Nostr notes by Zsubmariner

Yes, "we are the white hats, we are the red team" would ...

2026-09-06T23:29:44Z

Yes, "we are the white hats, we are the red team" would be great cover. Wouldn't it
... *cough*

quoting
nevent1q…d03m
“We are whitehats” feels like a cover in case the hackers get caught eventually

IMO, the answer to "one man show" is "so what". ...

2026-09-03T23:42:39Z

In reply to nevent1q…ngh3
_________________________

IMO, the answer to "one man show" is "so what". There is always a leader or an inventor when things start. Every time someone takes initiative, people with no sense of agency naysay and "one man show". Satoshi was a one man show, until he wasn't. It's a meaningless argument against all agents of change.

Just enter it into your wallet of choice. If, for instance, you ...

2026-09-03T20:59:10Z

In reply to nevent1q…h090
_________________________

Just enter it into your wallet of choice. If, for instance, you are using sparrow on tails, just use that seed, generate a receive address and do a test transaction to send a few sats to it. Confirm that you can recover. All the usual things. Go slow, take care.

I think this is a dark chapter for Bitcoin, but it is still our ...

2026-08-31T21:08:17Z

In reply to nevent1q…glqm
_________________________

I think this is a dark chapter for Bitcoin, but it is still our best hope and the fight is not over. Bitcoin will either be decentralized and secure peer-to-peer electronic cash or it will be captured as part of fiat and we will have to build something else.

Nostr event nevent1qqsdram6yn43ysq47jaf2d8gzy9j205fv8vw0wu7wsqumu6ls3k0hfczyrzrdrz39ecwxe2clgt8je7dw07g829fql4r3vlddq6clj7l4vx6v8wlsas

2026-08-28T00:39:22Z

In reply to nevent1q…a52p
_________________________

Yeah, it's a good thing. I don't disagree.

2026-08-22T18:53:03Z

In reply to nevent1q…vvrr
_________________________

Yeah, it's a good thing. I don't disagree.

Its not about the legalism, though. It's about the culture. ...

2026-08-22T08:31:23Z

In reply to nevent1q…f0hd
_________________________

Its not about the legalism, though. It's about the culture. We tend say "open source good" or whatever. I have realized over the years that its not so much about the form. Its about people and intent. Legalism can alwats be perverted. Integrity is always a human question . This is the good guys fighting back and I'm here for it. Watching Linux get captured over the last 15 years has been brutal. Taking it back would be a great victory and a model for reclaiming Bitcoin. Cede no ground.

This is how you resist capture. Good job @nprofile…nj96 ...

2026-08-22T03:25:45Z

This is how you resist capture. Good job jack (nprofile…nj96)

https://youtu.be/-GiugFOFI_w

😞

2026-08-21T03:17:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…rr4e
_________________________

😞

Self-custody is not a gadget. There is no easy button. Hardware ...

2026-08-14T16:54:23Z

In reply to nevent1q…3872
_________________________

Self-custody is not a gadget. There is no easy button.

Hardware wallets became synonymous with self custody but they were the wrong model all along. Hardware wallets are dead.

Not the way things are. But one day they will. I am sure many ...

2026-08-14T03:35:57Z

In reply to nevent1q…xjrq
_________________________

Not the way things are. But one day they will. I am sure many would thought the notion of everyone driving was ludicrous. Nothing ever changes until it does

Your hands. Your eyes. 5 dice and a numbered list of words. It IS ...

2026-08-13T21:53:04Z

Your hands. Your eyes. 5 dice and a numbered list of words.

It IS NOT hard.

And it is the best education in self-custody you will ever get. It will click for you: "this is my secret and it is all mine, to keep or lose."

Then the whole game of cryptography is made clear to you.

The rest is just details of how you handle that secret.

Keeping the secret while you use it still requires paying careful attention. But now you know the name of the game.

If you protect that secret, everything that it protects is yours and yours alone.

That is self-custody.

Quantum threat is an unfalsifiable trust-the-experts group-think ...

2026-08-12T22:46:23Z

In reply to nevent1q…ersd
_________________________

Quantum threat is an unfalsifiable trust-the-experts group-think boogieman. When someone brings it up, I ask myself how they are using it to advance their agenda. Are they an ambitious dev looking for a way to be important? A company digging a regulatory moat? An agency expanding their power with security initiatives? Media looking for clicks? Or just someone trying to suck up to or fit in?

I don't know yet

2026-08-12T17:29:51Z

In reply to nevent1q…w7xd
_________________________

I don't know yet

Even in Bitcoin, there are Weimar vibes.

2026-08-12T09:01:35Z

In reply to nevent1q…v2tp
_________________________

Even in Bitcoin, there are Weimar vibes.

😂

2026-08-12T07:28:11Z

In reply to nevent1q…js02
_________________________

😂

Thanks. I have warmed up to the idea of the split even more and I ...

2026-08-12T05:22:56Z

In reply to nevent1q…66re
_________________________

Thanks. I have warmed up to the idea of the split even more and I should say I don't think it constitutes giving up or crashing out. It puts pressure on the old chain to fix the capture problem. Or insurance if it doesn't.

I mean, I wish we were doing better against capture and this never happened, but we have to deal with it somehow

A starting pistol or a bell, as long as everybody hears it at the ...

2026-08-12T04:40:27Z

In reply to nevent1q…wtjj
_________________________

A starting pistol or a bell, as long as everybody hears it at the same time?

I showed this to my 8 yrld a d he loved it. Thanks

2026-08-12T03:20:13Z

In reply to nevent1q…0jwq
_________________________

I showed this to my 8 yrld a d he loved it. Thanks

I'm sorry but this solves a non-probem. A pack of dice from ...

2026-08-12T00:06:23Z

In reply to nevent1q…dphf
_________________________

I'm sorry but this solves a non-probem. A pack of dice from the toy store, an old shoe box and a printed table to look up words is fine.

Yeah, using tails for specific uses is more handy. Qubes is just ...

2026-08-11T23:59:26Z

In reply to nevent1q…ks2c
_________________________

Yeah, using tails for specific uses is more handy. Qubes is just too clunky

That's actually the problem. They built it for a dissident ...

2026-08-11T23:57:42Z

In reply to nevent1q…ypvd
_________________________

That's actually the problem. They built it for a dissident journalist. Which is great, but it would be better as two projects: a technical layer and a usability layer built over it

I don't think this matters much. Open source code quality is ...

2026-08-11T22:30:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…3dh4
_________________________

I don't think this matters much. Open source code quality is not necessarily better. It's about the culture, practices and resources of whomever is responsible. Verifiable source transparency is primarily a security benefit because of public accountability and an open license ensures the code you depend on can't be taken away. Open source, as practiced, as a big hippy drum circle, is a mess. Everybody is building on a thousand dependencies that they assume someone else has read. Piles of third party trust and not enough accountability. Deep layers of supply chain with unknown build and distribution security.

This model is ending the way that the insecure free-for-all of the early internet era had to end. AI is making it easier to build more responsibly without commits from an unaccountable mob and easier to get powned if you don't. It not that AI really changes the equation, but it scales some key variables.

Yeah, I don't think core itself is recoverable. I've been ...

2026-08-11T22:12:31Z

In reply to nevent1q…525j
_________________________

Yeah, I don't think core itself is recoverable. I've been watching open source projects get captured for a long long time. It's cooked.

The more I think about it, the more bullish I am on this split. ...

2026-08-11T21:23:06Z

The more I think about it, the more bullish I am on this split. If we can't beat the capture of the main chain, the Knotts chain is an insurance policy. It puts competitive pressure on the main chain to clean up. Either way. Let the true Bitcoin win.

Luke Dashjr (nprofile…c93l) and co, thank you again for your principled work

quoting
nevent1q…kzqc
Bitcoin is Young
Don't panic and don't crash out.

For those who were aligned with BIP110, let's take a breath.

Bitcoin is too important to give up because we lost one battle. This was not the first L we've taken and it will not be the last. Bitcoin is a once-in-a-millennium opportunity to free civilization from the parasite of usury. How easy did you think that was going to be? If you get demoralized and leave, you are ceding the network.

When I was much younger, I got demoralized about the chances of the cypherpunk mission ever succeeding. Everything was going the wrong way and smug, derisive people seemed determined to enslave themselves. So I shook my head and turned my back.

It took me a long, long time to get back on the field. I was cynical and very slow to take Bitcoin seriously. I regret my lack of faith, deeply. I shirked my mission. I'm ashamed of it. If you give up on Bitcoin now, I think you might regret it too. The fight isn't over and you are needed. If you are one of the few who understand what this fight was actually about, you are greatly needed.

Bitcoin is young. Very young. The fight has just begun.

I supported 110 for two reasons. The immediate issue was stopping network abuse by shitcoiners and spammers. But the deeper and more critical point was, and is, about capture. Capture is the greater threat. The greatest threat.

I felt and feel that repudiating the facilitation of spam by captured and misguided Core devs is critical. Anything accomplished by capture needs to be reversed, resoundingly, as a deterrent to further capture. Capture is a motte-and-bailey game. The counter-move is to crush the motte. When they take an inch, we should take back a mile. Every time.

Both are fights that will never end and we won't win every battle. Vigilance and perseverance are prices of freedom.

It's legitimate to say "if Bitcoin fails we will build another money and try again." Absolutely. But we are nowhere near that, IMHO. Demoralization is poison. Don't take the poison. This network is still ours to lose. Or they wouldn't be attacking it like this.

The usury system still rules the world and is very, very good at subversion, corruption and demoralization. That is the very essence of its power. Betrayal will lurk around every corner. Resistance is going to be insanely hard. It's going to take patience and the willingness to level up. It's a mental and spiritual war. Hold the line.

And this was not a total loss. We got a lot of new information. Many masks have come off. And the machinery of capture has revealed itself, which is even more important.

What did we learn?

Who gets it and who doesn't
Who many of the actual bad actors are
That some of our thought leadership is less than stellar
How vanishingly few Bitcoiners really understand what Bitcoin is
That miner centralization and dev capture have neutered the UASF
That culture, tribal politics, and dev funding are attack surfaces we need to defend vociferously

Maybe we already knew a lot of these things on some level, but I think more of us have a better sense of the sophistication and scale of what we are facing now. I certainly see the picture more clearly. And I'm not going anywhere.

I know it's hard to watch these people who didn't get it gloat and troll. It's discouraging to have the very people you are trying to help mock you for your effort and celebrate their own usurpation. But that's always going to be the way. They know not what they do.

To the brave ones who poured their hearts into this, thank you. nprofile1qqsw3p5pela795rxxff34kgfafsaawhnkqp8ehmgm2my49dgx9fjclcpzemhxue69uhkzarvv9ejumn0wd68ytnvv9hxgqg7waehxw309anx2etywvhxummnw3ezucnpdejz7mrpdenj7etn37n9fy (nprofile…n9fy) Luke Dashjr (nprofile…c93l) GrassFedBitcoin (nprofile…566r) and many others. We all owe you a lot and anybody who doesn't see that you were trying to defend the network and everything that makes it important is missing the plot. If you decide to build another network, I get it and you have my support too.

But I'm not ceding Bitcoin. This is far from over.

To the well-meaning who took a different position, I still think you got this wrong, but we are still brothers. I will keep an open mind and I hope you will too. Bitcoin is young. We've never had anything like it before. And we are all still learning.

The bad actors and shitcoiners who would sell humanity's chance at freedom for personal gain will only wreck themselves in the end. Pray for them. They're still trapped in fiat, playing a negative-sum game that nobody wins. Bitcoin is a truth machine and we're not going to let it fail.

Qubes is so clunky. Somebody needs to make a tighter variant of ...

2026-08-11T21:02:37Z

In reply to nevent1q…sf9e
_________________________

Qubes is so clunky. Somebody needs to make a tighter variant of that architectural concept. Split ssh/gpg is awesome. I've been hoping for years

*people deserve

2026-08-11T18:01:17Z

In reply to nevent1q…na2s
_________________________

*people deserve

"Rolling dice ... Is not easy". Really? I'm ...

2026-08-11T18:00:04Z

In reply to nevent1q…24sv
_________________________

"Rolling dice ... Is not easy". Really?

I'm disappointed to see you talking like this, @jimmysong. It is not hard to roll 5 dice and look at a list of words and write one down. It's not hard to do 24 times.

"100 dice rolls" is misleading. Doing data entry on a gadget with each roll in absurd. Putting the software of the device in charge of interpreting your dice rolls defeats the pupose, putting third parties right back between you and your entropy.

I expect this garbage from halfwit infulencers. I did not expect this from you.

Stop saying "rolling dice is hard". Stop feeding into this learned helplessness lie.

Please deserve better advice than this from an expert like you.

Can you imagine Satoshi pitching Bitcoin to VCs? Can you imagine ...

2026-08-11T16:07:47Z

Can you imagine Satoshi pitching Bitcoin to VCs?

Can you imagine the scoffing and mockery of midwit influencers?

I think the trick is to find something you believe in so much that you'd rather die than not try.

Favorite fiatjaf (nprofile…3as9) note so far.

quoting
nevent1q…tfea
If you agree that the world without idealists is a hollow place why are you trying to get rid of the idealists?

No. Be a idealist. We need more idealists. Life is not worth living if you aren't one.

nevent1q…juy8

Bitcoin is not a tool, Bitcoin is a dream that we have to struggle to make real.

If it was just a tool it would be a very stupid and useless tool and not worth mentioning or thinking about ever.

So true. My belief is that civilization is built by fathers ...

2026-08-11T06:16:11Z

In reply to nevent1q…9vy5
_________________________

So true. My belief is that civilization is built by fathers trying to prepare their sons for the world and where it is going. There is no greater skin in the game.

I may get flack for gendering that, but men face the world in a unique way, in general. And the record bears it out.

When men are doing this civilizations rise. When they are not, civilizations fall.

I'm not sure how it work out. It think it's complicated. ...

2026-08-11T05:12:51Z

In reply to nevent1q…ykpp
_________________________

I'm not sure how it work out. It think it's complicated. It would theoretically make the market more fluid and open it up. It would put it into more direct competition with AI for GPUs. What's going to happen with gpus is a guess. Will GPU demand tank after the overbuild we are likely in? Will older GPUs flood the market after newer models push them out? Not to get all Austrian but capital has structure. I only thought of this today, so I don't have much of a cooked mental model yet

They are probably getting ready to have a rotate menu of algos ...

2026-08-11T04:14:40Z

In reply to nevent1q…xw0e
_________________________

They are probably getting ready to have a rotate menu of algos that switch at random to make it asic-resistant. That's what I would do.

It means the high trust drum circle of open source is closing. ...

2026-08-11T03:54:07Z

In reply to nevent1q…kxwk
_________________________

It means the high trust drum circle of open source is closing. Like the internet had no security, then it grew up. Open source has been a playground, an anything goes hippy PR jam session. A remix orgy of dependency sprawl. That model was already failing.

There is actually nothing special about AI. Security always works like this. It's just yet another escalation.

The real danger is the gate keeping. If you are denied access to advanced models for "safety" you will be at a disadvantage and at the mercy of those who do have that advantage.

You could apply both first and second ammendment arguments to it.

This exists since forever. Gentu. Guix.

2026-08-11T03:29:02Z

In reply to nevent1q…njax
_________________________

This exists since forever. Gentu. Guix.

You can't. Not yet

2026-08-11T03:14:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…azpw
_________________________

You can't. Not yet

Sorry, wrong note. #nevent1q…kzqc

2026-08-10T23:57:59Z

In reply to nevent1q…tgcw
_________________________

Sorry, wrong note.

quoting
nevent1q…kzqc
Bitcoin is Young
Don't panic and don't crash out.

For those who were aligned with BIP110, let's take a breath.

Bitcoin is too important to give up because we lost one battle. This was not the first L we've taken and it will not be the last. Bitcoin is a once-in-a-millennium opportunity to free civilization from the parasite of usury. How easy did you think that was going to be? If you get demoralized and leave, you are ceding the network.

When I was much younger, I got demoralized about the chances of the cypherpunk mission ever succeeding. Everything was going the wrong way and smug, derisive people seemed determined to enslave themselves. So I shook my head and turned my back.

It took me a long, long time to get back on the field. I was cynical and very slow to take Bitcoin seriously. I regret my lack of faith, deeply. I shirked my mission. I'm ashamed of it. If you give up on Bitcoin now, I think you might regret it too. The fight isn't over and you are needed. If you are one of the few who understand what this fight was actually about, you are greatly needed.

Bitcoin is young. Very young. The fight has just begun.

I supported 110 for two reasons. The immediate issue was stopping network abuse by shitcoiners and spammers. But the deeper and more critical point was, and is, about capture. Capture is the greater threat. The greatest threat.

I felt and feel that repudiating the facilitation of spam by captured and misguided Core devs is critical. Anything accomplished by capture needs to be reversed, resoundingly, as a deterrent to further capture. Capture is a motte-and-bailey game. The counter-move is to crush the motte. When they take an inch, we should take back a mile. Every time.

Both are fights that will never end and we won't win every battle. Vigilance and perseverance are prices of freedom.

It's legitimate to say "if Bitcoin fails we will build another money and try again." Absolutely. But we are nowhere near that, IMHO. Demoralization is poison. Don't take the poison. This network is still ours to lose. Or they wouldn't be attacking it like this.

The usury system still rules the world and is very, very good at subversion, corruption and demoralization. That is the very essence of its power. Betrayal will lurk around every corner. Resistance is going to be insanely hard. It's going to take patience and the willingness to level up. It's a mental and spiritual war. Hold the line.

And this was not a total loss. We got a lot of new information. Many masks have come off. And the machinery of capture has revealed itself, which is even more important.

What did we learn?

Who gets it and who doesn't
Who many of the actual bad actors are
That some of our thought leadership is less than stellar
How vanishingly few Bitcoiners really understand what Bitcoin is
That miner centralization and dev capture have neutered the UASF
That culture, tribal politics, and dev funding are attack surfaces we need to defend vociferously

Maybe we already knew a lot of these things on some level, but I think more of us have a better sense of the sophistication and scale of what we are facing now. I certainly see the picture more clearly. And I'm not going anywhere.

I know it's hard to watch these people who didn't get it gloat and troll. It's discouraging to have the very people you are trying to help mock you for your effort and celebrate their own usurpation. But that's always going to be the way. They know not what they do.

To the brave ones who poured their hearts into this, thank you. nprofile1qqsw3p5pela795rxxff34kgfafsaawhnkqp8ehmgm2my49dgx9fjclcpzemhxue69uhkzarvv9ejumn0wd68ytnvv9hxgqg7waehxw309anx2etywvhxummnw3ezucnpdejz7mrpdenj7etn37n9fy (nprofile…n9fy) Luke Dashjr (nprofile…c93l) GrassFedBitcoin (nprofile…566r) and many others. We all owe you a lot and anybody who doesn't see that you were trying to defend the network and everything that makes it important is missing the plot. If you decide to build another network, I get it and you have my support too.

But I'm not ceding Bitcoin. This is far from over.

To the well-meaning who took a different position, I still think you got this wrong, but we are still brothers. I will keep an open mind and I hope you will too. Bitcoin is young. We've never had anything like it before. And we are all still learning.

The bad actors and shitcoiners who would sell humanity's chance at freedom for personal gain will only wreck themselves in the end. Pray for them. They're still trapped in fiat, playing a negative-sum game that nobody wins. Bitcoin is a truth machine and we're not going to let it fail.

I get it but I think we need to hodl the line. #nevent1q…3fnv

2026-08-10T23:56:34Z

In reply to nevent1q…tgcw
_________________________

I get it but I think we need to hodl the line.

quoting
nevent1q…3fnv
NVK Was Wrong: Fear, Theater, and Self-Custody
The case for general-purpose cryptography

https://zsubmesh.net/essays/nvk-was-wrong.html

If you are a user or a builder of self-custody tools, I have written and essay that I would like you to read.

Should have cced @nprofile…h34j on this too. @nprofile…gpax ...

2026-08-10T23:53:00Z

In reply to nevent1q…hxqm
_________________________

Should have cced BitcoinUniversity (nprofile…h34j) on this too. hodlonaut (nprofile…gpax) and Chris Guida (nprofile…n29e) as well.

Thanks. Good to see. Though I think this only verifies that the ...

2026-08-10T23:28:53Z

In reply to nevent1q…9k2h
_________________________

Thanks. Good to see. Though I think this only verifies that the mechanism of the bug was not the big lesson. "Make no mistakes."

quoting
nevent1q…3fnv
NVK Was Wrong: Fear, Theater, and Self-Custody
The case for general-purpose cryptography

https://zsubmesh.net/essays/nvk-was-wrong.html

If you are a user or a builder of self-custody tools, I have written and essay that I would like you to read.

Absolutely. #nevent1q…kzqc

2026-08-10T23:13:15Z

In reply to nevent1q…y8d6
_________________________

Absolutely.

quoting
nevent1q…kzqc
Bitcoin is Young
Don't panic and don't crash out.

For those who were aligned with BIP110, let's take a breath.

Bitcoin is too important to give up because we lost one battle. This was not the first L we've taken and it will not be the last. Bitcoin is a once-in-a-millennium opportunity to free civilization from the parasite of usury. How easy did you think that was going to be? If you get demoralized and leave, you are ceding the network.

When I was much younger, I got demoralized about the chances of the cypherpunk mission ever succeeding. Everything was going the wrong way and smug, derisive people seemed determined to enslave themselves. So I shook my head and turned my back.

It took me a long, long time to get back on the field. I was cynical and very slow to take Bitcoin seriously. I regret my lack of faith, deeply. I shirked my mission. I'm ashamed of it. If you give up on Bitcoin now, I think you might regret it too. The fight isn't over and you are needed. If you are one of the few who understand what this fight was actually about, you are greatly needed.

Bitcoin is young. Very young. The fight has just begun.

I supported 110 for two reasons. The immediate issue was stopping network abuse by shitcoiners and spammers. But the deeper and more critical point was, and is, about capture. Capture is the greater threat. The greatest threat.

I felt and feel that repudiating the facilitation of spam by captured and misguided Core devs is critical. Anything accomplished by capture needs to be reversed, resoundingly, as a deterrent to further capture. Capture is a motte-and-bailey game. The counter-move is to crush the motte. When they take an inch, we should take back a mile. Every time.

Both are fights that will never end and we won't win every battle. Vigilance and perseverance are prices of freedom.

It's legitimate to say "if Bitcoin fails we will build another money and try again." Absolutely. But we are nowhere near that, IMHO. Demoralization is poison. Don't take the poison. This network is still ours to lose. Or they wouldn't be attacking it like this.

The usury system still rules the world and is very, very good at subversion, corruption and demoralization. That is the very essence of its power. Betrayal will lurk around every corner. Resistance is going to be insanely hard. It's going to take patience and the willingness to level up. It's a mental and spiritual war. Hold the line.

And this was not a total loss. We got a lot of new information. Many masks have come off. And the machinery of capture has revealed itself, which is even more important.

What did we learn?

Who gets it and who doesn't
Who many of the actual bad actors are
That some of our thought leadership is less than stellar
How vanishingly few Bitcoiners really understand what Bitcoin is
That miner centralization and dev capture have neutered the UASF
That culture, tribal politics, and dev funding are attack surfaces we need to defend vociferously

Maybe we already knew a lot of these things on some level, but I think more of us have a better sense of the sophistication and scale of what we are facing now. I certainly see the picture more clearly. And I'm not going anywhere.

I know it's hard to watch these people who didn't get it gloat and troll. It's discouraging to have the very people you are trying to help mock you for your effort and celebrate their own usurpation. But that's always going to be the way. They know not what they do.

To the brave ones who poured their hearts into this, thank you. nprofile1qqsw3p5pela795rxxff34kgfafsaawhnkqp8ehmgm2my49dgx9fjclcpzemhxue69uhkzarvv9ejumn0wd68ytnvv9hxgqg7waehxw309anx2etywvhxummnw3ezucnpdejz7mrpdenj7etn37n9fy (nprofile…n9fy) Luke Dashjr (nprofile…c93l) GrassFedBitcoin (nprofile…566r) and many others. We all owe you a lot and anybody who doesn't see that you were trying to defend the network and everything that makes it important is missing the plot. If you decide to build another network, I get it and you have my support too.

But I'm not ceding Bitcoin. This is far from over.

To the well-meaning who took a different position, I still think you got this wrong, but we are still brothers. I will keep an open mind and I hope you will too. Bitcoin is young. We've never had anything like it before. And we are all still learning.

The bad actors and shitcoiners who would sell humanity's chance at freedom for personal gain will only wreck themselves in the end. Pray for them. They're still trapped in fiat, playing a negative-sum game that nobody wins. Bitcoin is a truth machine and we're not going to let it fail.

Jeff is right. #nevent1q…kzqc

2026-08-10T23:09:44Z

In reply to nevent1q…emnd
_________________________

Jeff is right.

quoting
nevent1q…kzqc
Bitcoin is Young
Don't panic and don't crash out.

For those who were aligned with BIP110, let's take a breath.

Bitcoin is too important to give up because we lost one battle. This was not the first L we've taken and it will not be the last. Bitcoin is a once-in-a-millennium opportunity to free civilization from the parasite of usury. How easy did you think that was going to be? If you get demoralized and leave, you are ceding the network.

When I was much younger, I got demoralized about the chances of the cypherpunk mission ever succeeding. Everything was going the wrong way and smug, derisive people seemed determined to enslave themselves. So I shook my head and turned my back.

It took me a long, long time to get back on the field. I was cynical and very slow to take Bitcoin seriously. I regret my lack of faith, deeply. I shirked my mission. I'm ashamed of it. If you give up on Bitcoin now, I think you might regret it too. The fight isn't over and you are needed. If you are one of the few who understand what this fight was actually about, you are greatly needed.

Bitcoin is young. Very young. The fight has just begun.

I supported 110 for two reasons. The immediate issue was stopping network abuse by shitcoiners and spammers. But the deeper and more critical point was, and is, about capture. Capture is the greater threat. The greatest threat.

I felt and feel that repudiating the facilitation of spam by captured and misguided Core devs is critical. Anything accomplished by capture needs to be reversed, resoundingly, as a deterrent to further capture. Capture is a motte-and-bailey game. The counter-move is to crush the motte. When they take an inch, we should take back a mile. Every time.

Both are fights that will never end and we won't win every battle. Vigilance and perseverance are prices of freedom.

It's legitimate to say "if Bitcoin fails we will build another money and try again." Absolutely. But we are nowhere near that, IMHO. Demoralization is poison. Don't take the poison. This network is still ours to lose. Or they wouldn't be attacking it like this.

The usury system still rules the world and is very, very good at subversion, corruption and demoralization. That is the very essence of its power. Betrayal will lurk around every corner. Resistance is going to be insanely hard. It's going to take patience and the willingness to level up. It's a mental and spiritual war. Hold the line.

And this was not a total loss. We got a lot of new information. Many masks have come off. And the machinery of capture has revealed itself, which is even more important.

What did we learn?

Who gets it and who doesn't
Who many of the actual bad actors are
That some of our thought leadership is less than stellar
How vanishingly few Bitcoiners really understand what Bitcoin is
That miner centralization and dev capture have neutered the UASF
That culture, tribal politics, and dev funding are attack surfaces we need to defend vociferously

Maybe we already knew a lot of these things on some level, but I think more of us have a better sense of the sophistication and scale of what we are facing now. I certainly see the picture more clearly. And I'm not going anywhere.

I know it's hard to watch these people who didn't get it gloat and troll. It's discouraging to have the very people you are trying to help mock you for your effort and celebrate their own usurpation. But that's always going to be the way. They know not what they do.

To the brave ones who poured their hearts into this, thank you. nprofile1qqsw3p5pela795rxxff34kgfafsaawhnkqp8ehmgm2my49dgx9fjclcpzemhxue69uhkzarvv9ejumn0wd68ytnvv9hxgqg7waehxw309anx2etywvhxummnw3ezucnpdejz7mrpdenj7etn37n9fy (nprofile…n9fy) Luke Dashjr (nprofile…c93l) GrassFedBitcoin (nprofile…566r) and many others. We all owe you a lot and anybody who doesn't see that you were trying to defend the network and everything that makes it important is missing the plot. If you decide to build another network, I get it and you have my support too.

But I'm not ceding Bitcoin. This is far from over.

To the well-meaning who took a different position, I still think you got this wrong, but we are still brothers. I will keep an open mind and I hope you will too. Bitcoin is young. We've never had anything like it before. And we are all still learning.

The bad actors and shitcoiners who would sell humanity's chance at freedom for personal gain will only wreck themselves in the end. Pray for them. They're still trapped in fiat, playing a negative-sum game that nobody wins. Bitcoin is a truth machine and we're not going to let it fail.

Bitcoin is Young Don't panic and don't crash out. For ...

2026-08-10T23:01:09Z

Bitcoin is Young
Don't panic and don't crash out.

For those who were aligned with BIP110, let's take a breath.

Bitcoin is too important to give up because we lost one battle. This was not the first L we've taken and it will not be the last. Bitcoin is a once-in-a-millennium opportunity to free civilization from the parasite of usury. How easy did you think that was going to be? If you get demoralized and leave, you are ceding the network.

When I was much younger, I got demoralized about the chances of the cypherpunk mission ever succeeding. Everything was going the wrong way and smug, derisive people seemed determined to enslave themselves. So I shook my head and turned my back.

It took me a long, long time to get back on the field. I was cynical and very slow to take Bitcoin seriously. I regret my lack of faith, deeply. I shirked my mission. I'm ashamed of it. If you give up on Bitcoin now, I think you might regret it too. The fight isn't over and you are needed. If you are one of the few who understand what this fight was actually about, you are greatly needed.

Bitcoin is young. Very young. The fight has just begun.

I supported 110 for two reasons. The immediate issue was stopping network abuse by shitcoiners and spammers. But the deeper and more critical point was, and is, about capture. Capture is the greater threat. The greatest threat.

I felt and feel that repudiating the facilitation of spam by captured and misguided Core devs is critical. Anything accomplished by capture needs to be reversed, resoundingly, as a deterrent to further capture. Capture is a motte-and-bailey game. The counter-move is to crush the motte. When they take an inch, we should take back a mile. Every time.

Both are fights that will never end and we won't win every battle. Vigilance and perseverance are prices of freedom.

It's legitimate to say "if Bitcoin fails we will build another money and try again." Absolutely. But we are nowhere near that, IMHO. Demoralization is poison. Don't take the poison. This network is still ours to lose. Or they wouldn't be attacking it like this.

The usury system still rules the world and is very, very good at subversion, corruption and demoralization. That is the very essence of its power. Betrayal will lurk around every corner. Resistance is going to be insanely hard. It's going to take patience and the willingness to level up. It's a mental and spiritual war. Hold the line.

And this was not a total loss. We got a lot of new information. Many masks have come off. And the machinery of capture has revealed itself, which is even more important.

What did we learn?

Who gets it and who doesn't
Who many of the actual bad actors are
That some of our thought leadership is less than stellar
How vanishingly few Bitcoiners really understand what Bitcoin is
That miner centralization and dev capture have neutered the UASF
That culture, tribal politics, and dev funding are attack surfaces we need to defend vociferously

Maybe we already knew a lot of these things on some level, but I think more of us have a better sense of the sophistication and scale of what we are facing now. I certainly see the picture more clearly. And I'm not going anywhere.

I know it's hard to watch these people who didn't get it gloat and troll. It's discouraging to have the very people you are trying to help mock you for your effort and celebrate their own usurpation. But that's always going to be the way. They know not what they do.

To the brave ones who poured their hearts into this, thank you. nprofile1qqsw3p5pela795rxxff34kgfafsaawhnkqp8ehmgm2my49dgx9fjclcpzemhxue69uhkzarvv9ejumn0wd68ytnvv9hxgqg7waehxw309anx2etywvhxummnw3ezucnpdejz7mrpdenj7etn37n9fy (nprofile…n9fy) Luke Dashjr (nprofile…c93l) GrassFedBitcoin (nprofile…566r) and many others. We all owe you a lot and anybody who doesn't see that you were trying to defend the network and everything that makes it important is missing the plot. If you decide to build another network, I get it and you have my support too.

But I'm not ceding Bitcoin. This is far from over.

To the well-meaning who took a different position, I still think you got this wrong, but we are still brothers. I will keep an open mind and I hope you will too. Bitcoin is young. We've never had anything like it before. And we are all still learning.

The bad actors and shitcoiners who would sell humanity's chance at freedom for personal gain will only wreck themselves in the end. Pray for them. They're still trapped in fiat, playing a negative-sum game that nobody wins. Bitcoin is a truth machine and we're not going to let it fail.

There are binary blobs in the hardware support. Not a ...

2026-08-10T22:57:18Z

In reply to nevent1q…9e7u
_________________________

There are binary blobs in the hardware support. Not a SeedSigner-specific thing, so not a Bitcoin user targeting vector.

Hardware wallets are fake and gay. ...

2026-08-10T03:48:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…lghw
_________________________

Hardware wallets are fake and gay.

https://zsubmesh.net/essays/nvk-was-wrong.html

He always is

2026-08-10T03:26:43Z

In reply to nevent1q…349m
_________________________

He always is

@Johnny is correct except for the small detail that my script ...

2026-08-10T03:26:23Z

In reply to nevent1q…u82c
_________________________

@Johnny is correct except for the small detail that my script expects you to roll all 24 words and then just changes the last word for you. You can run it on any Linux terminal. Putting Tails OS on any old laptop is a fine option. "AI" could help you get that done every easily.

@johnny did you know "Johnny CAN" was the title of my last essay and I almost changed my name to Johnny on here?

Are you building a nix for noncommunists?

2026-08-09T03:03:48Z

In reply to nevent1q…5kuy
_________________________

Are you building a nix for noncommunists?

It was never going to be easy

2026-08-09T01:56:39Z

In reply to nevent1q…7hdu
_________________________

It was never going to be easy

GN, you digital poet.

2026-08-09T01:32:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…2mxs
_________________________

GN, you digital poet.

Never. Give. Up.

2026-08-09T01:24:19Z

Never. Give. Up.

I don't think Bittorrent faced anything like what Bitcoin ...

2026-08-09T00:58:56Z

In reply to nevent1q…h88d
_________________________

I don't think Bittorrent faced anything like what Bitcoin has. It was never an existential threat to the debt-based system. I'm not throwing in the towel on Bitcoin yet, but the level of capture is grim.

Core. The miners. Post Quantum upgrade is probably next. The consortium and the redteam are big upgrades to the capture machinery ... It's grim.

As you say, the mission isn't Bitcoin. The mission is freedom money. If Bitcoin is captured beyond repair, we will have to learn from it and build a version that can stay decentralized and secure. The fact that we made it this far means we were very very close.

What if periodic PoW changes were part of the protocol? Chosen in ...

2026-08-08T23:45:06Z

In reply to nevent1q…qrrn
_________________________

What if periodic PoW changes were part of the protocol? Chosen in some way that would not be predictable far in advance? Thinking out loud

Go play with your monero

2026-08-08T21:57:03Z

In reply to nevent1q…rgmy
_________________________

Go play with your monero

Coldcard had a perfectly good RNG. That's why this is ...

2026-08-08T21:45:34Z

In reply to nevent1q…5lwj
_________________________

Coldcard had a perfectly good RNG. That's why this is irrelevant and you making it about RNGs is irrelevant. Its easy to capture your own entropy with dice. I am not telling experts not to use RNGs. I've been writing code that does so since the 90s. But normal people who want a secret without trusting a hardware and software stack and supply chain that they cannot reasonably verify should just use dice. You are a concerned with making it complicated so you can strut around that you are telling people to continue to do the very thing that just burned so many good Bitcoiners. You are doing the bery thing that led them all to the slaughter.

You might find this article I wrote helpful. #nevent1q…3fnv

2026-08-08T20:04:09Z

In reply to nevent1q…g2uv
_________________________

You might find this article I wrote helpful.

quoting
nevent1q…3fnv
NVK Was Wrong: Fear, Theater, and Self-Custody
The case for general-purpose cryptography

https://zsubmesh.net/essays/nvk-was-wrong.html

If you are a user or a builder of self-custody tools, I have written and essay that I would like you to read.

What Johnny said is right. It's not hard and very safe if you ...

2026-08-08T19:31:27Z

In reply to nevent1q…964n
_________________________

What Johnny said is right. It's not hard and very safe if you have the right method. But the gadget companies and misguided influencers have turned it into a shit show.

Because that is all irrelevant non sequitur and you are ...

2026-08-08T19:06:46Z

In reply to nevent1q…krq5
_________________________

Because that is all irrelevant non sequitur and you are misleading people about security with your crypto poser posturing. The question was trust an RNG or use dice. Security theater fear mongering has good people their stacks. Cut it out. Go jerk off your ego where it doesn't hurt anyone.

People can just use dice. Regular dice are fine. Create your secret with your own hands, it's easy. Don't add trust where you don't need to or let some know-it-all psych you out by making it sound complicated or technical or hard.

Exactly. And the idea that a seed is something you are handling ...

2026-08-08T18:50:58Z

In reply to nevent1q…qzgd
_________________________

Exactly. And the idea that a seed is something you are handling frequently enough that a checksum is worth it is wrong too. A seed should be something you do once, secure for disaster recovery, and barely ever touch again. We should stop thinking of a seed as a wallet and start thinking of it as an identity. Ideally, one per person for life

Let this be the end of the hardware wallet era. #nevent1q…l3tp

2026-08-08T18:15:57Z

Let this be the end of the hardware wallet era.

quoting
nevent1q…l3tp
End of an era

A little dated, buy better than trusting a gadget to give you a ...

2026-08-08T18:15:09Z

In reply to nevent1q…9wk0
_________________________

A little dated, buy better than trusting a gadget to give you a seed

Mostly that it's irrelevant posturing. People get hurt by ...

2026-08-08T17:50:17Z

In reply to nevent1q…77ck
_________________________

Mostly that it's irrelevant posturing. People get hurt by this kind of larping and you should stop it.

Your grug brain is a good cryptographer. Even if you know a ton ...

2026-08-08T17:42:01Z

In reply to nevent1q…lzn7
_________________________

Your grug brain is a good cryptographer. Even if you know a ton about computers, keeping devices out of the middle between you and your entropy is less to trust. Simple is better.

It is not similar and you have it backwards. You do not kmow what ...

2026-08-08T16:32:54Z

In reply to nevent1q…gwxm
_________________________

It is not similar and you have it backwards. You do not kmow what you are talking about and you should stop spreading misinformation about security. We've had enough of that.

If you self-custody Bitcoin, watch this video and read this ...

2026-08-08T16:12:16Z

If you self-custody Bitcoin, watch this video and read this essay.

quoting
nevent1q…3fnv
NVK Was Wrong: Fear, Theater, and Self-Custody
The case for general-purpose cryptography

https://zsubmesh.net/essays/nvk-was-wrong.html

If you are a user or a builder of self-custody tools, I have written and essay that I would like you to read.

quoting
nevent1q…jht8
Kudos to HODL (nprofile…hs8c) for having the courage and honesty to admit this. This is exactly what EVERY influencer did. The ones that just followed the crowd and didn't have business ties deserve some level of grace once they eat their humble pie.

Then there are others like ODELL (nprofile…cd8v) and MartyBent (nprofile…l2yj) that were attached to NVKlown at the hip. They watched him bully competitors and FOSS developers for YEARS. Shaming people for having the audacity to question or responsibly disclose bugs. Diverting funds away from grassroots projects that hurt GlowKite's bottom line.

There has to be a reckoning. In the immortal words of Matt Odell "Sorry isn't good enough". If you wanna get real serious: restitution paid to the people that yall lead off a cliff. Odell needs to step down from OpenSats immediately. Anyone with a conflict of interest needs to be removed immediately and a clause should be introduced. Pick a lane if you want to be a philanthropist or a businessman. If OpenSats (nprofile…5h0z) fails to do this we need to make alternatives.

Open source is not fairy dust, true. #nevent1q…3fnv

2026-08-08T15:55:30Z

In reply to nevent1q…xnd7
_________________________

Open source is not fairy dust, true.

quoting
nevent1q…3fnv
NVK Was Wrong: Fear, Theater, and Self-Custody
The case for general-purpose cryptography

https://zsubmesh.net/essays/nvk-was-wrong.html

If you are a user or a builder of self-custody tools, I have written and essay that I would like you to read.

Your logic is as flawless as your grammar.

2026-08-08T15:46:07Z

In reply to nevent1q…0nye
_________________________

Your logic is as flawless as your grammar.

You might find this interesting #nevent1q…3fnv

2026-08-08T08:45:53Z

In reply to nevent1q…9d7q
_________________________

You might find this interesting

quoting
nevent1q…3fnv
NVK Was Wrong: Fear, Theater, and Self-Custody
The case for general-purpose cryptography

https://zsubmesh.net/essays/nvk-was-wrong.html

If you are a user or a builder of self-custody tools, I have written and essay that I would like you to read.

If you had 256 dice so biased that they would only ever show one ...

2026-08-08T08:28:23Z

In reply to nevent1q…9d7q
_________________________

If you had 256 dice so biased that they would only ever show one side, they would still produce one seed with 256 bits of perfect entropy as long as the bias was random and not known to any potential attacker. Entropy is just unpredictably.

More realistic: does it really matter if you use casino dice or board game dice? No. There is no known *general* bias in toy dice. So an attacker gains no ability to narrow their guesses unless they get your specific personal dice and roll them a over and over in a machine or something to analize the bias.

And it would have to be strong bias to be much use.

The moral is we are all overthinking this. What happened is not really about entropy. It is about trust. The source of entropy betrayed us. The device.

Dice won't do that to you. They are too simple.

Don't overthink it. Just make sure there is nothing complicated between you and the source of randomness. Complicated things involve trusting third parties. That's the part you need to worry about.

That's a separate issue. One is not alternative to the other. ...

2026-08-08T06:58:11Z

In reply to nevent1q…q7xv
_________________________

That's a separate issue. One is not alternative to the other. Everything flows from the seed. It is the root. If you get poisoned there everything down stream is compromised. Yes, other things need to be secured along the way too, but so what. The entropy of the seed is the basis of the security of everything else

Thats why the idea of dice rolls being entered into a hardware ...

2026-08-08T06:47:13Z

In reply to nevent1q…6yd2
_________________________

Thats why the idea of dice rolls being entered into a hardware wallet is a bad idea. I said this in my essay:

" But instead they turn dice rolling into something you do through the device. This inserts the device into the dice rolling process, defeating the very purpose of it, and making it feel like the dark arts. Theater. It's funny how the easy button finds a way to make the easy part hard, scary, and kind of pointless at the same time."

Is think just perfectly articulated the difference between ...

2026-08-08T05:23:11Z

In reply to nevent1q…xvy4
_________________________

Is think just perfectly articulated the difference between responsible disclosure and a psyop. Well done

The problem is the tools are shaping how we do things, not just ...

2026-08-08T05:12:26Z

In reply to nevent1q…htsu
_________________________

The problem is the tools are shaping how we do things, not just making something more convenient.

Reproducible builds are good, but they are a supply chain ...

2026-08-08T04:47:50Z

In reply to nevent1q…jmec
_________________________

Reproducible builds are good, but they are a supply chain mitigation. They don't eliminate trust. Dice eliminate third party trust from entropy.

"Your phone or laptop is doing dice rolls better than you ...

2026-08-08T04:42:22Z

In reply to nevent1q…lxwz
_________________________

"Your phone or laptop is doing dice rolls better than you ever could. "

This is false and superstitious. Entropy is measured in bits. 256 bits = 256 bits. The only question is trust. The bits you get from dice are best because you know how they were made.

#nevent1q…3fnv

2026-08-08T02:35:26Z

In reply to nevent1q…hhhp
_________________________

quoting nevent1q…3fnv
NVK Was Wrong: Fear, Theater, and Self-Custody
The case for general-purpose cryptography

https://zsubmesh.net/essays/nvk-was-wrong.html

If you are a user or a builder of self-custody tools, I have written and essay that I would like you to read.

Separation is the key. #nevent1q…3fnv

2026-08-08T02:25:55Z

In reply to nevent1q…3nwa
_________________________

Separation is the key.

quoting
nevent1q…3fnv
NVK Was Wrong: Fear, Theater, and Self-Custody
The case for general-purpose cryptography

https://zsubmesh.net/essays/nvk-was-wrong.html

If you are a user or a builder of self-custody tools, I have written and essay that I would like you to read.

Or just don't trust a device. #nevent1q…3fnv

2026-08-08T02:23:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…3tw6
_________________________

Or just don't trust a device.

quoting
nevent1q…3fnv
NVK Was Wrong: Fear, Theater, and Self-Custody
The case for general-purpose cryptography

https://zsubmesh.net/essays/nvk-was-wrong.html

If you are a user or a builder of self-custody tools, I have written and essay that I would like you to read.

Thanks @YODL. Strange indeed.

2026-08-08T02:14:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…atd6
_________________________

Thanks @YODL. Strange indeed.

Haven't dug into this yet, but glad to see. We need new ...

2026-08-08T01:19:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…2079
_________________________

Haven't dug into this yet, but glad to see. We need new ideas.

quoting
nevent1q…3fnv
NVK Was Wrong: Fear, Theater, and Self-Custody
The case for general-purpose cryptography

https://zsubmesh.net/essays/nvk-was-wrong.html

If you are a user or a builder of self-custody tools, I have written and essay that I would like you to read.

We need to stop listening to these people about how to hold our ...

2026-08-08T00:48:49Z

In reply to nevent1q…3zwq
_________________________

We need to stop listening to these people about how to hold our coins

quoting
nevent1q…3fnv
NVK Was Wrong: Fear, Theater, and Self-Custody
The case for general-purpose cryptography

https://zsubmesh.net/essays/nvk-was-wrong.html

If you are a user or a builder of self-custody tools, I have written and essay that I would like you to read.

NVK Was Wrong: Fear, Theater, and Self-Custody The case for ...

2026-08-07T20:38:25Z

NVK Was Wrong: Fear, Theater, and Self-Custody
The case for general-purpose cryptography

https://zsubmesh.net/essays/nvk-was-wrong.html

If you are a user or a builder of self-custody tools, I have written and essay that I would like you to read.

Cui bono?

2026-08-03T08:51:16Z

Cui bono?

Rolling dice is not hard. Keeping your entropy is currently hard ...

2026-08-01T00:21:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…dfdr
_________________________

Rolling dice is not hard. Keeping your entropy is currently hard because the tools still suck but it doesn't have to be that way. The market is still selling us the problem instead of solving it, but that won't last forever.

nostr:nevent1qqsq8l7ndfaepml7npzhlfayduyjqxxg9kf4wgl5nct230yr74wfagczyrzrdrz39ecwxe2clgt8je7dw07g829fql4r3vlddq6clj7l4vx6vqcyqqqqqqgwwvxmv

Love this. Mercenaries suck. (Site crashed Vanadium on my ...

2026-07-15T20:02:07Z

In reply to nevent1q…gt6f
_________________________

Love this. Mercenaries suck.
(Site crashed Vanadium on my Graphene phone though.)

THIS is how Bitcoin on the balance sheet actually works. Not ...

2026-07-15T19:55:43Z

THIS is how Bitcoin on the balance sheet actually works. Not fiat-style zombie companies buying Bitcoin in leverage and playing stupid financial games.

THE JUICE IS LOOSE!

quoting
nevent1q…xtc3
Really excited for the launch of Orange Juice today. Been working on this for over a year and think it’s going to be a great way to bring Bitcoin to main street.

https://jeffreybooth.com/articles/the-case-for-sound-money

I agree, it's a steep hill. But if we fail, it will be on ...

2026-07-13T22:06:03Z

In reply to nevent1q…9nqn
_________________________

I agree, it's a steep hill. But if we fail, it will be on execution (my fault) and the next team will have to crack it.

At the end of the day, either the cypherpunk thesis was wrong, or we still need a general-purpose personal cryptosystem that regular people can actually use.

Steep hill or not, it's not optional and it's one I'm willing to die on.

That said, I assume I am wrong about plenty of details, so please let me know if you see any problems or better options. I'd genuinely love to hear them.

Thanks for digging in and feel free to reach out anytime.

It expired last night. Fixed. Thanks for the report.

2026-07-11T17:42:32Z

In reply to nevent1q…lgql
_________________________

It expired last night. Fixed. Thanks for the report.

Thank you, sir!

2026-07-09T17:45:45Z

In reply to nevent1q…36nj
_________________________

Thank you, sir!

Zsub is a general-purpose personal cryptosystem. Here is what ...

2026-07-09T17:17:11Z

Zsub is a general-purpose personal cryptosystem.

Here is what that really means.

Personal computers were the missing infrastructure that unlocked the value of software. The cypherpunk vision of transforming the world with strong cryptography has not materialized because we've been missing the equivalent infrastructure.

All cryptography architecture begins with root of trust. The correct root of trust must be the responsible person. The correct primitive is a seed in self-custody. This just isn't negotiable.

This is why I say the seed is the crown jewel of cryptographic primitives.

I don't say "Bitcoin seed" because the seed is NOT a feature of Bitcoin. It's the infrastructure that it runs on. Bitcoin runs on the seed. Nostr runs on the seed. SSH runs on the seed. Supply chains run on the seed. Authentication runs on the seed. Encrypted messages run on the seed. Secure networks run on the seed. ...

That means what we need is to own a seed, operate it across all the contexts of our lives, and apply it all the things we need to use. A system that does this for everyone has to hold and operate that seed securely, map it invisibly onto normal human actions and trust decisions, and integrate with the things that matter.

Some people say it's too hard. And true enough, it's not easy. But if we call ourselves cypherpunks, then this is the job. And it's what we're building.

Zsub is a general-purpose personal cryptosystem.

It's personal because the root of trust is you. It's general-purpose because the applications are many, but you are one.

Strong cryptography is for everyone.

https://zsubmesh.net/

quoting
nevent1q…j578
When Jeff Booth (nprofile…tkhj) says Nostr is identity, he's not wrong. But I would add something.

Identity is relational, but it's not JUST relational. Identity must include a private personal core and private personal relationships organized around it. Public identities are like the parts of the plant you see above the ground. But a seed needs soil first, to put down tender roots in the dark.

That's why seed self-custody and private relationships are just as important to the identity problem as public keys are. That's why we're building a hidden web of trust with Zsub: the part beneath the surface.

The reason strong cryptography never became properly usable for everyone is that we never built that part. We're building it.

https://zsubmesh.net/essays/johnny-can.html

Hey, Luke! Very excited about your book, ordering right now. I ...

2026-07-06T02:48:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…hr7m
_________________________

Hey, Luke! Very excited about your book, ordering right now. I wanted to make you aware of what we're building.

https://zsubmesh.net

I'll try you by DM and perhaps we can chat sometime. I'd love to get your input on our work.

🎇 New release from Zsub: secure transport layers. This repo ...

2026-07-05T00:18:01Z

🎇 New release from Zsub: secure transport layers.

This repo contains the transport stack we will use for Zsub integration:

- Keel: secure link protocol: fixed cell, mutual auth and double ratchet.
- Submerge: reliable transport protocol: chunking, reassembly, and repair.
- Surface: the overlay traffic envelope for L2 and L3 traffic.
- Mooring: cross platform virtual interface manager.

Code, docs, and protocol drafts are up. Comments welcome.

This gets us very close to the final integration step and the first release we
will properly call Zsub.

https://codeberg.org/Zsub/Keel

Happy 250 and GN!

If you can't keep secrets and verify facts, you don't ...

2026-07-03T03:45:49Z

If you can't keep secrets and verify facts, you don't have freedom of speech.

"I hate code and I want as little of it in our product as ...

2026-07-02T04:59:28Z

"I hate code and I want as little of it in our product as possible."
- me for the last 25 years

A peaceful revolution

2026-06-27T07:44:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…qr4p
_________________________

A peaceful revolution

Somewhere under the rainbow, 58k gang flies

2026-06-26T00:58:19Z

Somewhere under the rainbow, 58k gang flies

And boy do we need it! Agents don't care what our policies ...

2026-06-23T22:26:32Z

In reply to nevent1q…7usj
_________________________

And boy do we need it! Agents don't care what our policies are. They can't be held accountable. So if we really don't want them to do certain things, we need cryptography to harden those lines.

Cryptolorica: The Truth is a sword for the just. But you ...

2026-06-22T00:12:15Z

Cryptolorica:

The Truth is a sword for the just. But you don't go naked into battle. A sword needs a handle and hilt. A shield and armor. Light enough to carry. Shaped to fit the person who wears and wields them.

Strong cryptography is all of this and more. A strong chest to keep treasure, unmistakable banners to fly and a horn to call friends to arms.

The Truth belongs to noone, but its mantle is for everyone. Our mission is to give its power away to everyone who wants to hold it.

Pilate therefore said to him: Art thou a king then? Jesus answered: Thou sayest that I am a king. For this was I born, and for this came I into the world; that I should give testimony to the truth. Every one that is of the truth, heareth my voice. - John 18:37

Happy Sunday, peaceful warriors.
GN. Pura Vida and Pax Vobiscum.

- Zsub

I just posted about this, actually: #nevent1q…j578

2026-06-09T19:21:17Z

In reply to nevent1q…0lgl
_________________________

I just posted about this, actually:

quoting
nevent1q…j578
When Jeff Booth (nprofile…tkhj) says Nostr is identity, he's not wrong. But I would add something.

Identity is relational, but it's not JUST relational. Identity must include a private personal core and private personal relationships organized around it. Public identities are like the parts of the plant you see above the ground. But a seed needs soil first, to put down tender roots in the dark.

That's why seed self-custody and private relationships are just as important to the identity problem as public keys are. That's why we're building a hidden web of trust with Zsub: the part beneath the surface.

The reason strong cryptography never became properly usable for everyone is that we never built that part. We're building it.

https://zsubmesh.net/essays/johnny-can.html

This is a complex problem to actually solve in a general way. The ...

2026-06-09T19:18:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…0lgl
_________________________

This is a complex problem to actually solve in a general way. The trouble is using publication for the trust chain is inherently linkable. So you just keep kicking the privacy can down the pseudonymous road. We solved this in Zsub with a sigma protocol we call Heavy to create hidden webs of trust.

When @nprofile…tkhj says Nostr is identity, he's not wrong. ...

2026-06-09T18:48:34Z

When Jeff Booth (nprofile…tkhj) says Nostr is identity, he's not wrong. But I would add something.

Identity is relational, but it's not JUST relational. Identity must include a private personal core and private personal relationships organized around it. Public identities are like the parts of the plant you see above the ground. But a seed needs soil first, to put down tender roots in the dark.

That's why seed self-custody and private relationships are just as important to the identity problem as public keys are. That's why we're building a hidden web of trust with Zsub: the part beneath the surface.

The reason strong cryptography never became properly usable for everyone is that we never built that part. We're building it.

https://zsubmesh.net/essays/johnny-can.html