Carnet de bord.
Bitcoin, travel, encounters and behind the scenes, in writing. What I think, what I am preparing, and what I learn along the way, between Geneva and Lima.
Why don't I vote?
Voting is taking part, and that's exactly why I don't vote. The lesser evil, the blank ballot, and where I really cast my vote.
Read the note →
Why Bitcoin maximalism is bad for the Bitcoin ecosystem
A critique of Bitcoin maximalism, not of Bitcoin itself: sovereignty, altcoins, adoption and a community that sometimes loses the plot.
Read the note →
The importance of small steps: moving forward without kidding yourself
Moving forward without burning out, learning consistently and avoiding the illusion of progress: my take on small steps to build something that lasts.
Read the note →
Where are bitcoins stored? Understanding what a wallet really contains
Blockchain, private keys, addresses, recovery phrase, hardware wallets, platforms: what a Bitcoin wallet really contains, and what it doesn't.
Read the note →
Do you need to buy a whole Bitcoin? Understanding fractions and satoshis
Satoshis, fractions of a bitcoin, what CHF 10, 50 or 100 buys, minimum purchase, fees and risk: what to understand before your first purchase.
Read the note →
How can you live unbanked in Switzerland? My experience without a traditional bank
Living without a traditional bank in Switzerland: my experience with Yuh, Revolut, TWINT, Bitcoin and the Mt Pelerin IBAN. Solutions, fees and limits.
Read the note →
Buying Bitcoin in Switzerland: the complete guide to getting started
How do you buy Bitcoin in Switzerland? Compare Binance, Coinbase, Mt Pelerin, SwissBorg, Rex Change, Cryptonow, Yuh and Revolut with MartinBTC.
Read the note →
Beware of your past experiences
One evening on the Camino, a tiny bowl of tabbouleh left me starving. The lesson I drew from it ended up costing an entire couple their own dinner.
Read the note →
The man listening to Vald
In a rain-soaked albergue in Galicia, a young Frenchman finds out a bed costs ten euros. He walks back into the night before I get the chance to offer him mine.
Read the note →
Social media: use it before it uses you
Social media opens extraordinary doors, but the tool can just as quickly start using you back. Staying in charge of why you log on, and when you log off.
Read the note →
AI will not destroy humanity
We spontaneously assume that a greater intelligence will want to dominate us. What if that fear said more about what we have done with our own?
Read the note →
The worst hostel of my life
Eauze, in the Gers, after more than a month of walking. Stained sheets, one euro to change them, and a host who draws flowers on my credential instead of stamping it.
Read the note →
Lady Luck
In January, in Kyle of Lochalsh, a woman comes up to me as I get off the train and introduces herself as Lady Luck. She travels with an empty suitcase, having sold her house.
Read the note →
Curiosity is where everything starts
We talk a lot about discipline and productivity. But before forcing yourself to learn, maybe you should start by finding the desire to understand again.
Read the note →
The trap of a comfortable life
Leaving a bad job is easy, the problem is visible. Leaving a good situation is much harder: you trade something real for a maybe.
Read the note →
Why I'd rather own Bitcoin than leave my money in the bank
In a bank account, you don't own your money: you own a claim against the bank. Why I use it as a service, without entrusting it with everything else.
Read the note →
Why I no longer want to sell my time for money
At 20, I turned down a job at CERN to walk 1,850 kilometres. Coming back taught me that my time was worth more than what I was willing to accept for it.
Read the note →
Acting before you're ready
Having an idea is not hard, acting on it is much harder. Why "soon" is a comfortable date that never really exists, and what actually forces you forward.
Read the note →
When was the last time you did something for the first time?
If you have to think for five minutes before answering, maybe the last six months have blurred together. Why first times slow time down.
Read the note →
Questioning the system in place
"Think outside the box" does not mean finding an original idea for a PowerPoint. To me, it means accepting that the frame itself can be questioned.
Read the note →
Why I'm leaving Switzerland for Latin America
Leaving a country that works, with 10,000 dollars in my pocket, to see how far it takes me in Peru. Not to break a record. To put myself back into the unknown.
Read the note →
Why Bitcoin? The only store of value you can keep in your head
A currency whose printing press nobody owns, and a key of 12 or 24 words that fits inside a human memory. Why this tool fascinates me, without being perfect.
Read the note →