Anyone going to Plan B Forum in Lugano this month?

Testing testing, sending message to Košice, is there anybody out there?

nostr:npub19u6u0h9pwg8k63e9f535enqdkgzl8wqzwzlnrtnwr853wt4ypszsapm6e6

One of the things I hate most about movies is the normalization of drinking alcohol. Young people want to have a good time, they go to a bar. Important meeting with a business partner? The host always picks a fancy glass jar and they drink.

For me, I always imagine smelly drunks in an underground station, intelligence -15 points.

If I want to have a good time, definitely not in a bar. And drinking is super low status signal for me.

I accept that in some areas I'm super judgemental.

Unpopular opinions:

1.) we never wanted regulatory clarity. we wanted to be left alone. Regulatory clarity was something that politicians wanted to deliver, but we did not order this. Everything that is not forbidden is allowed. If regulations don't regulate crypto, we can do whatever we want.

2.) there is much less regulatory clarity. The regulations are vague. Just the AML regulations are not exact. You are supposed to somehow evaluate risk, the regulator does not tell you how exactly, but when you don't do it as they wish it's good, you are a money launderer. There are many uncertain things about current crypto regulations.

3.) projects closing down or leaving some markets is not because they are doing something wrong, but because prosecutors are making up random rules. After a decade of improving regulatory clarity, projects are closing down because the regulatory clarity is actually lower than when they started.

Result; politicians chose a goal and as usual, their actions that should have led to this goal had exactly opposite effect and increased bureaucracy, regulatory capture and hindered development. The wealth of society decreased again.

How to make sense of recent attacks on Bitcoin, parallel financial systems and individuals

It seems like a coordinated attack, not only coincidence. But things not be as they seem. While I can't rule out coincidence or coordination with the goal of destroying, I think it is something else...

I think it is coordination in decentralized system.

Premises:

- when you count reserves (and not demand deposits), Bitcoin is 6th largest reserve asset. It is around 20% of usd dollar reserves. This is not without reaction. IMF has included a condition not to make BTC legal tender in its loans terms and conditions. BTC is a way out, not only for individuals

- the upcoming elections in the US and bitcoin being a polarizing force. Decels attack it on unfounded environmental claims. It does not matter they don't know what they're talking about. They want votes, they sing a song that will lure in more voters, regardless of the factual basis. Politics is acting and storytelling.

- the real threat is people having a way out. But my premise is that there is no single actor that is incentivized enough to do something real about it.

I think what we see is emergence of micro level behavior:

- sec, central banks, etc are seeing the evaporation of their power. Organizations such as fatf-gafi and OECD see that their effort is not as fruitful, because people run software that does not dance to its tune. They do many small decisions to make it harder for us, every bureacrat seeing they have less power will do something, but there's no boss that is focused on delivering. At least not yet.

- institutions that found and used the exit are more powerful than ever. El Salvador is successful and does not regret using the exit door. Not because of legal tender, but because they buy it and use it themselves at the state level. On this level, BTC is true fuck you money

- many prosecutors and investigators see that putting Bitcoiners in jail has huge political capital and makes careers. Again, not coordinated in such a way "let's hit them all", more like "now is the time". Politically (before elections), it's a career making show of power.

I can't prove this, but this line of thinking is important, because it suggests that:

- lobbying is a waste of time

- there's no mastermind, it's emergent

- lunarpunk thesis is important

One possible development in the US: free people of America, we have you access to very nice and clean Bitcoin through ETF products, there's no money laundering, you can keep making money, but don't touch the real reserves, there are institutions with our approval that will do it for you. Soft ban on self custody, kill payment protocols, integrate asset to the financial system.

Don't predict the end game, there might not be one. Even the central planners have different objectives that are rarely aligned and there's power struggle within the hierarchy. What appears as conspiracy is just result of the internal conflict within the hierarchy.

Latin America was very underrated at least in my perception. I always loved Asia, very exotic, with interesting ideas, nice architecture (Japan, South Korea), amazing food.

But Latin America is amazing and it's usually the countries you would not think about. Panama is much better than Costa Rica for me, the islands are paradise, amazing coffee. Uruguay is from another planet on so many levels.

Plus the benefit is you can learn one very easy language and it is universal (except for Brazil).

So if you were mistaken like me, there are jewels to be discovered on that continent, even though I still also love Asia.

For the fact that Malaysia is officially a Muslim country, they have outstanding pork, especially bacon. Not everywhere, but I've eaten bacon here that can be only outcompeted by home smoked pork of some of my family members (decentralized small scale production usually wins on quality).

And a trending food category in Grab - Non-halal.

Malaysia is a great example of different cultures living together in peace (whatever locals would tell you - there's no violence). BTW the sometimes not so nice behavior of immigrants in Europe is most probably not due to their religion, but the fact they are selected as recipients of social security. That means Europe is selecting for the non productive. It's like inviting white trash fentanyl junkies from San Francisco to Berlin with free money and lodging and then saying "white Christians cause trouble". It has nothing to do with Bible. Or Quran.

Depend what you mean by easier. More free societies don't need parallel society. There is more demand for them in North Korea than in Netherlands

Wake up and #Bitcoin.

Another reason (besides privacy) to use foreign (anonymous) data sim card is that it just works better. It will connect to more (usually all) networks that have coverage. People with local sim cards often complain that their operator does not have some coverage. I always have coverage, because I'm in roaming and I connect to any network available.

no problem. life is twice. death is only once.

GN

*they don't know I'm converting zaps to coffee*

One of the best life hacks is adopt the following rule in life:

Sauna is always a good idea

/

Sauna je vždy dobrý nápad