Mercurial weekends
Trimmings from my heart, mind, and weekends. Here's an update on life recently, Litecoin, my existence as a female, and stuff I'm working on.
This is sarah satoshi’s newsletter, a newsletter about crypto, culture, and a glimpse into my mind.
If you’re receiving this via email, it’s because I’ve imported you from my previous mailing list. After my four month long lull of feeling like I’ve lost too much footing to send this email, here I am again, renewed. Contentment was killing me, and I hope you might stay to listen to what I have to say.
First things first…
Dear reader, I’m sorry for ghosting you. I’m not too busy to reply, I’ve just been too weirdly and contentfuly melancholy. Which, is not a great excuse, given there are days when I feel like I could command the world. I hope this email finds you well (and all that), and I hope you’ll forgive me. There’s a lot to catch up on.
A few months ago,
I started a new job as a crypto content writer at Okcoin, one of my favorite companies in the crypto space. Since joining in August, I feel like I still haven’t quite settled in, though the people I get to work with make this exposition a far less arduous endeavor.
I’m not gonna lie, it’s been hectic. My boss recently quit (and is moving on to bigger and better things), and it’s been hard on me. She’s one of the best people in the crypto space and is the one who brought me on. As my short-lived work bestie, role model, and mentor, I still cry about it. Perhaps I’m being overly dramatic, but recently I’ve learned that people make anything and everything meaningful. I think we will be okay, but I have been very sad. I’m having a hard time adjusting. For now I will have to pretend everything is okay until I believe it — and at least I know I’m not alone. I have a really great team. But our PM (the glue) is going on maternity leave next week, so I guess we’ll have to try extra hard not to fall apart.
Change is devastating and exciting! I’m stoked to focus on the latter from this point forward.
Conhigh
I got to attend and speak at the Litecoin Summit — a small conference made up of nichely passionate handlers and builders, backdropped against the sleepless nights and lights of the Las Vegas Strip.
I’m not someone who was ever so big on Litecoin. But after my friend Andrew had invited me (and I asked Twitter if I should attend), I ended up doing a fireside chat with Andrew on crypto for the next generation:
Coming into this, I didn’t realize how grateful I would be for this community’s enthusiasm and support— in part, maybe that they we’re just excited another girl was coming (we tend to add a little sparkle and zhuzh to a Y-chromosome saturated air).
Perhaps I’ve been out of myself for a long time and this conference finally woke me up in a way that bigger crypto conferences don’t. There’s a concept called a “con drop” we feel after attending any sort of event (be it anime or whatever niche crypto thing) where we reminisce on the weekend of events in a particularly romanticized and vibrant way, especially when reality slaps you in the face like a wet fish shortly and starkly afterwards.
I personally think about how my life isn’t so bad in general — then I impart those feelings of a weekend high even deeper and more gloriously than it probably felt. Perhaps this is why I suddenly have a deep love for the people in the Litecoin space.
Thank you for being the best people — you’ve reminded me what it means to be with genuinely good people in this industry not short of grifters, larpers, and negative antagonizers who take out their insecure boredom onto others. Ah, is that really what I think of this industry? Certainly not wholly, but it’s hard to forget about.
What’s it like to not be seen?
Being a woman in a space dominated by men, it’s been pretty difficult to characterize what it’s like. Truthfully, I wish I could just be a person — or specifically nobody, really, but that’s just not how it is. I’ll continue to stand out. And it’s hard to talk about because there’s no right way to talk about it. I don’t want to be that girl; nobody likes that girl. This was something I realized earlier this year while working in the Bitcoin industry.
And so, I began redesigning the way I tolerate — side comments effortlessly brushed off, objectifying glances and words simply giggled away like I get them all the time — I do. Little (big) moments deserving of an angry mob turned no more into an anecdotal story for my friends to gossip on about as if they would have punched a man in my shoes.
And through all this, it’s like I’ve rediscovered what it’s like to have the upper hand again, lest I let anyone deprive me of any sort of dignity. This is an impossible lesson that women should not have the burden to learn. It’s also worth learning.
To be clear, there is of course still a line to cross, but it’s fruitless to spend more than a minute of frustration on the those who frustrate you — a paradox that takes time to understand.
To unveil the curtain…
That weekend, I finally realized why men don’t get it. I also saw that for the first time, they did. Misogynistic disrespect is normalized because men don’t keep each other accountable; most of the time, they don’t even see their own behaviors — until it happens right in front of them.
And because my expectations are on the floor, I had the pleasant, serendipitous surprise of several men (Litecoiners!) apologize to me or act in my staunch support. A weirdly warm feeling that still perplexes me, because for the first time I learned to not be mad. And as a result, other people were mad for me. Very mad.
Maybe you have no context, so here’s a perfect example of what I experience all the time:
Remember that karma’s a relaxing thought.
Anyway, on Litecoin…
Litecoin sort of acts as a defacto testnet for potential applications and improvements on Bitcoin. But as of right now, I’ve realized that this definition only shallowly applies. Litecoin will probably continue to move faster developmentally than Bitcoin (due to culture more than anything), and it’ll become cool for its own specific reasons (hopefully, because I think Litecoin is cute). I’m excited to be keeping up more with the developments on Litecoin.
Here’s some stuff I think is cool:
MWEB (mimblewimble extension blocks) activated on Litecoin earlier this year, allowing for optional confidential transactions — so significant that some exchanges delisted Litecoin because this now makes Litecoin a potential privacy coin. Cool.
Merge mining: Dogecoin and Litecoin are merge mining, which TLDR means that both blockchains share in higher security, miners who merge mine receive both tokens, and Litecoin miners can now confirm doge transactions (I think? Correct me if I’m wrong). Also, this is cool and sets a potential precedent for the future of mining Proof of Work coins as we enter our multi-chain future. Also, this is culturally significant for Litecoin. Dogecoin is iconically pervasive.
My friend Loshan is working on a mobile Litecoin wallet. While quite impressive as a project alone, my intrigue is captured by the extension it gives to Bitcoin — you’ll be able to pay lightning/on chain Bitcoin invoices via Litecoin with the app’s built-in submarine swaps. I think he had a name for the wallet but it is now TBD since apparently some other person/company stole it. Or something like that. Good luck Loshan, I’m excited to be a user and supporter! 🫡
My friend David (I wish he was my dad) is working on a crypto app called GetHedge that will allow you to convert any of your paycheck to BTC, LTC, or ETH. They’re doing a public fundraise before a private VC one, which I find admirable. Also, you don’t need to be accredited.
Happy third halving to all the Litecoiners out there. Litecoin is really the only mainstream crypto up this week, which is cool — tokens are slowly breaking away from the Bitcoin trend indicator.
Lightning round of other stuff I think is interesting
A proposal project for zero-knowledge applications to sync Bitcoin nodes (immediate verification would be immaculate!)
For $40, you can generate pictures of yourself with this AI engine. Fun!
Taylor Swift took the top ten spots on the Billboard 100 this week. Obviously. Go stream Midnights (3 am version)! She’s also going on tour. I’m trying to contain my excitement.
Elon Musk bought Twitter. I love chaos, so personally I’m very excited for this. They love to ban me for no reason so maybe this will change soon.
More crypto things!
Earlier this week, I sat on a Women in Web3 panel for NFT SF. Aside from the fact that I had never had so many people message me on Linkedin afterwards (what does this say about the SF crypto crowd?), I thought it was hilarious how many men (who, intended on hate-watching this panel, I guess) came up to me afterwards and said something along the lines of, “I usually hate these dumb diversity panels for the sake of diversity or whatever, but your comments were actually really insightful! I’m impressed you knew it was Bitcoin whitepaper day. Let’s connect!”
I stayed home the rest of the week.
It’s me, hi
I’ve decided to really go in on this whole crypto content stuff. I have no idea what it will look like, but I’ve been advised that my first step should probably be to create a website. And a Linkedin (a normal, non-parody one). And a …Facebook? If I really care about my goals and adding value to the world, I suppose I’ll suck up the cringe and do it all. If you want to follow and keep up, I'll use this newsletter to let you know where you can find me whenever I get around to that.
Here’s where I’m starting:
Youtube - Videos on crypto. I have no idea what style but it’ll be all over the place.
“Podcast” - Some of the same videos^ put into podcast format. But it’s not a crypto podcast, I hate podcasts. Maybe I’ll publish this in a few weeks.
Twitter - my only one. Little engagement so I don’t get banned, mostly updates.
Finally, a poem
I’ve shared this poem with a few friends because not only is it beautiful, but it really tells you a lot about a person depending on how their visceral outlook on life is:
“Hope” is the thing with feathers
“Hope” is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -
And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -
And sore must be the storm -
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm -
I’ve heard it in the chillest land -
And on the strangest Sea -
Yet - never - in Extremity,
It asked a crumb - of me.
What I love about this poem (and poetry in general) is the power of multifaceted abstraction you as a reader can apply unto these floating words. It’s the reason why I love Taylor Swift.
Maybe “hope” is some higher power, a feeling you call home, or the trust you place in yourself. Regardless, I think it’s always there, and it’s up to you to open your eyes.
I'm confused why your Twitter was suspended again.