant here on the Tennessee River, expects to eliminate gold as the basis of world wealth and substitute for it something different – the units of power. And by doing this, he said, war would cease, for gold is the cause of war. “It’s very simple when you analyze it,” said Mr. Ford, “the cause of all wars is gold. We shall demonstrate to the world two things, first, the practicability, second, the desirability of displacing gold as the basis of currency and substituting in its place the world’s imperishable natural wealth. “Almost everybody in the world except the newspapers and the bankers recognizes that civilization has entered on a new era. The newspapers don’t see it and the international bankers don’t want to see it – it would mean changes in world finance and bankers always oppose changes. “There is a group of international bankers who to-day control the bulk of the world’s gold supply. No matter to what country they as individuals claim allegiance, they all play the same game to keep the gold they have in their own hands and to get just as much more as possible. “With the international bankers the fostering, starting and fighting of a war is nothing more nor less than creating an active market for money – a business transaction. If the different countries of the international groups are at war – that makes no difference. No matter who loses the war there have been a great many loans – the gold system always wins. The young men from eighteen to thirty fight the war and are maimed or killed, the internationalists are safe and prosperous. “Ten years ago I said I intended to put every ounce of brains and energy in me to stopping war. I never meant anything more earnestly, and that’s why I want Muscle Shoals. I see a way which, if it can be done, will do more to end war than a thousand years of agitation. “The essential evil of gold in its relation to war is the fact that it can be controlled. Break the control and you stop war. And the simple way to break the control of these international bankers, the way to end their exploitation of humanity forever, is to remove gold as a basis for the currency of the world. “Army engineers say it will take $30,000,000 to complete the big dam. But Congress is economical just now and not in a mood to raise the money by taxation. The customary alternative is thirty-year bonds a 4 per cent. The United States, the greatest government in the world, wishing a pesky $30,000,000 to complete a great public benefit is forced to go to the money sellers.” “But your plan would upset the money system of the world and might work incalculable harm,” it was remarked to Mr. Ford. “Not necessarily; not at all. We need not abolish anything. We need not even abolish the gold standard. Simply forget that there is any such thing as a gold standard and whenever the government needs money for a great serviceable and profitable public improvement, instead of thinking of bonds with their heavy drag of interest charges, think of redeemable non-interest bearing currency.” “But have you worked out a standard of value?” Mr. Ford was asked. “Yes, we have. We will have that ready when Congress wishes to hear about this plan. The standard American dollar is approximately one-twentieth of an ounce of gold. Under the currency system the standard would be a certain amount of energy exerted for one ohour that would be equal to one dollar. It’s simply a case of thinking and calculating in terms different from those laid down to us by the international banking group to which we have grown so accustomed that we think there is no other desirable standard.” “But how is all this going to stop war?” ### Predicts Amazing Success “Simply because if tried here at Muscle Shoals this plan will prove so overwhelmingly and amazingly successful that the American people will never again consent to issuance of an interest-bearing bond for an internal improvement. When the government needs money it will raise it by issuing currency against its imperishable natural wealth. Other countries, seeing our success will do likewise. The function of the money seller will have disappeared. “No matter what becomes of this suggestion I shall act so that no money speculator will make anything out of Muscle Shoals, even if I have to take up the whole bond issue myself.” Mr. Ford’s plan includes completing the Muscle Shoals dam, in a sense, for nothing. Mr. Ford says the United States should issue currency to the amount of $30,000,000, and thereby pay for the dam, but he would make several marked changes between the Muscle Shoals currency and that which is ordinarily secured by gold held in the United States Treasury. ### New Unit of Value First, Mr. Ford proposes that this currency be issued only to a certain definite amount and for a specific purpose – that is, the completion of Muscle Shoals. Second, he proposes to back up the Muscle Shoals currency by an entirely new unit of value,. There is the best security in the world in this river, which is capable of furnishing a million horsepower, said Mr. Ford. It has been here for untold ages. “It will be here as long as there is rain and mountains to shed the rain into the river,” the Detroit millionaire continued. “This energy is productive of wealth and is imperishable. Now, which is the more secure, this power and its development or the few barrels of gold necessary to make the $30,000,000? This site, with its power possibilities, will last long after the Treasury Building is a mass of ruins. “This is the security upon which I believe we can base the currency for Muscle Shoals.” “What about the unit of values?” he was asked. “That will be worked out when congress cares to hear about it,” he replied. “Under the energy currency system the standard would be a certain amount of energy for one our that would be equal to $1. It is simply a case of calculating in different terms from those laid down to us by international bankers. “The only difference between this currency plan and the plan of issuing bonds to pay for the development here is that under my idea there will not need be any interest paid to the Wall Street money merchants who do nothing to build the dam. These men deserve nothing and under this plan will get nothing. “Foreign countries ought not raise objection about accepting money based on Muscle Shoals, for Muscle Shoals is a national and not an international matter, and the money would only be for use at home.” Mr. Ford’s ideas on the way Congress will look at his revolutionary proposal are strong and vigorous. This article was originally published by the New York Tribune on December 4th, 1921. It was transcribed and formatted for this medium by me, Stephen Brouillette on January 31, 2024. Use of open quotations at the end of paragraphs is intentional, and appeared in the original issue.

@ 2edbcea6:40558884

Happy Sunday Folks! Here’s your #NostrTechWeekly newsletter brought to you by nostr:npub19mduaf5569jx9xz555jcx3v06mvktvtpu0zgk47n4lcpjsz43zzqhj6vzk written by nostr:npub1r3fwhjpx2njy87f9qxmapjn9neutwh7aeww95e03drkfg45cey4qgl7ex2. The #NostrTechWeekly is focused on the more technical happenings in the nostr-verse. Let’s dive in! ## Recent Upgrades to Nostr (AKA [NIPs](https://nostr.com/the-protocol/nips)) #### 1) (Proposed) [Update to NIP-07: Nostr Browser Extension](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/940) [monlovesmango](https://github.com/monlovesmango) is proposing updates to the capabilities of the Nostr Browser Extensions. Currently, browser extensions are primarily used to enable usage of Nostr clients without giving that client your Nostr private key. Since [NIP 44](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/blob/master/44.md) was adopted, there are a few new Nostr actions creating encrypted content over Nostr that clients will want users to authorize without requiring users to input their private key. This NIP adds those new Nostr actions as something browser extensions should support going forward. #### 2) (Proposed) [NOSTR Decentralized Advertising Network](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/955) [ionextdebug](https://github.com/ionextdebug) is proposing creating a marketplace for advertising that runs over Nostr. For those unfamiliar, there’s a constant bid and ask process for advertising space on platforms like Youtube or Google Adsense. The sell side is offering up ad space (for example 5-25 seconds at the beginning of a Youtube video for users within a specific demographic), and the buy side is bidding to put their ad in that spot. The highest bid wins the spot. This all happens in milliseconds every time you see an ad online. This proposal outlines how this could be coordinated over Nostr instead of in Google’s walled garden. The use case would require Nostr to operate in ways it wasn’t designed for, so it may struggle to work in practice, but the NIP is early in the process of development. ## Notable Projects #### [nsecBunker Update](https://w3.do/HuO-UVum) 🔐 nostr:npub1l2vyh47mk2p0qlsku7hg0vn29faehy9hy34ygaclpn66ukqp3afqutajft announced an update to nsecBunker that allows users to an OAuth-like experience when logging into Nostr clients. Bunker providers are able to provide account creation to Nostr users that feels a lot like signing up for any legacy tech service (username, password, control over what each Nostr client can do on their behalf, etc). This creates a set of Nostr keypairs which are necessary to operate in the Nostr-verse, but they’re stored in the bunker. When a Nostr client wants a user’s permission to read or write with those keys (e.g., to pull their timeline or help a user post something), the client asks the bunker for permission, which then asks the user if they want to grant that permission. Users are also able to have their bunker remember their selections of grant/reject permissions for a given Nostr client so that things are easier with fewer popups the next time around. Additionally, users that are created and managed via nsecBunker have a lightning wallet and lightning address created automatically. If nsecBunker could also help folks manage their full Nostr profile (Kind 0 data like profile picture, name, etc,) this could be an out-of-the box solution for clients looking to add a simpler signup/login experience to new users that don’t mind giving up some control. From what I saw in the code, the data (including Nostr private keys custodied by the bunker) are encrypted at rest, but currently that’s one key to encrypt all keys in the bunker. It may make sense in the future to extend the functionality to give users the ability to encrypt their keys with their own password, but there are downsides to that which may make self-custody the easier option. There’s no lock-in for users since bunker providers can help users download their keys if they want to self custody or move to another provider. This could be a foundational tool that allows an ecosystem of bunker providers emerge. Bunkers may be offered as part of Nostr clients, or independently; they may be offered for free, or for a fee. But the opt-in and interchangeable nature means that users will be able to choose what works for them, including moving to self-custody once they see the benefits. And self-custody may even just be a self-hosted bunker. 😉  #### [Faaans](https://getfaaans.com/about) 🎨 This is another project from nostr:npub1l2vyh47mk2p0qlsku7hg0vn29faehy9hy34ygaclpn66ukqp3afqutajft and although it’s still pre-launch, it has been teased as a Patreon replacement built on Nostr. It seems like this project is one whose purpose and value is clear, but requires many capabilities that are novel to Nostr to be built first. From what I can see Faaans has built: 1. Oauth-like flow using new nsecbunker functionality from 👆 1. Ability to gate content until a Nostr user pays for it 1. The presence of uploads and NIP 98 HTTP Auth makes me think that there’s a non-Nostr backend for handling uploads (maybe to also help with gating the content?) Anyway, I’m excited to see how it turns out. Cutting out middlemen and giving creators full control over their relationship with their audience could be the killer app that brings a flood of usage and business to the Nostr ecosystem. 💪 #### [Relay Auth to support privacy](https://w3.do/qZOxIUwk) 🤫 [NIP 42](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/blob/master/42.md) allows relays to require clients to authenticate the user before the relay will take a requested action. This is useful, for example, for keeping DMs private. By default all Nostr events can be queried by anyone that can connect to the relay. This is part of the magic of Nostr. But there are some kinds of Nostr events that likely should only be readable by a few folks. In the case of DMs, it makes sense to restrict who can download DM-type Nostr events to only those people involved in the DM. This can be accomplished by relays requiring the user to authenticate with the relay before it returns DM-type Nostr events for that user. This announcement is that Damus looks to be adding support for Relay Auth, which may help with any number of features that can benefit from more privacy. ## Latest conversations: Web of Providers The culture of Nostr currently highly values self-custody, decentralization, and “don’t trust, verify” which is very admirable. It’s woven into the protocol itself. There are downsides to operating on these principles, but most of us judge it to be worth it. It’s usually possible to have our cake and eat it too (have a nice experience and maintain our values), but it requires technological advances and building products based on those advances. This takes time. In the interim, devs may build something that’s less self-custodial, less decentralized, but far easier to use. Most of the time this middle ground is far better than using some legacy system that’s completely custodial, centralized, and locks users in. But that’s only the case if it’s a stepping stone to a solution that is everything we need. #### Example: Custodial Lightning Wallets When Wallet of Satoshi stopped operating in the US, I definitely felt how vulnerable the zap ecosystem was to some overzealous bureaucrats. But I was able to switch providers in a matter of minutes and get back to sending and receiving zaps. I definitely considered moving to Zeus or Mutiny or reviving my own Lightning Node on my Bitcoin Node, but it’s all still too difficult to manage a reliable experience passively. On net, I’d argue that using custodial lightning is better than using Venmo or something to send and receive zaps. At least we’re operating in Bitcoin and not fiat. #### A must have: a competitive ecosystem The trade offs of a middle ground are easier to live with if there’s a robust and competitive ecosystem. In the case of custodial lightning wallets, we’re encountering the issue of a lack of robustness. There are only a handful of providers that are able to handle zaps. Losing Wallet of Satoshi was a significant blow. We definitely need more lightning wallet providers in order to be robust against nation-state attack. The ecosystem must also be competitive. People need to be able to switch providers or move to self custody with little or no cost. #### NSecBunker NSecBunker is an excellent example of a middle ground solution that maintains manageable trade offs while working to discover a more perfect solution. If Nostr users want to use bunkers, it’s trivially easy to spin up a bunker and provide it to them. Existing clients may spin them up, or people looking to start a business in the Nostr ecosystem may create bunkers (maybe with some extra features) and charge for them. At the end of the day, this technology is built in such a way that interoperability is easy and users aren’t locked in. The lift for Nostr clients to support bunkers is small, so bunkers may soon be as widely used as the Nostr browser extensions. Since users aren’t locked in to any bunker provider, it’ll be easy for a web of providers to pop up and serve users in unique ways to discover what works best. #### Build tech to enable a web of providers Building Nostr tech that has interoperability top of mind supports the Nostr ethos and enables the ecosystem to develop incrementally without giving up our values. Luckily, the protocol itself encourages interoperability with its very architecture. 🫡 Let’s reward devs when we see them doing this important work, they’re building an immense amount right now and it’s an incredible privilege to witness and beta test. 🍻 ## Until next time If you want to see something highlighted, if we missed anything, or if you’re building something we didn’t post about, let us know. DMs welcome at nostr:npub19mduaf5569jx9xz555jcx3v06mvktvtpu0zgk47n4lcpjsz43zzqhj6vzk Stay Classy, Nostr.

@ 8fb140b4:f948000c

Disclaimer, this tutorial may have a real financial impact on you, follow at you own risk. **Step 1**: execute ```lncli closeallchannels``` That’s it, that was easy as it could be. Now all your node’s channels are in the process of being closed and all your liquidity is being moved to your onchain wallet. The best part, you don’t even need to confirm anything, it just does it in one go with no questions asked! You can check the status by using a very similar looking command, ```lncli closedchannels```! **Good job! Now you are ready to start from scratch and use any other reasonable solution!** 🐶🐾🫡🤣🤣🤣 Disclaimer: this is a satirical tutorial that will 💯 cost you a lot of funds and headaches.

@ df8f0a64:057d87a5

The first draft of this text was published on [Yakihonne](https://yakihonne.com/article/naddr1qq2hgdfe09a9v3nhvae5jaz8v56yjepkvdm4yq3qm78s5eqv8l7snc5nnxdvlgue6pt5epgplndtem99quhwyptas7jsxpqqqp65w5c0e84) in Japanese. ## At the begining I believe the approximate time is correct, but the exact time is quite fuzzy, so this text may be the megalomania of a middle-aged man. Note that if anyone who knows me reads this text, they will realize who I am. Even if you find out, please leave me alone and think I'm bored. ## Meeting and saying goodbye to bitcoin I first owned bitcoin when I met Coincheck (then known as Rejepress), between 2012 and 2014. I worked for venture capital at the time. Venture capital invest in fast-growing start-ups and then gain profit when the company goes public or is acquired. There are many factors for a fast-growing, but essential one is that the market the company is targeting must be growing rapidly. Back then, news of the Mt. Gox hack was on TV, and bitcoin and other virtual currencies (before they were called cryptocurrencies) were becoming known to innovators and beyond. It was a time when had the opportunity to meet the CEO, Mr Wada, just as I was thinking about investing in an exchange that would be the gateway to bitcoin, with the growth of Zaif and Bitflyer at my side. I asked him to let me invest in Coinchek during a private moment. I would like to thank Mr. Wada once again. As a associate, I had no authority to make investment decisions, so I needed to submit a propsal to the investment comittee. As part of my preparation, I opened a Coincheck account and, with some nervousness, made my first bitcoin purchase. After deliberation by committee, the investment opportunity was abandoned (Coincheck has since grown into something of a YAMATANO-OROCHI, not a unicorn) and I was left with nothing but bitcoins.  Despite my disappointment, bitcoin's market capitalisation has continued to grow and it has made a meme such as "just sleep and wake up in the morning to find your money growing".  Then, as a historic event, there was a NEM (XEM) leak at Coincheck that was unprecedented in the world. At that time, I had already left VC, but while working on a new business there, I asked Mr. Otsuka, who was a director of Coincheck, if he could provide an OEM cryptocurrency exchange. I still remember the people gathering outside his office and the press conference where he was relentlessly denounced. While I was rooting for Coincheck in the midst of all this, it is also true that I was disappointed by the vulnerability of the exchange as a gateway to bitcoin. If a bullet train tunnel or station can easily collapse, it can no longer be a major artery. I closed all my positions at that point, withdrew my Japanese yen, and closed my account. By then I had made enough profit to say goodbye to bitcoin with no regrets. ## Hopes and disappointments with Web3 About 3 years later, I was in New Zealand when I was approached by a group of young entrepreneurs. "Web3, DAOs, smart contracts?" I'd been away from VC and cryptocurrency for a while, so it was hard to digest all the information I hadn't caught up with, but I thought about what it could mean for the future (not to mention the 3 guys who would go on to found [Fracton Venturs](https://fracton.ventures/en/about)) and felt hopeful about the system they were betting their lives on.  That discussion recall me the memory of talking to Mr. Mesaki gave me hope. He is the author of 'Nippon, a Happy Developing Country - Proposals to Reborn as a New Nation'. Despite his busy weekday lunchtime schedule, Mr. Mesaki spent over an hour with me. (Mr. K introduced me to Mr. Mesaki and suggested that I meet him before leaving Japan. Thank you very much) > Autonomy has a correlation with happiness that is 20x greater than the correlation between income and happiness. Smart contracts ensure transparency and fairness (not equality) by allowing anyone to objectively verify them. They are used as rules by DAOs, where everyone voluntarily contributes to the organization. It is not easy to change the country you live in, and therefore not easy to change the culture you live in. What if we could pursue happiness by participating in DAOs online? Unfortunately, Web3 did not turn out as I had imagined. I won't list every case, but my conclusion is that humanity is not ready for Web3. I hope that one day Web3 and its peripheral technologies will aim to be the best solution to problems that do exist, and that the ideals of the DAO will be realized as they should be. ## Dive in to the rabbit hole In March 2021, I returned to Japan, leaving my family behind. I had much free time so I do SNS. However Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have already become spaces that resemble the real world with the arrival of the late majority "Isn't that something?" Then I was lucky to join [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/), a decentralised SNS via Waitlist. I was enjoying the early Twitter-like space, for innovators and early adopters only, when I noticed a group of active people talking about something called Nostr. I searched for the word [Nostr](https://nostr.com/) and found [Damus](https://damus.io/), another SNS where Japanese people are active, so I thought I'd check it out.  I fell into the muddy waters of Chinese spam and was pulled back to shore, where I am now. ## Reuniting with bitcoin and expectations Although I have several social networking accounts, I now primarily use Nostr. I prefer Nostr because of its innovative and early adopter user base, as well as its Zap system, which uses bitcoin (Lightning network) for transactions. "Long time no see, bitcoin!" Additionally, I see great potential in Nostr as a higher level of bitcoin. Bitcoin's value, like any other legal tender, is based on people's trust in it. Some people criticize it for being virtual and fictional, but to me, its value feels much more plausible than the value of a start-up determined by a few VCs. The fact that so many people across borders trust it as if it were a 'lingua franca of humanity' is romantic. On Nostr, exchanging value and sentiment with Zap is similar to the crowdfunding exchange of capital with sentiment. The combination of Nostr's and Bitcoin's systems cannot be altered by third parties. Communication is imbued with a sense of value, and the OSS culture encourages each participant to contribute. This once again demonstrates the dream of voluntary and independent action, leading to happiness, that we first saw in Web3 and DAO. ## In the end I'm dreaming about Nostr now, but maybe in 6 months I'll be disappointed, or maybe I'll be more into it. I have registered [an account on Github](https://github.com/kimymt/introductionmyself), raised issues, and donated sats to [the OpenSats Nostr Fund](https://opensats.org/projects/nostr). I hope to continue contributing next year. Remember, if you can dream it, you can achieve it!

@ 2edbcea6:40558884

Happy Sunday #Nostr ! Here’s your #NostrTechWeekly newsletter brought to you by nostr:npub19mduaf5569jx9xz555jcx3v06mvktvtpu0zgk47n4lcpjsz43zzqhj6vzk written by nostr:npub1r3fwhjpx2njy87f9qxmapjn9neutwh7aeww95e03drkfg45cey4qgl7ex2 The #NostrTechWeekly is a weekly newsletter focused on the more technical happenings in the nostr-verse. Let’s dive in! ## Recent Upgrades to Nostr (AKA [NIPs](https://nostr.com/the-protocol/nips)) #### 1) Deleted [NIP 22: created_at limits]( https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/897) By its very nature Nostr has trouble reliably knowing when a piece of content was published. NIP 22 was an attempt to allow relays to be the authorities on when an event was created/published by only accepting events with a “created_at” that was recent according to the relay. The challenge with this is rebroadcasting. The “created_at” can’t be modified because then the signature on the event that confirms the user authorized the event would be invalid (the signature is created by taking into account the created_at field). So if relays reject events that weren’t created recently, then events can’t be moved around (if a user wants to move relays or back up their content). Overall, not many relays implemented NIP 22 because it caused too many problems. On top of that, whenever the “created_at” has to be reliable, devs are tending to use OpenTimestamps which is a non-Nostr but much more reliable system. So, nostr:npub180cvv07tjdrrgpa0j7j7tmnyl2yr6yr7l8j4s3evf6u64th6gkwsyjh6w6 deleted NIP 22. #### 2) (Proposed) [NIP 88: Relay Notifications](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/901/files?short_path=4acc993#diff-4acc99394b74a02b02b2f272bf8c388759d5530cf9bfdf98a2fdeb3f938097b7) The impetus for this NIP was the difficulty for paid relay providers to get their subscribers to pay their subscriptions. Currently it’s difficult to manage a monthly subscription with lightning, and most of the time you have to manually authorize the monthly payment every month. This NIP outlines a way for relays to ask clients to pass along a message to users. The first use case is for relays to remind users to pay their subscription and include a link to pay it easily. What’s nice about this is: 1) The protocol is more general than that specific use case, as the relay can send any kind of message to the user. Lots of possibilities! 2) This doesn’t require clients to enforce subscription agreements between the user and the relay, preserving decentralization and the opt-in nature of Nostr development. Author: nostr:npub1gcxzte5zlkncx26j68ez60fzkvtkm9e0vrwdcvsjakxf9mu9qewqlfnj5z #### 3) (Proposed) [NIP 29: Image Metadata](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/904/files?short_path=84afeca#diff-84afeca5360c8d045c91a675f7466a9d4e11cce2d7f1478aada050985a726b90) There’s often metadata on images that is useful for clients displaying images (alternative text, dimensions, blurhashes, etc). There isn’t a standard way to provide that content to clients; this proposal changes all that. It proposes an “imeta” tag to Nostr events so that when a user publishes an event with an image in it, their client can include this metadata to help future clients render it well. 💪 Author: [staab](https://github.com/staab) ## Notable Projects #### [Search and NostrDB](https://w3.do/EIuOfxBa) 🔍 NostrDB is essentially a relay that lives within a Nostr client. This has many advantages for clients because it simplifies the client logic around managing events from many relays. From what I can tell in my research, Damus uses NostrDB as the main relay that the app reads from when rendering the user experience in the app. Then it’s NostrDB’s job to sync events between NostrDB and the user’s desired relays. Without NostrDB clients have to connect to all the users’ relays simultaneously and sync events. As syncing is going on, the client then needs to update the user’s experience. Doing both at once causes the client’s code to be more complicated and usually less performant. By separating the concern for syncing with the user’s relays to NostrDB, the client can focus on the user experience. The new news here is that nostr:npub1xtscya34g58tk0z605fvr788k263gsu6cy9x0mhnm87echrgufzsevkk5s has improved NostrDB to support very performant search. That means a client can sync events from the user’s relays, and then search that content in milliseconds without making a network call. Without this, clients will need to reach out to each relay individually and make a filter request and wait for responses to trickle in. Then the client has to aggregate all the responses and show the user a result. An architecture where there’s a NostrDB on the client, and/or a NostrDB powered relay that specializes in search, could make the work of discoverability much easier for clients. LFG! #### [Onboarding Normies](https://w3.do/-D8JdMsz) 🛝 [Rabble’s Talk on Nostr for Normies](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pGZ2epF8ZY) has motivated many thoughtful discussions (and some less-kind discussions) around how to attract and retain more regular folks on Nostr. But it seems no one is as prolific (in general but specifically) in their motivation to solve this problem as nostr:npub1l2vyh47mk2p0qlsku7hg0vn29faehy9hy34ygaclpn66ukqp3afqutajft . This project is a demo of an experience for Nostr users to sign up for Nostr without ever touching the public and private keys. They create a username (NIP 05 address) and use an email to authorize any future recoveries of access to the Nostr account. The experience is familiar to anyone that’s signed up for a service by logging in with Google or Twitter (which is most internet connected westerners). The experience still preserves choice for the user (where are they going to host their NIP 05 address, which nsecBunker will custody the keys, which email they will use to do recoveries, etc). This could be the foundation of an onboarding experience that’s great for regular folks. Great work Pablo! #### [Better Backups](https://w3.do/fMMIMbRg) 📦 Without the ability for users to move relays, Nostr isn’t truly censorship resistant. So, backup services will always be a core tool for the freedom-loving user of Nostr. nostr:npub1cmmswlckn82se7f2jeftl6ll4szlc6zzh8hrjyyfm9vm3t2afr7svqlr6f just released an update to NostrSync. It feels more performant and feels simpler for the user. On top of that, users can now manage their backups, which means that we can start to take snapshots of our Nostr data. All stored locally so you continue to own your data. ## Latest conversations: Onboarding Normies The people in our community with the most experience building social products that people have adopted at scale have been telling us that Nostr is not ready for normies yet. ( [Rabble’s Talk on Nostr for Normies](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pGZ2epF8ZY) and [Jack’s latest assessment](https://w3.do/ExT3Z1B_) ) But we are seeing a ton of development that is making Nostr better for normies, and it seems like we’re close to all the lego pieces being ready. Here’s what I’ve seen lately.  #### Abstracting keypairs Regular folks don’t understand public/private keypairs. It took decades for regular folks to accept usernames and passwords, and best case it’ll still be a while before regular folks understand public/private keypairs. To help people join Nostr today, it’s sensible to offer services that wrap Nostr keypairs with a username/password experience that’s recoverable by email. People will understand it, and as long as they can still download their keys, they can self-custody whenever they want. If service providers end-to-end encrypt the actual Nostr keys, it could even be said to be non-custodial. [Pablo’s recent demo of an easy signup flow without managing Nostr keys](https://w3.do/-D8JdMsz) is orders of magnitude easier to understand and educate new Nostr users on. Clients that adopt workflows like this could see retention increase quite a bit. #### Finding and Filtering content Decentralized systems are hard to search for specific content. It took a while for Google to solve the issue for web content. Twitter did incredibly well because of their search functionality. Nostr currently struggles to help people of all interests find the content and content creators they want. Will’s work on NostrDB (as mentioned above) seems like it could be the foundation of performant search of Nostr content. Purpose-built search relays would be a valuable tool for clients helping users solve the discoverability, and we may be close to a truly great technological solution. Approaches like Coracle’s introduction of “web of trust” based content discovery could also tackle the discoverability from a different direction. As is, it makes the global feed a bit more enjoyable. In the future, this pattern could power everything from discoverability, to semi-algorithmic feeds, to opt-in content moderation based on your social graph. Part of making content enjoyable for regular folks is allowing and aiding people in filtering their feed how they like. Content moderation should not be forced on anyone, as that’s not in the spirit of Nostr, but rather allowing users to opt-in to filtering algorithms. Rabble’s Nos.lol is taking the first steps towards using web of trust to help filter content in an opt-in way. Labeling tools like Ontolo could soon aid users in generating content warnings or lists of pubkey that are sources of content that people may want filtered. #### Web of payments Another challenge for normies is paying for all the services that power a great Nostr experience. Quality relays Hosting images/videos Usernames (NIP 05) Translation Zaps Currently there are free or custodial solutions but those can’t be run as charities forever, especially if there’s a surge of adoption. Users are already not used to paying directly for social media, but paying independently subscriptions for all these services without being able to even use a credit card is jarring. The problem of users paying with fiat but service providers receiving sats or a different fiat currency may soon be solved by Strike, but this is an area of underdevelopment. #### Super-clients For the freedom tech literate among us, it makes sense to sign up for services independently and manage your own self-custody lightning node/wallet to pay for services with sats. When you add up all the services this may be more expensive, and it’s definitely more work to manage, but those costs are worth it to many of us. To service normies, we may see the development of super-clients. Where larger, well-funded clients (Primal, Nostr.Band, Damus, Amethyst, or even new players) may start to build services into the client to give an all-in-one solution for normies. These super-clients may provide a NIP-05 address host, hosted nsecBunker with username/password interface, image/video hosting, translation, a quality relay, discoverability relays, translations, a few optional managed content moderation schemes, etc. All paid for via their hosted custodial lightning wallet the user can load with fiat but pay with sats. Despite its trade-offs, this will make more sense to normies than the current paradigm. From what I can tell, we’re already seeing Primal working towards this level of capability. I imagine it’s very tempting for any team who wants their client to achieve scale. On balance this may not be a bad thing, but there are trade-offs to manage to minimize centralization. #### Maintaining decentralization and censorship resistance In a world that has super clients, they would be centralizing forces. They may even start to break from the protocol to build features they feel are necessary or give them a competitive advantage. This would have the side effect of decreasing interoperability and therefore decentralization. To maintain the heart of Nostr, censorship resistance and freedom, while still offering an experience that can handle the needs of normies, it’s important to keep pressuring centralizing players to at least maintain perfect interoperability. Users on super-clients should always be able to opt-out of aspects of the all-in-one solutions offered by these super-clients. If someone joins a super-client and wants to swap out the wallet, or the provider of content moderation, they need to be able to do that. Users on super-clients should always be able to use other Nostr clients. If a user has their keys in a Primal nsecBunker they should be able to use that to log in to other clients and use them without difficulty. #### Symbiosis with Normies There is an exciting future equilibrium where everyone in the world is more free because of the work being done today on Nostr. A future that moves the needle for a good portion of humans requires us to find ways to onboard normies. Normies bring more usage, and the possibility of more monetization. Through monetization we can attract more development and fund even more ambitious projects. Can’t wait to see it. 🙂 ## Until next time 🫡 If you want to see something highlighted, if we missed anything, or if you’re building something we didn’t post about, let us know. DMs welcome at nostr:npub19mduaf5569jx9xz555jcx3v06mvktvtpu0zgk47n4lcpjsz43zzqhj6vzk Stay Classy, Nostr.

@ 2edbcea6:40558884

Happy Sunday #Nostr ! Here’s your #NostrTechWeekly newsletter brought to you by nostr:npub19mduaf5569jx9xz555jcx3v06mvktvtpu0zgk47n4lcpjsz43zzqhj6vzk written by nostr:npub1r3fwhjpx2njy87f9qxmapjn9neutwh7aeww95e03drkfg45cey4qgl7ex2 The #NostrTechWeekly is a weekly newsletter focused on the more technical happenings in the nostr-verse. Let’s dive in! ## Recent Upgrades to Nostr (AKA [NIPs](https://nostr.com/the-protocol/nips)) #### 1) (Proposed) [NIP 93: Backwards compatible alt-urls](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/898/files?short_path=fd2cd15#diff-fd2cd155c91bd66e592a02a4f3a9e51dc6407a9303aa0b6503dd818e096d6748) Links break, blogs get moved, domains get changed, and companies go out of business. These can all lead to situations where content on Nostr may get stale because links in notes are stale. This proposal introduces a concept of alt urls for links in notes. When first publishing, that helps create multiple pathways in case one link is broken. What’s really interesting is being able to correct broken links after a note is published. Since most Nostr events can’t be updated, users can instead submit a kind 4001 event referencing the original event and propose alt-urls. This could be done by the original author or good samaritan users helping keep Nostr content up to date! Author: nostr:npub180cvv07tjdrrgpa0j7j7tmnyl2yr6yr7l8j4s3evf6u64th6gkwsyjh6w6 #### 2) (Proposed) [NIP 88: Recurring Subscriptions via Zaps](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/866/files?short_path=4acc993#diff-4acc99394b74a02b02b2f272bf8c388759d5530cf9bfdf98a2fdeb3f938097b7) One of the most powerful things Nostr could provide to content creators is a better way to get paid with fewer middlemen and much lower fees. This proposal from nostr:npub1l2vyh47mk2p0qlsku7hg0vn29faehy9hy34ygaclpn66ukqp3afqutajft uses Zaps as the foundation of a Patreon-style subscription for content creators. Content creators can publish subscription tiers (and their prices) as a kind 37001 Nostr event. Then subscribers can publish a “subscribe” event indicating they want to enroll in one of the subscription tiers. Users will then pay the subscription fee via Zaps, which can be verified by the content creator. Finally users can publish a “stop subscription” event to indicate they will stop paying and receiving benefits from the content creator. To make this easy for all involved, there will likely need to be substantial client work to help content creators facilitate their subscription tiers, verify subscriber payment, and distribute paid content automatically so they can focus on the content creation itself. But this would be a tremendous improvement over Patreon just on lower fees alone. #### 3) (Proposed) [Rewrite of NIP 46: Nostr Connect / Remote signing](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/831/files?short_path=2f86a4e#diff-2f86a4e0d293b96d9dc35407ffb27c3236297b1f754e26a222571297a605b66e ) Nostr Connect (not to be confused with the Nostr Connect Chrome extension mentioned later in this report) is an attempt to give users complete self-custody of their Nostr private keys, where they won’t need to enter the private key into any client, while still making day-to-day Nostr operations easy and convenient. In this model there is a “remote signer” which may be a hardware device or a different app on a mobile device, and clients will work with the remote signer to perform operations where a private key is required (decrypting DMs, signing Nostr events, etc). This rewrite of NIP 46 simplifies the protocol while taking into account real-world learning since the original introduction of the NIP. There is an explicit eye towards helping codify what nsecBunker has to offer. It is a huge improvement to security, privacy, and the ease of self custody. Author: nostr:npub180cvv07tjdrrgpa0j7j7tmnyl2yr6yr7l8j4s3evf6u64th6gkwsyjh6w6 ## Notable Projects #### [Shipyard as a DVM](https://w3.do/uH5biqDl) 🚢 Shipyard is a project that gives more robust publishing tools to content creators (scheduling posts, reviewing and responding to mentions, etc). nostr:npub1l2vyh47mk2p0qlsku7hg0vn29faehy9hy34ygaclpn66ukqp3afqutajft is working to make Shipyard a DVM so that clients can provide the “schedule post” functionality to users without having to build it into the client itself. #### [Nostr Connect Chrome Extension](https://w3.do/wqL1mweD) 🔒 Every time I am asked to give my private key to a Nostr app, I cringe. For mobile apps I know there’s not much support for remote signing yet, but for web-based clients we should all be able to use a browser extension. Up until now they haven’t been the best design or nicest to use browser extensions. nostr:npub1zfss807aer0j26mwp2la0ume0jqde3823rmu97ra6sgyyg956e0s6xw445 changed all that! This chrome extension is much better designed and it’s far easier to manage permissions that you’ve granted to various clients in the past. It quickly became my daily driver for web-based Nostr operations. Great work! #### [140 Character Relay](https://w3.do/9qedXnUC) 🐦 The original Twitter restricted content to 140 characters, and that form factor facilitated a unique set of content creation. Whether it’s nostalgia or a desire to see if going back to 140 characters would help recreate the unique feel of early Twitter, we now have a relay that enforces all notes to be 140 characters max. Author: nostr:npub1l2vyh47mk2p0qlsku7hg0vn29faehy9hy34ygaclpn66ukqp3afqutajft #### [TrueVote](https://w3.do/JUPp9LDG) ☑️ Using the combination of Nostr and OpenTimestamps (therefore Bitcoin as well) TrueVote creates a decentralized, verifiable voting system. From what I can tell, folks can submit votes via a Nostr event (signed by your private key to verify it was you doing the voting), with timestamps verified by OpenTimestamps to ensure the vote happened when the Nostr event claims. As outlined in [Nostr is Bitcoin’s Layer 3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oPdYu5hbVg) talk from NostrAsia, this application of Nostr highlights how Nostr seems to be the missing link for freedom tech. Bitcoin is great for payments and immutable history (for example: timestamp assertions) but it is missing the identity and coordination layer. Nostr in the context of TrueVote unlocks the certainty of “one Nostr account, one vote” which can be incredibly powerful for many applications. As long as the person conducting the vote whitelists who can vote, this is cryptographically secure as well as transparent (votes can be conducted in public and verified by all). Fascinating to see this in use. Author(s): nostr:npub1u8um5vstlax9p60644zygvhc7w5mkzfyhwyvj453l3j7l9mrf5rspnc3c3 ## Latest conversations: Custodial Solutions With the recent news about Wallet of Satoshi pulling out of the US market, it’s important to keep the topic of custodial solutions top of mind. Custodial solutions (for Bitcoin or for Nostr) offer immense benefits for ease of use and convenience, but they are susceptible to all kinds of interference that may leave users holding the bag. #### Ideally we only need self-custody Self-custody maximizes freedom: freedom from fraud and rug pulls, freedom from the whims of a regulatory environment, freedom from reliance on third parties that may just go out of business. Ideally, everyone would self-custody all the important things: money, data, their home, their food, and their water. But doing so is incredibly expensive, time consuming, and requires expertise. Humanity is able to support a population of 8 billion people because of the specialization of labor. At some level we end up trusting others with important aspects of our lives. Technological advances and engineering effort allow humanity to grow AND decentralize. Bitcoin is a breakthrough that makes it possible to decentralize money and enables self-custody of one’s life savings. Nostr is making it possible for people to self-custody their data and still have all the conveniences of modern digital life. Whether they be used for Bitcoin, Nostr, or anything else, custodial solutions are the backup until we’ve engineered solutions good enough that the average person can easily self-custody.  #### How to spread freedom tech The goal of building freedom tech should be to make freedom accessible to more people. If we build solutions that increase access to financial or communication freedom, then that’s progress. Just because that number isn’t 8 billion doesn’t mean it’s not progress. Custodial solutions for things like Bitcoin and Nostr make freedom *more* accessible to more people. If given a choice between a million people using a custodial lightning wallet or not using Bitcoin at all, I’d argue you’d rather they use custodial solutions for the time being. We can always draw them towards self-custody later. It remains a noble goal to get everyone to self-custody, but it requires work to build self-custodial solutions that work for average people. #### Building easy self-custody takes work There are ways to make products that are as easy to use as custodial solutions and still give the user complete control. They just take orders of magnitude more work to build. Self-custodial lightning wallets like Phoenix, Breez, Blixt, and Mutiny Wallet are good examples. They have done a ton of the work to make a lightning node friendly to operate, which means that more people will have access to self-custodial lightning. Before these solutions you’d have to run a Bitcoin full node, then set up your Lightning node, and manage channels with Thunderhub or RideTheLightning or other lightning management apps. It’s a lot of work! Far more people can now run self-custody lightning because of their work. It’s far easier so people are more likely to try it, and eventually adopt it deeply. There’s still more work until someone non-technical in my family could use self-custodial lightning without needing help, but this is real progress for freedom tech. #### Nostr: self-custody that’s great Nostr is inherently more self-custodial than any existing social media. Your private keys control access to your data, you can move your data from one relay to another, you can download backups any time, and you can control what clients can do with your data. Any use of Nostr is head and shoulders above existing social media. There are some folks offering more custodial or centralized services within the Nostr community (opt-in moderation, custody of keys, hosted relays, etc), and that’s ok, because those are the first step in building something average people can adopt. Every single day there are Nostr devs putting in the work to make self-custody of your life on Nostr easier, so that more people have full access to the freedom that’s possible via Nostr. In the meantime, we may need to tolerate some more-centralized solutions to bootstrap the user growth and economic activity necessary to fund the next wave of improvements. ## Until next time 🫡 If you want to see something highlighted, if we missed anything, or if you’re building something we didn’t post about, let us know. DMs welcome at nostr:npub19mduaf5569jx9xz555jcx3v06mvktvtpu0zgk47n4lcpjsz43zzqhj6vzk Stay Classy, Nostr.

@ 8fb140b4:f948000c

Embarking on the journey of operating your own Lightning node on the Bitcoin Layer 2 network is more than just a tech-savvy endeavor; it's a step into a realm of financial autonomy and cutting-edge innovation. By running a node, you become a vital part of a revolutionary movement that's reshaping how we think about money and digital transactions. This role not only offers a unique perspective on blockchain technology but also places you at the heart of a community dedicated to decentralization and network resilience. Beyond the technicalities, it's about embracing a new era of digital finance, where you contribute directly to the network's security, efficiency, and growth, all while gaining personal satisfaction and potentially lucrative rewards. In essence, running your own Lightning node is a powerful way to engage with the forefront of blockchain technology, assert financial independence, and contribute to a more decentralized and efficient Bitcoin network. It's an adventure that offers both personal and communal benefits, from gaining in-depth tech knowledge to earning a place in the evolving landscape of cryptocurrency. Running your own Lightning node for the Bitcoin Layer 2 network can be an empowering and beneficial endeavor. Here are 10 reasons why you might consider taking on this task: 1. **Direct Contribution to Decentralization**: Operating a node is a direct action towards decentralizing the Bitcoin network, crucial for its security and resistance to control or censorship by any single entity. 2. **Financial Autonomy**: Owning a node gives you complete control over your financial transactions on the network, free from reliance on third-party services, which can be subject to fees, restrictions, or outages. 3. **Advanced Network Participation**: As a node operator, you're not just a passive participant but an active player in shaping the network, influencing its efficiency and scalability through direct involvement. 4. **Potential for Higher Revenue**: With strategic management and optimal channel funding, your node can become a preferred route for transactions, potentially increasing the routing fees you can earn. 5. **Cutting-Edge Technological Engagement**: Running a node puts you at the forefront of blockchain and bitcoin technology, offering insights into future developments and innovations. 6. **Strengthened Network Security**: Each new node adds to the robustness of the Bitcoin network, making it more resilient against attacks and failures, thus contributing to the overall security of the ecosystem. 7. **Personalized Fee Structures**: You have the flexibility to set your own fee policies, which can balance earning potential with the service you provide to the network. 8. **Empowerment Through Knowledge**: The process of setting up and managing a node provides deep learning opportunities, empowering you with knowledge that can be applied in various areas of blockchain and fintech. 9. **Boosting Transaction Capacity**: By running a node, you help to increase the overall capacity of the Lightning Network, enabling more transactions to be processed quickly and at lower costs. 10. **Community Leadership and Reputation**: As an active node operator, you gain recognition within the Bitcoin community, which can lead to collaborative opportunities and a position of thought leadership in the space. These reasons demonstrate the impactful and transformative nature of running a Lightning node, appealing to those who are deeply invested in the principles of bitcoin and wish to actively shape its future. Jump aboard, and embrace the journey toward full independence. 🐶🐾🫡🚀🚀🚀

@ 8fb140b4:f948000c

Venturing into the dynamic world of bitcoin's layer 2 networks, particularly the lightning network, can seem like an exciting frontier for tech enthusiasts and cryptocurrency aficionados. however, the decision to run your own lightning node is not one to be taken lightly. While the allure of contributing to the bitcoin ecosystem and potentially earning transaction fees is strong, there are significant considerations that should temper the enthusiasm of would-be node operators. From the intricate technicalities to unexpected challenges, here are 10 compelling reasons why running your own lightning node might not be the electrifying experience you anticipated. Running your own lightning node for the bitcoin layer 2 network can be a complex and demanding task. Here are 10 reasons why you might choose not to: 1. **Technical complexity**: setting up and managing a lightning node requires a good understanding of blockchain technology and network management, which can be overwhelming for beginners. 2. **Security risks**: running a node means you're responsible for securing it against potential cyber attacks, which requires constant vigilance and technical expertise. 3. **Resource intensive**: a lightning node requires continuous internet connection and sufficient hardware resources, which can be costly in terms of electricity and equipment. 4. **Liquidity requirements**: to facilitate transactions, you need to lock up a significant amount of bitcoin in your channels, which might not be ideal if you prefer liquidity. 5. **Maintenance efforts**: regular maintenance and updates are necessary to keep the node running smoothly, which can be time-consuming. 6. **Limited privacy**: operating a node might expose some of your transaction details or ip address, potentially compromising privacy. 7. **Slow ROI**: the financial return on operating a lightning node can be slow and uncertain, especially if the network fees are low. 8. **Network complexity**: understanding and managing channel capacities, routing, and fees can be complicated and require continuous learning and adaptation. 9. **Scalability issues**: as the network grows, managing a node can become increasingly challenging, with more channels and transactions to handle. 10. **Downtime risks**: if your node goes offline, you might miss out on transaction fees or, worse, risk losing funds in channels due to outdated channel states. These reasons reflect the challenges and responsibilities that come with running your own lightning node and may discourage some individuals, especially those with limited technical background or resources. If you are still up for a challenge, thank you for supporting the network! 🐶🐾🫡🙏🏻

@ 2edbcea6:40558884

Happy Sunday #Nostr ! Here’s your #NostrTechWeekly newsletter brought to you by nostr:npub19mduaf5569jx9xz555jcx3v06mvktvtpu0zgk47n4lcpjsz43zzqhj6vzk written by nostr:npub1r3fwhjpx2njy87f9qxmapjn9neutwh7aeww95e03drkfg45cey4qgl7ex2. The #NostrTechWeekly is a weekly newsletter focused on the more technical happenings in the nostr-verse. Let’s dive in! ## Recent Upgrades to Nostr (AKA [NIPs](https://nostr.com/the-protocol/nips)) #### 1) [Remove NIP authors from NIP repo](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/883) nostr:npub180cvv07tjdrrgpa0j7j7tmnyl2yr6yr7l8j4s3evf6u64th6gkwsyjh6w6 merged a change to NIPs which removes all the authors. The reason he gave was to reduce the intimidation people felt in proposing NIPs, or updates to NIPs. Seems reasonable; the NIPs must flow! #### 2) Updates to [NIP 89: Recommended Application Handlers](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/884/files?short_path=2564c3a#diff-2564c3a6909e547c53b0e20b7dcb73a6e40dbe8a849a5b56bb923219462583f8) This is actually a change that I think can be applied to any Nostr event, but is specifically useful in the context of NIP 89. This change explicitly outlines an optional piece of metadata on notes for what client generated the event. This can be useful when clients are encountering event kinds they aren’t able to handle in that client. Knowing the client that published the event is a good indicator of where to point users viewing that unhandled Nostr event to a client that can natively handle the event. Not to mention more easily attributing innovation as new event kinds are used by clients working on cutting edge ideas. Author: nostr:npub1l2vyh47mk2p0qlsku7hg0vn29faehy9hy34ygaclpn66ukqp3afqutajft #### 3) (Proposed) [Overhaul of NIP 51: Lists](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/880/files?short_path=0d42225#diff-0d42225c4bd69ef69ef24d2de380ff90ca763019d04692558a1b78adeda25d50) NIP 51 as it stands now is a way for users to generate lists in Nostr. They can be lists of users to mute, lists of articles, or a list of relays (for whatever purpose these may serve). This proposal is to overhaul how lists are created and used based on learnings from several implementations since NIP 51 was merged. One of the bigger changes seems to be not using “patameterized replaceable events” and instead using “non parameterized replaceable events” for publishing some standard types of lists. That means lists can still be updated but you can only have one list of each kind (one mute list, one bookmarks list, etc) The NIP itself was also a bit hard to read, so nostr:npub180cvv07tjdrrgpa0j7j7tmnyl2yr6yr7l8j4s3evf6u64th6gkwsyjh6w6 cleaned it up in this change as well. Adopting this change may be a larger lift because some developers have already implemented lists in the current way NIP 51 is outlined. Author: nostr:npub180cvv07tjdrrgpa0j7j7tmnyl2yr6yr7l8j4s3evf6u64th6gkwsyjh6w6 #### 4) (Proposed) [NIP 86: Review Anything via Nostr](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/879/files?short_path=0c68547#diff-0c6854700bbd41bd872c1bfbd5cb4d821d7ba163fcf50cba880801a1ce3f75e5) This NIP proposes a Nostr event kind to represent reviews. They can be reviews of anything, but they may include labels to indicate in a structured way what is being rated. This is a great foundation for a sovereign version of everything from Yelp to Rotten Tomatoes. Imagine an uncensorable restaurant review system, or an experience where you can refine movie ratings based on who you follow (maybe even out a couple jumps). Lots of possibilities. Author: [staab](https://github.com/staab) ## Notable Projects #### [Relay Operators Telegram](https://w3.do/2WsY4gdF) 💬 Relays are half of the Nostr protocol but they’re often not the focus of development work. If Nostr is to scale, relays will be the workhorse that will need to be built out to handle it; and there is a lot of work still to do. There are ~350-400 active relays based on [Relay.Guide](https://relay.guide) and so there is a fairly small community to be organized around relay operation. nostr:npub1melv683fw6n2mvhl5h6dhqd8mqfv3wmxnz4qph83ua4dk4006ezsrt5c24 created a Telegram group to make that a reality. Thanks for inviting people in. 💪 #### [Ontolo](https://w3.do/crBdEoBA) 🏷️ nostr:npub1zuuajd7u3sx8xu92yav9jwxpr839cs0kc3q6t56vd5u9q033xmhsk6c2uc announced Ontolo this week. It’s a micro-app for labeling Nostr events. Nostr events may need labels for any number of reasons. Content warnings (self-reported or by a third party) are a common use case, but Jeff outlines that this could also be used to label data in a way that’s useful for creating training data for AIs. It would be pretty cool if Nostr bootstraps a large, open, distributed, and censorship-resistant data set that powers open source AI development of the future. #### [WavLake and Nostr Wallet Connect](https://w3.do/DaJdBhhh) 🎵 As we talked about last week, content creators stand to benefit the most from Nostr by cutting out the platforms/middlemen where content monetization currently lives. Musicians may be the group of content creators that get the worst deal under the status quo. WavLake is attempting to change all that by creating explicit support for listeners to zap artists directly through the app. May the value-for-value commence! nostr:npub1yfg0d955c2jrj2080ew7pa4xrtj7x7s7umt28wh0zurwmxgpyj9shwv6vg #### [Zapit.live](https://www.zapit.live) ⚡ nostr:npub1cmmswlckn82se7f2jeftl6ll4szlc6zzh8hrjyyfm9vm3t2afr7svqlr6f created a way to monetize any link. Whether it’s a blog post, an unlisted YouTube video link, or music, you’ll be able to monetize content via lightning in a Nostr-native way. From what it looks like, if someone pays a lightning invoice generated by zapit.live, then they can be DM’d the private link that contains the paywalled content. It’s great to see work helping content creators make a living. I wonder if we could make it so that content published on nostr:npub1048qg5p6kfnpth2l98kq3dffg097tutm4npsz2exygx25ge2k9xqf5x3nf or nostr:npub1yzvxlwp7wawed5vgefwfmugvumtp8c8t0etk3g8sky4n0ndvyxesnxrf8q could support unlisted content (encrypted when on relay and paying the lightning invoice DMs the decryption key?) Then we could attempt to convert ZeroHedge’s paid blog to something Nostr based. 😈 ## Latest conversations: DVMs Data Vending Machines (DVMs) are something that seems unique to Nostr. They’re a way for people to request tasks be accomplished and put a bounty on completing the task. Then DVM providers can bid on that task so that the requestor gets the best price a DVM provider is willing to take. It’s the foundation of a marketplace for decentralized and specialized compute. #### DVMs for decentralized algorithms From what I can remember, the motivating force for DVMs to come into existence was to solve the problem of algorithmic feeds on Nostr. We came to Nostr to get away from centralized control of social media feeds, but there’s real value in feed curation. Nostr seems to be the best shot we have at compelling algorithmic feeds, but where the user has choice in that curation. DVMs are a great solve for this. Users can put a bounty for some small amount of sats asking a DVM to create a curated list of nostr event (representing an algorithmic feed) based on the user’s follows and interests. Users may want to specify the type of algorithm or a set of trusted providers, but they will be able to use market forces to get the best price. The decentralized nature increases fault tolerance, and motivates DVM providers to create the most efficient and compelling algorithms for curating a user’s feed. What’s amazing is that the pattern for DVMs can be used to facilitate any algorithmic offering. It started with curating a user’s feed, but it can easily be used for AI image generation or LLM operations, translation, or data extraction of annotation. #### Does this exist anywhere else? There are marketplaces underutilized hardware. A great one I read about recently was for GPU compute where anyone with some spare GPU can sell time on their hardware per unit of time. There are marketplaces like this for a lot of specialized equipment (GPUs, video rendering hardware, genome sequencing, etc). They’re great, but these kinds of transactions are in the tens of dollars, up to millions of dollars, depending on how much compute is needed. Where DVMs excel is in the realm of software because it’s never been possible to pay for short bursts of discrete compute (running an algorithm). Now that we have Lightning and Nostr Wallet Connect, these micro-transactions can be coordinated in a way that can finally be profitable for the providers. #### The future of DVMs DVMs were spawned in the context of Nostr because they’re a good fit for uses cases in Nostr (algorithmic feeds, translation, annotation, captioning, etc). DVMs could also generalize to any one-shot, algorithmic work that requires limited context. You could even imagine DVMs as a layer between a user and N number of service providers’ APIs. If service providers want to compete, they make a DVM as a bot to call their own API in exchange for money from users. For example, if LLMs become more commoditized, I could imagine that people just want the cheapest provider of a decent LLM for their application. Developers don’t want to create separate code to call OpenAI, HuggingFace, or any other major future provider. In this world, they just create a request to DVMs in a standard way and the DVMs do that interfacing with those APIs and return a standard response. Or LLM providers like HuggingFace may just offer a DVM as a way to increase revenue by competing in an open marketplace instead of convincing users to use only their API. This could happen for all kinds of compute, driving down the cost of such tasks by increasing competition and transparency from providers. #### Increasing adoption today That future is cool, but what are some things we could do today to help DVMs become ubiquitous? 1. *Clients.* More Nostr clients would need to integrate with DVMs to allow their users to utilize their offerings, so that providers have a constant stream of demand to make offering a DVM profitable. 2. *Standardization.* There are some very obvious use cases, and we’ll need to create standard ways to format requests to, and responses from, DVMs for these use cases so that DVMs providers are more fungible. 3. *Trust.* Users are implicitly trusting the DVM provider to be discrete and not leak their data during processing. Encryption is a good first step, but there may be other ways to make it harder for DVMs to violate the privacy and security of users. I think DVMs could be one of the killer unique offerings of Nostr that drives wider adoption of the protocol and ecosystem in general. Can’t wait to see what gets built.  ## Until next time 🫡 If you want to see something highlighted, if we missed anything, or if you’re building something we didn’t post about, let us know. DMs welcome at nostr:npub19mduaf5569jx9xz555jcx3v06mvktvtpu0zgk47n4lcpjsz43zzqhj6vzk Stay Classy, Nostr.

@ 8fb140b4:f948000c

## Chef's notes Serving these two dishes together will create a delightful centerpiece for your Thanksgiving meal, offering a perfect blend of traditional flavors with a homemade touch. ## Details - ⏲️ Prep time: 30 min - 🍳 Cook time: 1 - 2 hours - 🍽️ Servings: 4-6 ## Ingredients - 1 whole turkey (about 12-14 lbs), thawed and ready to cook - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened - 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped - 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped - 2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped - Salt and freshly ground black pepper - 1 onion, quartered - 1 lemon, halved - 2-3 cloves of garlic - Apple and Sage Stuffing - 1 loaf of crusty bread, cut into cubes - 2 apples, cored and chopped - 1 onion, diced - 2 stalks celery, diced - 3 cloves garlic, minced - 1/4 cup fresh sage, chopped - 1/2 cup unsalted butter - 2 cups chicken broth - Salt and pepper, to taste ## Directions 1. Preheat the Oven: Set your oven to 325°F (165°C). 2. Prepare the Herb Butter: Mix the softened butter with the chopped thyme, rosemary, and sage. Season with salt and pepper. 3. Prepare the Turkey: Remove any giblets from the turkey and pat it dry. Loosen the skin and spread a generous amount of herb butter under and over the skin. 4. Add Aromatics: Inside the turkey cavity, place the quartered onion, lemon halves, and garlic cloves. 5. Roast: Place the turkey in a roasting pan. Tent with aluminum foil and roast. A general guideline is about 15 minutes per pound, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C) at the thickest part of the thigh. 6. Rest and Serve: Let the turkey rest for at least 20 minutes before carving. 7. Next: Apple and Sage Stuffing 8. Dry the Bread: Spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet and let them dry overnight, or toast them in the oven. 9. Cook the Vegetables: In a large skillet, melt the butter and cook the onion, celery, and garlic until soft. 10. Combine Ingredients: Add the apples, sage, and bread cubes to the skillet. Stir in the chicken broth until the mixture is moist. Season with salt and pepper. 11. Bake: Transfer the stuffing to a baking dish and bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 30-40 minutes, until golden brown on top.

@ 8fb140b4:f948000c

Hey there, train enthusiasts! let's chat about one of the most impressive rail systems in the world - japan's trains. when you think of japanese trains, the first image that probably pops into your mind is the sleek, futuristic shinkansen, also known as the bullet train. these high-speed trains are not just a symbol of modern technology; they're a testament to japan's commitment to efficiency and punctuality. it's not an exaggeration to say that japanese trains are famous for being precisely on time. if a train is five minutes late, it's often considered a significant delay! but it's not just the shinkansen that deserves praise. japan's entire railway network, from city subways to rural train lines, is incredibly well-organized. the trains are clean, comfortable, and surprisingly quiet, making even a regular commute a pleasant experience. what's more impressive is the frequency of these trains. in major cities like tokyo and osaka, you rarely have to wait more than a few minutes for a train, reducing the stress of travel and making commuting more predictable. and let's not forget the level of service! train staff in japan are known for their politeness and helpfulness. whether you're a tourist struggling with your luggage or a local needing directions, there's always someone to help. plus, the stations themselves are marvels - clean, well-signed, and packed with amenities like shops and restaurants. in short, japan's trains aren't just a mode of transportation; they're an experience, reflecting the country's dedication to quality, punctuality, and customer service. so, next time you're in japan, hop on a train and enjoy the ride - it's an adventure in itself! 🚆🌸🐶🐾🫂

@ 2edbcea6:40558884

Happy Sunday #Nostr ! Here’s your #NostrTechWeekly newsletter brought to you by nostr:npub19mduaf5569jx9xz555jcx3v06mvktvtpu0zgk47n4lcpjsz43zzqhj6vzk written by nostr:npub1r3fwhjpx2njy87f9qxmapjn9neutwh7aeww95e03drkfg45cey4qgl7ex2 The #NostrTechWeekly is a weekly newsletter focused on the more technical happenings in the nostr-verse. Let’s dive in! ## Recent Upgrades to Nostr (AKA [NIPs](https://nostr.com/the-protocol/nips)) #### 1) Updates to [NIP 90: Encryption of DVM Data](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/860/files?short_path=bfe16b0#diff-bfe16b0870d00e01e75c39bf05d6a60009204d107f779d566892d3120c29f6b3) Data Vending Machines are a way for people to pay for bots to do tasks for them, and for the provider of bots to make income from making those bots available. The marketplace for such is young, but has immense potential. This proposal adds even more capabilities by outlining a way for users to optionally encrypt the inputs and outputs of tasks facilitated by DVMs. As privacy and freedom oriented people on Nostr, we can’t say no to encryption by default! Thanks nostr:npub10dzw2nn9gx2n6vvxak3ezp9dpsqy87kgnhrrglgqm7mn2vyeec9slef20x ! #### 2) (Proposed) [NIP 86: Shared Keys](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/876/files?short_path=6df89a8#diff-6df89a8c8dc7ad989fbd00dc1ffdcca6b14fc654a41a124e64c80ff7fe5a2985) This proposal introduces a mechanism for sharing keys within Nostr communities, specifically those managed by an admin. The process involves distributing a 'kind 24' rumor created by the admin’s key and encrypted with a shared key and individually addressed to each member. Possession of the shared key allows users to decrypt content encrypted by the shared key, creating private content for users in possession. Keys can be rotated as needed and are facilitated by the admin key publishing new 'kind 24' rumors, ensuring continuous security. This NIP is critical for the functionality of Closed Communities, as it underpins their secure communication framework Author: [hodlbod](https://github.com/staab) [earonesty](https://github.com/earonesty) [vitorpamplona](https://github.com/vitorpamplona) [water783](https://github.com/water783) #### 3) (Proposed) [NIP 87: Closed Communities](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/875/files?short_path=ed261ea#diff-ed261eac15a3dc7dbd825342a3e89dc960824a52afd2dd032f30876fbfb25698) The second, and related, proposal is for Closed Communities. This proposal aims to provide a degree of privacy in Nostr's inherently public architecture. It builds upon the existing ability to define communities in Nostr, the “member lists” mechanism, as well as the proposed key sharing mechanism (NIP #86) to create private group communication within communities on Nostr. This NIP outlines a community structure using the existing 'kind 34550' event for identification and administration, managed by a dedicated admin key, while a shared key is used for communication within the group. Possession of their admin or shared keys creates access to the community, so managers of these communities will have to take care to keep the community private by strictly controlling access to the keys. I’m glad there’s experimentation in this space. We can always use SimpleX but if we can get something truly private and technically elegant on Nostr, we will all benefit. Author: [hodlbod](https://github.com/staab) [earonesty](https://github.com/earonesty) [vitorpamplona](https://github.com/vitorpamplona) [water783](https://github.com/water783) #### 4) (Proposed) [NIP 100: Android Signer Application](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/868/files?short_path=b651796#diff-b6517966f62629eb3ed4955f1a3107b772d3c07985ff8d51344c7f93daf7c593) On phones, it’s not quite as easy to use a Nostr browser extension to authorize clients as it is on a desktop. This proposal outlines the concept of a “signer” app that contains the user’s nsec, and all other apps on the phone can request event signing from the signer app as needed. Just like the browser extension! It’s elegant and allows users to minimize the exposure of their private keys. 🔒 I don’t know if apps are allowed to do the same thing on iOS, so this may something uniquely available to Android users. Author: [greenart7c3](https://github.com/greenart7c3)  ## Notable Projects #### Calendar and events on [Nosta](https://nosta.me/) 📅 Nosta is a profile-first client that makes every profile look its best. Nosta also helps users discover all kinds of content published by each profile instead of just their kind 1 notes (tweets). Super helpful and a nice take on a general purpose Nostr client 💪 Nosta [recently announced](https://w3.do/L-SeW9bO) updates that they now support calendars managed by Nostr users. Looks great 🙌 Author: nostr:npub1kuc70777tsvj67fl75s2dmy376t97hv05xmyuyshzzy6vhj5q5jstv0eyw [Nosta Github](https://github.com/gbks/nosta-me) #### Recent improvements to [NostrNet.Work](https://nostrnet.work) 🌐 NostrNet.Work is organically growing into a browser for Nostr. It can serve as a homepage/dashboard for your Nostr life, and you can move into any realm of Nostr easily without remembering or bookmarking a bunch of urls. Recently nostr:npub1cmmswlckn82se7f2jeftl6ll4szlc6zzh8hrjyyfm9vm3t2afr7svqlr6f introduced [better notes](https://w3.do/i6JlIOKR) so that you can draft notes, save them while you’re offline if they’re private. Or you can even publish them later if you like. Additionally nostr:npub1cmmswlckn82se7f2jeftl6ll4szlc6zzh8hrjyyfm9vm3t2afr7svqlr6f shipped [better navigation](https://w3.do/wlmSNbjD) and seems to be leaning in to becoming a browser and may introduce tabs soon. So you can navigate the nostr-verse without leaving NostrNet.Work. ## Latest conversations: Funding Nostr Projects [In a recent article](nostr:naddr1qqrkvatwv35kuecpr3mhxue69uhkummnw3ezucnfw33k76twv4ezuum0vd5kzmqpz4mhxue69uhk2er9dchxummnw3ezumrpdejqygzjkjs8d09mhhp6rth6xu6czm8hfxfmrwxmyq4srjyrck9707kch5psgqqqw4rsjqda4u), Semisol highlighted a crucial issue for Nostr: the severe underfunding of its development and infrastructure, which threatens the protocol's sustainability. Semi delves into all the options currently available for funding development and infrastructure, outlining the risks posed by current funding models and the potential for Nostr's degradation without proper financial support. #### Onboarding an economy Nostr can’t rely on hobbyists and good will forever. We need profitable companies to be building on top of Nostr, so we naturally we need to convince some group of buyers and sellers that using something built on Nostr is better than their current setup. If we can onboard a whole existing economy wholesale, we can build a core of profitability which keeps the engine of Nostr development churning. #### Focusing on Content Creators At this point, I believe that the best options would be content creators. Content creators — be they musicians, YouTubers, streamers, or writers — are currently being screwed over by their platforms (Spotify, record labels, youtube, twitch, substack, patreon, etc). These platform take exorbitant fees and they threaten to deplatform creators if they step out of line. If Nostr could offer a seamless way for content creators (especially those aggrieved by malicious platforms) to migrate their content monetization to a Nostr-based solution, all would benefit. #### Starting with Patreon Bitcoin and Lightning can offer a much lower fee version of Patreon with little additional development from the work that’s been done so far. Patreon takes ~8%, if someone put the pieces together and created a Patreon, it wouldn’t be crazy that that product could profitably charge 1% or 2% instead. Migrating would a no-brainer because most content creators don’t primary publish via Patreon, they merely use Patreon to manage the monthly financial support of their most loyal supporters. This severely reduces the amount of features needed to start pulling creators away from Patreon. On top of that, content creators can keep their main content publishing up, and even their existing Patreon account, and slowly cut people over to the Nostr-based alternative so there’s very little risk to them. #### Substack next? Many writers out there use Substack or have paid subscriptions for their “premium” blog. Substack charges 10% plus the 3% for payment processing on top of that. Nostr already provides most of the features of Substack, with some development integrating Lightning payments to unlock specific content, we can start offering a better deal for creators. The Nostr protocol and Lightning are already doing most of the work! #### Waiting to do the hard content Video and audio hosting is more expensive to run. Live-streaming even more so. Don’t even get me started on building an advertiser network. The reason Patreon and Substack would be relatively easy is because they’re just managing membership and passing around text. Lightning and the Nostr protocol have already done most of the heavy lifting with this kind of content. If we can make an amazing product that frees a subset of content creators, we can earn the right to solve audio, video and live streaming (and the profit necessary to invest in). We can survive (and thrive) long enough to keep taking steps forward. #### Bitcoin as the payment rail, cash out in fiat Many content creators aren’t ready to operate in Bitcoin, but there are many Bitcoin wallets (Strike, CashApp, etc) that are great bridges to fiat. This would allow content creators to get the best of the cheaper payment rails but still have the choice to pay rent in their local currency. We’ll be able to orange pill them over time, but thanks to the work of companies like Block and Strike there’s little downside for content creators if we go this direction. #### Purple-pilling Once supporters of content creators migrate from Patreon and Substack, we’ll be able to show them the broader horizons that come with a Nostr-based solution. They may have signed up for the Patreon-like client, but they can be taught that their identity and their followers are portable. Not to mention all the amazing things that are only possible on Nostr. It becomes much more feasible to convince folks to explore the rest of what Nostr has to offer once we offer that killer feature that makes them want to join in the first place. ## Until next time 🫡 If you want to see something highlighted, if we missed anything, or if you’re building something we didn’t post about, let us know. DMs welcome at nostr:npub19mduaf5569jx9xz555jcx3v06mvktvtpu0zgk47n4lcpjsz43zzqhj6vzk Stay Classy, Nostr.

@ 8fb140b4:f948000c

## Intro Nostrasia 2023, a vibrant unconference, was hosted in two bustling Asian cities: Hong Kong and Tokyo, Japan. Nostriches from around the world flocked to these destinations, eager to immerse themselves in local culture, savor the cuisine, and most importantly, enjoy each other's company in person. Tokyo's event, buzzing with energy, took place in Shibuya, a district renowned for its lively nightlife and abundance of bars, clubs, and restaurants. As is tradition with Nostr events, the atmosphere was charged with excitement, symbolized by the abundant purple and orange hues. https://v.nostr.build/k7qV.mp4 ## Preparations The journey to Nostrasia began right after Nostrica, with meticulous planning to ensure the perfect venue. It was a challenge to find a location that was both spacious and accessible, offering affordable accommodation options nearby. Our diligent volunteers in Japan scoured venues in Tokyo and Yokohama before selecting the ideal spot in Shibuya.    In the days leading up to the event, volunteers, both local and from afar, gathered at the venue. Their mission: to set up everything from audio-visual equipment to stages and decorations, ensuring a warm welcome for attendees on November 1st at 9:00 AM. Despite the time crunch, the spirit of cooperation and friendliness prevailed, making the preparation phase smooth and enjoyable.     Even amidst the busy setup, there was time for breaks and socialization, keeping everyone energized and focused on the mission at hand.     ## Day 1 (The Beginning)  No day at Nostrasia could start without a caffeine kick or a beverage of choice. The first day witnessed a steady influx of nostriches, filling the venue with excitement and anticipation.  The day offered a mix of activities: some attendees engaged in the presentations, others relaxed in the family-friendly area, and there were even recreational spaces for all ages to enjoy, including model train setups.   The setup was designed to welcome nostriches of all stripes, whether young or old, tech-savvy or not. It was a space where everyone could feel comfortable and included.    The day culminated in a grand welcome party, complete with drinks, MAGURO (Yellowfin tuna), and karaoke. https://v.nostr.build/Mqqa.mp4 ## Day 2  Following a late night, the second day of the conference started a bit later, accommodating the nocturnal adventures of the attendees. The day was packed with fascinating talks, workshops, and plenty of opportunities for meet-ups and hugs.     https://v.nostr.build/q3RM.mp4 An interesting discovery for me was the concept of air replies, a novel and visually engaging way to interact on social media.  ## Day 3 (Final) The final day, starting late due to the previous night's festivities, was filled with a diverse range of presentations. Topics varied from non-technical perspectives on Nostr to in-depth technical workshops and discussions. #footstr  The day was brimming with a variety of presentations in both halls of the conference center. These ranged from insightful talks about Nostr from a non-technical perspective to more in-depth technical workshops and discussions.       https://v.nostr.build/R98n.mp4 https://v.nostr.build/o5Xl.mp4 https://v.nostr.build/4A6W.mp4 The event concluded with heartfelt closing remarks from the organizers, filled with gratitude and appreciation for everyone's participation and effort.   ## Outro Nostrasia 2023 was a resounding success, marked by a warm, friendly atmosphere that pervaded the entire event. While some had to depart immediately after, many stayed on to explore the wonders of Japan, carrying with them memories of an unforgettable gathering. The end. 🐶🐾🫡🫂  ## Footnotes - For the list of notes published about the event, use #nostrasia hashtag. - For the official Nostrasia profile, visit @npub1nstrcu63lzpjkz94djajuz2evrgu2psd66cwgc0gz0c0qazezx0q9urg5l - [Detailed conference schedule](https://nostrasia.notion.site/NostrAsia-Tokyo-Agenda-257609cf726c49339422f4dd02aa3049) - [Official Webside](https://nostr.world/) ## Other pictures and videos taken before, during, and after the event       

@ 1e7e09f4:396567a8

#nostr #obsidian #testing #longform ### Please ignore this post! Ok, hopefully the last test you are free to ignore. Sry folks! Slowly hoping to figure out more on how to correctly interface with the nostr ecosystem. If you see me doing something stupid or not within etiquette, please kindly inform me so I can improve. Thank you! cc @npub1aljazgxlpnpfp7n5sunlk3dvfp72456x6nezjw4sd850q879rxqsthg9jp # The following is just dummy tekst to test Long Form content. ## Do a flip! I've been there. My folks were always on me to groom myself and wear underpants. What am I, the pope? I guess because my parents keep telling me to be more ladylike. As though! Okay, I like a challenge. Hey, what kinda party is this? There's no booze and only one hooker. She also liked to shut up! **Yes, except the Dave Matthews Band doesn't rock.** _I guess because my parents keep telling me to be more ladylike._ As though! ### Ah, the 'Breakfast Club' soundtrack! I can't wait til I'm old enough to feel ways about stuff! Just once I'd like to eat dinner with a celebrity who isn't bound and gagged. Bender, we're trying our best. One hundred dollars. I usually try to keep my sadness pent up inside where it can fester quietly as a mental illness. 1. I don't know what you did, Fry, but once again, you screwed up! Now all the planets are gonna start cracking wise about our mamas. 2. Hey, whatcha watching? 3. For example, if you killed your grandfather, you'd cease to exist! ### Quite possible. We live long and are celebrated poopers. With gusto. Bender, I didn't know you liked cooking. That's so cute. Would you censor the Venus de Venus just because you can see her spewers? Oh, but you can. But you may have to metaphorically make a deal with the devil. And by "devil", I mean Robot Devil. And by "metaphorically", I mean get your coat. - With gusto. - Can we have Bender Burgers again? - Fetal stemcells, aren't those controversial? No! Don't jump! I saw you with those two "ladies of the evening" at Elzars. Explain that. Dear God, they'll be killed on our doorstep! And there's no trash pickup until January 3rd. It's okay, Bender. I like cooking too. I found what I need. And it's not friends, it's things. I've been there. My folks were always on me to groom myself and wear underpants. What am I, the pope? Good news, everyone! There's a report on TV with some very bad news! Uh, is the puppy mechanical in any way? Who are those horrible orange men? Really?! You wouldn't. Ask anyway! Well, thanks to the Internet, I'm now bored with sex. Is there a place on the web that panders to my lust for violence? OK, if everyone's finished being stupid. Soon enough. Really?! I just want to talk. It has nothing to do with mating. Fry, that doesn't make sense. Five hours? Aw, man! Couldn't you just get me the death penalty? You know, I was God once. Hey! I'm a porno-dealing monster, what do I care what you think? I don't want to be rescued. Look, last night was a mistake. I guess if you want children beaten, you have to do it yourself. Yep, I remember. They came in last at the Olympics, then retired to promote alcoholic beverages! Have you ever tried just turning off the TV, sitting down with your children, and hitting them? Noooooo! Oh, how I wish I could believe or understand that! There's only one reasonable course of action now: kill Flexo! You, minion. Lift my arm. AFTER HIM! Why, those are the Grunka-Lunkas! They work here in the Slurm factory. Ah, computer dating. It's like pimping, but you rarely have to use the phrase "upside your head." Large bet on myself in round one. I'll tell them you went down prying the wedding ring off his cold, dead finger. When the lights go out, it's nobody's business what goes on between two consenting adults. Yes, if you make it look like an electrical fire. When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all. Yes, I saw. You were doing well, until everyone died. It must be wonderful. Aww, it's true. I've been hiding it for so long. Too much work. Let's burn it and say we dumped it in the sewer. A sexy mistake. OK, if everyone's finished being stupid. You lived before you met me?! You won't have time for sleeping, soldier, not with all the bed making you'll be doing. Yes. You gave me a dollar and some candy.

@ 2d5b6404:d4b500b0

# Nostrasiaでの素敵な思い出 ## jackとの出会い ぼくはここ数年jackのファンでツイートをずっと見てきました。坊主にして、髭を生やし、同じサンダルを履き、ヴィパッサナー瞑想10日コースにも参加しました。日本でNostrのイベント開催が決定してからjackに会い絵文字の🫂ではなくリアルハグをしてもらうことが目標でした。Nostrasiaでその夢がついに叶いました。もちろんjackに会えたことが一番の思い出です。 ## Nostrで出会った仲間たち Nostrで出会ったユーザーと実際にオフラインで会って友達になれたことはかけがえのない経験となりました。ぼくの英語力は中学生以下にもかかわらずコミュニケーションをとってくれた友達には感謝しかありません。Nostrasiaの講演は基本英語でAIの自動翻訳しかありませんでした。なので内容は全くわからないのでYouTubeのアーカイブを自分で見てください。お気づきになったかもしれませんがこの記事であなたが得られる価値ある情報は何もありませんｗｗｗ じゅりよんは言いました。 ”講演の内容は後からいくらでも見れる。大事なのは多くの人と実際に会いコミュニケーションをとることだ”と。ので出会った人たちを紹介していこうと思う。 ## awayuki🐙 awayukiがいなかったら海外ユーザーと積極的にコミュニケーションをとらなかったかもしれない。awayukiのおかげでじゅりよんとverbirichaと友達になれた気がする。じゅりよんとはNostrasiaの前に二人で日本の伝統芸を見たりカフェに行ったり、ラーメンを食べたりしたし、飲み会でも一緒に話した。彼は誰よりも積極的に顔もわからない日本ユーザーと交流していた。ぼくのゴミみたいな英語力でも気にせず、翻訳アプリを使いながらコミュニケーションをとってくれた。verbirichaは変わったやつだ😂トイレに行ったと思ったらいなくなったり、飲み会に歩いて行くと思ったらホテルに帰ってたりする。自由でちょっと変わってるけどverbirichaも翻訳アプリで一緒に話してくれた。BTCpay serverのイベントでも一人で座っていた僕に話しかけてくれた。彼はスペインから来ていて自分の住んでる小さな街を紹介してくれた。ぼくもあんな素敵な街を歩いてみたい。 ### hodlbod hodlbodはcoracleの開発者だ。jackがNostrのツイートをしたときにcoracleが紹介されていたので使い始めた。ぼくが最も信頼する開発者の一人だ。彼のビジョンと人間性はとても素晴らしいと思っていた。ぼくは英語ができないのでコミュニケーションに時間がかかる。なので色んな人と話しているhodlbodに話しかけることを躊躇していた。なので彼とはほとんど話せなかった。でも彼はその素晴らしい人間性をイベント最終日に行動で示してくれた。彼は誰よりも積極的に後片付けの手伝いをしていた。ぼくもその行動を見て感化され少しだけ手伝った。最高の人、最高のNostrクラアント。 ### nostr.build nostr.buildはバースデーディナーに呼んでくれた。英語ができないけど大丈夫かと聞いたら奥さんは日本人だしfishcakeもいるから大丈夫だよと言ってくれた。12月にNostrをはじめた頃はプロフィール設定からアイコン画像を設定することすらできなかった。その初期の問題をnostr.buildは解決し多くの人を助けた。バースデーディナーにも多くの人が参加していた。隣の席に座ったエリックというdamusの開発者になんでぼくなんかがこんなすごいディナーに呼ばれたのかな？と聞くと、彼はこう答えた。君もNostrの一員だからだ。ぼくはエンジニアじゃないから何も作れないし絵もかけない。とくに何も貢献できることがないと思っていたのでそう言われてとても嬉しかった。素敵なバースデーディナーに呼んでくれてありがとう。誕生日おめでとう🎂 ### その他の人たち イベント最終日の飲み会ではirisの開発者のMarttiやsnortの開発者のKieran、オーストラリアでビットコインの学校をしているkdnolanと出会った。tigsじゃなくてkdnolan😂Marttiは福岡市で日本語の勉強を2ヶ月くらいしていて今もアニメや漫画を見ているので少し日本語が話せる。まさかビットコイン初期の開発者と共通点があったことに驚いた。Kieranにはsnortのサブスクリプションの調子はどうか聞けた。 学生のバイト代くらい稼いでいたけど分散型ネットワークで人を集めるのは大変そうだった。でも一人で開発して最低限の生活費くらいなら稼げそうで夢がある。知らんけど。kdnolanは誕生日だ。tigsではなくkdnolanの誕生日である😂彼はオーストラリアでビットコインの学校を運営している。子どもたちがマインクラフトやマリオブラザーズをプレイしている様子を動画で見せてくれた。素晴らしい取り組みだと思うので良いと思ったらぜひ寄付してみてください。 https://geyser.fund/project/theschoolofbitcoin 他にもwill,vanessa,エリオット,ralf,ewelina,rewolff,Endcape,Harambe's last Bitcoin,JeffG,Obi,wencke ,saunter-san,Kwintenなど多くの人と出会った。 普段やり取りしている日本人ユーザーともたくさん会った。 発火大根🥕、りら、muneomi、ren、しおん、kojira、shion3、the darashi、あねぴ、かすてらふぃ、月野うさぎ、つるるん、ぽーまん、しお、さはるん、ユートピア、みりめい、風呂屋など 学生コミュニティの𝑹𝒊𝒐、MIrin、Ruka🦝はnostrをイメージしたイラストを書いてくれました。 テクノスカレッジによる Nostrasia アートコンテストの優勝者を紹介します。 28zap、合計121,349satsでRuka🦝さんが優勝しました！ nostr:nevent1qqsw90q09pfcjhen3rrcshwp6af9qw6zqya6rdeutmwx73stmshmp8qvnmmkx ## awayukiの最終日の公演 awayukiの最終日の公演は感動的だった。NOSTOPUSが世界に羽ばたいていきawayukiがそのキャラクターを通して多くの人と繋がっていくのを見てとても感動した。awayukiにはとても感謝している。ありがとう🐙 ## まとめ 3日間本当に最高のイベントだった。この繋がりをできるだけ維持していきたい。次はブラジルかな？行けたら行きたい。また会いましょう🫂 以上がぼくのNostrasiaでの素敵な思い出です。あなたはどうでしたか？Nostrでコメントしてください。それでは、また👋

@ 2edbcea6:40558884

Happy Sunday #Nostr ! Here’s your #NostrTechWeekly newsletter brought to you by nostr:npub19mduaf5569jx9xz555jcx3v06mvktvtpu0zgk47n4lcpjsz43zzqhj6vzk written by nostr:npub1r3fwhjpx2njy87f9qxmapjn9neutwh7aeww95e03drkfg45cey4qgl7ex2 The #NostrTechWeekly is a weekly newsletter focused on the more technical happenings in the nostr-verse. Before we dive in I want to congratulate the [winners of the NostrAsia hackathon](https://bolt.fun/story/nostrasia-2023-winners--1310): eNuts, Shopstr, Zappdit, and the runner up Nosskey. Thanks for hacking away and building for the community. 😊 Let’s dive in! ## Recent Upgrades to Nostr (AKA [NIPs](https://nostr.com/the-protocol/nips)) #### 1) (Proposed) Updates to [NIP 72: Moderated Communities](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/848/files?short_path=02bdfed#diff-02bdfed052568bc5843aa40e29a9f24f5a8382d63fc6669d733a19fb952d00b9 ) As mentioned in previous weeks, moderated communities as currently outlined in NIP 72 publish kind 1 events (tweet-like text notes), and they show up without context in clients like Damus, Amethyst, Snort, etc. One solution to the lack of context is to make activities in moderated communities use event kinds other than 1 so that you have to be in a client specialized for moderated communities to see those activities. There have been a few attempts to update NIP 72 to accomplish that goal, and this is the latest iteration. Unique to this proposal is the idea of community scoped user data, not just posts. For example you could follow people within the community within the scope of the community but not add them to your general following list for your whole Nostr account. They’d show up in your feed in the moderated community but not in your general feed. There’s a lot of potential in moderated communities to become a core pillar of Nostr usage as the network scales, especially since the censorship and API management regimes of Reddit have gotten more restrictive. People want better and Nostr can be that solution. Author: nostr:npub180cvv07tjdrrgpa0j7j7tmnyl2yr6yr7l8j4s3evf6u64th6gkwsyjh6w6 #### 2) (Proposed) [NIP 49: Nostr Wallet Auth](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/851/files?short_path=ad86e19#diff-ad86e192826989eb14d2745848266767960114d35a39e0376bd5a0ef3041000b) Having a Lightning Wallet connected to Nostr is a powerful tool for content monetization and nostr-based marketplaces. There’s a lot of great work done on Nostr Wallet Connect, but it all “hinges on having the user copy-paste a wallet connection URI into the app they wish to connect with. This can be a UX hurdle and often has the user handling sensitive information that they may not understand.” “This NIP proposes a new protocol that solves these problems by having the wallet and app generate a NWC connection URI together. This URI is then used to connect the wallet and app.” Making it easier for new users (especially those that are less technical) to participate in the new economy is fundamental to making Nostr the best place for content creators to make a living without middlemen and heavy handed platforms. 💪 Author: nostr:npub1u8lnhlw5usp3t9vmpz60ejpyt649z33hu82wc2hpv6m5xdqmuxhs46turz #### 3) (Proposed) Updates to [NIP 15: Nostr-based Marketplaces](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/859/files?short_path=e389bd4#diff-e389bd48ddd03fc0132da6d38bb30259b84f5a056c25bd6f32c341c991be1af7) This proposal expands the capabilities of Nostr-based Marketplaces to support auctions. Think about a Nostr-based eBay where users can post an item for sale by auction using a marketplace Nostr client. The auction going live is a Nostr event, and users can publish bids as Nostr events, and when the auction is closed it’ll be determined by the bid event with the highest offering. Which anyone can verify. This is a very interesting way to make marketplaces more censorship resistant. Author: [ibz](https://github.com/ibz) ## Notable Projects #### [Yondar (social maps)](https://w3.do/iRRwalPS) 🌐 Much physical commerce is discovered by consumers via map apps. You go on Google or Apple Maps to find an art supply store near you, or coffee shops that are open at 2pm when you’re in a new city. These centralized solutions have dominated, but no more! Enter Yondar. Yondar is a Nostr client that allows users to publish places on a map. This could be places of business or events, really anything that has a location. True to Nostr form, people can also socially interact with these places: do a kind 1 comment in response to an upcoming event published on Yondar. Or someone could create a Nostr client for restaurant reviews and publish one of those in response to a place published via Yondar. The possibilities are endless 🤯. Author(s): npub1arkn0xxxll4llgy9qxkrncn3vc4l69s0dz8ef3zadykcwe7ax3dqrrh43w #### [WavLake](https://w3.do/m4JYh3s_) 🎵 WavLake is a music player for web and mobile. It’s part Spotify music player and music discovery tool, part music monetization platform. They host the actual music files in their own cloud hosted system, but they publish Nostr events to represent the content that’s stored by WavLake, so other clients could help people discover music hosted and published via WavLake. If musicians can get paid more for their music via solutions like WavLake, they will start using Nostr purely for selfish monetary reasons. This could be the start of purple-pilling that particular artistic community. P.S. I listened to WavLake Radio while writing this, it was nice writing music. Authors: based on the linked Github repo it’s nostr:npub1j0shgumvguvlsp38s49v4zm8algtt92cerkwyeagan9m6tnu256s2eg9a7 and [blastshielddown](https://github.com/blastshielddown) #### [Opt-in content moderation on nos.social](https://w3.do/Hx1E8sle) 👍👎 nostr:npub1wmr34t36fy03m8hvgl96zl3znndyzyaqhwmwdtshwmtkg03fetaqhjg240 gave a presentation at NostrAsia about making Nostr more accessible for normies. One of the items that was announced was the implementation of opt-in content moderation in his Nostr client nos.social. They now support content warnings set by users publishing content, reporting content with various tags, as well as the ability for users to opt-in to moderation that changes their feed based on what they want to filter out. People that don’t want moderation don’t need to use it, but I applaud nos.social’s work to develop these tools and patterns so that people have the choice to moderate their own feed. ## Latest conversations: Interoperability NostrAsia really highlighted the superpowers of Nostr and one of the foremost is interoperability. nostr:npub1l2vyh47mk2p0qlsku7hg0vn29faehy9hy34ygaclpn66ukqp3afqutajft [gave a great talk about this topic](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0H13dPceJ0) and explained NIP 31 and NIP 89. In summary, imagine there’s a Nostr client for movie reviews and they publish the review in a specific structure with Kind 12345678. Most Nostr clients will see that event but won’t know how to display that content or help users interact with it. If clients adopt NIPs 31 and 89 then Nostr events will have an “alt” tag and a way to find a suggested app to handle that type of Nostr content. The alt tag helps clients display *something* to the user and the suggested app handler helps the client indicate to the user how to interact with that content more natively. Maximum interoperability is useful in allowing Nostr to grow without centralizing. We can all experiment and build and all efforts still support the usage of the Nostr ecosystem in general. #### Kind 1 clients as gateways to the Nostr app ecosystem This interoperable future points to a framework where Kind 1 clients (Damus, Amethyst, Snort, Primal, etc) are the entrypoint or gateway to the Nostr ecosystem. Kind 1 clients are the core social use case and the foundation of most social interaction and could be amazing standalone apps and businesses, but Nostr makes them something more. People will post Kind 1 notes referencing all kinds of Nostr events: music published via WavLake or Stemstr, places shared via Yondar, recipes created on Nostr.Cooking, etc. Clients will display some context on what the comment is on (music, place, video, recipe, etc) and then help the user find the right plugin/app/website to use to interact with that content natively. This makes the Kind 1 clients the purple pill. This is only possible because of the unique interoperability capabilities of Nostr. #### Interoperability with non-Nostr services Even more amazing about Nostr is that it’s fairly easy to make the network interoperable with services outside the Nostr-verse. We already have pretty good bridges to ActivityPub-based systems like Mastadon as well as Twitter (with Exit). That reduces the switching cost for people that want to explore Nostr and eventually make the switch. Even within Nostr-verse we have services like nostr.build that provide services in a way that doesn’t lock users in. Nostr.build provides file hosting services and because they follow [NIP 96](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/547/files?short_path=1734c06#diff-1734c060f134d042d20f19a80869e277cac141784cb0511bfc26bef43307b786), there’s a standard way for clients to interact with nostr.build as a user’s preferred file storage provider for pictures and videos. It is easy for users to switch providers and clients can easily pick up the change. Efforts like NIP 96 makes file storage much more interoperable across the Nostr-verse without centralization. Continuing to build solutions that allow users to have freedom AND a great experience will make Nostr the best game in town. #### Don’t reinvent the wheel: use ISO when possible I’m not sure if every developer knows this, but there’s an International Standards Organization (ISO) that has done a *ton* of work to promote standards of all kinds. The most common one developers have all used is the ISO datetime format. No matter what language or database you’re using, you’re likely representing timezone aware datetimes in the ISO format so that you can pass that data around safely. ISO has codified standards for everything : [how to store medical history](https://www.iso.org/standard/52823.html), [how to interact with USB](https://www.iso.org/standard/40604.html), even stuff as obscure as [how to represent data around holograms](https://www.iso.org/standard/60946.html?browse=ics) Nostr is doing a lot of work to define structure to data that will be stored as Nostr events. We’re essentially inventing standards for social-related data of all kinds. There are some things we’re building support for in Nostr, and I will encourage folks to see if there’s an ISO standard to follow first. It may save you a ton of time and brain power. On top of that, adopting ISO standards makes Nostr more compatible with future development that we can’t even imagine yet.  #### Invest in interoperability to support the cause The Nostr-verse is under construction and the best time to plan for interoperability is before the building is done. Devs have done a great job retaining interoperability as a cambrian explosion of Nostr development has taken place. I hope we can continue to invest in interoperability because it may just be the thing that makes Nostr able to take on the giants of Big Tech when the time is right. ## Until next time 🫡 If you want to see something highlighted, if we missed anything, or if you’re building something we didn’t post about, let us know. DMs welcome at nostr:npub19mduaf5569jx9xz555jcx3v06mvktvtpu0zgk47n4lcpjsz43zzqhj6vzk Stay Classy, Nostr.

@ 8fb140b4:f948000c

Testing a brand new YakiHonne native client for iOS. Smooth as butter (not penis butter 🤣🍆🧈) with great visual experience and intuitive navigation. Amazing work by the team behind it! * lists * work **Bold text work!**  Images could have used [nostr.build](https://nostr.build) instead of raw S3 from us-east-1 region. Very impressive! You can even save the draft and continue later, before posting the long-form note! 🐶🐾🤯🤯🤯🫂💜

@ 2edbcea6:40558884

Happy Sunday #Nostr ! Here’s your #NostrTechWeekly newsletter brought to you by nostr:npub19mduaf5569jx9xz555jcx3v06mvktvtpu0zgk47n4lcpjsz43zzqhj6vzk written by nostr:npub1r3fwhjpx2njy87f9qxmapjn9neutwh7aeww95e03drkfg45cey4qgl7ex2 The #NostrTechWeekly is a weekly newsletter focused on the more technical happenings in the nostr-verse. Let’s dive in! ## Recent Upgrades to Nostr (AKA [NIPs](https://nostr.com/the-protocol/nips)) #### 1) (Proposed) [NIP 96: File Storage Integration](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/547) As a reminder NIP 96 proposes a standard way for third party service providers to offer file storage for Nostr users. Standardization allows files to stay off relays but still be relatively cross compatible if users want to have files attached to notes show up in any Nostr client. It was initially implemented a few weeks ago with the Nostur and Coracle clients utilizing the open source Nostrcheck server by nostr:npub138s5hey76qrnm2pmv7p8nnffhfddsm8sqzm285dyc0wy4f8a6qkqtzx624 NIP 96 seems to be getting momentum; now the Nostur client has added integrated nostr.build file storage in a NIP 96 compatible way giving users more options! I hope it gets merged soon 💪 #### 2) (Proposed) Update to [NIP 72: Community Posts](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/753) This proposed update to Moderated Communities would allow clients to support using event kinds other than 1. Right now, posting on moderated communities (akin to subreddits) makes it so that all posts show up without context on most Nostr clients. Kind 1 events are like tweets, but posts in moderated communities are posted in a context that’s missing on clients like Damus or Amethyst. This proposal would encourage moderated communities to publish using a different set of event kinds so the posts only show up in clients intended for moderated communities. It continues to gain momentum. nostr:npub180cvv07tjdrrgpa0j7j7tmnyl2yr6yr7l8j4s3evf6u64th6gkwsyjh6w6 opened and closed a proposed change similar to this as this newsletter was being written, and instead threw some support onto this proposal. This change would be reverse compatible with current Moderated Communities but still allow for cleaner feeds on clients based on their intended content focus. Author: [vivganes](https://github.com/vivganes) ## Notable Projects #### [Zapple Pay’s lightning-based subscriptions](https://w3.do/_SDe46Ih) ♻️ The team at Mutiny Wallet’s work on Zapple Pay has helped keep the flow of zaps unblocked since Apple’s capricious decisions to force Damus to disable Zaps. Now they’ve introduced “auto zapping” which is the ability to set up recurring payments (like subscriptions) in a self-sovereign way. Zaps are great to show support, lightning-gated content is going to be helpful for content creators too, but unlocking subscriptions can truly help content creators make a living on Nostr denominated in the hardest money on Earth. This could be game changing as we’ll discuss later 😉 Authors: nostr:npub1u8lnhlw5usp3t9vmpz60ejpyt649z33hu82wc2hpv6m5xdqmuxhs46turz nostr:npub1t0nyg64g5vwprva52wlcmt7fkdr07v5dr7s35raq9g0xgc0k4xcsedjgqv & Paul Miller #### [Highlighter 2.0](https://w3.do/smrxRpy1) 📝 If you’re unfamiliar Highlighter is “A nostr client for your most valuable information. Your reading. Your notes. Your thoughts. A place to discover thoughtful, timeless content.” and nostr:npub1l2vyh47mk2p0qlsku7hg0vn29faehy9hy34ygaclpn66ukqp3afqutajft continues to improve it rapidly. This latest release improves many aspects, mostly focused on making it THE best way to read, highlight, label, and save content that’s meaningful to you. On top of that nostr:npub1l2vyh47mk2p0qlsku7hg0vn29faehy9hy34ygaclpn66ukqp3afqutajft has been improving the ability to make money as a content creator via an integration to “subscribe” to support Nostr content creators like you would on Patreon, as well as split zaps for content published via Highlighter. If you’re not at least using Highlighter to discover content, you’re missing out. In my experience It is the highest concentration of content created by deep thinkers on the internet. ## Latest conversations: Nostr adoption via content creators Nostr’s main feature right now is that it is freedom tech. So far that hasn’t been enough of a draw for mass Nostr adoption. We can keep building existing apps on Nostr but we’ll need something truly differentiated for people to rip and replace their content consumption habits with the ones run on Nostr. We have some unique offerings (beyond censorship resistance) in emerging tech like Highlighter, DVMs, and Zaps. Based on what we’ve seen this week, I believe the next million monthly active users will be driven by content creators moving to Nostr.  #### Helping creators make money Creators tend to flock to where they can make the most money. This is true of content creators and creators of software. The fact that Apple apps make far more money than Android ones (despite Android dominating the smartphone market) explains why there are so many iPhone only apps. Video creators and streamers move between Youtube and Twitch based on who is going to offer them the better income (viewership * take home rate). If we can provide platforms where creators get to keep more of their money, it could be a game changer. #### Locked into platforms Content platforms provide two things: audience aggregation and payment aggregation. *Payments:* The revenue per view of a youtube video is calculable and theoretically Youtube could pay creators their cut of the revenue per view. That isn’t practical because of transaction fees, they’d be larger than the actual transaction. That’s why platforms serve as payment aggregators between the advertisers, themselves and the creators; settling accounts on a regular basis in amounts that make sense given the payments infrastructure available to them (credit cards and ACH). *Audience aggregation:* Audiences go where creators are, but creators go where their audience is; the relationship is complicated. Sometimes individual creators have enough power to make or break a platform, but for platforms as big as Youtube that becomes much harder. Take the example of Spotify and Joe Rogan. That move was worth it in terms of cash for Rogan, and it put Spotify on the map as a podcasting platform. It didn’t really hurt Youtube a whole lot. The main advantage of using a content platform like Youtube, TikTok, etc is that the audience is there, you “just” need to capture them. The trade off is that you have very little power to set your price. *Audience non-portability:* If a creator decides to switch from Youtube to Twitch, their followers don’t automatically port over. Creators with strong followings have an ok time when switching but not everyone has that luxury. This leads to a power imbalance between creators and platforms. Platforms can strike down any creator they want; even though, without creators, these platforms would be nothing. In the absence of a better solution we’re stuck in this disadvantageous equilibrium. #### Freeing creators with Nostr and Bitcoin If Nostr + Bitcoin could offer creators ready-to-go solutions that would let creators keep significantly more of their revenue. It just has to be a big enough difference that people make the switch even when Bitcoin and Nostr are unfamiliar to them. The magic combo of capabilities on Nostr would be: Nostr-based versions of all the usual apps for content consumption, as long as they’re high enough quality to not deter users. Content management tools that are familiar and quality enough for content creators. This would need to include robust file storage and streaming for content (text, video, audio, etc) Payment infrastructure in the apps (via Lightning) that have low fees and support the structures that are relevant for the content type (pay per article, pay per view, streaming sats as you listen, subscriptions, etc) Lowest-common-denominator Nostr onboarding. Imagine an end-to-end encrypted Nostr key custodian, so users that are intimidated by keypairs could have a familiar login with email and password. In this world, new Nostr users that were asked to join by their favorite creator may never interact with the most common clients on Nostr today. They may set up a Nostr user via some “Login with Nostr” solution and then they only interact with the Nostr versions of Twitch, Youtube, Substack, etc. If the switch is painless for users and creators and the creators make more money, it’s a no-brainer for creators to try out. If it works for them, more will come. Taylor Swift and Grimes are good people to aim for. Both have enough autonomy to experiment with any platform they want, and both have fought to maximize artists’ take home pay. Can you imagine if we could get every Swiftie on Nostr’s version of Spotify? #### Why hasn’t this happened yet? This sounds like “value for value” right? Many talented builders and creators have attempted to crack the “value for value” nut, but something hasn’t clicked yet for mass adoption. The missing link, in my opinion, is the lack of audience portability and how that affects payments. Value for value (streaming sats for podcasts, or paying to unlock one article at a time) requires some storage of *who* bought access to the content. Otherwise if you switch devices the content platform won’t know you already purchased access. Without Nostr that means signing up for that particular content app and it’s a high bar to start paying for content. With Nostr, you can login using your Nostr keys and purchase access on any Nostr-based app, using any Lightning wallet, and that access can be attached to your Nostr pub key. It lowers the barrier for users to start paying, which means content creators capture more value. For some kinds of content, I think all the legos are there for a creator-friendly platforms. With the recent Mutiny wallet announcement of lightning-based subscriptions, there’s no reason not to build a Nostr-based Patreon or Substack. I’ve also seen some work on ways to Zap to unlock content, making the dream of “pay per article” possible. The last piece missing for a truly seamless on-ramp would be one of these end-to-end encrypted Nostr key custodians. That way clients could offer a “login with Nostr” button and lower the barrier for new users even further. #### The race to zero take rate Nostr naturally combats monopolies (at least for clients at this point). The reason that platforms like Youtube and Twitch have a 20-60% take rate is because they’re monopolistic. They sit on their thrones because no one has yet solved the issue of audience aggregation and portability. Nostr breaks that model. Once creators use Nostr-based platforms, they can switch at nearly no cost. The content is theirs, and the followers are universal, so they can move to a different platform that has a lower take rate without risking their income. They don’t even have to switch platforms at all if their content is stored and unlocked via events on the Nostr Relays themselves, since those are universal across all Nostr clients. Ideally there would be third parties that host big files (PDFs, Videos, Audio, etc) which creators pay directly. Then these content clients are simply user interfaces for users to upload and consume content. Hell, even logging in is solved by the Nostr protocol itself, and maybe another third-party login provider). The scope of what these platforms need to build and maintain is small; running them will be pretty cheap compared to running Youtube or Patreon. At first there may be only a few Nostr-based apps because there will be some economies of scale, but over time competition will kick off a race to the bottom. Clients will eventually *only* be able to demand a take rate that covers operating their business (build the app, maybe offering the file hosting/streaming infrastructure, etc). #### What a future In this future, platforms have less ability to coerce creators and take their income. Platforms will have a hell of time censoring content creators. Users will get more choice on their experience and their algorithms when consuming content. And the adoption of Bitcoin as a medium of exchange would explode. It feels like we’re on the cusp of something incredible in the Nostr-verse. ## Until next time 🫡 If you want to see something highlighted, if we missed anything, or if you’re building something we didn’t post about, let us know. DMs welcome at nostr:npub19mduaf5569jx9xz555jcx3v06mvktvtpu0zgk47n4lcpjsz43zzqhj6vzk Stay Classy, Nostr.

@ be9bb3c6:8f7b599a

## Chef's notes Who doesn't love fried chicken? Use the best quality chickens, that are raised as close to your house that you can afford. ## Ingredients - 4L cold, filtered water - 1 cup plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt - 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons honey - 12 bay leaves - 1 head of garlic, smashed - 2 tablespoons black peppercorns - 3 large rosemary sprigs - 1 small bunch of thyme - 1 small bunch of parsley - Finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons - Two 3-pound chickens - 3 cups all-purpose flour - 2 tablespoons garlic powder - 2 tablespoons onion powder - 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper - 2 cups buttermilk - Vegetable oil, for frying ## Directions 1. In a very large pot, combine 1 quart of the water with 1 cup of the salt and the honey, bay leaves, garlic, peppercorns, rosemary, thyme and parsley. 2. Add the lemon zest and juice and the lemon halves and bring to a simmer over moderate heat, stirring until the salt is dissolved. Let cool completely, then stir in the remaining 3 quarts of cold water. 3. Add the chickens, being sure they're completely submerged, and refrigerate overnight. 4. Drain the chickens and pat dry. Scrape off any herbs or peppercorns stuck to the skin and cut each bird into 8 pieces, keeping the breast meat on the bone. 5. In a large bowl, combine the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne and the remaining 2 teaspoons of salt. Put the buttermilk in a large, shallow bowl. Working with a few pieces at a time, dip the chicken in the buttermilk, then dredge in the flour mixture, pressing so it adheres all over. Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet lined with wax paper. 6. In a very large, deep skillet, heat 1 inch of vegetable oil to 330°. Fry the chicken in 2 or 3 batches over moderate heat, turning once, until golden and crunchy and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of each piece registers 160°, about 20 minutes. 7. Transfer the chicken to paper towels to drain, and keep warm in a low oven while you fry the remaining chicken pieces. Transfer the fried chicken to a platter, garnish with the herb sprigs and serve hot or at room temperature.

@ 2edbcea6:40558884

Happy Sunday #Nostr ! Here’s your THE #NostrTechWeekly newsletter brought to you by nostr:npub19mduaf5569jx9xz555jcx3v06mvktvtpu0zgk47n4lcpjsz43zzqhj6vzk written by nostr:npub1r3fwhjpx2njy87f9qxmapjn9neutwh7aeww95e03drkfg45cey4qgl7ex2 The #NostrTechWeekly is a weekly newsletter focused on the more technical happenings in the nostr-verse. Let’s dive in! ## Recent Upgrades to Nostr (AKA [NIPs](https://nostr.com/the-protocol/nips)) #### 1) (Proposed) [NIP 41: Simple Key Migration](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/829/files?short_path=bd6ddfb#diff-bd6ddfbbafdf4ff75d3c28bbbb6206befb0d512f5e6c007da768a6c01743e736) One of the big worries of Nostr users is pasting that all-important secret key into a new client and wondering if they’re going to fuck you over down the line. If this happened you’d just create a new private key/public key pair and ask your followers to follow the new account. Now there’s a structured way to do this; plus some helpful features to prevent abuse. This NIP introduces two new kinds of events: An event where you authorize (with your current Nostr account’s keys) potential future Nostr accounts may migrate to in case of a compromise of your current account. (Kind 1776) An event to actually announce a migration to one of the pre-authorized accounts. (Kind 1777) Both must have OpenTimestamp attestations to prove the “created” timestamp on the events are accurate. This is important because after 60 days without a contested 1777 clients are expected to automatically update users’ follow list from the old pubkey to the new pubkey. In the case of a contested 1777 (the real owner and the hacker both publish a kind 1777) then it’ll be up to users to follow the pubkey of who they think is the real successor and not the hacker. This is less likely because a kind 1776 event has to be published authorizing a valid place to migrate to. Authors: nostr:npub1l2vyh47mk2p0qlsku7hg0vn29faehy9hy34ygaclpn66ukqp3afqutajft nostr:npub180cvv07tjdrrgpa0j7j7tmnyl2yr6yr7l8j4s3evf6u64th6gkwsyjh6w6 #### 2) (Proposed) [NIP 108: Lightning Gated Content](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/827/files?short_path=7469bd8#diff-7469bd826a6008586eabfc642f40a5f3f4566bff0385cf72abab4fbde0fc07b0) Substack has an advantage over a traditional blog because authors can enforce that they get paid before content is consumable. Zaps can only go so far for monetizing content in a structured way. This NIP introduces general purpose lightning gated content. The way it’s architected, a content creator would publish the paid-only content in an encrypted fashion and publish to relays. They’d essentially be selling the decryption key through this process. There would be a third party “gate server” which would accept requests for the decryption key, which would present the requestor with an invoice. Once paid the user can request the decryption key, if the invoice is paid the gate server will return the decryption key. The user who paid for the key can now take the publicly accessible (but encrypted) content and decrypt it for consumption. If this becomes common then Damus would finally, actually be in violation of Apple’s app developer guidelines around “content unlocked via payment” and giving Apple their 30%. 😅 Authors: [coachchuckff](https://github.com/Coachchuckff), [excalibur_guild](https://github.com/excalibur_guild) ## Notable Projects #### [Coracle web of trust](https://w3.do/xRN5Vst1) 🕸️ Knowing how many of the folks you follow also follow a specific account is a useful signal on how trusted that account is. This idea is core to the concept of “web of trust” where our followers are helping us build trust with their followers and vice versa (it’s a web-like pattern). Coracle implemented a way to refine your global feed to only content from folks that have a certain number of your followers following them. If you set this too high the feed won’t have much content, but if you set it to more than 0, then you’re less likely to get spammy content. Definitely improves finding people to follow. Author: nostr:npub1jlrs53pkdfjnts29kveljul2sm0actt6n8dxrrzqcersttvcuv3qdjynqn #### [Friendstr](https://w3.do/9HFd1DFg) 🫂 In the same vein as the web-of-trust feature from Coracle, Friendstr is a way to find people you should be friends with (or so the idea goes). This client analyzes your following list and shows how many folks that you follow in common; which is some indication of how similar your interests/social circles are. Very neat and could lead to more social connection. ♥️ Author: nostr:npub1cpstx8lzhwctunfe80rugz5qsj9ztw8surec9j6mf8phha68dj6qhm8j5e #### [njump](https://njump.me/) 🔗 Ever wanted to share Nostr content with someone without assuming the Nostr client they’re using? Usually you just send the note ID, or npub, or naddr. All of which aren’t recognized by most places where you do the sharing (Telegram, Discord, Twitter, iMessage, etc) Cue Njump: creating shareable links to Nostr content. The best part is that Njump gives great previews of the Nostr content so that places like Telegram, Twitter, etc can display a nice preview like every other kind of social link. Honestly the only reason we don’t use this in these articles is because the client we use to publish it (habla.news) recognizes Njump links as links to Nostr content and automatically embeds the Nostr event instead of just showing a link to the content 😬. Sometimes you just want a link, not an embed. Author: nostr:npub180cvv07tjdrrgpa0j7j7tmnyl2yr6yr7l8j4s3evf6u64th6gkwsyjh6w6 #### [Nostr Potatoes](https://w3.do/marGBfab) 🎥 Hooray for a decentralized version of Rotten Tomatoes! We can own our reviews and respect the reviews of our social circle instead of unnamed “critics” or the masses of people with heterogeneous tastes. Rejoice, for this is the freedom Nostr can bring. All levity aside, this is very creative, and a damned good use case for the decentralized and social nature of Nostr. Author: [jrc-dev](https://github.com/jrc-dev/) ## Latest conversations: Privacy and Security on Nostr ### What is (the) Nostr good for? Proving a piece of content was authorized by a specific pubkey Distributing that content widely in a way that is censorship resistant The first is the foundation of any social media, no matter the content type (text, images, video) or consumption interface (phone, tablet, laptop). Nostr is better at doing the second part than any other social media out there. ### What is Nostr NOT good at (for now)? Privacy and security. One of the fundamental tenets of cybersecurity is don’t leave your equipment nor data lying around where people can access it. Nostr stores our data on relays which gladly retrieve it for anyone that asks. Given enough time, encryption can be cracked. Given enough examples of encrypted data encrypted by the same key, the time to crack it rapidly decreases. You might ask, “then how is anything sent securely over the internet?” Data is stored securely, on private servers. It’s only in the sending that there’s risk, and the architecture of that sending is fundamentally different from how Nostr works and that architecture makes it much harder to attack. Data transferred via https is ephemeral, the sender encrypts the data before sending it off. The data is passed between many servers to get it to the receiver. The servers in the middle are meant to forget that data after the transfer is complete. (I’m aware of the NSA’s role in this, but I won’t get into it right now) Unless the data is intercepted the data isn’t stored, much less in a way that the public can query for. Nostr data on relays is intentionally not ephemeral, it’s one of the fundamental design decisions that makes Nostr good as a censorship resistant protocol. ### What do you want the scope of Nostr to be? Many debates around technical challenges on Nostr boil down to the question of “what do you want Nostr to be?” Nostr won me over because it was a way to publish content in a censorship resistant way. Activists, builders, political figures, journalists can all use Nostr to publish their work, even if it’s controversial enough that centralized platforms censor it. That is an incredible gift to humanity if we can spread it. Over time, my imagination has grown to see Nostr also as a way to decentralize digital identity. We are building a digital identity as we use Nostr (even if under a pseudonym). From a technical perspective there are some great applications outside of social media for Nostr users authorizing actions using their Nostr private key (signing a contract, “login with Nostr”, etc). I’m tempted (as I see many are) to pursue Nostr as the foundation of a more free internet. Rebuilding WhatsApp, Substack, Craigslist, Google Drive, Docusign, etc. would be awesome. The fundamental challenge is whether that will work, in a technical sense, on Nostr. People deserve security and privacy in their digital lives just as much as they deserve being uncensorable. Until there’s a technical solution that allows Nostr to handle data that we want to be private and secure (indefinitely) I’m not sure it’s wise. ### Secure and private comms on Nostr One way I’ve heard to solve the technical issues around privacy and security for communication via Nostr is making it more Peer to Peer. I haven’t seen a detailed technical architecture of the strictly P2P version, but my understanding is that data would be transferred via relays but it would be more ephemeral and [gift wrapped](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/716) so that the real metadata (from, to, created timestamp, etc) isn’t even known to the relay operators. This would make Nostr more like the open internet of decades past. Our relays would take the place of the DNS servers (how computers find each other), and clients would likely store the sensitive data on users’ end devices (their phone or computer) instead of storing that data on the relay or in the cloud. If the technical implementation works out, this would solve for secure and private communications, but wouldn’t help with other use cases (Substack, Google Drive, Docusign, etc). We may be yet to discover a way to solve every technical challenge and make Nostr secure, private, and censorship resistant for any app we can think of. What’s great about Nostr is that people keep building and trying things. And when they provide value, people adopt the product. Can’t wait to see 💪 ## Until next time 🫡 If you want to see something highlighted, if we missed anything, or if you’re building something we didn’t post about, let us know. DMs welcome at nostr:npub19mduaf5569jx9xz555jcx3v06mvktvtpu0zgk47n4lcpjsz43zzqhj6vzk Stay Classy, Nostr.

@ 3c827db6:66418fc3

*The spread of the Lightning Network may change the incentives behind human interactions, thus also affecting the world of jobs. In the first episode: the construction industry.* When talking about the social implications of Bitcoin, reference is often made to the potential effects of Bitcoin's spread that are not immediately evident: these are second, third, and fourth-degree effects that could change the way people behave in everyday life. Even if the thought might sound hyperbolic, the fact of the matter is that technology has already changed the features of our everyday life, more than once. Raise your hand if, in the 1980s, you would not have found crazy the idea that one-day people would choose which restaurant to go to based on star ratings and reviews on a digital screen. Who would have thought that one day it would no longer be necessary to pay attention to the route to take by car to reach one's destination and, possibly, learn it by heart, because software would calculate the best route for them based on traffic? How would you have reacted if, back in the 1970s, a friend had told you that in the future he might fall in love with a girl he had never seen who lived on the other side of the world, thanks to text messages processed by software that allows you to meet like-minded people? Innovation changes social interactions: it always has and will continue to do so, especially if technology is particularly disruptive. The effects of the large-scale diffusion of the Lightning Network - a technology that allows instant payments from one part of the world to another at almost non-existent costs - can be extremely profound, and can act to change entire sectors. In the first example, in this article, we will discuss how instant settlement could revolutionize the construction industry. The construction industry is a complex ecosystem involving a myriad of stakeholders, each with its own set of incentives. These often conflicting interests lead to inefficiencies, delays, and increased costs. The Lightning Network offers a solution to align these disparate interests. ## The problems ### Misaligned Incentives In the traditional construction setup, each stakeholder operates with a different set of incentives. More specifically: Buyers aim for high-quality construction within a stipulated time and budget. Planners, including architects, designers, and engineers, are primarily concerned with their designs and less about the actual construction. Construction companies are focused on maximizing profits, realizing the building as quickly as possible and with the lowest possible quality at the agreed price. Supervisors' incentives are tied to bonuses, which may or may not align with the project's overall goals. Construction workers are paid for their time, not the quality or efficiency of their work. Let's step outside the imagery of the construction site for a moment and think about football. Can you imagine if defenders had a bonus for putting the ball out of bounds? And midfielders had one for the most passes? And strikers for the most goals? Imagine the chaos on the pitch if the different skills of all the players were not employed for only two goals: to score goals and to avoid conceding them. Such a team would hardly be efficient or successful. The construction industry, with its varied incentives, faces a similar problem, leading to delays, increased costs, and compromised quality. #### The underlying issues Several other issues exacerbate the inefficiencies in the construction industry. Machinery and tools, often owned by the construction company, are not well-maintained by the workers. This leads to faster wear and tear, increasing costs for the company. Small changes in the project requested by the buyer are not usually compensated, adding to the company's costs. Planners are not held accountable for design flaws that manifest during construction, leading to additional costs and delays. ## The solution: instant task-based payments ### Construction workers In a hyperbitcoinized world, the Lightning Network's instant settlement feature can be a game-changer. Workers would be paid for tasks completed rather than time spent. For instance, upon successful construction of a wall or installation of windows, payments could be made instantly. This aligns the workers' incentives with quality and efficiency, as they would aim to complete as many tasks as possible to earn more. Because workers are paid per task there will be no need for a company to hire workers on a payroll. The company just needs to post the tasks, for example on its app, and anyone can apply for them, do their tasks, and get paid for each execution. The more tasks a worker does, the more bitcoin he earns, the better his skills become, the better his reputation will be in the app. Isn't that what already happens with Uber drivers - except for the Bitcoin part, for now? #### Supervisors This system would also eliminate the need for supervisors to focus on time management, allowing them to concentrate solely on quality assurance. If a task meets the quality standards, the worker gets paid instantly. This would eliminate the need for time-based bonuses or penalties. Supervisors would be incentivized to focus even more on quality alone by the split payments feature made possible by the Lightning Network. When a specific task is up for grabs, multiple workers can apply for it via a specialized app. The workers then negotiate among themselves to determine the division of payment - be it an even 50/50 split or a more nuanced arrangement like 60/40. This self-organization extends to scenarios involving more than two workers, where payment divisions could be negotiated as 33.3% for each in a three-way split, or perhaps a 40/40/20 arrangement. The self-organizing mechanism alleviates the supervisory burden. Instead of mediating disputes or assigning tasks, the supervisor's role becomes even more focused on quality control. Once a task is completed to satisfaction, the supervisor approves it in the app, triggering the release of funds. The app itself is programmed to automatically split the payments among the workers based on their pre-negotiated terms, streamlining the entire process and eliminating the need for manual intervention. #### Tools ownership Since workers are compensated for completed tasks rather than time spent, there's a heightened incentive to complete tasks as efficiently as possible. More tasks, more money. The quickest route to efficiency? Utilizing high-quality, well-maintained tools. When multiple workers vie for the same task, the one equipped with the best tools gains a distinct advantage, capable of completing the task more swiftly and effectively. This system has a ripple effect on tool ownership. Over time, workers might prefer using their own tools over company-provided ones, ensuring better maintenance and ultimately contributing to a more efficient and effective construction process. In short, the instant payment system would also encourage workers to invest in and maintain their own high-quality tools, further improving efficiency and competition in the construction workers market. This would also reduce the company's costs related to tool maintenance and replacement. #### Planners and buyers Planners would be more involved in the construction process, ensuring that their designs are being followed accurately. They would be paid partially upfront for their blueprints, with the rest being released upon successful completion of tasks. This system would make planners more accountable and invested in the successful execution of their plans. The task-based payment system also benefits the buyer and the construction company by reducing financial risks. Payments would be made for completed tasks, ensuring that neither party is financially exposed. This would also make the negotiation process smoother, as both parties would know exactly what is included in the price for each task. #### Construction companies While the Lightning Network's instant settlement feature promises to decentralize many aspects of the construction industry, the need for centralized oversight cannot be entirely eliminated. A single entity must be accountable for the holistic execution of the project, meticulously tracking resources required for each construction phase and ensuring the right personnel are deployed at the appropriate times. Technological advancements have made it possible for specialized apps to manage these complex tasks. Such apps could, in theory, allow the buyer of the finished building to oversee the entire project. However, this assumes that the buyer possesses the requisite expertise in construction management, which is often not the case. As a result, most buyers prefer to employ specialized companies to manage the project until its completion. This scenario closely mirrors the current state of Lightning Network nodes. While anyone can set up a node, doing so effectively requires a certain level of expertise. Some individuals may choose to manage their own nodes to earn revenue, but the majority are willing to pay fees for expert management, opting for non-custodial apps to simplify the process. Similarly, some buyers may use construction management apps to avoid paying a construction company, but they must then assume full responsibility for the project's outcome. ### Now go and build The next logical step is clear: it's time to build that pay-per-task app and usher in a new era of decentralized construction. By leveraging the capabilities of the Lightning Network and Bitcoin, we can shift the balance of power towards those who are at the heart of every construction project—the workers. These are the individuals who bring blueprints to life, who lay each brick and install each window. By empowering them with instant, task-based payments, we not only align incentives across the board but also elevate the entire industry to new heights of efficiency and quality.

@ 92294577:49af776d

Heading to Pacific Bitcoin by Swan? Make sure your first stop is the Blockstream booth so you can get your hands on the new Jade stock! Can't make it? Visit the Blockstream store to start your bitcoin self-custody journey the right way with the Blockstream Jade hardware wallet ⬇️ https://store.blockstream.com/product/preorder-blockstream-jade-hardware-wallet/ https://image.nostr.build/f0b4a8fce046733849eb70f2a5a80e4025e17cf6a6832ac34ace0f8348c1ae4f.jpg

@ 2edbcea6:40558884

Happy Sunday #Nostr ! Here’s your #NostrTechWeekly newsletter brought to you by nostr:npub19mduaf5569jx9xz555jcx3v06mvktvtpu0zgk47n4lcpjsz43zzqhj6vzk written by nostr:npub1r3fwhjpx2njy87f9qxmapjn9neutwh7aeww95e03drkfg45cey4qgl7ex2 #NostrTechWeekly is a weekly newsletter focused on the more technical happenings in the nostr-verse. Let’s dive in! ## Recent Upgrades to Nostr (AKA [NIPs](https://nostr.com/the-protocol/nips)) It’s been a while since a new NIP was merged but there's a lot of activity on some meaty proposed NIPs. Looking forward to the upgrades 💪 #### 1) (Proposed) [NIP 96: HTTP File Storage](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/547/files?short_path=b27fe23#diff-b27fe23ed5ff40d3f85bf18f65ecadaeaf905d363a6df3c20cb2dffd30f903d9) One of the challenges of Nostr is where to store files (images, videos, PDFs, etc). Storing them on relays could bloat relays and lead to more centralization. This NIP proposes a protocol to help third parties offer file hosting services to Nostr users. This NIP defines the necessary shape of the API of a third party offering file hosting services, so that these services can be easily used by Nostr clients to serve the content to users. The proposal also defines an optional way for users to specify which File Storage servers they’d like the client to upload content to. Author: [arthurfranca](https://github.com/arthurfranca), [Semisol](https://github.com/Semisol), [staab](https://github.com/staab), [v0l](https://github.com/v0l), [bndw](https://github.com/bndw), [michaelhall923](https://github.com/michaelhall923), [fishcakeday](https://github.com/fishcakeday), [quentintaranpino](https://github.com/quentintaranpino) #### 2) (Proposed) [Updates to NIP 72: Moderated Communities](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/753/files?short_path=02bdfed#diff-02bdfed052568bc5843aa40e29a9f24f5a8382d63fc6669d733a19fb952d00b9) (like Reddit) Currently NIP 72 specifies that posts to moderated communities are of kind 1 which is the default kind which is for tweet-like content. Therefore posts to moderated communities would show up in many clients without enough context. This proposal would update the default kind for moderated communities so that the content of moderated communities would not show up on the default feed for users. This paves the way for Reddit-like clients to provide an experience that’s focused on just posts to these communities. Author: [vivganes](https://github.com/vivganes) #### 3) (Proposed) [NIP 91: IoT Sensors and Intents](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/817/files?short_path=2bec931#diff-2bec931e0bf5feca5e621c6fcbe85d652f89d5e01b5e2ec170d4c369e0e768f9) Right now many “Internet of Things” devices require you to report that data from the IoT sensor to the device maker’s servers and write integrations with their ecosystem to take action based on that information. This NIP reserves a set of event kinds for IoT sensors reporting data (8000 - 8999). For example 8003 would be for thermometers to report temperature in celsius as a number, separate from 8005 which would allow reporting a location as an array of two numbers: longitude and latitude. This NIP would allow developers to offer IoT devices that report to Nostr relays which gives you more control over the data and the process of taking action based on that data. Author: nostr:npub180cvv07tjdrrgpa0j7j7tmnyl2yr6yr7l8j4s3evf6u64th6gkwsyjh6w6, [BlackCoffee](https://github.com/BlackCoffee), [arcbtc](https://github.com/arcbtc) #### 4) (Proposed) [NIP 107: Nostr Powered IoT](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/814/files?short_path=f4a8bec#diff-f4a8bec84d66c1c787865eb47e9f508cdbaa8b940b410f607ff624fb22b2cfc2) In conjunction with NIP 91, this NIP will enable a robust IoT ecosystem on Nostr. This NIP’s goal is to help facilitate the development of Nostr clients that are IoT controllers. That way a user and a device can essentially “DM” each other data and commands. For example a user could install an IoT device that’s a switch for a light. There would be a Nostr client where you can “register” the new device and authorize some list of Nostr users that can utilize the device Once registered any authorized device user would be able to toggle the light on and off from a Nostr client that supports IoT operations. This is entirely done via Nostr DMs, so you can do this from anywhere as long as you control the private key of a user that the device recognizes as a controller, and the data transferred and the commands are encrypted. Author: [arcbtc](https://github.com/arcbtc), [BlackCoffee](https://github.com/BlackCoffee) ## Notable Projects #### [Shopstr](https://w3.do/Z1U0WQuh) 🛒 Shopstr is a classifieds app similar to Craigslist, you can post items for sale and facilitate transactions via lightning payments or DMs. Still early but this will be a useful addition to the Nostr-verse and a circular Bitcoin economy. Author: nostr:npub16dhgpql60vmd4mnydjut87vla23a38j689jssaqlqqlzrtqtd0kqex0nkq #### [Shipyard](https://w3.do/JYEkAIUi) 🚢 https://shipyard.pub/ is a client for composing and scheduling Nostr content, it’s easy to use and pretty slick. Many big content creators rely on such tools for legacy social media (Twitter, Instagram, etc). This is a huge unlock for any big content creators that want to make the transition to Nostr but still preserve their ability to push content on a regular basis and monetize it. Author: nostr:npub1l2vyh47mk2p0qlsku7hg0vn29faehy9hy34ygaclpn66ukqp3afqutajft #### [Nostr Design](https://nostrdesign.org) 🎨 nostr:npub1r0rs5q2gk0e3dk3nlc7gnu378ec6cnlenqp8a3cjhyzu6f8k5sgs4sq9ac has been offering resources and design help to Nostr devs for some time now via [nostrdesign.org](https://nostrdesign.org). NostrDesign.org has set out to start conversations around the unique communication challenges of Nostr (keypairs, relays, signing extensions, etc) so that we can build some common patterns to help normies get started with Nostr without too much confusion or tutorial overhead. This will become more necessary as time and adoption goes on. Good design can also make a huge difference in the success of a new product, especially if there aren’t exact analogs to draw from when building a Nostr app (like when you’re cloning an existing product). I for one am a dev that SUCKS at UX and could use some advice from a thoughtful partner that wants Nostr’s success just as much as I do. ## Latest conversations: Design and Nostr adoption There’s been some discussion lately about how necessary design is to the Nostr ecosystem, and I’ll posit that it depends on your desires for Nostr. #### Why design matters Great design does not necessitate that something be beautiful. Great design is about usability. Great design strips away unnecessary functionality and information so that only what matters remains. Great design understands the user’s desires and intent and empowers them to achieve their goals. Great design communicates how something ought to work with minimal explanation. Great design empowers the user to try something unfamiliar. Craigslist is well designed in this sense, so is HackerNews, and the Reddit of a few years ago. They aren’t beautiful but they provide immense value in a simple and intuitive way. Developers aren’t always the best at designing experiences that solve for usability and good communication to the user. The help of a good designer can be a huge help; making an app usable by a broader audience. #### Accessibility and adoption Adoption, in a very rough sense, can be thought of as a function of both how useful something is and how accessible it is. Think of accessibility as both how easy it is to use, as well as how easy it is to access (from my device, in my legal jurisdiction, for a low enough price). If something is incredibly useful but not very accessible, only some people will use it (IRC). If something is very accessible but not very useful, no one will use it (case in point: it’s hard to name any 😂). If something is very useful and very accessible, then it will get widely adopted (ChatGPT). If we want Nostr to remain a niche community (with limited impact on the world) then we can ignore how easy our ecosystem is to use. I don’t think that’s anyone’s goal. #### The 10X better app on Nostr When trying to get adoption for a new product the rule of thumb is that it needs to be 10X better than alternatives for folks to start adopting it and leave a competitor. Nostr is 10X better for folks that care about freedom tech, which is why most of us are already here. We’ve built Nostr-based clones of many of the most prominent internet offerings (Twitter, Reddit, Imgur, Bitly, Instagram, Medium, WhatsApp, Craiglist, etc) the list goes on and on but that’s not driving adoption. That’s probably because the nostr-versions are, at-best, as good in functionality but they’re only better than the original in that they’re on Nostr (and therefore freedom tech). Much to our consternation most people don’t seem to care about freedom tech as much as they should. If we’re to drive mass adoption we also have to discover applications that are uniquely possible on Nostr that are new and valuable enough to attract folks to try Nostr to try that app. At that moment we’ll also need the basics of Nostr to be accessible enough that people aren’t scared off by the new patterns (keypairs, no usernames, no email alerts, no reset-password flow, which relays do I join?, etc). If we don’t care about solving both problems we are giving a middle finger to a majority of the population of Earth. #### What era of Nostr are we in? From what I’m seeing Nostr is still in the era of experimentation and foundation building. If our goal is a freedom-oriented ecosystem of micro-apps to compete with Big Tech then we’re doing all the right work. We definitely need to provide all the same functionality folks are used to (micro blogging, blogging, group chat, moderated communities, meme sharing, monetizing content, etc). Building Nostr-based clones is helping with that. We are working on tools to help developers build on Nostr (NDK, NAK, nostr-tools, etc). We’re building general purpose browsers (Spring) to explore all corners of Nostr (current and future) We’re experimenting with offerings unique to Nostr to see what killer app drives people to try Nostr en masse (Data Vending Machines, self-sovereign Internet of Things, uncensorable private and secure group chat, etc). Good design doesn’t seem to be THE reason that adoption of Nostr isn’t exponential, but at some point it will become the bottleneck to adoption and it’s good to think ahead. The best time to plant a tree is ten years ago and all that. ## Until next time 🫡 If you want to see something highlighted, if we missed anything, or if you’re building something we didn’t post about, let us know. DMs welcome at nostr:npub19mduaf5569jx9xz555jcx3v06mvktvtpu0zgk47n4lcpjsz43zzqhj6vzk Stay Classy, Nostr.

@ 2edbcea6:40558884

Happy Sunday #Nostr ! Here’s your #NostrTechWeekly newsletter brought to you by nostr:npub19mduaf5569jx9xz555jcx3v06mvktvtpu0zgk47n4lcpjsz43zzqhj6vzk written by nostr:npub1r3fwhjpx2njy87f9qxmapjn9neutwh7aeww95e03drkfg45cey4qgl7ex2 #NostrTechWeekly is a weekly newsletter focused on the more technical happenings in the nostr-verse. Let’s dive in! ## Recent Upgrades to Nostr (AKA [NIPs](https://nostr.com/the-protocol/nips)) #### 1) (Proposed) [NIP 43: Fast Auth between clients and relays](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/571/files?short_path=58e2c23#diff-58e2c23e46271957d48ea789043bb41d6c096df68176c1e46573bb5711498d7d) Some relays are member-only. There has to be some way for relays to verify the content being sent/requested is from an authorized user (one of the members). Most methods for this are clunky and slow. This NIP proposes a faster method for auth between clients and relays. From what I can tell when clients open a connection to a relay they’ll open it with an “authorization” query parameter on the end of the relay url. That query param will actually be an encoded Nostr event whose payload has the necessary info for the relay to authenticate the user opening the connection. Kinda looks like an auth header like you’d see in an http request but shoehorned into a query parameter since websockets (which are used for connections to relays) don’t traditionally support headers. Author: [aruthurfranca](https://github.com/arthurfranca) #### 2) (Proposed) [Updates to NIP 03: Timestamps you can rely on](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/804/files?short_path=14f935e#diff-14f935e0abaf9cc3df1c7ec83b6d6bdf447b3ea585d7958f7c78caa6980cc86b) Sometimes you want to make sure that a piece of Nostr content was actually created/pushed to a relay at a specific time. The example from last week was in the case of a future betting system built on Nostr, you really don’t want people to be able to publish that they made a bet 2 weeks ago for something whose outcome was determined twenty minutes ago. NIP-3 already outlines a way to add OpenTimestamp attestations to Nostr events essentially allowing Nostr clients to outsource trust to a third party on whether a piece of content was created when it claims to be created. As is, NIP 3 is a little hard to use. This update would make it far simpler. In the new methodology, you’d publish a Nostr event of kind 1040 with the proof of timestamp and point to the event that you’re trying to prove the timestamp for. Author: nostr:npub180cvv07tjdrrgpa0j7j7tmnyl2yr6yr7l8j4s3evf6u64th6gkwsyjh6w6 ## Notable Projects #### [Cellar Relay](https://w3.do/iIZRWVyP) If you haven’t been graced by the nostr.wine community they are a group of fine folks that host wine-themed relays. They’re some of the most reliable and widely used public and paid relays around. nostr:npub18kzz4lkdtc5n729kvfunxuz287uvu9f64ywhjz43ra482t2y5sks0mx5sz recently announced the “Cellar” Relay that will store notes long term for paid users. Like we talked about in last week’s #NostrTechWeekly long-term note storage is a challenge for relay hosts (especially for relays that are free to users). But solving long term storage will help folks on Nostr feel like they’re building a persistent social experience instead of building an ephemeral feed. Nice work! Glad to see the trend continuing for long-term note storage. 💪 #### [Memestr.app](https://w3.do/FSeuvRJR) I can’t tell you how many times folks I talk to have said there should be a meme-focused client on Nostr. nostr:npub1zumzudhtu2558fgvycnjlc7pq9l4m338vghgcfzafftz9qg45ruslzpl4x delivers with https://memestr.app I definitely had some giggles when I logged on. This could quickly evolve into a nostr-based Imgur and be far better for being nostr-based. But one thing I think is missing from the internet (not just Nostr) is a way to iterate on memes easily in the same place where you can share them. In combination with prisms/boosts this could be an interesting way for people to make money for their content and earn from what is built on top of their content. #### [Zap threads](https://github.com/fr4nzap/zapthreads) Threaded conversations are an important component to social experiences on the internet. Reddit and Hackernews have really shown its power, we’ve seen [StackerNews](stacker.news/) also leverage this format as well. nostr:npub1wf4pufsucer5va8g9p0rj5dnhvfeh6d8w0g6eayaep5dhps6rsgs43dgh9 has created a nostr-based component for supporting the threaded comments, and it looks like it could be used in any web-application that needs commenting, spreading Nostr to every corner of the internet. It’s already powering the commenting on [Habla.News](https://habla.news) nostr:npub1wf4pufsucer5va8g9p0rj5dnhvfeh6d8w0g6eayaep5dhps6rsgs43dgh9 also did a great writeup on the reasoning for this project and where it’s going: [https://habla.news/franzap/threading-the-web-with-nostr](https://habla.news/franzap/threading-the-web-with-nostr) If you need comments on your project, take a look! ## Latest conversations: How decentralized is decentralized enough? #### Distributed vs Decentralized These two concepts are often used interchangeably, and it’s worth highlighting their distinction, especially in the context of Nostr. This is a good visualization to illustrate the difference.  #### Distributed: the P2P model Robust, distributed systems are extremely censorship resistant, and include a lot of redundancy. Distributed systems distribute power widely, everyone is a peer. Biological systems (cells, ecosystems, etc) are like this, cells are all peers and replaceable. Napster was distributed, everyone in the Napster ecosystem stored and shared some of the songs. IP (the “internet protocol”), which is how computers find each other on the internet, is a peer to peer technology where every node gossips about where to find other nodes. Ideally all systems would be built this way, but in practice distributed / P2P systems are generally used when there’s a high chance of node failure (the death of individual cells) or attack (government takedowns). The challenge is that they’re expensive to run. This might be confusing because Napster was “free” right? Most P2P software feels free-ish because many are donating some of their existing hardware/bandwidth/etc. But if you take the aggregate resources to run Napster versus just the parts of Spotify that help users to upload and download music, Spotify for sure uses fewer resources. Distributed systems by their very nature have to assume that most peers in the network may fail. In order to maintain uptime, that results in P2P systems having many copies of what’s being shared and/or sending data many times to ensure it arrives. I think most people would say they’d prefer everything to be P2P but it’s difficult to maintain a good experience in a P2P system and so it’s often only used in cases where it’s absolutely necessary. #### Where does decentralization work better? [I wrote up a whole thing about decentralization a while back](https://gregwhite.blog/decentralization/) but the TL;DR is decentralized systems are better than centralized systems at distributing power widely, but they are generally still more performant than peer to peer systems. Sometimes you need a mix of preventing abuses of power but still maintain a good experience for users. Freedom minded folks usually end up supporting decentralized solutions because they’re viable in the market and still take power away from centralized players. #### Is Bitcoin decentralized or distributed? The Bitcoin blockchain is a distributed system. Every Bitcoin full-node is an equal participant in storing, updating, and validating the blockchain. Bitcoin as a monetary system, on the other hand, is decentralized: there are many more Bitcoin users than Bitcoin full-nodes. The nodes are the hubs and the users are the spokes. There’s a reason for this architecture. Bitcoin nodes are ultimately in control of Bitcoin, it must be the least corruptible, most censorship resistant architecture possible. On the other hand a decentralized system has efficiency gains that make Bitcoin more competitive in comparison to existing financial systems. By having hubs (full-nodes, Bitcoin banks, wallet providers, exchanges, etc), the system is more efficient (and therefore cheaper). But by having many hubs, power is still spread widely. #### Nostr: Decentralized or Distributed?  Nostr, as introduced by FiatJaf, seems like it was intended to be decentralized. Relays are the hubs and users are the spokes. Clients help connect users to relays (and therefore each other). There is wisdom to this architecture, because it will scale better than a P2P system. Think of it this way, there are on the order of hundreds of millions of songs available for human consumption. With 10 million users storing a few hundred songs, there would be plenty of redundancy to allow Napster to distribute every song in a P2P manner. There are on the order of trillions of social media posts, if you include follows, reactions, DMs, etc, it’s likely in the quadrillions. With current technology a P2P system would never be able to provide coverage of every post and make it available in a reasonable time. That said, there are some elements of Nostr that could benefit from being more P2P. Especially operations that would benefit from greater privacy (DMs, zaps, and reactions). Right now privacy around these actions is not well supported via Nostr. [Dev work has started on some P2P Nostr functionality](https://w3.do/1OOZRxhr) announced by nostr:npub1gcxzte5zlkncx26j68ez60fzkvtkm9e0vrwdcvsjakxf9mu9qewqlfnj5z and it’s right along those lines: maximizing privacy and security for nostr-based comms. It will have all the great things and all the difficulties of any P2P system, but it may be necessary to improve privacy on Nostr. One thing that is great about Nostr is everyone can try things out and see if they work and if people want them. I see a lot of demand for privacy for certain Nostr operations, and if a P2P model would help, it needs to be tried. We’ll see whether the trade offs of P2P make Nostr better or if they make it less likely to succeed. We’ll see as development continues! ## Until next time 🫡 If you want to see something highlighted, if we missed anything, or if you’re building something we didn’t post about, let us know. DMs welcome at nostr:npub19mduaf5569jx9xz555jcx3v06mvktvtpu0zgk47n4lcpjsz43zzqhj6vzk Stay Classy, Nostr.

@ ee6ea13a:959b6e74

I'm not sure why I didn't take to stacker.news sooner. It's been on my radar for a while, but I've been inundated with other inputs, priorities, etc., and I’ve spent most of the past year going down the nostr rabbit hole, but here I am giving it another go. So a couple of weeks ago, I was laid off from yet another fiat job. My third one in three years, in fact! An old friend, in fact the guy who offered me my first real job, reached out to me on LinkedIn to ask me what happened, and what my “ideal scenario” would be. I replied with one word: Bitcoin.

 His response: Yeah right.
 I wrote back: A little disappointed in your lack of confidence. 😅 His answer, unsurprisingly: Not in you but in Bitcoin.
 Of course, I’m sure he thought I was going to become a trader or something, because when most people hear the word bitcoin, they only think about the price. They have no idea what’s being built right now. I told him my ideal scenario would be to work in the industry. I’ve been thinking about this for a while. I spend most of my time online immersed in a world of new possibilities, ways to connect, share value for value, and build stronger community bonds. This is where I want to take my career next, and to finally make a break from a world of “serious professionals” who think bitcoin is a joke. He never replied, of course. Let them laugh.

@ 2edbcea6:40558884

Happy Sunday #Nostr ! Here’s your #NostrTechWeekly newsletter brought to you by nostr:npub19mduaf5569jx9xz555jcx3v06mvktvtpu0zgk47n4lcpjsz43zzqhj6vzk written by nostr:npub1r3fwhjpx2njy87f9qxmapjn9neutwh7aeww95e03drkfg45cey4qgl7ex2 #NostrTechWeekly is a weekly newsletter focused on the more technical happenings in the nostr-verse. Many great discussions this week. Let’s dive in! ## Recent Upgrades to Nostr (AKA [NIPs](https://nostr.com/the-protocol/nips)) #### 1) (Proposed) [NIP 34: Wiki](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/787) 📜 Wikipedia is flawed because there’s only one article per topic which forces everyone that works on Wikipedia to fight out what is “true.” This will always lead to people claiming whatever is on Wikipedia is “the truth” because there’s only one article per topic. Google experimented with a Wikipedia alternative called [Knol](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knol) which was similar, but anyone could submit an article on a topic and then it was by the voting of users that determined the top articles for that topic. The theory being that readers could go through multiple articles on the topic from different perspectives and determine the truth for themselves. What fiatjaf is proposing in this NIP is very similar to Knol, but published via Nostr to give it more censorship resistance than Knol. With reactions and bridges to other knowledge bases, we could quickly bootstrap a nostr-based rival to Wikipedia with more nuance and debate baked in. Author: nostr:npub180cvv07tjdrrgpa0j7j7tmnyl2yr6yr7l8j4s3evf6u64th6gkwsyjh6w6 #### 2) (Proposed) [NIP 17: Event Metadata](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/605/files?short_path=6077719#diff-6077719b284438886b7d78c839a31de98ae346d24edffafb6a6f2a567eaee2f2) ℹ️ When clients are displaying a note published by a user, there are often things about that note which would be useful to display to users reading that note. E.g. how many comments, reposts, and reactions there are. These are often computationally and time intensive operations for a client since they’ll need to query many relays to get a reasonably accurate count. This NIP proposes that relays could optionally add such information as metadata on each note as it is returned to clients so they do less work to get that information. Both clients and relays would benefit from needing to do less work to give users the same, good experience. Author: [arthurfranca](https://github.com/arthurfranca) #### 3) (Proposed) [NIP 34: Algorithmic Filter](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/579/files?short_path=2bf5262#diff-2bf5262cd62bad7dfe81421a12126e446d91dac9c77ce39bffebef5689395d88) 🔍 One of the possibilities that makes Nostr great is the chance at algorithmic choice. People may want no algorithm, or a light algorithm to dedupe their feed of the same note being reposted by a dozen people, or a heavier algorithm to curate their feed and help them discover new content. This NIP proposes a way for relays to support generic algorithms for ordering notes so that clients can query for notes from relays in a way specified by the indicated algorithm. There is also a concept of “seen at” which will allow users to tell relays they’ve seen a note so that it won’t show up in future algorithmic queries for notes. This is still under development and refinement, but looks very promising. PS - Yes this is also NIP 34, so whichever gets merged first gets the number I guess? Author: [arthurfranca](https://github.com/arthurfranca) ## Notable Projects #### [relay.tools](https://w3.do/IWez33Hp) Relay.tools is a tool for quickly spinning up relays. You can specify a subdomain of nostr1.com and pay a lightning invoice, and they’ll spin up a relay at that address for use by the nostr-verse. Looks like this is under continued development, and could become a useful tool for creating, discovering, and educating folks about relays. Author: nostr: nostr:npub10npj3gydmv40m70ehemmal6vsdyfl7tewgvz043g54p0x23y0s8qzztl5h #### [Email style subscriptions](https://w3.do/qeMObqkm) Getting notified about certain posts is difficult on Nostr. If you want to subscribe to this publication, for example, you have to follow us and look for when it’s published every week 😅. Wouldn’t it be great if you could subscribe to a publication and a link would be DM’d to you when it was published? It’s not a new concept, newsletters have worked like this for decades, but we don’t have an email-like system on Nostr. nostr:npub1wf4pufsucer5va8g9p0rj5dnhvfeh6d8w0g6eayaep5dhps6rsgs43dgh9 took a stab at creating a way to “subscribe” to something and then it’ll be NIP-04 DM’d to you when that account publishes in the future. It’s currently a proof of concept, but there’s likely something there to help folks who don’t want to have to use a different client just to see their subscriptions, or scroll endlessly to make sure they didn’t miss anything. #### [Better Backups](https://w3.do/_Nu3CqPT) In case you’re unaware, many relays will erase notes published to them after they reach a certain age. This is done primarily to save on hosting costs, especially for free relays. This makes sense, but it presents a problem around data retention for Nostr users. Even paid relays may go out of business, and then your data is lost forever (unless it’s on other relays). It’s been a common ask that there was some way to backup our data quickly and easily. Either to a private relay or to spread the data to more active relays so that there’s less chance of data loss. nostr:npub1cmmswlckn82se7f2jeftl6ll4szlc6zzh8hrjyyfm9vm3t2afr7svqlr6f and nostr:npub12262qa4uhw7u8gdwlgmntqtv7aye8vdcmvszkqwgs0zchel6mz7s6cgrkj have done a great job creating a backup service that now takes seconds instead of minutes. And it looks like nostr:npub1cmmswlckn82se7f2jeftl6ll4szlc6zzh8hrjyyfm9vm3t2afr7svqlr6f will be adding features to make it easier to port that backed up information around (as a file, to other relays, etc). Huge load off my mind having a backup of my account (even all the reactions and comments on my notes) in case there’s loss somewhere else in the nostr-verse. ## Latest conversations: Custody of Private Keys #### The state of private keys If you have the private key for a Nostr account, then you own that Nostr account. You can publish notes as that account, you can change the profile info, you can ask relays to delete notes for that account. It’s total access. Even still, many clients require that you paste your private key into a text box and allow the client to use the key to publish events as you. The best clients store the key only locally on your device so the client’s developers never have access to your private key. It’s becoming clear that some clients are storing private keys off-device and that comes with trade offs. #### ZBD controversy [A discussion was started](https://w3.do/2i-ouNEw) about how ZBD seems to store private keys for Nostr accounts on their servers. If ZBD is able to use those private keys to help users publish events, then ZBD could theoretically hand those private keys over to third parties (three letter government agencies, advertisers, etc). There’s a tremendous amount of trust users should have in ZBD when giving ZBD that power. #### The spectrum of self-custody On one extreme, users totally give up control: many folks don’t understand private key/public keypairs and so want to offload the cognitive load to a trusted third party. They’re willing to give their keys to a third party and have that third party do all the signing and publishing of Nostr events on their behalf. On the other extreme is using a NIP-07 browser extension. This means that a Nostr client has to ask for your permission whenever it takes an action that requires your public or private key. That way the client never touches the private key, it just asks the extension to sign events before publishing them to the users’ relays. If you’ve ever used it, the popups are incredibly annoying after a while. #### Is there a better way? Is there a middle ground where users don’t have to manage annoying popups, but can be in complete control of their keys? Theoretically you could have a third party service that: Stored public and private keys for a user in an end-to-end encrypted way, so that they can’t give anyone access to your keys even if they’re hacked. Allowed users to have a username/password/2FA interface for logging into the service and retrieving their keys (maybe the password is the encryption key). This would allow folks that don’t understand private/public key pairs to have a familiar experience without compromising their security. It may even be possible to extend the capabilities to make it truly an all-in-one solution for Nostr account management. Give users an OAuth experience for logging into clients (Login with WhateverYouCallIt button instead of pasting in a key) Allow users to direct requests for access to private/public keys from Nostr clients to this third party to be authorized by the user (like NIP-07) Allow users to store and update preferences of how much you access each client should have. Avoiding constant popups whenever a user is using a client they already trust. In order to attract normal, everyday internet users we’ll need to give them an experience they expect and understand. And I think we can do that without compromising security like we’re seeing with clients that store a user’s keys on their servers. ## Next week: Privacy on Nostr [A discussion was started](https://w3.do/1OOZRxhr) around an architecture to allow private nostr interactions via P2P interactions between users and clients (bypassing relays). There’s not a ton of detail yet, but it’s a hot topic and next week we’ll dive in more. ## Events Here are some upcoming events that we are looking forward to! We keep a comprehensive list and details of Nostr-related events that we hear about (in person or virtual) that you can bookmark here [NostrConf Report](https://habla.news/nostreport/nosconf) 1. [Nostrasia](https://nostr.world/) Nov 1-3 in Tokyo & Hong Kong 2. [Nostrville](https://www.meetup.com/bitcoinpark/events/292518506/) Nov 9-10 in Nashville, TN, USA 3. [NostrCon](nostr:note1ah9vkqn395rqqqnqpkhzrd2yh9074vhl6gzl2h4rjn2tkdunhksq3ujl3f) Jan 12, 2024 (online only) ## Until next time 🫡 If you want to see something highlighted, if we missed anything, or if you’re building something we didn’t post about, let us know. DMs welcome. nostr:npub19mduaf5569jx9xz555jcx3v06mvktvtpu0zgk47n4lcpjsz43zzqhj6vzk Stay Classy, Nostr.

@ 11d0b667:53e00ef7

"The Austin Police Department (APD) is the principal law enforcement agency serving the city of Austin, Texas with an annual budget of $443.1 million and employed around 2,484 personnel including approximately 1,809 officers and 24 K-9 police dogs and 16 horses. Chief Chacon has served as a police officer for 31 years and has a wide breadth of experience in almost all areas of police work." (wiki) The post below was taken from the Austin Police Association Twitter feed, where they were responding to the Austin City *"The Austin Police Association is aware of the election results and is taking immediate action to determine the city's intentions regarding the implementation and enforcement of the illegal provisions contained in Prop A. The APA simply will not stand by while this city and anti-police activists operate with blatant disregard for state law and the rights and protections afforded to our hardworking men and women. The APA continues to prioritize negotiating a long-term contract; however, we will not be forced back to the table under a structure in which a new city ordinance attempts to unlawfully interfere with the statutory rights associated with the meet and confer process. We look forward to finding these answers so that we can get back under a long-term contract that allows for our police department to recruit, hire and retain the best and brightest people who wish to serve this community in a law enforcement capacity."* Here are some of the replies they received on their Twitter post:     **If you have any questions or need assistance with recruitment for APD personnel you can reach them Monday through Friday 8:00 A.M to 3:00 P.M by Phone (512) 974-4211 - Office (800) 832-5264 - Toll Free* (give them a call, I'm sure they'd love to hear from you)

@ 11d0b667:53e00ef7

Venturing out to a smaller town today. Decent weather.   Useless fiat all over the ceiling, some dating back to the early 1900's, apparently.  This place is a bit off the beaten path, but a worthwhile visit. Been in business since 1879. Pictured below is an abandoned home, obviously someone's dream at one point, now crumbling.  A cool place to have a quick walk around. 

@ 11d0b667:53e00ef7

Yesterday morning I had to get up early and take a vehicle to the mechanic in the city. They opened at 7:30, and at 7:35 when i walked in the door, there were already 4-5 customers. Plenty of counter help was available and was greeted kindly, gave some information and was on my way again. Rather than sitting in the waiting room, watching the news programs and morning shows with other patrons, I stepped outside into the chilly morning. It's the end of May, there's still snow on the ground and my home, so being in the city where the grass is green and flowers are in bloom is a site for sore eyes. I'm in what would be considered an "older" part of town and has history from about 100 years ago. There's a pretty large graveyard a block or two away. It's been sunny, but a portion of the sky is covered by a cloud and it's starting to rain. There's just something about walking thru a graveyard in the rain that adds another element.  The funeral business is booming. Boxed up bodies, laying in rows, 4 or 5 words in summary, reserve your space today... I keep walking. The rain subsides. The sun almost blinding, which helps decide the direction I wander. Cross a busy 8 lane road. People in boxes, listening to news, applying make-up, reading a book.  Once across the large road, I take the canal trail that borders a park. It's quiet. No children, no mom's.... But there is the homeless, which seems to have tripled, or more, over the last few years.  The park borders the city public train line, it's a bit surprising it isn't loaded with tents. This single tent almost seems perfect at this time of the morning, but by noon will most likely have the police here.  Another block and I'm in "Historic Sandy". What was once a bustling city hub, is now a quiet street with 3 barber shops, a museum, a quilt shop and an art space. There used to be a mercantile, a police station, a brewery, which had to cease due to prohibition. Hans Bjork and Ole Nelson ran "Swede's Saloon" and billiards parlor from the 1880's, until 1917, when it was shut down by the prohibition of alcohol. In 1930, it was taken over by a Norwegian meat cutter and remained a grocery store until the late 1950's.  Someone laid this sidewalk, with pride, in the name of progress. Once loved, cutting edge, businesses now with shuttered doors. Before the police were carved into a militia, US towns had these police stations, not precincts...  Once-loved homes now look like the cover of a horror novel...  Thoughtfully, and built with a purpose, irrigation that used to feed gardens, flows abundantly. Proof of work from a forgotten time, not long ago. This is ancient Rome.  The museum, filled with relics.  Even the classic motorcycle shop from the 1970's is starting to suffer the effects of time, as the trees and bushes close in.  It won't be long, now...  Another block away and you can feel the vibes of a not-so-distant future, where times change, once again. I certainly feels like we are approaching another shift, locally and globally.  "The root problem with conventional currency is all the trust that’s required to make it work. The central bank must be trusted not to debase the currency, but the history of fiat currencies is full of breaches of that trust." --Satoshi Nakamoto What should have been a boring morning at the mechanic, turned into a wonderful walk, filled with thought and reflection.  “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” ― Ferris Bueller

@ 11d0b667:53e00ef7

If you have ever been out in Park City, UT at 10pm, you've probably heard the Fire Bell aka The 10 o'clock whistle. Heard throughout town at 10pm every night, without fail, can surprise even locals who can be caught off-guard, by the sound. Early in the morning on June 19, 1898 a fire began in the kitchen of the American Hotel and ripped down Main Street, through the Park City commercial district, fanned by winds sweeping down the canyon. It did not stop until it ran out of fuel, destroying some 200 business and homes. Losses were estimated at over $1,000,000 (approximately $37,000,000 in 2023). The fire destroyed Main Street, Swede Alley and Park Avenue.  The blaze was the greatest in Utah history. There were no deaths, but 500 people were left homeless, the new city hall and opera house were destroyed. The Salt Lake Herald, suggested, without much evidence, that the fire had been started by someone using coal oil to light the kitchen stove. The hotel owner, however, said it was possible a drunken hotel guest had kicked over an oil lamp. The fire swept down the street, consuming building after building. It gutted the Grand Opera House, an elegant three-story brick building designed by Salt Lake City architect J.A Headlund that had been open only about a year. It took out John Funk's barber shop, the Bates & Kimball Drugstore, and the Judge, Ivers and Keith stables, which housed over 100 horses. "Horses were whinnying, men shouting, whistles screeching," the Salt Lake Tribune reported. "The spectacle as the first shafts of approaching day shot athwart the eastern hills was appalling." The stable lost all its harnesses and ore wagons, along with forty tons of oats and eight tons of hay." "Hundreds of men and women, worked with desperation to save their belongings," the Park Record reported, "but nearly everything that was taken into the street was quickly consumed in the fierce heat and blaze, that was driven through town with an intensity that resembled the flame from the end of a blowpipe." George Hall, proprietor of the Park City Hotel on the west side of Main Street, also scrambled to salvage some of his family's possessions, along with furniture and bedding from the hotel, and move them to the Kimball house, a large two-story structure on lower Park Avenue. By 5 A.M. the flames had burned through the block on the west side of Main Street, reaching Park Avenue, which was home to the city's churches and "the aristocratic portion" of Park City's population. Residents struggled to contain the fire, using giant blasting powder, they tried to decimate buildings to prevent the spread of the fire, but the flames always jumped the gap to the next structure. It was chaos, buildings burning, buildings being exploded, fires raging. "Again and again the buildings were blown up by giant powder to create a gap over which the fire would not leap," the Salt Lake Herald reported, "but the demon only laughed at the puny effort and reached out its reddened tongue further to destroy." Near the bottom of Park Avenue, one local resident took a stand, the town doctor, E.R. LeCompte. With a lawn hose, he defended his dwelling, while a neighbor would occasionally douse him with buckets of water. "Now and then a flame reached him, but not until he began to remove his clothes and search for a fresh suit did he learn that in the fight with the flames the tails of his coat had been burned to a crisp, that his shoulder blades were exposed and that a pair of new trousers were necessary to prevent an arrest for undue exposure."  All of Park City's phone lines were ruined once the fire destroyed the First National Bank Building. The Telegraph link at the bottom of Main Street, located in the Union Pacific Depot, remained intact. 3 hours after the fire started, the Park City Fire Chief, James Berry, used the telegraph to contact fire officials in Salt Lake City and Ogden. "Send us some help to put out fire here. The city is burning," said a dispatch that arrived at the Ogden fire station shortly after 7 A.M. About an hour later, special trains left Salt Lake City and Ogden, carrying men and equipment to fight the fire. Unfortunately, by the time they arrived, there was little to do except soak down the smoldering ashes.  Main Street lay in ruins, with only a few gaunt walls remaining. Among the casualties were five churches, two opera houses, two bank buildings, the city hall, and numerous retail shops and saloons. One church—St. Mary's of the Assumption Catholic church—survived, thanks to its location beyond the southern perimeter of the fire. Miraculously, no one died in the blaze. However, the flames claimed several family pets, including "Duke," a St. Bernard, that had been locked in the Bates & Kimball drugstore. The Mayor, J.H. Deming, was called for by horseback, in the Strawberry Valley, fishing. He came as soon as he was notified, and arrived at 3am the next morning. "The toughest job Marshal Hyde had after the fire was to shoot down [with explosives] the towering remnants of the Grand Opera House walls," the Park Record reported. 2 short days after the fire, alarm bells sounded again. The Kimball house on lower Park Avenue, where George Hall had moved everything after the destruction of the Park City Hotel, was on fire. In spite of the best efforts of firefighters, the building was destroyed. "Everything which George saved from the burning hotel on Sunday morning was placed [in the Kimball house], and included bedding, furniture and personal effects," the Salt Lake Tribune reported on June 22. "All succumbed to flames yesterday, even to the jewelry and money which Mrs. Hall had placed in her purse for safe keeping, and the saving and work of the proprietor on Sunday last counted for naught." With community support, however, the town rebuilt, replacing stone and brick structures with wood buildings, which were later improved again to brick and stone. The town recovered in just 18 months. By July 2, according to the Park Record, 35 new buildings were under construction. In their haste to rebuild, most business owners erected wood-frame structures. Construction of the Record's new offices began on July 4; they were ready for occupancy only twelve days later. George Hall's new Park City Hotel was almost finished by the end of July. In its New Year's edition in 1899, the Salt Lake Tribune reported that sixty-three buildings had been erected in the burned-out district. Volunteer firemen built a bell tower in town in 1901. The tower housed a 1,500 pound bell that would be used to alert firefighters and residents of dangers and also provided a place to dry the fire hoses. An electric siren replaced the bell in 1948. The fire department ran a check every night at 10pm to ensure the siren worked. This daily bell soon became known as the city-wide curfew for children. Hence, the "10 o'clock whistle", which you can still hear every night, to this day. Today, Park City, Utah, is a thriving, bustling mountain town. 

@ 11d0b667:53e00ef7

On July 13, 1927, in Coalville, Utah 13 year old Ellis Richins, small for his age, was playing with a nephew outside his father’s sheep camp when a stranger lunged from the woods and grabbed him. As his playmate ran to get help, the assailant forced Ellis up into the mountains.  Leonidas Munsey Dean.(a.k.a. Leon, a.k.a. Leonidas "Bally" Dean, a.k.a. Uncle Lonnie) , 51, placed a six-page ransom letter on a stone near the sheep camp. It began: “If you want to save the life of this fellow Richins, take ten thousand dollars, two thousand in gold coin; eight thousand in federal reserve notes, in five, ten and twenty dollar denominations, equal amounts of each, and do with them exactly as we tell you. The prisoner has just two days to live, if our orders are not strictly obeyed. We are as determined as war and ill treatment can make us.”  Lonnie kept Ellis walking that night by prodding him with a rifle barrel, and by threatening to shoot if the boy made a sound. Keeping to the ridges, they pushed toward Snyderville Valley. Ellis was told that his father had left the ransom money there. Just before daylight they reached a saddle above the Devil Creek fork of Tollgate Canyon. There the kidnapper chained Ellis to a tree, and they both went to sleep. Sometime the next morning, Lonnie heard someone walking through the woods, as a posse of nearly 400 men, some who were loaned guns by the National Guard, were scouring the mountainside. Holding a gun to Ellis’s head, Lonnie ordered the youngster to remain quiet while he went to investigate. As soon as the kidnapper left, Ellis picked up a sharp rock and began chopping at his chains. Eventually, he was able to break one of the links and fled. A short time later Ellis arrived breathlessly at a highway construction camp near Silver Creek. Ellis telephoned his mother, assured her that he was okay. After making the call he sat down—surrounded by nearly a hundred admirers—and ate a hearty meal. Within fifteen minutes his overjoyed parents drove into the camp. Using the mountains to his advantage, a week later, Lonnie Dean had hiked/traveled over 72.5 miles south, to Salem, Utah. There, he was captured by sheriff’s deputies and railroad detectives, acting on a tip. He told the Sheriff that he had planned to go to California, then on to Mexico. Sentenced to five years in prison, Leonidas “Lonnie” Dean, didn’t live out his time. He was killed by another inmate during a fight in the Utah State Penitentiary. Like his father, Ellis Richins raised sheep for a living in Coalville, until he died at 52, leaving behind 5 boys and a sheep farm.  His wife, Metta, lived well into this century. She lived 43 years as a widow. She was very involved in the sheep industry where she made many lifetime friends. She won the Sheep Rancher of the Year Award (the first woman to ever receive this award) by the Utah Wool Growers Association. She was President of the Utah State Wool Growers Auxiliary and also the Summit County Wool Growers Auxiliary.  She cooked and served many lamb suppers and helped with the Make it with Wool Contest for many years. She also served on the Farm Services Committee until the time of her death and as a secretary of the Summit County Lamb Pool. 

@ 72f97555:e0870ff3

Most people are wrong about rights. Rights are viewed as something that is granted, something that people fight to get, and something that people ought to have. But that is all wrong. In fact, that line of thinking is dangerous, and leads to the types of human rights violations that we are seeing across the planet today - everywhere from third-world countries, to the "great" countries like the United States. In this essay, I will explain what rights are, where they come from, and why the prevalent line of thinking is dangerous to society. ## Rights are granted by God I'm a Christian, and I know who my God is. You don't have to be a Christian, or even a believer to understand and agree with the concept that rights are a fundamental, and exist above the human condition. I think it makes the argument much stronger if one does believe in a god, but even a non-believer can arrive at the conviction, after deliberation, that rights are not dependent upon human thought or consideration. They are inherent in the Universe, and a fundamental truth. The authors of the Declaration of Independence believed this, which is why they wrote: > We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. What the founders understood, and many of us have lost sight of, is that our rights are not something granted to us by humans, or by governments (which are just collections of humans), but by something above us which cannot be argued with. These rights are absolute and part of the fundamental nature of what it means to be human. They are "unalienable" meaning that they cannot become foreign to us - we cannot be separated from our rights. They are not bridgeable. > Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master. > -- George Washington We must leave behind the common fallacy that governments can grant or suspend the rights of individuals. They may *violate* or *recognize* those rights, but they have no power over what those rights are, or whether they belong to you. When governments tell their populations that they may do a thing, that is *permission*, not a right. Permissions may be revoked or suspended, rights may not. ## Governments are not gods One of the great revolutions in the development of humankind took place during the feudalistic era. The development of chivalry represented a fundamental change in the way populations learned to view their rulers. Previously, Kings (and sometimes Queens) were viewed as deities in their own right - the ultimate authorities over all affairs both material and spiritual. Under chivalry, for the first time, we collectively realized that rulers were only human, and they were beholden to a higher power the same way the rest of us were. > Today, government is taking those rights from us, pretending that it gives us our rights. Indeed, those rights come from God, and it was recognized throughout our history as such. > -- Judge Roy Moore While the process was slow, and not without its setbacks and problems, this began the path towards the recognition of universal human rights, the limitation of the powers of rulers to protect their citizens from abuse, and ultimately, forms of representative government under constitutions, such as the constitutional monarchy and the constitutional republic. It was a gradual change in the way entire populations viewed the world around them and their place in it. They saw both the errant human in their rulers, and the *highest ideal* that all man was answerable to. > If we are not governed by God, then we will be ruled by tyrants. > -- William Penn Unfortunately, there has been a gradual regression taking place. People no longer look to that highest ideal any longer for their answers. Very often, they are turning to government for the solutions to their problems, protection from every danger, and answers for how it is acceptable to live. This creates a false image, that government is anything other than people exactly like us, with the same flaws, limitations, and corruption that lives in every single living human. Government is not here to help us, because government *is* us. Government cannot tell us how to live, or what our rights are, because government is just people, who unregulated have been shown to commit every type of atrocity to gain power and wealth for themselves. > Because many of us make mistakes that can have bad consequences, some intellectuals believe that it is the role of government to intervene and make some of our decisions for us. From what galaxy government is going to hire creatures who do not make mistakes is a question they leave unanswered. > -- Thomas Sowell ## The role of government Government is a cooperation of groups of people, meant to establish guidelines (laws) that are acceptable to the majority of individuals in order to maximize freedom, happiness, and safety from the infringement of those rights. Any deviation from this goal is a perversion of government. >Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one. >-- Thomas Paine Freedom and laws stand in a necessary tension with one another. Laws must govern the passions of humankind, to guard against one person violating the rights of another. But laws have a fascinating life of their own. They tend to grow over time as disputes are heard and government is asked to intervene in more and more cases. Can you think of a time that the number of laws actually decreased by any meaningful number during the life of a government? The issue is that laws also grant power to the enforcer of those laws. Human nature reenters the equation, stage left. Judges become corrupted to decide cases for their own benefit, or are bribed. The laws become so numerous that our representatives begin passing them to benefit themselves or their friends, and nobody notices in the sea of laws being passed. In the United States we have reached the point where laws are being passed so fast, and so often, and are so encompassing, that the representatives have often not even read them before they are passed. This is a terrible corruption of the system, as the people writing the laws were never even chosen by the people, and begin to exercise power over the lives of their fellow citizens, with no oversight, and no checks upon what they do. >The one thing man fears is the unknown. When presented with this scenario, individual rights will be willingly relinquished for the guarantee of their well-being granted to them by a World Government, a New World Order. >-- Henry A. Kissinger It is interesting, that a country that has existed for over 200 years, continues to find this many things to pass laws about. There are budgetary things that are routine (and still manage to be handled horribly) but we still pass thousands of *laws* every year. We would be foolish to think that these laws are all required to protect the rights of one citizen from encroachment by another. > Congress has enacted approximately 200–600 statutes during each of its 115 biennial terms so that more than 30,000 statutes have been enacted since 1789. > -- Wikipedia ## The slippery slope In this article, I have posited that rights are absolute, and inviolable. They may be in principle, but in practice, even the most conservative and rights loving individuals are often more than happy to violate the rights of others if the circumstances are right. This is a problem because **once you accept the violation of one person's rights, you have already surrendered the fight for rights entirely.** Indeed, you have conceded, and are now in negotiation about how many people's rights you are comfortable violating. Don't believe me? *Do you believe felons should have the right to vote and carry firearms after they serve the entirety of their sentence?* I'm willing to wager the average American, at least, is perfectly comfortable stripping felons of these rights. There are many such groups. But let's remember the founder's principle - these rights are unalienable. > There is no greater threat to a free and democratic nation than a government that fails to protect its citizen’s freedom and liberty as aggressively as it pursues justice. > -- Bernard B. Kerik, From Jailer to Jailed: My Journey from Correction and Police Commissioner to Inmate 84888-054 You might believe this is a perfectly reasonable thing to do. You might believe the justice system works, that it never convicts the innocent (or worse, that it's "good enough"), and that the justice system is never turned against a population minding its own business, trying to live its life quietly... you know, pursuing that "liberty and happiness" stuff. If you do, then I applaud you for being blind, deaf, and oblivious to the realities around you. I would urge you to consider carefully though, how long you think it will take a government that passes 200-600 laws every biennial term, to decide that something you are doing is a felony. You've already surrendered your rights for permissions in exchange for some safety and retribution. What are you going to think and feel the day the government declares war on Bitcoin, seizes your private property, or tells you how to raise your children? Do you really think they won't? We're over 50 years into a war on drugs. ## Don't Surrender Defending your rights means defending mine, and every other human being living around you. The minute their rights cease to be important to you - the moment you are willing to allow your fellow human being's rights to be violated in the name of "justice," "safety," or whatever reason the mob cries for, you have lost your own. It is only a matter of time before you notice. It takes a bigger person to stand up for the rights of those we find distasteful - but as with so many other medicines, what is good for us often tastes bad. As is so often the case, what is wrong with rights isn't rights themselves. What's wrong with rights is that as a people we have forgotten what they are, and been deluded into believing we still have them, and that they are granted by some vague thing called "the government" that is somehow greater than human, despite being instituted by and filled with humans. > You seem...to consider the judges as the ultimate arbiters of all constitutional questions – a very dangerous doctrine indeed, and one which would place us under the despotism of an oligarchy. Our Judges are as honest as other men, and not more so. They have, with others, the same passions for party, for power, and the privilege of their corps. > -- Thomas Jefferson, to William Charles Jarvis, September 28, 1820 The biggest defense of our own freedoms and rights we can exercise is to not tolerate the violation of anyone else's. They belong to all of us by birthright, granted to us by the *highest ideal* and are violated at our greatest peril.

@ 2edbcea6:40558884

Happy Sunday #Nostr ! Here’s your #NostrTechWeekly newsletter at the nostr:npub19mduaf5569jx9xz555jcx3v06mvktvtpu0zgk47n4lcpjsz43zzqhj6vzk written by nostr:npub1r3fwhjpx2njy87f9qxmapjn9neutwh7aeww95e03drkfg45cey4qgl7ex2 #NostrTechWeekly is a weekly newsletter focused on the more technical happenings in the nostr-verse. A lot of foundational work happening in the nostr-verse and quite a bit of new projects shipped this week. Let’s dive in! ## Recent Upgrades to Nostr (AKA [NIPs](https://nostr.com/the-protocol/nips)) #### 1) [NIP 75: Zap Goals](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/757) ⚡ Zapping has been such an integral part of what makes Nostr what it is. Earning for your content or contributions. Zaps for memes. Zaps as a way to boost the signal. It’s a growing concept as well. NIP 75 was merged this week, with the goal of introducing the ability to set a “Zap Goal” which is similar to a fundraising goal. Users can zap the “goal” event directly and help the progress bar go up. Whatever the cause. Interesting to see if this will stay simple and decentralized or if this will be the foundation of a GoFundMe type platform via Nostr using exclusively Bitcoin. Author: nostr:npub107jk7htfv243u0x5ynn43scq9wrxtaasmrwwa8lfu2ydwag6cx2quqncxg #### 2) (Proposed) [NIP 79: Digital contracts on Nostr](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/755 ) ✍️ Think Docusign, but on Nostr. This NIP would introduce support for various kinds of digital agreement (contracts, covenants, agreements) which serve various purposes. These agreements would all be unencrypted markdown, so the purpose is likely more for non-secret agreements so that they can be cited by all parties in public. Author(s): https://github.com/xemuj nostr:npub1gcxzte5zlkncx26j68ez60fzkvtkm9e0vrwdcvsjakxf9mu9qewqlfnj5z #### 3) (Proposed) [NIP 34: Improved media attachments to notes](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/751) 📎 Attaching media to notes in a way that is handled well on a majority of major clients is still more of an art than a science and nostr:npub108pv4cg5ag52nq082kd5leu9ffrn2gdg6g4xdwatn73y36uzplmq9uyev6 is determined to introduce a better pattern 💪. This NIP introduces the pattern of using an explicit set of “media” tags on any note so that media that should accompany the note can be explicitly linked without clients needing to parse the content of the note to make the url of the media in the note a hyperlink. Author: nostr:npub108pv4cg5ag52nq082kd5leu9ffrn2gdg6g4xdwatn73y36uzplmq9uyev6 #### 4) (Proposed) [Improvements to reddit-style moderated communities](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/753/files?short_path=02bdfed#diff-02bdfed052568bc5843aa40e29a9f24f5a8382d63fc6669d733a19fb952d00b9 ) 💬 This proposed improvement to NIP 72 introduces the concept of a post (within a moderated community) that is exclusively posted to a specific community. Think about posting something that can make the front page of reddit versus a post that is intended solely for a subreddit. Seems like a welcome addition to NIP 72 👍 Author: https://github.com/vivganes ## Notable projects #### [A nostr Wiki](https://wikinostr.tijl.xyz) The start of a truly open wiki. Wikis are used for a lot of things: corporate intranets and documentation, fandoms managing information about their universe, and Wikipedia which may be one of the greatest repositories of knowledge on Earth. The main downside to Wikipedia is that it may be crowdsourced but it is centralized, seeking one version of each article (and therefore determining what is true). This wiki (in the spirit of Nostr) allows people to create any number of articles on the same subject to offer different perspectives. At scale this could become something where people read various perspectives and determine the truth for themselves. Author: nostr:npub1q7klm2w94hyq3qdm9ffzpahrrq0qcppmjrapzhz0rq6xgq3fdrnqr6atmj #### [Oxchat](https://w3.do/ddCnoZeY) Oxchat is a secure, private group chat experience for iOS and Android with a great UX 🙌. Nostr needs its own standalone chat app that can stand up to the capabilities and ease of use of Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp, etc. And Oxchat may be that app! Looking forward to using it more. Author: nostr:npub10td4yrp6cl9kmjp9x5yd7r8pm96a5j07lk5mtj2kw39qf8frpt8qm9x2wl #### [Nostrnet.work](https://nostrnet.work) A web-based dashboard for Nostr, it’s a webpage that is a configurable hub for all the Nostr apps you want to have available quickly. You can log in with your Nostr account, and configure it to your liking.There’s a section for managing your profile (including your relays), as well as for taking notes, all of that on top of the list of Nostr apps for quick access. Nostrnet.work seems to be evolving into almost a web-based browser of the nostr-verse. You can manage the apps that are on the dashboard Nostrnet.work via the basic/open [app store](https://nostrapp.link/) from [nostr.band](https://nostr.band). There’s endless possibilities for users to discover what Nostr has to offer and use those offerings from one unified interface. A recent addition to the Nostrnet.Work interface is an area for “Nostr AI'' which is meant to allow users to utilize Data Vending Machines (explored in the Latest Conversations section). Data Vending Machines (or DVMs) are something that I think is unique to Nostr, and it's a product/ecosystem that may be the killer unique offering people come to Nostr to try out. Author: nostr:npub1cmmswlckn82se7f2jeftl6ll4szlc6zzh8hrjyyfm9vm3t2afr7svqlr6f #### [w3.do url shortener](https://w3.do/hmL581au) URL shorteners are a stable web util. In fact, We started using w3.do because the tool we use to draft/publish this newsletter as a long form note will send Nostr links and embed the note instead of just linking to the note. So a url shortener is enough to trick the tool so we get fewer embeds and more links! Thanks nostr:npub1alpha9l6f7kk08jxfdaxrpqqnd7vwcz6e6cvtattgexjhxr2vrcqk86dsn ! ## Latest conversations #### [Data Vending Machines](https://vendata.io/) (DVMs) “Data Vending Machines are data-processing tools. You give them some data, a few sats, and they give you back some data.” [source: vendata](https://vendata.io). A practical example is a recent DVM published by Pablo: [FOMOstr](https://w3.do/6HpbXEan). You put up some sats, you’ll get back content on Nostr that you may have missed. The concept seems to be that people need help from machines. And right now, the most common way for people to get that help is to pay a company for that help (email provider, calendar management, group chats, entertainment, etc). These are great for more complex digital products, but what if you just have a question? Maybe you just want to generate an image. Or maybe just extract text, and then maybe translate it. These are most efficient as pay-as-you-need-it products. That’s where DVMs shine (on the long tail of needs). You can put up a certain amount of money and people who have created algorithms or AIs that can accomplish these tasks will compete to do the job for the lowest price (and therefore win the money). This is the foundation of an economy of people who need jobs done and people who want to make income by creating the best DVMs for the jobs people need done. DVMs that help you discover people and content on Nostr will be a god-send for improving the experience for people using Nostr while maintaining decentralization. This will certainly evolve over time, but it seems this could become an integral part of the Nostr ecosystem as well as become a unique service that can only be found on Nostr (attracting a new set of users). ## Events Here are some upcoming events that we are looking forward to! We keep a comprehensive list and details of Nostr-related events that we hear about (in person or virtual) that you can bookmark here [NostrConf Report](https://habla.news/nostreport/nosconf) 1. [Nostrasia](https://nostr.world/) Nov 1-3 in Tokyo & Hong Kong 2. [Nostrville](https://www.meetup.com/bitcoinpark/events/292518506/) Nov 9-10 in Nashville, TN, USA 3. [NostrCon](nostr:note1ah9vkqn395rqqqnqpkhzrd2yh9074vhl6gzl2h4rjn2tkdunhksq3ujl3f) Jan 15, 2024 (online only) ## Until next time 🫡 If you want to see something highlighted, if we missed anything, or if you’re building something I didn’t post about, let me know, DMs welcome. nostr:npub1r3fwhjpx2njy87f9qxmapjn9neutwh7aeww95e03drkfg45cey4qgl7ex2 or nostr:npub19mduaf5569jx9xz555jcx3v06mvktvtpu0zgk47n4lcpjsz43zzqhj6vzk Stay Classy, Nostr.

@ bf353c70:94d86b0c

Test post from obsidian using Nostr Writer plugin! #grownostr

@ 2edbcea6:40558884

Happy Sunday #Nostr ! Here’s your #NostrTechWeekly newsletter at the nostr:npub19mduaf5569jx9xz555jcx3v06mvktvtpu0zgk47n4lcpjsz43zzqhj6vzk written by nostr:npub1r3fwhjpx2njy87f9qxmapjn9neutwh7aeww95e03drkfg45cey4qgl7ex2 Our goal here is a weekly newsletter focused on the more technical happenings in the nostr-verse. Follow the hashtag #NostrTechWeekly to ensure you’re getting the newsletter ASAP! TONS of new tech was shipped this week; very exciting. Let’s dive in! ## Recent Upgrades to Nostr (NIPs) #### 1) [NIP 315: User Statuses](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/737) 👋 This is a feature where users can add an (optionally) expiring status to be displayed when folks interact with that user’s account. It’s very reminiscent of the old AIM days. Damus’ implementation can even read the music you’re listening on your device and broadcast that with your status. It has brought a lot of joy and memes this week! nostr:npub1xtscya34g58tk0z605fvr788k263gsu6cy9x0mhnm87echrgufzsevkk5s proposed this NIP to codify the work he did in Damus to support this feature. It’s been live for a few days in Damus (TestFlight version only I believe) as well as on Amethyst, and I hope more clients adopt it. #### 2) [Updates to NIP 51: Lists](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/723) 📜 NIP 51 is a way to publish arbitrary lists. They can be lists of npubs, hashtags, really anything. There are some implementations that use NIP 51 to create a users’ preferred mute list to curate their own feed. nostr:npub1gzuushllat7pet0ccv9yuhygvc8ldeyhrgxuwg744dn5khnpk3gs3ea5ds expanded its use to explicitly support a list of bookmarks. This seems like it could be used in many contexts, especially a nostr-browser 😉. #### 3) Proposed [NIP 44: encryption standard](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/715) & [NIP 58: Gift Wrapping](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/716) 🎁 As mentioned last week. There’s still a lot of activity around truly private/secure DMs and these two NIPs seem to be gaining steam as the right way to handle it. As a reminder they’re a strategy for encrypting Nostr events so that the metadata (from, to, created at, etc) isn’t publicly accessible like they are with standard NIP 4 DMs used in most clients. Seems like they’re getting close to approval and adoption as NIPs! Authors: nostr:npub1gcxzte5zlkncx26j68ez60fzkvtkm9e0vrwdcvsjakxf9mu9qewqlfnj5z [Kieran](https://github.com/kieran) [Paul Miller](https://github.com/paulmillr) [Jon Staab](https://github.com/staab) #### 4) Proposed [NIP 69: Polls]( https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/320 ) ❓ This proposal has been around a while since there are obvious analogs to what is available in legacy social media. The one great unique Nostr flavoring is that it’s an extension of the zap protocol so that polls can only be answered by those willing to pay to answer. This can decrease spam and also enable polling that’s weighted by how much people care about their answer (measured by the amount they’ll put up to answer the poll). Pretty interesting take on polls. Authors: [toadlyBroodle](https://github.com/toadlyBroodle) ## Notable projects #### [Nostr browser - Android only](nostr:note1ak7l9jzrn8glls9j4dn29w65uhdmcxd322mpq3qpfwndqqk237js3y2tdp ) nostr:npub1xdtducdnjerex88gkg2qk2atsdlqsyxqaag4h05jmcpyspqt30wscmntxy announced an early version of a Nostr-browser. Since Nostr is a protocol with many kinds of apps that can be run on top of it, there’s a need for users to be able to interact with any kind of Nostr app even if the current commonly used clients don’t know how to handle that kind of event. These browsers will become like hubs for Nostr’s ecosystem of micro-apps. A nostr-browser will do the work of sensing the kind of Nostr event and attempt to find an application to handle the event. Think about how most clients can’t handle the Nostr events that are shared, remixable audio. But stemstr.app can handle that kind of event! With some work a Nostr-browser could find an application to handle each kind of event to give the user a seamless experience. This is just the beginning but it’s an incredible future they’re building towards. #### [Swarmstr](http://swarmstr.com) This is an app where people can crowdsource answers to questions via Nostr. This seems similar to Quora but less gated. On top of the advantages of being built on Nostr, swarmstr hints at a future where we can post bounties for questions and get paid for our knowledge and helpfulness. This could also be a natural place for Data Vending Machines to plug in and bid to be paid to be useful. Author(s): nostr:npub178umpxtdflcm7a08nexvs4mu384kx0ngg9w8ltm5eut6q7lcp0vq05qrg4 #### [Private Group Chat](https://www.nostrpulsar.chat) Pretty straightforward and needed. This is using the pattern from the Gift Wrapping (yet to be merged) NIP to mask metadata to make a more private and secure chat. Author(s): nostr:npub1yxp7j36cfqws7yj0hkfu2mx25308u4zua6ud22zglxp98ayhh96s8c399s and [AustinKelsay](https://github.com/AustinKelsay) #### [Websites hosted on Nostr](https://h.hostr.cc/p/a5a44e2a531efcc86491c4b9a3fa67daee8f60c9d2757a12eed95d98c5d6fc42/d/hostr-lp) This is a way to host websites using Nostr by publishing the website’s code as a Nostr event. Similarly to nostrsites.com by nostr:npub1v6xwae25wh6etmqw3m6yce9lnk5dnhtqpzk9fhxjfvjsryctjc8q2kxk5t It’s probably best for simple websites and not huge web applications, but having a decentralized way to store and distribute your website is indeed powerful 💪 Author(s): nostr:npub194qhhn5vzzyrsqaugfms8c7ycqjyvhyguurra450nhlweatfzxkqy8tgkd ## Latest conversations #### [Content Moderation on Nostr](nostr:note1y5h6kgjyp2nsmnl4fw5a3tudjtsa5dzmk3f504w6ajgqyf5jsntsgzp4sn) I personally kicked up a bit of a shit storm this week by broaching the topic of opt-in content moderation in Nostr. Content moderation may be necessary in the future for a few reasons: 1) If Nostr scales to millions of users, there will be a significant increase in the number of bots and scammers. Nostr users will likely want some way to filter that out of their feed without spending hours a day muting individual accounts. 2) If Nostr becomes home to illegal content, regardless of who says it’s illegal or if we agree that the content should be illegal, governments will likely go after relay operators, which is a threat to the operation and decentralization of Nostr. 3) Nostr users may want to opt-in to content moderation to try to prevent content like child porn or other sexually exploitative content from being propagated through their area of Nostr. The proposal is about an ecosystem of blocklists maintained by various third parties that compete with each other to create the set of blocklists that users, clients and relays find most agrees with their sensibilities. Users, clients and relays could choose (or choose not to) utilize these lists to filter the events that pass through their feed. It prompted good conversation but it’s a touchy subject since we Nostriches are a freedom loving bunch. ## Events We’ll keep a running list of Nostr-related events that I hear about (in person or virtual). 1. [Nostrasia](https://nostr.world/) Nov 1-3 in Tokyo & Hong Kong 2. [Nostrville](https://www.meetup.com/bitcoinpark/events/292518506/) Nov 9-10 in Nashville, TN, USA 3. [NostrCon](nostr:note1ah9vkqn395rqqqnqpkhzrd2yh9074vhl6gzl2h4rjn2tkdunhksq3ujl3f) Jan 12, 2024 (online only) If you wanna see something highlighted here just send a DM to nostr:npub1r3fwhjpx2njy87f9qxmapjn9neutwh7aeww95e03drkfg45cey4qgl7ex2 ## Until next time 🫡 If I missed anything, or you’re building something I didn’t post about, let me know, DMs welcome. Stay classy Nostr.