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Comment on Possible bank run happening in Canada

I am an engineer too. I appreciate disconnecting and being in nature like you.

Any tech to improve my family's life is a miracle.

Physical presence used to be necessary to get clients. Today my partner runs a global business at home. Parents get time at home with kids instead of office.
BTC has many uses. USD/Eur lost 10%/6% since 2020, BTC gained 600%. Govts freezing bank accounts, fines etc show the importance of BTC.
I travel 3x a year. I can't visit grandma on another continent every weekend. Instead, we video call and play online board games.
20 years ago, solar was unaffordable. I did my Bachelors thesis with Solar manufacturers to substitute expensive metals & use thin film transistors.
Propaganda was worse with only two or three TV channels and a handful of major newspapers. Elites controlled EVERYTHING
Not everyone has money or access to a library. Cheap smartphones and internet allow the poor to learn a trade and climb out of poverty.
I built everything in my house - no hired plumbers, electricians etc. Still going to use every tool to improve life. Cooking machines or robot cleaners.

You are right, some things have gotten worse: censorship, lefties. Computers consume time voluntarily. People are addicted to their unlimited power.

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goldenballs@wolfballs.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨years⁩ ago
Depends what you do and where.

Crypto is collapsing like tech stocks. It needs to be reincarnated in more resilient, accessible, usable form.

I remember seeing video phones on 2001 film, but i don't care about videophones so much now.

Yeah but solar is only one technology you can use for offgrid

Not if you turn it off. In fact i don't think it was worse. It is so much more petvasive, intrusive, granular, and personalised now.

Sometimes, but not many of them use it like that, and not all of the good content is free.

Not me. I will recuit a harem of svelte 20-somethings, with broken English, and let them fight over my toolbag.

I find that simplifying life yields better outcomes.
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- iamtanmay@wolfballs.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨years⁩ ago
  Yup you are right. Doesn't apply to farmers or car mechanics.
  
  BTC is the original decentralized, limited supply crypto. Other cryptos are centralized or have loose supply like Fiat. There is no advantage to owning cryptos other than BTC.
  
  BTC cannot be "printed", unlike USD. This "rarity" attracts investment same as gold, silver etc. It also has value as a secure transactional medium. Like any unregulated commodity, BTC will have swings in value till a critical trading volume. Its a risk that investors need to understand.
  
  Currently its the 4th largest everyday currency after USD, EUR, Yuan. Future looks good, since money supply is predictable, unlike govts who screwed over Fiat savers for too long.
  
  I keep my savings in 4 currencies and fixed assets + shares. BTC is one. Depending on the outlook, I move money from one asset to another. Never put all your eggs in one basket.
  
  Skype made PC audio internet calls mainstream by 2006. Low quality video calls by 2008. First mainstream smartphone, Iphone 1 was announced mid 2007, and couldn't make video calls. Facetime for Iphone came out in 2011, Skype mobile in 2013. Before 2011, there was no mainstream video calling on phones.
  
  Yes. Solar is not a energy panacea as we discussed in another post. Its 90-99% energy independence depending on weather is a start, with diesel generator backup. Its tried and tested in EXTREME REMOTE, e.g. ocean sailing yachts. Living off grid on land will be fine.
  
  Yes. You are correct, its everywhere now.
  
  Even the best schools and teachers mean nothing when the student is lacking in character.
  
  You live in Asia. You haven't seen people studying on phones ? 10-12 years ago, I saw kids on local trains studying on their phones. Today even rickshaw drivers have smartphones.
  
  Majority of poor cannot read. Video/Audio education is their only option. Their kids have to work and cant go to school. A phone is their only chance to learn.
  
  Hahaha, enjoy. I am settled and content with my lady.
  
  I find that simplifying life yields better outcomes.
  
  Yes, in today's messed up world, I can see your POV. Everyone needs to take a break from this 24/7 attention grabbing cycle and do a detox.
  
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  - goldenballs@wolfballs.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨years⁩ ago
    
    And seafarers, and anyone of the many kobs that still exist that go back to before 1970
    
    Bitcoin is like rock n roll memorabilia, and it's observable that it is not a currency, and behaves like a tech stock, not like gold. BTC is not a commodity. BTC is too dependent on Tether, which is too dependent on the collapsing Chinese ponzi economy.
    
    And?
    
    Microhydto, micro tidal, geothermal seem better bets for an actual offgrid house.
    
    !
    
    My niece does that, but the quality of teacher and the curriculum is wanting, i teach her english, maths, and computing, i use online material, but the offline stuff i've got (i.e.: books is better, i have pdfs of massive books like Stroud Engineering Mathematics, for them).
    
    !
    
    I just get more done and done better when I do less.
    
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    iamtanmay@wolfballs.com ⁨3⁩ ⁨years⁩ ago
    
    Bitcoin transactions are irreversible and have inherent risks. If you want decentralized money, you have to accept this. Its a tool with a specific use case. Tether is the same as other centralized institutions like Paypal or Banks. They keep your money "safe" in a way. But you give up your freedom to companies, govt, and money printers. "Safety" is a scam, as Canadians found out this week
    
    Regarding your comment about video phones in 2001. Just a timeline of when video phones became mainstream.
    
    Not sure about yields of spinners, hydro/tidal/wind. I am skeptical since they haven't caught on in home installation market. Geothermal is possible on the scale of 1000s of users. You can study the use cases in Bavarian villages. The cost of energy is good if you can get the initial large capital. Was in the range of a couple millions of $ around the 2010s. They last for 30 years. If you find a open Geothermal vent at the surface, lucky you. But its rare.
    
    Yes, formal education on a phone is not as good as a school. I was thinking of trades. I taught myself plumbing, masonry and home electrical via youtube. I think for uneducated poor people, those kinds of knowledge would be more practical and kickstart their earnings.
    
    I just get more done and done better when I do less.
    
    You are a focused person. I jump between things, even food and TV shows. I don't like doing one thing at a time. I also like to hear people talking while I do something. I get bored otherwise. This is extremely annoying for my girl, who like you likes to focus and work quietly.
    
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