Location

The event will be hosted at Jenga Leo:

T Floor (Kilimanjaro room) WESTPARK TOWERS

Mpesi Ln, Nairobi

Map

Announcements

Join us on our Bitcoin Socratic Seminar #24.

This is a special Bitcoin 101 session — an introduction to the Bitcoin stack for newcomers and a refresher for everyone else. A special thank you to our sponsor Btrust for food and refreshments.

Reminders

• We prefer no photos and no videos during the event
• Chatham House Rule
• Leave the meeting space as clean as you found it

Topics

Bitcoin Fundamentals

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• But how does bitcoin actually work? (3Blue1Brown)
  • Visual explanation of cryptographic primitives, hashing, and proof-of-work
• Bitcoin Whitepaper
  • The 9-page paper that started it all — worth revisiting
• Learn Me a Bitcoin
  • Interactive guide covering transactions, blocks, and the UTXO model
• Mastering Bitcoin (Open Edition)
  • Chapters 1-4 for foundational concepts

Discussion:

• What problem does Bitcoin solve that couldn’t be solved before 2009?
• Why does Bitcoin need proof-of-work? What are the tradeoffs?
• How do you explain Bitcoin to someone with zero technical background?

Lightning Network

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• Lightning Network Explained (Whiteboard Series)
  • Visual walkthrough of payment channels and HTLCs
• Understanding the Lightning Network (Bitcoin Magazine)
  • Part 1 of a multi-part series on payment channels
• Lightning Network Specification (BOLTs)
  • The technical specs — skim the README for an overview
• Amboss Space
  • Explore the Lightning network graph and node statistics
• Stacker News
  • Lightning-native forum — experience micropayments firsthand

Discussion:

• What limitations of on-chain Bitcoin does Lightning address?
• What are the tradeoffs of using Lightning vs on-chain transactions?
• Why do Lightning channels require both parties to be online? What happens if one party disappears?

Ecash: Fedimint & Cashu

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• What is Ecash? (Calle’s Explainer)
  • Introduction to Chaumian ecash and blind signatures
• Fedimint Documentation
  • Overview of federated custody and community mints
• Cashu Protocol
  • Spec for the simpler, single-custodian ecash implementation
• Why Ecash Matters (Video)
  • Privacy benefits and use cases for ecash
• Fedi App
  • Real-world Fedimint implementation for communities

Discussion:

• What privacy guarantees does ecash provide that Lightning doesn’t?
• What are the trust assumptions when using a Fedimint vs a Cashu mint?
• How might ecash help with Bitcoin adoption in communities with limited connectivity?
• What’s the difference between custodial Lightning (e.g., Wallet of Satoshi) and ecash custody?

Putting It All Together

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• Bitcoin Layers Explained
  • How base layer, Lightning, and ecash complement each other
• The Bitcoin Stack (Diagram)
  • Visual representation of Bitcoin’s layered architecture

Discussion:

• When would you use on-chain Bitcoin vs Lightning vs ecash?
• How do these layers work together to make Bitcoin usable for different purposes?
• What excites you most about where Bitcoin development is headed?

What’s next?

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• Btrust Builders Pathways
• bitcoin++ open source edition

Submit suggestions for next meeting

Issues on Github: https://github.com/BitDevsNBO/bitdevsnbo.org/issues