In this episode we have the pleasure of sitting down with the one and only Ben Ark, the founder of LNbits, a leading open-source Lightning Network wallet and invoice generator. Ben shares his journey into Bitcoin and the development of LNbits. He discusses the importance of building for oneself and the community, as well as the influence of the maker scene. Ben also highlights the different use cases of LNbits and the impact of Nostr on the project. The conversation explores various use cases for Nostr, including building a bankless e-commerce platform and creating a decentralized IoT network. The potential of split payments and the flexibility of LNbits extensions are also discussed. Challenges in advocating for Bitcoin adoption include the need for public key cryptography education and the perception of complexity. The conversation highlights the importance of freedom of choice in Nostr clients and the potential for Nostr to revolutionize various industries. In this conversation, Ben Arc discusses the importance of scaling solutions for Bitcoin and the need to prepare for future challenges. He emphasizes the significance of the Lightning Network and Liquid as solutions for day-to-day payments. Ben also highlights the need for further development and automation to make Bitcoin more accessible and easier to use. He encourages individuals to contribute back to the Bitcoin community and participate in the development of software and projects.TakeawaysBuilding for oneself and the community can lead to valuable contributions.The maker scene and open-source projects provide a supportive and encouraging environment for developers.LNbits offers a common API and extension framework for building on top of the Lightning Network.The influence of Nostr has expanded the possibilities and use cases of LNbits. Bitcoin needs to address scaling issues to ensure its usability in the future.The Lightning Network and Liquid are important solutions for day-to-day payments.Further development and automation are necessary to make Bitcoin more accessible.Contributing back to the Bitcoin community is essential for its growth and development.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Ben Ark and LNbits08:14 Ben's First Encounter with Bitcoin13:13 Development of Hardware Projects19:33 The Creation of LNbits30:26 Different Use Cases and the Influence of Nostr38:35 Exploring Use Cases for Nostr40:14 Building a Bankless E-commerce Platform43:02 The Power of Interoperability45:27 The Ease of Development with LNbits46:48 Challenges of Traditional E-commerce Platforms49:24 The Potential of Split Payments50:54 The Flexibility of LNbits Extensions52:47 The Potential of Micro Payments54:43 The Potential of Cooperatives56:10 The Possibility of Transparent Taxes59:39 The Role of Algorithms in Nostr01:04:08 The Freedom of Choice in Nostr Clients01:09:05 The Potential of Nostr IoT01:12:23 The Blank Canvas of Nostr Use Cases01:15:06 The Accessibility of Public Key Cryptography01:16:29 Scaling Solutions and the Future of Bitcoin01:18:24 The Importance of Lightning Network and Liquid01:19:22 The Need for Further Development and Automation01:21:33 Contributing to the Bitcoin CommunityConnect with Ben:Nostr: ben@nostr.comX: https://twitter.com/arcbtcWebsite: https://lnbits.com GitHub: https://github.com/arcbtcBlock Height: 829 479