BR030 - Mercury Wallet, BitKey, BDK, Mutiny Wallet + MORE ft. Nicholas Gregory, Rijndael & Odell
I’m joined by guests Nicholas Gregory Rijndael & Matt Odell to go through the list.
Housekeeping
00:01:37 Coldcard colors
00:01:51 Coldcard Q1 PCB test production
00:02:36 Miami BTC Sessions Workshop
00:02:46 If you want to learn about SegWit and a bunch of cryptographic stuff listen to the last episode
Software Releases & Project Updates
Bitcoin
00:04:08 Sparrow v1.7.4
Generate or load Border Wallets grids to enter memorizable seeds
Update Tor to v0.4.7.13 using the kmp-tor library
Darker dark theme and other styling improvements
Signed Windows installer binary
Autosuggest all possible words for the last word when entering a BIP39 seed
Add diynodes.com public mainnet Electrum server
Use the Whirlpool premix priority slider to change mixFeeTarget (the additional fee amount added to premix UTXOs)
Display a warning if the chosen mixFeeTarget fee rate is much lower than that of normal priority
Change the wallet gap limit and subscribe to new addresses if an address beyond the gap limit range is requested
Support saving a Tapsigner backup as binary file
Show PSBT QRs more compactly (without non-witness-utxo entries) for all multisig segwit signing wallets
Use different addresses when sending batched payments to the same PayNym
Add context menu to amount cells to copy values
00:08:18 Specter Desktop v2.0.1
Feature: Enable Taproot support for Trezor
Swan plugin: New design, improved UX and bug fixes
00:08:41 Wasabi
v2.0.3 WasabiGPT (Proof of concept)
The First AI Bitcoin Wallet
Proof of concept for testnet
Features: Sending, receiving Bitcoin via WasabiGPT assistant
Not planning to integrate WasabiGPT into Wasabi Wallet unless there’s overwhelming interest.
Taproot coinjoin signing and taproot change outputs
Opt-in manual coin control for payments
Improved wallet loading speed
Native run on mac ARM64 without Rosetta (x64 emulator)
Improved dust attack prevention
00:11:30 Mercury Wallet v0.8.10
Fix repeat seed generation
Network connection info
00:24:23 Nunchuk android v1.9.28 / iOS v1.9.23
Add support for 168 local currencies
00:24:31 The Mempool Open Source Project v2.5.0
Lightning Network Explorer
LND and CLN support
GeoIP integration
Channel forensic
Visualized mined blocks
Optional getBlockTemplate algoritm for accurate mempool prediction
Block audit with health score
Historical fiat prices and currency selector
Difficulty adjustment widget
Historical CPFP data
Smarter search bar in dark mode
The blockchain now scrolls and jumps to any block
The blockchain- and mempool blocks orientation can be flipped
New languages: Lithuanian, Danish, Nepalese
00:29:26 Robosats
Fixes onchain payout race-condition.
LN payouts are more reliable.
New UI elements when a order with onchain payout finished. Now users are shown temporarily (up to 60 seconds) a spinner “sending coins…” with a link to mempool space for their address. Then, it shows the TXID.
00:36:32 Cashu NUT-08: Lower Lightning fees
Implements NUT-08: mint returns overpaid Lightning fees to wallet
New FakeWallet backend for testing
PostgreSQL support enabled (@trbouma)
CLI improvements (@sihamon)
Use Pydantic settings class
00:38:02 Liana v0.3.1 hot and Advancing! (And fixed!)
Patched version of the 0.3 release
Fixes bug where the mnemonics might not be stored by the wallet nor shown to the user for backup when using the GUI installer with the newly released hot key support
Bitbox firmware v9.14.0
Improved touch button positional accuracy in noisy environments
Increased performance when signing Bitcoin transactions
Warn if the transaction fee is higher than 10% of the coins sent
00:38:45 Samurai Dojo v1.19.0
Updated Bitcoin Core v24.0.1
This version of Bitcoin Core has a support for -mempoolfullrbf option.
This option is disabled by default in Samourai Dojo.
Added option to use Auth47 for DMT auth
Users are now able to add their payment code. Inside conf/docker-node.conf just assign your payment code to the NODE_PAYMENT_CODE variable.
Updated Whirlpool CLI v0.10.16
This version of WHirlpool CLI brings several stability improvements that will help mixing to keep running even with Tor network disruptions.
00:39:18 HodlHodl Major Improvements
UI/UX improvements
Added new regions: LATAM, Asia, and Africa
New version of the OFFER CREATE and OFFER ACCEPT pages
Improved mobile version, now you can accept or create offers on the go
Lightning
00:41:35 Blixt v0.6.5
Added the ability to set maximum LN fee for a payment, proportional to the amount
Added the ability to change lnd log level
00:43:18 Zeus v0.7.4
Fee bumping
Channel sorting and filtering
Default invoice settings
Single channel view redesign
Activity filters: add ability to filter out unpaid invoices
Persistent Activity filters
23 new fiat currencies
7 new themes
Display setting: big keypad buttons
00:45:18 Blink (Formerly Bitcoin Beach Wallet)
00:51:02 TORQ v0.19.1
Dashboard page showing on and off chain balances as well as other summary information
More advanced automation including multi-staged workflows and actions for setting channel policy and running a rebalance between channels
Most pages auto refresh their data but also include a manual refresh button
Added the ability to export channel and forwarding data to CSV
00:53:16 LND v0.16.0
Pathfinding upgrades
Watchtower improvements
RPC updates for devs
Moar backend options
00:54:30 Core Lightning v23.02.2: CBDC Backing Layer III
Pay requiring a full description (not just a hash) has been pushed back, since it broke BTCPayServer and lnbits.
Zombie channels change reverted as some pruned channels were found to still be functional.
Static channel backups no longer sent to nodes not advertising peer storage feature.
00:55:33 Lightning Terminal v0.9.0-alpha
This release of Lightning Terminal (LiT) includes updates to the versions of the integrated LND, Pool, Loop and Faraday daemons
00:55:48 The Bitcoin Company v1.27
Earn rewards automatically by linking your Visa or Mastercard in our app, shopping as you normally would, and watching the satsback at partner merchants roll in.
Send a gift card as a gift via email or Nostr DM.
Set a preferred Bitcoin address payment type (P2SH, Segwit, Taproot)
00:57:25 ZEBEDEE Borderless Payments
New feature for borderless payments lets users go from one local currency to another in seconds.
00:57:35 LNURL-pay extension
Now this extension contains the option to create a Lightning Address for each LNURL-pay code you create
Nostr
00:57:58 Damus
Local zap notifications
Add support for video uploads
Auto Translation
Portuguese, Spanish & Vietnamese translations
00:58:19 Nosotros
NIP-27 supported and used as main implementation for mentions and reposting
Mentions and repost improved in Groups and DMs
Security updates
00:58:22 Amethyst
Adds NIP 69 (Polls) support
Adds Show QR option to Profile screen
00:58:56 snort.social
Snort NIP5 management page
Short links for Snort NIP5 owners
Update Wavlake embed to support .com links
00:59:04 Nostri.chat v0.1.5
Zap on public chats
Zap DMs
00:59:12 Algia v0.0.15
Nostr CLI client written in Go
01:01:37 BRB.io
Boosts
01:03:57 Thanks to everyone who streamed sats, and shoutout to our top boosters:
@northofthewall
(212,121 sats) “Rasperry Pi-hack clip on 02:10 ; Now I truly understand why the pros don’t run LN-node on Raspberry Pi🔑”
(21,212 sats) “Bitcoin.Review should be curriculum in every college. Loved improving my knowledge of BDK & LDK🙏”
(21,212 sats) “🙏”
@hightraverse (50,000) “#simplifyfountain”
@apemithrandir
(7,777 sats) “Ape Myth-ran-deer
(7,777 sats) “NEEEEEEEERRRRRRDDDDSSSS!”
@obex (12,345 sats) “Epic rip. Mural comment was hilarious. Had also not thought of shitcoiners as a mote – very trendy.”
@mirkorainer (8,888 sats) “boosting because guy won’t. 🤝”
@ahanniga (5,000 sats) “Awesome 👍”
@gerrrrt (5,000 sats)”The best thing about podcasts where I understand about 5% of the discussion is that the other 95% is a learning opportunity.”
Project spotlight
01:05:35 The Bitcoin Time Capsule
Create a timelocked wallet on BTCapsule, and when the time comes, your bitcoin will be available to whomever you choose.
BTCapsule creates a P2SH address that is timelocked to 500,000,001 (one second above the earliest timestamp recognized by the Bitcoin network) at the script level.
The sender wallet contains a raw transaction that is timelocked to 500,000,001 at the transaction level and allows you, the original holder, to redeem your Bitcoin at any time.
The receiver wallet contains a raw transaction that is locked at whatever date you choose, which is then converted to a unix timestamp.
01:06:39 Speed Bitcoin POS
Mobile app providing a lightning payment-based point-of-sale solution
01:06:48 blowater
Nostr web client focusing on chat
01:07:06 10101
A fully self-custodial Lightning and Bitcoin Wallet featuring trustless stable sats and trading powered by DLCs.
01:08:15 Boltcards With LEDs That Light Up When You Use Them
01:08:53 Plebbin - Peer to peer Bitcoin marketplace
Buy, Sell, Rent, Exchange or Learn
01:10:51 Floresta - Utreexo-powered Electrum Server implementation Launched
A user-friendly and resource-efficient implementation of an Electrum Server that allows even novice users to run the software
Source code and releases are available on GitHub
01:12:40 BDK v1.0.0-alpha.0 Pre-release
01:16:23 OpenOrdex is an open source zero-fee trustless Bitcoin NFT marketplace based on partially signed bitcoin transactions
The seller creates a partially signed bitcoin transaction (PSBT) specifying the price of the ordinal.
The buyer can then sign the PSBT and broadcast it to the network.
News & Noteworthy
Odells’s Picks
01:19:35 Mutiny Wallet raised just over $300k during our preseed funding round
01:22:56 The Mullvad Browser Released
A privacy-focused web browser developed in a collaboration between Mullvad VPN and the Tor Project
Designed to minimize tracking and fingerprinting.
It’s TOR Browser to use without the TOR Network. Instead, you can use it with a trustworthy VPN.
The idea is to provide one more alternative – beside the TOR Network – to browse the internet with more privacy.
Bitcoin Optech Newsletter
01:25:03 243
TypeScript library for miniscript descriptors released
The TypeScript-based Bitcoin Descriptors Library has support for PSBTs, descriptors, and miniscript.
This includes support for signing directly or when using certain hardware signing devices.
News & Noteworthy Cont.
Bitcoin
01:25:30 Block Hardware Wallet first look: Bitkey
01:32:28 MicroStrategy Repays $205M Bitcoin-Collateralized Loan in Full at 22% Discount for $160M, Acquires Additional 6,455 BTC and Now Holds 138,955 BTC [Microstrategy]
01:33:21 Bitcoin Product Community launched to drive high-impact free and open source software (FOSS) and commercial projects within the bitcoin ecosystem
01:35:16 ZeroSync
ZeroSync Association launches to bring zero-knowledge proofs to Bitcoin [Press Release]
ZeroSync and Blockstream to Broadcast Bitcoin Zero-Knowledge Proofs From Space [Coindesk]
Lightning & L2
01:38:28 lnroom.live - Learn how to hack on Core Lightning (Tutorial Series)
01:38:41 What Are Blinded Paths And How Do They Work? Educational Article by Voltage
01:38:46 c= Lightning node is now up and running
01:38:55 “The future of lightning is non-custodial” - Igor Korsakov, founder of BlueWallet Alex Waltz
01:39:04 BoltCard Wallet launched a new LNDhub-based wallet [Website/Github/iOS]
BoltCard forked blue wallet and added bolt card linking capability to make it easier to get going with bolt cards
01:39:12 Bitfinex Labs releases the first fully working lightning network node that supports RGB assets
It connects to Bolt Card Hub (LNDHub fork)
Based on the Lightning Development Kit (LDK)
Still in a prototype stage, but you can now test it to create RGB asset denominated channels and route RGB payments across multiple channels
01:39:26 Lightning Prisms
Gigi Published Lightning Prisms
A Lightning Prism is a construct that allows for “lightning address value split workflows”
The concept of these value splits already exists in Podcasting 2.0
Step by step how-to guide to create a Lightning Prism split payments with LNBits
01:39:31 Lightning on Blockstream Green first look
01:39:36 Kollider Wallet Launched [Announcement]
The First Ever Browser Based Lightning Wallet with Synthetic Stablecoins
Features: Hold BTC, USD, and EUR Balances, Currency Swaps, Lightning Login, Lightning Addresses, Fast and Easy Payments, On-Chain Deposits and Withdrawals, Nostr Key Management, Lightning / Nostr Search, Lightning App Directory
01:40:07 Strike Brings Lightning-Fast Money Transfers from the U.S. to Vietnam [Yahoo]
01:40:12 Route blinding added to the Lightning specification
Nostr
01:40:35 Ben Carman Ran some analytics on zaps on nostr
95% of users have their lightning address set to a custodial wallet
91% of all zaps by volume have gone to a custodial wallet
Wallet of Satoshi is the clear winner of 50% of users and 67.5% of volume
01:41:49 DIY Nostr signing device launched by lnbits
01:41:57 Self hosted blog bounty claimed by @1chakany
This is a Ghost Blog replacement using Nostr.
If you find this project useful, please contribute. (Especially front end devs.)
01:43:07 Two more Nostr bounties added.
1st is a long form (kind23) bounty.
A Ghost-blog like self-hosted replacement on Nostr.
This would help companies move their corporate blogs to Nostr and still serve on the web.
Details: https://bountsr.org/code/2023/03/02/nostr-self-hosted-blog.html
2nd is a podcast RSS feed mirror/replacement
The main goal is to replace RSS for podcasts, and eventually have podcasts players that understand it. So that users would just follow some pubkey and the authors podcast feed magically appears on the podcast client feed.
Details: https://bountsr.org/code/2023/03/02/podcast-RSS.html
01:43:56 Stemstr
Stemstr is the web app for sharing the sounds you create in any DAW and then connecting with other producers to collaborate or to just find great sounds to make your own music with.
Privacy
01:44:15 Twitter may be banning search while using some VPNs Mullvad & ProtonVPN
01:44:36 Justice Department Investigation Leads to Takedown of Darknet Cryptocurrency Mixer ‘ChipMixer’ that Processed Over $3 Billion of Unlawful Transactions [DOJ]
01:45:09 RoninDojo launches privacy phone RoninMobile
Two models. A cheaper entry model (Pixel 6A), or a more powerful model (Pixel 6) for those that demand high performance
Funding
01:45:23 brink.dev receives $100,000 donation from The Draper Foundation for developer funding efforts
Government & Political
01:45:53 The President’s Annual Economic Report to Congress Attacks Bitcoin
Cites price fluctuations, lack of value, harm to nature, use in crime, etc.
Mining
01:46:01 Bitcoin’s hashrate touched 400 Exahash [Twitter Post]
At the current growth rate in 2023, we’d reach a Zettahash by the end of 2025
~44 Exahash went to Foundry, ~29 to AntPool, ~8 to F2Pool, ~7 to Binance Pool, and -4 on Braiins Pool. Everything else are <1% changes.
The total # of active ASICs is in the 4-4.5M range.
Many of those are older, less efficient models.
Unused inventories are more recent models.
100k inactive ASICs going online (+2.5%) would add ~12-18 EH/s (+3.5-5%)
Events
01:46:40 Nostr Japan announced for Novemeber 1-3
01:47:42 The SATSx Hackathon successfully united 11 innovative projects
Adoption
01:47:49 MercadoLibre Enables Bitcoin Trading in Chile [LinkedIn Announcement]
01:47:55 El Salvador Launches Cubo+ Educational Program Aimed At Producing Elite Bitcoin And Lightning Developers [Bitcoin Magazine]
Six month educational program entitled “CUBO+” aims to produce elite-level Bitcoin and Lighting developers through the Salvadoran university system.
Classes will range in topics from high-level technical development specific to Bitcoin, to distributed technologies such as Holepunch, Nostr and Web5
Reads
01:49:30 Purple Text, Orange Highlights: How nostr can benefit readers and writers by Gigi
Other
01:49:41 Bitstamp suspends Services in Canada with 3 Days Notice [Twitter post]
Audience Questions
01:49:56 “Is it possible to create your own multisig vault on paper, without using a wallet like Sparrow or Nunchuk?” @ARISTHODL
01:51:23 “Will any combination of the 2048 seed words generate a valid private key? (I tried recovering a wallet with the first seed word replicated 24 times to see if this was valid, and perhaps had a history of transactions, but was unsuccessful.)”
Notes & Resources
StateChannels bLIP by Nicholas Gregory & Tom Trevethan
Episode submission ideas
We’re looking for ideas for interesting panel conversations. To send Bitcoin related questions, just go to bitcoin.review and follow the contact links at the bottom of the page.
Get in touch with the pod
Nostr & LN ⚡nvk@nvk.org (not an email!)