Feb 20Memories of Irian Jaya (Papua)To even the most intrepid mind, Papua represents adventure and frontier. The island itself is split in two; the west side is called Irian Jaya and belongs to Indonesia, while the Eastern part is Papua New Guinea. So how did my pale white ass end up in a place like…6 min read
Jan 13Fascism and Marxism: Two flowers from the same stemFascism and Marxism: Two flowers from the same stem You don’t need to be paying much attention to understand that we have a major problem in Western societies. The election of Donald Trump, Brexit, and the Yellow Vest protests in France are symptoms of systems that have stopped working for…8 min read
Oct 21, 2021Anatta in Buddhism — What Does It Mean?Buddhism has many complex and mind-bending concepts, and they often have one word to describe them. Anatta roughly translates as ‘not-self’, although understanding this concept requires a little more than understanding what it translates as. So, what is Anatta and how can a Western mind understand it? Let’s dive in. …Buddhism5 min read
Oct 15, 2021Little Slices of PaiI mentioned in my last article that Pai, North Thailand, is one of my favourite places in the world. When I first went there, back in 2007, I felt immediately at home. …Pai7 min read
Oct 8, 2021Paradise in the ForestI first left home when I was 17 years old, and since then, I’ve been in hundreds of cities in dozens of countries. …7 min read
Sep 29, 2021Bitcoin: The Immutable Truth MachineI wrote previously that I believe Bitcoin is the most misunderstood technology on the planet. I’ll explain what it really is and why I believe it’s so revolutionary here. If you read newspapers and tabloids, you’ve probably formed the opinion that Bitcoin is a shadowy, untraceable currency that can be…Bsv5 min read
Sep 21, 2021The Devil’s DaughterThey say you should never talk about the women you used to know after you get married. As a writer, I disagree if there’s a good story in it. My wife knows most of these stories, and in fact, she cleared me to write this, so it’s all good. I…Jakarta6 min read
Sep 17, 2021Hellos and GoodbyesIt’s early AM in Bangkok, but it’s already sticky hot. I’m sitting on the steps of a travel agency, waiting for it to open so I can buy a bus ticket to Chiang Mai. The smell of exhaust fumes and incense fills the air. …Travel4 min read
Sep 7, 2021Bitcoin and CorruptionWhen I lived in Southeast Asia for close to a decade, I saw poverty, injustice, and inequality that many Westerners in our privileged existences would not believe unless they say it for themselves. It was heartbreaking in the beginning. I used to well up when I saw women sleeping at…Bitcoin3 min read
Aug 15, 2021Who is Satoshi Nakamoto?I first became aware of Bitcoin in 2011 or 2012, but paid no attention to it until mid-2017 when the massive bull run of those years occurred. While the price is interesting and the technology is revolutionary, my curious mind could never ignore one central question: who is Satoshi Nakamoto? …Bitcoin5 min read
