194 - Back in the city
đź‡đź‡° This week V and I are back in the city after our week out in the countryside. It is one of the advantages of living in HK that you really do have everything available, no matter what you prefer. Everything is so convenient, the weather is nice and the people are friendly too!
I have been out hiking every day - either heading up to the Peak or out to the outlying Islands. With all the hiking and island hopping I have had plenty of time to listen to some excellent podcasts and I also have a few good books on the go. On Saturday I'll be out with the hiking group - you are welcome to join if you are available - we are hiking Wong Chuk Hang to Central.
Of course we also got to the Happy Valley races on Wednesday and we had a fun evening out with friends who only seem to get to the races when we are around. Seems that we can still facilitate things, even at our age - nice!
I also got to meet with a former colleague with whom I had worked here in HK for many years. We met up here last year too and it was great to catch up again. We have both had a rather interesting year since we last chatted. And we met up for Dim Sum High Tea in the afternoon - a very nice Hong Kong treat!
Thanks to one of my subscribers and hiking buddies for her interesting suggestion to replace the "Escape the Matrix" image that I usually put at the bottom of each newsletter. She is right that whilst boomers need to delete their mainstream media and TV, the younger generations need to delete their social media and mobile! I have updated things accordingly - check below - what do you think?
Interview and interesting thread of the week
This week I listened to a fantastic interview with Doug Casey and this lead to a whole thread of fascinating items. You may have heard of Doug of "International Man" fame. He realised that his son would learn nothing useful by going to college (university) - so instead he imagined and created a 4 year curriculum of sixteen 3 month intense learning experiences.
Do click below and listen to the interview - it is relevant to any parent or grandparent with high school or university-age children. It is also relevant to mid-lifers who are rethinking things - either because of waking up to reality or through layoffs and downsizing.
Instead of going to university to be woke-brainwashed, spend four years (split into 16 cycles) where you will build a variety of life skills - all while traveling the world to experience the culture and grow an international contact list. Learn to fly a plane in Alaska, study to become a chef in Europe, sail around the tip of South America, learn self-defence in Thailand and get licensed to operate heavy machinery in the USA, all while becoming an EMT/First Aider, cowboy, welder, hacker and farmer. It is the ultimate education to make someone bulletproof to whatever the system throws our way.
Matt Smith Crisis Investing
Click for direct, first hand experience of doing this
I particularly liked the concept of a Patron (as opposed to a Mentor). This is indeed a useful concept and (for all parents and grandparents) I would refer you back to "Die with Zero" - another book that I have recommended. I know that quite a few subscribers have already found this book to be useful and transformative for their thinking.
Details of Doug's book are below - it is clearly US-centric and the links he gives are chosen for US readers but this can obviously apply to those who live elsewhere. You can simply substitute for local/regional and learning experiences wherever you live and refine the duration as you like. It is the mindset and philosophy that counts.
Click to view full size - book is available here
Five Key Points from the Book:
- Reject the Default Path – College/University is no longer a guaranteed ticket to success. The Preparation dismantles the myths around higher education and shows you how to create a life of opportunity without drowning in debt.
- Become Competent, Confident, and Dangerous – This is more than self-defence; it’s about becoming a person who can think independently, act decisively, and adapt to any challenge.
- The 16 Cycle System – Sixteen three-month programs—ranging from EMT training to sailing near Cape Horn—each designed to deliver immersive, hands-on skills while building a portfolio of achievements that compound over time. 16 “anchor” courses combined with academic courses taught by some of the best professors in the world will leave anyone miles ahead of their peers.
- Important Lessons and Real-World Economics – Learn what actually matters: sound money, entrepreneurship, history and the ability to recognise and seize opportunities—taught by people who have lived it.
- Adventure and a Global Network – Instead of four years in a lecture hall, you’ll spend them in the mountains, on ranches, in the cockpit of a plane, on the deck of a ship—meeting exceptional people and stacking valuable experiences.
In the interview above, Doug talks about his (then) upcoming trip to Azerbaijan. Well he has now completed that trip and below is the wrap-up video (recorded in Istanbul). A most interesting discussion. You likely do want to consider the implications of their new insights and the comparison between Azerbaijan and the West in general and United States in specific is fascinating.
The world is a big place - you cannot trust what any news media tells you - you see to see it for yourself.
More in this issue
- Photo memories - HK City and outlying islands this week
- Project Updates - Focus on privacy and privacy coins
- Plenty of useful links - don't say nobody told you!
- Closing out - So many books - they are all recommended
HK City and outlying islands this week
🛠️ Project Updates
This week I am focusing in on Privacy and Privacy coins. Privacy is essential for a healthy society and Privacy Coins give the promise of trade between individuals and companies without interference or unwarranted control. What are you doing?
Privacy is taking centre stage
People are beginning to realise how important privacy really is when it comes to your personal payments and mobile device usage. All of this is under attack from Government overreach and Captured Corporate fascism.
Juraj is a self-described “shaman” of the crypto world who bridges many blockchain communities. In this discussion he dives into the contrasts and common ground between Monero and Zcash, exploring both the technical and cultural dynamics of the leading privacy coins. This is one of the most comprehensive and well-balanced discussions on these topics that you will find.
Juraj also discusses Zcash’s growing DEX integrations like Zashi Wallet and Near Intents. They compare this with Monero’s ongoing DEX efforts like Sarai and potential Thorchain integration, highlighting the shared goal of improving usability and interoperability.
The two also discuss each project’s funding models, mining approaches, and community cultures, debating decentralisation, security, and the future of privacy in crypto. Juraj emphasises that real adoption often depends more on social dynamics than technical merit, and that long-term holders give privacy coins their true value.
TIMESTAMPS:
(07:30) – Belief Systems and Skin in the Game
(11:35)– Network Effects and Zashi Wallet Overview
(16:31) – DEX Integrations and Wallet Usability
(24:00) – User Experience and Transaction Issues
(29:05) – Zcash vs. Monero Ecosystem Differences
(36:14) – Exchange Delistings and Peer-to-Peer Resilience
(42:48) – Decentralisation vs. Accessibility
(49:26) – Normies, Adoption, and Investment Risk
(54:23) – Privacy Comes from Value at Rest
(59:32) – Monero’s Stickiness and Tail Emission
(01:03:40) – Zcash’s Network Sustainability Mechanism
(01:07:22) – Community Relations and MoneroTopia Event
(01:12:13) – Private-by-Default and Protocol Evolution
(01:16:18) – Proof-of-Stake, Security Models, and Hybrid Systems
(01:20:01) – ASIC Resistance and Network Vulnerabilities
(01:24:36) – Permissionless Mining and Cypherpunk Ideals
(01:24:26) – Debate on ASIC Resistance vs. Proof-of-Stake
(01:25:24) – Permissionless Mining & Cypherpunk Ideals
(01:27:00)– Closing Thoughts
Pay careful attention to Juraj's comments on the X (Twitter) algorithm and its effects. Knowing this you will understand why I made the update below. This discussion applies to many topics.
You will certainly want to complement all of this with good security and privacy on your mobile and computer. Recall that we have discussed how useful GrapheneOS can be. Features that you will find especially useful include: User Profiles and Private Spaces.
Satoshi's wisdom - the same applies to Privacy coins now
"It might make sense just to get some in case it catches on. If enough people think the same way, that becomes a self fulfilling prophecy."
~ Satoshi on Bitcoin in 2009
Open source Android is under attack
You will also want to join with others in pushing back on the latest tyrannical nonsense and overreach by google. It really is necessary that everyone does their part to push back on this NOW. Henry explains why and what you can do.
Link to full supporting information and addresses to use to push back
Related to the above
Do take the time to listen to this interview by Greg on how Big Tech is an insidious part of the Empire plan to take over and control everything in daily life. You do still have options to avoid this - now is the time to take action and help others to do so.
My intuition is that people will be encouraged (or even required?) to take Trump's recently announced upcoming US$ 2000 stimulus in Stablecoin. This would hit all the nails right on the head - teleporting most US citizens into the Digital Surveillance grid. WDYT?
đź”— Links for your edification
The following are links from my NetNewswire feeds - learn, enjoy and share.
Nick says it like it is
This is another superbly interesting discussion that I listened to this week - it would have been Interview of the Week if I had not already included Charlie and Doug.
Nick is a private equity fund manager by day, thorn in the establishment side by night; a father of four so far, amateur ornithologist, wine collector and conversationalist - based in South Africa.
This is one of the best discussions that you will hear about the Covid Crimes and how they came about leading into the current fall of the West. I loved Nick's explanation about how he can now buy up failing companies and turn them around just by getting them to stop all the ESG/DEI/WEF nonsense that they are poisoning themselves with. Also, rather than firing people (as Private Equity takeover would usually do) he turns them around by empowering and requiring the staff to think and solve problems rather than defer to SOPs!
What a brilliant idea - fighting back against the Empire
Louis and I have been recommending uBlock Origin for a long time - this blocks pretty much all ads in your browser; the best combination is Brave Browser with uBlock origin. The ad-funded industry is pure Evil.
Remarkably, you can turn things around and get an even more interesting result. Adnauseam is built on uBlock Origin - so it detects all the ads but it then quarantines them (out of sight) and clicks on them all! This is BEAUTIFUL.
So instead of no ads being clicked - all the ads are clicked (out of sight) and the advertisers have to pay for them while getting no return and bad data about who wants their services. It is pure poetic justice and the taste is sweet.
Another victory update
LSB is happy to report that many are now having great results by submitting Data Subject Access Requests (DSARs) en-masse. As more and more people do this, the companies that are spying on everyone are beginning to have second thoughts about doing this and exposing themselves to all the extra work that they cannot charge for, must deliver within 30 days and which you have a legal right to demand.
Keep going and do more - push back is working. What feedback to you have?
There are no coincidences
I have already shared this one with a few friends and they are all amazed by how blatant the Empire has been in advance of the events of 9-11. Watch this and let me know how many of them you already knew of.
🤔 Closing Thoughts
This week Jason did a summary of his 10 published books. You might not know that he has been writing and publishing for over 20 years - long before he started his youtube channel. All of his books are packed with source-based insights that are all cross-referenced to their authoritative sources. You will likely not find anyone who is more widely read than Jason.
Click to watch - begins with Jason's published books - watch from the start for all books - Backup here
I do recommend his book "Awaken the Immortal within". As he explains, this is intended to be a book that you read in one sitting. In case you find that too challenging, listen here as Michael Antonakos reads it to you. You have no excuse!
If you enjoyed all this you can go back and watch the full monologue above from the beginning where Jason also covers his unpublished books - they are also now available as PDF.
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No one can be told what The Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself.
- Morpheus to Neo in The Matrix
Any questions or anything else? Feel free to comment below!
You can also email me at: LetterFrom@rogerprice.me
- The Architect
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