whiteafrican
Erik Hersman

http://gridlesscompute.com

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

nprofile1qqsq87lh6t4wx9e85snh80v4lhskefmwdagnjf3z4amwgu699yjx0aspr3mhxue69uhkummnw3ez6un9d3shjtnhd3m8xtnnwpskxeglmeax3

Publishing to

nostr-relay.wlvs.space

Author Public Key

npub1q0al05h2uvtj0fp8ww7etl0pdjnkum638ynz9tmku3e522fyvlmqjq04mt

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Last Notes

2024-08-13 17:14:13

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

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 16:19:00

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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 20:34:51

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?

2024-04-08 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

2024-04-05 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 04:11:02

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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!

2024-03-11 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.

2024-01-15 19:54:41

Off to Nashville this week.

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!

2023-09-13 10:56:54

Nashville today!

2023-09-07 22:11:27

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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

2023-09-04 18:26:42

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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 17:15:23

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 14:22:21

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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 04:23:28

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

2023-08-30 16:43:43

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 08:26:09

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

2023-08-28 07:20:51

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 17:17:34

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 06:44:54

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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 06:43:53

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 17:43:53

Looking forward to this one! #note12q0…er2w

2023-08-25 04:00:17

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

2023-08-17 10:03:03

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Looks like it was taken here!

2023-08-13 05:18:04

Peaceful.

2023-08-12 03:11:36

Early mornings are the best.

2023-08-10 15:48:13

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

2023-08-07 18:41:15

Ok, that’s a wrap here in Zambia. All checked out and running.
I should probably do a more in-depth write up sometime. It might be best to say that there’s a lot more that goes into a bitcoin mining site than just running miners! https://nostr.build/av/6eb9ff0a1fa97944deda92358e0b0986209f98686dfa4ac42bc1ee1ed6900dcb.mov

2023-08-06 20:00:48

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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 19:54:01

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Thanks. It’s fun too!

2023-08-06 19:38:17

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 12:45:26

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 04:41:38

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

2023-08-05 04:25:17

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 20:22:46

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700kW plant. We’re starting with 300kW.

2023-08-03 11:44:20

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 07:51:04

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 07:48:57

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Yes. Zambezi river

2023-08-01 18:01:29

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

2023-07-10 04:14:23

A final good morning from the beach. http://nostr.build/i/88b60ece76a6a84d63d8f12379d562f71460a00ce4f19de11bd4b4722d0709c1.jpg

2023-07-08 14:04:04

Peaceful, snorkeling, shell-collecting type of day. http://nostr.build/i/89a3ea9fb482f1bc849ea765ea3e9f6938ad022ad3e95775f73af439d2d08975.jpg

2023-07-05 11:11:54

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But what does it taste like? :)

2023-07-05 05:35:08

Good morning #nostr
Eastern hemisphere checking in for the day.

2023-07-04 13:24:44

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

2023-07-03 19:06:07

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

2023-07-02 05:10:41

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What makes it less spammy?

2023-07-02 05:02:31

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Already are mining here. :)

2023-06-30 06:42:02

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

2023-01-05 08:56:41

Still unsure about the easiest ways to add an image to Damus/Nostr.

2022-12-17 17:09:18

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ah, got it. So I can hotlink an image, it just can’t be hosted here.

2022-12-17 17:04:56

No images on #Damus?