melvincarvalho
Melvin Carvalho

https://melvincarvalho.com/

Mathematician and Web Developer

Public Key

npub1melv683fw6n2mvhl5h6dhqd8mqfv3wmxnz4qph83ua4dk4006ezsrt5c24

NIP-05 Address

_@melvincarvalho.com

NIP-57 Address

melvincarvalho@btip.nl

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsdulkdrc5hdf4dktl6taxmsxnasykghdnf32sqmnc7w6km2hhav3gpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsh8vw9m

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

relay.nostr.band

Author Public Key

npub1melv683fw6n2mvhl5h6dhqd8mqfv3wmxnz4qph83ua4dk4006ezsrt5c24

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Last Notes

2024-10-06 07:07:05

Playing around with the face api. This is just a personal experiment. I want to code this, so that if a post makes me laugh, it automatically triggers a 1000 sat zap. Take back the algorithm!
https://pages.npub.info/test/face/

2024-10-05 19:16:09

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Polls should not have been removed. There wasnt consensus for that.

2024-09-30 09:53:25

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I use time chain to coordinate. I still struggle to build DVMs. I think we're going to have to make a lightweight version. Or get the machines to design something they want to use in #sandymount

2024-09-30 07:47:07

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You're paid to work on Cashu; I’m not, and I’ve got other priorities. If you've changed the format, feel free to submit patches—I'm open to them. You’ve mentioned before that the decoder I wrote was useful, but I’m not obligated to provide free work because the spec has changed.

2024-09-30 07:32:12

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Also 1 sat is too high for many machine based system, at scale. Msats (like lightning) could be better.

2024-09-30 07:23:39

Cashu moving to charging fees on mints is IMHO a premature optimization. Let the users try the system first.
https://m.primal.net/LGOL.png

2024-09-30 06:50:16

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You can run a relay too
https://dev.to/melvincarvalho/run-a-nostr-relay-on-your-phone-with-termux-and-fonstr-4cmg

2024-09-29 20:12:19

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very nice, i set up a ckpool today, too -- i only have a block eruputer from 2013 ... bitaxe jealous!

2024-09-27 09:22:15

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Working on it! Project codename #sandymount. You heard it here first!

2024-09-26 10:35:12

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Agree 100%. There is a balance to be struck, and it cant be done overnight. Just one baby step at a time. If you do your little bit, everyone else will too.

2024-09-26 04:44:55

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It crushes 4o-mini which is probably the best price point right now. They are also competing with qwen which is pretty hot. Will be interesting to see how the token per mill prices are for the different models. It would be good to get some in sats on here too.

2024-09-25 17:16:13

#solid turns the web into a UNIX type operating system. Meaning that you can write little scripts to achieve whatever you want, giving the right actors the right permissions. Login with npub adds a huge amount to this, both for nostr and solid. For solid it adds new users, payments, auth, apps and zaps. For nostr it adds a full web operating system. This is going to take a LONG time for users and devs to figure out, but the decentralized future is here. And best of all, just like UNIX, it's 100% permissionless, anyone can build anything as easily as writing a script, no need to ask anyone's permission.

2024-09-25 11:03:16

Solid brings access control to the web. It is based on the UNIX file permission system which allows:
- public web (e.g. public square)
- private web (e.g. private chat)
- shared web (e.g. facebook replacement)
with nostr login, any nostr user will be able to use advanced features and apps on the existing web. This is something that will be rolled out as a global standard to the web, with the first 10 million users already lined up
That means you can set permissions (private, public, shared) on
- any document
- any relay
- any API
The concept of private, sharted, or trusted relays, might not be needed, because the web can do that for you already.
Not to mentoin, a million other features...

2024-09-23 09:54:01

Nostr had been growing steadily throughout 2024, but recently dropped below 10k users for the first time this year, following a major, costly attack. It had previously crossed 20k and was aiming for 50 DAU in the near future. Unfortunately, over half the user base, hit by spam, have left. I hope it's just a temporary setback and that Nostr can recover. Would have been nice if they'd focused on spamming the competition, and helping to grow nostr. These are the worst people.
https://m.primal.net/KzBA.png

2024-09-22 11:16:09

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One of the best explanations I've seen

2024-09-21 14:19:48

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Dig deeper. We definitely agree on exploiting. But I think it
was more, granted, my knowledge is not encyclopedic here.
Look at Shangani and various claims of ethnic cleansing. Also, he said, "The native is to be treated as a child and denied the franchise. We must adopt a system of despotism in our relations with the barbarians of South Africa."
It's hard to know the exact details from back then. If the news is fake, then what is history?

2024-09-21 13:36:48

Amethyst on-boarding is freaking awful if a highly technical cypherpunk is left saying this.
#note19fe…0h0r

2024-09-20 18:49:32

First trial run on a Dungeons and Dragons game on nostr and bitcoin. Still quite a long way to go. Characters are dying to young, so far. Hopefully next run better.
https://m.primal.net/KvwZ.png

2024-09-19 15:13:19

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Sounds like it, but I use pretty much this system already. Anyone can build such a system, we have the tools all there now. It's very good. It would be nice for it to reach a wider audience, when they are ready.

2024-09-18 13:48:06

item trading done, only a dagger right now, leaderboad done
just need to reflect items in battle, and secondary market for items
https://m.primal.net/KtqG.png

2024-09-17 12:52:18

I wonder if dead characters should go on the XP leaderboard, or only living ones.
https://m.primal.net/KsjK.png

2024-09-17 12:50:46

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Almost unusable

2024-09-17 11:21:07

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Arg, I was using calle's service, but it seems i can no longer be zapped after he closed it. I will have to figure out another way.
Not intranets. Though that is private by default. The whole web can be access controlled. I set who can see what at the web level. Private, just for me. Shared with a friend (think encrypted private chat) or shared with a group (think facebook).
This for me is the natural working of the web. So I find it hard to explain because Im so used to the paradigm, if that makes sense.

2024-09-17 09:32:17

Take that, Goblin!
https://m.primal.net/Ksbn.png

2024-09-17 08:47:09

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It is actually I have started fresh many many times. Less than 5% of accounts will get a follower. Maybe less than 1%. Dont believe me? Honestly, try it. The introductions tag can help a bit, but most non techie newbies dont know about the introductions tab.

2024-09-17 07:27:13

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Not quite. Nostr is built on top of web technologies like HTTP and WebSockets, but it's a part of the internet, not the whole thing. The broader internet includes things like storage and much more. Nostr is valuable for what it does, but it's good to keep it in perspective

2024-09-12 10:57:18

2024-09-03 08:25:16

My first #ditto micro app. Not much, but it's a start!
https://play-grounds.github.io/ditto/
https://image.nostr.build/31648dbeb32c81cae3505612b51edb1b6e42edee8f20d0ea97da56c54370d9a7.jpg

2024-09-03 07:43:23

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🍿

2024-09-02 19:43:22

Finally got new pc with ubuntu 24.04 working. Time for a new subkey... and to write a subkey linked data spec...

2024-09-02 18:52:12

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Good talk—it really opens people’s eyes to possibilities they might not have considered. I’ve been pushing this message for a decade, about what apps, socials, and discovery can bring to Bitcoin. But it’s only now, with Jack on board, that more folks are listening.
That said, Nostr isn’t the only way to tie metadata to keypairs. It’s one of the clunkier, less extensible options, and changing anything in the NIPs takes forever. You mentioned the existing network has utility, but I doubt there are thousands of relays—it’s probably smaller, more centralized, and less reliable.
It’s a solid message, but I don’t think Nostr is the only path forward. The censorship resistance might be overhyped too—it could just be that Nostr’s smaller than Twitter, which might also be why people still use Twitter.
The micropayment angle is strong, maybe even a holy grail use case. But Bitcoin itself isn’t used much, which is a shame since npubs are taproot addresses. We could’ve built a whole free market on a non-rigged base layer by now, but there’s nothing happening at that intersection—a missed multi-billion dollar opportunity. And honestly, there’s no real appetite for Bitcoin base layer integration with Nostr. Hope you don’t mind me pushing back a bit here—I figure you might not get much of that in the comments

2024-09-02 15:10:26

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Got it, that makes sense. But we also need to see real demand for these features to justify any urgency. If there’s genuine demand, it could be shown on Liquid or Elements first, and the user base would say, 'Yes, we need this.' The same goes for a solid self-sovereign identity or trading solution—it should be tested on testnet, even with some workarounds. Creating a false sense of urgency risks dividing the community and causing a chain split, which we've already been through, and it was almost fatal. But, nobody cares when you only get shot in the ear! :)

2024-09-02 12:06:56

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We dont need a soft fork. The features we have have barely been used. If they want OP_CTV try it out on elements and or liquid, and show there is some demand. There is of course no demand for it. The upside of a soft fork is very little for the bitcoin community. The downside is a chain split, which of course, all the enemies of bitcoin want, and will fund.

2024-09-02 05:27:32

The initial version of caniuse for nostr from Marco.
https://marcodpt.github.io/nostracker/
https://image.nostr.build/42c2e3ff354fd4518173895e5140a26874ad8a75de7097b18dec7dab261b57ff.jpg

2024-09-01 23:01:40

I've been thinking a lot about what Nostr 2.0 should look like:
1. Bottom-up, permissionless dev instead of top-down control through NIPs.
2. A scalable architecture that’s interoperable, extensible, and standardized, including relays.
3. Cutting-edge features like smart widgets to compete with the latest tech trends.
4. Full npub-taproot infrastructure with financial interop, smart contracts, DAOs, markets, and naming.
5. AI integration where AI agents are first-class citizens on the network, leveraging all of the above.
#Ditto seems like the first step toward Nostr 2.0 (with shout out to nostrocket). Nostr 1.0 apps and the relay network are still going to be key, but I see the next generation starting to take shape.

2024-09-01 16:48:05

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This was satoshi's last post before he announced he was moving on:
"It would have been nice to get this attention in any other context. WikiLeaks has kicked the hornet's nest, and the swarm is headed towards us."

2024-08-30 13:14:26

Ditto scales, so nostr doesnt need to. And through federation ditto has already scaled to millions of users and growing. You dont have to use ditto, just take the design patterns. Not only that, but we can add almost unlimited features to it.

2024-08-29 08:35:38

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Yes

2024-08-29 01:26:23

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Nostr's really just a subset of HTTP—how you use it matters. The freedom angle feels a bit overhyped. People might think it protects them, but it could end up storing signed evidence forever, potentially more risky than regular socials. And let's not forget, some devs slip spyware into big sites. Personally, I see it more as a tool for social app portability, letting you move between sites easily. That's the real value.

2024-08-28 20:11:55

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You mean existing end product using relays? Or something to connect a relay to an existing product, like a bridge? That could be huge yes.

2024-08-28 13:52:44

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You're responsible for your own actions. There can be any number of reactions. Where I see nostr's value is that people are able to speak the truth, and it's harder to silence that truth, at least, in theory. If the big relays ban you, you're going to have a bad time.

2024-08-28 12:11:49

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1000x

2024-08-27 16:15:30

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sorry new users on the right

2024-08-27 14:01:33

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Knowing him means I chat to him alot. I wont disclose those chats, but he has made it clear "Its my project and I can do what I want". That's OK, but it should also be known. You have no idea the hard work that it took to get nostr to where it is, any fork is impractical. The core protocol can change on a whim. So saying "no one owns it", is inaccurate. That's the only simple point I was making. IMHO this was a mistake, nostr should have gone community driven when we had the large influx of devs, and before the exodus. But it is what it is.

2024-08-27 13:19:08

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Good, was worried! I do agree with snowden about privacy, but that is easier said than done.

2024-08-27 13:10:35

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Not really true. fiajaf owns the protocol. He can change what he wants with or without community approval, as he did last week, when he ulilatearlly nixed parametrized replaceable events. Nostr may be open, but it certainly is proprietary.

2024-08-27 09:15:24

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shoulda been bech32m like taproot ... maybe we should just ignore the suffix ... is it used anywhere for anything ever? low-res qr codes?

2024-08-27 09:14:05

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what are nostr addresses?

2024-08-27 07:29:04

"SIgn up with email" is the biggest choke point on the internet.

2024-08-26 15:47:22

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That is very cool, thanks. It might be helpful to have some text to say what kind 5050 is. But I can look it up.

2024-08-26 10:57:40

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Agents on nostr. I gave up on DVMs after about 10 attempts. They are too complex for me to understand. I'm going for something simpler.

2024-08-26 09:36:00

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np, the internet is layed, one API is built on another, in the beginning IP was created to send packets from one computer to another, then http was created to send hypertext notes and other stuff between client and server, then websockets were created on top of http to send notes and other stuff in realtime, then nostr was created on top of websockets, to send notes and other stuff from one computer to another, using relays

2024-08-26 09:29:58

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Another layer on the web. Web = http, which is part of the internet.
Internet -> Web / Nost -> NostR

2024-08-25 07:58:11

That said, damus is probably our best relay and our best client. Loss of damus would leave a large gaping hole in nostr.
#note1pqe…sau5

2024-08-24 23:20:16

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the hrf dude makes 250k usd, so that's what id pay -- these are hard working talented people at the top of their games

2024-08-24 08:07:10

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It's like pointers. Not everyone understands them. But compentent developers do. I guess the issue is people who dont understand pointers having strong opinions. Not much you can do about that.

2024-08-24 07:28:01

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Listening. You mentioned that you thought more standardization in bitcoin could help. So I started here:
https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-nostr/2024Aug/0002.html

2024-08-23 20:06:12

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I think there is a conflation between enforcement ("How can I stop this") and ethics ("Should be we doing this"). You cant stop racism, but you can call it out. Definitely on nostr there are those that will want to post exclusive content on relays THEY choose. Perhaps a community relay, like a facebook group relay. I'm saying that data ownership should be respected, and people own their own data. You might not be able to stop it, but you can call it out. We have a web of reputation and trust already. Things like "antizaps" (negative zaps) are going to be quite important to call out bad actors.

2024-08-23 11:40:40

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Great insight. Easy to forget people will love zaps without knowing they are bitcoin.

2024-08-22 12:49:47

Started work a new blazingly fast nostr client. Coming along nicely and quickly!
https://m.primal.net/KHwX.png

2024-08-21 11:57:40

Be your own algorithm

2024-08-21 08:21:47

Incredibly bad look for an "open" protocol to have changes rail roaded through against consensus. Parameterized replaceable events should have been kept as they were, not changed the core protocol for absolutely no reason. Yet again, no way to run a restaurant. PR have 100s of code references. Sad.
https://github.com/search?q=%22parameterized+replaceable%22&type=code

2024-08-20 07:24:15

Considering an 18-hour fast? After about 12 hours, your body enters ketosis, switching from burning carbs to using stored fat for energy. This process helps detox your cells, balance your system, and support gradual weight loss. It’s a simple way to give your body a reset. #Fasting #Ketosis

2024-08-19 14:23:32

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https://m.primal.net/KEci.png

2024-08-19 14:00:48

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Whoa. Fwd to fake plastic trees, is v good. I only saw them once but at the royal festival hall, which was < 1000 people. Was great!

2024-08-18 14:51:24

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Thanks closing

2024-08-18 14:51:06

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Thanks Closing

2024-08-18 09:21:30

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You basically asset strip the remote country when they cant pay their (odious) debt, and reduce host inflation, but increase theirs, in their local currency.

2024-08-16 22:41:28

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2.5yo? No, it's older than that.

2024-08-16 22:35:46

not great not terrible
https://m.primal.net/KBoh.png
#note1e8g…wk8f

2024-08-16 18:15:42

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Ah ok, I need to understand the details better
https://m.primal.net/KBgh.png

2024-08-15 15:30:27

#gallerystr
https://m.primal.net/KAZk.png

2024-08-13 15:14:04

FYI: reddit is now doing traffic stats, and you can see them if you are OP or a mod. Seems to get some traffic, if you want to promote a nostr related project:
https://m.primal.net/JyVa.png
https://www.reddit.com/r/nostr/

2024-08-11 10:57:46

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I dont know. Because there are many very good, polite devs. Unlike pretty much all other project there's no code of conduct or conduct norms. Something as simple as "be respectful", would be a big improvement. It's just a negative setup, compared with other FLOSS projects. I guess it's an experiment, in a way, too.

2024-08-11 10:29:47

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Financial layer adjacent to bitcoin, with a social aspect.

2024-08-10 22:12:53

Connect with alby and get your bitcoin #testnet4 address (top right in dropdown)
https://testcoin.org/
https://m.primal.net/JvOm.png

2024-08-09 22:22:31

#glyphs + #nostr + #alby the perfect combination
https://m.primal.net/JuCw.png

2024-08-09 22:07:39

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Nostr the protocol will survive. But users should not think its a magic bullet that protects you from laws in your country, when posting on the public square.

2024-08-09 20:32:51

This is IMHO a better branding for Nostr. "The Social App Protocol". It makes it look like nostr is not fighting something, but rather, bringing something forth.
#note1d9q…xeh5

2024-08-08 14:05:49

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Might be too late for that. There has been an exodus of relay operators. The biggest cost is dev time, and we wont get many of those developers back. OpenSats can still do good, but the benefit would have been greater if they had acted earlier.

2024-08-08 07:30:08

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Im a fan of blossom too. Though conent addressable files on servers is not a new idea. One slight issue is that it pollutes the name space, because not every storage provider wants to, or can, put files in the root of public_html. I dont think it's a good idea to distribute blobs via relays, because they are too big. Better to use references, imho.

2024-08-07 11:39:50

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What do you think about standarizing NIP-98 and blossom, and the web (W3C) level?
NIP-98 co-author here.
I think we can relax the mandatory use of the u tag, which should give blossom everything it need?

2024-08-07 06:38:19

#glyphs
https://m.primal.net/Jqtc.png

2024-08-07 06:13:38

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Smart!

2024-08-06 22:23:44

The Nostr NIPs are becoming a train wreck. Removing stuff in use is the best way to cause a mass exodus of devs. Google found this out with early versions of Angular. Its the kind of things devs (rightly) moan about for years. And of course completely unnecessary. Developers cant build on quick sand. But OTOH if there's a small group that just wants to do their thing, and dev exodus is acceptable, that works too. They are a talented bunch, but I feel more devs = better nostr. We'll seeeee...
https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/1248

2024-08-06 20:14:27

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No tracking?

2024-08-06 15:39:54

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Except that it's proprietary and that website is privacy invasive. Other than that, they're doing a great job.

2024-08-06 11:57:00

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Proposal was in 1989. Ignored for one whole year.
https://m.primal.net/JpwJ.png

2024-08-06 08:54:34

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Emerald Tablet top left

2024-08-05 22:17:37

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All nostr keys can be used on-chain and with liquid

2024-08-01 17:40:36

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Yes, but it wasnt a blocksize war. It was a governance war.

2024-07-30 19:55:42

Strange that Nostr has payments, but not markets

2024-07-29 14:11:04

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Frankly I think it was a mistake to use 32 byte pubkeys instead of 33 byte pubkeys. One of many mistakes, such as using bech32 segwit instead of bech32m taproot for npubs. It's just one more thing in a sea of technical debt in the NIPs area. As you say nobody seems to be caring. It is what it is. You just have to code round what people decided.

2024-07-28 08:47:30

Why do people automatically drop the "trust, dont verify", when dodgy services claim to protect privacy. Most of nostr has been harvested by ip and browsing history now. Thanks devs!

2024-07-28 08:19:48

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They got a lot of dollars. All they need to do is DCA that into bitcoin before the US does.

2024-07-25 08:16:26

The Nostr NIP system has been incredibly useful, but it's reaching a point where fixing one thing breaks two others. Competing ideas and sketchy interoperability are issues. It might be time to take some parts of Nostr and allow wider review from mature standard bodies, leading to, enhanced scalability and interoperability.

2024-07-25 06:59:53

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Bitcoin is for everyone

2024-07-22 18:35:55

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Classic

2024-07-22 16:10:31

Nostr finance is going to be wild. How long will you have to wait to see it? That's the neat part ... 😉

2024-07-19 18:40:33

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Added: "Note: that taproot address and npub are interchangable addresses with a different prefix. Sats are transferred to a UTXO the nsec can unlock."