Merry Christmas everyone. I was in Northeast China last week, enjoying the snow, as I currently live in a country with absolutely zero snow all year round.

Sadly, according to btcmap.org, there were literally no businesses accepting Bitcoin in the world's second-most populous country, save for two somewhere between Beijing and Shanghai.

Wishing for the best for the people of the Middle Kingdom.

Got my 6 signed copies of nostr:nprofile1qqsyx708d0a8d2qt3ku75avjz8vshvlx0v3q97ygpnz0tllzqegxrtgppamhxue69uhkumewwd68ytnrwgqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsxxn50k's latest book, The Gold Standard, as a golden supporter. That's what happens to you when you go down the Bitcoin rabbit hole.

Happy midweek everyone. Over the weekend, I had the lovely experience of being able to pay for food using Bitcoin Lightning in KL, Malaysia. Any Bitcoiners wishing to spend sats while in Malaysia, try out Kedai Kopi Xiong Wor in Taman Tun Dr Ismail!

Hey all, just wanted to share something that I went through. I went to a gold shop yesterday to try and sell some of the last gold that I had from my pre-Bitcoin days to buy the current Bitcoin dip. I had to fill in a form declaring the origin of my gold and to release the shop of any liability if the police or Central Bank were to investigate the transaction. I was told that the boss of the shop didn't accept my sale, as I did not have any receipts. The coins that I was trying to sell are numismatic gold coins (not bullion), and so had been bought from other mostly amateur collectors who do not run a business, hence no receipts. The funny thing is, I managed to sell similar coins to the same shop without the forms or hassle about 3 years ago. I do feel that the exits for most assets are indeed closing. What's the use of gold if you can't spend it anywhere and can't exchange it into spendable fiat? Bitcoin really is freedom money since nobody can stop any transaction. Lesson learnt with gold: it's captured, it's obsolete, and it's only gonna get worse.