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Liberation Travel Hacks 09/2024
I like the caravan life; I never thought I would enjoy the independence it gives me:
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- The solar panels have made me utterly independent of camping and recharging. I can charge laptops and smartphones all day, even in rainy Ireland.
- I got rid of my dependence on mobile operators with a satellite connection via Starlink Mini to survive even in wilder areas or dense forests without a mobile signal.
- I fill up water at almost every pump I've filled up from a mountain stream before.
- My cooking gas bomb lasts me two months straight with daily cooking (and I have a spare).
- Thanks to the high-quality noise-isolating headphones and eye mask, I can sleep well even on a noisy road/highway, almost anywhere.
- I shower in my car or go swimming or to the sauna often.
- As a nomad, I am of no interest to anyone (neither the police nor the local tax office).
Like most of you, I realized that I live a large part of my life in a virtual world where I don't mind a small physical space to work in, especially if I have fast internet. At the very least, it motivates me to spend much of my day outdoors and be physically active. I lead a whole life more connected to nature than ever before. I fall asleep and wake up to amazing sunsets. I love this campervan phase of life.
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Pavol Lupták, 10.9.2024, Bratislava
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Slovakia
What does Paraguay have in common with Slovakia?
Both of these countries are holes.
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Paraguay in a South American context, Slovakia in a European context.
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A hole in this context means they have no sea, world-class attraction, mainly developed industry or a cosmopolitan place to live. The average American tourist, given a choice of South American or European countries to visit, will not go to Paraguay or Slovakia (and if given a choice of Central European countries to visit, will go to Prague/Czech Republic).
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But where Paraguay differs from Slovakia is that Paraguayan politicians, unlike Slovak ones, have already realized that their country is a hole. To attract capital or people from around the world, they have to have low or zero taxes because they don't have that much to offer.
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There is a rule in the world - "the bigger the hole, the lower the taxes." otherwise, there will be no reason to live or invest there.
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Slovakia (except the High Tatras and a few brains that are still there) also has nothing to offer from a global point of view. Nevertheless, Slovakia has progressive taxation and levies, like attractive Western European countries or California.
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For Slovakia, this means both an outflow of capital and intelligent people and a decline in the standard of living.
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In my opinion, the only thing that will save Slovakia is drastic economic reforms - it can take inspiration from Paraguay, where these reforms have taken place. Currently, Paraguay (the most backward country in South America) is better off economically than Argentina, which 100 years ago was one of the most developed countries in the world (the Paraguayan guaraní is a hard currency compared to the Argentine peso). What this means:
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- 10% tax on local profits (in Paraguay, most people pay no taxes because tax is only calculated based on income over $10,000 a year, which most Paraguayans don't earn).
- No taxes on foreign income (territorial taxation is probably unenforceable in a socialist EU, but for example, Gibraltar, a non-EU country, has it for companies).
- 10% VAT, whereby any individual can be a VAT payer and deduct VAT on their consumption.
- No compulsory levies. In Slovakia, this means the demonopolization of social levies and the deoligopolization of health levies. It is essential to realize that levies or taxes pay for everything that does not work in Slovakia, so they must be abolished or minimized.
By the way, Ireland, where I am at the moment, is also a hole in the context of Western Europe. The Irish politicians soon realized this and introduced a 12.5% corporate tax on profits, which boosted the economy considerably and caused the world's corporations to set up headquarters here.
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Slovak politicians should think hard about how "big" a hole Slovakia is and set their tax policy accordingly.
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Otherwise, no capital will come in, and all the smart ones will leave.
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France
The author of the Telegram, Pavel Durov, was arrested by French police in Paris for refusing to cooperate with French state forces (plus several other charges). Telegram is not end-to-end encrypted by default (unlike, say, Signal or SimpleX), so Telegram has and had the technical ability to eavesdrop on and censor its users, which by law it should have taken advantage of, and made a public "cooperative effort" when they received a court order from any country, which they didn't. On the contrary, Pavel Durov criticized Signal's security and made up stories of backdoors. No one will likely arrest Signal's creator, Moxie Marlinspike, or its president, Meredith Whittaker, because they can claim they tried hard to cooperate with the state. Still, unfortunately, due to Signal's end-to-end encrypted design, they failed purely technically to eavesdrop on or censor anyone who used Signal. Who I think they can lock up in this case (not just in France) is Elon Musk because he brags about how he is throwing in the trash various states' court orders to censor posts on X.com and thus realistically refusing to cooperate with states. e has a personal dispute with the Brazilian Chief Justice, Alexandre de Moraes, whose court orders he publicly ignores. Musk has closed the X.com office in Brazil, and I would not go to Brazil if I were him unless he wants to end up like Durov in France. Although I don't use Telegram and never have (it's just not secure), and I urge all people not to use it (and switch to Signal or SimpleX), I don't think people like Durov or Musk should end up in jail. Realistically, it doesn't help anyone or anything. The Western world will reveal its disgusting totalitarian mask, where censorship and control of information are as close to it as any other totalitarian country (I'm using a French eSIM data card right now, and access to the uncensored video platform rumble.com is blocked, for example). Terrorists, criminals, drug distributors (in Russia and Ukraine, they all use Telegram), and child pornography distributors will simply switch to Signal, SimpleX, or any other end-to-end encrypted platform, and the state will be unable to catch them again.
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Censorship is not about suddenly not having access to conspiracy dezinfo or online gambling sites. And that's why it doesn't bother you at all now. It's about some government official deciding which content is appropriate for you and which is not. And what content you should and shouldn't be able to access according to state regulations. If you subscribe to that idea, you must be against any censorship.
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USA
You already need a court order to have your phone or laptop searched by Customs and Immigration officers when you enter the US. This was one of the reasons I stopped traveling to the US.
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Mercury.com began closing bank accounts for business account holders who did not have their registered permanent address in the US. If this affects you as a Paraguayan resident, try using the alternatives relayfi.com, payoneer.com, bilderlings.com, or bankera.com. It may also be time to think about how to switch entirely to cryptocurrencies for your US LLC business.
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Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is at least as enjoyable geopolitically as Northern Cyprus (i.e., the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus). Crossing the Northern Ireland border with Ireland, you notice that the speed limit signs suddenly stop being in miles and kilometers by EU standards. No border checks, no stopping the car. It's all the more interesting because you can also get to Northern Ireland from the UK (for example, from Cairnryan in Scotland) without any checks, as Northern Ireland is part of the UK. So we got from the UK to Ireland via Northern Ireland without customs or passport checks. And it's normal - it works that way for everyone. There are at least two "Northern Ireland" hacks you should know about (if you know of others, let us know):
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1. If you want to send any package, avoid UK customs to any EU country (beware, it's illegal, although it works). Send the package from anywhere in the UK to Northern Ireland (e.g., to a friend in Belfast). This is intrastate mail, so there is no duty. A mate in Belfast will repackage it and send it to a mate in Ireland (e.g., Dublin). That's intra-Ireland mail, so no duty. And the mate in Dublin will send it straight to you to the EU as an intra-EU parcel. Again, there is no duty. Of course, officially, you still have customs duty, but with the setup described above, you have no one to enforce it and stop the shipment. If you're Irish and want to order anything duty-free from the UK, it's even easier - find a branch of the UK shop in Northern Ireland and order it directly by land in Ireland. 2. If you have a girlfriend or friend outside the EU who can't stay in the EU on their passport for more than three months a year on a tourist visa and would like to see Ireland (which is the EU, where there's no way to get to anymore) at the same time. He can fly to the UK on a tourist visa (for another three months, as the UK is not part of the EU). And via Northern Ireland to come to Ireland for another couple of months. And then return to the UK via Northern Ireland again and leave the UK within the 3-month visa limit. Again, legally, he can't be in the EU (Ireland) for more than three months a year, but he can come and go in Ireland without anyone noticing (no border checks). I believe there are if not official, unofficial proxy forwarding services in Northern Ireland that have hacked this border condition massively.
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Paraguay
The issuance of cedulas in Paraguay is back on track, and everything is working as before.
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Suppose you use a Paraguayan Personal SIM card in data roaming outside Paraguay for over two months. In that case, your Internet will slow down (to Edge speed), and you will have to revisit Paraguay to regain your original speed.
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Brazil
Brazil is the new dystopian totalitarian country of the Western world. They banned x.com. If you live in Brazil or Venezuela, you can access ProtonVPN for free. I spent a couple of beautiful months in Brazil. At the moment, I prefer living in more free countries (Paraguay, Uruguay, or Argentina).
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Bitcoin, Monero, and cryptocurrencies
Redotpay is another crypto card where you can do KYC on your Paraguayan cedula.
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Anonymous Xeovo VPN should work even in countries where most VPNs are banned. It can be bought for Monero and is Netflix-friendly.
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Travel Hacks
How to have a more fulfilled day and increase work efficiency
Do you know those "busy" people who are always "on their phone" in the virtual world while waiting for food or coffee on the train or bus instead of contemplating the beauty of physical reality?
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Perhaps these people are among the most efficient and use all the "dead," otherwise unusable time slots to get as much done as possible in their daily lives. So that they can then enjoy the day to the fullest and do what they want...
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I also fall into this category. Think of it when you see me in the "always on mobile" position - I'm just taking advantage of otherwise unusable time gaps in my day (waiting for food, for someone, in traffic, traveling on a train, plane...) You may not know this, but half of all the blogs you've read from me have been written on a plane and my mobile phone.
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Most people nowadays have a very short attention span because they are constantly distracted by social networks or other stimuli, making it impossible to focus on any meaningful activity for a long time. And then they have a feeling of an unfulfilled day.
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I don't know about you, but I've empirically figured out that I have the most fulfilled day when I'm continuously engaged in one activity for a couple of hours and not when I'm constantly in multitasking mode, distracted by constant stimuli that reduce my productivity.
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I remember how my life was different 25-30 years ago - back then, I could do one thing all day (which meant I could go more in-depth), which I can't do as well today (and I regret that "unattained depth").
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I've summarized a few personal insights on how to have a more fulfilled day (that is, doing what you enjoy and want to do) but not working more, which means increasing work efficiency.
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1. Every day, I dedicate a few hours continuously to one thing that is important to me and that fulfills me
This is very important - if you spend all day doing something other people want you to, you won't be fulfilled. For me, at the moment, it's travel - I try to see something interesting every day I have planned (I use Wanderlog to plan trips All Trails for hiking). I walk a lot, usually 10 km a day; now I try to walk even 15 km daily, meaning I walk about 4 hours daily. For many people, it can look like killed time, who can't afford it. I, on the other hand, have realized the many benefits that come from it. Apart from the fact that I'm in good shape, feel great, and sleep more leisurely, I find the movement meditative and almost always get some new ideas while I'm doing it (I also came up with this article while I was walking today).
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2. "I work when I have time" - I use deaf, time gaps
Says my friend Braňo, who has a life of traveling and other activities and doesn't have much time left for work. Maybe that statement may sound condescending to some people, but I am convinced many people can afford to do that. For example, Ireland rains quite a lot, so I told myself I only work when it rains. If it's a nice day, I always go out and make the most of it. In this case, I only check the news twice a day (morning and evening), and I bump the news at that time.
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I am significantly productive in all time gaps- as I wait for food, for coffee, in the store, on the boat, on the plane... I would point out here that if you are really "busy," you shouldn't drive because you can usually get more done on a train or plane (using time gaps) and save more time than you have to drive.
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I write most of my emails and messages in deaf time slots.
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It means that when I'm not waiting and have no time gaps, I do exactly what I want to do. And I try to do it to the fullest because that fulfills me (of course, work should be at least a little bit fun, too).
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3. I maximize my mobility, but I'm only online when I want to be
To maximize my productivity in the time gaps, I've arranged my work so that I can do more than 90% of it from my mobile phone. I have over 500 apps on my phone, ranging from crypto wallets (for example, the Blockstream Jade hardware wallet you can connect and use with your phone via Bluetooth; Bitcoin Trezor will have Bluetooth support soon) to SSH clients with the ability to connect to any server if necessary. To manage all this on my phone, I use a Pixel Fold with a large display (you can already order the new Pixel 9 Pro Fold). If I'm in danger of having more work to do, I'll bring another Pixel phone (I usually avoid carrying a laptop because it's big - I think that laptop is often only carried by people who don't know good mobile apps and can't optimize their work on their phone :-)
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4. I minimize my time on social networks
Although I am visible on social media thanks to automated posting via Hookle (necessary for marketing), I use it significantly less than most people think (I'm usually only interested in reactions to my latest article). Despite the customized social content, most information there doesn't interest me. I get most helpful information from private Signal groups or emails. If something important is happening on social networks, someone will always forward it to me in that Signal group or email.
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5. I have turned off all notifications
The reason is simple - if I had them on, they would come non-stop all day, and I do nothing but respond to them. I read the news when I want to, not when others want me to. The same goes for calls. If I expect some ultra-important message or call, I selectively turn on notifications on my Garmin watch.
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6. I minimize social rituals
A typical social ritual is "going to work in the morning and coming home from work in the afternoon." Translated, this means waiting in traffic for an hour on the way to work and another hour on the way home because most people have decided this is the only time to go to work. If you can't use the time in traffic for something good (even just listening to exciting podcasts), then it's time wholly wasted, and you should do everything you can to avoid this ritual. And yet, you often need to arrive at work an hour later and leave at a different hour. Or work from home.
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This may not suit everyone, but I only eat twice a day. Once brunch is around 11 am - 1 pm, and then a second meal is dinner. Preparing food (unless you enjoy it) and eating it eats up a lot of time, especially when you have to do it a couple of times a day. If you go to a restaurant and don't prepare the food, you can take advantage of the deaf time slots, but it will cost you more. I try to eat a lot of protein and minimize sugars for energy, but otherwise, I don't restrict myself.
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7. I minimize interventions in my life
This comes from my philosophy in life - don't intervene unless necessary. Interventions are and should be expensive. And whoever intervenes in your life should pay for it.
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I don't use an alarm clock (unless necessary), which is the most significant intervention in my sleep. Waking up to an alarm virtually always breaks my day; I'm less productive and enjoy it less. If you can't imagine life without an alarm, try going to bed earlier :-)
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Unless I'm waiting for a courier, I always have the ringer on my phone turned off, and I can't get through. I then send an automated text message to all unanswered/missed calls: "If you want to reach me, then contact me on Signal... ". Most people don't get back to me, so I know it was spam (otherwise, most people who call me on GSM are either spammers or scammers). Similarly, when I order something, I prefer to store the package in a mailbox where I can pick it up when I want to and not have to interact with the courier when he wants to.
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If a client wants to meet me at a specific time at a particular place or do a video call with me at a specific time, I almost always charge for that. Not that I'm a greedy capitalist, but I see it as an intervention in my life, in my daily schedules, which I thus have to adjust according to the client's requirements (especially now that I travel a lot, so I have to deal with, for example, being at XYZ time at ABC location where there will be a good cell signal. Although Starlink Mini will soon solve this problem for me). If someone contacts me by email or messenger, which I can reply to any time I have the time and inclination, I don't see it as an intervention and, therefore, have it all free.
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So, my clients can choose between asynchronous communication with me, which is unrestricted, or synchronous, which adapts to their preferences but is paid.
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This creates an easy incentive for clients to prefer asynchronous communication with me until it matters. I fully accept and understand when the other party introduces the same approach towards me.
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I try to schedule all meetings (physical and virtual) 1-2 days a week so that I have most of the time free. Even now, I schedule them according to the weather forecast - on a day when it's supposed to rain. I don't want to work when it's sunny, especially in Ireland, where there aren't many sunny days.
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8. I minimize business ballast - people who don't order anything
One of the great things that has worked well for me over many years is to provide more expensive paid consultations, with the understanding that when the customer ultimately orders a service (penetration test, residency, etc.), I will give them a discount on the resulting service equal to the cost of those consultations. This means that either the client buys the service from you (in which case they get the consultation for free) or, if not, they pay for the expensive consultation. This paid "presales" approach filters out the serious candidates who don't pay for the paid consultation if they book your service. Crypto is another excellent way to eliminate customers you don't want to work with. If a client in the offshore business writes to you saying they don't want your service because they don't want to install a Bitcoin wallet and learn something new, you don't want that client because they will only be in trouble.
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9. I use artificial intelligence to the maximum extent possible
My friend Juraj "kicks" me into this. I've started to use Open WebUI, a universal AI web interface that allows me to connect many different LLM models. Specifically, I linked one of the most powerful LLaMA-3.1-405B there thanks to a Venice.AI Pro account (if you don't have one yet, you can buy one here anonymously for a few sats without any restrictions). You can also link Open WebUI with OpenAI API or Anthropic Claude API, so for very little money, you have the best and most powerful that the current AI world allows (and it will cost you less in the long run than paying ChatGPT every month). And you can run it on an old laptop without GPU support. Open WebUI supports not only a large number of AI models but also a vast number of prompts, tools, or functions. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to make their life easier. If you are in the countryside, away from civilization and mobile Signal, an offline AI model you download on your Android phone can save you.
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Interesting links
The end of tooth decay? Lumina Probiotic introduces genetically modified bacteria that do not secrete lactic acid. A single application of the BCS3-L1 strain will displace existing bacteria from your mouth.
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This is the worst photo of KYC created by artificial intelligence. They will only get better. The concept of KYC not only represents the giant invasion of privacy for billions of people but is also technologically overmatched and poses more risks than real benefits to society. Invasive invasions of privacy by the state can only be avoided to a limited extent (for example, providing information about your income, including cryptocurrencies, to the financial authorities can only be minimally avoided if you don't want to break the law). However, KYC outside state services can undoubtedly be avoided. There are many non-KYC services, and the concept of non-KYC is becoming increasingly popular.
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Juraj Bednár has just released his first music album. It is his digital confession about composite reality, intended for digital psychonauts. Since I know the stories behind it, I have a special relationship with it.
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Events
27-30.12 38C3, the biggest hacker congress in Hamburg
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8-12.8.2025 WHY2025, the biggest hacker camp in the Netherlands
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