Bitcoin is like love: you can’t touch it, you can only feel it.
Salvadoran taxi driver
Bitcoin⚡️Lightning and how to use it
Bitcoin is a digital currency with a global payment network that is accessible to anyone, anywhere, and without discrimination. It is just software, but it is very difficult to change or compromise. The bitcoin themselves are only entries in a decentralized database. Whoever owns Bitcoin has the keys to transfer them. Bitcoin⚡️Lightning is the next level of scalability. Lightning itself is not easy to explain; it is better demonstrated by using it. All you need to do is install a Lightning app and collect a small gift 🎁 in the form of a few Satoshis (the smallest unit of Bitcoin). Five examples will show you how easy Lightning is to use and what potential it holds.
Note: This website is optimized for viewing on desktop/laptop, as QR codes for scanning will be displayed here. It is also possible to use with a smartphone, but it may be a bit more cumbersome, as you’ll need to use certain “copy/paste” functions and switch between pages.
The Lightning Wallet
The quickest and easiest way to secure your first Lightning ⚡️Satoshis is through the Lightning Wallet called Wallet of Satoshi. It’s a simple smartphone app that is quick to install, ready to use immediately, and easy to navigate. Simply scan the QR code below and claim your Bitcoin⚡️Satoshis. Once they’re in your wallet, you can use them to make payments. Scan the QR codes in the following sections and see what you get in return.
The smallest unit of Bitcoin is called Satoshi – 1 Bitcoin = 100,000,000 Satoshis (Sat).
The Lightning⚡️Examples
- A voucher for you
- A paywall, a barrier to entry. After payment, an article is displayed to you
- The Bitcoin Switch. Automation or remote control with Lightning. For example, opening a curtain.
- Transparent donations
- Email spam protection
Using the Lightning⚡️Wallet
Download the Wallet of Satoshi (WoS) and install it. After installation, you can use it right away.
Receiving (Example 1) – [Scan] Send / Aim camera at QR code / Confirm receipt
Sending (Example 2, etc.) – [Scan] Send / Aim camera at QR code / Confirm sending
Some pictures of the wallet
Extra: By clicking on the hamburger icon 🍔 at the top right, you can access the settings. There, you can change the language, currency, and associate an email address for login purposes. This login feature serves as a form of backup. If you provide an email address, you can later restore the wallet or transfer it to another device.
Example 1 – A Voucher
A voucher with 6 Satoshis (丰/sat) for you! 🎉 Simply scan the QR code with a Lightning⚡️Wallet and redeem the voucher. To do this, go to [Scan] Send and confirm receipt.
Alternatively, you can use the Website open and press COPY LNURL to copy it to the clipboard, then go to [Scan] Send in the wallet and press 📋 (paste from clipboard).
If encountering any issues, try refreshing once.[here: 🔄]
Congratulations! 🎉 – Your first 6 Satoshis?
These are real Bitcoin – on the second layer – in the Lightning ⚡️ network.
6 Satoshis out of a maximum of 21 million Bitcoin multiplied by 100 million Satoshis per Bitcoin.
🧮 Converter
Onboarding voucher counter: 🔄
Example 2 – Lightning Paywall
The Lightning Paywall is a payment barrier. With the current payment system, one always has to subscribe. Of course, content creators would prefer subscribers or recurring customers, but the main reason we see so little “Pay-for-Content” on the internet is that payment fees are extremely high and only become profitable at a certain scale. For example, why don’t we buy our bread rolls with a debit or credit card at the bakery?
Lightning solves this problem. An example of this can be found here. Click on this 👉 Link 👈 or on the image to go to a separate page where the payment process is handled. There, you will find a description of what is behind the paywall and what it costs. Once you click on ‘Send’ once, a QR code will appear. You can scan this with your wallet, and after you have paid 1 Satoshi, the link to the website will be displayed to you.
There, you will see images and a video for a deeper insight into the functionality and technology of the next example..
Example 3 – Live-Peepshow
Number 3 is a bitcoinSwitch. It’s an electronic switch that can be triggered by a Lightning payment. You can observe the process with a mini webcam in a small box, perhaps 30 x 25 cm in size, located in my living room. You can easily view the webcam image. By the way, the stream also has sound 🔊😀.
👉 Click here to go to the Webcam 👈
Have 🙏 a little patience
Setting up the stream takes a bit of time, and please forgive the moderate image quality. It’s just a thumbnail-sized microcontroller camera costing a few euros, sitting in a box the size of a shoebox. Unfortunately, the box is too small for live chickens. 😉
Note: If the image is present but you think the stream isn’t updating, the function is missing, or there is no sound, then the stream is likely just paused ⏸. You can simply click on the image to restart the stream ▶️.
To start the “show,” you need to pay 2 Satoshis. Scan the QR code of the stream or click “Copy LNURL” below and then paste it into your wallet under [Send] / [📋paste] to pay the invoice. Once your payment is received, a microcontroller receives the information and activates some lamps, the curtain, and the turntable. Et voilà! 🎭 Enjoy the show! You have just triggered an action somewhere in the world with a Lightning payment and can watch the result live. Try doing that with euros or dollars.
Scan QR code or copy LNURL 👉
The source of financing
A brief interjection to explain the background. Here, you’ll be shown how Lightning⚡️payments work and what you can do with them. Of course, there needs to be a funding source from which you receive Satoshis or to which you can pay. The funding source itself is my Lightning⚡️Node, a small mini-computer located at my home. The interface between the funding source and this website is LNbits, a wallet and account system.
The entire system is self-custodied. I manage the funding source, and the server running LNbits belongs to me. I don’t need a third party (intermediary) and don’t have to entrust my funds to anyone. Bitcoin is native digital, and we can fully leverage that here. Below, you’ll see the balance of the onboarding wallet. It started with 10,000 Satoshis. Each redeemed voucher reduces the balance by 6 Satoshis, and each donation increases the amount.
The balance of the onboarding wallet: 🔄
Example 4 – Donations with comment function
What if donations went directly to where they were intended? When you donate with euros or dollars, you might receive a confirmation of receipt, but not much more. The funds are transferred from your account through several payment processors and banks to somewhere else. Ensuring that exactly the person or group you wanted to donate to receives the full amount is practically impossible. Too many intermediaries are involved, and everyone wants a cut. Even if the donation arrives, you’ll know almost nothing about what it was used for.
Lightning donation pages are not difficult to set up. They are cost-effective to operate, ensure high transparency, and most importantly: the money truly reaches the recipient. Through direct payments to the recipient and transparent payment receipts, donations can be managed more efficiently, and donors can be confident that their money goes where it is needed. And when the recipient explains the withdrawals, you also know what the money is being used for. This creates additional transparency and trust in the donation process.
With Bitcoin⚡️Lightning, this is possible. Feel free to test it out with one or two Satoshis. Remember the onboarding wallet balance, scan the QR code, and if you wish, you can also leave a small message in the comment field. After a successful payment, the website will refresh 🔄 once. The wallet balance on this page should have changed, and afterward, your donation 🧡 and your comment 📣 should be visible here.
The last 21 Lightning⚡️ donations 🔄
Note: Only the last 21 payments/messages are displayed on this webpage. Anything beyond that will not be shown here. The messages are not lost; I can still read them and appreciate each one. 🙏😀
Example 5 – Messages with spam protection
As the fifth and for now, final example: spam protection. It’s essentially the same as donations with comment functionality, just viewed from a different angle. Lightning can not only use traditional QR code lightning invoices as above but also recognizes Lightning addresses. These look like email addresses and can indeed be both, but they take two different paths. For example, you can send me a message to my Lightning⚡️ address axelhamburch@walletofsatoshi.com. To do this, simply copy the address, paste it into your wallet under “Send / 📋 paste”, select the amount, edit the comment, and send the payment/message.
You can use this, for example, if you think my webcam stream isn’t working. It should ideally be online 24/7, but there might be occasional outages. So it would be great if you could send me a brief message about it. I’ll then check it, and if you provide me with a way to reply in the comment, I’ll do that too.
With the Lightning address, you can enter any amount you like. However, in some wallets, you can configure to only be notified about incoming payments that are larger than a certain amount. So if I specify to my Lightning address that all messages containing at least amount X should be read, I essentially have a perfect spam protection. Perhaps this feature will become standard in email programs someday because it not only helps get rid of annoying advertisements but also makes phishing emails or emails containing malware more expensive for the sender.
Further possibilities
Bitcoin Lightning could be used for a variety of applications. For instance, on this website, you’ll find a construction manual for a Point of Sale device. With this, payments can be accepted both online and offline. Another article focuses on building a Lightning-ATM. Drop in a few coins and load the Satoshis onto your smartphone. Something particularly unique is the bitcoinSwitch. It bridges the gap between the digital and physical worlds. Lightning payments can control things through a relay, such as the LED flashlamp shown on the right side of the image. This technology was also used to create the Live-Peepshow, a small show. You can also feed cats or chickens online, pour beer with Lightning, or control a vending machine. One variation is the offline⚡️Switch. It features a display and doesn’t even need to be online. In the United States, the first newspaper vending machine equipped to accept Lightning payments was set up using this technology. If you want to distribute Lightning vouchers yourself, check out tipcards.io.
You can already use Bitcoin and Lightning in online shops, such as: aprycot.media, copiaro.de, ankap.store and shopinbit.com. Service providers, shops, restaurants, and cafes that accept Bitcoin are still relatively few, but adoption is increasing as people recognize that Bitcoin is a serious alternative. Payments are fast, inexpensive, and final. Those who wish can also transact without intermediaries (third parties). Most of those currently offering Bitcoin as a payment option are themselves Bitcoiners or are at least supported by Bitcoiners. However, there are increasingly also service providers who take care of the payment process or support its implementation. Examples include: Opago, Lipa or Coincharge.
You can check what’s already available in your area on sites like btcmap.org or coinpages.io. I could also imagine that it’s wise to accept Bitcoin as a form of payment and to list this information there as well. People want to use Bitcoin as a form of payment and will increasingly look for places that accept it as adoption grows. So, it could also be a competitive advantage, definitely good marketing. The bars and restaurants where the EINUNDZWANZIG Bitcoin meetups take place definitely accept Bitcoin payments. There, you can not only pay for your coffee or beer with Bitcoin but also engage with others about Bitcoin. Just attend a meetup in your area. And if there isn’t one nearby yet, just start one. In Telegram groups like the EINUNDZWANZIG community, you’ll find like-minded individuals who will surely support you.
We don’t have enemies. We have people who don’t yet know why they need Bitcoin.
Michael Saylor, Executive chairman and co-founder of MicroStrategy
Summary
What do you think, will Morpheus be proven right? Does Neo no longer need to trade his coins because he can pay directly with them? Personally, I now believe so, as I experience firsthand that Bitcoin works as a means of payment. Bitcoin⚡️Lightning has the potential to become the cash of the internet. Bitcoin itself has extremely good properties, which are elaborated on in my subsequent article “Was ist Geld?“. Bitcoin is a global payment method that is native to the digital realm. It is not controlled by any authority and is secured by mathematics and energy. Even though Bitcoin may be difficult to understand at first, its software code is open, which makes Bitcoin transparent and therefore trustless.
You were able to experience interactively through simple application examples how Bitcoin Lightning works and what it can be used for. For the first time in history, we possess the key to an absolutely scarce asset and can teleport it. The possibilities that arise from this are initially hard for people to grasp. Cash is similarly free but limited in its application. Bitcoin does not have this limitation.
I was able to show you that Lightning works. All example functions were compiled by me, and the funds are under my custody. I use Free and Open Source Software (FOSS), such as the wonderful LNbits and a RaspiBlitz as a Lightning node. I don’t need intermediaries (third parties) for payment processing, and I am in possession of the Bitcoin keys.
Anyone who still claims that Bitcoin has no value and will never be used as a means of payment is welcome to pull another 6 Satoshis. Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed it and that I could shed some light on the matter. Bitcoin and Lightning⚡️technology are very interesting and promising. It’s worth taking a closer look.
If you have any questions, comments, or feedback, please let me know. ✉️
Bild: Die Evolution des Geldes
Further information
Here I have further information for you. The rabbit hole goes very deep. 🕳️🐇 Dive in and prepare to be amazed. Currently only available in German, perhaps I’ll translate it later.
👉 Was ist Geld? – If you want to understand Bitcoin, you should also understand what money is.
👉 Bitcoin Grundlagen – A few basics: How do I buy Bitcoin and how do I store Bitcoin?
👉 Lightning⚡️Technologie – The basics of Lightning technology explained.
👉 Lightning ⚡️ Wallet – Set up a self-custody Lightning wallet and a general overview of Bitcoin wallets.
👉 Achtung FUD – “But what about…” Ignorance, the root and stem of all evil. (Plato)
👉 Onboarding Technik – A look behind the scenes of this site. (Paywall!)
Note on the “Onboarding Technology” Paywall: Would you like to know how the technology behind this interactive website works with Lightning? I won’t hold back from you. The shoebox is operational 24/7, and on the Onboarding Technology page, I show you how I implemented this technically. The article lists all the necessary components and functions. The page is behind a paywall. Now you know how to access it with a Lightning payment. However, the article costs 2,100 Satoshis. There’s a reason for this. It’s not that I wouldn’t give you the article for free – this is about Proof-of-Work 💪. If you want to read the article, you’ll need to acquire the Lightning Satoshis. You can find out how to do that in the articles Bitcoin Grundlagen und Lightning ⚡️ Wallet.
A final thank you
Many thanks for your time and a final thank you to HolgerHatGarKeineNode for his support in setting up the PHP/Laravel server.
The final words belong to Friedrich August von Hayek. A magnificent Austrian economist, social philosopher, and one of the most prominent representatives of the Austrian School of Economics. He was far ahead of his time.
I don’t believe we shall ever have a good money again before we take the thing out of the hands of government, that is, we can’t take it violently out of the hands of government, all we can do is by some sly roundabout way introduce something that they can’t stop.
– Friedrich August von Hayek [1984] Economist and social philosopher (1899-1992)
Created with love 🧡 since 838117 / 840831
– Lightning ⚡ (er)leben –
Lightning address for support
axelhamburch@ereignishorizont.xyz