whiteafrican
Erik Hersman

Tech, Africa, Bitcoin mining at Gridless. Kenya Relay: wss://nostr-1.nbo.angani.co

Public Key

npub1q0al05h2uvtj0fp8ww7etl0pdjnkum638ynz9tmku3e522fyvlmqjq04mt

NIP-05 Address

whiteafrican@iris.to

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsq87lh6t4wx9e85snh80v4lhskefmwdagnjf3z4amwgu699yjx0asprpmhxue69uhhyumnd3shjtnxd9shg6npvchxxmmdqyvhwumn8ghj7mn0wd68ytn6v43x2er9v5hxxmr0w4jqf5s7ak

Publishing to

rsslay.fiatjaf.com

nostr.zebedee.cloud

nostr.bitcoiner.social

Author Public Key

npub1q0al05h2uvtj0fp8ww7etl0pdjnkum638ynz9tmku3e522fyvlmqjq04mt

Show more details

Last Notes

2025-05-05 14:04:31

Worldcoin issues in Kenya. The problem is this is a data technicality so with the right paperwork they can overcome it.
https://image.nostr.build/b4b59fcc0c015db75c633d4729a9f38ff781ab207c4d6e4feff37a016acf49e4.jpg
https://image.nostr.build/69d35cfa7d450a28f8174761711bab037d642abe698783cd1b74f1d26662e103.jpg

2025-05-01 11:50:47

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I detest this World coin thing so much. Takes massive advantage of people here in Kenya.

2025-04-30 03:58:19

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One of the best.

2025-04-09 12:01:50

“Two very large pools are creating more than 50% of the blocks”
@npub13hk…4u2r on why he started DMND pool based on Stratum V2.
https://image.nostr.build/ef17db2f83339981bfac35d8bb162d90a2be95841be91dabf1b6756fd6511974.jpg
https://image.nostr.build/9bc5c5dab8767de7cc3a5b07f5778f6eeef636dc462fb45be3ab48ad1fcb2142.jpg

2025-04-09 11:26:46

One of my takeaways from Bitcoiners working on energy-related projects in the EU is that they seem bound and hamstrung by rules and bureaucracy. Seems harder than it should be.
It’s like a full-time job in paperwork with a bit of mining on the side.
The people at the European Bitcoin Energy Association (EBEA) are doing great work, and when they finally break through there will be a massive growth in decentralized hashing for heat+BTC in Europe.

2025-04-07 06:58:59

Portugal 🇵🇹 for a couple days.
Then to the UK 🇬🇧.

2025-04-04 07:00:52

Minion 3 learning how to replace hashboards.
https://image.nostr.build/3bdab0dd626435065f1a7941af7d926a35c90b7ab7eee5e163a81d84dce6b1b3.jpg
https://image.nostr.build/658c43200dc1f7d8ca243ce0b558f37176839989bc7cc817d9ace5d6a2dcae24.jpg

2025-04-03 17:45:57

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God, so true.

2025-04-03 17:44:36

Will be in Portugal next week. Good energy conversations incoming.
#note1lzq…ghsx

2025-04-02 18:03:01

Good Nairobi Bitcoin meetup turnout at Waitabit Coffee this evening!
https://image.nostr.build/f5d9ac21110d8e4edea290b2972f3e1ed3549e8440fe3e6e30c1b1f5731bb1ef.jpg
https://image.nostr.build/911edaeda5fbcee60bc547465571cd67a918f0809164aa64ec39386e23148870.jpg
https://image.nostr.build/ac38c007612064ad8afc2b4ea99efe75f4a2abba7963469e362f36462861342d.jpg

2025-04-02 07:15:43

A Ross Stevens quote.
https://image.nostr.build/b462ef46d6523b4beb02bb96134dfc14e8e284bb93a7dcc0a202f42283d2e55a.jpg

2025-03-28 11:04:55

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Big file!

2025-03-27 04:25:28

Mountain retreat (Kenya).
Discussing whether small scale energy + bitcoin mining can support conservation.
https://image.nostr.build/db93a84892c5c9bb466559d58d082223ec81f40fe7bb6da33fecdbe97ee671f4.jpg
https://image.nostr.build/2fd0ad5a984e6b55b06d5bf5e84c61499f7975b2023283f6951293af29cc6cba.jpg
https://image.nostr.build/7aa4bbeaddb0ca9737a49b5ae98636ca8bbfe46b0addecd0eb921e043ccaeac8.jpg

2025-03-26 04:24:07

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Some day we’ll be in TZ!

2025-03-26 03:26:42

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Useful when you have a river with lower head. You choose your turbine based on the river.

2025-03-25 19:09:00

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They were a good journalism team. Were a bit skeptical, but traveled to see it and had an open mind to what the reality of the ground was.

2025-03-25 19:08:11

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They are.

2025-03-25 18:33:28

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It’s tough and expensive to build energy. But it’s worth it if you can do it.

2025-03-25 18:32:25

Busy day.
Checking out a hydro site this evening that was delayed due to come civil works having to be redone.
https://image.nostr.build/63b434d22f485edb7e3f6c10565620cf1dc6ef86e3209f9637c30dd4225ceeed.jpg
https://image.nostr.build/f843ccbdb5141648d97b2c2c642a6d6733cb882de5a0deda4ad96839f5fb21fe.jpg

2025-03-25 05:23:28

Lifeblood of the land. Above Kenya.
https://image.nostr.build/c7dda21c0c15fee533fb3b5a49aca4c2b7704bb01be587c4372cc6c6be811746.jpg

2025-03-18 19:17:26

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Just Kili.

2025-03-17 17:01:28

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Amboseli. In Kenya

2025-03-17 04:02:43

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Correct circa 1990. Amazing vehicles.

2025-03-16 14:55:09

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It is. We were lucky to have it visible all morning.

2025-03-16 13:16:50

Safari shots to finish the weekend. https://image.nostr.build/a2e55f9f3b2d93f12f6eeb0e31ff459260866722187ca63cfe567ce8de9f9ef9.jpg https://image.nostr.build/aad7d3e1cd375ec3881ed0f127e732a14131c6c1bdaed070c405e7205ddf11ce.jpg https://image.nostr.build/b0df33103c5f934f80f7f6cd09362aa0befc7b1453064f4963e659e719ae3a97.jpg https://image.nostr.build/7d7d4bb67a57e032ef6ae856026e6e720b0f0bdad223cc6c078e658d06740de7.jpg https://image.nostr.build/3df7b4742e2e8bf94a4c9296c8e2ec3d0efb3eb9f109465f0695fab5f0e1b403.jpg https://image.nostr.build/86362092c5504f418058627cf086b36e8bbb13fb5762277014d86889cea79007.jpg https://image.nostr.build/9270625d37e9b1b746f5095f6cab137f49eb4fb88556ec8874352d98052796e1.jpg

2025-03-15 03:48:14

Seems legit. https://image.nostr.build/d03ecb17c5660fbe92a65514c76a42d302388cc266a381b36fec048beb2e05de.jpg

2025-03-08 07:34:23

Not excited by SBR.

2025-03-07 15:50:09

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Thanks for having me!

2025-03-07 05:51:28

Working from Waitabit on Fridays is chill. https://image.nostr.build/1e987acd89341882ea2ee25d1e33ab1041679700181bd72d5da64bb628184e1c.jpg https://image.nostr.build/30750ba0c0806c5a0b9bbf7c0cf06a3b1bf69b24ccd9c3e161c14dcb3f93b983.jpg

2025-02-28 08:01:10

Staring up a new thing at Waitabit coffee, since we have so many normal people asking about Bitcoin.
Glad Felix, Vlad, and Collin will help! https://image.nostr.build/a5c1973772468c4df33ec0569a9206e2c43d42484c84f91189c568f4beef14ab.jpg

2025-02-10 17:38:25

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Not speaking. Just some meetings.

2025-02-01 15:54:27

NEMS 2025 was excellent.
Signal > noise.
Loved seeing the Pod256 Foundation win a block and now their largest founder is the Bitcoin Network.
Thanks to @npub1atn…h4x3 @npub10m6…tff3 @npub1ql2…rxya and Rob Warren.

2025-01-29 03:51:00

Touchdown 30 hours later for the Nashville Energy and Mining Summit!

2025-01-28 20:22:34

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Hadn’t heard of Tollgate yet, but sounds very inter. Will get to Googling. Used to do a lot with OpenWRT.

2025-01-28 20:19:22

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This is well done.

2025-01-28 09:53:59

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🤦‍♂️

2025-01-28 09:49:34

…the problem isn’t that African countries solicit foreign help and expertise. The paradigmatic examples of rapid modernization and economic development in Japan, South Korea, the Gulf, and China all involved a fair amount of local adaptations/deployment of foreign expertise.
This, in fact, is supposed to be a key advantage of being a late developer. In my view, the real problem is how African states use foreign expertise. Instead of helping with questions of “how to get things done,” outsiders are often recruited into the driving seat and tasked with deciding “what is to be done.”
https://www.africanistperspective.com/p/what-explains-the-ambition-gap-among?

2025-01-28 09:47:40

It’s been 5 years.
4 since we knew these weren’t necessary.
Why don’t airports remove them? https://image.nostr.build/89b8536e1bc8475e0b33ab19b5e792baef57069d2733d0c830554b9bce271b27.jpg https://image.nostr.build/89b8536e1bc8475e0b33ab19b5e792baef57069d2733d0c830554b9bce271b27.jpg

2025-01-27 21:12:52

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Should have some available next month. Pick and place machine setup ongoing. Waiting on a few parts.

2025-01-27 20:52:29

We setup the first (I believe) Africa Nostr relay 2 years ago here in Kenya - still going strong too.
wss://nostr-1.nbo.angani.co
Big thanks to Riyaz and the Angani team for managing it.
I still remember the late nights talking for hours with @npub1ynf…wfm8 about how this was the first real architectural shift we’d seen on the Internet in decades.
The road is long, but if we work for it, the future can be amazing.

2025-01-27 20:44:24

We’ve been having fun working up a locally made in Kenya #Bitaxe bitcoin miner. First couple designed and testing.
Hii ni shoka yetu
“This is our axe”
Funnily enough the slowest horse has been that we didn’t have any Bitmain machines, but we finally got some S19 chips. https://image.nostr.build/eea4f19a74cdbd7d46ec89de079b2a16ff6f7bf6df98c28c20ce2e09d6b852f4.jpg

2025-01-27 20:13:48

Whirlwind trip to the US. Looking forward to Nashville, NYC, and LA!

2024-12-11 06:05:43

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Whoa. Okay that is major progress

2024-11-23 14:09:04

I had a conversation with Mike Peterson at Bitcoin Beach about how bitcoin mining makes energy profitable and how bitcoin financing will be the catalyst for rapid electrification in Africa.
https://youtu.be/ajYTFk6QKdM

2024-11-11 09:27:44

Didn’t start this South America trip with a plan for El Salvador, but an invitation from Mike Peterson finds me in my way there for the Adopting Bitcoin conference this week!

2024-11-10 12:28:00

Brazil has been a trip!
Impressive to see the Praia Bitcoin work, as well as be at Satsconf with so many local bitcoiners.
And São Paulo is 4x the size of Nairobi at 23M people. Crazy! https://image.nostr.build/a8b1074f20eebedeecdc7970b788c650bb1a63b0583a1e7dfff7adf336f95d08.jpg https://image.nostr.build/d641d0c1a1cf00a7fe78fb5518e9c6c83d1c63be6a0f6c17f586a045c49c5904.jpg https://image.nostr.build/b1a431f420648676d2eead585ca0ede550a1615eebc42fdff48e2fd2f2a2eed3.jpg https://image.nostr.build/65a6174c27ab34c68309de8f1d368187afaee59b2a1aa7d603b853cccd36608b.jpg

2024-11-08 14:18:41

At Satsconf - great vibe!
Fun shirt by satlantis.io
#saopaulo #nostr https://image.nostr.build/18d2b6a0efa01d72cfaa817f4922dc5c956b6cbac040995528a086faad50874a.jpg

2024-11-01 15:07:13

I didn’t realize that Argentina 🇦🇷 had the greatest IMF debt in the world (~$50B).
Incinerating people’s savings, buying power, and money.
Good talk by @npub1trr…hdpu today at LABITCONF on the economic destruction that the IMF wreaks on the world. https://image.nostr.build/c0c932eb35e3a99570f0181ebaafab49f026c9fd722aa03d37fa04bf28e2206a.jpg https://image.nostr.build/2261506593ae2addd0369e538cacddbf26a05f083648615a2e5867d7b2de5862.jpg

2024-10-31 06:35:37

Set up Waitabit Coffee in Nairobi this week. A place for Bitcoiners, coffee lovers, with plenty of home made baked goods.
A huge thanks to @npub1j8y…vrvg for helping us get a POS, where we use our own @npub155m…dcvg to run it.
If you’re in town, swing by! https://image.nostr.build/6acc271c55606b469ae04990db0c846b7a6e99b2d55d7b0dd5ee1d9559b33fc6.jpg https://image.nostr.build/19dd78c9c4fbde2659d824def3e90a7d6600ee2a2bbd1d067bf814cd28e9c6fd.jpg https://image.nostr.build/2835cbd384b36e54b689c232be20f9adb75075866d4577a0523835618d2f1f9b.jpg https://image.nostr.build/fac4494662941ef50316dc91eb822f9dba16aecd621305c55e51efb4e7c32dbd.jpg

2024-10-24 20:10:41

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Would like it to be. Just need to find the right IPP.

2024-10-24 13:47:35

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Hey!

2024-10-24 13:25:29

Field repairs in Zambia. Have to do as much on site as possible as it is too expensive to ship to HQ. https://image.nostr.build/73f41c7d3ab4ac6295186db52bb2827ef9f6ce7c4fdf4c0ff49676e9049bbfae.jpg https://image.nostr.build/329f4c5cfbcd1dd8b2d431245c8bb38f29e4cc50b754927cce25c2b1cb1207d9.jpg https://image.nostr.build/1cbced95e7afa4064c1b8e2faa7e82626f3c7e9699762f6b21866307f7268b44.jpg https://image.nostr.build/41538af7e728f8aba974c182e4a2e99901f5d93a0d6393623c054e2392cc0f68.jpg

2024-10-24 05:51:12

Back to Zambia 🇿🇲 and it happens to be their 60th Independence Day. https://image.nostr.build/19f3088f7f0f6cf2389133480bab13c9314e10f29e83decb97850312b24506d2.jpg

2024-08-22 11:42:11

Welcome my business partner @npub1fhq…rg67 to Nostr. He’s on his way to Riga today too for Bitcoin Honeybadger. https://image.nostr.build/88cb80c4effd8b500df39a577b05030ac205b211340f5e6455f8ee31f4f2dc9d.jpg

2024-08-19 10:57:45

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Welcome to the free world

2024-08-13 17:14:13

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I hadn’t realized you posted it here in entirety. Great piece!

2024-08-13 17:04:03

Was just reading @npub1trr…hdpu's article on Nostr. (Great piece and with a read!)
It reminded me that 1.5 years ago @npub1ynf…wfm8 and I were talking about how Nostr is often thought of as a just a Twitter clone, but that what it really represents is a new architecture level for the web.
https://reason.com/2024/08/13/can-nostr-make-twitters-dreams-come-true/

2024-07-24 15:18:18

Glad to be in Nashville!

2024-06-09 05:16:23

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Looks amazing!

2024-06-06 12:19:45

We are open sourcing our WMTUI tool:
Whatsminer Text UI was designed as an alternative to WhatsminerTool to be used on the terminal of the local server of mining sites.
You can:
•View miners on a set ip range
•Switch between saved ip ranges
•Send command to one or many
https://github.com/GridlessCompute/WMTUI

2024-06-06 12:19:00

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

2024-04-26 16:19:16

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I’ll try it too. Thanks.

2024-04-26 16:19:00

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Ok. Giving Zeus a try. Thanks.

2024-04-26 15:56:02

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 20:46:32

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Possibly. Government is hard to work with sometimes.

2024-04-25 20:34:51

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

2024-04-18 16:29:20

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 13:10:35

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 20:52:20

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 20:48:29

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

2024-04-05 04:13:10

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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 04:11:26

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

2024-04-05 04:11:02

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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 05:09:43

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

2024-04-02 17:15:43

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Oh, and boy did you enjoy those 3 massive steaks in Cape Town!

2024-03-31 05:26:45

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

2024-03-18 10:30:08

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Congrats. Hope this helps move the needle for you to keep doing this work!

2024-03-17 19:50:22

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

2024-03-11 09:31:30

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True. It’s pretty idyllic. :)

2024-03-10 08:19:52

Sunrise. A break with the family. https://image.nostr.build/b5824cdf9581b10d462bb18381b76449a0792e9fa473a5d00d6172bec1ba29b8.jpg

2024-03-02 08:21:11

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Some very nice artwork in there too.

2024-02-29 07:58:53

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

2024-02-10 08:28:13

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

2024-01-19 18:19:05

Loving being in Nashville for the Energy and Mining Summit at Bitcoin Park. High signal and density.

2024-01-15 19:54:41

Off to Nashville this week.

2024-01-11 07:03:35

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 03:25:45

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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

2023-12-30 11:39:15

Happy holidays from our family holiday place. https://image.nostr.build/066b66b504fe31bf103ea8840c46bd547acc9ac8a9dc797f575d372312c7b2a8.jpg

2023-12-06 15:03:32

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Glad you could visit!

2023-12-02 11:06:10

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 06:18:59

Back in Ghana for the Africa Bitcoin Conference.

2023-11-03 14:10:23

New hydro site going live this week. https://image.nostr.build/874b749c8bc57e6715c8cce5c80ca5fc86e700d816dca9af629a7c34c229ea15.jpg https://video.nostr.build/4ad958a5a6dfcfe308beb69018810e5174557c8cf8071d80c4f20067376037bb.mp4

2023-11-03 10:45:09

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

2023-11-02 05:48:33

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 04:52:08

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

2023-10-02 03:35:27

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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.

2023-09-21 03:52:12

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

2023-09-18 19:30:47

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 15:59:23

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See you soon!

2023-09-13 13:21:37

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Yes, indeed!