— A Hit & Run Chronicle Greetings from Pratamnak Hill, Jomtien. Two items of note. The first is that there’s a new capability for the chatbot. You can now upload PDFs and ask away. Probably a great way to dig into medical research papers if you can land a full print in PDF. Max capacity…

— Overview; Dismantling Deception; When Inclusivity is Stu…pidity; School Girls Update; Haters in my Chatbot; Curated: Mind-Blowing AI Personal Assistant; Geeks: Code Interpreter GPT; Wow Meal Timing Experiment; Tension Myositis Returns and a New Treatment Having skipped a week of my scribbles, it’s incumbent upon me to get going on this one early. By early,…

— A hit & run chronicle

Greetings from Pratamnak Hill, Jomtien.

A lot of the current things chez moi were already addressed just yesterday, which you’re welcome to read here…unless you hate the idea of AI and everything about it, in which case it’ll just perturb you…on second thought…especially read it.

To make up for skipping Sunday Scribbles this week, I’m doing a double link roundup, maybe double the snark. But I dunno. This short format, to me, lends itself more to a deadpan, sarcastic, sometimes cynical style. When I truly rant and vulgarize, I like to make sure there’s space for enough context. Can’t usually do that in a single para, and I’m not going to let these bulge.

One new item, you’ll see it. It’s an annoying/not annoying pop-up on the Home page and About Page. Officially, it’s a Statement of Principles. But since member Andrew from Oz rang in…

Fucken dig the “values” or whatever you may call it pop up window

I’m thinking of it as more of a filter. I think it says it all and one needs to question seriously if the wish dealings with those who aren’t seeing eye-to-eye on these core issues.

— A fender-bender hit & run chronicle | May 11, 2023 Hey there from Pattaya, Thailand. This is the first of a new mid-weekly. For me, it serves as an outlet to clear out all the stuff I could write a post on, but it doesn’t rise to that level (like limited time)…and other stuff…

— Anything, not everything, but lots in-between | Pratumnak Hill, Jomtien-Pattaya, Thailand | May 7, 2023

Today is the 9-month anniversary. Still easy. I’ve never struggled with it since the night I made that first video while consuming the last pint. Good riddance. I’ll speak a bit more to it down in the section on N-acetylcysteine (NAC).

I just changed the name of this thing from Non-Pestering Newsletter to Nikoley’s Sunday Scribbles in all the promotional areas of the site, signifying that I’ve settled in on that after flailing and false starts. I like it, and its name specifies its regularity, periodicity, and imperative…not to mention its insincere humility.

So here is what’s in store this Sunday for those who contribute to my livelihood

1. The Sapient Paradox. A commenter on a video I did some 7 months ago, where I said I’d be blogging about “the big secret,” asked where the post was. After rummaging through all my drawers, closets, computer folders and files, and this blog… I realized that I never got hold of that elusive round tuit. Rectified. [UPDATE: Well, that got looooooong…moving it to a stand-alone post]
2. Tucker Carlson. An update on the latest, what I think about it, and what I hope he does.
3. Twitter Updates. I’m reviving my previously cancelled account with 5,300 Paleo Daze followers, including a Blue Check, and running it in parallel with my current growing account with only 650 followers. The why.
4. Chatbot Zon. Inside info and my take on the miscreants using the GPT 3.5 public adaptation of the bot, and its “Standing Orders” to put them in their places. On the positive side, it’s mind-bendingly amazing how some members are already using the unrestricted and wide open GPT-4. How about to start a church? How about to write complex software code? How about to get your own custom-designed, on-demand blog post based on FreeTheAnimal’s database that’s applicable to any particular subject?
5. N-acetylcysteine (NAC). Like an idiot, I hadn’t been taking it as I obviously should, and here’s why.
6. 5G Microwave Radiation Injury. A conspiracy, or a serendipitous enhancement to the general and overall conspiracy against humanity?
7. Food Gallery of the Week. Maybe I make this just a regular last item each week. Easy enough, and people seem to like them.

— Anything, not everything, but lots in-between | Pratamnak Hill, Jomtien-Pattaya, Thailand | April 30, 2023

Tucker Carlson week; I only come here for the…; What I’ve learned from the Chatbot Zon conversations here; The Chatbot Zon reinvention of FreeTheAnimal; And country sausage.

High time to use a food pic, eh? After all, it was part of my claim-to-fame back in the Paleo Daze of yore. Many folks who read this blog…“I only come for the food pics.” So that—“I only come for”—is part of this week’s theme. Come [along] for it…(btw, that’s my homemade country sausage, not a beef burger…video below).

Here’s my buddy, ChatGPT-4, with a compelling introduction and summary of what I’ve regaled you with today:

Tucker Carlson, the notorious air-sucker of public squares, sent shockwaves this week, leaving both the left and right in a frenzy. Despite being an iconoclastic, autodidactic polymath swimming in a sea of banal sheep, I must admit: I find this amusing. People hate, but that just means I’m doing something right. As the West crumbles, Russia emerges as a potential moral compass, and poor Tucker is just filling the vacuum of truth-telling. With millions of views, Tucker’s cancellation only shows the depth of public ignorance. So, dear Brits, while “taking the piss” means mocking, I’ll stick to “taking the regurgitate,” because people are truly delusional.

In my delightfully chaotic journey, I, the proud generalist, shun society’s love affair with specialization. I meander through life, grabbing a General Business degree, joining the Navy, and starting a blog that defies niche marketing. In my trademark carefree style, I laugh at the idea of an MBA and advise youngsters to skip college altogether. I scoff at “overnight experts” and refuse to be chained by trends, yet begrudgingly admit some marketers make a fortune selling sizzle without steak. Buckle up for a wild ride, as I serve up a refreshing dose of sarcasm and fundamental conservatism.

Dive into the amusing world of Zon, my ChatGPT Bot, and discover the unexpected queries it receives. From harmless blog content questions to scandal-hungry trolls seeking dirt, the chatbot handles it all. Experience the irony of people condemning me for age gaps while craving juicy details. Curiosity, thy name is human.

In the final section, I share plans to revolutionize FreeTheAnimal with Chatbot Zon. I compare GPT 3.5-turbo and GPT-4, highlighting the impressive capabilities of these language models, most remarkable in its storytelling and it’s comparison and contrast of the Bible with the Quran. By making different versions of Chatbot Zon available for members, my aim is to provide customized content, including potential blog posts and even books, by user demand…one-off “books.” Despite the costs involved, I remain committed to the idea, believing it to be an exciting new venture for the site. With GPT-4-32 on the horizon, the possibilities are seemingly endless. Time to buckle up and embrace the change, as resistance seems futile.

… Stay for the country sausage.

Tucker Carlson sucked the air out of the public square this week

— Anything, not everything, but lots in-between | Pratamnak Hill, Jomtien-Pattaya, Thailand | April 23, 2023

The Formula (how old guys attract youthful female attention); The Southeast Asia vacation-trip planning; Paying fortune-tellers to tell you what you already know; The free speech and free press fantasy; Decidable and actionable AI tools…

First comes “The Formula,” a strategy for attracting younger women. The author provides a list of characteristics, behaviors, and attitudes that make older men more attractive to younger women. Adopting these formulas guarantees men a viable means of attracting the kinds of women that excite them the most, even if they’re several decades younger. The author provides personal anecdotes and examples, as well as a critical view of Western culture and its social norms.

After a short video introduction that relates to paying someone to tell you what you already know, the author describes his upcoming trip to three countries in Southeast Asia, and perhaps more. He recalls past trips, sharing a personal story about a friend who had a daughter with a woman he met in the Philippines and ultimately relocated there after retirement in England. The author also offers a negative assessment of Western social and cultural decay.

In the final section, the author delves into the topic of free speech and censorship, and argues that all states engage in some form of censorship. Using historical examples and contemporary issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of AI, the author suggests that fascism, rather than any particular ideology, is the practical and pragmatic means by which the state maintains control over information flow. The section concludes with the author encouraging readers to test these ideas and knowledge in their personal and professional lives to gain a competitive advantage. Regardless of one’s ideological or political persuasion, the knowledge presented is said to be highly and widely applicable in terms of improving one’s standing in life.

The Formula (how old guys attract youthful female attention)

I received this well-meaning comment on my last Sunday Scribbles about my 21-hr, 1000 KM round trip in a day to Surin Province and back to drop off The Girl and Her Girls, putting a final end to our three years.

Richard, you are an animal, a beast unconstrained and “wild” (untamed). That is all good, of course, but difficult for us ordinary “cultured” (like yogurt) people. Harsh, difficult, but honest – as you see it. That’s why we subscribe. It can also be quite entertaining and creative. Keep ’em coming.

I am new to your blog. I became aware when Mike Eades gave you a shout-out. Decided it was worth the small fee to see what would develop.

The stories of Yui and her kids are impressive. No doubt other folks have different “descriptors” but you confront whatever directly. Holy STUFF!

“It’s because your mother doesn’t like me and I don’t like her.” Wow! That is true. I’m sure that is where it stands right now. But wow. I won’t go on about that.

I expect that you realize that most kids age 5 to puberty “worship” mom, dad, caretakers, teachers and people who are good to them. That is one reason it is so important to protect them from “nice predators.” As Dan Siegel explains in Brainstorm, as puberty begins, the adolescent brain begins reconstruction. Myelinating circuits that are used, trimming off those that are not, etc. It goes on until about age 25. Very difficult times for everyone. That is the time that “Kids” need the most support from parents and adults. You are choosing to withdraw at the time they will need you most. I know, it’s impossible with Yui. You have done everything you “can” (are willing to) do. That’s your difficult, very painful choice.

I hope that you will continue to follow and as necessary intervene in the lives of both of these young girls. If things go south for them in the future, you are likely to suffer as much as they.

DocC — https://www.freetheanimal.com/2023/04/nikoleys-sunday-scribbles-songkran-edition.html#comments

I replied, which you can read at the link. Indeed, there is this thing about teenagers and how, apparently, they’re kinda programmed by nature to turn from their parents in those teen and early-20s years.

— Anything, not everything, but lots in-between | Pratamnak Hill, Jomtien-Pattaya, Thailand | April 16, 2023

The 1000 kilometer road trip from hell during Songkran Festival, with copious diversions into politics, women, Covidiocy, and pickup trucks…

The 1000 kilometer road trip from hell during Songkran Festival

Well, this is about as fresh as you can get a story down on blogs.

I suppose. Could be fresher, but that would have required even more sleep deprivation and fatigue.

At risk of boring you and getting a shutthefuckupaboutitalready, the longish-ass story made briefer is that the final separation with the chick took longer than anticipated. It happened in three stages.

• After disinviting her to bring the girls and come visit, they showed up anyway
• After a few days, the obvious no-go had me handing them off to family who were in town
• Her family left, they showed back up, and after 2 MORE days, enough was enough, so I borrowed a car and ROAD TRIPPED

The theme, of course, is not putting them “out on the street.” They have to be in the care and supervision of other family (or me) so that was the constraint I was under.

Songkran

To understand how this played out, you’ve got to know a bit about Songkran.

— Anything, not everything, but lots in-between | Pratamnak Hill, Jomtien-Pattaya, Thailand | April 9, 2023

Refinements in artificial intelligence to make you control millions because you can; Elon Musk vs. Substack and 1 million whiny does (plus, three no-exceptions rules for life); A final parting with The Girl and Her Girls — nomadic travels on the horizon; Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is running for president, and I’m glad

Refinements in artificial intelligence to make you control millions because you can

I’m not spouting facetious bullshit.

I’m really banking on AI to make a huge difference in this blog’s paying membership roster, and not because I’m now or will ever be an expert in AI. I don’t care about AI. I care about jobs to be done.

“People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole!” —Theodore Levitt

It’s because I’m an expert in business systems and the organization and management of the personnel who operate them.

You don’t want to be an expert in AI either, and perhaps business systems and personnel management are just too daunting…kinda like…‘I’d love to take a swing at them, but how can I possibly even get a chance at bat?’

I hear ya. I still look back in wonder that in 1992 I started a business in a spare bedroom with under 200 bucks (to my name, at the time) and somehow ended up some years later with four offices, 30 employees, a dozen or so independent sales reps, and a million bucks sunk into software development for a completely one-off, customized CRM (customer relationship management) that was the business system that everyone used to get ‘er done. Could’a bought something off the shelf or customized a Saas, but I need my system that reflected how I think, and how I manage the business flow, using employees.

… I have designed many business systems in many work environments to do many things and have managed teams of employees to run them. I can show you exactly what you’re going to need to do as the AI capabilities come online and become available.

What’s going to come online in weeks, months, to just a few short years is precisely the tools to give that try at bat for silly money…by which I mean, the equivalent of running a team of 100 “employees” doing every little thing you can think of for a price less than some people’s monthly Starbucks bill.

… You ever stop to think how some actor is suddenly the head of a pretty big business empire completely separate from acting? What do they know, after all, about real-estate development, clothing lines, branding, perfume, restaurants…the list goes on?

A film studio or production company? Sure, that makes sense. They’re in the industry and have seen it all from top to bottom. Toss in the starting capital, hire the right people, get the right investors, pick the right movie project(s)… Not easy-peasy, but doable, and many have.

The other stuff? It’s the right people. In fact, oftentimes, the people will come to them. All they need is the name…the face of the brand. So, they make it look like Kanye West has been laboring over various clothing-line proposals for months…perhaps even doing some sewing his own damn self. Nope, they just do sniff testing about what’s plausible for him to sell, run tons of design ideas by him, he picks what he likes best, rinse, wash, repeat, and before you know it, Ye’s gear is in a storefront, and then his own stores, and we’ve all seen the end result of the same formula a million times.

How much time does it take? Almost nothing, compared to the time they have to put into their artistic trade, whatever it may be.

What I’m going to be going over, systematizing and integrating as the right tools come online is just this sort of thing. The big difference is this: rather than paying bitchy-ass employees crazy sums of money, you’re going to have AI employees that never complain, and work 24/7/365 fuck weekends and holidays.

How do I train the AI to do all this stuff? No need. It will already know thousands of AIs that can do everything, and it can talk to them. You will literally be able to have a team of 100s working as much as you want on any business ideas you can dream up. As time progresses? You’ll pay your AI force less, not more.

Now think of this: you’ll do all that pacing the room in a verbal stream of consciousness, and it’ll understand as though it’s your drinkin’ buddy. And it’ll talk back. It will be conversational. Whatever you can think, you can say. Whatever you can think and say, it will be able to do and report back, probably within seconds to minutes.

So let’s move on. More to come. Stay tuned.

… The harsh reality is that a membership blog requires paid subscribers to keep it alive. The more free content I give away, the fewer new paid subscribers I get. It’s like the young woman… You know… How do her proposals of marriage dwindle?

But here’s a sneak peek of today’s post, split into three riveting sections: Elon Musk vs. Substack and 1 million whiny does; A final parting with The Girl and Her Girls — nomadic travels on the horizon; and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is running for president, and I’m glad.

I explore the fascinating battle between Elon Musk and Substack, diving into the issues of free speech, censorship, and the power dynamics at play. A tale of epic proportions. Discover how the world’s richest man takes on the publishing platform that’s home to some of the most controversial voices on the planet; and you’ll find out how my three no-exceptions rules for life come into play. As I say, “When everyone is saying the same thing, everyone is wrong.”

Then comes the sad part, the end of a relationship with a woman and her two daughters from Sisaket, Thailand. Despite efforts driven by commitment and excitement, it became clear that the girls lack the curiosity and motivation to make things work for me, amongst many other things. I make the difficult decision.

Now that this chapter has closed, I’ll resume my initial plans of traveling around Southeast Asia, which had been interrupted by the Covidiocy. Naturally, that will be tons of new member content spilling over into the blog. You’ll like it. You think I know Thailand. How about over 50 trips to the Philippines under my belt?

I reflect on the Kennedy legacy and how RFK Jr.’s work during the Covidiocy has earned him respect, including mine. I believe he has a genuine shot at winning the presidency, but securing the Democrat nomination may be the hardest part. Trump should be worried.

Intrigued? Subscribe for full access to my 5000-post archive, with new material being added several times a week. As a subscriber, you’ll get immediate access to this post and all the juicy details I’ve just hinted at.

— Anything, not everything, but lots in-between | Pratamnak Hill, Jomtien-Pattaya, Thailand | April 2, 2023

Of mountains and mice; Correlation is not causation; The Andrew Tate saga; The best burger patty mix

The mountain roared and gave birth to a mouse

The phrase “the mountain roared and gave birth to a mouse” (also known as “parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus” in Latin) is an idiomatic expression that means a lot of effort or expectation has resulted in an underwhelming or insignificant outcome. The phrase is often used to describe situations where there’s a lot of hype, but the end result doesn’t live up to it.

This phrase has its origin in ancient Greek and Roman literature. The earliest known version comes from the Greek poet and fabulist Aesop, who lived between 620 and 564 BCE. In one of his fables, titled “The Mountain in Labor,” a mountain is said to be in labor, making terrifying noises and causing great commotion. People gather to see what will happen, but the mountain only produces a tiny mouse. The fable serves as a cautionary tale about not expecting too much from a situation or getting overly excited by something that may not deliver on its promises.

The phrase was later popularized by the Roman poet Horace in his work “Ars Poetica” (The Art of Poetry), written around 19 BCE. In this work, Horace uses the Latin version “parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus” to describe the importance of coherence in poetry and how a poem should not start with grand, lofty ideas only to end with trivial conclusions. Since then, the phrase has been adapted into various languages and has become a popular idiom to describe situations where the end result is disappointing or underwhelming, especially after much anticipation or effort.

ChatGPT-4 promt: Discuss the origin of the phrase, “the mountain roared and gave birth to a mouse,” and its variations.

Little did the woke Bing AI Chat (that gave a good, smaller answer, but with linked references) know what I was up to. Let’s see what happens when I clue it in.

— Anything, not everything, but lots in-between | Pratamnak Hill, Jomtien-Pattaya, Thailand | March 26, 2023

Banking meltdowns; How Trump got pawned on the Covid response; For the love of Thai pork; Kitchen tip for leftovers storage; Member section (AI stuff)

Banking meltdowns

Are we at the stage where everything is half false, or is everything only half true?

“This is as good as it gets, folks,” (said the pessimist).

So which are you? Probably, you’re optimistic about some things, pessimistic about others. Same me.

Where hard cash is involved—and not just the ability to spout a line of absolute bullshit at no conceivable cost—I’m optimistic. For the latter, I’m pessimistic, but it doesn’t really matter. The path through history is littered with the corpses of the smart and stupid alike, but the stupid lived in Pollyanna bliss (until they didn’t). Largely, most of what people like to “think,” is utter bullshit and most of the time, mere regurgitation, calculated to get head-nods—because everyone else is just as fucktarded, so someone blathering on with the same old slogans and bromides counts as confirmation. It’s OK to be wrong, so long as everyone else is, too.

Misery. Plenty of company.

Modern discourse and critical thinking is that pathetic and banal. It’s not a new phenomenon and no, it’s not TV and the Internet “dumbing down” society. It was always dumb. There are simply increasing means and opportunities for self-exposure…and for the conscientious and smart and curious and inquisitive to expose it all, especially in iconoclastic fashion, for the pure pleasure of all the laughs to be had.

Mel Brooks spoke the oft-quoted line in a film way back, “it’s good to be King,” but that only applies…to Kings, and as despotic as they may be, there are but few of them. Society is a modern equivalent, where, regurgitating football-bat goofy shit gets a room full of glancing-around, head-nodding, and uh-huhs. … One imagines someone bellowing out, “It’s good to be Stupid!” getting the same response and reaction from the agreeable crowd.

It’s all in the delivery.

It’s an awful trait in humans…the tendency to put more weigh on the validity of something owing to the number or percentage of others who believe it, rather than the plain plausibility of it, in itself.

And it goes way back. How far? Well, at least this far…

— Anything, not everything, but lots in-between | March 19, 2023

Trump arrest; Haircut with a 2-letter, 1-word dismissal; Feminism is over; James O’Keefe is in the house; AI Luddites; Member Section (AI stuff)

Trump arrest

Let’s get this one out-of-the-way right off.

Supposed to happen in a coupla daze. Of course, it’s bullshit. But, you know what else was bullshit? Going after Bill Clinton for having the temerity to get blown in the Oval Office by a consenting adult.

Did Republicans conduct that witch hunt—culminating in Clinton’s impeachment and disbarment—because he blew a load on a blue dress?

Yes, of course they did. And they trump-ed up religious and patriotic moral outrage to do it.

Is that what they charged him with doing? Having SEXUAL RELATIONS WITH THAT WOMAN? No, of course not. Why? Because while it might be uncouth…it might be worthy of moral scorn on any number of levels both sacred and civil, it wasn’t illegal. It was merely morally reprehensible to some, mostly God-fearing, conservative, hypocrites Republicans.

So, what am I to conclude, essentially, beyond saying that I neither give a fuck over Clinton lying about a personal and private consensual sexual matter, nor Trump doing the same? Nor do I give a fuck about whatever legal technicalities and contrivances are brought to bear in order to veil that which the witch hunt is really all about—which is entirely political.

So, beginning with Clinton, at least—perhaps before… I’d have to think about it—political opponents on one side began weaponizing federal investigative and enforcement agencies against the other. Back in the good ‘ole days, they created and maintained secret files on everybody, so it was a MAD situation (mutually assured destruction), just like everyone in a saloon having a six-shooter on their hip tended to maintain a polite clientele. The same went for the Cold War between the USA and USSR, when we could both destroy the other with nukes a hundred times over.

I can say that what goes around can come back around. I can say to be careful what you wish for.

— Anything, not everything, but lots in-between | March 12, 2023 All settled in; January 6th bullshit you can’t ignore; Naomi Wolf Wowzers; Revisiting the JFK assassination and CIA involvement; A 48-hr deal All settled in It’s been quite the standard first week in any new place one finds themselves. Adverse issues reported, routines sorted,…

— Anything, not everything, but lots in-between | March 5, 2023

Well this is way late again so I better account again: Moving finally done; Entrepreneurs; My new book; A stupid new diet study

Moved

That’s the young entrepreneur team who were my rental agents. Competent and hardworking. Verbal English is poor, but in text, easy.

… Anyway, this will be a very abbreviated version. It took a week of travels to get to Pattaya and then exactly a week to find and move in to a new place, and it’s hard to imagine it being better.

I’ll give the whole story next issue, which will also be the kick-off to things getting back to normal. Next time I do this—combine traveling and sightseeing with a move and the need of finding a place after I’ve already left the old place—I’ll just let yooze-all know I’ll be down for some weeks and will document everything and tell the stories later.

As much as I’m champing at the bit to write, I’m sometimes either too hungry, too tired, or both to do anything but grab some sleep. I don’t even know what a regular night of sleep is, anymore.

I got it done. After days cruising Facebook Marketplace to find suitable low-cost accommodations, which involves dealing with Thai landlords and their listings, I was getting frustrated. I asked Yui if she could come up with something, and that took 10 minutes. They showed me an initial place in a modern high-rise, but the rent was right.

Then I found out why.

I’ve seen larger prison cells than this “living” space these Chinese land developers put two partitions in, call it a 1-BR-1-Bath, and you’re lucky if you can get out of your own way. All I did was tell Chatkamon that I was looking for the “old style” studios where it’s one big room, 30 square meter minimum.

And bang. I was under contract within 2 hours. It’s in a different area than I’d intended, but that’s nicer too. Turns out I won’t be living in “Moscow.” That story, too. Ironic that I’m supportive of Russia’s aims in this Ukraine conflict; and yet, the Russians infesting the places around here are simply fucking assholes, and it’s difficult to find an exception.

Entrepreneurs in poor places

One thing I noted after moving to Thailand over 3 years ago and thought about it for a while is that an enormous number of people are self-employed. Out in rural areas, it’s damn near everyone, and many are “jacks-of-all-trades.”

— Anything, not everything, but lots in-between | February 26, 2023

Well this is way late so I better account: Moving week; The week in review; If I were God; Long walks making videos; Hua Hin; Kanchanaburi; Artificial Intelligence; A new dietary paradigm; My funniest tweets

Moving week

Moving day began last Sunday evening when I picked up my friend’s nice Mazda3 at Kata beach, about 15 minutes from my place (when there’s no traffic). I thought, well, since it’s the last unencumbered evening, maybe drive the additional 15 minutes to the infamous Patong Beach.

It’s a place that goes completely nuts every night. Fun in small doses.

Traffic was hellish, I was in a car, not a motorbike, so it took 30. Then it began the uncharacteristic tropical downpour for this time of year because people are dying of heart-attacks suddenly, at home (or is it the other way around…? I forget). Once I get there, the spirit to engage had left me. Grabbed a bite at any old place, pulled a U-ie, and then headed back home to contemplate the next day and get some sleep.

I was up rarin’ to go about 04.00 Monday morn, typical nowadays. Still Sunday, USA, so I worked on finishing up my Sunday Scribbles. Once the morning had worn off, I decided it was time to go mail my motorcycle to Pattaya.

— Anything, not everything, but lots in-between | February 19, 2023

I’ve gone back and forth with this Newsletter thing. I won’t bore you. You’ve either born witness or you can imagine. I guess it comes down to an inability to publish a newsletter adjunct to a blog that isn’t rather like the blog it plays party to.

Or, its owner-operator. That would be me.

I’m the guy who can arise from my bed, desk, or any other place at any random minute, toss shit in a 30L, lock the door behind me 10 minutes later, and either head out on the motorbike or hoof it to the nearest Phuket Smart Bus stop…destination unknown, no reservations, no idea of return. All I know is that:

1. I’ll have a good time
2. I’ll take photos and videos
3. I’ll write and publish about it

With a life-design like that, how in holy hell am I supposed to put out a newsletter by an arbitrary fixed deadline, on specific days, twice per week? … Especially when I always have multiple posts in various stages of draft and need to get those out when I get those out…exactly by then…not a minute sooner?

I’m living the life I’ve “always” wanted; and by always, I mean: since I was living and traveling abroad right out of college, 1984. I can’t sit still; but that’s only because I don’t fuckin’ wanna.

Ok? Capiche?

… So perhaps “scribbles” is apt. I’ll just get up Sunday morning wherever I happen to be, grab the notebook and just tap away. That I should [usually] be able to do.

Banking, Fraud, and Theft

I began the day thinking damn, is there nothing at all Americans will actually fight for, anymore?

— Cool Motorcycle Paint Job; Making Twitter Fun Again; I Got Hit By a Car; Excess Mortality; I Asked A Pregnant Woman “Boy or Girl” and Here’s What Happened; Food Pics, Recipes, and Reviews; Hit & Run Section; and My Pet Peeve Catch Up Inconsequential, but I did a 3-minute video trailer for this newsletter…

If someone forwarded this to you in the newsletter version and you bizarrely ended up liking it on balance, you can subscribe for free to future copies that [ought to] arrive in your email twice per week. You’ll get the whole thing, not just the excerpt provided here on the blog. The blog rendering of it has added things like embedded videos, larger images with lightbox thingy, etc.

• From Bangkok — New MacBook Air
• Troubles With Stripe Credit Card Processing
• From Ao Nang, Krabi
• Youngun “Party Town” Thailand: Sexless, Self-Righteous, Androgynous
• Covidless Excess Mortality

From Bangkok

Beginning with the most recent thing, from today.

I don’t know how long one must go between computer trade-ins, but I’m pretty safe in saying that eight and a half years is plenty of time—a veritable signal of my great virtue—to pound away on the same notebook computer. Since 2008 and after 20 years at PCs, I’m an Apple Mac guy. Had two MacBook Pros over 4 years. I’ll not get into it but the Pro version is generally overkill for most people. In 2012 I researched whether a MacBook Air could reliably drive the 27″ Apple Cinema Display I had.

Indeed it could and indeed it did—even running HD video on its two screens with rapidity and ease (many believe you need the expensive Pro to do all these things and most who think that don’t even do those things…but pay for the Pro anyway). The 2014 model was the last computer I’ve purchased until this morning at the stunningly beautiful Apple Store at Central World in Bangkok.

I didn’t even come to Bangkok yesterday for this…that’s another story for the next section. I’d looked into it, but the info I got online is that you have to order it, which I assumed was because of the US keyboard and not Thai.

I checked into my hotel with a smokin’ deal. $43 per night in a 4-star, regular $120. Long time since I stayed in a hermetically-sealed fancy-pants place…the Marriott in Warsaw, 2019 if memory serves.

…I don’t like them. Tomorrow, my two nights is up and I’m moving to a $20 place where I can at least open the fucking windows, for shit’s sake.

…Anyway, soon as I checked in and arranged every item out of my travel-light, 30L backpack, I headed out. Hoofed it to the Apple store 2.5 KM away. What I found out was that they did indeed have plenty of the M2-processor MBAs in all four anodized aluminum colors with US keyboards. It’s any customizations that have to be ordered. So, if I want more RAM, bigger SSdrive, etc… OK, nope.

And so, voilà, and I resolved to return this morning and do the deal. In the meantime, I set out to get some food, so I headed down to Nana Plaza, perhaps the most curious place on earth. I don’t care for it much—or go-go bars in general—but it’s quite a spectacle to behold with three floors of them in a 70s style indoor-mall format. There’s a Hooters across the street, though, so I had a pretty decent grilled-chicken Caesar. Given that Thai girls have smaller breasts on average (rocket tits, I call them), I think the franchise should be called Handfulls over here…right? That added 1.6 KM to the trek tally.

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• Greetings from Koh Lanta

  • No reservations
  • The hot and humid hike
  • Snagging an amazing modern updated beach bungalow
  • Chillin’ in remote and sleepy Lanta
  • The food; lots of pics

• The Best Investment Option For 2022 to 2122

  • Everyone is an investor
  • The financial markets
  • Tax sheltering and deferral
  • Crypto
  • Entrepreneurship and Geoarbitrage for max gains

• The FTX Crypto Fraud is So Delicious

  • Overview
  • Andrew Tate makes a point
  • “Bankman” demonstrates that point
  • Sorry you’re bankrupt
  • The “CEO” who doesn’t use math
  • The laughs keep piling up

• Hit & Run

  • The Church of Texas at Austin
  • Moron cucked simps kneeling before assholes
  • It’s true about unmarried adult women in America
  • Children should be seen and not heard
  • Like the Fyre Festival fraud
  • IF covid CAN kill you…
  • Birth control
  • God bless the internet
  • Kamala is living proof
  • Just do it right, for God’s sake

• Pet Peeve of the Week

— Greetings this Monday. Yea, it’s supposed to be out your Sunday morning in America. What befell me My excuses are I was deep diving into the FTX collapse-fraud and also travelling still. Left Koh Lanta this AM, now in Ao Nang, Krabi. In this Newsletter I’ll cover my getting to Koh Lanta and a bit of that 4-day experience; the best investment you can make in 2022 and for the next 100 years; the FTX crypto fraud (so delicious); a bunch of Hit & Run; and maybe more…we’ll see when I get to the end. Also, this late Sunday edition might count as an early Wednesday edition to just get on track. Again, we’ll see.

Greetings From Koh Lanta

After the night in Phi Phi that kicked off the last newsletter, things went without a hitch for stage 2 of my no reservations travel. The speedboat ride was sunny, fun, calm, and short.

If someone forwarded this and you end up liking it on balance, you can subscribe for free to future copies that arrive in your email twice per week.

• Greetings from Koh Phi Phi

  • No reservations
  • Snagging a “room” anyway
  • Late night Phi Phi
  • Later night writing

• Red Droplets and a Newborn Mouse

  • The mountain rumbled
  • 1000-words
  • Fear, money, and status
  • Red Waves of the past vs. Red Trickles now
  • A fix, again?

• Some Admin Stuff

  • Newsletter
  • Blog membership

• 3 Months No Booze Update
• Hit & Run

  • Modesty for women at the Buddhist temple
  • Thanks, covid
  • Firing half of everybody yet doing better
  • CIA disinformation eagerly promulgated by US media
  • How essential is sexy sex with a sexy woman?
  • Ungentlemanliness
  • America’s diminishing cachet (two topics)

Greetings From Koh Phi Phi

Phi Phi is the island where that silly DiCaprio film, The Beach, was partially shot. Details are way off throughout the whole thing but whatever. I didn’t intend to be here and I like it just as little as when I was here a year and a half ago during peak covidiocy, and the only tourists were Thai families (the saving grace).

The geology and oceanography is breathtaking but in terms of having an enjoyable time otherwise, not really my thing. Last time it was totally quiet but now, has resumed its rap as a party place…which means the young crowd and you know what that means.

Basically Spring Break shit, though with “adults.” Or something.

Anyway, I’m here on an overnight because in my 40-year penchant for no-reservations travel I suddenly told myself to go to Koh Lanta, packed the backpack, and headed out on the cafe racer to catch the 12.30 ferry at Rassada Pier, 35 minutes away. But the boats to Lanta were booked. Best option was to take the 1 hr speedboat ferry to Phi Phi, stay the night, and check out the famed “party” island post-covidiocy. Then, catch the 30 minutes over to Lanta the next morning, which is happening.