I’m starting a small Lightning experiment: Instead of buying sats for it, I want to earn them through participation and eventually use those sats to open my first real Lightning channel. The goal isn’t profit at first. I want to learn channels, liquidity, fees and rebalancing by actually using Lightning. ⚡ One step at a time. #Bitcoin #Lightning #Nostr

This week I am continuing several small experiments around Bitcoin and related protocols. I am still testing my own solo mining applications and comparing two very different experiences. With my Bitcoin solo miner, I am working against extremely low odds and have not found a Bitcoin block. On a much smaller network, MicroBitcoin, I have already found several solo blocks. That contrast is helping me understand mining probability, network difficulty, and what solo mining actually feels like in practice. I also started researching AuxPoW and merge mining after a discussion on Nostr led me toward Namecoin. I want to understand how the parent Bitcoin work, auxiliary chain commitment, and block submission process actually fit together before I try building anything around it. While working on mining, I also ended up building a small application that watches network activity and alerts me with sound when a block is found. That started as a simple idea because I did not want to keep staring at logs all day, but of course one small idea quickly created several new problems to solve. I would actually appreciate some feedback on that kind of tool. I am thinking about better explorer support, wallet monitoring, more networks, and more reliable block detection. On the Nostr side, I am continuing experiments with signing tools, portable reputation ideas, and how Nostr and Lightning can work together without making security and privacy an afterthought. I have noticed something about the way I work. Whenever I start building one thing, I discover that I need to build something else first. Then that second thing creates a third problem. So I somehow end up with several experiments running at the same time. 😄 There are many things I would like to build, but I am working alone, so for now I am trying to finish smaller pieces, learn from them, and slowly connect them together. Nothing huge yet. Mostly building, breaking things, fixing them, and learning what is really happening underneath. If anyone here has practical experience with AuxPoW, Namecoin merge mining, blockchain monitoring, explorer APIs, or reliable block detection, I would especially like to hear from you. #Bitcoin #Nostr #Mining #SoloMining #AuxPoW #MergeMining #BuildInPublic #Namecoin #MicroBitcoin

Funny timing. Last night I started digging into Namecoin because I am researching AuxPoW merge mining. Then someone replied to my note: “Namecoin halving in 2 days.” So of course I had to check. 😄 Namecoin follows the same 210,000 block reward schedule inherited from Bitcoin, and the next halving happens at block 840,000. That means the block reward is about to fall from 6.25 NMC to 3.125 NMC. I originally came to Namecoin because I wanted to understand how Bitcoin parent work can simultaneously secure an auxiliary SHA256 chain through AuxPoW. Now I happen to be looking at it right before a halving too. The timing makes the experiment even more interesting. Not because I expect the reward to suddenly become valuable, but because it gives me another real protocol event to observe while learning how merge mining actually works. One comment leads to one question. One question leads to another rabbit hole. And suddenly I am watching the Namecoin block height too. 😄 Anyone here actively merge mining Namecoin already? I would be especially interested to hear what setup you are using. #Bitcoin #Namecoin #AuxPoW #Mining #MergeMining #BuildInPublic

Before I call it a night, one more thought. I started the day thinking about solo mining. I ended it reading about AuxPoW, Namecoin, merge mining, Nostr, Lightning, portable reputation, and a few ideas that may eventually become new projects. That is probably what I enjoy most about this space. One small experiment leads to a question. That question leads to another protocol. Then suddenly you are reading source code at 4 AM. 😄 Still learning. Still building. Still curious. Good night, Nostr. #Bitcoin #Nostr #Lightning #Mining #AuxPoW #BuildInPublic

I have been spending a lot of time lately building small Bitcoin related experiments instead of only reading about the technology. I built my own Bitcoin solo lottery miner, a CPU miner with native hashing engines, experimented with Power2b, and recently found 6 solo blocks on a smaller network while my Bitcoin miner keeps hashing with almost impossible odds. 😄 I am also experimenting with Nostr, Lightning, custom signing tools, and different ways these technologies can work together. A comment from someone here also got me curious about AuxPoW merge mining, so I have started researching that as well. The idea of using the same SHA256 work while also having a chance to find blocks on smaller compatible networks sounds like another interesting experiment. The part I enjoy most is not really the money. It is building something myself, watching it fail, fixing it, and finally understanding what is actually happening under the hood. Every experiment seems to create another question. And every question seems to become another project. That is probably why I am still here. 😄 What are you experimenting with right now? #Bitcoin #Nostr #Lightning #Mining #AuxPoW #BuildInPublic

I have been spending a lot of time lately building small Bitcoin related experiments instead of only reading about the technology. I built my own Bitcoin solo lottery miner, a CPU miner with native hashing engines, experimented with Power2b, and recently found 6 solo blocks on a smaller network while my Bitcoin miner keeps hashing with almost impossible odds. 😄 I am also experimenting with Nostr, Lightning, custom signing tools, and different ways these technologies can work together. A comment from someone here also got me curious about AuxPoW merge mining, so I have started researching that as well. The idea of using the same SHA256 work while also having a chance to find blocks on smaller compatible networks sounds like another interesting experiment. The part I enjoy most is not really the money. It is building something myself, watching it fail, fixing it, and finally understanding what is actually happening under the hood. Every experiment seems to create another question. And every question seems to become another project. That is probably why I am still here. 😄 What are you experimenting with right now? #Bitcoin #Nostr #Lightning #Mining #AuxPoW #BuildInPublic

Pretty productive day on my side. I kept working on my mining experiments and one of my solo miners has now found its sixth MicroBitcoin block. Meanwhile, my Bitcoin Solo Lottery Miner is still happily hashing away with almost absurd odds of ever finding a Bitcoin block. 😄 That contrast actually became the subject of a new article I published today. What I enjoy most is not really the coins. It is building these little experiments and finally understanding what things like shares, targets, Stratum jobs, block probability and mining variance actually mean when you see them happening in front of you. I also got another application idea after finding those blocks, so that will probably become the next experiment. Anyone else building or experimenting with something interesting today?

Building a Nostr signer has changed how I think about key security. Keeping the private key away from clients is only the first step. The harder problem is deciding what a trusted client should be allowed to sign or decrypt, for whom, and for how long. Security shouldn't become “click Approve until the popup disappears.” #Nostr #NIP07 #NIP44 #Security

Learning Lightning From Zero: The Road to My First Channel ⚡ Lately I've been spending more time reading about Lightning, node operation, channels and liquidity. At some point I realized that reading about all of this can only take me so far. I want to actually learn how it works by running a node myself and eventually opening my first real Lightning channel. I'm starting small. I don't have years of Lightning experience, and I'm not trying to build a large routing node from day one. Right now I'm learning the basics: choosing a node implementation, understanding channel backups, finding good peers, learning the difference between inbound and outbound liquidity, and figuring out what actually happens after a channel is opened. One thing I've already learned is that opening a channel is probably the easy part. Keeping liquidity useful, choosing peers, understanding fees, dealing with rebalancing and knowing when a channel is no longer useful seem to be where the real learning begins. Where the sats come from There's another part of this journey that makes it a little more interesting for me. I've been participating on Stacker News: reading discussions, sharing things I'm working on and joining conversations where I think I can contribute something useful. Sometimes those contributions earn sats. That gave me an idea. Instead of funding my first Lightning channel immediately from my own wallet, I'll let those sats accumulate naturally and eventually use them to open the channel. There is no deadline for this. I'm not trying to turn it into a race, and this is not a request for donations. It's simply a way to connect two things I'm enjoying: participating in a Bitcoin community and learning Lightning by actually using it. I'm thinking of roughly 100,000 sats as the point where I'll seriously start preparing to open the first channel. That isn't meant to be an ideal Lightning channel size. It's simply a practical starting point for learning. What I want

I’ve recently been running CPU mining tests using a custom software I built: CPU-Miner-Lab-RandomX v3.0, targeting the RandomX algorithm across different mining pools. The initial benchmarks and test results have been solid so far. It runs extremely stable with zero issues on share submissions, and I expect even better performance on higher-end processors. Currently, I'm verifying compatibility across various pools to ensure smooth connectivity and broad support. My main goal with this project was to create a lightweight, optimized, and user-friendly RandomX client that simplifies setup for beginners while staying reliable for experienced miners. Seeing a custom build function as expected and yield good results in practice has been really rewarding. For those here who build mining tools, optimize CPU setups, or mine RandomX coins: what are your experiences and best practices with pool compatibility and custom client optimization? Would love to hear your insights.

My laptop’s estimated time to find a Bitcoin block: 8.6 billion years. 😄 I built a small CPU solo miner, connected it to a public pool and even found a few accepted shares. It was fun, but obviously not a realistic way to earn bitcoin. I also tried mining through NiceHash. It worked, but an ordinary laptop is definitely not a money printer. So I’ve decided I’d rather earn my first meaningful sats by building something useful. I’m currently developing MarginPilot, a Windows profit calculator for online sellers. If you had an ordinary laptop, no ASIC and no existing audience, what honest service or small digital product would you build to earn your first 10,000 sats? No faucets, referral schemes or cloud mining. I’m interested in what has actually worked for you.

Stacker News

My laptop’s estimated time to find a Bitcoin block: 8.6 billion years \ stacker news

I went down the mining rabbit hole this week. First, I built a small CPU solo lottery miner and connected it to a public pool. Seeing the first acc...

#bitcoin #lightning #buildinpublic

Hello Nostr! 👋 I’m SkyLords from Türkiye. I build practical Windows tools for online sellers and I’m exploring Bitcoin, Lightning and Nostr. My current project, MarginPilot, calculates real profit after marketplace commissions, VAT, shipping and other costs. I’ll share what I learn while building it. Which selling cost is the hardest for you to calculate? ⚡ #introductions #buildinpublic #bitcoin #lightning #indiedev