whiteafrican
Erik Hersman

Been a crazy couple weeks. A lot of family stuff, which I’m thankful for, including graduations, Philip winning the Rhino Charge, and a break at the coast. https://image.nostr.build/814b00f9f4bf091e14591f7c8682b469901c989728d57c308573750cf78b3ffc.jpg https://image.nostr.build/d63ebdc4de819d08eb636a1a61364403457868ee8b808ec82b2b3f561767c1cf.jpg https://image.nostr.build/914023522cdb9ae8ccbe473a8c3c96cdb91e96ec5cb9916a031cf9802a6b34e2.jpg

2024-05-04 20:22:20

Time comes at you. https://image.nostr.build/e12baa7df19772c715198371dbaecd9f78f8f28d460849d82e7aaf9bdd34d33d.jpg

2024-04-26 18:19:16

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I’ll try it too. Thanks.

2024-04-26 18:19:00

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Ok. Giving Zeus a try. Thanks.

2024-04-26 17:56:02

Damnit all. I really like Phoenix Wallet for most of my basic Lightning expenses.
What do people suggest as a mobile Lightning wallet now?

2024-04-25 22:46:32

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Possibly. Government is hard to work with sometimes.

2024-04-25 22:34:51

Is anyone building a decentralized, FOSS, on/off ramp for bitcoin using Nostr architecture?

2024-04-18 18:29:20

Testing out Iris.to
Not sure how to get off “read only” setting. Is there a private key input somewhere that I just can’t find?

2024-04-14 15:10:35

Bedford was a pleasant surprise. A smaller event in a small town is always preferable to just another large conference where you only briefly see people and then never again.
In Bedford everything is walkable. You congregate around certain pubs and get to have longer conversations with the people you meet. And I had a number of good conversions with everyday Brit Bitcoiners to some of the big names in the space.
It’s a good town for walks and exploring. The river and rowing is quaint and calm.
Mostly, I loved the one day event followed by a day to just hang out and watch a soccer game. These events are best spent in conversation, and while it’s important to have sessions of great content, I feel like that gives us the excuse to be there but the real meat is in the conversations we have and the connections we make.
Good job @npub14mc…frlx and @npub16le…ffxj - Cheatcode 2024 was fantastic. https://image.nostr.build/8b0f947605c0b9102cadba53737edb98037cf3c2c587690066655dd28b2f9360.jpg https://image.nostr.build/bdeeed823dadaf3f9919768e79352f3904a786df94c844ebdb6e35f13dd19d65.jpg https://video.nostr.build/19deae32880b8f04b6780fb62d4020514115e127b0bc6611703f41f8a13e2175.mp4

2024-04-08 22:52:20

The pups eyes are open now and they’re getting more active. Sunning after a bath yesterday. https://image.nostr.build/b4d6208b1b576b715d27c7c10297cc1e01ca94942630eae95b246fe9af21b247.jpg

2024-04-08 22:48:29

Off to London, then to Bedford. I do enjoy the UK.

2024-04-05 06:13:10

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Sisal. It dies after 10 years and they used to burn it all in the field and then replant. Now it makes energy. https://image.nostr.build/ac1f9f2b50a4b796a7731cfdfc50021325fae2d20a74c4aa6531975ac923b705.jpg https://image.nostr.build/ccb7bb13540766c599c44206569afe13e690b4ae8f24b204619fb56d7bf793d8.jpg

2024-04-05 06:11:26

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We are. This year we’re getting into our first energy sites.

2024-04-05 06:11:02

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This will be 1.1MW. Unfortunately can’t do Oslo this year, family commitments. But have a great time!

2024-04-04 07:09:43

Biomass site setup this week. https://image.nostr.build/5557198dd767fda5410e3385246bdc2ae8dd8b7d629d99fe594f3fc210c7045c.jpg

2024-03-31 07:26:45

A bin of puppies. So many puppies. https://image.nostr.build/5e5d4ddeedcab64e90cec4c356c11526aeb41680a3c23300d8f0436a78a90051.jpg

2024-03-25 16:43:03

Happy to have the Africa Bitcoin Mining Summit happening in Ethiopia this year.
Should be amazing, with all the mining going on there now.
https://africanbitcoinmining.com https://image.nostr.build/464b59e11a73d8bc74dd821f9455ddb18960e9c2fd98177fb0bb9ba28a6db24d.jpg

2024-03-18 11:40:30

When we went to sleep there were 11 puppies. We woke up and there were 14!
9 girls, 5 boys
(Rhodesian Ridgebacks) https://image.nostr.build/0a35bbf2b2dce022dff21d35b731f96d035dd90349d1a0cb67b1408034fead1f.jpg

2024-03-17 20:50:22

11 ridgeback puppies!
7 female, 4 male.
Been a long 5 hours for their mom. https://image.nostr.build/a48bc9b6d516952c6170afe91bb2f823f0f49673038e60fb871c8bd5e8df5ec2.jpg

2024-03-11 10:31:30

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True. It’s pretty idyllic. :)

2024-03-04 11:49:32

Madeira was great. Always good to reconnect in-person.
Now back to work, the real fun stuff! https://image.nostr.build/62469abba261dae0a0c1dea99009c0984d230af40689c580473d0bd888e525fa.jpg https://image.nostr.build/993d45883f643b8a05b4ad529f3c25532bbf86fa50bfc7722b9671e91539f315.jpg

2024-02-29 08:58:53

Off to Madeira.
Not an easy place to get to from Kenya.

2024-02-10 09:28:13

Have a new site in the Kenyan highlands doing testing of turbines next week. 150kW. https://video.nostr.build/c8f48a110153c34cdc6eff9216783242059a29a6a9b6688e933e5ea3d8950f95.mp4

2024-01-27 09:15:07

A good couple days in Cape Town with a bunch of African Bitcoiners. https://image.nostr.build/986906015c36f38b048f94a7f33fb74ee980478b2ea0fe0ece72b1f6e0605616.jpg

2024-01-15 20:54:41

Off to Nashville this week.

2024-01-11 08:03:35

While going through the archive I was reminded of coming across some pretty cool people in OSS and Freedom Tech space. Found a @npub1wmr…g240 pic from the early days of Twitter, Ushahidi, etc. when he visited us in Kenya and South Africa (2007 and 2008). https://m.primal.net/HXVQ.jpg https://m.primal.net/HXVR.jpg https://m.primal.net/HXVS.jpg

2024-01-01 04:25:45

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We will in Feb. The site is almost done. Here is a shot from a few months ago during civil works. https://image.nostr.build/f66082c3b8913d5b648000d158a92c640d9edae18dbe9b98929c1141422f1a26.jpg

2023-12-06 16:03:32

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Glad you could visit!

2023-12-02 12:06:10

Cool demo by @npub1j8y…vrvg and Bernard Parah (Bitnob) of a point of sale system that prints #bitcoin vouchers and activates/uses cards at the Africa Bitcoin Conference.
#btcpay https://video.nostr.build/70a6710b196ba613496c05ba3e12c09d3c0c94f0386deba8a43eff115c1e3c84.mp4

2023-12-01 07:18:59

Back in Ghana for the Africa Bitcoin Conference.

2023-11-17 06:42:59

Looking forward to some good African mining conversations and meeting new people at the African Bitcoin Conference in just 2 weeks. https://image.nostr.build/4023f5bff620e948b4b4bf227ab4d666dba5585d7d5c6e29555e727045eb1c9b.jpg

2023-11-03 11:45:09

Rainy season is upon us. Means field visits get a little trickier. :) https://image.nostr.build/9b37f7103d80483806b8327d626800ad431420f69565790e5f483bf0a1476f1c.jpg

2023-11-02 06:48:33

Busy day for the team.
New hydro site up yesterday.
Meanwhile I was off upgrading comms at another. https://image.nostr.build/453de2e049ce6552b1a9f2bcd3975d39654c3f9e11d2fb1241be97830c8d8bd3.jpg

2023-10-18 06:52:08

Sometimes a new mining site in Africa has some surprising visitors!
🦓 🦒 https://video.nostr.build/476508d35995fc6c4728ec5e344b6afb8575a9e8b85353bf6d853ad2dbbbcc4b.mov

2023-10-16 13:24:04

Ostrich time again… :) https://image.nostr.build/0a1cf9e2cf85bd435a55b02de515f2dfa58f614c132cb9318ff05510983c9f6e.jpg

2023-10-03 10:58:55

Soon… https://image.nostr.build/1354fe550c9ca340bbb59f8912cc0523204c09656bef73b6c21d183b916b62e9.jpg

2023-10-02 05:35:27

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This is an interesting conversation to have with your kids, especially when they’re just leaving high school and weighing the options of a college degree or a trade school.

2023-09-24 10:16:27

A bush walk with some Masai this morning. https://image.nostr.build/911ea3e992c57e3eb30d5523018b74bf068bbdf81ae58740ba5941b20b01f3a8.jpg

2023-09-23 06:56:12

Good morning from safari https://image.nostr.build/681e741d3050dc7640c97e67562e9af71164c787cae15e3161393b3047c7a0f0.jpg https://video.nostr.build/290e374ec68679ba6ece65cfe5c1f50db7e1bf426edb6bfdaabf7eae84087e15.mov https://image.nostr.build/0a63e0d2b79ecc777707ac67022cb6e6c9e9c2288b705754905dc28b2a61b424.jpg https://image.nostr.build/cc3202d970e96fc170f97c8e917cee3f4a6807ad92ead6a46413a56e8e97d6e9.jpg

2023-09-21 05:52:12

Been a good few days of African bitcoin mining folks getting together! https://image.nostr.build/e56c0b91bce3990e0867b59296941517d5d19354f35f02cf9fe0735463219ced.jpg

2023-09-18 21:30:47

It begins! The early arrivals into Nairobi for the Africa mining summit are trickling in.
Full gas, no brakes, starting tomorrow! https://image.nostr.build/78e8cb394fd3321411a75ab4326eb61332bb55dd84464f78caeffcacec6a35a1.jpg

2023-09-13 17:59:23

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See you soon!

2023-09-13 15:21:37

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Yes, indeed!

2023-09-13 12:56:54

Nashville today!

2023-09-08 00:11:27

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I’m not sure if Noelyne is on here yet. But she’s at the coast.
https://x.com/noelynesumba?s=21&t=Dp-bDJMT_-R7yC3HPALOoQ

2023-09-06 21:57:49

Back in the red, white, and blue 🇺🇸!
Family this week.
Bitcoin Park next week.

2023-09-05 13:27:07

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Does Egypt have any issues with people having local bank accounts both in USD and Egyptian Pounds?
We see this same thing in Kenya (for those who can do international work), but they can also keep it in a local USD account. In places like Malawi that is not the case, so it makes it a lot more complicated.

2023-09-04 20:26:42

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Not all are on the small minigrids that we do. Some are using larger deployments, like the Big Block guys in Congo with 5MW (and growing) or some new guys in Ethiopia about to turn on 20MW.

2023-09-04 19:15:23

We’re two weeks away and things are coming together quite nicely for the inaugural Africa Bitcoin Mining Summit in Nairobi.
It’s really about miners in Africa being able to meet up in-person, learn from each other, share, and to build a community. https://cdn.nostr.build/i/9224dfad74c3d3814bc2b945cfa9845ce115e39add8c52d72f0dbc583c503a40.png

2023-08-31 16:22:21

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They’ve been growing fairly quickly in Africa for the past decade. A boom would come if the financing for them was deployed in a newer model.

2023-08-31 06:23:28

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This is 1.4MW, so call it 400 roughly miners.

2023-08-30 18:43:43

Geothermal is pretty amazing energy tech. Not just the massive 200MW locations, but the small “non-viable for commercial” ones too. https://cdn.nostr.build/i/7234bf7d21ce9a6d76662a78a4c6749930e9608217341a0cbccbe6562851c625.jpg

2023-08-28 10:26:09

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But you don’t even mine. :)
You’d be welcome to join if you like though.

2023-08-28 09:20:51

Next month I’m Nairobi we have the first African Bitcoin Miners Summit and have miners from African 9 countries represented. Should be fun!
https://africanbitcoinmining.com https://cdn.nostr.build/i/fe8ef8eb6c7ac5616029e86cda72c296f701321dfe4a204850a78d91fceea008.jpg

2023-08-26 19:17:34

Final thoughts on this.
Installing medium sized bitcoin datacentres at generation stations could solve this. Any/All of the datacentres can be switched off in seconds and the power immediately made available.
It’s like an inverse peaker plant that earns money + stabilizes the grid.
This is what the Chair of Kenya Power had to say (image): https://cdn.nostr.build/i/b454bbbb1056c04fbdd7dc83ec2d395f9ad849aebfe979ce6656929798f5e9d5.jpg #note1qdl…hw6r

2023-08-26 08:44:54

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Meanwhile. Small hydro site in upcountry Kenya is still plugging away with no disruptions and we’re hashing. So not all bad! :)

2023-08-26 08:43:53

12 hours with no power across Kenya due to a fault at a generation site.
That’s bad, but not nearly as bad as the international airport not having any power due to the backup generation there being down and flights being sent 4 hours away to South Africa. Embarrassing. https://cdn.nostr.build/i/b6d6f27bc5f15dafdeb468eb18ce025b5f893a07195a83d8f1130b5f7f11618b.png

2023-08-25 19:43:53

Looking forward to this one! #note12q0…er2w

2023-08-25 06:04:21

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Kenya.

2023-08-25 06:03:07

Great to finally connect IRL with @npub1xrp…jz7j! https://cdn.nostr.build/i/2d0fd643337fb42bb508eaed849cacc19dd33bb71441a1043cad0e43180ec52b.jpg

2023-08-25 06:00:17

Kazi ni kazi. The team getting to it as we build the next container. https://cdn.nostr.build/i/cd86363a72cec975974bda40f04531ef7cbb0644576cb440cf22a429740cc780.jpg

2023-08-10 17:48:13

Back in Kenya with a thousand and one things to catch up on. And it’s cold!

2023-08-06 22:00:48

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Hah. We don’t even wish for Grubhub. Just grill our own and enjoy the river at night.
Here’s our camp on the Zambezi (Starlink included). https://cdn.nostr.build/i/5a0d60a5c4fe6042ae34f751d9e38ff9cd4666f7b6c339ed299c3e7096d727a3.jpg

2023-08-06 21:54:01

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Thanks. It’s fun too!

2023-08-06 21:38:17

A decent day. Less crazy than the last few anyway.
Fully load testing all the miners against the forebay water level sensor
It should be noted that a sudden switch of all machines to high efficiency/low power settings on the miners does cause a generator crash… lesson learned! Dummy pool activated.
This is why we test the scenarios while on site.
Anyway. Onto celebration steaks by the Zambezi at our camp! https://cdn.nostr.build/i/d6a6c78ef5c62f3f0e80dc0d21c307f44ebb7dd2f831e62e965aad4ace395d4f.jpg https://cdn.nostr.build/i/918af8a7522c3b330e0ae14ecc7d83429a4ee248091a21aa20cb6b63e412d270.jpg https://cdn.nostr.build/i/bb4b778bca7750ec8cb5b00967e720b77a1e3670ae256bf6c41780c038b35e27.jpg

2023-08-05 14:45:26

Good news is we’ve got full connectivity. Now testing all patch cables and PDUs. But a few miners are already hashing!
This bonding service makes a huge difference on dropped packets. https://nostr.build/av/7f0fcc557f99a148bd8214b402ec6abb706dd2314aa8720eeba7e6c49932cc36.mov

2023-08-05 06:41:38

Sunrise over the forebay. Zambia is a beautiful country. https://nostr.build/av/cea4dd61f0e1c350c7da26685a5929d096191e387e44e9ee97debcb58c153f91.mov

2023-08-05 06:25:17

We’ve been able to get good signal with LTE, but it has to be about 100m away up on the forebay. The point-to-point WiFi link has had some issues, but we think we know what’s wrong and will fix that today.
Gotta get these miners live. https://cdn.nostr.build/i/89d2e7427962ce3b9a1c3d3f36cc4cfc8e9e1036eb5d516d4f56f972b67698ff.jpg

2023-08-03 13:44:20

Give a man a free mosquito net and eat for a lifetime… or something like that. :) https://nostr.build/av/637b864e54780827dcc83fdcc87c909966e983e2a26eabca27b6427ad3fee00b.mov

2023-08-03 09:51:04

Some days are long… but we got the container maneuvered into place… after about 6 hours of doing things without all the right equipment.
Next is electrical and miner installation. https://cdn.nostr.build/i/917fa4c44a76ed0426b50f4b18f3bf3e6247edaeefc5a510cbd6e382f604c197.jpg https://nostr.build/av/4a9c65bb6443e81dd575ba80d57131a50e79882e054c410e72a4ab14a066e09f.mov

2023-08-03 09:48:57

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Yes. Zambezi river

2023-08-01 20:01:29

Getting closer, not great roads. Tomorrow we will offload and start installation.
Zambia 🇿🇲 https://nostr.build/av/c5279f4d7a3e73f7f5ee3bff2d9e03df7cfb2ca36d738b3296f86713bbee1edc.mov

2023-07-31 13:55:33

In Zambia! https://cdn.nostr.build/i/9961765dcf2bedcef9023c0e7d48c5940d55624c6cc3815a7408efc47a4892b3.jpg

2023-07-09 12:53:08

Historical data for miners.
Average USD Revenue per kWh of Electricty Used http://nostr.build/i/2841f8f78a75fc233ba41f3bfc7a7e19feaa42db2b84928fa7ad7fbbbfa33f58.png http://nostr.build/i/0e590809ed20ea554dd4939fa04217d477f259176b12a7ff6af34491f86cce01.png

2023-07-07 05:43:37

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I think it might maintain popularity too, mostly because it just feels like going to a bar to hang out more than a place to learn or think critically.

2023-07-06 13:13:37

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Oh no. That’s not a good one. I hope you’re okay!

2023-07-05 13:11:54

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But what does it taste like? :)

2023-07-04 15:24:44

Marauding gang has been around all day. The little thieves got our trail mix yesterday… https://nostr.build/i/83f3332173555ab5d8896865fbec14b5830510249e2e605f0964f5db98bc5430.jpg

2023-07-04 05:55:10

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Kenya coast. Diani.

2023-07-03 21:06:07

150m wide sand beach at night. https://nostr.build/i/dde7482b1becf2f7755a4e13a71bfc87287bdaf3d809bc27df5b144434adfdfe.jpg

2023-07-02 07:30:23

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Twitter was as well back in the early days. It makes me wonder if possibly all new/young communities tend to be a bit more kind.

2023-07-02 07:10:41

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What makes it less spammy?

2023-07-02 07:09:49

The little bandits are out in numbers today. 🐒 https://nostr.build/i/54bc99cda3387a597de1e374a044c30a99b4f73797eb7de1a50176aaf02f848f.jpg

2023-07-02 07:02:31

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Already are mining here. :)

2023-07-02 05:06:14

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This would be more interesting if it was compared to the first year of Twitter.

2023-06-30 08:42:02

Bitcoin mining containers being built from scratch in Nairobi. Load testing soon. Mining incoming! https://nostr.build/i/8bdf6e8c4917eeed9a7886925b7b80085360fdfcebe809e8d5a9a5c98572e094.jpg https://nostr.build/i/2311f6e5093d398a70d7448b7a6b8afcdbc5ee2111022b54a851b3eaf94696c3.jpg

2023-06-27 12:46:26

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Yes, it should be. Need to fix that.

2023-06-27 05:44:07

Got some more improvements done yesterday (our lines are getting closer, decreasing the dump load) on Gridless OS, our demand response software managing the miners.
Began implementing alerting to help monitoring. https://nostr.build/i/bfb52673b5bff4ecf59501e6b7e1f8beaa7e6e8ee61c8c3db8d4ef6b88a37fc5.jpg

2023-06-27 05:28:14

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It’s on. Just no one else downloading it now, I believe.

2023-06-23 06:04:26

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Why?

2023-06-20 07:43:35

Reading “21 Lessons” by @npub1der…xzpc on the flight home yesterday, I couldn’t help but hear it in his voice and accent. Made it even better!
https://21lessons.com

2023-06-19 09:41:41

Norway was good

2023-06-15 13:49:52

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Oops. I just realized I got that wrong, it is @npub1xts…kk5s who is in Oslo. Wish I’d worn my @npub18m7…q955 hat. :)

2023-06-15 13:48:09

Going to give a talk today that riffs on “mining for the streets” by Diverter, with a focus on what it means for activists around the world using their energy bill to earn bitcoin. https://nostr.build/i/02c82b1f40301f28b9b27c389a909b416cb15690aa6bc96b62891eb1e0c03ff5.jpg https://nostr.build/i/118e88496bc33ebbf0cdef8b8e5147af97b0f456c304e53a8d8666cc7561beea.jpg

2023-06-15 13:45:50

I keep looking for @npub180c…h6w6 in Oslo…!

2023-06-06 16:01:04

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This is interesting.
I’ve been thinking that one of the attack vectors that isn’t spoken about much for Bitcoin is the comms infrastructure layer, and it’s an oligopoly at best of ISPs and MNOs.
Makes me think we need an open infra layer, which I think is doable since we worked on Magma at both the software and hardware layer before.

2023-06-06 07:27:05

GM from Nairobi. Finally had the miners clear customs. Many of them. :)

2023-06-02 19:08:56

More fun at the annual Rhino Charge event in Kenya. Race day is tomorrow.
(A race where the shortest distance to all the checkpoints wins, through incredibly rough African terrain). https://nostr.build/i/837b708511cbc13740b534b2d11e74b992a24b033437b398dcc80ff55e790690.jpg https://nostr.build/i/98e109e5e77a843e710bf92733766040f21217670ecd866b4ac51fdbdef89d4d.jpg

2023-05-29 06:49:09

I was even wearing my Damus shirt. https://nostr.build/i/ffa011a44ebb0c14f83f30f34b627ffbd4e8ee311285bc7ececf75d008fff492.jpg https://nostr.build/av/0f89cdc25900e4cf76cf754ae9289279a37fea336f3ba4af25d93bcccf7f2e77.mov