#12 Max Proxy Hillebrand | Open Markets Podcast

#12 Max Proxy Hillebrand | Open Markets Podcast

Eric F.J. and Sync are joined by guest Max Hillebrand to discuss the current state of decentralized marketplaces, the shipping problem, privacy technology, and the evolving ecosystem of Nostr-based e-commerce. https://towardsliberty.com/ [https://towardsliberty.com/] https://github.com/marmot-protocol [https://github.com/marmot-protocol] https://www.whitenoise.chat/ [https://www.whitenoise.chat/] Project Updates: https://nostrhub.io/ [https://nostrhub.io/] Shopstr Updates: https://shopstr.store/ [https://shopstr.store/] Conduit Updates: https://conduit.market/ [https://conduit.market/] Aug 17–22, 2026 🏝️ Próspera, Roatán, Honduras https://bitcoinvibe.camp/ [https://bitcoinvibe.camp/] Napplets: https://napplet.run/ [https://napplet.run/] https://kehto.github.io/web/playground/ [https://kehto.github.io/web/playground/] [https://kehto.github.io/web/playground/%E2%80%A8] The Couriers Knew: https://primal.net/maxhillebrand/the-couriers-knew [https://primal.net/maxhillebrand/the-couriers-knew] Key Topics: * Shopster's implementation of Cashu Escrow for enhanced marketplace trust and scriptable payments. * Conduit's new features, including guest checkout and ephemeral keys for non-Nostr users. * The evolution of marketplace specifications, including NIP-99 and the modular approach of the Open Markets Foundation. * Privacy-focused communication protocols like Marmot and Cordon for secure, group-encrypted interactions. * The "proxy merchant" model as a bridge between fiat economies and private Bitcoin/Nostr economies. Summary: The episode opens with a discussion on the technical progress within the Nostr ecosystem, specifically regarding marketplace interoperability. The hosts highlight Shopster’s recent integration of Cashu escrow, which provides a high-integrity, scriptable way to handle arbitration and payments. This is contrasted with the traditional Lightning Network, as Cashu allows for complex multi-sig and hash-lock functionality that is essential for trustless commerce. The hosts also share updates from their own project, Conduit, which has introduced guest checkout features to lower the barrier for non-Nostr users to engage with decentralized storefronts. A significant portion of the conversation focuses on the importance of specification design. Max, a long-time advocate for cypherpunk principles and Austrian economics, explains why modularizing specs—like those found in the Open Markets Foundation or the Blossom protocol—is a better approach than maintaining a monolithic, chaotic NIPs repository. By creating "buds" or modular branches of specifications, developers can build domain-specific tools for use cases like real estate, ride-sharing, or logistics without overwhelming new contributors. This effort aims to shape the "digital garden" of Nostr into a more cooperative, standardized environment. The conversation then shifts toward privacy and adversarial resistance. Max shares his work on the Marmot protocol, a group-encryption and messaging system designed for high security. Unlike some existing protocols, Marmot aims for decentralized consensus, whereas alternatives like Cordon offer a more centralized, stable alternative. The group discusses the inherent challenges of "last mile" logistics and the necessity of privacy in handling shipping addresses. They emphasize that while fully anonymous logistics are difficult to achieve due to physical reality, the goal is to increase the cost of surveillance and theft for adversaries. A key highlight is the proposal of the "proxy merchant" model. Max argues that because transitioning from a fiat-based economy to a sovereign Bitcoin standard is difficult, entrepreneurs should act as bridges. These proxy merchants can accept Bitcoin from users, purchase goods via fiat channels (like Amazon), and then deliver those goods to the user. This service solves immediate needs for privacy and Bitcoin-standard living, while also creating a profitable niche for entrepreneurs to stack sats. The hosts agree that this provides a practical, immediate way for Bitcoiners to "opt-out" of surveillance-heavy systems. https://dn721803.ca.archive.org/0/items/a-lodging-of-wayfaring-men-paul-a.-rosenberg/A [https://dn721803.ca.archive.org/0/items/a-lodging-of-wayfaring-men-paul-a.-rosenberg/A] Lodging of Wayfaring Men - Paul A. Rosenberg.pdf [https://dn721803.ca.archive.org/0/items/a-lodging-of-wayfaring-men-paul-a.-rosenberg/A%20Lodging%20of%20Wayfaring%20Men%20-%20Paul%20A.%20Rosenberg.pdf] Finally, the discussion touches on the importance of personal responsibility and the role of "Freedom Tech" in reducing the impact of insidious theft, such as inflation and data harvesting. Max recommends Paul Rosenberg’s book, A Lodging of Wayfaring Men, as an essential read for anyone interested in the roots of decentralized marketplaces. The episode concludes with a call to action for listeners to get involved, contribute to the spec, and start experimenting with these tools today, emphasizing that the infrastructure for a parallel, private economy is already here and waiting for builders to step in.

#11 Up ✌️ NoGood | Open Markets Podcast

Eric and Sync sit down with Thomas, the Amsterdam-based illustrator behind NoGood, for a conversation about Bitcoin art, Nostr, old hardware, open-source culture, physical media, and building a creative life outside the algorithm. Thomas recently released NoGood Volume 1, a self-published book collecting five years of illustration work, sketches, process, and context around the world that shaped NoGood. Topics: Value for Value We open with zaps, boosts, and streams from Cyphermunk House, NoGood, Mr. Bullish, Shadrach, Permanerd, and other friends of the show. Sync also explains why streaming sats through apps like Fountain feels different from a one-time zap. Nostr DMs, Cordn, White Noise, and private messaging We get into the current state of private messaging on Nostr: NIP-04, NIP-17, metadata leakage, relay uncertainty, spam attacks, multi-device sync, and why reliable private messaging still feels like one of the missing pieces. Cordn comes up as a promising new private messaging project from Gzuuus. Eric describes using it and says it felt smooth, fast, and close to the Signal-like experience people have been waiting for on Nostr. We also touch on White Noise, MLS, 0xChat, Iris, noStrudel, Yakihonne, Cashu wallets, nutzaps, locked ecash, and how ecash could help with smoother streaming payments inside Nostr. NoGood Volume 1 giveaway Sync built a Nostr raffle tool to pick the winner of the NoGood Volume 1 giveaway based on likes, reposts, and interactions with the giveaway note. Winner: Corto Cornelius Runner-up: Turiz The tool was vibe-coded using Shakespeare and Fable, then published through the Nostr-native nsite / ngit flow. Lake Satoshi We shout out Lake Satoshi, a Bitcoin retreat in Michigan running July 31 through August 2, 2026. The reason it came up is that Augie has been exploring ways to bring Nostr marketplace rails, ecash, FIPS, or other offline-friendly tools into the event environment. XMRBazaar, NIP-99, and open commerce Sync brings up XMRBazaar as another example of people building freer commerce rails. That leads into NIP-99, the Nostr classified listings spec. NIP-99 is payment-agnostic, which means people can build open marketplace systems without hardcoding one payment rail into the protocol. Open markets should be an open competition. Bitcoin should win because it is the best money, not because the spec artificially blocks everything else. Bitrefill, gift cards, and agentic commerce Sync floats a possible bridge between Bitcoin, fiat commerce, and AI agents: using services like Bitrefill to let agents convert Bitcoin into gift cards and complete purchases through existing fiat marketplaces. Conversation with NoGood Thomas first became seriously active around Bitcoin after watching Satoshi Radio’s Node Sack series about running Raspberry Pi Bitcoin and Lightning nodes. He set up a node, started experimenting with Bitcoin-only payments, and eventually used that as a way to merge Bitcoin and illustration. Thomas drew constantly as a kid, but early internet art-sharing sites had the opposite effect of inspiration. Seeing polished work from other artists discouraged him, and he stopped drawing for years. He moved into graphic design, became a freelance designer, and learned the practical side of creative work: deadlines, pricing, clients, licensing, print specs, book design, and production constraints. Eventually, graphic design started to feel too safe. Illustration brought him closer to the thing he actually wanted to do. Thomas describes NoGood as the moment he started drawing the things he was already obsessed with: Bitcoin, strange hardware, open-source tools, homemade infrastructure, radios, nodes, broken machines, and characters who look a little beat up but still keep building. The style did not come from one single piece. It evolved. But he remembers the moment the idea clicked: take the illustration work and focus it around Bitcoin. The name NoGood came from a headline about “Bitcoin’s very bad, no good year.” He liked the phrase because it matched how outsiders dismissed the tech, the money, and the community. One of the best threads in the episode: Thomas sees Bitcoin and Nostr as things that work, but often barely. Nodes take days to sync. Devices overheat. Nostr DMs show up in one client but disappear in another. Everything is clunky, weird, imperfect, and still alive. That tension shows up in his work: blinking lights, wires, patched-up characters, old hardware, stickers, bandages, radios, and devices that feel handmade and unstable but full of possibility. Thomas says Nostr gives him the same feeling as Bitcoin: not always a better user experience, but a more fun and inspiring one. The brokenness is part of the energy. There is still room to tinker, wire things together, and build your own corner of the internet. NoGood Volume 1 is a physical record of the first era of NoGood. Thomas was inspired to start the book after seeing Project Japan: Metabolism Talks, a book by Rem Koolhaas and Hans Ulrich Obrist documenting Japan’s Metabolism architecture movement. What inspired him was not just the subject matter, but the physical design: dense pages, thin paper, rule-breaking layout, and the feeling that a book could be strange, serious, beautiful, and self-contained. NoGood Volume 1 became a way to give the work weight outside the feed. Social posts disappear into the algorithmic void. A book sits on a shelf, waits to be picked up, and gives the work a physical place to live. Thomas included sketches and process pages partly because he wanted to show that the work is not AI-generated and not instant. A finished piece can look effortless, but the book shows the layers: sketching, revision, composition, failed attempts, and the slow process of making something good enough. NoGood started in Bitcoin, but Thomas is now seeing brands outside the Bitcoin/Nostr world ask for the NoGood style directly. He mentions Red Bull as an example: they referenced his Bitcoin work, Blockstream work, and TABConf work and asked for that same NoGood world in a broader magazine project. NoGood is becoming more than illustration: a website, shop, book, Nostr profile, NoGood Radio, zaps, and little experiments built around open tools. Thomas wants to keep adding more Nostr features to his site: feeds, zaps, inspiration boards, and other small open-web experiments that do not need permission from closed platforms. Links NoGood Studio https://www.nogood.studio/ [https://www.nogood.studio/] NoGood Volume 1 https://www.nogood.studio/the-nogood-book/ [https://www.nogood.studio/the-nogood-book/] NoGood work archive https://www.nogood.studio/work/ [https://www.nogood.studio/work/] NoGood Radio https://www.nogood.studio/radio/ [https://www.nogood.studio/radio/] NoGood on Nostr https://primal.net/p/npub12hcytyr8fumy3axde8wgeced523gyp6v6zczqktwuqeaztfc2xzsz3rdp4 [https://primal.net/p/npub12hcytyr8fumy3axde8wgeced523gyp6v6zczqktwuqeaztfc2xzsz3rdp4] Project Japan: Metabolism Talks https://www.oma.com/publications/project-japan-metabolism-talks [https://www.oma.com/publications/project-japan-metabolism-talks] Cordn https://cordn.net/ [https://cordn.net/] White Noise https://www.whitenoise.chat/ [https://www.whitenoise.chat/] 0xChat https://0xchat.com/ [https://0xchat.com/] Iris https://iris.to/ [https://iris.to/] noStrudel https://nostrudel.ninja/ [https://nostrudel.ninja/] Yakihonne https://yakihonne.com/ [https://yakihonne.com/] Frostr https://frostr.org/ [https://frostr.org/] NIP-17: Private Direct Messages https://nips.nostr.com/17 [https://nips.nostr.com/17] NIP-60: Cashu Wallets https://nips.nostr.com/60 [https://nips.nostr.com/60] NIP-61: Nutzaps https://nips.nostr.com/61 [https://nips.nostr.com/61] NIP-99: Classified Listings https://nips.nostr.com/99 [https://nips.nostr.com/99] Lake Satoshi https://www.lakesatoshi.com/ [https://www.lakesatoshi.com/] XMRBazaar https://xmrbazaar.com/ [https://xmrbazaar.com/] Bitrefill https://www.bitrefill.com/ [https://www.bitrefill.com/] Shakespeare https://shakespeare.diy/ [https://shakespeare.diy/] nsite https://nsite.lol/ [https://nsite.lol/] ngit https://gitworkshop.dev/ngit [https://gitworkshop.dev/ngit] Take My Sats https://www.takemysats.com/ [https://www.takemysats.com/] bullishMarket https://bullishmarket.onrender.com/ [https://bullishmarket.onrender.com/]

#10 London Calling | Open Markets Podcast

Bitcoin in London, Madeira, and the Periphery A short episode recorded at the Cyphermunk House in London, exploring what it means to “do Bitcoin” in a place like London and the wider UK, compared with more peripheral Bitcoin hubs such as Madeira. We talk about the trade-offs between building in major financial and cultural centres versus smaller, more experimental communities. The conversation touches on local Bitcoin scenes, infrastructure, sovereignty, Nostr-native tools, and the different kinds of energy that emerge when builders gather in physical places. People Eric npub10xvczstpwsljy7gqd2cselvrh5e6mlerep09m8gff87avru0ryqsg2g437 Sync npub1equrmqway3qxw3dkssymusxkwgwrqypfgeqx0lx9pgjam7gnj4ysaqhkj6 Eugene npub1jmm9yfymp9rwz46a0z5tcazszg7gue83c4hkktunhs3lkfy7mpdqx6zden Links & Resources Cyphermunk House https://www.cyphermunkhouse.com/ [https://www.cyphermunkhouse.com/] Myco An offline-first, peer-to-peer client for nsites. https://zapstore.dev/apps/naddr1qqyxzurs9ekhjcm0qyv8wumn8ghj7un9d3shjtn6v9c8xar0wfjjuer9wcpzpwa4mkswz4t8j70s2s6q00wzqv7k7zamxrmj2y4fs88aktcfuf68qvzqqqr7pvjgwy4y [https://zapstore.dev/apps/naddr1qqyxzurs9ekhjcm0qyv8wumn8ghj7un9d3shjtn6v9c8xar0wfjjuer9wcpzpwa4mkswz4t8j70s2s6q00wzqv7k7zamxrmj2y4fs88aktcfuf68qvzqqqr7pvjgwy4y] The Couriers Knew https://primal.net/maxhillebrand/the-couriers-knew [https://primal.net/maxhillebrand/the-couriers-knew] Napplets https://napplet.run [https://napplet.run] https://primal.net/e/nevent1qqs02rmpjzdkuvdrq2uerq60kvqy9zwvx96xq8gaxq8x597dlq7xy7qzwqq7q [https://primal.net/e/nevent1qqs02rmpjzdkuvdrq2uerq60kvqy9zwvx96xq8gaxq8x597dlq7xy7qzwqq7q] Escrow / NIP Discussion https://github.com/Colabonate/nips/blob/colabonate-freedom-protocol/115.md [https://github.com/Colabonate/nips/blob/colabonate-freedom-protocol/115.md] https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/2323 [https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/2323]

#9 Axes of Oshi | Open Markets Podcast

Featuring special guest Oshi, Nostr merchant, to discuss various technical updates in the Nostr and Bitcoin ecosystem, merchant experiences, and the philosophical underpinnings of decentralized commerce. www.oshigood.us [http://www.oshigood.us] Oshi: npub1uzt238htjzpq39dxmltlx60vxym9fetk9czz6kddq6fhvkf4z3usy9qtrh Escrow Links: https://github.com/Colabonate/nips/blob/colabonate-freedom-protocol/115.md [https://github.com/Colabonate/nips/blob/colabonate-freedom-protocol/115.md] https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/2323 [https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/pull/2323] A non-custodial Nostr marketplace: https://switchboardgo.com/ [https://switchboardgo.com/] Open Markets Podcast website: https://openmarkets.pub [https://openmarkets.pub] THE FULL MARKET PLACES LIST: https://plebian.market [https://plebian.market] https://shopstr.store [https://shopstr.store] https://conduit.market [https://conduit.market] https://cypher.space [https://cypher.space] https://milk.market [https://milk.market] https://takemysats.com [https://takemysats.com] https://nostr.boutique [https://nostr.boutique] https://hostr.network [https://hostr.network] https://synvya.com [https://synvya.com] https://travelly.com [https://travelly.com] https://nostr.blue [https://nostr.blue]

#8 Born To Be Free | Open Markets Podcast

Open Markets Podcast | Episode 8: Born To Be Free In this episode, Eric FJ and Sync are joined by Nadja and John, founders of Born To Be Free, the first merchant guests on the Open Markets podcast. Born To Be Free makes tallow-based, non-toxic skincare rooted in health, sovereignty, Bitcoin values, and regenerative sourcing. The conversation covers what it means to be a merchant on Nostr today, how decentralized marketplaces can give businesses resilience beyond Shopify, Meta, and other centralized platforms, and why Bitcoiners are often some of the most intentional customers. Nadja and John also share the story of Born To Be Free’s origin during COVID, their move toward tallow skincare, their experience losing access to Instagram, and why they see health, freedom, self-custody, and commerce as deeply connected. Where to follow Born To Be Free: * Website: borntobefree.store [http://borntobefree.store] * Nostr / Primal: primal.net/borntobefree [http://primal.net/borntobefree] * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_borntobefree_/ [https://www.instagram.com/_borntobefree_/] * TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bornto_befree [https://www.tiktok.com/@bornto_befree] * Substack: https://borntobefreeoffical.substack.com/ [https://borntobefreeoffical.substack.com/] * X: https://x.com/BornToBeFreehttps://x.com/BornToBeFree [https://x.com/BornTo_BeFree] Links & references from the episode: * Open Markets Foundation - https://openmarkets.pub/ [https://openmarkets.pub/] * Conduit Market - https://conduit.market/ [https://conduit.market/] * NIP-99: Classified Listings - https://nips.nostr.com/99 [https://nips.nostr.com/99] * BTCPay Server - https://btcpayserver.org/ [https://btcpayserver.org/] * BTCPay Server Nostr / NIP-05 docs - https://docs.btcpayserver.org/Nostr/ [https://docs.btcpayserver.org/Nostr/] * Shopstr — Bitcoin-native Nostr marketplace - https://shopstr.store/ [https://shopstr.store/] * Plebeian Market - https://plebeian.market/ [https://plebeian.market/] * Nostr Boutique - https://www.nostr.boutique/ [https://www.nostr.boutique/] * Shosho — live streaming on Nostr - https://github.com/r0d8lsh0p/shosho-releases [https://github.com/r0d8lsh0p/shosho-releases] * Shosho on Google Play - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.shosho.app [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.shosho.app] * Conduit “Zap Out” announcement featuring Oshi - https://stacker.news/items/1502668 [https://stacker.news/items/1502668] * Oshi — artisan nut butters & chocolate - https://www.oshigood.us/ [https://www.oshigood.us/] * NIP-17: Private Direct Messages - https://nips.nostr.com/17 [https://nips.nostr.com/17] * BudaBit — sovereign software communities - https://www.budabit.org/ [https://www.budabit.org/] * HiveTalk — Nostr + Lightning friendly video conferencing - https://vanilla.hivetalk.org/faq [https://vanilla.hivetalk.org/faq] * Pyramid Relay - https://github.com/fiatjaf/pyramid [https://github.com/fiatjaf/pyramid] * Colabonate Protocol - https://github.com/Colabonate/Colabonate_Protocol [https://github.com/Colabonate/Colabonate_Protocol] * CrowdHealth - https://www.joincrowdhealth.com/ [https://www.joincrowdhealth.com/] * The Beef Initiative - https://beefinitiative.com/ [https://beefinitiative.com/] * Texas Slim / Beef Initiative about page - https://beefinitiative.com/pages/about-us-page [https://beefinitiative.com/pages/about-us-page] * Red Banks Beef Farm - https://redbanksbeeffarm.com/ [https://redbanksbeeffarm.com/] * USPS Star Routes history - https://about.usps.com/who/profile/history/pdf/star-routes.pdf [https://about.usps.com/who/profile/history/pdf/star-routes.pdf] * National Postal Museum: Moving the Mail — Star Routes - https://postalmuseum.si.edu/moving-the-mail-star-routes [https://postalmuseum.si.edu/moving-the-mail-star-routes] * Amazon Multi-Channel Fulfillment - https://supplychain.amazon.com/multichannel-fulfillment [https://supplychain.amazon.com/multichannel-fulfillment] * The UPS Store franchise information - https://www.theupsstorefranchise.com/ [https://www.theupsstorefranchise.com/] * Camp Nakamoto - https://www.campnakamoto.com/ [https://www.campnakamoto.com/] * Bullish Market - https://bestinmarkets.com/ [https://bestinmarkets.com/] * Nostr protocol overview - https://nostr.org/ [https://nostr.org/] * Primal - https://primal.net/ [https://primal.net/] * Damus - https://damus.io/ [https://damus.io/] * Zap.Stream [http://Zap.Stream] - https://zap.stream/ [https://zap.stream/] * Fountain - https://fountain.fm/ [https://fountain.fm/] * Nostr Wallet Connect / NIP-47 - https://nips.nostr.com/47 [https://nips.nostr.com/47] * Nostr Zaps / NIP-57 - https://nips.nostr.com/57 [https://nips.nostr.com/57] Projects and ideas discussed: * NIP-99 commerce listings and how merchants can publish products across Nostr-native marketplaces. * The possibility of BTCPay Server integrations for NIP-99 and the tradeoff between convenience, decentralization, and merchant privacy. * Decentralized shipping, including historical parallels with USPS Star Routes and modern ideas like private shipping networks or drone-based delivery. * Merchant resilience after centralized platform failures, including Born To Be Free’s experience losing Instagram access and seeing Shopify outages. * “Zap Out,” Conduit’s early experiment in decentralized checkout using a Lightning zap paired with an order message. * Private vs. public checkout flows, including the idea that public zap-outs could double as customer-approved merchant promotion. * Escrow, dispute resolution, and reputation models for Nostr commerce. * CrowdHealth as inspiration for a community-based, reputation-driven way to handle refunds, merchant disputes, or chargeback-like problems. * Shosho’s live-stream shopping model on Nostr, including products and checkout inside a live creator experience. * Shopify Collective and Violet-style integrations as useful models for future Nostr commerce tooling. * The need for easier merchant onboarding, product imports, notifications, order alerts, scheduled posts, and better seller workflows.