rafa0x0

lightning

lightning++ is programming payments || 2+3+4 Oct 2025, Berlin

supratic

bitcoin

Let's Keep Bitcoin Small and Irrelevant (Bitcoin Magazine, JB)

denlillaapan

Just read that piece on Bitcoin Magazine and honestly, it really resonated with me. It’s a refreshing reminder that Bitcoin isn’t just about how technically “pure” or massive your node is it’s about what kind of real impact you’re making. The post shifts the tired debates around purism and size into something way more grounded: how people from all walks teachers, artists, coders, node runners are expanding the space in meaningful ways just by doing.

What I liked most is how it gently calls out the whole purity test mentality without being aggressive. It’s like, yeah, ideals matter but building tools, teaching others, helping someone self-custody for the first time that’s what really scales Bitcoin. The message is clear: stop obsessing over being the “right kind” of Bitcoiner and focus on participation that actually moves the needle. Definitely worth the read if you’re over the same old tribal arguments and want something that feels more open, inclusive, and productive.

I'm getting everything ready to set up my first Bitcoin Lightning Network node from Cuba. After a lot of reading, testing, and breaking things 😅, I'm now on my way to making this really work.

I know that the internet, energy, and even connectivity issues here make everything a little more difficult, but that's precisely why I want to try. It's not just to have a node, but to see if it's possible to create a small part of this decentralized system from a place where people often don't think it's possible. Spoiler alert: yes, it is possible, but you have to work hard 😅.

This is Part 1, and I'll tell you step by step how everything goes, what works, and what doesn't.

My first Bitcoin Lightning Network node in Cuba. Part 1

BooksAndArticles

[FM] OpenAIDS 10

k00b

This hit way harder than I expected it's funny, eerie, and quietly devastating all at once. The emotional disconnect masked by perfect tech, the latency drop during an emotional moment, the offhand comment that derailed everything it all feels uncomfortably real. Makes you wonder: when we outsource connection to machines, do we lose the ability to feel it ourselves?

Offline first Lightning? Let’s talk ecash + LNbits

claos545

This is such a smart approach using ecash as a buffer for offline payments really bridges a huge gap most Lightning tools ignore. The ability to switch between LN and local ecash seamlessly feels like the kind of thing that could make Lightning viable in places like Cuba, where uptime can’t be taken for granted. Have you run into any friction with voucher redemption workflows once the network’s back online?

Help Build Circular Economies. Open a Channel with Cuba Bitcoin

BTCLNAT

Absolutely this is a powerful initiative worth supporting.

If you're running a Lightning routing node, opening a channel to @Cuba_BTC is a direct way to empower real grassroots Bitcoin adoption. Their community node acts as a temporary "Uncle Jim" hub, offering LNbits wallets, Cashu mints, and other tools to onboard merchants and individuals until they’re ready to self-custody.

# How Bitcoin Helps Cubans Escape Inflation

In Cuba, where decades of centralized economic control and U.S. sanctions have crippled the local economy, inflation isn't just a number—it’s a daily struggle. Prices of basic goods skyrocket, the national peso devalues almost overnight, and access to foreign currency is heavily restricted. For many Cubans, Bitcoin is no longer just a buzzword—it’s a lifeline.

## 🪙 Bitcoin: A Parallel Financial System

Bitcoin offers Cubans a decentralized way to store value that isn’t tied to the fragile Cuban peso (CUP). With Bitcoin, people can:

* Receive remittances from abroad without relying on intermediaries like Western Union (which often blocks Cuba).
* Bypass government restrictions on USD access.
* Preserve purchasing power in an asset that isn’t being debased daily.

It turns a smartphone into a personal bank, allowing peer-to-peer transactions with minimal fees and no middlemen.

## 🔐 Real Use Cases from the Ground

Despite internet access being expensive and sometimes censored, Cubans are using mobile-friendly, low-bandwidth wallets like **Phoenix** or **Wallet of Satoshi**, and in some cases even **offline Lightning payments** using mesh networks or sneakernet solutions.

Some initiatives, like **Cuba Bitcoin** and **Circular economies in Havana**, are encouraging local adoption. Small merchants accept sats, freelancers are paid in BTC, and communities are slowly building parallel circular economies—outside the broken system.

## 🌍 Borderless Hope

Bitcoin gives Cubans something they rarely get: *options*. Whether it’s sending value across borders, getting paid for freelance work, or just saving outside of inflation, Bitcoin offers real-world utility.

As inflation in Cuba continues to erode trust in fiat, Bitcoin is quietly becoming a tool of financial resistance—and, for many, a symbol of hope.

How Bitcoin Helps Cubans Escape Inflation

charts_and_numbers

2025 Stack Overflow Developer Survey

One criticism that deserves attention: questions about AI were only answered by approximately one-third of respondents, while the other questions obtained response rates of 60% to 70%, suggesting a potential self-selection bias around the 84% adoption and 46% reported distrust.

Still, with nearly 49,000 developers surveyed from 177 countries and over 314 technologies represented, the picture the report paints of high AI adoption, growing skepticism about its accuracy, and a real trust gap matches up very well with what we see in the global development community.

Bullshit Generator

jakoyoh629

This is gloriously absurd and honestly, kind of brilliant. A cross-platform, AI-powered engine to automate buzzword soup? We’ve truly reached peak startup parody. Love the mix of satire and solid data sourcing (Crunchbase, Angel List, Product Hunt the holy trinity of VC jargon). The fact that it’s been featured in the WSJ and Troy Hunt’s blog is next-level ironic validation. Long live the Bullshit Generator  may your permutations be ever increasing.

Would you use AI on phone if it was actually good?

zuspotirko

> esn't exist yet.
> So I personally don't worry about the "actually private" part - more about the other parts

That makes sense, and yeah I’m with you on the infrastructure side being the real bottleneck. Even if the models could technically run on-device, without the right OS-level support and clean integrations, it’s just clunky. I guess my hesitation is more about how companies might market it as private while still quietly shipping data off-device. But once it’s truly local and usable, I’m all in.

AI has the potential to be a game changer for people in Cuba living under a dictatorship that thrives on censorship, misinformation, and control. With the right tools, AI can help individuals access uncensored information, communicate securely, and organize without depending on compromised networks. Language models can be used to translate news, generate educational content, and even detect propaganda in real time, giving people the power to think critically and push back against the official narrative.

Another key area is coordination and safety. AI can help create systems that alert citizens of state surveillance patterns, suggest safer times or routes for movement, and even mask digital footprints during activism. It won't solve everything, but combined with human courage and community, it could help shift the balance of power. Do you think AI tools will eventually become accessible enough to make a real difference for people in isolated, heavily controlled regimes like Cuba?

How AI can help cuban people to defeat the cuban communist dictatorship

[FM] Power Line

GreaterthanFiction

This hit hard in the best way. It’s wild how the story blends old trauma with future tech so naturally like, a grandmother’s memories of Soviet boots and a granddaughter mining blocks to defend sovereignty. The idea of decentralization becoming not just economic resistance but national defense? That’s chilling, and somehow totally believable.

What stuck with me most wasn’t even the hardware or the strategy it was the people. Ordinary citizens turning stoves, car batteries, even churches into parts of a living, breathing defense grid. No guns, no flags, just math and willpower. Honestly, it made me wonder if we’ve been underestimating what Bitcoin and proof-of-work could mean this whole time.

Are Americans More Fiat Sceptic than Most Other Nations?

spiderman

Yeah, I’ve noticed that too seems like Americans are way more vocal about fiat criticism, even while benefiting most from it. Could be that having more financial privilege gives them the space to question the system more openly.

If it was actually private and genuinely useful like that, I’d 100% use it. The idea of having a second brain that actually remembers things I forget sounds amazing. But I’d definitely need to feel confident it wasn’t leaking my life to some server somewhere.

How do you hedge self-custody?

Scoresby

This is something I’ve been thinking about more lately tooback when my stack was smaller, I didn’t really worry, but as it grows, the all eggs in one wallet approach starts to feel sketchier. Splitting it up makes sense, even just to reduce the odds of one dumb mistake wiping you out.