By Bitcoin Cylchgrawn - 4 fis yn ôl - Amser Darllen: 12 munud
Pam Rydw i Eisoes yn Nostr Maximalist
After being inspired by a podcast gyda Preston Pysh and Will Casarin in January of 2023 I experienced my first interaction with ‘the nostr’ using a rather clunky interface. Since that time, nostr has gradually become more user friendly and an increasingly meaningful part of my life. I have now deleted all other social media accounts in favor of this blossoming decentralized alternative. My slow exodus away from centralized social media started over ten years ago, but the formation of a functional substitute was the final nail in the coffin. Making the jump at such an early stage may have been premature, but after two months using both nostr and Twitter I chose to make the transition permanent. I’ve written this article to explain my reasoning and provide an assessment of the nostr network as I understand it today.
Nobody is in charge of nostr, I have no one to ask if NOSTR should be capitalized or lowercase. I also have not reached a definitive conclusion regarding how it should be pronounced. Frankly it wouldn’t matter if anyone had an opinion about either of those things. Nostr is what the users and developers make it. Nostr is not a website and it is not a company. Nostr does not rely on a blockchain to function and there are no central servers dictating who can participate in the network. With the exception of shared interest and lightning ‘zap’ integration, it is independent from Bitcoin. Those who already understand Bitcoin seem to have an easier time wrapping their head around the importance of nostr, but I have also met several non-bitcoin who are passionate about what is being built.
Nostr is a protocol which is designed to have applications built on top of it, or rather to interface with it. Users are free to choose from dozens of applications (clients) to access the protocol. The client they choose determines the nature of the user experience. The name NOSTR is an acronym for Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relay. The functionality of the protocol is in the name, but I will not be diving into the technicalities here. I also will not be discussing the pros and cons of the various clients used to access nostr. Though that would be a helpful resource if someone would like to write that up!
Fel un sy'n frwd dros dechnoleg sy'n canolbwyntio ar ryddid, annhechnegol, mynychais Nostrasia ym mis Tachwedd 2023 gydag un cwestiwn sylfaenol mewn golwg; “Pa geisiadau na ellir eu hailadrodd ar nostr?” Ar y pwynt hwn mae gormod o bethau anhysbys i ateb hyn yn derfynol, ond ehangodd fy nealltwriaeth o nostr a'i gymwysiadau posibl yn ddramatig yn ystod fy amser yn Tokyo. Roedd y gynhadledd yn cynnwys sgyrsiau ar fersiynau datganoledig o bron bob cais y gallwch chi ei ddychmygu. Twitter, Twitch, Youtube, Reddit, Spotify, Maps, Amazon, GitHub, Goodreads ac eraill. Nid yw'r un o'r dewisiadau amgen datganoledig hyn yn gopïau carbon o'r gwasanaethau hynny. Mewn sawl ffordd mae'n ymddangos bod ganddyn nhw'r potensial i ddod yn fersiynau gwell fyth oherwydd integreiddio mellt a mewnbwn defnyddwyr ffynhonnell agored.
Ar adegau rwyf wedi meddwl tybed a fydd yr hyn sy'n cael ei adeiladu yn dod yn fersiwn datganoledig newydd o'r rhyngrwyd cyfan yn y pen draw. O ran y cyfyngiadau presennol, y brif her a glywais yn cael ei thrafod yn nostrasia yw creu nostr cyfatebol ar gyfer signal neu delegram. Gall sgwrs breifat wedi'i hamgryptio fod yn haws mynd i'r afael â hi gan rywbeth fel SimpleX. Ar hyn o bryd nid yw'n glir a fydd y ceisiadau sy'n cael eu datblygu yn llwyddiannus neu'n rhai graddadwy, ond o ystyried y cynnydd yr wyf wedi'i weld yn y gofod ers ymuno, rwy'n teimlo'n frwdfrydig.
Ar wahân i optimistiaeth, mae'n ddamcaniaethol bosibl na fydd nostr yn goroesi'n ddigon hir i gyflawni unrhyw un o'r amcanion beiddgar sy'n cael eu cynnig ar hyn o bryd. Mae llawer o heriau ariannol a thechnegol o'n blaenau. Mae’n bosibl imi wneud camgymeriad wrth roi fy wyau ffroen i gyd mewn un fasged. Nid yw’r dewis hwnnw at ddant pawb ac rwy’n gwerthfawrogi hynny’n llwyr. Fodd bynnag, ar ôl aros am ddewis arall datganoledig a ffynhonnell agored yn lle cyfryngau cymdeithasol ers blynyddoedd lawer, rwy'n fodlon cymryd y risg sy'n gysylltiedig â mabwysiadu'r dechnoleg hon yn gynnar. Byddai'n well gen i brofi'r rhyngwyneb defnyddiwr heb ei sgleinio ac o bosibl rwygo trwy lawer o rwystredigaeth na pharhau i roi fy egni i mewn i system yr wyf yn ei hystyried yn ddarfodedig.
Mae risg i bob dewis. O ran rheoli asedau, mae goblygiadau llym a pharhaol i'r risg o ddyrannu cyfalaf ariannol yn wael. Yn achos cyfryngau cymdeithasol, mae'r risg o ddyrannu cyfalaf cymdeithasol yn wael yn amlwg, ond yn llawer llai dramatig. Y gwir yw, trwy ddefnyddio platfform cyfryngau cymdeithasol canolog, rydych chi eisoes wedi aberthu rheolaeth dros unrhyw gyfalaf cymdeithasol rydych chi wedi'i wario. Ar unrhyw adeg, gallai'r wefan honno symud ei pholisïau mewn ffordd sy'n effeithio'n negyddol arnoch chi neu gallant ddileu eich cyfrif yn ôl eu disgresiwn eu hunain. Mae'r holl gysylltiadau a chynnwys rydych chi wedi'u datblygu ar y llwyfannau hynny yn hongian ar fympwy mega-gorfforaethau ac ymyrraeth y llywodraeth. Yn bersonol, mae gen i fwy o ffydd mewn cod ffynhonnell agored nag sydd gen i mewn sefydliadau dynol.
Wrth greu hunaniaeth ar nostr, mae llofnod cryptograffig yn cael ei lunio ar eich cyfer gan hud rhyngrwyd ffynhonnell agored (cyn belled ag y gall fy meddwl pleb ei ganfod). Mae gan y llofnod hwn allwedd breifat a chyhoeddus, y cyfeirir ato fel yr nsec ac npub yn y drefn honno. Mae npub yn edrych fel yr un isod a gellir ei ddefnyddio i ddod o hyd i ddefnyddwyr eraill:
npub1jfn4ghffz7uq7urllk6y4rle0yvz26800w4qfmn4dv0sr48rdz9qyzt047 (add me 🧡🫂💜)
The npub is a novel form of online identification which is not required to be linked to your meatspace identity in any way. The nsec is used to sign in to new clients and to prove that you are the owner of the account; similar to bitcoin private keys. This key pair can be used anywhere in the nostrverse to prove that you are a particular individual or account. Follows, followers, and posted content are associated with a npub through the relays that npub is using. This means that if you are interested in trying out a new client or migrating away from the one you are using you may do this without any loss of connections or content.
Mae'r ymagwedd newydd hon at hunaniaeth ar-lein a storio data yn creu gofod llawer mwy cystadleuol i'r datblygwyr sy'n creu cymwysiadau, ond mae hefyd yn galluogi rhyngweithredu. Dau ffactor hollbwysig sydd yn gyfan gwbl ar goll yn nhirwedd cyfryngau cymdeithasol presennol heddiw. Mae behemothau cyfryngau cymdeithasol presennol yn dibynnu ar y ffaith ei bod yn heriol gadael ac yn anodd cyfathrebu rhwng llwyfannau. Fe wnes i ddileu fy Facebook flynyddoedd yn ôl ac am fisoedd lawer derbyniais e-byst am ‘So-and-so misses you! Edrychwch ar yr hyn a bostiwyd ganddynt yn ddiweddar.’ Yn naturiol, byddwn yn cael fy ngorfodi i fewngofnodi yn ôl i weld y cynnwys. Roedd y driniaeth emosiynol amlwg ac enbyd yn ormod i'w stumogi. Mae gan Nostr y potensial i ddileu’r model gardd furiog lle mae eich bywyd digidol yn cael ei ddal yn wystl ar gyfer refeniw hysbysebu a chasglu data.
Yn ogystal â'r problemau strwythurol gyda chyfryngau cymdeithasol etifeddol, mae'n amlwg bod sensoriaeth ar-lein ar gynnydd serth. Sut bynnag y gallech deimlo am sensoriaeth pan fydd yn digwydd i rywun yr ydych yn anghytuno ag ef, ni fyddwch yn ei hoffi pan fydd y sensoriaid yn troi arnoch. Mae rhai pobl yn gwerthfawrogi sensoriaeth oherwydd bod llawer o gynnwys y byddai'n well ganddynt beidio â'i weld. Yn bersonol, hoffwn wneud y dewis hwnnw fy hun yn hytrach na chael corfforaeth ddi-wyneb heb linell gwasanaeth cwsmeriaid yn ei wneud i mi.
Ultimately the social media giants have been placed in an impossible position. Legislators will not stop pushing them to maintain the Ffenestr Owrtyn in their favor. Whether a social media provider wishes to be a propaganda tool or not, the nature of any centralized platform will ensure that it becomes one. Centralized dissemination of what is ‘appropriate content’ and what is considered ‘misinformation’ will inevitably narrow the scope of human understanding to a point where self-censorship is the norm. To a large extent this has already happened.
Some believe that misinformation is the most dangerous aspect of the internet. Allowing people to communicate freely in an open marketplace of ideas is too much to bear for these people. They feel the need to control what people say and by extension control what people think. This fear based need for control over the population does not align with my values. Despite the inevitable failure of such approaches in the age of the internet, we will likely see an increase in attempts to KYC (know-your-customer) everyone on centralized networks. The social credit system in China has provided the world with a case study to be weary of. When your bank card gets declined at the grocery store for a meme you re-posted on Xitter don’t say I didn’t warn you. Have I already become a toxic nostr maxi?... Maybe. 🧡🫂💜
Michel Foucault’s writings on disciplinary power outline a methodology towards an essentially non-violent oppression of the masses. Looking at his conceptualization and the current state of affairs in the social media landscape, I have a difficult time telling them apart. The final result of such a system is a society in which authentic connection and genuine behavior become impossible. Physical prisons are only one form of enslavement. The true prison of the dystopian future manifests inside the mind of the individual. Bitcoiners who have watched their personal time preference expand understand this intuitively.
There are people in the bitcoin community who see nostr as a distraction and there are people in the nostr community who see bitcoin as an impediment to adoption. All I see is a massive synergistic upward spiral between the orange badger and the purple ostrich. These two protocols feed each other and enable achosion defnydd newydd which culminate in something much greater than the two independent parts. Bitcoin is essential for shifting the world away from debt slavery into proof of work. Nostr is essential for shifting the world away from top down dissemination of information to a free market of content. In this way the two technologies are ideologically aligned with volunteerism and personal liberty.
bont bitcoin would agree that financial freedom is essential in maintaining one’s personal agency. However, without the ability to communicate freely the new found financial liberation is handicapped. The ability to reliably coordinate commerce and correspond in a peer-to-peer fashion is much more essential than many seem to acknowledge at this moment. Additionally, the reason the fiat system is so potent in its deception is not exclusively a result of the accountants and politicians engaged in the fraud. The real strength of the fiat leviathan is a function of global propaganda efforts to maintain the perpetual delusion. If hyperbitcoinization occurs and the propaganda apparatus remains in place, most people are unlikely to benefit from its liberating qualities. In order for the full impact of bitcoin to take root on this planet we will also need a means of sharing information openly and efficiently.
All of this rhetoric is a bit grandiose for the moment given that the estimates I have received regarding daily active users ranges around 10,000. It could be that this article and the protocol itself will age poorly, but many of the concepts in this article will remain relevant to the importance of a decentralized method of mass communication. If nostr fails, something will take its place. Given the development I have witnessed so far, I would be surprised to see nostr fall flat. The protocol is drawing in talent and checking off bounties at an exponential rate. As the bitcoin price increases I anticipate this trend to continue. Those who believe that bitcoin is a distraction to nostr underestimate the electromagnetism of the bull market. Those who believe that nostr is a distraction from bitcoin didn’t meet the former ethereum dev at nostrasia who became a bitcoiner because of nostr. The purple pill helps the orange pill go down.
Ar lefel fwy goddrychol, rwyf wedi sylwi ar brofiad defnyddiwr sylweddol well ar nostr nag a wneuthum yn y system etifeddiaeth. Mae'r effaith mor amlwg fel y gallaf ddweud bod fy iechyd meddwl wedi gwella'n sylweddol ers i mi ddod oddi ar Twitter. Mae yna nifer o newidynnau y gallwn eu priodoli i'r gwelliant hwnnw. Y diffyg algorithmau cynddeiriog, maint cyffredinol y gymuned yr wyf yn rhyngweithio â hi, y diddordeb a rennir gan y gymuned honno, neu'r ddealltwriaeth ymwybodol fy mod yn rhydd i ddweud beth bynnag yr wyf ei eisiau. Beth bynnag ydyw, nid fi yw'r unig un sydd wedi sylwi ar naws llawer gwell ar y ffroen.
Rwyf wedi sylwi nad yw rhai o'r cyfrifon Twitter poblogaidd wedi bod mor boblogaidd ar nostr ac mae rhai cyfrifon llai adnabyddus wedi ennill tyniant. Ar hyn o bryd mae gen i fwy o ddilynwyr nag a wnes i erioed ar Twitter (1400 syfrdanol). Mae rhai o'r cyfrifon mwy ar Twitter yn rhannu ar lefel fwy personol ar nostr nag y maent yn ei wneud yn y fforwm mwy. Efallai na fydd yr effeithiau hyn yn aros fel hyn wrth i'r rhwydwaith dyfu, ond ar hyn o bryd mae'n teimlo bod rhai o fy hoff bobl yn fwy hygyrch ac yn fwy cyfforddus i rannu'n agored â'r gymuned nostr.
Earlier in my bitcoin journey I was of the opinion that the greater diversity of viewpoints I could interact with, the more comprehensive my understanding of the world would become. I was cautious of ending up in a filter bubble or an echo chamber of certain niche opinions. As time went on I made a point to exclusively follow people on twitter who were outspokenly ‘Bitcoin Only’. This provided a simple heuristic for me to narrow my field of interactions to people who had put in enough work to jump the hurdle out of the clown coin casino. I remain realistic about the possibility that I have intentionally manufactured confirmation bias in my online experience, but with the impending AI boom it will become increasingly difficult to remain in an unfiltered social pool.
By narrowing my online interactions to a specific group I run the risk of missing out on unique opinions, but so far this pruning has continuously increased the signal in my feed while reducing the noise. The scope of nuanced perspectives between bitcoin on nostr has provided me with plenty to consider and learn from. In any case I still get a daily dose of intellectual debris to sort through from the normies I talk to in meatspace. When it comes to my online life, I concluded I would rather spend time getting to know this merry band of internet pioneers than stay connected to the rest of the traditional social media system.
Some have suggested that by leaving legacy social media I might be surrendering to irrelevance and obscurity. Personally I see the exodus of bitcoin from Xitter gradually culminating in that network fading into irrelevance. I give credit to those of you who remain in the fray to fight the good fight, but my days engaging in that digital mosh pit are over. While my own learning process was accelerated by debates on Twitter, nine times out of ten I don’t see productive outcomes from online arguments. What I have found productive and rewarding has been interacting with people who are passionate enough about freedom to roll the dice on this new protocol.
Mae'n debygol iawn y bydd pob person yn gynnar yn y symudiad hwn yn cael ei doxxed. Fodd bynnag, yn y tymor hir rydym yn cefnogi technoleg a fydd yn galluogi cenedlaethau’r dyfodol i gael y rhyddid i ddewis faint o breifatrwydd y maent yn ei gynnal a faint o wybodaeth y maent yn ei rhannu â’r byd. Rydym yn galluogi dyfodol lle mae gan bobl y rhyddid i fod mor ddilys ag y dymunant heb gyfyngiadau artiffisial ar gwmpas mynegiant dynol.
Mae bod ar nostr yn 2023 yn teimlo'n debyg iawn i chwarae gemau cyn y parti rhyngrwyd gorau yn y byd erioed. Mae gan y system sain rai chwilod, mae'r addurniadau yn dal i gael eu prosesu, a does neb yn gwybod yn sicr a fydd unrhyw un arall yn ymddangos, ond mae gwirodydd yn uchel. Yn aml rydw i wedi hafalu gwefannau fel Xitter a F-book â bar plymio crappy y mae pawb yn mynd iddo yn unig oherwydd bod pawb yn mynd yno. Po fwyaf y maent yn cicio pobl allan, yn dyfrio'r diodydd, ac yn codi prisiau; po fwyaf y byddant yn erlid eu cwsmeriaid i ffwrdd. Wnes i ddim ysgrifennu’r erthygl hon i gywilyddio neb nac i roi pwysau arnyn nhw i ymuno â ffroenau, ond pe bai’n tanio sbarc ynoch chi i ddysgu mwy, cafodd fy amcan ei gyflawni. Does dim brys, ond pan fyddwch yn penderfynu eich bod wedi cael llond bol ar y status quo byddwn yn aros amdanoch gyda breichiau agored.
Post gwadd yw hwn gan Source Node. Mae'r farn a fynegir yn gwbl eu hunain ac nid ydynt o reidrwydd yn adlewyrchu barn BTC Inc neu Bitcoin Cylchgrawn.
Ffynhonnell wreiddiol: Bitcoin Magazine