165 - Weekend in Antwerken
๐ง๐ช ๐ช๐ธ Over the weekend V and I flew back to Belgium for a surprise birthday party! It was V's Mum's birthday and, together with her brother, she had arranged a party with us as surprise guests!
Travel to Belgium was quite smooth. Palma airport is really expanding. They seem to have many more gates than before and they seem to be increasing capacity. Airport security was also easier with no need to remove things from your hand-baggage. We flew to Eindhoven (for the first time) since we did not want to have to struggle up from Charleroi to Antwerp on later flights.
Travel back to Palma was a really bad experience - Ryanair has crossed a line with arbitrary and capricious exploitation of their passengers - as I explain below.
We had a really good time in Antwerp with all the Belgian side of the family and I also got to meet up with a few friends and subscribers too - we had some great discussions together on many of the topics I cover in the Newsletters. I think we saw Antwerp at it best with mild sunny weather. All of the cafes and terraces were full of people and the streets were packed with people out enjoying themselves. It was better than I expected!
Roger Price
Click for memories from Sunday morning - and some of Bram's photography
Antwerp was also worse than expected. So many of the main squares and public spaces seem to be disrupted, dug up and then abandoned in unusable state - hence "Antwerken". There are panels around telling you how many millions are being "invested" in your city. I think that by now most people can see through this nonsense. Certainly everyone that I spoke with realised how all their tax money is being syphoned off to the East by elected and unelected politicians who represent nobody but themselves giving taxpayers no representation whatsoever.
This week I have an intriguing interview for you (of a Belgian) that, among other things, explains where all the eastward expenditure is going and why. You also get a Movie Review that expands on some of the more philosophical topics we have discussed in recent weeks. Project updates this week are mainly study and preparation due to our travel. You also get a series of hard-hitting truths in the links section and some more thought provoking closing thoughts.
Time to boycott Ryanair...
Despite having paid for our cabin baggage, Ryanair suddenly changed the rules and decided to charge us an additional โฌ75 per bag. Even worse, they seem to be applying this arbitrarily to some customers and not others. Baggage that was accepted on our outbound flight (and all flights for years) was refused on our return flight - even though it fits perfectly in the overhead lockers.
There was chaos as the staff at the gate demanded extra payments from angry passengers - for some this was more than the cost of their ticket. After a while (and with the flight already more than 2 hours delayed) they abandoned this gratuitous money collection - bad luck for those who had already paid (sorry, not sorry!).
There are hundreds of examples of angry passengers sharing their frustration on Twitter (X) - eg here, here and here. Many believe this is illegal under European Law, and Ryanair is threatening legal action against customers who challenge it! They really have crossed a line and do not deserve (y)our custom.
V and I will not be using Ryanair any more wherever it is possible to avoid them and I strongly recommend that you avoid them too. The only way that these companies will ever pay any attention is if/when this affects their bottom line and the more people who avoid them and use other companies, the better.
Interview of the week
Hrvoje does a fantastic interview with Laurent. Living in Singapore, Laurent is Belgian (and sounds it). He really does see things rather clearly and he explains them so that everyone can understand. This is a must-listen interview. You will understand why much of what you see around you is happening and how it will likely progress. I don't agree with 100% of his views but most are spot on and it is good to broaden your perspective on the few where you might not agree.
After that, I recommend that you read Laurent's recent observations on the Tariffs nonsense and you can follow his substack for much more. A rewarding read.
The Macro Butler
Click for a rewarding and informative read
Movie review of the week
Following on from the recent Gnostic discussions, I was intrigued to find Christopher's discussion of his top ten Gnostic films. These are movies with Gnostic themes such as seeing through the illusion of reality by the acquisition of gnosis, recalling eternal memories through anamnesis, or escaping the false matrix by transcending it.
Of course he included "The Matrix" in his list but I was surprised to find so many more and even that The Matrix is not top of the list. This is an enjoyable and informative listen and I highly recommend it. It does include many spoilers!
He really does make you want to (re)watch all of these and you have the Lookmovie links for each one. This is my movie platform of choice. Remember that you should be using Brave Browser with uBlock Origin installed. Depending on your country, you may need to use a VPN to watch.
- 10 Prometheus 2012 - lookmovie link here
- 9 Truman show 1998 - lookmovie link here
- 8 Dark City 1998 - lookmovie link here
- 7 Beyond the black rainbow 2010 - lookmovie link here
- 6 Tron/Tron Legacy 1982/2010 - lookmovie links here and here
- 5 The Matrix 1999 - lookmovie link here
- 4 Total Recall 1990 - lookmovie link here
- 3 Blade Runner 1982 - lookmovie link here
- 2 The Fountain 2006 - lookmovie link here
- 1 They Live 1988 - lookmovie link here
More in this issue
- Photo memories - Antwerken last weekend
- Project Updates - Remote desktop, Podman and Twingate
- Plenty of useful links - don't say nobody told you!
- Closing out - Sleep, Glitches and the Gnostic Apocalypse
Antwerken last weekend
๐ ๏ธ Project Updates
With our travel (and fighting Ryanair) this week, I had less bandwidth for project work - so I am again focusing on some research and testing rather than hands-on development. What are you doing?
Remote Desktop
As I travel around I often need to access computers in other countries with more than simple terminal access. I run servers in multiple locations and I often find myself needing to provide IT support to family and friends.
Current options include using Micro$oft's RDP (I avoid their client) or Chrome Remote Support. I hate both of these with a passion - as you can likely imagine but until now I could not find workable alternatives.
This week I have uncovered something that could finally give me seamless remote access to Mac and Linux (and Windoze too but I do not use it). Watch and listen as Chuck explains and demonstrates. I will be exploring Rustdesk and will update you in due course.
They also have phone and iPad clients - nice! If you have experience, do say.
Podman and Twingate - who knew?
Like most developers I use Docker and it works well. However, just like with all the Big Tech, Docker is now seeking to monetise its customers in ways that I find devious and nefarious.
So - I was interested to find out about Podman this week and I will certainly be exploring this. This seems to be pretty much an open source "drop in" replacement for docker - nice! For a more technical comparison see here and here - especially interesting now with Podman Desktop.
Additionally, in the video, he talks about Twingate and this would seem to be an alternative to Tailscale for my overlay network. Tailscale does work like magic but I hate the requirement to log in with one of the "Big Tech" accounts as authentication. Headscale may be an alternative and it seems that Twingate may be an easier one so I will be checking these both out.
As always - if you have experience with either of these (or other/better alternatives), do reach out and let me know.
๐ Links for your edification
The following are links from my NetNewswire feeds - learn, enjoy and share.
A strong argument and some suggestions
Techlead is clear and outspoken as usual. His assessment rings fairly true and you might want to consider his suggestions.
Complementing Techlead's comments, the recent analysis by Nick is well worth watching. Perhaps multi-dimensional chess is being played - WDYT?
Once you see it, you cannot unsee it
The fakery and stupidity of this is reaching new levels! Listen as Eric explains what some still cannot see. In case you are still finding it too difficult to break free from the lies that you have been told, recall that the Hebrew word "ื ึธืฉึธืื" (NAShA) means to beguile or deceive. It is derived from a primitive root that implies leading someone astray, either mentally or morally. Check the biblical references yourself.
Nikki's take on this will put a smile on your face!
Corruption runs deep...
Left, Right and Center... no sector is immune to the problem, with politicians on either side of the aisle enriching themselves with seemingly nothing ever done to stop it. When the governing public servants are able to become Deca-millionaires with reliable predictability, it requires questions to be asked about what their true priorities are... and whether or not that money is influencing their behaviour.
UE does another great drill-down. He says it like it is. You likely know this to be true but you might find this useful to help others to see.
BTW - the EU and the UK have at least the same problems and maybe worse - but you likely know that already! If you need examples, just let me know.
...and wide!
In not-unrelated vein - Nury explains how the corruption behind the US government has far reaching international consequences. He gives you a history lesson as to how the first signs of this cancer manifested in Italy in 1948 but this has gone on to resurface all around the globe ever since, including HK and Thailand.
Critical thinking - at last!
Thanks to Ivor for spotting and sharing this one. This is a simple explainer that you will likely appreciate and it is something that you can use to help those who are awakening. Short and to the point at less than 6 minutes.
๐ค Closing Thoughts
A few closing thoughts this week. First up is a follow up to our discussion on Sleep. After that, let's consider those glitches in the matrix - their frequency and implications. Lastly another one in the series of articles on Gnostic insights - this time on how Gnosticism views the Apocalypse - you will be surprised.
Where does your mind go when you sleep?
Quite a few of you have mentioned to me that you too feel there is more to sleep that you have been told. When you "fall asleep" you will realise that your mind does not rest - in fact it may be even more active than when you are awake! What is really happening when you are sleeping? Click below for some insights.
๐ Dreams may be proof of the multiverse theory and infinite potential
๐ Out-of-body experiences hint at consciousness beyond the brain
๐ Time distortion in dreams exposes the illusion of linear time
๐ Vibrational energy and intention shape what we experience in sleep
๐ Ancient traditions viewed dreams as journeys to higher consciousness
Glitches in the Matrix?
You likely have noticed these from time to time. You may even have noticed that they seem to be more frequent now and even more blatant or "in your face". This next one explores what might be happening and why.
These are topics that we have discussed before. I encourage you to go back and check the works of Rupert Sheldrake, Michael Talbot and this podcast.
If you still do not believe in Glitches in the Matrix - try this one.
The time of Unveiling
It should be well apparent to you that we are living in the "time of Unveiling" or Apokalypsis where divine mysteries and those behind the earthly chaos will be revealed. To be more precise - after the 4 years of the first horsemen (Apollyon of Pharmakeia with his "arrows of poison") we are now in the 4 years of the second horsemen. If you need a refresher - we discussed it at length here.
I am sharing this next one as additional and complementary information. As in so many cases we have been discussing recently, the Gnostic tradition offers a radical inversion of Apocalyptic thought. Suffice to say, all is not what you may have believed.
2:35 The Apocalypse of Adam
13:54 Other Gnostic Apocalyptic Accounts
20:44 Reflections on the Gnostic Apocalypse
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- Morpheus to Neo in The Matrix
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- The Architect
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