Does this do what you asked for?

Mental model: an ecash mint with the purpose of processing payments for a specific service is an alternative to an accounting system.

The flow:

- user tops up balance (e.g. via Lightning)

- service provider (SP) issues ecash to user

- user pays ecash to SP for use of service

Imagine running an entire blockchain for a single application, a website, social network, VPN provider. That would enable interesting use cases but would be a huge waste of resources. With ecash, you can build these systems without blockchains. Lightweight, fast, and cheap.

That is why I'm advocating for businesses to explore these use cases as I see great potential in them, especially in the Bitcoin space. Not only does it guarantee privacy, but it's also easier and safer to build than to have user accounts, passwords, balances, transactions, etc.

Closed ecash systems also do not run into risk of being regulated as money transmission services for the same reason you don't have this issue when you use a BTCPayServer for selling a VPN, for example.

It's only the service provider who gets paid for its service.

I'll be focussing on these use cases as we're developing the Cashu protocol, which allows you to use ecash with Bitcoin.

The internet is as bad as it is partially because payments are so bad. Payments forced us to think in accounts and accounts forced us to be traceable.

If you are playing a game and there are two MOBs, a boss MOB and a smaller mob, you take out the smaller mob first. Because the boss MOB takes a long time to kill, and during that long time you'd be taking damage from both of them. If you take out the smaller mob first, then you only take damage from both of them for a short while.

So you take out Russia first, then focus on China.

BTW: mob originally was short for "(self) mobile object" in MUDs.

Suppose this is the self-custody war everybody is talking about. Can we take a moment to appreciate the impeccable display of French traditions of surrendering before the war even heats up?

Too soon? 💀

As the world moves increasingly toward identitarian nationalisms, countries that display a commitment to being multi-ethnic, multi-religious republics with no legally privileged racial or religious classes will have an advantage.

I hope the United States can stay on this trajectory.

🥜

Closed, local relays with local vendors who sell their ware to users who are also locals for chaumian ecash (stablecoins if one party desires).

Some hurdles like Web of trustscore, deposit or some proof of locality need to be laid down and overcome to join the relay.

Trust, based on web of trustscores or personal relations, can make you pay in advance and/or make the butcher prepare your order in advance for you or another npub designated by you, to pick it up without waiting.

If the butcher makes it work, the baker will be eager to join, as will every waiting customer who sees someone getting served without waiting.

It's not here yet, and it can take some time to develop and catch on but I think something like this could be the killer feature. Amethyst almost supports this (marketplace, cashu) already

nostr is still mainly used alongside twitter. in the best rare case, as a replacement. and only because people are running away from something about twitter they don't like.

there is nothing that people want to run to nostr for yet. zaps were promising, but bitcoin is still a hurdle (one that primal is doing the best at overcoming), and it's doubtful lightning could scale to a massive adoption moment.

nostr needs a feature or experience that's unique and sets it apart. i *think* that is the ecosystem of microapps over the long term...but it's definitely not in the short term. and that might be ok.

for twitter the initial draw was the simplicity and weirdness of 140 characters (we started with zero network effect, facebook had it all...that's built over time). later it became the conversation which lead to the "public square" (owned by a private corporation ¯\_(ツ)_/¯). and then as it grew, it had a single point of control/failure people could attack.

nostr doesn't have to worry about that last bit. it's an incredible feature. but not one the average person cares about (no matter how much they yell "FREE SPEECH!"...if people actually cared about free speech, bitcoin and nostr would be all they used...they don't).

all this to say, we're not doomed. but what we think is the killer feature isn't right now. who's going to discover the one that is?

Saylor: you do the digital energy thing. We do the development.

Know your place.

What is the highest profile, most vain vanity adress NIP-05 identifier possible thats working and comes with the most bragging rights (and who is proud owner of one)?

For reference, a NIP-05identifier is specified in someone's profile, like name@website.com, and should then be found as specified on that particular site (website.com) to be working.

You don't have to zap the poll, you can also just reply.

Some suggestions:

"Similarly, this is why feed-based recommendation engines devolve into slot machines for your dopamine receptors. The longer you stay glued to your screen, the more ads you will see, the more revenue will be generated for the platform. This is also why most YouTube channels devolve into 7-15 minute snippets with thumbnails that portray the face of someone who just stepped on a piece of Legos. Short enough to convince you to watch it, long enough to make you forget what video you wanted to watch in the first place. Like rats pushing buttons in hyper-personalized Skinner boxes, we are conditioned into addiction cycles to maximize shareholder profits."

I really think #cashu should be the native currency/default for #nostr clients.

Tap up a client native cashu wallet via lighting, and have fun in the private walled garden. Cash in cash out. I know many are doing this now, but I mean a client making a cashu wallet within the client. It’s the best ready to go use-case I can think of rn

I must learn how to write shorter release notes