Wisdom starts with seeing clearly. Thinking that Bitcoin or Nostr will destroy the state is delusional. In fact, that's WHY we need Bitcoin, Nostr and other parasovereign protocols, so we can act outside the remit of the state and its power brokers.

Strategic poise: Situational awareness and disciplined restraint.

Personal autonomy: Action under self-directed principles.

You can’t see properly if you’re looking through a shaky lens.

There’s a difference between observing the weather and preparing for it and getting upset about it.

One cannot act meaningfully without first locating the boundary of one’s agency.

Strategic poise: The ability to remain composed and responsive in the face of volatility, rather than reactive and erratic.

What I Learned from Running a Lightning Node I set up a Lightning node because I wanted to understand how it really works, not just in theory, but in practice. I was curious about the mechanics, the tradeoffs, and whether it made sense to integrate it into my regular Bitcoin use. After a few weeks of running it, here’s what I’ve learned. It Works—But It’s a Lot of Work Technically, it functioned as advertised. But the operational overhead quickly became obvious: -You need to keep the node online 24/7. -You have to open channels and decide who to peer with. -You need to manage liquidity—both inbound and outbound—which is its own ongoing job. -If you want decent routing success, you need to monitor and rebalance channels regularly, or automate it with scripts and tools that have their own learning curves. It’s learnable. But it’s just constant. And for someone who has limited expertise, time and other priorities, it quickly starts to feel like a low-value use of attention. What Actually Makes Sense (For Me) In the process, I realized that running a Lightning node doesn’t make much sense for my actual needs. What does make sense is a layered, practical setup: -Custodial LN wallets are fine for small, everyday payments where convenience matters more than control. I treat these like digital cash—fast, simple, and low-stakes. That’s what I have with the Primal wallet. -Non-custodial LN wallets are a good option for holding moderate amounts of spending Bitcoin while still retaining control of the keys. -For larger amounts or infrequent use, sticking with regular on-chain Bitcoin and a well-managed cold wallet with additional hot wallet setup if required remains the best balance of simplicity and security. Running a Lightning node only makes sense if I were actively routing payments, running a lightning service, or doing something that really required deep integration and control. I’m not doing any of that, so why burn the time? Takeaway I didn’t stop because it was too hard. I stopped because I learned enough to know it’s not the right tool for how I actually use Bitcoin. The experiment gave me exactly what I wanted: clarity. And that was worth it.

It’s become cliché to say the Bitcoin blockchain is a ledger. It’s not. It’s a general journal. It’s the wallets that are ledgers.

It started with COVID, and then got much worse with Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Then political turmoil in Canada. Yes, in Canada. Then 7 October 2023 came with the realization that the hatred and peace between Arabs and Israelis and rampant anti-Semitism in Western nations. Then, of course, Trump got reelected. However, I realize now that nothing I say or do can change anything happening in Ukraine, the Middle East, the US and its president, etc. I can highlight certain geopolitical and economic realities, at least as I see them. I can investigate and write on the history behind certain events. But, beyond voting, minding my own business, and taking care of my loved ones and friends, and helping my clients, there’s not much I can do. Very liberating.

Mining to Ocean Mining, still haven't figured out DATUM, but plain pointing and Lightning payouts work. @OCEAN

This guy is fantastic! Check out his music. https://youtube.com/@peterspiker9960?si=lC7Tf4RSLjKeIVuQ

Still working on getting my daughter on Nostr. These things take time.

I'm tired of people saying Bitcoin is a digital commodity. It isn't. It is sui generis. #bitcoin