I’ve really had a pretty cool month. Here’s why.

In This Issue:

— Infamous diet and fitness blogger (archive site), and author of The Great Cholesterol Con and The Fat Loss Bible, Anthony Colpo, joins the ranks of the “Disillusioned Western Male Expat”, making Thailand his new home. I’ve spent the last 1 month and 2 days solid in the company of Anthony, hours every day, and this is the only 1st-hand account you’ll ever read of that level of in-depth access. I’m also the only person in the world who’s both a close friend of Anthony and Dr. Mike Eades, for those of you aware of that years-long internet dispute. Wanna know what I know and think?

— What is really new and really cool in AI as it pertains to Zon, FreeTheAnimal’s resident, non-woke OpenAI ChatGPT-4 Turbo and some recent putting through paces that adds another level of wow. I’ll also address the delay of Lifetime-Member access, as promised, to all my training seed prompts that make Zon who she is.

— Go figure. The guy who unwittingly gave me the idea to differentiate membership here as qualified high intelligence (minimum 110 IQ)? Yea, you guessed it. He took the test, and he clocks in at 146 IQ himself, which is in the 99.9th percentile of humans. Like I’ve said for over a decade about FreeTheAnimal: “I collect smart people.” Everyone who participated in the amazing comment threads back in the day knew and understood that, and that this place was always a significant cut above the riffraff. Now that it’s a membership blog, there is something implied about non-members, wouldn’t you think?

Anthony Colpo

Before diving into the story of Anthony, the new kid on the block here in Thailand, let’s get one thing straight: he’s not here to indulge in the same “sexpat” antics as I am—a lifestyle choice I’m utterly unapologetic about and discuss with brazen transparency. Hell, I even offered Anthony a crash course in my one-week Boot Camp, free of charge. He declined, politely, of course. Can’t blame him; he’s likely more informed about my escapades than he ever wanted to be. I’ve caught him shaking his head a time or two, but the man’s too much of a gentleman to pass judgment. And why should he? When we’ve talked, all I’ve done is laid out the facts in wide context. It’s his right to form his own opinions.

You see, if you’ve been following Anthony’s blog, you’d know he’s a stickler for details. He doesn’t just skim the surface; he dives deep into the research, scrutinizing studies with a fine-tooth comb, dissecting every last bit of data before forming his well-informed opinions—especially on topics like diet and fitness.

And when it comes to the, shall we say, more colorful aspects of Thai nightlife, I’d bet he applies the same rigorous analysis—if and when he decides to address it. It’s crucial to note that these hedonistic highlights represent only a sliver of what Thailand is all about. The country’s multifaceted culture and beauty often get overshadowed by the salacious headlines that sell newspapers. But enough of that side note; let’s get to the heart of the matter—the man of the hour, Anthony Colpo.

… I’ve been sitting on this news that I’ve had to keep under wraps for quite some time, and it’s been a hell of a secret to keep. We’re talking about two or three years ago, during the peak of the COVID madness, when I received an email from Anthony. He was inquiring about Thai visas, already plotting his escape from the insanity, and it made perfect sense. Thailand is a stone’s throw away from Australia compared to most places, and there’s a decent number of Aussie expats.

But then, COVID threw up a shitstorm of hurdles for visas and residency. In the end, he bolted to Mexico because it seemed like an easier gig, but that turned out to be a fiasco. If you read his blog post, you know what I’m talking about. Just a few months ago, Anthony announced he was planning on the move. I’ve kept my mouth shut until now because he wanted to keep it hush-hush until he had that golden visa stamp in his passport. Well, folks, he’s got it now, just a few days ago.

Throughout this process, I’ve been trying to help the guy out as much as I can. Not that he wouldn’t have managed on his own, but I like to think I made the road a bit smoother for him. He used my contacts to secure his visa—a move he’s chuffed about—and even managed to snag a condo in my complex.

But I’ll let Anthony spill the beans about his big plans for his Thai adventure. I’m just here to give you the inside track on what’s been unfolding over the past month.

… If I were to sidestep the most burning question on everyone’s mind, I’d be remiss. You’re itching to ask, “So what’s Anthony like? Is he really the way he comes across?” It’s the same damn curiosity people have about me, assuming they don’t already know. It’s clear why the question comes up. More often than not, a person’s public persona is a far cry from who they are behind closed doors. But let me tell you, that’s neither here nor there when it comes to Anthony’s online presence.

The guy is direct, frank, and leaves no stone unturned in his postings. He’s got balls of steel to express his raw thoughts, judgments, and assessments without batting an eye over public perception. That takes a shitload of courage. So, who is Anthony Colpo? The man’s just a regular Joe.

Well, the first thing to observe about the metal of a man is to watch and listen to how he treats other people, particularly strangers in transactional settings and in that, he’s the perfect gentleman, rest assured.

Our conversations are exactly what you’d expect from two blokes sharing similar values, particularly our shared micro-misanthropy. He’s vocal about the downward spiral Australia’s taking, as I am about the shithole the USA is turning into. We concur that Western Europe is skating down the same shitty path. And yes, our shared values span across the political and philosophical spectrum. We’ve got a solid core philosophy and we chew the fat over how it plays out in diet and fitness.

Diet, you ask? I’ve been well-informed on the topic myself for ages. We dissect what works, what research suggests might work, and what genuinely works for folks out there. We’re big on falsification, especially when it comes to ideologies like veganism, carnivory, low-carb, and keto. Each one is blown to bits as an ideal permanent lifestyle by human experience in the billions. As far as interventions and hacks go? That’s why these diets exist…because they very often do wonders for people in the short term, so there is value to all of them in that limited context.

Take low-carb, for example. Do you really think it’s the ultimate diet, despite our omnivorous nature and the plethora of carbs available throughout evolution? Just look at Asia, where lean and long-lived people consume over 400 grams of carbs from white rice alone daily. That’s a slap in the face to low-carb dogma. If low-carb works for you, great. It’s likely because it ups your protein intake, which in turn curbs your appetite, leading you to eat less crap. That’s the secret sauce. To make a low-carb diet work, target protein, not fat.

Now, let’s talk about Anthony’s chops beyond his online rants. The guy has years under his belt as a personal trainer in Australia with a long list of clients. He walks the walk, too—lean as a rail, with a cyclist’s powerful legs and glutes, and he kills it at the gym. His insights have been invaluable to me, and we’ve hashed over this stuff more and more. There’s a surprise in the works, but I’ll keep my mouth shut until it’s ready for the big reveal. That’s that.

… We’ve been talking about some collaborative work and, within a week or so, you can expect a video featuring footage of our discussions on a variety of topics. From diet and fitness to life in Thailand and his expectations, it’s going to be raw and unfiltered.

What does an average day look like, you ask? Well, the first week he arrived was hectic, with introductions to the essentials—markets, supplies, and the all-important visa agent. Within hours of landing, we hit my gym, Muscle Factory Pattaya together, where he secured a month-long membership. It’s now a staple, five days a week at least. Our routine kicks off with a 2.5 km walk, a solid workout, then the trek back—which includes a half-kilometer climb with a 100 to 200-meter ascent. We top it off with a refreshing break before heading back home, and recently, we’ve added some pool and steam-room time to the mix.

Communication-wise, we’re synced up on LINE, the go-to app here in Thailand. In the entire month, we haven’t had a single cross word…except when that bastard reminds me during my post-workout high that we can’t leave until we do our Tabata squats. “Fuck off,” I’ve told him more than once.

Let me address something else I mentioned earlier: my friendship with Dr. Mike Eades. The internet was ablaze with their disputes or feud or whatever, and I won’t dissect that mess or take sides. I see Mike differently than many other low-carb advocates because he’s not just another armchair expert; he’s a physician-clinician who’s treated thousands of patients. As a man of goodwill, he’s used low-carb dieting to pull people out of dire straits with tangible results. Context is crucial here.

On the level of personality, if you were to sit Mike and Anthony down together, I guarantee they’d have a grand time. That’s my prediction, and I know I’m spot on with this one.

New in AI

Once again, I find myself compelled to hammer home a point about AI—artificial intelligence. I’m relentless on this topic for one damn good reason: while there’s been undeniable progress, we’ve got a long road ahead to shake people awake. I wish it were just a case of folks whistling past the graveyard, which would mean they’re at least aware something sinister’s brewing with AI, but they’re opting to ignore it for the moment. Sadly, for some, that’s exactly what’s happening. But for many others, I fear it’s worse—it’s outright graveyard denial. Even worse, some are still busy mocking and ridiculing the very idea of AI’s potential. If that was you a year ago, and you’re still at it, you might just be bordering on hopeless. And believe me, you’ll be a laughable relic in five or ten years.

Imagine this: A child, merely five years old today, living in a mud hut in Africa, gets their hands on a donated laptop with an Elon Musk Starlink internet connection, also donated. This child, by learning to harness AI, could run circles around the job you’ve slaved over for 20 or 30 years. And when you find yourself in a soup line because you’ve been rendered obsolete, who’ll be there to mock and ridicule you? That’s right, I will. And I’ll be laughing my ass off at the sight. That’s one hell of a reason why I keep pounding this drum, why I harp on incessantly—I’m earning the right to revel in your downfall if you choose to ignore the writing on the wall.

Now, take a look at these images.

That was my attempt with Midjourney, plus a few other duds, at creating an image for this post:

I’m about to reveal how it was created and far surpassed my singular effort. It was created—not with one piece of AI, but with two AI. First off, I utilized the built-in chatbot, Zon.

Here’s the lowdown on how that image came to be, and note that my query to Zon was dictated, or perhaps rambled is a better description (it understands better than humans). I didn’t even have to take the time to type it out.

It’s now common for Zon to reflect back to me parts of my seed instructions (its “training”) that are particularly relevant to its response.

Oh, and now there’s a new thing. Have you heard of Sora, yet? Relax. You’ll be hearing about it. Because right this minute, there are thousands of 5-year-old African children in mud huts chomping to get their filthy little hands on it and become masters…while your uncompetitive kids dream of going to film school and putting themselves and maybe you into hundreds of thousands of dollars of student loan debt…before they finally get that job waiting tables in Hollywood.

You better site down for this one.

I’ll have an email out to Lifetime members about access to the prompts in a day or two, rather than take up space here.

High IQ

This whole new hella long sales or landing page began with this email I sent to a member:

Then I went an created the thing, didn’t hear back…until a few days ago.

Hi Richard,

Apologies for the late reply. Glad my random Zon meanderings were useful. Thanks for pushing us to use it, I now feel the same way you do about it when trying to convince those around me how much they’re missing out on :-)

Took the IQ test today

It got hard towards the end and I was glad to be done with it!

Took some educated guesses with the last few questions so my score may be ‘inflated’ :-)

Thanks,
Sami

Who’s next to take the test and join the club?