We're lucky to have incredibly smart developers + UX designers working on the Lightning Network at the moment. Due to the fact that we do not want to mess up a good thing, we tend to err on the side of changing Bitcoin as little as possible at the protocol level. However, when it comes to 2nd layer solutions like Lightning, developers and designers alike are free to go HAM and explore exotic ideas that cannot be tested at the protocol level.

One developer/designer who has been going HAM on the Lightning Network is fellow Beefy Bitcoin Boy Will O'Beirne, who teased an upgrade to his Joule browser extension that is getting ya boi all hot and bothered; Joule Allowances. Joule Allowances will allow Joule users to set parameters when visiting certain Lightning Network-enabled websites that make it so the extension automatically pays invoices that fall within the defined parameters. Making the process of paying with Lightning on the web automatic and orders of magnitude better than the process of being presented an invoice and having to manually accept a payment. Bringing the vision of streaming payments on the web to fruition.

Obviously, this is not live at the moment and, therefore, isn't widely used, but the possibilities this will enable are endless. Stream payments to Twitch users as they stream video to you. Automatically pay paywalled content instead of having to enter your payment details. Stream payments in realtime to a therapist you regularly video conference with; only paying for the exact amount of time you spent spilling your beans. Automatically buy final thoughts at tftc.io/dime-bag when you get bored. The possibilities are endless.

Right now, allowances will only be compatible with sites that are WebLN compatible. We will be covering the drop of Joule Allowances intently over the next few months. Shoutout to Will for being a Don.

Final thought...

I'm a big pacer. Love pacing back in forth through my apartment.