The Kevin Rooke Show

Latest Episodes:

TLS96: Dhruv Bansal on The Bitcoin Stack, Distributed Markets, Scaling in Layers, Nostr, Tor, and More Feb 16, 2023

Show notes

Dhruv Bansal is a physicist, entrepreneur, and the co-founder of Unchained Capital.

In our conversation we explored the idea of scaling Bitcoin in layers, the importance of distributed markets on Bitcoin, Lightning, and beyond, and we touched Nostr, Tor, Ordinals and frameworks for understanding Bitcoin.

→ The Bitcoin Stack Presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlV5_udJkC0

→ Unchained Capital: https://unchained.com/

Sponsors

→ Voltage: https://stacksats.how/voltage

→ Stakwork: https://stacksats.how/stakwork

This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats.

The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm.

→ Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/

→ More Episodes: https://www.stacksats.how/podcast

→ Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm

Links

→ Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/

→ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke

→ Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations

→ Bitcoin News: https://stacker.news/r/kr

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro

02:20 - Dhruv Bansal Intro

08:41 - What Can Be Built on Bitcoin?

21:23 - Selling Bitcoin vs. Selling Altcoins

36:35 - The Importance of Building in Layers on Bitcoin

45:52 - How Important Is Decentralization on the Lightning Network?

58:22 - Second Order Effects of Lightning Network Changes

1:01:52 - Energy, Bitcoin, & P2P Connections

1:06:43 - The Pendulum of Centralization & Decentralization

1:13:23 - Can Lightning Fix Tor?

1:26:15 - The Role of Companies on Layered Protocol Systems

1:31:50 - Making Changes to Bitcoin

1:47:37 - The Lightning Round

TLS95: Nicholas Gregory on Statechains, Mercury Wallet, Scaling Bitcoin, and the Lightning Network Feb 09, 2023

Show notes

Nicholas Gregory is the CEO of CommerceBlock, the company using Statechains to power their product Mercury Wallet.

In our conversation, Nick explained the concept and utility of statechains, Mercury Wallet’s upcoming Lightning integration, and we also discussed LSPs and Bitcoin transaction fees.

→ Mercury Wallet: https://mercurywallet.com/

Sponsors

→ Voltage: https://stacksats.how/voltage

→ Stakwork: https://stacksats.how/stakwork

This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats.

The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm.

→ Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/

→ More Episodes: https://www.stacksats.how/podcast

→ Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm

Links

→ Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/

→ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke

→ Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations

→ Bitcoin News: https://stacker.news/r/kr

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro

02:18 - Nicholas Gregory Intro

04:25 - CommerceBlock

05:56 - What are Statechains?

17:18 - Building Mercury Wallet

23:51 - Changes to Bitcoin’s Protocol

34:58 - Trends in Bitcoin Transaction Fees

37:50 - Catalysts for Lightning Development

45:37 - Traits of Good Lightning Service Providers

54:58 - Attacking the Lightning Network

1:03:59 - The Lightning Round

TLS94: Morgen Rochard on Building Origin, Bitcoin Financial Planning, and Payment Regulations Jan 27, 2023

Show notes

Morgen Rochard is the founder of Origin Wealth Advisers, a CFA, CFP, and a well-known Bitcoin advocate.

In our conversation, we spoke about the challenge of preserving one’s wealth on a fiat standard, the things Bitcoin does and does not fix, and regulations and tax implications of Bitcoin and Lightning Network payments.

As always, the best way you can support this show is by sending in sats over the Lightning Network. You can use any podcasting 2.0 app, there are many of them, but my favorite is Fountain.

→ Origin: https://www.originwa.com/

Sponsors

→ Voltage: https://stacksats.how/voltage

→ Stakwork: https://stacksats.how/stakwork

This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats.

The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm.

→ Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/

→ More Episodes: https://www.stacksats.how/podcast

→ Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm

Links

→ Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/

→ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke

→ Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations

→ Bitcoin News: https://stacker.news/r/kr

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro

02:14 - Morgen Rochard Intro

13:10 - Personal Finance and Monetary Incentives

20:50 - Bitcoin Fixes This, But Not All Things

27:25 - Dealing with Bitcoin Volatility

40:51 - Getting Bitcoin Exposure

52:43 - Implications of Earning Bitcoin

59:29 - Capital Gains & Record Keeping

1:18:38 - The Lightning Round

TLS93: Paul Sztorc on Drivechain (BIP 300/301), Bitcoin Sidechains, and Building Layer Two Labs Jan 19, 2023

Show notes

Paul Sztorc is the Founder and CEO of Layer 2 Labs, as well as the author of BIP 300 and 301 and a Drivechain advocate.

In our conversation, we explored Drivechain history, the pros and cons of sidechains on Bitcoin, and the work Paul is doing at Layer Two Labs to help scale Bitcoin.

→ Drivechain: https://www.drivechain.info/

→ Layer Two Labs: https://layertwolabs.com/

Sponsors

→ Voltage: https://stacksats.how/voltage

→ Stakwork: https://stacksats.how/stakwork

This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats.

The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm.

→ Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/

→ More Episodes: https://www.stacksats.how/podcast

→ Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm

Links

→ Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/

→ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke

→ Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations

→ Bitcoin News: https://stacker.news/r/kr

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro

02:04 - Paul Sztorc Intro

16:25 - What Is Drivechain?

19:53 - Why Haven’t BIP 300/301 Been Implemented?

32:32 - Have Drivechain Opinions Changed Over Time?

41:54 - The Effects of Bitcoin’s Blocksize War

47:50 - What Benefits Could Bitcoin Get From Drivechain?

59:59 - What Are The Best Arguments Against Drivechain?

1:12:07 - Layer Two Labs

1:28:30 - Improving Bitcoin UX

1:53:05 - Sidechains and the Lightning Network

1:59:34 - The Lightning Round

TLS92: John Carvalho on Synonym, Blocktank, Bitkit, Pear Credit, Slashtags, and Hyper-Bitcoinization Jan 15, 2023

Show notes

John Carvalho is the CEO of Synonym, a company working on a number of Bitcoin and identity products and protocols including their Bitkit wallet, their Blocktank LSP, their Slashtags protocol, and their collaboration with Holepunch on Pear Credit.

In our conversation we talked about the business case for building an LSP, the unique features of Bitkit, the vision for Pear Credit, and the identity landscape with overlapping protocols in Slashtags, TBD, and Nostr.

→ Synonym: https://synonym.to/

Sponsors

→ Voltage: https://stacksats.how/voltage

→ Stakwork: https://stacksats.how/stakwork

This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats.

The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm.

→ Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/

→ More Episodes: https://www.stacksats.how/podcast

→ Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm

Links

→ Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/

→ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke

→ Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations

→ Bitcoin News: https://stacker.news/r/kr

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro

02:47 - John Carvalho Intro

05:05 - Blocktank and the LSP Business

13:22 - Demand for Lightning Network Liquidity

32:52 - Regulations and the Lightning Network

41:24 - Removing IP Addresses from the Lightning Protocol

43:59 - How The BitKit Wallet Works

1:02:23 - The Vision for Pear Credit

1:16:01 - Tokens on the Internet

1:27:59 - How Slashtags Works

1:36:53 - Slashtags vs. TBD

1:46:04 - Can Multiple Web Identity Systems Succeed?

1:58:42 - The Lightning Round

TLS91: Calle on Open Source Software, Lightning Development, LNBits, Cashu, & More Jan 12, 2023

Show notes

Calle is a Lightning developer who has worked on a handful of Lightning projects, including Lightning Tip Bot, LNBits, and Cashu.

In our conversation we talked about the Cambrian explosion of Lightning development happening lately, the importance of open source software, e-cash mints, and we did a deep-dive into the work Calle is doing on LNBits and Cashu today.

→ LNBits: https://lnbits.com/

→ Cashu: https://cashu.space/

Sponsors

→ Voltage: https://stacksats.how/voltage

→ Stakwork: https://stacksats.how/stakwork

This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats.

The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm.

→ Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/

→ More Episodes: https://www.stacksats.how/podcast

→ Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm

Links

→ Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/

→ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke

→ Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations

→ Bitcoin News: https://stacker.news/r/kr

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro

02:16 - Calle Intro

06:05 - The Cambrian Explosion in Lightning Development

17:08 - Why Calle Loves Open Source Software

29:44 - Was The Internet Built Backwards?

39:20 - Jack Dorsey’s Nostr Donation

40:50 - Lightning Tip Bot

54:09 - How Does LNBits Work?

1:05:32 - What Is Cashu & What Are E-Cash Mints?

1:14:08 - Will Custodial LN Wallets Integrate Cashu?

1:19:43 - The Lightning Round

TLS90: Evan Kaloudis on Building Zeus, Lightning Self Custody, Open Source Funding, Tor, and Taro Jan 04, 2023

Show notes

Evan Kaloudis is the founder of Zeus, an open-source and self-custodial mobile Lightning wallet.

We talked about building Zeus and the new features it offers, the tension between custodial and self-custodial Lightning wallets, and the roadmap and business model for Zeus looking forward.

→ Zeus: https://zeusln.app/

Sponsors

→ Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo

→ Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/

This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats.

The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm.

→ Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/

→ More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT

→ Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm

Links

→ Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/

→ Bitcoin News: https://stacker.news/r/kr

→ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke

→ Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro

02:17 - Evan Kaloudis Intro

06:43 - Evan’s Decision to Build Zeus

17:01 - What Is Missing from the Lightning Ecosystem?

23:59 - Custodial vs. Self-Custodial Lightning Payments

36:49 - Privacy on the Lightning Network

40:20 - Why Haven’t Regulators Targeted Lightning Companies?

42:04 - Taro and Zeus

46:09 - Zeus 0.7 Release

59:33 - Can Bitcoin Payments Fix Tor?

1:10:23 - Zeus’ Business Model

1:15:30 - The Lightning Round

TLS89: Ben Carman on Lightning Network Privacy, Building Mutiny, and Browser-Based Lightning Wallets Dec 30, 2022

Show notes

Ben Carman is a Lightning privacy researcher, working on a handful of Lightning projects including Mutiny Wallet, The Bitcoin Company, and Vortex.

We talked about the state of Lightning Network privacy, the challenge of improving one’s privacy, and the work Ben is doing to bring Lightning wallets directly to your browser with Mutiny.

→ Mutiny Wallet: https://mutinywallet.com/

→ Lightning Privacy Research: https://lightningprivacy.com/

Sponsors

→ Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo

→ Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/

This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats.

The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm.

→ Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/

→ More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT

→ Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm

Links

→ Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/

→ Bitcoin News: https://stacker.news/r/kr

→ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke

→ Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro

02:24 - Ben Carman Intro

04:45 - Why Ben Loves Open Source Software

07:17 - Bitcoin’s Privacy Arms Race

13:06 - The Cypherpunk Manifesto & Lightning

21:16 - Do People Understand The Importance of Privacy?

28:45 - Lightning Privacy Report

36:14 - How Channel CoinJoins Can Improve Privacy

43:58 - How Many People Use CoinJoins Today?

46:15 - Blinded Paths & Trampoline Routing

55:17 - Mutiny Wallet

1:02:38 - Why Builders Are Migrating To The Web

1:09:36 - The Lightning Round

TLS88: Will Reeves on Building Fold, Bitcoin Entrepreneurs, and the Lightning Network's Evolution Dec 22, 2022

Show notes

Will Reeves is the CEO and co-founder of Fold, a platform that helps users earn Bitcoin rewards whenever they shop or use the Fold app.

We talked about the challenge of building a resilient Bitcoin business in all kinds of market conditions, Fold’s strategy of giving away hundreds of Bitcoin to users, and the ways in which the Lightning Network needs to differentiate itself from other payment platforms.

→ Fold: https://use.foldapp.com/r/E7MPJRE4

Sponsors

→ Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo

→ Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/

This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats.

The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm.

→ Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/

→ More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT

→ Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm

Links

→ Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/

→ Stacker News: https://stacker.news/r/kr

→ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke

→ Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro

02:22 - Will Reeves Intro

08:49 - Why Will Decided to Build Fold

11:59 - Building Through Bull and Bear Markets

25:28 - Fold’s Gamification Strategy

32:23 - How Much Bitcoin Should Fold Pay Users?

40:19 - Bitcoin Venture Capital

56:50 - The Importance of the Lightning Network

1:08:03 - Issues with Comparing the Lightning Network to Fiat Rails

1:18:06 - The Lightning Round

TLS87: Caitlin Long on Custodia and How Banks Will Interact with Bitcoin, Stablecoins, and Lightning Dec 17, 2022

Show notes

Caitlin Long is a Wall Street veteran, and the Founder and CEO of Custodia, a platform for digital asset banking, custody, and payments.

We had a wide-ranging conversation examining how banks might interact with Bitcoin in the future, the importance of stablecoins, Lightning adoption, and much more.

→ Custodia: https://custodiabank.com/

Sponsors

→ Voltage: https://voltage.cloud?utm_source=kevinrooke&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=1mo

→ Stakwork: https://stakwork.com/

This show is a Lightning podcast. That means instead of asking for likes or shares, I ask for sats.

The best way to show your support is to download Fountain from the App Store, load your wallet with some sats, and send them over the Lightning Network to kerooke@fountain.fm.

→ Fountain: https://www.fountain.fm/

→ More Episodes: https://play.fountain.fm/show/P6XXuSPg6f2rj4ECB0fT

→ Lightning Address: ⚡kerooke@fountain.fm

Links

→ Stack Sats: https://www.stacksats.how/

→ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerooke

→ Books: https://www.kevinrooke.com/book-recommendations

→ Blog: https://www.kevinrooke.com/blog

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro

01:59 - Caitlin Long Intro

05:50 - How Wall Street’s Views on Bitcoin Have Evolved