Bitcoin Optech #180: 2021 Year-in-Review Special

- developments in Bitcoin during each month of 2021
- taproot summary
- major releases of popular infrastructure projects

https://bitcoinops.org/en/newsletters/2021/12/22/
archive: https://archive.ph/Ajw6G

Notable Software Releases this Week

BTCPay Server v1.3.7: https://github.com/btcpayserver/btcpayserver/releases/tag/v1.3.7

Rust Lightning v0.0.104: https://github.com/lightningdevkit/rust-lightning/releases/tag/v0.0.104

lnbits v0.4.0: https://github.com/lnbits/lnbits-legend/releases/tag/0.4.0

Specter DIY v1.6.2: https://github.com/cryptoadvance/specter-diy/releases/tag/v1.6.2

Mercury Wallet v0.5.1: https://github.com/layer2tech/mercury-wallet/releases/tag/v0.5.1

Simple Bitcoin Wallet v2.4.24: https://github.com/btcontract/wallet/releases/tag/2.4.24

Hexa Wallet v2.0.65: https://github.com/bithyve/hexa/releases/tag/v2.0.65

Patriots Quarterback Mac Jones Gifts Bitcoin to his Offensive Line

- one bitcoin split thirteen ways
- 7.69M sats each
- a subscription to Bitcoin Magazine
- tickets to Bitcoin 2022

https://bitcoinmagazine.com/culture/patriots-quarterback-mac-jones-gifts-bitcoin-to-offensive-line
archive: https://archive.ph/LqA1q

Iran Orders Bitcoin Mining Halt Until March 6th to Save Power During Winter Crunch

- Iran for the second time this year ordered a shutdown of authorized cryptocurrency mining centers as part of efforts to ease the strain on the country’s power plants and avoid blackouts, according to Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi, director of the state-run Iran Grid Management Co. and a spokesman for Iran’s power industry.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-28/iran-orders-crypto-mining-ban-to-save-power-amid-winter-crunch
archive: https://archive.ph/kpIqh

Log4j v2.17.1 out now, fixes new remote code execution bug

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/log4j-2171-out-now-fixes-new-remote-code-execution-bug/
archive: https://archive.ph/DZOkP

Slides from IRS Representation Conference

https://irsrepconference.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/CTD-20210604-Slides.pdf
archive: https://docdro.id/Y6b1A1t

Notable Software Releases this Week

- RTL v0.12.0: https://github.com/Ride-The-Lightning/RTL/releases/tag/v0.12.0

- tdex v1.2.1: https://github.com/tdex-network/tdex-app/releases/tag/v1.2.1

- mercury wallet v0.5.3: https://github.com/layer2tech/mercury-wallet/releases/tag/v0.5.3

- samourai wallet v0.99.98: https://docs.samourai.io/en/wallet/releases#v09998

Proposal for reusable privacy preserving taproot addresses

https://gist.github.com/Kixunil/0ddb3a9cdec33342b97431e438252c0a
archive: https://archive.ph/HlqcJ

Government-imposed Bitcoin Adoption Is Clashing With Community Efforts on the Ground in El Salvador

https://bitcoinmagazine.com/culture/reporting-on-bitcoin-adoption-in-el-salvador
archive: https://archive.ph/jHvxe

The Freedom of Value: How Value-for-Value Fixes the Monetization of Information

https://dergigi.com/2021/12/30/the-freedom-of-value/#value4value
archive: https://archive.ph/gqsy6

KYC-Free Bitcoin Circular Economies: Free The Markets, Free The World

https://bitcoinmagazine.com/business/kyc-free-bitcoin-circular-economies
archive: https://archive.ph/EYcdP

Electrum Server Performance Analysis

https://www.sparrowwallet.com/docs/server-performance.html
archive: https://archive.ph/Cwj7G

Human Rights Foundation’s Bitcoin Development Fund announces latest round of grants

- 4.25 bitcoin
- split among 10 recipients

https://bitcoinmagazine.com/business/hrf-gifts-4-bitcoin-to-bitcoin-projects
archive: https://archive.ph/pnH6a

Internet access in Kazakhstan cut amid protests

https://netblocks.org/reports/internet-disrupted-in-kazakhstan-amid-energy-price-protests-oy9YQgy3
archive: https://archive.ph/jTVGp

Bitcoin Optech #181

- an alternative proposal to slowly phase in full replace-by-fee
- review the proposed OP_CHECKTEMPLATEVERIFY soft fork
- Rust-Lightning v0.0.104

https://bitcoinops.org/en/newsletters/2022/01/05/
archive: https://archive.ph/UJd4h

Notable Software Releases this Week

- electrs v0.9.4: https://github.com/romanz/electrs/releases/tag/v0.9.4

- bluewallet v6.2.16: https://github.com/BlueWallet/BlueWallet/releases/tag/v6.2.16

- mercury wallet v0.5.6: https://github.com/layer2tech/mercury-wallet/releases/tag/v0.5.6

- tdex v1.2.2: https://github.com/tdex-network/tdex-app/releases/tag/v1.2.2

- foundation passport v1.0.8: https://github.com/Foundation-Devices/passport-firmware/releases/tag/v1.0.8

- hexa wallet v2.0.67: https://github.com/bithyve/hexa/releases/tag/v2.0.67

- samourai wallet v0.99.98b: https://docs.samourai.io/en/wallet/releases#v09998b

Coldcard MK4 NFC Spec Released

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Coldcard/firmware/master/docs/nfc-coldcard.md
archive: https://archive.ph/4Hwv2

Food and cash shortages spread as Kazakhstan throttles internet

- Many Kazakhs do their daily shopping with debit cards. These were often rendered useless by the outage because payment terminals depend on internet connections. By the end of the week, long lines were forming at ATM machines in Almaty, Nur-Sultan and Aktau as residents sought cash to procure staples.

- Nurserik Zholbarys, a resident of Nur-Sultan, told Eurasianet that he stood over 30 minutes in a line to withdraw 10,000 tenge ($23) from a SberBank ATM machine in Nur-Sultan’s fashionable Esyl district. This is the daily limit imposed on those who can find a working ATM: The National Bank suspended commercial bank services on January 6; some fear they will not be available again until the state of emergency is lifted.

https://eurasianet.org/food-and-cash-shortages-spread-as-kazakhstan-throttles-internet
archive: https://archive.ph/kaFKW

What is a BOLT?

- The BOLT acronym stands for: Basis of Lightning Technology. A BOLT is a set of rules that define the Lightning specification that is most used today and referred to as the Lightning Network. Most Lightning implementations follow the standards set by the BOLTs.

- Because the development of the Lightning network is distributed, there are multiple companies working on their independent implementations. Each one has to be compatible with others for the Lightning network to function as one network.

https://simplelightning.com/what-is-a-bolt-what-is-a-blip.html
archive: https://archive.ph/TgRIa