đ§ Latest pod is out: Sam Kivi is the CTO and Director at Grid Share, a New Zealand company building flexible load infrastructure centred around renewable energy and Bitcoin mining. We talk about how flexible load works, and the benefits that it provides to the power grid, how it interacts with renewable power generation, and what the opportunities and challenges are, given New Zealandâs unique energy mix. We also discuss the emerging opportunities for landfill methane capture, and what it actually takes to put in the proof of work to stand up a mining operation as Grid Share have done. Sam also shares a new initiative from the company, offering hosting services for Bitcoin miners in New Zealand.
Cobblestones leading up to a carpark. Showa fifty-two. A cold northerly. Taped-up windows. Wooden cladding over a wasp nest. The Coca-Cola neon clock that turns off at midnight.
đ§ Latest pod is out: I talk with nostr:npub1wmr34t36fy03m8hvgl96zl3znndyzyaqhwmwdtshwmtkg03fetaqhjg240, a software developer and hacker based in Wellington, New Zealand. Rabble was lead engineer at Odeo, where he hired Jack Dorsey into the company, which would later pivot into becoming Twitter.
Since then he has been focussed on building impactful projects and social media with the open & decentralised vision that Twitter originally had in its early years but which was eventually lost.
Rabble has created the Nostr client Nos.social, and is involved with â Ahau.ioâ , a MÄori community tool built on Nostrâs predecessor protocol, Secure Scuttlebutt.
We talk about Bitcoin, new ways of living, solarpunk, creative work and what the opportunities are for it all to come together.
đ§ Latest pod is out: I talk with Rabble, a software developer and hacker based in Wellington, New Zealand. Rabble was lead engineer at Odeo, where he hired Jack Dorsey into the company, which would later pivot into becoming Twitter.
Since then he has been focussed on building impactful projects and social media with the open & decentralised vision that Twitter originally had in its early years but which was eventually lost.
Rabble has created the Nostr client Nos.social, and is involved with â Ahau.ioâ , a MÄori community tool built on Nostrâs predecessor protocol, Secure Scuttlebutt.
We talk about Bitcoin, new ways of living, solarpunk, creative work and what the opportunities are for it all to come together.
I talk with nostr:npub1mygerccwqpzyh9pvp6pv44rskv40zutkfs38t0hqhkvnwlhagp6s3psn5p, based in Hong Kong, going deep into questions about individual sovereignty and freedom. We also discuss the relationship with the legacy nation state and how Bitcoin and Nostr may interface with collectivist societies such as China. We talk about the Hong Kong protests, the dynamics of state and media, and Bitcoinâs eventual showdown with the Cantillon Pyramid.
We also talk about Gâs work in Nostr, including running the nostr:npub1tr0va8lk35pp4lnk64ymneywdjmmq6juznxlg5ejerkhxgwk7ggsw5qqpx podcast, and building nostrocket â helping Bitcoiners organise projects in a way that is not beholden to the state.
Listen now:
đ§ Latest pod is out: I talk with Nathan Seiuli, Outreach and Events Coordinator at the Free Speech Union (New Zealand).
Over the past few years, itâs become evident that many New Zealanders are both unaware of how vital freedom of speech is, and how dangerous some of the moves are to exclude its protections.
We talk about the work the Free Speech Union is doing in New Zealand, including campaigns to promote debate and critical thinking in schools, providing feedback and advice to government, and calling out actions that infringe upon freedom of speech.
We also talk about how technology such as Bitcoin and Nostr can provide protection for Freedom of speech and freedom of expression.
Listen now:
nostr:npub1qny3tkh0acurzla8x3zy4nhrjz5zd8l9sy9jys09umwng00manysew95gx nostr:npub1sg6plzptd64u62a878hep2kev88swjh3tw00gjsfl8f237lmu63q0uf63m nostr:npub1guh5grefa7vkay4ps6udxg8lrqxg2kgr3qh9n4gduxut64nfxq0q9y6hjy nostr:npub1az9xj85cmxv8e9j9y80lvqp97crsqdu2fpu3srwthd99qfu9qsgstam8y8
At Two Dogs Taproom in Tokyo with some of the Alby crew - Paid with Bitcoin. 
đ§ Latest episode is out: I talk with Zed, a Bitcoiner originally from the Czech Republic, but now living in Wellington, New Zealand, where he organises a Local Bitcoin meetup.
We dive into Zedâs story, leaving the Czech Republic to go to London around the time of the occupy movement where he first discovered Bitcoin.
We talk about Bitcoin art and the role of popular culture in sharing new ways of thinking, as well as the cultural background that Zed brings to Bitcoin, having being born into a communist system. We also talk about how people such as the Gypsies of Europe or the New Zealand MÄori represent a different kind of relationship to the state that we can learn a lot from.
Listen now:
đ§ Building the Social Layer of Bitcoin in New Zealand with Bitkiwi Paul
I talk with Bitkiwi Paul about the next Bitkiwi meetup that is happening on Saturday October 28th in Auckland. We also discuss the social layer of Bitcoin in New Zealand and how it has grown enormously over the last 12 months.
This time last year I didnât really know any Bitcoiners in person, but here we are with a thriving community of Bitcoin projects, businesses, and collaborations that I am involved in, and I know there are many others out there doing the same.
A lot of Proof of Work has gone into building on Bitcoin over the last few years and that is going to be important as more and more people start finding and learning about Bitcoin.
Listen on Fountain:
đ§ Podcast: Overview of Eltoo, Covenants, and Vaults on Bitcoin with Robert Clarkson
I talk with Rob Clarkson about scaling Bitcoinâs Layer 2 Lightning protocol, and how changes happen to Bitcoin more generally.
Rob provides a technical introduction to some of the proposals such as ELTOO, APO, CTV, and we talk a bit about what covenants and vaults mean in Bitcoin.
Now I am still trying to work a lot of this out for myself and Rob does well to break it down and explain it. Even though these are quite advanced topics I think it is important to have the discussion and work together to understand what proposed changes to Bitcoin might mean and what the dangers and opportunities are.
Listen now:
đ§ Once Were Builders: Learning from New Zealandâs Past to Develop Better Infrastructure with Dr Matthew Birchall
đ§ Bitcoin as a Religious Phenomenon with Rigel Walshe (AKA @CoinsureNZ). Listen here: https://fountain.fm/episode/1RkNTqP6X2i3EmciTa5X
I talk with Rigel Walshe (AKA CoinsureNZ), who gave a speech at the Baltic Honeybadger conference this year titled âBitcoin as a Religious Phenomenonâ. We explore this topic and how in many ways Bitcoin provides meaning and purpose in a chaotic world.
Whether it is the rapid growth in local bitcoin meetups post-covid, the spread of ideas such as self-sovereignty and rules for moral action, or the state of Bitcoin Culture on Twitter, the development of the social layer of Bitcoin is undeniable in recent years.
We try to understand this movement and how it scales to the world.
We also talk about Rigelâs time working in the New Zealand Police and what he learned there, and his current life in Latin America.
đ§ Bitcoin as a Religious Phenomenon with Rigel Walshe (AKA @CoinsureNZ). Listen here: https://fountain.fm/episode/1RkNTqP6X2i3EmciTa5X
1,100 people have signed up for #Nostrasia.... so far!
Join us virtually or in person in Tokyo or Hong Kong, Nov 1-3: https://tally.so/r/meM1yx
I am looking forward to it.
đ§ Latest podcast is out: Understanding the Dasset Exchange Collapse from a Legal Perspective with James Swarbrick
We talk about his thoughts from a legal perspective about the recent collapse of the Dasset crypto exchange, self-custody, as well as discuss an article he wrote about how the hack of another exchange, Cryptopia, helped develop law in New Zealand.
đ§ Focussing on Proof of Work in Your Personal Life and Unplugging the Distractions with Bitkiwi Paul
đ§ Latest pod is out: Exploring Bitcoin, Nostr, and the Lightning Network at Callaghan Innovation's Web3 Team with Kevin Whitmore.
