I created Soapbox, bridged Nostr to the Fediverse, helped create Truth Social (then quit). Lately I've been working on Shakespeare.diy, a tool that lets anyone build Nostr apps with AI. AMA!
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I created Soapbox, bridged Nostr to the Fediverse, helped create Truth Social (then quit). Lately I've been working on Shakespeare.diy, a tool that lets anyone build Nostr apps with AI. AMA!
What's something you believe about nostr that few nostriches agree with you on?
I think on-chain Bitcoin transactions would work really well on Nostr. I don't get why Bitcoiners are so against using Bitcoin the way it was originally intended.
You mean for zaps? Did you consider uneconomical outputs?
I think people should zap $5
i will consider adding money from bybit credit card in next coming purchases but I am just try to import at edge and brave seems you need to add separatelly funds on edge and brave even same nostr private key on shakespear ai: AI Settings Configure AI providers by adding your API keys. Settings are automatically saved and stored locally in your browser.
So would a note generate an address, or how would that work?
Especially now with sub 1s/vb txs
prob cause only bitcoin has a Lightning Network and if on-chain btc gets too much traction people might start getting ideas like using monero from time to time
how can someone that doesn't leave their house find their own wife?
Craigslist
How would you compare techncial aspects of nostr to Sonic: The Hedgehog characters?
There is a huge debate around whether I am Sonic and Gargron of Mastodon.social is Shadow, or whether I am Shadow and Gargron of Mastodon.social is Sonic. I think it's a sort of yin and yang.
I think it doesn't matter who is wrong or who is right.
why you quit Truth Social? They are decentralized, they have users all over the world
Lol! I tried very hard to get them to turn on Mastodon federation. But our visions were not aligned for what we think the internet needs. They just wanted to run ads and make a conservative hugbox. Oh well.
😂
Is it worth getting a computer science degree today? Why or why not?
Absolutely not. It's better to have a goal-oriented (or project-oriented) mindset and learn along the way! And contribute to Open Source. Every great opportunity I've had in life was through Open Source.
I told my son no 😬 I said communication skills and creativity skills would be more valuable with basic understanding of development being only moderately beneficial. We'll see where we are at in two years when he hits college age.
Credentialism makes no sense, but is it worth understanding the fundamentals and how computers and networks work? Yes.
Can you speak more how you shifted your perspective on viewing nostr as a product to further help on board people
I think people owning their own keys is one of the most important features of Nostr and not as big of a barrier as we think.
Concept is similar to cypherflow ai.
Why do you think AI is trustworthy to build apps?
Are you coming to FOSDEM 2026? Brussels, Europe We need you there for some talks 🥸
What is the most promising solution to account recovery on nostr? Some key delegation / rotation scheme?
Wen CLINK integration?
shitGPT cannot comprehend that
Actually the SDK works pretty well with code gen, may do a demo on how to vibe code a page or store-front with it.
What are your thoughts about big techs?
How to bring the folks from the fediverse into nostr? How to stop them hating bitcoin and embrace foss money?
In 10 years Mastodon won't exist anymore. Someone will use an app and it will just be integrated with Nostr without them even realizing it.
Then I hope in ten years nostr clients work as well as mastodon clients
why a Toyota Corolla 2008 is the best car?
no one saw you and fiatjaf together at the same time. are you fiatjaf?
Yes.
why all nostr web browser clients sucks? All are terrible in gathering notes and and syncing. The desktop experience is really terrible on nostr.
It's a bunch of disjointed dev projects, usually by just one person (a developer), and the censorship-resistance aspects are usually emphasized more than good design. I think it's possible to do it all, though.
Don't you think we really need to be more precise with how nostr works? As in creating a RFC where shit is very specific
make sense now why all nostr clients sucks... nobody is using their brains anymore.
I think it's a problem that many clients consider all relays to be "equal". We need to either prioritize fast relays automatically, or make the user set a single "home" relay and change the way loading works. The usual way it's done is to just wait for all relays to be finished before displaying a feed, meaning it will be as slow as the slowest relay (up to a point, when the client times it out).
what do you think happens after you die? total blackness?
Hopefully cryogenically frozen
why don't you open your own podcast?
I can wear many hats. I can be a programmer and an advocate. But I can only be one at a time, and it takes days to transform.
have you had any paranormal experience?
I see ghosts every night. I have accepted this
what is the biggest difference between brazilians and americans?
Probably their taste in music
boom chak chak boom boom chak chak chak boom
biggest difference between the Alex of today and the Alex of 10 years ago?
I am more powerful now
why people who want to change the world are considered crazy? shouldn't it be the opposite? the people who do nothing with their lives and just waste time with useless things should be considered crazy
Maybe there's some bigger evolutionary reason, but once you accept that humans are just like this it makes it easier: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Cognitive_bias_codex_en.svg
once nostr wins, would you keep improving it or would you switch to something different?
I would not stop improving it, but I always want to put my attention towards where I think the world needs me most.
what could be done to transform Houston into the most inspiring city in the world?
We need some buildings that are truly beautiful. This is the biggest thing separating America from Europe in my mind.
AI was supposed to do manual and boring labor, not creative works like drawings and video generation. What do you think about that?
I think it does the boring labor of creative works. It does the "how", but not the "why". So I like it.
if you were born in 1500 in Italy, without computers and internet, what would you be doing?
Writing poetry. Architecture
What is the person you admire the most? Both dead and alive
My father, my wife, Jack Dorsey
What are your thoughts on Elon Musk?
I liked Elon Musk a lot 6 years ago.
What do you do when you have a big and difficult task to perform?
I pace, think deeply, stare out the window, stand in the sun, eat a cupcake, and then try.
What motivates you?
I want to live free. I want other people to live free. I believe I was sent to this world with that purpose.
How can someone make money with open source since everything is supposed to be free?
I think the bigger question is how to live free in general. I won't claim to have the answer even though I'm living free (for now).
But Open Source is a path you can get a job. For example, on multiple occasions I skipped the entire job interview process by just sending patches to a company I wanted to work for on GitHub. Then I sent them an email, and they said: you're hired!
how did you monetize your work before nostr and zaps and before being hired by truth social, do you have any tips for FOSS devs?
My wife worked as a software engineer and financially supported me. Thank you, MK!
Do you prefer freedom with chaos or order with dictatorship?
Freedom with chaos is the obvious answer, but I think a little bit of both can coexist. It's kind of like pleasure and pain, you can't feel one without the other.
For someone who is afraid of starting in open source or basically anything in life, what advice would you give them?
How is OpenAI not really open? 👀
People are unable to reproduce what they're doing. The spirit of Open Source is that you can build and extend upon it. They give almost nothing, under the guise of being "open". I think it's very dishonest and they must be punished for their lies.
If you couldn't work on emerging social media tech, what do imagine you'd be working on?
I would be an artist. But I think programming is higher impact.
When you are gone from Earth, how would you like to be remembered?
Like Aaron Swartz
If Mastodon, BlueSky and Truth will all be in shambles as you predict (I agree)...what should us Nostriches do to make sure all of these users find their way to Nostr? How do we ensure they get bridged over?
I think we keep evangelizing and make it as easy as possible. But in a way it's like finding God. They need to come to Nostr on their own.
What does the US need to do to stay competitive in AI?
We need really good, serious, Open Source models. Not the small concession gpt-oss is (they don't even host their own open-source models). We should start calling them "ClosedAI"
The LLM is just one component of AGI, and it's plateauing. Tools like Shakespeare.diy give life to LLMs by allowing them to do things. But we need the whole stack to be Open Source if we want to win.
If a genie granted you one wish to improve nostr, what would you wish for?
Users
I've heard Fediverse being talked about for ages, but still haven't really dug into what it means for the broader ecosystem.
What's the short TLDR on why it's a big part of the future in your eyes? (Nostr is communication freedom, Bitcoin is monetary freedom, what is Fediverse in that framing?)
I don't think the Fediverse is part of the future anymore. It was a stepping stone. Nostr reframes the power dynamic by letting the users control their keys. Regular users on Nostr have as much freedom (or more) as server admins on Mastodon, basically for free.
I'm in the middle of building a collection of Nostr educational videos to send to newbie friends
Do you have any favorite presentations about Nostr that either you've done, or others you thought were awesome, that are available online? The more the better!
I recommend Derek Ross, Nostr for Beginners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVm_jGdwTjQ !
Where will Nostr be 1-2 years from now?
Mastodon will be in shambles. Bluesky will be in shambles. Truth Social will be in shambles. Nostr will be victorious.
YES 🙌 LFG!
Bullish.
Your original entrance into social media resulted in Gleasonator forums having its own theme song. Will Ditto also get its own theme song?
My vision for Ditto is that every server has its own theme song. Ditto itself shouldn't have one. It's the place for you to make your own.
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