Solfate Podcast - Interviews with blockchain founders/builders on Solana
Technology
Business
Nick and James
Interviews with blockchain founders and builders on the Solana blockchain. Hosted by two developers building on Solana, by Nick (@nickfrosty) and James (@jamesrp13).
MadLads mint, Saga launch, and Helium migration
Announcement: We are looking for an editor/producerGM! The Solfate Podcast is looking for an editor/producer for the show. We would love to find someone from the Solana community. If you, or anyone you know is interested, please reach out to us on Twitter.Sharing our this tweet with your frens would also help: https://twitter.com/SolfatePod/status/1650249460637741057Follow the @SolfatePod show on Twitter for updates. Thanks for listening frens :)Notes from the showMadLads mint was hit by a DDOS that delayed mint a full day, and people got rug picture. Saga phones just started to be shipped. And news alert: people who did early developer units of the Saga phones get to keep their DVT and a free case for the production phone!Nick explains a bit of how the many organizations/companies surrounding Solana Labs and Solana Foundation are structured.The Helium migration has also completed successfully. So huge congratulations to the amazing people involved, including former guest @redacted_noah.The gents also talk about the new rust based Solana framework, named Nautilus. It’s been making its rounds through twitter and was made by Joe.Links from the showThe Saga phone by SolanaMobile had their launch event and started shipping production phones!!!Helium Network successfully migrated to the Solana blockchainNautilus framework, the new rust framework made by Joe (@realbuffalojoe)Follow us aroundNickfollow on twitter: @nickfrostyfollow on github: github.com/nickfrostywebsite: https://nick.afJamesfollow on twitter: @jamesrp13follow on github: github.com/jamesrp13
16:5224/04/2023
Solana Mobile officially launched the Saga phone!
Follow the @SolfatePod show on Twitter for updates. Thanks for listening frens :)Notes from the showTwitter gave James’s profile viewers confetti for his birthday, even though it's not public information...The Saga phone officially launched!!! The Saga cards were revealed to be discounts based on the best poker card had you had.Plus, Nick and James catch up some.Links from the showSaga phones have officially launchedDRIP season 2 has begun (using compressed NFTs!)The Solfate Podcast website is open sourceOur podcast hosting provider, Transistor.fmJames has been doing a live bootcamp (but he doesn’t have a link, sorry)Follow us aroundNickfollow on twitter: @nickfrostyfollow on github: github.com/nickfrostywebsite: https://nick.afJamesfollow on twitter: @jamesrp13follow on github: github.com/jamesrp13
32:4217/04/2023
How the Helium network migrated to Solana (feat. Noah Prince)
Follow the @SolfatePod show on Twitter for updates. Thanks for listening frens :)Notes from the showFor this special episode, we are joined by Noah Prince (aka @redacted_noah on Twitter). One of the Solana devs behind the massive effort of migrating the Helium Network to Solana. Noah shares some of his background and how his brother, founder of Metaplex, convinced him to start developing on Solana.He also shares a high level, but still technical overview of how the Helium network works. From the oracles to physical hotspots as compressed NFTs.Noah also explains the process of how the Helium L1 blockchain will be “lazily” migrated to its new home on Solana using compression. Allowing Helium to migrate to Solana in an incredibly efficient and secure way without causing a massive amount of congestion on Solana mainnet.PS: Huge shoutout to all the Grizzlython hackathon winners, especially our previous guests: Scammo and Qudo, creators of the xray explorer.Show Noah some love in the internet:follow Noah on twitter: @redacted_noahLinks from the showSubmit a PR to Noah’s Strata code base to get it back running“Jarry” was mentioned several times: this is Jarry Xiao (aka “the Professor” and former Solana Labs employee)Discover the Helium Network in their docsLearn about State Compression on SolanaNick has been diving deep into creating content for State Compression and compressed NFTs. It is all live! Check out these resources to get up to speed on compression:Current Solana docs on State CompressionSolana Spotlight video on State Compression, with Noah Gundotra from Solana Labs, (one of the primary devs behind the compression program)Quick intro videos on minting compressed NFTsQuick intro video on reading and transferring compressed NFTsWritten developer guide for compressed NFTs (also in the Solana docs)Follow us aroundNickfollow on twitter: @nickfrostyfollow on github: github.com/nickfrostywebsite: https://nick.afJamesfollow on twitter: @jamesrp13follow on github: github.com/jamesrp13
46:3810/04/2023
State compression, Gum protocol, and on-chain session (feat. Shek)
Follow the @SolfatePod show on Twitter for updates. Thanks for listening frens :)Notes from the showJames is out for the week, but Nick is joined by Shek, the founder of Worcel and the Gum protocol.Shek shares his reasoning for founding Wordcel, the Solana native blogging platform. And how that later evolved into the Gum protocol.We dive into some of the more technical aspects oh how Wordcel works under the hood, and the potential scaling issues of indexing the Gum protocol once it uses State Compression.Shek also explain a recent initiative on Solana: session keys. Show Shek some love in the internet:follow Shek on twitter: @shek_devDiscover blogging, native on Solana with WordcelExplore the Gum protocol docsFollow us aroundNickfollow on twitter: @nickfrostyfollow on github: github.com/nickfrostywebsite: https://nick.afJamesfollow on twitter: @jamesrp13follow on github: github.com/jamesrp13
40:2303/04/2023
How does State Compression work on Solana (feat. Mert from Helius)
Follow the @SolfatePod show on Twitter for updates. Thanks for listening frens :)Notes from the showWe are joined by the Mert, the vocal Solana supporter and founder of Helius.xyzAs a former Coinbase employee, we got Mert’s take on the recent SEC action/notice. We talk about Mert’s spicy twitter life and the role he plays in the Solana (and broader crypto ecosystem).Mert shares some of his thoughts on what blockchain products are good at doing, and maybe some things that are over-rated or over-hyped.And then compression: we talk about State Compression on Solana, and the perspective of handling the compression from the side of indexing providers and developer platforms.A “PS” Note from Mert: Grifter’s exist throughout the world, not just in crypto.Show Mert some love in the internet:follow on twitter: @0xMert_Mert's company, Helius.xyzLinks from the showMert’s tweet to seeGrizzlython project submissions are now liveFollow us aroundNickfollow on twitter: @nickfrostyfollow on github: github.com/nickfrostywebsite: https://nick.afJamesfollow on twitter: @jamesrp13follow on github: github.com/jamesrp13
55:1027/03/2023
USDC depeg, a Solana light client, and Elusiv for privacy
Follow the @SolfatePod show on Twitter for updates. Thanks for listening frens :)Notes from the showAfter the USDC depeg, and return to peg, James and Nick talk high level about how USDC works. And a bit about some US financial systems.The James talks about TinyDancer, the Grizzlython hackathon submission of a Solana lite client, and what it could mean for the broader Solana ecosystem.Nick makes a case for how Elusiv is a game change protocol for Solana and blockchain in general. Allowing people to have private on-chain transactions, while still enabling tracking of bad actors and illicit funds.Links from the showJames’ tweet asking for hackathon submissionsTinyDancer, the Solana light clientA bloomberg article on the usdc depegElusiv protocol hit mainnet! (last week)Solana news from the weekForm function shutting downNick wrote a new Solana article on how to setup Solana on LinuxFollow us aroundNickfollow on twitter: @nickfrostyfollow on github: github.com/nickfrostywebsite: https://nick.afJamesfollow on twitter: @jamesrp13follow on github: github.com/jamesrp13
33:1520/03/2023
XRAY explorer: Grizzlython hackathon submission
Follow the @SolfatePod show on Twitter for updates. Thanks for listening frens :)Notes from the showJames and Nick are joined by the creators of the XRAY explorer, a human readable Solana explorer being built for the Solana Grizzlython Hackathon!We talk about how the XRAY developers got into software development, and their journey into Solana.Links from the showfounder @_qudofounder @scammo_try out the XRAY explorerXRAY open source code on GitHubSolana news from the weekElusiv protocol hit mainnet!Grizzlython submissions are open https://solana.com/grizzlythonCrossmint announced a Zapier integration for minting NFTsAmazon set to launch an NFT market place?Follow us aroundNickfollow on twitter: @nickfrostyfollow on github: github.com/nickfrostywebsite: https://nick.afJamesfollow on twitter: @jamesrp13follow on github: github.com/jamesrp13
34:2114/03/2023
an outage and a MadList
Follow the @SolfatePod show on Twitter for updates. Thanks for listening frens :)Notes from the showJames expresses his thoughts on the recent network outage, and the gents talk about Nick’s first week of working at the Foundation.Nick volunteers James reviewing Grizzlython hackathon pitch. Also, what is the MadList?!Anyone who would like to join us on the podcast next week for a hackathon pitch practice, DM or tag us on twitter!Links from the showPlans to improve the network upgrade processthe artist formerly known as SolanaSpaces rebranded to @drip_haus on TwitterHelius.xyz made a new solana explorer, named XrayFollow us aroundNickfollow on twitter: @nickfrostyfollow on github: github.com/nickfrostywebsite: https://nick.afJamesfollow on twitter: @jamesrp13follow on github: github.com/jamesrp13
27:5406/03/2023
Nick joins DevRel at Solana Foundation!
Follow the @SolfatePod show on Twitter for updates. Thanks for listening frens :)Notes from the showBig news! Nick just started his new full time job on the DevRel team at Solana Foundation! James also declares he is going to finally get a hardware wallet and rethink how he handles wallet security.PS: In case you missed it last week, we had a long conversation with the CEO and founder of Solana Spaces, Vibhu, about why Solana Spaces is shutting down its NYC/Miami stores. Give it a listen and show your support to Vibhu!Links from the showNick’s tweet about the SolDev redesignLedger Stax walletBackpack browser extension was updated in the chrome web storeSolana news from the weekJump appears to have recovered the hacked tokens from the Wormhole exploitIt was a busy week for us both….I did not do more research into more news…Follow us aroundNickfollow on twitter: @nickfrostyfollow on github: github.com/nickfrostywebsite: https://nick.afJamesfollow on twitter: @jamesrp13follow on github: github.com/jamesrp13
28:4527/02/2023
chat with Vibhu about why SolanaSpaces is shutting down
Follow the @SolfatePod show on Twitter for updates. Thanks for listening frens :)Notes from the showAs the announcement that SolanaSpaces will be shutting down their two store locations, we are happy to welcome Vibhu, the CEO and Founder of Solana Spaces, onto the show to share his thoughts and reasoning about the closure/pivot.We talk Vibhu's background of building companies and starting Solana Spaces, how and why Solana Spaces started, and the interesting tech behind it. And the sad announcement that SolanaSpaces will be shutting down by the end of the month (February 2023).On a brighter note, Vib and team are making the intentional pivot to focus on drip.haus, their NFT drop platform that has rapidly reach massive scale in the bear market. From gathering 100k plus active users/wallets to fighting spam and detecting/labeling >60k spam wallets on the Solana network. And what the dip collection means to Vibhu and what they look for in the artwork drops.Fun fact: Did you know the tech behind DRiP is what is powering the Saga Cards rewards system?Find Vibhu onlinefollow him on twitter: @vibhu@SolanaSpaces on twitterDRiP.haus artwork dropsPublic note from Vibhu about shutting down Solana SpacesFollow us aroundNickfollow on twitter: @nickfrostyfollow on github: github.com/nickfrostywebsite: https://nick.afJamesfollow on twitter: @jamesrp13follow on github: github.com/jamesrp13
42:2423/02/2023
Solana Monkey Business, Solana Pay, and marginfi lending
Follow the @SolfatePod show on Twitter for updates. Thanks for listening frens :)Notes from the showHadeSwap acquired Solana Monkey Business. marginfi started collecting funds for their new on chain lending protocol, and a SolDev redesign? Crazy week.James and Nick discuss the upcoming SolDev redesign that Nick will be coding the frontend for. James gives his thoughts on the Solana Course he wrote, including Solana Pay and how powerful it is! James updates Nick on how Solana Pay works and it blows his mind!!!!Nick also just had his last day at his previous job, and is gearing up for his next role….what could it be?If anyone is interested in getting early access to the new marginfi lending protocol, you can message Mac Brennan on twitter for details.Links from the showHadeSwap acquired Solana Monkey BusinessTwo SMB sold for high prices on FFF swap: #3875 SOLD FOR 3450 $SOL#1088 SOLD FOR 7500 $SOLThe best Solana Development course around (hosted on SolDev)New Solana API docs page! Made by Nick!SolDev’s Solana pay lessonCollector.sh (from Nate) - an NFT gallery appMargin fi starting bootstrapping their new lending poolSolend hack Nick was trying to articulateSolana news from the weekMetaPlex hosted a twitter spaces talking programmable nfts and royalty enforcement, with support from top projects throughout the ecosystemLedger now supports versioned transactionsHelium announced the date they plan to migrate to Solana (March 27 2023)Follow us aroundNickfollow on twitter: @nickfrostyfollow on github: github.com/nickfrostywebsite: https://nick.afJamesfollow on twitter: @jamesrp13follow on github: github.com/jamesrp13
32:3020/02/2023
Discussing pNFT and wallets with Vibhu (founder of Drip.haus)
Follow the @SolfatePod show on Twitter for updates. Thanks for listening frens :)Notes from the showJames and Nick welcome Vibhu, founder of Solana Spaces and the DRiP.haus, on to the episode where they talk about programable NFTs and the mutability of NFTs and data storage.Nick seems passionate about some NFTs staying immutable, while Vibhu and James are less convinced. But everyone seems to agree the “wallet” terminology might need a refresh.Find Vibhu onlinefollow him on twitter: @vibhu@SolanaSpaces on twitterDRiP.haus artwork dropsLinks from the showMetaplex docs on pNFTS (programable NFTs)Austin Federa interview with Sam Williams, Founder or ArweaveSolana news from the weekMetaplex stated NFTs can upgrade to programable NFTs to enforce royaltiesSaga pass mint round 2 is openSolflare announced “burner wallets” will be coming soonFollow us aroundNickfollow on twitter: @nickfrostyfollow on github: github.com/nickfrostywebsite: https://nick.afJamesfollow on twitter: @jamesrp13follow on github: github.com/jamesrp13
15:3413/02/2023
mobile hardware wallets with Saga
Follow the @SolfatePod show on Twitter for updates. Thanks for listening frens :)Notes from the showNick finally got his Saga test unit and he is blown away. The gents talk specs and the pure beauty of the Saga phone, from hardware to software.Nick lectures James on the importance of a hardware wallet, and his strong feelings about them. And compares other Android phones in the market to the Saga.Huge shout out to Jeffrey Ando (@ser_ando) for the amazing AI generated cover art!Full show notes available at https://solfate.com/podcast/5Links from the showSolana podcast episode with Toly talking to Jason Keats, the founder OSOM (the hardware team behind the Saga phone)@creativedrewy (from the Solana Mobile team) talking about the Solana Mobile Stack (this is that “wonderful video chat from someone from the Solana Mobile team Nick could not remember…)Solana foundation announced the Grizzlython HackathonHackathon hype video from Solana’s twitterSolana news from the weekTweet thread about the Grizzlython HackathonToly has on the Around the Block podcast with Brian Armstrong (founder of Coinbase)Not directly Solana, but Amazon announced an NFT initiativeSuperteam held their Solana Community Call #2, with special guest BalajiFollow us aroundNickfollow on twitter: @nickfrostyfollow on github: github.com/nickfrostywebsite: https://nick.afJamesfollow on twitter: @jamesrp13follow on github: github.com/jamesrp13
31:4706/02/2023
James got his Saga phone
Follow the @SolfatePod show on Twitter for updates. Thanks for listening frens :)Notes from the showAfter James received his Saga developer test phone, and Nick’s is inbound, they discuss possibilities of a mobile first crypto experience. Even the potential for non-crypto apps getting distribution on a decentralized app store.Nick started using Midjourney to generate custom AI artwork, and James may convince his wife to use crypto before Nick convinces his own wife.Huge shout out to Jeffrey Ando (@ser_ando) for the amazing AI generated cover art!Full show notes available at https://solfate.com/podcast/4Links from the showSolana mobile opened submissions for the Solana dApp storeShoutout to Solplay (aka Jonas)Phantom plans to open source some parts of their walletNick has drip.haus invite codes, ask for one on twitterToly was on the Superteam Podcast talking Solana vs Ethereum with Toghrul Maharram, including talking rollups and scaling blockchainsSolana news from the weekMert announced a bounty for creating some blog content around SolanaJacob Creech hosted the second Solana Core Community CallHelius launched their SDK to empower easier support for their platformFollow us aroundNickfollow on twitter: @nickfrostyfollow on github: github.com/nickfrostywebsite: https://nick.afJamesfollow on twitter: @jamesrp13follow on github: github.com/jamesrp13
30:2630/01/2023
a lost episode and a personal hackathon for James?
Follow the @SolfatePod show on Twitter for updates. Thanks for listening frens :)Notes from the showJames and Nick talk about ordering their Saga phones, including the Saga cards airdrop. They explore the idea of digital collectibles over time and how business may use them to entire consumers down the line.The gents talk multi chain and the Phantom wallet, then Nick baits James into a personal hackathon by first offering him $BONK to ship an mobile app within 2 weeks of getting his Saga phone. James refuses the $BONK offer but counter requests a Solana Spaces NFT from the drip.haus airdrops.PS: After getting rugged on their first try recording the entire episode, Nick and James recorded an entire new episode for this week. You may notice some mentions of that throughout the episode :)Huge shout out to Jeffrey Ando (@ser_ando) for the amazing AI generated cover art!Full show notes available at https://solfate.com/podcast/3Links from the showSolana Mobile announced an airdrop to “select” Saga Pass holders. Ominous.Phantom started allowing people to test their multi chain walletSolana Sandstorm hackathon submissions are closedSolana Spaces weekly airdrops for the community at drip.hausJoe C from Solana Foundation DevRel published a new Solana crash course video series on YouTubeSolana news from the weekSOL price is up. Nice!Solana.fm added some extra tracking on the wormhole exploiterThe official Solana podcast has been rebranded to ValidatedItalo shutdown the apr dev domain and merged the registry into SolDevSOL price surged after Austin Federa appeared on BloombergFormfunction shipped an airdrop feature to allow creators to easily airdrop their holdersSolana Foundation advanced the minimum validator version (to 1.14.13) on Testnet for those participating in the Delegation programFollow us aroundNickfollow on twitter: @nickfrostyfollow on github: github.com/nickfrostywebsite: https://nick.afJamesfollow on twitter: @jamesrp13follow on github: github.com/jamesrp13
26:4823/01/2023
crypto taxes and a saga of struggle
Follow the @SolfatePod show on Twitter for updates. Thanks for listening frens :)Notes from the showNick gets the mythical email to order his Solana Mobile phone but struggles to do so. In the meantime, we talk about the game change we expect the Saga phone to be.Also taxes. Nick and James talk broadly about how the US handles crypto taxes, which is…less than good…. So we spitball on some options.Then Nick reveals his unique day job.Huge shout out to Jeffrey Ando (@ser_ando) for the amazing AI generated cover art!Full show notes available on https://solfate.com/podcast/2Links from the showIRS memo about how crypto taxes are handles in the USTalks from crypto CEOs presenting to Congress about regulating cryptoView all the Solana Sandstorm hackathon tracksNews and happening on Solana this weekThese are the other things we meant to talk about, but got side tracked while talking about crypto taxes. So....here are the links if you are interested: Magic Eden was exploited - a detailed breakdown from Nick from HeliusAustin Federa appeared on Bloomberg, speaking highly of Solana past, present, and futureMailChimp shuts down Solana Foundation’s account with no warning or cause givenA new round of Saga phones are being sent outVibhu (from @SolanaSpaces) is a monsterFollow us aroundNickfollow on twitter: @nickfrostyfollow on github: github.com/nickfrostywebsite: https://nick.afJamesfollow on twitter: @jamesrp13follow on github: github.com/jamesrp13
32:2616/01/2023
init: solfate podcast
Follow the @SolfatePod show on Twitter for updates. Thanks for listening frens :)Notes from the showWelcome to the very first episode of the Solfate podcast, an audio commentary from two developers on building into the Solana ecosystem.In this very first episode, Nick and James introduce themselves. We give our backgrounds and how we each started building and educating on Solana.We also talk about the recent events of the Bonk token taking Solana by storm. Getting airdropped to loads of people (including us) and the impact that community driven projects really have on the Solana blockchain.We wrapped up the episode with talking about what we are each working on now and in the near future.Huge shout out to Jeffrey Ando (@ser_ando) for the amazing AI generated cover art!Full show notes available at https://solfate.com/podcast/1Links from the showSolana developer course written be James: soldev.app/coursethe tweet that got Nick working on SolanaMert (from Helius) announcing the Solana Sandstorm Hackathonofficial Bonk token's twitter account: @bonk_inuNick's article on deriving Solana addressesUpcoming Solana HackathonA public virtual Solana hackathon, code-named "Solana Sandstorm", is set to happen between January 10th - January 23rd (2023). More official details to follow near January 10th from Mert.The hackathon is loaded with sponsors from around the Solana ecosystem, including: Solana Foundation, Helius, Crossmint, Phantom, Switchboard, Dialect, and so many more. And yes, even Bonk!Follow us aroundNickfollow on twitter: @nickfrostyfollow on github: github.com/nickfrostywebsite: https://nick.afJamesfollow on twitter: @jamesrp13follow on github: github.com/jamesrp13
33:0609/01/2023