Norwegian Movies I’ve watched in November so far:

  • Verdens verste menneske (2021)
  • Elskling (2024)
  • Drømmer (2024)
  • Kjærlighet (2024)
  • Ninjababy (2021)
  • Syk pike (2022)

ZK-Proofs

Imagine you could prove things about yourself (age, citizenship, credit score or subscription) without ever handing over your personal details.

No forms, no documents. Instead, your phone shows a QR code that represents a kind of digital ‘yes’. It’s a cryptographic proof that confirms you meet the requirement without revealing the underlying data. More here.

Real-World Problems zk-Proofs Could Solve Overnight:

Platforms request lots of PII to know if you’re real, safe, or profitable. Zk-proofs flip that logic on its head, meaning no identity leaks through hacks.

Also, bots can’t fake cryptography, therefore the web can be spam-free and built on trust.

Sensory System

Long before we came along, with our brains and matcha tea, early life forms only had rudimentary sensory systems.

They detected and responded to environmental stimuli… things like light, pressure, or temperature. These primitive systems didn’t “think”, they just acted. They supported survival by moving toward nutrients, or reacting to threats and toxins.

As nervous systems evolved into nerve nets, and eventually brains, those older sensory systems didn’t disappear. They became part of the foundation for what we now experience as intuition or gut feeling. They can operate way quicker than conscious reasoning because they’re fast, automatic, and built for survival. For example, the amygdala and brainstem can trigger action before the cortex finishes fully processing what’s happening (aka sometimes you know something before you know it).

So, intuition and feeling aren’t just “soft” or “irrational”, they’re actually evolutionarily ancient tools for rapid decision-making. Rational thought is a newer layer built on top….And for some of us, it’s still under construction.

Unnecessary shots fired.

Stability Isn’t the Same as Flow

For a long time, I thought stability and good communication were enough…that if you worked hard at a relationship, flow and deeper connection would naturally follow.

But that hasn’t always been true in my experience.

Sometimes two people can share affection, safety, and intimacy… and still miss the spark that makes everything feel alive.

I don’t think that kind of flow comes from effort alone. It seems there are deeper layers of relational style, pacing, and even how each person feels in the relationship.
For example, a relationship can feel emotionally rich yet subtly draining if one person thrives on co-creating and building together, while the other prefers something simpler or more passive. Or if their versions of play and spontaneity don’t really overlap. Over time, both people can end up dimming a little.

I used to make decisions by reasoning through everything. These days, I try to pay more attention to how things feel over time. The pattern of experiences either feel right, or not. Sometimes I know quickly, other times I have to let it unfold. I think most of us have been in situations where our intuition knew something before our intellect caught up.

Note: I think stability and good communication still matter. I just think they’re the starting point, not the whole thing.

Small Town Regeneration Plan

Step 1: Settle In
• Perfect my Portuguese, find a small town I vibe with, chat to locals and maybe the mayor.

Step 2: Bake my way in
• Open a little community bakery.
• Everyone’s welcome, if you’re struggling, the bread (or meals) are free.
• We cook together, share food, and yes, there will be puppies/kittens to lure people in.

Step 3: Figure out what’s broken
• Talk to residents, map issues (Streetlamp out? Playground needs fixing? Missing signs?).
• Do small, visible projects that make life better, i.e. a community garden, or a micro-grid to showcase energy sovereignty.

Step 4: Bring in skilled hands
• Use Helpx/WWOOF volunteers for a few weeks at a time
• They work, teach, and build in exchange for food and a place to stay (I’ve done this a dozen times)
• Locals pitch in to host/feed (or I do it), and everybody meets new people

Step 5: Keep the money sharks away
•Exchange skills for sustenance, not cash for property. Keep value circulating locally, and avoid falling into an unintentional gentrification trap.

Step 6: Let it snowball
• Each little win inspires more projects.
• Volunteers leave behind skills, tools, visible improvements, and a logbook/blueprint.
• Locals feel empowered to initiate their own projects.

Big picture: We can’t stop the self-cannibalising nature of capitalism hollowing out our existence, but we can outflank it by building something small, human, and worth living in.

The modern global system is a continuation of historical class structures, now masked by corporate, technological, and political complexity. The dynastic wealthy elite and the merchant class have engineered an environment that perpetuates their dominance, a self-reinforcing system designed to be unbeatable.

Well played, you clever delinquents.

I gotta scroll through goat parkour to balance out this feeling.

Gentrification is weird, man. I thought I’d be into the polished coffee shops and places that sell only cacti and vibes.

But I miss the old locally owned spots. They were rough around the edges, but real, like some auntie’s haberdashery that also sold chicken wraps…and gave unsolicited marriage advice. Wholesome stuff.

Private equity eating up high streets isn’t all it cracked out to be…who could’ve guessed?! That’s why we need to bring back community trusts (protected small businesses). Actually, we should rebrand them to Community Land Investment Trusts. Or C.L.I.T. for short.

Because the gentrifying hipsters wouldn’t be able to find it.

…tbh, neither would half the population

Overheard in a coffee shop, I’m paraphrasing:

“I think it’s more complicated than that.
Careers and friendships are narrower. They don’t break you open or challenge your reflexes as much as a loving relationship does.
It’s the biggest blank canvas there is…