TheDesertLynx
Joël Valenzuela

Business development and marketing for Dash. Crypto and liberty lover. Living on crypto since 2015. FreeState Project mover, content creator for Digital Cash Network.

Public Key

npub1lvav9a8a7p70zst3sfplzs6e3swqslzjnppruxlhejezulujkrpq3nfuw6

NIP-05 Address

thedesertlynx@iris.to

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs0kwkz7n7lql83g9ccysl3gdvcc8qg03ffss37r0muev3w07ftpsspz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsuj9hq7

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1lvav9a8a7p70zst3sfplzs6e3swqslzjnppruxlhejezulujkrpq3nfuw6

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Last Notes

2024-02-09 14:43:36 UTC

The number of people who could make a difference, but are too busy getting sidetracked or scammed, is absolutely astounding.

2024-02-08 19:56:19 UTC

I love these shows with Esteban because they just run super long breaking down what really matters.
Come for the headlines, stay for the freedom.
🫡
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qOesfO7d64
@npub1l59…q78u

2024-02-06 15:21:56 UTC

Monero dumped significantly upon news it was getting delisted from Binance.
The delisting is not good, as it makes an essential sovereignty tool harder to access for average users.
But in the end, it's only an early warning.
Every freedom-oriented crypto (should be all of them) needs to be on as many DEXes as possible, especially cross-chain AMMs: THORChain, the Maya Protocol, Chainflip, SeraiDEX (which is being seemingly built for days just like today!).
Will Monero be okay? I think so. It has a robust community of users and plenty of tools to use it.
But we'll all breathe a sigh of relief when the CEX world finally collapses. It's an attack vector.

2024-02-02 19:42:09 UTC

In under 30 minutes Esteban Valdez comes back on the Digital Cash Rundown to talk about the US government crackdown on Bitcoin mining!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qOesfO7d64

2024-01-31 23:32:31 UTC

I'm so excited about the cross-chain space now.
Chainflip comes at it with a completely fresh approach, which could be far more efficient than what's currently out there.
Thanks Simon for the chat! 🙏
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCM3IyHqdC4

2024-01-31 20:57:02 UTC

Can you really trust someone without a sense of humor?

2024-01-30 03:08:04 UTC

I genuinely want the whole world to be better off.
Yes, even the people I talk smack to.

2024-01-28 23:00:25 UTC

I agree with Ian: if you enable freedom, you need to seek out customers who need it. The Zcash community has mostly played it too safe.
On the other hand you don't want to go full Monero where you're only associated with criminal activity.
https://youtube.com/shorts/T6VvvBlQMao?feature=share

2024-01-28 21:41:16 UTC

It's shocking to me just how casually indifferent most people are to war.

2024-01-28 18:00:42 UTC

Thanks to my tiara-wearing pink chair-having friend for a good dive into a controversial and nuanced subject like "Aussie man bad."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFRQ_-lSWOw

2024-01-25 15:42:57 UTC

I've been talking about #NationalDivorce for a while. Now we see US states openly defying federal actions.
This is just the beginning. Nullification first, then eventually a conversation about rethinking our relationship with the feds.
We better do this right, and peacefully.

2024-01-23 15:39:57 UTC

If you knew how much hard work and money is spent on things that don't matter, you'd spend the same on things that do.

2024-01-20 20:36:58 UTC

In 2012, I lived entirely off of government-controlled money with custodial institutions, using surveillance apps by megacorps in bed with the government.
Today, outside of X, pretty much none of it is true. And I've sustained this for years now. Others are joining me.
Darkest before dawn maybe, but I could never imagine the most powerful government in the world just basically rolling over and accepting that scarce decentralized money had to be allowed to happen.
Lots of darkness, but I see a light-filled future. And my life's work will go towards making sure it happens!

2024-01-19 20:07:00 UTC

Live with Scott Cunningham!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMQOUKqd2qE

2024-01-19 17:48:31 UTC

https://image.nostr.build/3f40a57f0ab0775a2d9e8fb0700b97811e6e5b9a87f0451a9e624906e705072b.jpg
I want everyone to use crypto.
But I want you to be safe. Privacy is tricky, but absolutely worth it.
Your coins may be spying on you! 👁️
Here's some basic tips for privacy when using crypto (bookmark this! 🔖):
🥷Use a VPN or Tor/I2P
🥷Don't share addresses publicly anywhere
🥷Use encrypted secure comms to share addresses
🥷Avoid KYC/giving your ID (where possible)
🥷Avoid using easily-identified emails/phone numbers
🥷Use a privacy function/coin
Bonus: Don't buy/receive, run through a privacy function, then spend/send the exact same amount in a short timeframe. Space out times and amounts so they can't easily be correlated.
Do as many of these as you can. It takes practice, but you can start now.
And reminder: your fiat is already spying on you way more. So don't be afraid to use crypto.

2024-01-13 20:29:34 UTC

Had a great time talking about crypto and freedom, thanks for the interview The Collective!
https://www.takeitbackcollective.com/unleashing-the-power-of-decentralized-currencies

2024-01-13 16:03:17 UTC

Why is it raining all day on crypto meetup day?
Can devs do something? 🌧️😒

2024-01-12 18:03:25 UTC

Excited for this one, happy to have MJ on the show for the first time!
Happy Friday guys and gals, it's been a wild week. 😵‍💫
https://www.youtube.com/live/pSVYxAKJ1Ew

2024-01-08 17:37:47 UTC

Great show with Emergent Reasons this past Friday. He's one of the guys who "gets it".
We need more sane voices as we approach mainstream adoption (and co-opting!) of crypto.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQjW7T8J7HE

2024-01-04 20:22:57 UTC

If you talk nonstop about how you're going to win because government will help you, and all competitors are going to zero...
...then you don't get to call yourself freedom money anymore.
I don't make the rules.

2023-12-29 21:41:49 UTC

Another ~4-hour podcast 😵‍💫

2023-12-23 19:40:14 UTC

Had a really amazing time with all my friends on the show yesterday.
Ran so long that Restream actually cut us off! 🤯
With people like this involved in crypto, I think we're doing to do just fine.
Merry Christmas everyone!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wvqN8w3jco

2023-11-12 18:46:04 UTC

If you saw the THORChain/Maya surge but don't know much about either, this would be a good show to watch. Pedro was great and knowledgeable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luKLXNstACQ

2023-11-12 18:39:05 UTC

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DEX or GTFO. Buy privately, never sell, spend your crypto directly.

2023-11-02 16:02:36 UTC

Pete's been important in liberty and crypto's frontlines since as long as I could remember, but has largely been the "man behind the curtain."
But he knows some profound things, so I'm looking forward to catching up. Tune in, I think this'll be a sleeper hit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOePvKzMUzg

2023-11-01 20:16:47 UTC

I was honored to be on The Jist for a second time talking about some trends in crypto payments.
Spicy headline which leaves out a ton of nuance, but it's not entirely far from the truth! 😁
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYfrsTH-8gU

2023-10-23 19:20:34 UTC

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Lightning exploit thread:
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1715736832950825224.html

2023-10-23 19:18:19 UTC

https://image.nostr.build/a1af7faf0d5a7ee943311c33480bf29b31551cebe7bf1f578cbc850956ce3e78.jpg
Another critical Lightning Network exploit was just discovered. It was so bad that the dev who discovered it quit Lightning altogether! 😵‍💫 Here's how this affects Bitcoin and changes the future of how it'll scale.
The first link in the comments has a good thread on the exploit. Basically, it allows you to steal funds by exploiting a timelock contract timeout. You can partially mitigate this, but there's no way to completely avoid the risk of an exploit!
It's starting to feel like the end of the road for the Lighting Network as Bitcoin's general-purpose scaling solution. Increasingly, it can only work well with trusted parties, closed-loop ecosystems, and (sadly) fully-custodial bank-like apps. I predict a talent flight.
Does this mean Lightning is now useless? No. It works well for closed-loop ecosystems like a social network, and for settlement between large trusted parties like exchanges. But to replace regular small payments, it probably won't last.
What does this mean for Bitcoin? Well, it put all its social and financial capital eggs in the Lightning basket. It'll be really hard to pivot to something like drivechains now. We're in an existential crisis moment for Bitcoin, whether its supporters admit it or not.
How then will Bitcoin scale? The way it always has: through other chains acting as L2s. Read the second thread on using Dash as a "checking account to Bitcoin's savings". With cross-chain DEX networks like the Maya Protocol and THORChain, it's trivial.
We're already seeing Litecoin used like this. Since 2017, Litecoin transactions have been steadily climbing, and it's taking over payment processors as an increasingly popular spending choice. Largely today, Litecoin is Bitcoin's L2.
I think we'll also see people use Bitcoin-denominated payments on other chains. We're already seeing this, with much more Bitcoin wrapped on other protocols than in the Lightning Network. People are using other chains for payments or cool DeFi stuff.
Ultimately, I think people will continue to save in Bitcoin for a while still, and use other chains for payments and other things. This will work fine for a while.... until Bitcoin's scalability ticking time bomb goes off 🧨

2023-10-11 00:52:48 UTC

If you do the right thing the wrong way, eventually the wrong way of doing things leads you to doing the wrong thing.
This is why principles matter, even when it looks like they don't.

2023-10-08 17:42:01 UTC

Good back-and-forth on THORChain's practical decentralization, and also on whether or not Nicole should go back to making cringe videos. I vote yes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oxm140z0j9E

2023-10-06 12:48:52 UTC

Watch THORChain interfaces closely over the next few months. That's where the battle is.
https://twitter.com/TheDesertLynx/status/1710273968656064644

2023-09-30 21:40:21 UTC

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This link has pictures and links, much better:
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1708233003535634462.html

2023-09-30 21:39:55 UTC

https://image.nostr.build/0c11f7c6ecf3b3f3a9e542fda90e09f13b81850df8deac76adbd0dd4df900b30.jpg
Ten years ago I moved to New Hampshire for the Free State Project, looking for freedom, purpose, and a better life. It was the single most important decision of my life, and I've been immeasurably better off since then. Here's a quick recap of my last decade.
In 2012 I came across the Free State Project from a liberty think tank list from Atlas Network. I watched with some interest from a distance, but when a Democrat state rep specifically called out Free Staters as a threat, I knew I had to move ASAP! In 2013, I packed up everything I owned into my car and hit the road, starting the long journey from Phoenix (about 50 hours driving). No job or housing lined up. Almost hit an elk in Colorado and got blown into a cornfield in Kansas, but I made it!
Hit the ground running pretty much right away. Started a podcast as was my duty as a libertarian. 🤣 Also got a job right away teaching taekwondo, and finally got that state championship I was chasing. From there I did basically every kind of activism imaginable.
I worked for couple years for Americans for Prosperity New Hampshire promoting freedom in electoral politics at the local level (I still volunteer occasionally to this day).
I also traveled as a volunteer to promote the FSP and get more people like me to move for freedom!
I also started my own activism project Rights Brigade (on break) to try to mobilize mostly volunteer activism and run only on Bitcoin donations. Biggest thing we did was jury nullification outreach. We covered 10/11 courthouses in NH, sometimes several simultaneously!
Speaking of #Bitcoin, I also got involved in cryptocurrency. On my trip to NH I received some Bitcoin. Started only accepting payment in crypto in 2015, then closed me bank account the following year. Still at it almost 8 years later!
I've traveled the world, but New Hampshire is the only place I've really called home. Beautiful place, great quality of life, and it's only getting freer.And the thousands-strong Free State family is a ride-or-die network like none other.
Not telling you want to do with your life, but you should at least visit New Hampshire sometime. Maybe even move, who knows. All I can tell you is my story of the best decade of my life after I came here looking for freedom. I found it. Maybe you will too...

2023-09-12 20:06:57 UTC

People are starting to give up on Bitcoin's Lightning Network. It's too clunky, complicated, and difficult to use to work for regular people. 😵‍💫 But if it doesn't work for regular people, what does it work for? Great question!
First, before maxis cry FUD, just do a cursory look around Twitter. Ignore people who don't care about Bitcoin. Prominent maxis are acknowledging the truth that, from the end-user perspective, it's difficult to use, even many years post-inception.
What about Lightning's structure makes it clunky? 🤔
-Channel maintenance
-Liquidity management
-Always-on connectivity
-Finding routes
Contrast this with on-chain, where you connect to a node (or run your own) and are all ready to go. Only companies will manage Lightning.
So then what is Lightning good for?
-High bi-directional (not one-way) volume
-Low per-transfer fees
-Instant transfers
Entities that do a ton of back-and-forth transfers with a small number of partners can afford to run and manage a node, and it can make sense to. Who might some of these entities be?
-Exchanges
-Custodial payment processors
-Social media networks offering tipping
-Games
-Payroll companies offering real-time streaming salary (settle anytime you need)
Lots of use cases that don't involve the end user buying coffee! ☕️
But wait, wasn't Lightning supposed to be for buying coffee? 🤨If it doesn't work well for p2p payments, where does that leave Bitcoin?! First, Lightning can take enough transactions off-chain so more people can do on-chain payments. Not enough, but it's a start. ltimately, either a general-purpose L2 solution like the drivechains Paul Sztorc is proposing would be needed at scale. I personally thing we need a block size increase, even to make Lightning work better. Doesn't have to be big blocks, just bigger. Double every halving.
NOTE!!! This only applies to Bitcoin. Lots of other coins have pursued on-chain scaling strategies, and can handle lots of layer-one payments cheaply. I use Dash the most, but Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, even Monero work. I'm purely speaking to the people who ONLY want Bitcoin.

2023-09-11 17:30:18 UTC

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Yet the spam/bot problem is real. IMHO the only way past this is a crypto-based pay-per-post model.

2023-09-09 18:05:11 UTC

No I'm not there right now, I just don't tend to post location pics in real time.
https://twitter.com/TheDesertLynx/status/1700569826031251457

2023-08-21 19:41:16 UTC

Which are the best crypto companies that are most instrumental to actual adoption of crypto as money? Bitrefill and Spritz come to mind immediately. Anyone else? 🤔

2023-08-19 13:47:26 UTC

You ever look at the people we're counting on to save the world and think "Man, we're screwed!" 🤣

2023-08-18 12:47:10 UTC

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@npub1l59…q78u finally did it!

2023-08-18 12:46:53 UTC

For months I've been obsessed with figuring out how to do NFC payments (tap-and-pay) while only owning a de-Googled phone running GrapheneOS. Dead end after dead end.
Today I finally got a breakthrough! 😀

2023-08-15 15:39:05 UTC

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So just use fiat?

2023-08-15 13:52:12 UTC

The world you grew up in is never coming back.
You've got to realize just how good that is.

2023-08-15 01:40:47 UTC

Crypto isn't political. It does enable radical human freedom, which as it turns out people are pretty damn political about. 😅

2023-08-14 20:03:03 UTC

This individual almost assuredly uses very many different financial and data networks on a regular basis. The crypto world is turning out the same way, and anyone who actually uses crypto knows this.
Yet is a crypto founder and doesn't know? Embarrassing! 🫢
https://twitter.com/ColinLeMahieu/status/1690803851010396160

2023-08-14 16:45:01 UTC

Really loved last week's podcast with Ryan on Zcon4. Definitely give it a listen if you missed the conference.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO4M_bojzho

2023-08-12 18:35:37 UTC

Far too few people have seen this video and think it's hard to live on crypto. Let's change that. Share this everywhere! 📢
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fme5_gEBgDM

2023-08-12 14:58:52 UTC

Remember when libertarians got into crypto to #EndTheFed, then kinda just got distracted and stopped trying to use it? 😒

2023-08-11 17:55:13 UTC

Paying with cash isn't quite as private as some people think. You leak location and biometric data (your face), and it's much harder to avoid building patterns with these.
Crypto can definitely be less private, but it can also be a lot more private if you do it right.

2023-07-30 11:44:12 UTC

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One of the drawbacks of custodial systems!

2023-07-13 20:13:24 UTC

I giggle when I post something about Bitcoin I learned from my 10+ years using it plus ~8 years living fully on, and working full-time in, crypto...
...and laser-eyed dorks who learned Bitcoin existed in 2021 and earn 100% fiat and are slaves to their bank lose their minds. 🤣

2023-07-13 00:20:58 UTC

Bitcoin maxis: "ETH or its tech being used for CBDCs is unforgivable!"
Also maxis: "Isn't it awesome that this Salvadoran dictator guy made Bitcoin the legally-mandated currency through custodial KYC wallets?"
🤦‍♂️

2023-07-10 21:15:42 UTC

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Thankfully we still have Bitrefill!

2023-07-10 17:19:47 UTC

Today I learned that Ionia left the crypto business. 😱 This is very sad because their products DashDirect and Cake Pay (the US-only Cake Wallet in-wallet gift cards, not Cake Pay Web) were some of the best adoption tools in all of crypto!
Ionia's a US-based company interfacing with both crypto and the banking system. The US is NOT a place to run a crypto company, especially if you need to deal with banks! Crypto users and projects should take care to not be US-reliant until the regulatory climate improves.
I like on crypto, and DashDirect was one of my favorite tools, so I'm very sad to see it go. But thankfully, I have plenty of other tools for spending Dash: Bitrefill, Spritz, Coinsbee, and I'm sure others.🫶 Well-integrated crypto projects will be fine.
On the other hand, Monero users in the US had fewer options outside of Cake Pay. It's not on Bitrefill, Spritz, Flexa, or many of the other tools I use to spend. The community should start scrambling to get on new platforms and build redundancy in spending tools! Also, the government hates Monero and branded it a tool for criminals (as has its own community). It's much easier to allege an always-on privacy "criminal coin" was used for laundering! 🕵️ I suspect (PURE SPECULATION!!!) that Ionia supporting Monero may have played a role.
In summary, it's a sad day for crypto adoption in the US, but we're going to be okay. Keep building, keep integrating, keep using. We'll outlast the central banks. 💪 Also remember: crypto is censorship-resistant, but you aren't (pour one out for Ross Ulbricht 😢).

2023-07-05 22:40:10 UTC

Are you guys getting the end-of-empire vibes yet?

2023-07-05 11:29:25 UTC

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What? Never heard of a pending Lightning transaction.

2023-07-03 15:20:39 UTC

Last week I asked about other people living almost entirely on crypto Pretty blown away by how many responses there were. I'm not nearly as alone as I thought!

2023-07-02 03:51:00 UTC

New Hampshire is fun
https://twitter.com/TheDesertLynx/status/1675312884350427138

2023-07-01 19:19:33 UTC

Have I become an insufferable hipster?
https://twitter.com/TheDesertLynx/status/1675222274788425728

2023-07-01 18:53:49 UTC

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See you soon!

2023-06-30 19:41:50 UTC

Hey @npub1t0a…mjnx

2023-06-26 19:40:43 UTC

The best decentralized digital cash hasn't been invented yet.
The best decentralized digital cash SO FAR, however, has been.

2023-06-22 22:53:43 UTC

Is anyone annoyed at my inconsistent use of punctuation in replies?

2023-06-19 18:16:18 UTC

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Do it on Phoenix, just say no to custodial solutions!

2023-05-14 13:17:28 UTC

Really great and extensive conversation with Lorenzo about Bitcoin's congesting these past couple of weeks. Highly recommended if you have two hours to burn.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXC3sNSCBHU

2023-05-14 11:58:30 UTC

Everyone download Signal and turn on auto-deleting messages. It's the first step in safeguarding your privacy.

2023-05-13 18:29:19 UTC

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Twitter is unfortunately far and away the best product on social media. I can't wait for good decentralized alternatives that don't have a potato UX.

2023-05-13 18:28:15 UTC

Everything I do is for one simple goal: freedom. I believe in making people's lives around the world as free and self-directed as possible.
I believe in this for its own sake, but also because I believe freedom produces the best objectively-measurable outcomes like wealth.
Whether it's crypto, the Free State Project, privacy, open-source tech, and generally libertarianism, all these are to maximize freedom as effectively as possible.

2023-05-13 14:39:43 UTC

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Followed. So the great exodus begins...

2023-05-12 21:13:43 UTC

What if the real decentralized, uncensorable sound money is the friends we made along the way?

2023-05-04 04:54:49 UTC

While I do have free will, where I am now is mostly the logical conclusion of who I've been all along.
I suspect the same is true for you.

2023-02-26 20:16:05 UTC

Looks like Chuck largely agrees with me on Coinbase's new Ethereum L2. Does anyone disagree that it's a last-ditch survival effort?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9im9JAaaUg

2023-02-23 01:12:25 UTC

Vast majority of Bitcoin Lightning payments are custodial, even more are hard-coded into a single centralized node.
This was NOT the case for Bitcoin on-chain adoption in the early days.🤷‍♂️
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FpgXnoTWAAA8oli?format=jpg&name=medium