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December 31, 2021
We've reached the end of 2021, folks. As we conclude the second (and hopefully last) year of bug-related twists and turns, it feels pretty good to sit down, take a deep breath and enjoy a well earned rest. Traditionally, I'd be knee deep in a strange mix of pork pies, chocolate and beer. But 2021 hits a little differently. Y'see, this is the first time I can look back at a solid 12 months of musing. And on reflection, the back catalogue has captured an evolving state of mind during this rollercoaster of a year.

November 23, 2021
For a few weeks now I've been trying to establish a clear worldview on the wider Crypto landscape. Y'see, I'm fairly settled on the epic store-of-value proposition that is Bitcoin. I've dived into the gory details, gained some practical skills, and completely overindulged in the 24/7 debates sparked in Twitterland. And just like a BTC-Big Mac in El Salvador, it all feels rather warm, gooey.....and potentially fatal. So to address this intellectual comfort, I must stress-test my understanding of Bitcoin. I must fuel my curiosity by casting a wider net.

October 15, 2021
As a node operator, my understanding of Bitcoin has evolved significantly. A theoretical framework has been transformed into lived, practical experience. I monitor the Mempool to check on my Lightning channel status. I engage with other node operators to create liquidity swaps. I scroll through 1ML and Amboss to find other Lightning peers. I collect sats for routing payments. It is a vivid demonstration of my previous notion; that Bitcoin, and by extension its timechain, may just be the the final word on financial freedom.

September 20, 2021
The ideas are elegant. The ambition is impressive. But how exactly does Bitcoin work in practice? Well folks, that's what I've been figuring out for the past month. Armed with my understanding of the network, I embarked on a journey to become a full node operator (i.e. a validator of transactions and blocks). Admittedly, I wasn't quite sure I could pull it off. Even with all my prior research, this felt like a tricky technical challenge. And yet here I am, running a Bitcoin (and Lightning!) node with little fuss. How so?

August 27, 2021
At this point, it is worth wondering what all this research represents. We seemingly have an answer crying out for a question. To that end, there are a few good candidates. Is Bitcoin a response to monetary distortion? Government largesse, perhaps? Is Bitcoin a dry, technical update for the internet? I would contend that it does all those things. And excellently so. But there is also a more profound, universal quandary to address.

I thought I'd write a little about a film that has fascinated me for years; Koyaanisqatsi. A film with zero dialogue, zero plot and zero cast.

I'm always up for brooding electronica. Boards of Canada offer that in spades. There must be something about the Scottish psyche, as we all seem to be attracted to melancholy and darkness. Works for me though because their work is bloody fantastic.

Enter notion. Instead of monotony, we have emojis. Instead of endless folders, we have galleries. It is a robust back-end to complement my digital presence.