I feel… hungover.
I haven’t had a drink.
Just a high dose of reality.
Same-same, but different. It truly was a year of disillusionment, eh?
Live footage of me reviewing my 2025
#memestr
#memestr
It really is vital to take the time to grieve your dead dreams, hopes and illusions. Those deaths, while far more abstract than the actual death of a loved one, are no less real. In some sense, they are even more real, as they are the parts of ourselves we need to say goodbye to, and let go of, in order to properly move on. If we don’t, then we carry those invisible corpses with us wherever we go, slowing us down, making us bitter, resentful and sad.
"Discontent Creator" is now also available as audio on Fountain: https://fountain.fm/episode/V0dX8w18T2tYbGvNVxWv
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6rE5o9Z1OCehvcE8wEbcrM
And most [other podcast platforms: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/mckontext/episodes/Discontent-Creator-e3co5sf
nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzqqn3uxu6m9lr790dws3j03ww5dynh4nzsps3vw9h5rmw9zkcelusqyd8wumn8ghj7cn0wd68ytnvv43hgatjd9n8jtnwv46z7qgswaehxw309ahzummtxqhx7un89uqp2nt40ycywn6wxfe8se65wev5vs33xvm5ueql78fth
... and Bitcoin businesses take into account both:
1) knowing the implied higher value of BTC compared to fiat
2) enjoying lower transaction fees and no chargeback risk
And thus, they offer discounts to people paying in Bitcoin, incentivizing its use as a medium of exchange
Also available on nostr:npub1jfujw6llhq7wuvu5detycdsq5v5yqf56sgrdq8wlgrryx2a2p09svwm0gx: https://stacker.news/items/1367965
Medium: https://medium.com/@mckontext/self-love-is-a-scam-00608c82d9d2
Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/mckontext/p/self-love-is-a-scam
nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzqqn3uxu6m9lr790dws3j03ww5dynh4nzsps3vw9h5rmw9zkcelusqythwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnswf5k6ctv9ehx2ap0qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyv9kh2uewd9hj7qq8xyenvdeexc6suwumaj
https://kontext.store/ 👀 nostr:note1rukf0td3cza76s3efccqkl40nwkdnxxx74sfdmmw39sxk2ynsvjqlh0ph6
There's definitely room for improvement, but it works well with the classic butter + honey + cinnamon combo 🤠
First go at making my own sourdough 🤠
#foodstr #bakestr
The Stoic philosophy does seem to have a somewhat strange mixture of determinism and free will.
But I'm in their boat. Life seems to be that very strange mixture. Fate is unpredictable, often unkind, but there seems to be a power in each of us to choose our responses to it. The way we respond shapes our personalities, our personal realities; and by us shaping that we consequently shape the world and bring fate, whatever it is, into being.
Now I do think that at the base of this process, faith is necessary. Trust in the Divine, in the providence of God, in an underlying order that is not blind or meaningless. That's Amor Fati. Love of fate, or: faith in fate.
I've thought about this a lot... from my perspective, wherever you are, you are always in the purview of some state, required to abide by certain rules. And those rules can be changed overnight. Or with a new president. Or with a revolution.
I've been in Europe most of my life. I don't like where we're going. I've never been to El Salvador. I like where they seem to be going. Yet, I'm fully aware that either of those ships could turn to a different direction at any time.
So there is no certainty. There is no peace. There is no libertarian / anarcho-capitalist paradise. Could there ever be? IDK. I maintain hope. But hope has broken my heart many, many times before...
For now, we remain underground. We make due with what we have, and strive to evolve it into what should be.
My 2024 year in review is still undone. Yes, 2024. This is not a typo.
The to-do list for nostr:nprofile1qyd8wumn8ghj7cn0wd68ytnvv43hgatjd9n8jtnwv46z7qg4waehxw309a5xjum59ehx7um5wghxcctwvsqzqr5g4trndr2lykpyx7pxqs4nlvazdgfx70v9wcvvddn99204h7s27tcduj has grown to 3-4 A4 pages long.
I really need follow my own damn advice 🤦♂️
Signal over noise.
No hype. No algorithms.
Just real work moving value, peer to peer.
https://blossom.primal.net/3e661a8b5e16da82d7e09e6c8c5f34e9f0298d754d0dd0766ed99dff2c7955c5.mov
Thank you guys for the chance to co-operate in the creation of the video! Crossing my fingers that ZapWork takes off and becomes the standard in freelancing for bitcoin. We need P2P BTC and earning it directly for one's work is probably the best way for it!
The nostr:npub1zrclffvv67nlda0ds8kw755lzm8yy9eavxta54qn4g8wegxzzv3q8amvxc Podcast Ep. 8 w/ nostr:npub1mfndvgwstwm604jvrt07p6nyy898mdsdzzyumx9sdn8u6r4za4uqck6f8v & Kontext is now also available via The Kontext Experience podcast feed 🎧
We talk about nostr:npub1p6y243ek340jtqjr0qnqg2elkw3x5yn08kzhvxxxkejj486mlg9qtnwx3t, the Bitcoin Wall Calendar, a little bit about my philosophical book, and the parallels between Bitcoin and Stoicism.
Fountain:
https://fountain.fm/episode/vyU08CzNJ4lSsA2wMEas
Other platforms:
Good idea. I already included QR codes for the sponsors but yes, the artists would probably deserve it even more. I'll keep it in mind for the next year. 
Unpopular opinion: you don't necessarily have to write CODE to be a cypherpunk 👀
We had Alice from The Failure Flip give a guest workshop in the #POWLab today. She’s amazing!
Rejection and being ghosted can make anyone feel like a failure sometimes. Alice offers great resources and reframes for that. 🧡
https://youtu.be/qyIQpso0Ebk?si=ax-m2hzeFaTpffOE
thefailureflip.com
I love what David Goggins said somewhere, paraphrasing: "I don't look at anything as failure. I look at it as attempts. Not trying is failure."
Also, what I tell myself is that if I'm not failing, I'm probably not aiming high enough :)
Will have a listen to Alice as well!
It's a David Goggins kinda vibe
https://video.nostr.build/a2a75be7ee150f6c7225f324c3f74b736c99cc4cae71f016edb9556e6d55551e.mp4
Came for the clickbait title
Stayed for the image of person looking like a twat
Kontext Store of Value is now also listed on lightning network+ nostr:npub17tlh448s3tfdfgymehqdkdn52as59qsrax0n9h58pk54wcmqyc2qklzsxj
https://lightningnetwork.plus/stores/kontext-store-of-value
Feel free to leave a rating or a comment, your support means a lot. 🙏
PS. Did you cop anything from the Store of Value? Share it on #nostr, tag me and get a fat zap and my eternal gratitude 🤠
GN 🌠
External Beautification Grants Internal Gratification (A Mind Map)
Around this time 3 years ago, as I was doing a yoga teacher course in beautiful Byron Bay, I started properly journaling. So, to refresh my own memory, to go down memory lane and also to remind myself how far I've come, I opened up my first journal from that time period. One of the many fun things I came across was this:
Next page:
Sidenote: The yoga teacher course propelled me to writing in general, as I wrote my first essay The Basics of Yoga as a philosophical exercise in figuring out what I would say to my students besides the cues and instructions related to the yoga practice itself
nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzqqn3uxu6m9lr790dws3j03ww5dynh4nzsps3vw9h5rmw9zkcelusqq2ng7ngf4t55cfdgvuy65r40yuhx4fcwfskshdrnam
Hey friends,
Since I want to offer the resale opportunity of this book to additional bookstores (shoutout to nostr:npub1c74n52sngtmceu96gxms7lsfcdz3gqsfla9swcdgt7wc0qw684zqfe2cj2 for being the first in that regard) and most want hefty commissions, the regular price for the book has been raised to 25 € / $29 USD.
HOWEVER,
The book is currently "on sale" at Kontext Store of Value at the original price: 21 €, and you get an additional 5% off at checkout when paying with #Bitcoin :)
PS. When the sale ends, you can get 4 € off (i.e. the book at its original 21 € price) by using the promo code "nostr"
#bookstr #v4v #circulareconomy #plebchain #grownostr
https://video.nostr.build/4fb4ab6c956cc64624e47b818609f0346540fbbd0bc28e77beb14ad7d88f6ddd.mp4
Source: "Sabrina" (1954)
#filmstr
Haha, yes 😃 #plogstr
I know it's a joke but... the fly agaric is one of those mushrooms that's been a key component in ancient shamanic rituals. Some speculate that this is one of the ingredients of soma, the "drink of the gods" in Vedic rituals. I came across and picked some in the beginning of autumn myself. Would have tried eating, but since they were from near a lake and sandy (they say it's not a good idea to wash the shrooms, and just wiping didn't really make the sand come off), so I decided to make a tea. Made 2 lots of the tea, the first time was low dosage on purpose (as I had never tried those mushrooms before myself and figured I'd tread carefully), the 2nd time I made a more potent concoction... in any case, hardly felt any effect at all in either one of those times, for better or for worse.
Ohhh I will definitely have to check this one out! nostr:npub1klkk3vrzme455yh9rl2jshq7rc8dpegj3ndf82c3ks2sk40dxt7qulx3vt always brings the heat 🔥
I recognize more than one. Respect though...?
I've listened to most of it, still have like 30-40 mins to go though... great stuff, really, I'll probably have to re-listen to it and take notes. And will also have to go back and listen to the last 2 episodes you were on the pod. I feel bad for having missed them thus far but in my defense I haven't listened to a whole lot of Bitcoin podcasts in general lately 😅
BTW I've been on a similar journey, although admittedly I haven't gone as deep and wide with many subjects you touched upon. But early 2023, a bunch of things clicked for me and, for several reasons, I felt compelled to put the general framework out there. I called it Unified Creation Energy Theory (UCET; U C it, get it? 😄). In case you haven't read it, I think you'd enjoy it and would love to get some feedback on it. Hopefully you'll find something new and interesting for yourself in there as well. ATM the draft is up only on Medium: https://medium.com/@mckontext/unified-creation-energy-theory-ucet-8814041ed94c
I got the whole thing down and did several drafts in March-April 2023 and even though I haven't updated it in more than 2 years (again, for several reasons), I've been jotting down notes and making new connections here and there that align with the whole concept. And as long as I keep on living, a new & improved version of the theory is coming, at some point.
More importantly, I haven't found much that would invalidate the idea - although some people have told me I should "get back on my meds" and "stop smoking whatever I'm smoking" and similar nonsense, but no real constructive criticism or pointing out factual errors. So if you find any errors, misconceptions, etc., I would be especially grateful for that information as well.
Kudos to nostr:npub1hghnjjpnvkz8t6gkszuf37d7puwc2qtxc65rnklqsngzv6kkug9qhhfyz2 for having you on the pod!
Vlogging is journaling on steroids: not only do you have to be articulate with your words on the go, you also have to be ready to be scrutinized by the public!
Thank you 🙏
I've thought about adding the book (and other merch) to Plebeian market as well but haven't gotten around to it yet! I played around with it at some point a couple of years ago but not recently. Is there a new version coming soon? 👀
I love the fact that now that I'm a "vlogger" I can talk to myself out loud and it's not weird anymore. In fact, it's in, it's cool.
"Why am I talking to myself? What do you mean why am I talking to myself? I'M VLOGGIN', MAN. Why are you NOT talking to yourself? It's the hottest thing right now, bro. Get with the program."
100%, it does matter. But it is also dead, gone, done, finished. A lot of us, I'm talking about myself first and foremost, tend to dwell on the past. That's not a good way to go about.
Here's a note from my journal that touches on this matter:
“Dwelling on past mistakes is a mistake. Ignoring past mistakes is an even bigger mistake. The only viable option is to learn from them. Learn and let go. Know, but let go. Forgive, but don’t forget. Life is about giving (forGIVING), not getting (forGETTING).”
And yes, it's all an offering to God 🙏
Yeah no worries! Hope something catches your eye (ear?) that you like :)
Oh, a couple of OG pods I forgot to mention in the Bitcoin category are also:
nostr:npub1jcympy69pht7ptan39se4nd09e4q66qhey649uu3rczm2zh88c7s0n2890
and What is Money by nostr:npub15vzuezfxscdamew8rwakl5u5hdxw5mh47huxgq4jf879e6cvugsqjck4um
I'm sure there are others I forgot but hey... our time is scarce & our attention is scarce, much like our money :)