WanderLearn: Travel to Transform Your Mind & Life

I met Nenad Stojanovic in 2008 when he hosted me on Couchsurfing.com. He’s been traveling ever since!This is a 5-part series featuring Nenad, one of the world’s most fascinating travelers. This is part 1!Watch the video!Timeline00:00 Who is Nenad Stojanovic?04:25 North American journey05:25 Remarkable borders08:20 ChinaWhat do you think?Put your thoughts in the comments.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:* YouTube* Facebook* Instagram* X* TikTok* LinkedInSponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM with its unlimited hotspot & data that never expires! Use code LR32K4. Or get 5% off when you sign up with Saily, another global eSIM with a built-in VPN & ad blocker.5. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.6. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!7. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken.8. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!9. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear10. Get nomadic travel insurance from SafetyWing! Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

I explained 6 years ago why Plan B’s Stock-to-Flow Bitcoin model was doomed and would fail. Few believed me. Most insulted me. Today, I can confidently declare that I was right and Plan B was wrong.Watch the video of this episode!Also, watch my May 2020 video that started all the controversy and read the detailed article about why Plan B’s stock-to-flow model was doomed!In mid-2026, with the price of Bitcoin languishing around $65,000, below the lowest stock-to-flow band, we can officially declare that Plan B’s stock-to-flow model is dead.I waited until Bitcoin was consistently below the outer bands before declaring “victory” in my debate with Plan B. It’s a Pyrrhic victory because I was hoping all along that he would be right and I would be wrong, since I have stacked bitcoin.Unfortunately, time proved me right.Ultimately, Plan B’s model was only good for one Bitcoin cycle.Given how wide a price band the model has, it’s unsurprising that it lasted for four years.However, it couldn’t keep up with the aggressive, uber-optimistic price prediction.What do you think?Put your thoughts in the comments.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:* YouTube* Facebook* Instagram* X* TikTok* LinkedInSponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM with its unlimited hotspot & data that never expires! Use code LR32K4. Or get 5% off when you sign up with Saily, another global eSIM with a built-in VPN & ad blocker.5. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.6. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!7. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken.8. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!9. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear10. Get nomadic travel insurance from SafetyWing! Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

My mom often says, “If I die….”I sometimes accidentally say the same thing.The “if” is a cognitive security blanket I pull over my head so I can pretend that death — the only thing every single human being who has ever lived has accomplished — might somehow not apply to me. As though the universe looked at my particular assortment of questionable decisions and said, “This one, we keep.”It will not say that. I am, biologically speaking, a disaster in slow motion. I have a weakening knee. I have eaten gas station sushi. Twice. I once stayed up until 3 am reading reviews for a blender I did not buy.“If I die, give my record collection to someone who will actually appreciate it.”Wrong.“When I die, some stranger at an estate sale is going to pay $4 for a crate containing my entire personality.”The “if” started innocently enough. Parents use it. “If something happens to me...” they say, then trail off.But I’ve decided to stop. As an act of radical honesty, I am replacing every “if I die” with “when I die,” and I am inviting you to join me in this terrifying linguistic journey.Let’s tryBefore: “If I die, make sure the kids know I loved them.”After: “When I die, make sure the kids know I loved them — and also that the router password is taped inside the drawer.”What do you think?Put your thoughts in the comments.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:* YouTube* Facebook* Instagram* X* TikTok* LinkedInSponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM with its unlimited hotspot & data that never expires! Use code LR32K4. Or get 5% off when you sign up with Saily, another global eSIM with a built-in VPN & ad blocker.5. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.6. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!7. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken.8. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!9. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear10. Get nomadic travel insurance from SafetyWing! Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Sym Blanchard & Joan Chan discuss the ups and downs of their parenting journey. They are both around 72 years old. Each had a boy and a girl with their exes.Watch the video of this podcast!They candidly share their mistakes and how things turned out decades later.Timeline00:00 Two parents made 4 children02:00 Sym’s daughter04:20 Teenagers06:00 Cultural difference09:00 Change after 4016:20 Sym’s mistakes21:50 Kids having kidsWhat do you think?Put your thoughts in the comments.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:* YouTube* Facebook* Instagram* X* TikTok* LinkedInSponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM with its unlimited hotspot & data that never expires! Use code LR32K4. Or get 5% off when you sign up with Saily, another global eSIM with a built-in VPN & ad blocker.5. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.6. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!7. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken.8. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!9. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear10. Get nomadic travel insurance from SafetyWing! Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Is grounding & earthing BS?I interview two skeptical elders: Joan Chan & Sym Blanchard.Hear what happened.Watch the video!Timeline00:00 Car accidents04:55 Intro to Earthing08:00 Placebo effect?11:30 The Limits of Grounding14:50 How to startWhat do you think?Put your thoughts in the comments.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:* YouTube* Facebook* Instagram* X* TikTok* LinkedInSponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM with its unlimited hotspot & data that never expires! Use code LR32K4. Or get 5% off when you sign up with Saily, another global eSIM with a built-in VPN & ad blocker.5. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.6. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!7. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken.8. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!9. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear10. Get nomadic travel insurance from SafetyWing! Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Sym Blanchard has appeared on many WanderLearn episodes. In this 3-part series, Sym appears with his sweetheart, Joan Chan.Both are in their early 70s. I love elders because they usually don’t give a f**k what others think of them. They’re the opposite of teenagers. Elders are genuine, transparent, and wise.They’re also human, as this three-part series will reveal. Watch it:Timeline00:00 How they met05:00 First night together8:00 First trip11:00 Downsides of nomads16:00 Relationship managementWhat do you think?Put your thoughts in the comments.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:* YouTube* Facebook* Instagram* X* TikTok* LinkedInSponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM with its unlimited hotspot & data that never expires! Use code LR32K4. Or get 5% off when you sign up with Saily, another global eSIM with a built-in VPN & ad blocker.5. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.6. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!7. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken.8. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!9. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear* Get nomadic travel insurance from SafetyWing! Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Thank you, Sande, my 1,000th Substack subscriber!Naturally, the other 999 of you are equally valuable!Thank you to Adam Gasner for being my first Founding Member and Sym Blanchard for being my first paid member!When you create content, you often feel like you’re speaking to a wall. Even when you have 1,000 Substack subscribers or 4,500 YouTube subscribers, it’s sometimes a lonely endeavor: crickets. Still, I’m grateful for days like today.So, thank you!Next goal: 2,000 subs by August 2026!Francis Tapon Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. Sten Odenwald discusses The Essential Book of Black Holes. See my review of the new book below.But first, watch this video in which I interview Dr. Odenwald about his book!Timeline00:00 Intro2:15 Math & Black Holes5:00 Holographic universe5:50 Hypernova9:05 White holes14:45 Is our universe in a black hole?17:50 Gravity is NOT a force25:45 Galactic Power PlantBook Review of The Essential Book of Black HolesAt 159 pages and 12 chapters, The Essential Book of Black Holes is a literary black hole: deceptively small, absurdly dense, and liable to warp your sense of time until “I’ll just read a few pages” becomes “where did my evening go?”If you’ve ever wanted a NASA astronomer to sit you down and explain black holes without making your brain perform quantum tunneling, this is it.Sten Odenwald walks you through gravity, quantum mechanics, thermodynamics, and even the holographic principle in bite-sized chunks that hit harder than a collapsing star. The language is accessible, which is impressive given the subject matter and slightly suspicious given how much you suddenly think you understand.The format helps with the illusion of safety: 12 short chapters, full color, pretty illustrations, and a neat foil-stamped hardback in the print edition—like a friendly brochure for the end of spacetime. Each chapter is compact enough to read on a commute, but information-dense enough that your neurons may demand hazard pay. It’s marketed as a “pocket volume,” which is appropriate, because it will happily consume every spare pocket of free time you have.As an introduction, it’s almost suspiciously good: clear explanations, focused scope, and just enough cosmological mind-bending to make you question reality without needing a support group. If you’re black-hole-curious and want a fun, manageable plunge into the abyss, this is a stellar gateway drug to modern astrophysics—compact, colourful, and with a gravitational pull that far exceeds its modest 159 pages.VERDICT: 9 out of 10 stars!About Sten OdenwaldSten Odenwald is an American astronomer, author, NASA scientist-educator, and science communicator.He earned his Ph.D. in astronomy from Harvard University in 1982, focusing on accretion disks around supermassive black holes and the far-infrared properties of the Milky Way’s Galactic Center.CareerOdenwald worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Naval Research Laboratory’s Space Sciences Division from 1982 to 1990, contributing to the NASA Cosmic Background Explorer and Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment. Later roles included positions at Sachs Freeman Associates, BDM International, Applied Research Corporation, and Raytheon, with a focus on education outreach for missions like IMAGE and COBE. Since 2005, his research has centered on space weather impacts, such as solar storms on satellites, and he retired from NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center while serving as Director of STEM Resource Development and part of the Heliophysics Education Consortium until 2025.PublicationsHe has authored books like The Astronomy Cafe, The 23rd Cycle, Patterns in the Void, and Back to the Astronomy Cafe, and published over 100 papers, including recent ones on geomagnetic storms, time, and DIY magnetometers.Odenwald runs The Astronomy Cafe, an online resource, and has appeared on media outlets such as Naked Science to promote citizen science and heliophysics education.What do you think?Put your thoughts in the comments.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:* YouTube* Facebook* Instagram* X* TikTok* LinkedInSponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM with its unlimited hotspot & data that never expires! Use code LR32K4. Or get 5% off when you sign up with Saily, another global eSIM with a built-in VPN & ad blocker.5. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.6. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!7. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken.8. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!9. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear* Get nomadic travel insurance from SafetyWing! Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

The term “Global South” is doing a lot of heavy lifting for a geographically illiterate phrase. Australia is in the Global South. So is New Zealand. Both are fabulously wealthy, stable democracies with excellent dental care.Meanwhile, Afghanistan is in the Global North.The “Global South” term was invented by diplomats who needed something that sounded neutral but meant “the countries that got colonized and are still annoyed about it,” which is fair, but the compass metaphor fell apart immediately upon contact with a map.“Developing countries” is perhaps the most optimistic euphemism in the history of language. It implies that Sudan is in some kind of chrysalis phase, about to emerge as a butterfly of prosperity any day now — any decade now — just give it time. Sudan has been “developing” since the term was coined. At some point, you have to admit the butterfly is not coming.“Developed countries” have other problems. It implies completion. South Korea is developed. South Korea is finished. South Korea has arrived. South Korea shouldn’t be considered a “developed” country because it’s still developing . . . at a ferocious pace.”“Third World” is Cold War archaeology. It was coined in 1952 by French demographer Alfred Sauvy to describe countries aligned with neither NATO nor the Soviet bloc — the First and Second Worlds, respectively. The First World was the US alliance. The Second World was the communist bloc. The Third World was everyone else, which included India, Yugoslavia, and Egypt — all countries with ancient civilizations that found it slightly condescending to be ranked third.Then the Soviet Union dissolved, the Second World vanished, and suddenly we had a ranking system with a missing middle tier. Nobody uses “Second World” anymore, so “Third World” just floats there, meaning “poor” by inertia and insult.The best alternative is probably the most boring one: low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries, as classified by the World Bank using GDP per capita thresholds. It is not poetic. Nobody is writing a political manifesto that opens with “the struggle of low-income countries.”But it is at least accurate, updatable, and it doesn’t imply that geography determines destiny or that anyone is finished developing. South Korea can graduate. Sudan’s situation can be described honestly. Australia doesn’t have to share a category with Mozambique because they’re both south of the equator.The runner-up is “majority world,” which at least has the virtue of pointing out that the so-called periphery contains most of the humans. It flips the frame.The Global North, with its confident assumption that it is the default, contains a minority of the world’s population, making the rules for everyone else. “Majority world” is a quiet little power move that geographers occasionally use and that never quite caught on because it makes wealthy nations slightly uncomfortable, which is probably the most honest thing that can be said for it.What do you think?Put your thoughts in the comments.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:* Facebook* X* YouTube* Instagram* TikTok* LinkedIn* Pinterest* TumblrSponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM with its unlimited hotspot & data that never expires! Use code LR32K4. Or get 5% off when you sign up with Saily, another global eSIM with a built-in VPN & ad blocker.5. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.6. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!7. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken.8. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!9. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear10. Get nomadic travel insurance from SafetyWing! Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Rapido Trimarans Founder Paul Koch reveals the truth about their fast trimarans. There are many myths and misunderstandings that Paul seeks to shatter. Listen to this 30-minute interview with one of sailing’s greatest innovators, shot in Vietnam.Watch my interview with Paul Koch of RapidoBackgroundTrimarans are boats with three hulls, whereas catamarans have two hulls, and monohulls have one hull.I have a long-term dream of sailing around the world, so I’m looking for the best boat to make that happen.I’ve crossed monohulls off the list, even though most sailboats are monohulls. Although they have some advantages, I dislike how they heel (tilt) more than multihulls and are the slowest boats.Catamarans are attractive, but trimarans have advantages that cats lack. The interview goes into many of the advantages of a trimaran, so I won’t repeat.Timeline00:00 Foldable trimarans01:00 Speed, tack, & angle advantages02:15 Unsinkable05:25 Sailing Future08:00 High latitude sailing09:50 Why make a boat in Vietnam?12:30 Why are trimarans unpopular?18:30 Rapido future19:45 All-electric boats21:45 Are trimarans hard to sail?24:30 Who should not get a Rapido?26:20 Plans for 203027:00 Paul’s sailing origins29:00 Best tenders and dinghyWhy Rapido is on my shortlist of dream sailboatsI like the Rapido 40, 50, and 53XS.The Rapido Trimaran 50 is my favorite because it features the folding amas and a protected helm (whereas the Rapido 40 has an exposed helm).The Rapido 53XS is also tempting, but I’d like a shorter boat. Already, the 50 is plenty long.In case you’re a boat nerd, here are some other boats I find intriguing...List of contenders* Neel 43 trimaran* Fountaine Pajot Aura 41 Electric* Vaan the R4 Aluminium Electric Catamaran* Outremer’s 4 zero failed, so retrofit a 48-ft Outremer X* HH44* Seawind 1270 has 0.9 meter bridge deck clearance & is made in Vietnam, like Rapido.* Leopard 46 hybrid* Excess 13 performance* Garcia Explocat 52* Island Spirit has an electric drive motor and a genset* Antares 44These aren’t on the list because they’re too expensive, but they’re innovative, all-electric designs* Zen50* Whisper 50* MODX 70This is a long-term goal of mine, so don’t expect me to be sailing next year.If you have sailing experience, let me know! I’d love your advice!What do you think?Put your thoughts in the comments.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:* Facebook* X* YouTube* Instagram* TikTok* LinkedIn* Pinterest* TumblrSponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM with its unlimited hotspot & data that never expires! Use code LR32K4. Or get 5% off when you sign up with Saily, another global eSIM with a built-in VPN & ad blocker.5. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.6. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!7. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken.8. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!9. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear* Get nomadic travel insurance from SafetyWing! Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Warning: this show has spoilers!Watch the video of this podcast:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nd-jGXonSzMTIMELINE00:00 Spoiler01:00 Three positive features02:00 Fatal Flaw 103:30 Fatal Flaw 205:10 Sleep schedules06:00 And then there were 208:00 Confirmation bias10:20 Hal Finney is NOT half of Satoshi18:00 Widows19:33 Benjamin Wallace's 5 points22:00 ConclusionWatch the trailer for Finding Satoshi.In April 2026, Finding Satoshi is the only place where you can see the full movie. I used the code NATALIE and got a small discount (the total price was $14.31 after the coupon). The code may have expired or been used up by the time you read this. It's expensive, but it's a high-end production. Although I disagree with the film's conclusion, I enjoyed watching it. I hope one day it will appear on the streaming services.Benjamin Wallace’s TakeAfter only seeing the trailer, Benjamin Wallace emailed me his first impressions:They interview some of the same people I did, including Will Price (who supervised Hal Finney), Jon Callas (who worked with Finney and was a close friend of Sassaman), and Meredith Patterson (Sassaman’s widow).When I first spoke with Will and Jon, I, too, had a thrilling eureka feeling that I had cracked the mystery.Alas, there were too many confounding factors to remain confident in this theory:1. Len Sassaman was very critical about Bitcoin, and Meredith said the criticism was sincere;2. it’s far from certain that Satoshi’s 2014 “I am not Dorian Nakamoto” message, 3 years after Sassaman’s death, was from a hacked account;3. Jon Callas and Ben Laurie both told me that Sassaman wasn’t a naturally modest person, likely to conceal his involvement in the creation of a revolutionary technology,4. and both Callas and Bram Cohen, creator of BitTorrent and Sassaman’s former roommate, told me they didn’t think Sassaman had the technical chops to create Bitcoin.5. Finally, Sassaman wasn’t a close hit on either prose or code stylometry.The 6 CandidatesAt minute 15, the movie suddenly lays out its six candidates that “journalists and other experts have floated.” It does not explain how they came up with these six Satoshi candidates. They are:1. Adam Back2. Nick Szabo3. Hal Finney4. Len Sassaman5. Paul Le Roux6. Wei DaiAlthough this is an excellent short list, these candidates have been thoroughly scrutinized. Furthermore, all these candidates have strikes against them, making them imperfect matches.FBI’s Kathleen PuckettKathleen Puckett is the FBI agent who figured out who the Unabomber was. I enjoyed her profile of Satoshi. At minute 50, Puckett said Nakamoto was an “independent thinker.”She thinks it’s one person: “There’s no way to keep it private” if there’s more than one person.She said that Bitcoin was an “intellectual exercise for Satoshi,” that he had “no need for social affirmation,” he had “no enthusiasm for money,” and was “modest.”Narrowing the candidatesThe documentary excludes Adam Back, Nick Szabo, and Wei Dai because their online activity times are quite different than Satoshi’s. In short, they are often sleeping when Satoshi is active and vice versa.Len repeatedly bashed Bitcoin, but the film says this was a ruse.The documentary labels Hal Finney’s RPOW a “precursor to bitcoin.”58 min: Will Price says that “RPOW is as close to bitcoin as anything can possibly be,” which is complete b******t and hyperbole.Perplexity.ai on Will Price’s claim:It is fair to say RPOW was one of the closest conceptual ancestors of Bitcoin, especially in its use of proof of work for digital money. It is not accurate to say it was “as close as anything can possibly be” unless that is being used as loose praise rather than a technical claim.”If you mean “closest in overall Bitcoin-like design,” the best ranking is Bit Gold, b-money, RPOW, and Hashcash.Min 59: Hal Finney doesn’t write white papers.Min 61: They play a recording of Hal where he says, “I’m making this recording mostly I want people in the future to hear my voice and maybe something of my story.”So while he’s humble, there was a part of him who wanted immortality or at least to be remembered for who he was and what he accomplished: his story. If he created Bitcoin, it would be his greatest accomplishment and most impressive part of his story. Why wouldn’t he mention it when he was dying? Yet even when he could only communicate by blinking his eyes, he still denied being Satoshi. When his wife asked him, he also denied it.Min 105: Olivia Dillan, VP of PGP, Inc., said, “[Hal Finney] wanted to change the world, and he wanted a legacy.”Hal Finney was making no commits at PGP for two months, right when Bitcoin was about to be released. Will Price, “What was he working on? I think it was Bitcoin.”Bitcoin’s code looks like Hal Finney’s, but Hal “stuck some things in the code to throw you off,” the documentary claims.Satoshi was emailing bitcoin developer Mike Hearn while Hal Finney was running a 10-mile race, says Jameson Lopp. That proves Hal wasn’t Satoshi. The documentary bypasses this problem by claiming that Hal’s co-conspirator, Len Sasserman, was wearing Satoshi’s mask at that moment, as he represented Satoshi’s prose, whereas Hal represented Satoshi’s C++ coding, according to the film. Quite a claim!WTF!Hal Finney told Jon Callas, “Why would I deny Satoshi if I were Satoshi? I have a fatal disease. There’s no reason in the world to deny it because I’m not going to be around in two or three years. No, I’m not Satoshi.”“At the time,” Callas says, “I interpreted that as a non-denial and I interpreted it as a YES.”This ludicrous. Hal Finney gives the most emphatic, compelling denial he can muster, and Callas concludes that Hal was saying the opposite of what he was saying.ConspiraciesThe film claims that coding in C++ provided “additional cover” for Hal.Len bashed Bitcoin publicly to also throw people off.Stylometric anonymity theory: When the stylometry is an imperfect fit, the solution is easy: Satoshi purposefully mixed his stylometric ticks to cover his tracks. How convenient! Now, almost anyone can be Satoshi.Occam’s Razor revolts against all these convoluted claims that amount to a liberal use of confirmation bias.ConclusionAt the end of the movie, Will Price says that Hal was “one of the creators of Bitcoin.”Yes, that’s true, in a broad sense, in that he created RPOW, one of the raw components of Bitcoin. It’s like someone invented the wheel, and you later say that he was one of the creators of the car. Yes, in a way, that’s true. But not really.Many complex technological inventions demand that someone synthesize and marry various components. Think of the plane, car, telephone, rockets, and the iPhone. That doesn’t make one of the component makers a co-inventor of that invention.The final words prove the documentary wrong. The investigators confirm that neither of the widows (Fran and Meredith) has the private keys to move the Bitcoin. How likely is it that BOTH widows lack the keys when both had healthy marriages? If you had millions, wouldn’t you want your wife to keep it? Yes, the widows could be lying, but the investigators are confident that they are not.Second, Fran reaffirms that Hal was NOT Satoshi and that he would lie to her when he denied being Satoshi.Ironically, these final words of the documentary unravel the entire film. These powerful words blow down the house of cards they’ve constructed. Together, these two screenshots say:* The expert investigators are convinced that the “Satoshi widows” do not have Satoshi’s Bitcoin keys.* This implies that both Satoshis (Hal & Len) lost, destroyed, or hid their keys from their beloved wives or that their wives are outstanding liars, convincing the investigators who would love to catch them in a lie to strengthen their theory. All this is highly implausible.* Fran is certain Hal was not Satoshi or that he mined one million BTC.* Fran is convinced Hal would not have a second identity.* Therefore, Hal was not Satoshi (or part of Satoshi) and did not secretly collude with him.* And without Hal doing the coding, that leaves Len doing nothing, unless you believe Len’s coding partner was another person.In short, Finding Satoshi, while entertaining and fascinating, is utterly wrong.What do you think?Leave anonymous audio feedback at https://speakpipe.com/ftaponMore infoYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at https://ftapon.substack.comSubscribe and share! On social media, my username is always ftapon. Follow me on:https://facebook.com/ftaponhttps://x.com/ftaponhttps://instagram.com/ftaponhttps://youtube.com/user/ftaponhttps://tiktok.com/ftaponhttps://pinterest.com/ftaponhttps://tumblr.com/ftaponSPONSORS1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!https://www.referyourchasecard.com/19t/XV4QB83L9A3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM! Use code LR32Khttps://roamless.com4. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/refer/RAF280959/?utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=refer-a-friend&utm_campaign=refer-a-friend5. Start your own podcast with the same company I use, Podbean, and get one month free!https://www.podbean.com/ftapon6. Trade crypto with Krakenhttps://r.kraken.com/c/2226643/687189/10583 7. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!https://accounts.binance.com/en/register?ref=LWXFYQOS8. Get the Ledger crypto hardware wallet:https://shop.ledger.com/?r=a673bccc27829. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear:https://www.gossamergear.com/?rfsn=2024242.1f81510. Get nomadic travel insurance from SafetyWing!https://safetywing.com/?referenceID=ftapon&utm_source=ftapon&utm_medium=Ambassador Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

See the video:https://youtu.be/3kGTgRjpcRwLast week, John Carreyrou and Dylan Freedman of The New York Times reported that Satoshi Nakamoto is Adam Back.Read the full New York Times article (and to bypass the NYT paywall legally).Or if you have a NYT subscription, read the original.Last year, I interviewed Benjamin Wallace about his remarkable book, "The Mysterious Mr. Nakamoto." Watch the interview:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0KVOcLJe50X post by a pro programmer comparing Adam Back's code with Satoshi Nakamoto's code, circa 2008.My video mentions: https://x.com/JohnCarreyrouhttps://x.com/BenJWallaceAt the start of the NYT Daily podcast, Carreyrou said he is "99.5% and 100%" sure Satoshi is Adam Back.That surprised me for two reasons:1. I respect Carreyrou's reporting. He's best known for unmasking Elizabeth Holmes, proving she was a deceptive crook. Carreyrou is a brilliant reporter. He's not into hyperbole. If he says he's 99.75% sure, we must pay attention.2. I also respect Benjamin Wallace's reporting, especially regarding Nakamoto. Wallace has spent probably ten times more time researching Satoshi than Carreyrou has. And Wallace is unconvinced that Adam Back is Satoshi. Wallace thinks Adam could be Satoshi, but he's confident that Satoshi is someone else. Adam is not one of Wallace's top two candidates. Indeed, on WanderLearn Show, Wallace said there's "more than a 50% chance" that Satoshi is none of the dozens of candidates he evaluated in his book. Therefore, we have a dilemma. Whom should we believe: Carreyrou or Wallace? Both are outstanding reporters.Wallace and I exchanged emails after the NYT's declaration. He's busy reporting, so he didn't have time to appear on the podcast again this month, but his book explains why Wallace is unconvinced that Adam Back is Nakamoto.Although the NYT used stylometry to match Back & Satoshi based on their writing in bitcoin forums, the NYT did not use it to match their programming stylometry, whereas Wallace did. Programmers, like English prose writers, have style tics. Adam Back's programming style does not match Satoshi's. Some observers argue that the code style does not line up cleanly. A few commentators described Back’s code as looking like typical academic Unix-programmer code, while Satoshi’s looked more like the work of a professional software engineer, suggesting stylistic differences rather than a strong match. Let’s review his points:Page 27:Amir Taaki told Wallace, “Adam has a consistent style across his projects. His style does not match Satoshi’s.”“Amir elaborated that Back followed standard programming conventions, wrote in C, and was a Unix/Linux programmer, while Nakamoto was stylistically erratic, wrote in C++, and was a Windows guy. Back was also known at the time as a privacy absolutist, someone likely to balk at Bitcoin’s anonymity trade-offs.... I also thought it implausibly clumsy for someone trying to elude detection, who’d cited only a handful of precedents, to include his own work among them.”On the other hand, Carreyrou’s article says:“And Back’s thesis project focused on C++ — the same programming language Satoshi used to code the first version of the bitcoin software.”Everyone agrees that Satoshi wrote in C++, but Wallace says Back wrote in C, while Carreyrou says that Back’s PhD thesis focused on C++.Naturally, both could be correct: Adam Back may be fluent in C and C++. The language he uses may depend on what kind of application he is writing.C and C++ overlap heavily in low-level systems programming.Non-programmers like these two journalists may overestimate the importance of these two similar programming languages.This programmer examined Back’s & Satoshi’s code and concluded that they are quite different coding styles. Adam Back chimed in on the X thread:Wei Dei doesn’t think Adam Back is Nakamoto.Page 38:“I don’t think [Satoshi] is anyone I know,” Wei continued, regarding Nakamoto, “since he apparently invented Bitcoin independently and was not aware of my b-money article until Adam Back pointed it out to him.”If Adam & Satoshi were the same person, Wei’s statement would be odd.But maybe Adam Back did that to throw off cybersleuths like Wallace 15 years later.Wallace addresses this cloak-and-dagger theory on page 99:“All of this assumed both an elaborate campaign of misdirection at a time when there was no particular reason to assume Bitcoin would succeed, and a ham-handed impersonation by Nick [Szabo] of someone who wasn’t him.”On page 160, Wallace addresses Barely Sociable’s YouTube Channel, whose 3-part video expose reached the same conclusion as the NYT years before the NYT.Ex-cypherpunk Jon Callas said, “The primary argument against Adam Back is he couldn’t keep his mouth shut.”In other words, Satoshi was a recluse, whereas Back was an extrovert.Page 183:To believe Adam Back was Satoshi, “you needed to swallow the inconvenient fact of Nakamoto, an all-time OPSEC champ, naming his own work among just eight citations in the Bitcoin white paper.”Page 250:Ray Dillinger destroyed his hard drive and correspondence with Satoshi and “he thought Nakamoto was likely to have done something similar. ‘His OPSEC was flawless. He would not leave evidence.’”Yet Adam Back kept (and shared) all his Satoshi correspondence for the Craig Wright trial.StylometryAlthough the NYT used stylometry to match Back & Satoshi based on their writing in bitcoin forums, the NYT did not use it to match their programming stylometry, whereas Wallace did.Programmers, like English prose writers, have style tics. Adam Back’s programming style does not match Satoshi’s.Some observers argue that the code style does not line up cleanly. A few commentators described Back’s code as looking like typical academic Unix-programmer code, while Satoshi’s looked more like the work of a professional software engineer, suggesting stylistic differences rather than a strong match.Carreyrou writes, “In short, Back envisioned nearly every facet of bitcoin — and used the same rationalization as Satoshi to excuse its main flaw — a decade before bitcoin was created.”So what?Telephone. Before Bell’s practical telephone, Charles Bourseul had already suggested transmitting sound electrically.Tesla predicted wireless transmission of voice, documents, music, and video, which reads strikingly like a description of later radio and smartphone-era capabilities.The pattern is usually this: people first identify a capability that would be valuable, then later inventors find the engineering path to make it real. So a precursor may “list the attributes” an invention needs long before the full machine exists, but that is different from creating the breakthrough itself.What this means for the Bitcoin argumentThat is why “Back anticipated many Bitcoin design features” is interesting but not decisive by itself. Invention history is full of cases where someone saw the direction early, yet the later creator still had to solve the hard implementation problems and combine the pieces into a working system.Carreyrou makes a big deal that Back pointed out the key features that bitcoin needed to have 10 years before it came out as evidence that he is Satoshi.However, it could prove the opposite: if Back knew what needed to be done 10 years before it happened, why did he wait 10 years to do it? Maybe another person, Satoshi, needed to come along to make it happen. Charles Bourseul didn’t invent the phone.Carreyrou asked Back for the metadata of his emails with Satoshi. Adam ghosted him. Carreyrou wondered, “But why? With the precautions Satoshi had taken, what was there to even hide? Unless Satoshi had made some sort of mistake?”Probably not. The most likely explanation is that Adam Back is sick & tired of detectives annoying him about Satoshi. Why should he spend the hour it would take to dig up the metadata of all those 20-year-old emails when he’s busy trying to take his company public? He’s got better things to do with his time is a far more likely explanation than the metadata being revealing.The NYT cites Wallace’s book, which observes that “Back was a privacy absolutist and bitcoin’s privacy features were weak.”Carreyrou countered: “Back had spent the past decade at Blockstream pioneering innovations to strengthen bitcoin’s privacy, which I felt weakened that argument considerably.”Not exactly. Wallace’s point is that had Adam created BTC, he would have made it robustly private from the start.Satoshi Nakamoto’s MotivationsIn the first two minutes of the Daily podcast, John Carreyrou wonders:“Who is this person who has upended our financial landscape? What was motivating him? What caused him to create this decentralized electronic currency?”At minute 48 of the Daily podcast, Carreyrou asks Back, “ Isn’t there a public interest there in knowing what the motivations were for creating this?Once Bitcoin has accumulated enough users, infrastructure, liquidity, and mindshare, Nakamoto’s motives don’t change Bitcoin’s present behavior in any direct way. In that sense, BTC does have a life of its own, because its value and persistence are now strongly tied to network effects rather than to the creator’s private intentions.Finally, I’m puzzled why Carreyrou is wondering what Nakamoto’s motivations were. Carreyrou has done an outstanding job answering that question through his investigative reporting: Nakamoto was motivated to create an ecash that could replace our fiat monetary system. Like Back, Nakamoto was a Libertarian or anarcho-capitalist. Nakamoto wrote about his motivations and philosophy on various online forums and emails.One of Satoshi’s biggest motivations and dreams is in the title of the Bitcoin White Paper:Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash SystemSatoshi failed: Nakamoto’s original aim was peer-to-peer electronic cash for everyday payments. Bitcoin’s present role is now shaped by what the network has become, not by what he hoped it would become. The white paper does show that the original design goal was exactly a peer-to-peer electronic cash system for direct online payments.Carreyrou is suffering from the Dunning-Kruger effect: he hasn’t studied it enough.Carreyrou thinks he knows more than he does. Too confident. He’s at the summit of Mount Stupid.Wallace is more humble, leaving the Valley of Despair and slowly marching up the long Slope of Enlightenment.What do you think?Put your thoughts in the comments.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:* Facebook* X* YouTube* Instagram* TikTok* LinkedIn* Pinterest* TumblrSponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM with its unlimited hotspot & data that never expires! Use code LR32K4. Or get 5% off when you sign up with Saily, another global eSIM with a built-in VPN & ad blocker.5. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.6. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!7. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken.8. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!9. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear10. Get nomadic travel insurance from SafetyWing! Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Corporations are often seen as evil, selfish entities. We overlook that they allow billions of parents to feed, educate, and heal their kids. Jobs also generate taxes that allow governments to build roads, hospitals, and schools. Taxes fund welfare and protect national parks.None of this would be possible (or at least easy) without corporations.Don’t believe me? Consider humanity before corporations. Our global standard of living was far lower than today.Still don’t believe me?Listen or watch this episode with Sawyer CEO Kurt Avery.https://youtu.be/yAzYx2psyXQBuy his book, Sawyer Think.Timeline00:00 Sawyer’s charitable actions05:00 Sawyer Think book10:00 Protecting Against Bugs12:20 Origin Story17:00 Burning off the COGs19:00 The Why20:30 Decision Matrix22:55 Math Trap27:10 Final AdviceIf you’re a backpacker, you’ve heard of Sawyer & probably used their filters.In this show, Kurt Avery explains what he’s been doing for decades through his company. It might surprise even the most cynical of you out there. It might give you a bit of hope for humanity, too.If this episode inspires you, consider giving to the Sawyer Foundation.Or, if you want a win-win, buy their Sawyer’s products online or at your local retailer. A portion of Sawyer’s profits always goes to charity.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:* Facebook* X* YouTube* Instagram* TikTok* LinkedIn* Pinterest* TumblrSponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM with its unlimited hotspot & data that never expires! Use code LR32K4. Or get 5% off when you sign up with Saily, another global eSIM with a built-in VPN & ad blocker.5. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.6. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!7. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken.8. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!9. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Sometimes a brief meeting with one human can change your life. Lauren Speeth, President of Elphenworks Productions, met US President Jimmy Carter decades ago.Watch!Lauren Speeth, PhD, combines a lifelong background in Silicon Valley technology with a commitment to educational, pro‑social storytelling. A classically trained violinist and longtime member emeritus of The Peninsula Symphony’s first violin section, she is also a voting member of The Recording Academy and has produced films and media projects that address poverty, inequality, and the climate crisis while aiming to foster hope.Her work in social impact has led to advisory roles with leading institutions: she serves as an External Advisor to Stanford’s Center on Poverty and Inequality, where she helped architect the Center’s first website and co-orchestrated its launch with a Concert for Hope, and she is a Lifetime Member of the Board of Councilors at The Carter Center. In higher education, she has held positions as a Regent Emeritus of Saint Mary’s College of California and has taught and lectured widely in management, statistics, computer science, and social entrepreneurship, including ongoing involvement with Bakke Graduate University.Speeth’s activism and philanthropy were shaped in part through a mentoring relationship with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, whom she came to know through her deep engagement with The Carter Center.As a Life Member of its Board of Councilors, she sought guidance from Carter while framing the mission and operating principles of The Elfenworks Foundation; during these conversations, he encouraged her to “risk failure for worthy causes,” advice that helped her define the foundation’s core pillars of having a clear vision, working in partnership, avoiding duplication, sharing credit, measuring results, and staying the course.Speeth has since carried Carter’s counsel into her writing and public speaking, including her book Taking the Stairs and Liking It: 7 Steps to an Amazing Life, which draws directly on his wisdom along with her own research and global experience.I bought the book & it’s only 99 cents on Amazon.Timeline00:00 Jimmy Carter meeting13:00 How to get feedback16:30 StaminaConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:* Facebook* X* YouTube* Instagram* TikTok* LinkedIn* Pinterest* TumblrSponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM with its unlimited hotspot & data that never expires! Use code LR32K4. Or get 5% off when you sign up with Saily, another global eSIM with a built-in VPN & ad blocker.5. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.6. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!7. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken.8. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!9. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Watch this interview to enjoy the b-rollhttps://youtu.be/35UMP6SV-zwHal makes informative videos about Vietnam.1st video of the series:Subscribe to Hal's outstanding YouTube channelB-Roll credit: @HalOnEarthTimeline00:00 Do The Vietnamese Like China More Than The USA?03:20 Learning the Vietnamese language05:00 YouTube channel goals07:00 What Hal Loves & Hates about Vietnam10:00 Sexism in Vietnam?13:00 Religion14:45 Educational system19:00 Vietnam's futureHal's videos mentioned in the interview:SE Asia 30 years agoConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:FacebookXYouTubeInstagramTikTokLinkedInPinterestTumblrSponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM with its unlimited hotspot & data that never expires! Use code LR32K4. Or get 5% off when you sign up with Saily, another global eSIM with a built-in VPN & ad blocker.5. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.6. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!7. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken.8. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!9. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear. Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Watch the video version of this podcastHal makes informative videos about Vietnam.See my previous video with him:Subscribe to Hal's outstanding YouTube channel. ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:* Facebook* X* YouTube* Instagram* TikTok* LinkedIn* Pinterest* TumblrSponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM with its unlimited hotspot & data that never expires! Use code LR32K4. Or get 5% off when you sign up with Saily, another global eSIM with a built-in VPN & ad blocker.5. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.6. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!7. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken.8. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!9. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Hal makes informative videos about Vietnam.Watch the video of this podcasthttps://youtu.be/RFcLm9fe4a0Hal gets credit for the B-roll in the video!Subscribe to Hal's outstanding YouTube channel.Timeline00:00 Who is Hal Medrano?04:00 Pittsburgh, PA06:30 Why Hal Returned to Vietnam08:00 Hal On Earth ChannelHal's videos mentioned in the interview:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fo0mkcMbDHISE Asia 30 years agoConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:* Facebook* X* YouTube* Instagram* TikTok* LinkedIn* Pinterest* TumblrSponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM with its unlimited hotspot & data that never expires! Use code LR32K4. Or get 5% off when you sign up with Saily, another global eSIM with a built-in VPN & ad blocker.5. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.6. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!7. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken.8. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!9. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Jost Kobusch, a 32-year-old German mountaineer who summited Denali in winter, is attempting what some experts give a 1% chance of success: he wants to summit Everest in winter, alone, without supplemental oxygen, and following a rarely climbed route, the dangerous West Ridge.https://youtube.com/watch?v=b1QtNL4CqJoIn this WanderLearn Show, Jost discusses his overall goal, the extreme winter conditions at Everest’s altitude, being blown off the mountain on past attempts, why he chose the West Ridge, details on route maps, filming mishaps, rope use, when he might change his plan, the story of Mallory and Irvine, and what it would mean if he died after summiting.Timeline00:00 Jost’s goal01:00 Everest is 9,000 meters in winter06:00 Blown off the mountain07:20 Why West Ridge Route?08:23 Map of Route13:25 Filming Disasters19:00 How Jost uses rope21:00 When would he change?23:30 Mallory & Irvine24:30 What if he dies after summitting?26:30 Follow JostCreditsIn the video interview, you’ll see some b-roll from the following sources: ALONE video: 3D Everest MapJost Photos by Daniel HugIn my next interview with Jost, what would you like me to ask him? Put it in the comments!Here are my future questions for Jost:- Will you fly down the mountain? (He loves to paraglide off mountains.)- Why not do the route alone during May-June first as a proof of concept?ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:* Facebook* X* YouTube* Instagram* TikTok* LinkedIn* Pinterest* TumblrSponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM with its unlimited hotspot & data that never expires! Use code LR32K4. Or get 5% off when you sign up with Saily, another global eSIM with a built-in VPN & ad blocker.5. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.6. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!7. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken.8. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!9. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear. Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

I bumped into Erik while visiting Big Basin National Park in Nevada, USA. He's been a nomad, living out of his Subaru on a modest budget, and vlogging about his experience. He shows us how he does it.youtu.be/BhUD0pjITsUhttps://youtu.be/BhUD0pjITsUFollow Erik's YouTube channel Why Erik Ditched His Teardrop TrailerLoneliest American RoadCREDIT FOR THE TWO EMBEDDED VIDEOS:Kenai Pop-Up Truck Camper Tour - Scout CampersOverland Ready! 2024 Toyota Tacoma with Kimbo Camper Walkaround - Salty Gears Off Road Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. Isabelle Morley is a couples therapist and author of "They're Not Gaslighting You."https://youtu.be/cPahcRnG_FgThe kiss cam moment exposes much more than a couple’s private drama—it reveals how we judge, label, and punish one another in the court of public opinion. In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Isabelle Morley to unpack why cheating feels unforgivable to most people, how labels and “therapy-speak” get weaponized online, and what gaslighting really looks like beyond the memes. We also explore when it makes sense to set boundaries, walk away from toxic situations, or hire a therapist instead of relying on social media for armchair diagnosis.00:00 Kiss Cam Scandal05:00 Why is cheating unforgivable for most people?10:00 Why do people label?11:20 Gaslighting13:48 When attacked?15:15 When to quit16:45 When do you hire a therapist18:30 Using therapy-speak20:30 Bounderies22:15 ADHD BookWatch the first time I interview Dr. Morley:youtube.com/watch?v=rPm8U3P_GLg Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

WanderLearn explores travel, tech, and transformation. This is a tech-related episode.Aleksandar Svetski is the CEO of Satlantis.io, which began as a travel app but has pivoted toward events, including travel-related events.Satlantis is a new kind of social network for “Sovereign Individuals.” It aims to become the go-to place for people who want more out of life and refuse to conform to the mainstream.Satlantis is part map, part directory, part aggregator, and part social app. Imagine elements of Instagram, Google Places, Meetup, TripAdvisor, NomadList, and Facebook Groups, but built for the next era.They’re using Nostr, which is crucial to creating a user-centered internet. Timeline00:00 What is Satlantis.io?08:45 BTC Lightning payments14:00 Who is adopting it?16:00 Stablecoins on BTC in 202617:30 Vision of 203021:30 Free events24:00 Vision of 2026 ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:* Facebook* X* YouTube* Instagram* TikTok* LinkedIn* Pinterest* TumblrSponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM with its unlimited hotspot & data that never expires! Use code LR32K4. Or get 5% off when you sign up with Saily, another global eSIM with a built-in VPN & ad blocker.5. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.6. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!7. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken.8. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!9. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear. Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. Robert Edwards, author of The Last Step but One, proposes 5 hypotheses about Mallory and Irvine’s final ascent of Everest.Two of the hypotheses have sub-hypotheses, bringing the total number of conjectures to 8.Robert Edwards's Mallory & Irvine book.Watch the YouTube videoTimeline00:00 Hypothesis 106:10 Hypothesis 209:00 Hypothesis 312:20 Hypothesis 4.119:30 Hypothesis 4.223:00 Hypothesis 5.125:35 Hypothesis 5.228:30 Hypothesis 5.331:50 ReflectionsDISCLOSURE: I used AI to generate the thumbnail for this video. So if you're wondering why the image is inaccurate, you'll know why.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:* Facebook* Twitter* YouTube* Instagram* TikTok* LinkedIn* Pinterest* TumblrSponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM with its unlimited hotspot & data that never expires! Use code LR32K4. Or get 5% off when you sign up with Saily, another global eSIM with a built-in VPN & ad blocker.5. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.6. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!7. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken.8. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!9. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear. Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

It’s easier to watch the episode because of all the slides. The comments on YouTube will be interesting to read, too!TIMELINE00:00 Exclusive announcement!05:00 What we know10:30 Odell sighting14:00 Ice ax17:00 Oxygen bottle19:25 Mallory's body23:45 Irvine's boot29:30 What we do NOT knowRobert Edwards’s Mallory & Irvine bookDISCLOSURE: I used AI to generate this video's thumbnail. So if you're wondering why the image is inaccurate, you'll know why.On the 100th anniversary of George Mallory and Sandy Irvine's death on Mount Everest, I interviewed Dr. Robert Edwards, author of Mallory, Irvine, and Everest: The Last Step But One, which reexamined their mysterious story in detail.Watch my original interview with Dr. Edwards, my most popular interview in 2024. It provides an excellent background for today's interview.Dr. Edwards went on the WanderLearn Show to discuss Jimmy Chin's surprising October 2024 announcement that he found Andrew Comyn Irvine's foot! Andrew Irvine's nickname was Sandy.WATCHNational Geographic sponsored the expedition and announced the momentous news. The rest of Sandy's body has not been found yet.Sandy died 100 years ago. In 1960, Chinese climber Wang Fuzhou claimed he spotted a dead European climber who had to be Sandy Irvine. Assuming that sighting was accurate, nobody has seen Irvine since then ... until now.Famed mountaineer and photographer Jimmy Chin found Sandy's foot inside the 100-year-old boot. Robert Edwards wrote his initial impressions of Sandy's discovery on Goodreads. In this interview, we delve into greater detail, including the map Dr. Edwards made.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:* Facebook* X* YouTube* Instagram* TikTok* LinkedIn* Pinterest* TumblrSponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM with its unlimited hotspot & data that never expires! Use code LR32K4. Or get 5% off when you sign up with Saily, another global eSIM with a built-in VPN & ad blocker.5. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.6. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!7. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken.8. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!9. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear. Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Buy Dan’s book, Waterborne.Dan Rubinstein undertakes a 1,200‑mile solo stand‑up paddleboarding journey from Ottawa through Montreal, New York City, Toronto, and back, traveling rivers, lakes, and canals over ten weeks.Along the way, he explores the concept of “blue space”—how being in, on, or near water can promote healing, enhance mental and physical health, and foster care for the natural world—while meeting a diverse range of people connected to these waterways.Blending research, interviews, and a reflective, anticolonial adventure narrative, the book argues that water can reconnect fractured communities and help address modern social and environmental challenges without requiring an epic expedition.Video 2: Surprises00:00 Quitting02:00 SurprisesConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:* Facebook* Twitter* YouTube* Instagram* TikTok* LinkedIn* Pinterest* TumblrSponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM with its unlimited hotspot & data that never expires! Use code LR32K4. Or get 5% off when you sign up with Saily, another global eSIM with a built-in VPN & ad blocker.5. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.6. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!7. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken.8. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!9. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear. Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

In this two-part interview, Canadian Dan Rubinstein discusses the logistics and surprises of his stand-up paddleboard (SUP) journey!Buy Dan’s book, Water Borne.Dan Rubinstein undertakes a 1,200‑mile solo stand‑up paddleboarding journey from Ottawa through Montreal, New York City, Toronto, and back, traveling rivers, lakes, and canals over ten weeks.Along the way, he investigates the idea of “blue space”—how being in, on, or near water can heal, improve mental and physical health, and inspire care for the natural world—while meeting a wide range of people connected to these waterways.Blending research, interviews, and a reflective, anticolonial adventure narrative, the book argues that water can reconnect fractured communities and help address modern social and environmental challenges without requiring an epic expedition.00:00 Gear selection05:00 Route selection07:00 Campsite selectionConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my Substack newsletter.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:* Facebook* Twitter* YouTube* Instagram* TikTok* LinkedIn* Pinterest* TumblrSponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM with its unlimited hotspot & data that never expires! Use code LR32K4. Or get 5% off when you sign up with Saily, another global eSIM with a built-in VPN & ad blocker.5. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.6. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!7. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken.8. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!9. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear. Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

I made several gloomy predictions for 2025 that did not occur.So, now, like a lousy gambler, I am doubling down on those gloomy predictions and reiterating some of them for 2026!A broken clock is correct twice a day! I will be a glorious Nostradamus in 2026!1. Global recession strikes.I incorrectly predicted that we’d have a recession in 2025, so how about 2026? I asked Perplexity.ai, and most experts say my prediction is wrong. Screw them. I say that the US unemployment rate will rise above 7%. Tariffs send the world into a downward spiral.2. Renewables Overtake Coal as Top Global Power Source.Renewables will generate over 6,000 terrawatts, more than at any other time in history, and surpassing coal for the first time.3. Bitcoin revisits its 300-week moving average.BTC’s bear market deepens. Bitcoin’s 2025 peak was approximately $125k, so it must drop by at least 50%, meaning it will likely dip below $70k, and possibly as low as $50k, which is near its current 300-week moving average.Many analysts think the 200-week moving average represented the floor of BTC’s price, but with diminishing returns, the new floor is the 300-week moving average, which BTC tagged in March 2020 and crossed in November 2022. All bear markets must now cross the 300-week moving average, not just the 200-week.By the end of 2026, BTC will be climbing back from its cycle low, but it won’t revisit $100k in 2026 (except maybe in the first quarter).4. One in four light vehicle sales will be electric.Although electric car sales in the USA may decline, the rest of the world will continue adopting them aggressively, reaching an all-time high in market share.5. Democrats win back the US House of RepresentativesMidterm elections are rarely good news for the incumbent US President.6. Republicans retain the Senate.A divided Congress plagues the lame-duck period of Trump’s final term.7. MSTR drops 80% from its all-time high and dips to $100.In 2025, Strategy was once worth $543. In 2026, it will be worth $100.8. Humans will revisit the Moon in a flyby.NASA will successfully launch the Artemis II mission, sending four astronauts around the moon in the first crewed lunar mission since 1972. They will NOT land on the Moon.9. I’ll finish The Unseen Africa.I’ll stay in Chile until it’s done!To see my previous forecasts, check out my predictions for 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025.FeedbackEmail me at [email protected] or leave an anonymous voicemail that I could use on the podcast at Speakpipe.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at https://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share!On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:* Facebook* Twitter* YouTube* Instagram* TikTok* LinkedIn* Pinterest* TumblrSponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM with its unlimited hotspot & data that never expires! Use code LR32K4. Or get 5% off when you sign up with Saily, another global eSIM with a built-in VPN & ad blocker.5. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.6. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!7. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken.8. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!9. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear. Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

In Part 1, Forbes Contributor Clem Chambers predicted that Bitcoin & crypto will continue being a bear market throughout 2026. In Part 2, Chambers predicts the NASDAQ & AI will surge up like a balloon, and then will pop, with prices crashing in 2026-2028.Clem’s Bitcoin PredictionsChambers says that either BTC will “never” get to $1 million or it will get there in 12 years. Specifically, he breaks down its future rise in these steps:$250k in 2030$500k in 2034$1 million in 2038Connect with Clem* Clem Chambers Alpha channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ClemChambersAlpha* X (Twitter): https://x.com/ClemChambers​* Personal site: https://www.clemchambers.com* LinkedIn (Online Blockchain / ADVFN profile): https://uk.linkedin.com/in/clem-chambers-756145196​* Facebook profile: https://www.facebook.com/chambers.clem/​ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter athttps://wanderlearn.comIf you like this podcast, subscribe and share!On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:* Facebook* Twitter* YouTube* Instagram* TikTok* LinkedIn* Pinterest* TumblrSponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM with its unlimited hotspot & data that never expires! Use code LR32K4. Or get 5% off when you sign up with Saily, another global eSIM with a built-in VPN & ad blocker.5. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.6. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!7. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken8. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!9. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear. Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Clem Chambers has been a Forbes contributor for 20 years. His predictions have often been surprisingly accurate, so it’s worth listening to what his crystal ball has to say about 2026.VideoConnect with Clem* Clem Chambers Alpha channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ClemChambersAlpha* X (Twitter): https://x.com/ClemChambers​* Personal site: https://www.clemchambers.com * LinkedIn (Online Blockchain / ADVFN profile): https://uk.linkedin.com/in/clem-chambers-756145196​* Facebook profile: https://www.facebook.com/chambers.clem/​Perplexity wrote...Clem Chambers has generally predicted a capped upside for Bitcoin this cycle around the low‑hundred‑thousands, followed by a sharp “crypto winter” pullback, with much higher long‑term potential over multiple halvings.​Key cycle targets* In a 2024 article, he suggested that after breaking the old 60k~60k 60k high, a reasonable peak for this halving cycle would be around 120,000 USD, using a simple “previous peak × 2 after halving” rule of thumb.​* In late 2024, he wrote that moves from 100,000 toward about 110,000–120,000 USD still looked “sensible,” while 150,000 was “not impossible” but more stretched for this cycle.​* In late 2024, commentary quoted by financial media, he said Bitcoin might top out near 120,000 USD and that he had exited around 100,000, expecting the current cycle to be near its peak.​Downside and crash scenarios* In mid‑2023 roundtable comments, he floated a possible downside as low as 13,000 USD in a bearish scenario, but said a more likely level for that bear phase was around 25,000 USD by the end of 2023.​* In a 2025 Forbes piece on crash scenarios, he discussed how far Bitcoin could fall from its then‑high around 126,000 USD, describing a roughly 30% drop to below 90,000 as part of an expected post‑peak correction within the halving‑driven cycle framework.​* In a 2025 Kitco/iHeart interview, he warned of an imminent “crypto winter” that could push Bitcoin back into roughly the 40,000–60,000 USD range after the current cycle peak.​Longer‑term views* Chambers has repeatedly framed Bitcoin as “digital exit gold,” arguing that the four‑year halving cycle tends to drive a rough doubling of price each time, which in his view supports the idea of much higher prices over multiple future cycles rather than a straight line to extreme targets in this one.​* In a 2025 debate, he allowed that Bitcoin could reach very high levels, such as 1 million USD per coin, but only over a much longer horizon—on the order of a decade and multiple halvings—rather than in the current 2024–2025 bull phase.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at https://wanderlearn.comIf you like this podcast, subscribe and share!On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:* Facebook* Twitter* YouTube* Instagram* TikTok* LinkedIn* Pinterest* TumblrSponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM with its unlimited hotspot & data that never expires! Use code LR32K4. Or get 5% off when you sign up with Saily, another global eSIM with a built-in VPN & ad blocker.5. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.6. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!7. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken.8. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!9. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear. Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Sym Blanchard and I have a lively, informal discussion. Think of it as eavesdropping on a debate between long-time friends. Yes, I talk over and interrupt Sym, which is unprofessional for a typical interview, but meant to be a natural, fast-paced conversation.00:00 Te Araroa09:40 Koreas uniting14:00 ShakespeareScott Williams, a hiking buddy of Sym and me, disagrees with Sym about the Te Araroa trail. Unlike Sym, Scott hiked almost all of it. Subscribe to get his take in 2026!More from SymIf you enjoy this philosophical episode, listen to the dozen episodes with Sym Blanchard!In 2025, I catch up with one of the most remarkable 72-year-olds you’ll ever meet, Sym Blanchard!This page features five episodes starring Sym.Listen to all the episodes featuring Sym Blanchard since 2018!* A 66-year-old Adventurer Shows How To Live A Meaningful Life in 2018 (one of the top 5 most popular WanderLearn episodes!)* Traveling To Find One’s Ancestors in 2019* Near Death on the CDT + Sym’s 60-Year Love Story in 2020* Nine Shows Sharing Travel Wisdom Featuring Sym Blanchard in 2022* Unstoppable 70-year-old Adventurer Sym Blanchard in 2023Do cherry trees in South Korea produce edible cherries?In the episode, Sym said, “No.” I was skeptical and fact-checked. This is what Perplexity.ai says:Cherry trees in South Korea do produce fruit, but it depends on the variety. Native species like King cherry (Prunus yedoensis var. Nudiflora) and Korean mountain cherry (Prunus maximowiczii) produce edible fruit. The King cherry, native especially to Jeju Island, bears fruit but is primarily valued for its blossoms. Many ornamental varieties like the Yoshino cherry produce small, bitter fruit less suitable for human consumption, but can feed wildlife.Summary:* Native Korean cherries produce edible fruit.* Ornamental varieties mainly produce less palatable fruit.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter athttps://wanderlearn.comIf you like this podcast, subscribe and share!On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:* Facebook* Twitter* YouTube* Instagram* TikTok* LinkedIn* Pinterest* TumblrSponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM! Use code LR32K4. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.5. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!6. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken.7. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!8. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear. Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Sym Blanchard and I talk about families and free will.Sym Blanchard has a 36-year-old daughter and a 38-year-old son. He is estranged from his daughter, but has a close, positive relationship with his son. I ask:* What is the hardest time to raise children?* Why does Sym struggle to get along with his daughter and yet gets along great with his son?* Free Will vs. Environment?I mention Dr. Isabelle Morsley’s book, They’re Not Gaslighting You.Timeline00:00 Estranged daughter05:15 Francis’s disconnected brother08:00 We overestimate our free will21:00 Personality disorders23:00 Advice to snap out of it27:00 Dunning–Kruger effect30:00 Sym’s travel plansMore from SymIf you enjoy this philosophical episode, listen to the dozen episodes with Sym Blanchard!In 2025, I catch up with one of the most remarkable 72-year-olds you’ll ever meet, Sym Blanchard!This page features five episodes starring Sym.Listen to all the episodes featuring Sym Blanchard since 2018!* A 66-year-old Adventurer Shows How To Live A Meaningful Life in 2018 (one of the top 5 most popular WanderLearn episodes!)* Traveling To Find One’s Ancestors in 2019* Near Death on the CDT + Sym’s 60-Year Love Story in 2020* Nine Shows Sharing Travel Wisdom Featuring Sym Blanchard in 2022* Unstoppable 70-year-old Adventurer Sym Blanchard in 2023ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at https://wanderlearn.comIf you like this podcast, subscribe and share!On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:* Facebook* Twitter* YouTube* Instagram* TikTok* LinkedIn* Pinterest* TumblrSponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM! Use code LR32K4. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.5. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!6. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken.7. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!8. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear. Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Sym Blanchard explains the benefits of tracing your genealogy.BONUS at the 5:00 mark: Why We Gravitate to Extraordinarily Accomplished People At the end of the episode, I mention my epic Cosmic Chain article.If you enjoyed this episode, listen to a dozen episodes featuring Sym Blanchard!ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at https://wanderlearn.comIf you like this podcast, subscribe and share!On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:* Facebook* Twitter* YouTube* Instagram* TikTok* LinkedIn* Pinterest* TumblrSponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM! Use code LR32K4. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.5. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!6. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken.7. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!8. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear. Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Listen to a dozen podcasts featuring the elder adventurer Sym Blanchard!In this episode, Sym Blanchard and I discuss geopolitics and Bitcoin:00:00 Israel and Gaza10:00 Ukraine War16:00 Coming Recession19:40 Bitcoin ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at https://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:FacebookTwitterYouTubeInstagramTikTokLinkedInPinterestTumblr Sponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM! Use code LR32K4. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.5. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!6. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken. 7. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!8. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear. Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

In 2025, I catch up with one of the most remarkable 72-year-olds you’ll ever meet, Sym Blanchard!Watch this podcast!This page features five episodes starring Sym.Listen to all the episodes featuring Sym Blanchard since 2018!* A 66-year-old Adventurer Shows How To Live A Meaningful Life in 2018 (one of the top 5 most popular WanderLearn episodes!)* Traveling To Find One’s Ancestors in 2019* Near Death on the CDT + Sym’s 60-Year Love Story in 2020* Nine Shows Sharing Travel Wisdom Featuring Sym Blanchard in 2022* Unstoppable 70-year-old Adventurer Sym Blanchard in 2023Is Veganism & Osteoporosis Linked?You’ll want to watch the video because it’s the only part of this podcast series with Sym that I filmed in 2025.Timeline00:00 Introducing Sym04:00 Reversing Aging08:50 Veganism and osteoporosis19:45 Testosterone creams on your genitals22:00 Aging advice25:00 Dating LessonsIn the episode, we discuss the connection between veganism and osteoporosis. Neither of us is a doctor, and you shouldn’t take anecdotal evidence as proof of anything. I asked Perplexity.ai about the issue, and it said:There is evidence linking veganism and osteoporosis, though the relationship is nuanced and influenced by diet quality and nutritional adequacy.* Increased Risk with Poorly Planned Diets: Multiple extensive studies and systematic reviews have found that vegans—especially those consuming diets low in calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12, protein, zinc, and omega-3 fatty acids—tend to have lower bone mineral density (BMD) and an increased risk of both osteoporosis and bone fractures compared to omnivores. This elevated risk has been observed in major cohort studies, such as the EPIC-Oxford study, which reported a significantly higher risk of fractures among vegans even after adjusting for body mass index and lifestyle factors.* Nutritional Deficiencies Matter: The increased risk is primarily attributed to common deficits in key nutrients critical for bone health, such as calcium, vitamin D, and B12, which are less prevalent in plant-based foods unless supplemented or fortified. Protein intake is also sometimes lower in vegan regimens, which can further impact bone strength.* Well-Planned Vegan Diets & Positive Outcomes: Recent research shows that a “well-planned” vegan diet—emphasizing adequate intake of calcium, vitamin D, B12, protein, and other bone-related nutrients (often through fortified foods or supplements)—does not significantly increase the risk of osteoporosis compared to omnivorous diets. Some studies have found that a healthful, plant-based diet may even reduce the risk of osteoporosis due to increased intakes of bone-protective nutrients like vitamin K, magnesium, and antioxidants, as well as because such diets tend to produce a lower acid load, which may reduce bone resorption.* Physical Activity Modifies the Risk: There is also evidence that resistance exercise (such as weightlifting or strength training) can improve bone strength in vegans, potentially offsetting some of the increased risk associated with plant-based diets.* Summary Table: Veganism and Osteoporosis RiskType of DietBone Health Risk FactorsOsteoporosis/Fracture Risk* Unbalanced vegan* Low calcium, D, B12, protein, zinc, omega-3s* Increased fracture/osteoporosis risk* Well-planned vegan* Supplemented/fortified nutrients, diverse plant foods* Similar risk as a balanced omnivorous diet or slightly reduced risk* Omnivorous* Generally, a higher intake of bone-critical nutrients* Standard baseline riskKey takeaways:* Vegans who do not carefully plan their diet are at higher risk of osteoporosis and fractures.* With mindful planning and supplementation, a vegan diet can support good bone health.* Ensuring sufficient calcium, vitamin D, B12, protein, and engaging in regular weight-bearing exercise are crucial for vegans to minimize their risk of osteoporosis.Sponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM! Use code LR32K4. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.5. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!6. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken. 7. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!8. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear. Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

True story: I bumped into Reinhold Messner at the base of Mount Sabyinyo in Rwanda on December 31, 2016.Because I had read several of his books, I instantly recognized him with his signature disheveled hair and gray beard.Still, I politely asked, "Excuse me. Are you Reinhold Messner?"He looked at me, grumbled an unclear non-answer, and turned away to join his small group.I shuffled over to Rejoice Tapon and said, "I'm 95% sure that that man over there is Reinhold Messner, the greatest mountaineer ever!"She'd never heard of him, but she said, "I'll get a selfie with him!"Rejoice boldly asked him for a selfie. Perhaps Messner was impressed with her beauty, or didn't want to appear racist by turning down what he figured was a local Rwandan (Rejoice is from Cameroon). Regardless, he agreed. And she triumphantly showed it off to me to rub it in. I mention this story because I laughed when I read Messner's confession on Kindle Location 3057 of "Against the Wind." He wrote: "Approachability and sociability have never been my strong points."This sums up what I hope is NOT his final book. His book is full of criticisms of Messner. Most criticisms originate from journalists, climbers, or partners. However, sometimes he criticizes himself (like his poor social skills).For Messner, all these criticisms are a constant "headwind" that he has faced throughout this remarkable long life (he's over 80).This book is NOT what I expected. I've read five of his books and loved them all, especially "Crystal Horizon," which is about his solo climb up Everest's north face in 1980 without oxygen.I expected profound reflections and wisdom. The book's subtitle even promises "reflections." However, the reflections are shallow.The subtitle should be, "Defending Myself Against an Army of Critics." He spends about 25% of the book discussing the tragic loss of his brother, Gunther, on Nanga Parbat. Throughout the book, he has long excerpts of articles that heavily criticize Messner, especially about how he "abandoned" his brother after summitting. I admire Messner for sharing what his critics say and then offering his rebuttal. He could have made a series of strawman arguments that he could easily tear down.Instead, he gives his critics a strong platform, and they crucify him.I never doubted his story, which I read in one of his previous books.He said that after he and Gunther summited, they traversed the mountain by descending the Rupal Face instead of returning the way they ascended.Reinhold was significantly ahead of Gunther, who died in an avalanche.Messner spends MANY pages refuting idiotic claims that others have made. For example, they claim Messner went down one way while he told his brother to go down a different way, alone. They claim that he planned all along to traverse the mountain, which he denies.What's sad is that you don't need to invent lies to make Messner look bad. Just use his words against him.I'll do so by just taking three points from his latest book.1. Messner repeatedly said that Gunther was extremely weak at the summit and suffering from altitude issues.2. His book says, "Reinhold reported that he was about one and a half hours in front of his brother and had lost sight of him."3. However, later in the book, Messner writes, "During the descent, I was convinced that he was right behind me."I'm a mountaineer who has been in many difficult situations and sometimes been with a weak or injured partner. I would certainly get ahead of my weak partner to scout the terrain, to find the easiest path down.However, I would ALWAYS remain within sight or earshot, ESPECIALLY if my partner is feeble.If they're suffering from high altitude issues, they could collapse at any moment.This is common sense & prudence.How can Messner claim, "I was convinced that he was right behind me," and admit that he was "about one and a half hours in front of his brother and had lost sight of him."That's a ridiculous contradiction.It's normal that in the darkness, you might get ahead of your partner and lose visual and auditory contact for several minutes.The moment you realize that you're disconnected, you should stop and wait for your partner to catch up.If he doesn't appear after 15 minutes, it's time to backtrack. To get 90 minutes ahead of your weakened partner is negligent. That fact is all I need to know that Messner was wrong, negligent, and irresponsible.He screwed up.That's all he needs to say. However, instead of addressing this obvious failure, Messner spends pages proving that his critics are wrong about many of their false claims.Enough about their claims! Shut up, Messner! Address the elephant in the room, which you readily admit!And yet, he doesn't clearly and unambiguously say that he was a horrible brother and climbing partner during that descent. The closest he comes to admitting his mistake is when he writes:"Felix Kuen was also one and a half hours ahead of his climbing partner when he reached the summit. Sigi Löw lagged behind during the descent from the summit in 1962 and fell. The very nature of the glacier also caused us to be so far apart."B******t. No glacier forces two climbers to be 90 minutes apart!On the contrary! Most glaciers force climbers to rope up together in case one falls into a crevasse. Instead, "Messner explains that it’s standard practice among mountaineers for the partner who is feeling fitter to go first to find the best way down through crevasses."Yes, but not 90 minutes ahead!!!I hoped that 80-year-old Messner would not spend 25% of the book disproving the lies or stupid hypotheses of his critics.Instead, he should have simply said, "I regret not staying close to Gunther throughout the descent. Yes, that might mean that we would both get caught in a deadly avalanche, but given his weakened state, I should never have gotten 90 minutes ahead of him. Ten minutes max. I screwed up."Another bewildering part of the book:"I have been ostracized, slandered, and harmed by people I have shared personal bonds with. The worst thing for me was when I was kicked out of my family home at the age of seventy-five, by my wife. I was given no warning or reason. Despite being often apart from my wife and children while on my many expeditions, I am a family man.We also traveled to places together and I was often at home for months at a time."WTF? Really? "No warning or reason"? C'mon, Messner. If you have no clue why your 2nd wife kicked you out, you're not only the Greatest Mountaineer of All Time (GOAT), but you're also the Most Oblivious Man of All Time. OTHER TIDBITSHe writes, "I’ve had heart surgery twice." I didn't know, but that suggests he's probably in his final decade.He writes, "I failed three times on an eight-thousander."I wish he reflected on those failures. As Nietzsche puts it: “There are two types of tragedy in our lives. Not reaching our goals—and even worse, reaching our goals.”CONCLUSIONThis book is filled with flaws and is disappointing. Messner wastes all his reflections on his critics. How shallow.You'd think a god like Messner would rise above such petty people and their words. You'd think one of the most mentally tough people in history would not have such thin skin and a fragile ego that any stupid critic can make mighty Messner squirm and get defensive.Who cares?! You're MESSNER! The GOAT!Messner should make a poster in his house that quotes Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, who said, "No one ever erected a statue of a critic." Messner will have statues and accolades forever. His critics will be forgotten.It's so sad to see that they get underneath his thin skin.I was hoping he was tougher and could brush them off like he brushes off the lack of oxygen.So why do I give it 4 stars instead of 1 star?Because, like it or not, the book is a window into Messner's soul.And I find that revealing and interesting, even if it's a bit disappointing. Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Watch the PREVIOUS episode on YouTube!Watch THIS episode on YouTube or click below!TIMELINE00:00 AI Computational Approach13:00 Decoding Voynich19:30 Hoax?21:00 Could women have written it?26:15 What to ask the manuscript’s producer27:00 How do we know we’ve cracked the code?30:00 Reconsidering VoynichEgyptian hieroglyphics confounded Egyptologists for centuries until the discovery of the Rosetta Stone.The Voynich Manuscript is another old text that has perplexed experts since its discovery about 600 years ago.Dr. Robert H. Edwards specializes in investigating the biggest mysteries of the 20th century. I interviewed him on the 100th anniversary of George Mallory’s death. I interviewed him again after we found Mallory’s climbing partner’s foot. Spoiler: We still don’t know whether they reached Everest’s summit.The other mystery Edwards investigated was D. B. Cooper, who stole $200,000 and disappeared after skydiving.Now, Edwards turns his analytical brain to the world’s most mysterious manuscript: the Voynich Manuscript.Voynich Reconsidered: The Most Mysterious Manuscript in the World is Dr. Edwards’s attempt at decoding this headache-producing document. If you think James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake is hard to decipher, try the Voynich Manuscript!Excerpts from Voynich ReconsideredThe parchment for these four folios was most probably produced sometime in the first half of the fourteenth century.Who wrote the Voynich Manuscript?Nobody knows. Edwards debunks the idea that Roger Bacon authored it:D’Imperio devoted considerable effort to the study of the supposed link between the manuscript and Roger Bacon. She could not have known that the Voynich parchment would eventually be submitted to radiocarbon technology and that the samples would be dated, with up to 92 percent probability, to periods ranging between 1308 and 1458. Therefore, she could not have known that Bacon, who lived in the thirteenth century, would be excluded as the author of the manuscript, or at least as its producer or as one of its scribes.Is the Voynich Manuscript a hoax?Before we embark on our own voyage of investigation of the Voynich manuscript, we must consider the alarming possibility that it is a journey to nowhere. That is to say: it may be that the manuscript cannot be translated or deciphered because it has no intrinsic meaning. For want of better words, we must consider that the manuscript could be a hoax or a forgery.What’s the Voynich Manuscript about?There is an “herbal” section, consisting of 129 pages and thereby comprising more than half of the book.The astronomical, cosmological, and astrological sections are short. Edwards is “tempted to group them together into a ‘cosmic’ theme, occupying thirty-one pages.”The Voynich manuscript invites, for those who are so disposed, the insertion of a preconceived narrative. In this respect, it bears comparison with the notorious proliferation of narratives relating to the man who came to be known as D.B. Cooper, and his hijacking of Northwest Airlines Flight 305 on November 24, 1971.Do we know what the Voynich Manuscript’s message is?For many years, the mission controllers at NASA resisted demands for another photographic targeting of the “Face. ” Finally, they relented. In 2001, the Mars Global Surveyor took the first new image of the object, at a much higher resolution than that of the Viking. It was revealed to be an eroded mesa with a pleasing symmetry, and certainly with gulleys and hollows that conveyed elements of a human face. Whether that is the end of the story, the reader may decide. This author is content for the mesa to be the product of erosion, by wind or by water, and not the work of ancient Martians, however much we would like it to be so. Likewise, determined researchers of the Voynich manuscript can find, within its cryptic and inscrutable pages, that which they wish to findConclusionI loved Dr. Edwards’s other two books (Mallory & Cooper). Although I liked this one about the Voynich manuscript, it’s such an inscrutable and inaccessible document that I found it challenging to stay engaged.Moreover, I don’t understand why some people believe that old documents are worth much more than their historical value. Religious texts are helpful because they reveal the values and ideas of the past, but are often utterly wrong, especially when it comes to scientific facts. Even when they’re not mistaken, they’re often incomplete. A modern botanist knows far more about plants than a 14th-century writer.Some fans of the Voynich manuscript seem to believe that if we can somehow decode it, we’ll learn a mind-bending revelation. I doubt it.Other fans, including Dr. Edwards, find the Voynich manuscript fascinating for the same reason people are drawn to Sudoku or a crossword puzzle: it’s fun to solve a mystery even if it yields little practical benefit.If you’re drawn to puzzles and the Voynich manuscript, you must buy the Voynich Manuscript and then read Voynich Reconsidered: The Most Mysterious Manuscript in the World. You’re guaranteed to learn countless remarkable facts about the manuscript in Dr. Edwards’s splendid and thorough analysis.For others, I’d first start by reading Dr. Edwards’s other two books, which are more accessible than this one.Verdict: 7 out of 10 stars.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at https://wanderlearn.comIf you like this podcast, subscribe and share!On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:* Facebook* Twitter* YouTube* Instagram* TikTok* LinkedIn* Pinterest* TumblrSponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM with its unlimited hotspot & data that never expires! Use code LR32K4. Or get 5% off when you sign up with Saily, another global eSIM with a built-in VPN & ad blocker.5. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.6. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!7. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken. 8. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!9. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear. Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Egyptian hieroglyphics confounded Egyptologists for centuries until the discovery of the Rosetta Stone.The Voynich Manuscript is another old text that has perplexed experts since its discovery about 600 years ago.Watch this episode on YouTube to see nonstop images of the book itself!Dr. Robert H. Edwards specializes in investigating the biggest mysteries of the 20th century. I interviewed him on the 100th anniversary of George Mallory's death. I interviewed him again after we found Mallory's climbing partner's foot. Spoiler: We still don't know whether they reached Everest's summit.The other mystery Edwards investigated was D. B. Cooper, who stole $200,000 and disappeared after skydiving.Now, Edwards turns his analytical brain to the world's most mysterious manuscript: the Voynich Manuscript.Voynich Reconsidered: The Most Mysterious Manuscript in the World is Dr. Edwards's attempt at decoding this headache-producing document. If you think James Joyce's Finnegans Wake is hard to decipher, try the Voynich Manuscript!  Here is my interview about the Voynich Manuscript with Dr. Edwards:Video  Excerpts from Voynich ReconsideredThe parchment for these four folios was most probably produced sometime in the first half of the fourteenth century.Who wrote the Voynich Manuscript? Nobody knows. Edwards debunks the idea that Roger Bacon authored it:D’Imperio devoted considerable effort to the study of the supposed link between the manuscript and Roger Bacon. She could not have known that the Voynich parchment would eventually be submitted to radiocarbon technology and that the samples would be dated, with up to 92 percent probability, to periods ranging between 1308 and 1458. Therefore, she could not have known that Bacon, who lived in the thirteenth century, would be excluded as the author of the manuscript, or at least as its producer or as one of its scribes.Is the Voynich Manuscript a hoax?Before we embark on our own voyage of investigation of the Voynich manuscript, we must consider the alarming possibility that it is a journey to nowhere. That is to say: it may be that the manuscript cannot be translated or deciphered because it has no intrinsic meaning. For want of better words, we must consider that the manuscript could be a hoax or a forgery.What's the Voynich Manuscript about?There is an “herbal” section, consisting of 129 pages and thereby comprising more than half of the book.The astronomical, cosmological, and astrological sections are short. Edwards is "tempted to group them together into a 'cosmic' theme, occupying thirty-one pages."The Voynich manuscript invites, for those who are so disposed, the insertion of a preconceived narrative. In this respect, it bears comparison with the notorious proliferation of narratives relating to the man who came to be known as D.B. Cooper, and his hijacking of Northwest Airlines Flight 305 on November 24, 1971.Do we know what the Voynich Manuscript's message is?For many years, the mission controllers at NASA resisted demands for another photographic targeting of the “Face. ” Finally, they relented. In 2001, the Mars Global Surveyor took the first new image of the object, at a much higher resolution than that of the Viking. It was revealed to be an eroded mesa with a pleasing symmetry, and certainly with gulleys and hollows that conveyed elements of a human face. Whether that is the end of the story, the reader may decide. This author is content for the mesa to be the product of erosion, by wind or by water, and not the work of ancient Martians, however much we would like it to be so. Likewise, determined researchers of the Voynich manuscript can find, within its cryptic and inscrutable pages, that which they wish to findConclusionI loved Dr. Edwards's other two books (Mallory & Cooper). Although I liked this one about the Voynich manuscript, it's such an inscrutable and inaccessible document that I found it challenging to stay engaged.Moreover, I don't understand why some people believe that old documents are worth much more than their historical value. Religious texts are helpful because they reveal the values and ideas of the past, but are often utterly wrong, especially when it comes to scientific facts. Even when they're not mistaken, they're often incomplete. A modern botanist knows far more about plants than a 14th-century writer. Some fans of the Voynich manuscript seem to believe that if we can somehow decode it, we'll learn a mind-bending revelation. I doubt it.Other fans, including Dr. Edwards, find the Voynich manuscript fascinating for the same reason people are drawn to Sudoku or a crossword puzzle: it's fun to solve a mystery even if it yields little practical benefit.If you're drawn to puzzles and the Voynich manuscript, you must buy the Voynich Manuscript and then read Voynich Reconsidered: The Most Mysterious Manuscript in the World. You're guaranteed to learn countless remarkable facts about the manuscript in Dr. Edwards's splendid and thorough analysis.For others, I'd first start by reading Dr. Edwards's other two books, which are more accessible than this one.Verdict: 7 out of 10 stars.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at https://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:FacebookTwitterYouTubeInstagramTikTokLinkedInPinterestTumblr Sponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM! Use code LR32K4. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.5. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!6. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken. 7. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!8. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear. Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Hrish Lotlikar of the Superworld app interviewed me in 2025. Watch the video on their channelYou might enjoy it. Here's what the Superworld Channel wrote: What if you could leave behind the corporate grind and explore the world—without a trust fund? That’s precisely what Francis Tapon did. After earning an MBA from Harvard and working in Silicon Valley, he walked away from it all to spend five years traveling through every country in Africa and 3.5 years exploring Eastern Europe.In this episode of Building a Better World with Hrish Lotlikar, Francis shares:✅ The biggest misconceptions about "dangerous" countries and why most are safer than you think✅ How he picked up 3,000 hitchhikers across Africa and what it taught him about humanity✅ Why leaving behind a traditional career was the best decision of his life✅ His top strategies for traveling on a budget—without sacrificing incredible experiences✅ What his upcoming book, The Unseen Africa, reveals about the world’s most misunderstood continent🌍 Want to see the world differently? Don’t miss this conversation!Follow Hrish Lotlikar Follow Superworld on Instagram ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at https://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:FacebookTwitterYouTubeInstagramTikTokLinkedInPinterestTumblr Sponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM with its unlimited hotspot & data that never expires! Use code LR32K4. Or get 5% off when you sign up with Saily, another global eSIM with a built-in VPN & ad blocker.5. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.6. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!7. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken. 8. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!9. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear. Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

It's part 2 of 2 of my conversation with Dr. Johnny Hanson! His 2025 book, Living with Lynx: Sharing Landscapes with Big Cats, Wolves and Bears, is a nuanced analysis of the complex topic of rewilding. Watch the Video of this PodcastTimeline00:00 Myths04:00 What surprised Hanson?06:00 The hardest to co-exist with12:00 Paradox of Tourism18:00 RecommendationsIn this two-part interview (this is part 2), we discuss the pros and cons of reintroducing apex predators in areas where they have gone extinct. Visit my website for part 1.Can we co-exist with this megafauna? If we live with lynx, what will happen?What do you think we should do?Video #1: Introducing Jonny Hason ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at https://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:FacebookTwitterYouTubeInstagramTikTokLinkedInPinterestTumblr Sponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM with its unlimited hotspot & data that never expires! Use code LR32K4. Or get 5% off when you sign up with Saily, another global eSIM with a built-in VPN & ad blocker.5. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.6. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!7. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken. 8. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!9. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear. Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. Johnny Hanson's new book, Living with Lynx: Sharing Landscapes with Big Cats, Wolves and Bears, is a nuanced analysis of the complex topic of rewilding. Watch the Video of this InterviewIn this two-part interview, we discuss the pros and cons of reintroducing apex predators in areas where they have gone extinct. What do you think we should do?Timeline00:00 What's the book about?04:50 Limousine LiberalsConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at https://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:FacebookTwitterYouTubeInstagramTikTokLinkedInPinterestTumblr Sponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM with its unlimited hotspot & data that never expires! Use code LR32K4. Or get 5% off when you sign up with Saily, another global eSIM with a built-in VPN & ad blocker.5. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.6. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!7. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken. 8. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!9. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear. Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Benjamin Wallace's new book is The Mysterious Mr. Nakamoto: A Fifteen-Year Quest to Unmask the Secret Genius Behind Crypto.  It's the greatest whodunit. Whoever created Bitcoin became the world's richest person, yet we don't know who he is. In fact, we don't even know if it's one person.There have been other cases where identities have been hidden for a while:Mysterious Whistleblowers (Deep Throat)Mysterious Authors (Ferrante, Klein, Publius)Mysterious Artists (Banksy)Mysterious Spies / Hackers (Cambridge Five, QAnon figureheads, Cicada 3301)However, nothing tops the enigma of Satoshi Nakamoto. Watch my interview with Benjamin Wallace on the WanderLearn Show:Watch the Video InterviewQuestions for Benjamin WallaceIn 60 seconds, tell us why we should be curious about who Satoshi Nakamoto was.What's the percentage chance that Satoshi Nakamoto is more than one person?What's the percentage chance that Satoshi Nakamoto is dead?Assuming he's alive, what's the percentage chance that Satoshi Nakamoto will voluntarily reveal himself in his old age or via a dead man's switch video?Who are your top 4 candidates for Satoshi Nakamoto?If those 4 candidates are in a pie chart, how big is the 5th piece of the pie: the Someone Else slice? Although Nakamoto's OPSEC was impeccable, is it realistic to believe that he faked his Britishisms, his double-spacing after periods, and potentially running his prose & code through a stylometry mixer because he was certain that Bitcoin would become a multi-trillion-dollar asset?What new insights have you had since you wrote the book?What's the percentage chance that we will definitively solve this mystery like we solved the Deep Throat mystery? Or will the ending be more like Forrest Fenn (e.g., a partial conclusion because we know the treasure was found and by whom, but we don't know where)? What surprised you in your investigation?It seems you want Nakamoto to be Hal Finney, but it's hard to believe he didn't tap into the fortune when his life was on the line. And why not admit to being Nakamoto when he was on his deathbed? Perhaps to protect his family from assaults? Perhaps because he collaborated with someone else and doesn't want to unmask him. But then he could admit that he was part of the Satoshi team and leave it at that.Who is Satoshi Nakamoto?In his book, Wallace writes that any plausible Nakamoto candidate should have the following characteristics:Software toolsCoding quirksAgeGeographyScheduleUse of EnglishNationalityProse stylePoliticsLife circumstances (How had Nakamoto found the time to launch Bitcoin? Why had he left the project when he did?"Resume ("I'm not a lawyer.")Emotional range (humble, confident, testy, appreciative)Motivation to create BitcoinRationale, and the foresight and skill, to create a bulletproof pseudonym (Who would bother wiping a crime scene clean before it was a crime scene? Who was already that good at privacy in 2008?)Monkish capacity to renounce a fortuneAlthough this list severely restricts who Satoshi Nakamoto could be, it still leaves countless possibilities.Wallace, who has been trying to crack this mystery for 15 years, has yet to meet a candidate who checks all the boxes.Wallace refrains from declaring that he has solved the mystery, even though countless "detectives" have already done so.He interviews people who tell him, with 100% certainty, that Satoshi Nakamoto is:Nick SzaboJames A. DonaldAdam BackHal FinneyPeter Todd (according to HBO)Elon MuskNumerous other optionsIt's tempting to select what you think is the most viable candidate, throw in a heavy dose of confirmation bias, and declare, "Mystery solved, Sherlock!"Plenty have done so.It requires great restraint to resist the temptation of calling it a day, and instead, persevere pugnaciously like Wallace has in what is the greatest whodunit of the 21st century. Many suspects seem highly implausible. Elon Musk, for example, is a bombastic self-promoter who would love to proclaim he was the genius behind Bitcoin. It's unimaginable why he would keep his mouth shut.Hal Finney was a sincere, honest, and good guy. As he said many times when he was dying of ALS, he had no reason NOT to reveal that he was Satoshi Nakamoto. Therefore, it's not him, even though it would provide a neat explanation as to why the old Satoshi Nakamoto bitcoins haven't moved. Adam Back is plausible, although ex-cypherpunk Jon Callas says, "The primary argument against Adam Back is he couldn't keep his mouth shut."Still, an engrossing 3-part documentary argues that Nakamoto is Adam Back. Here's the final episode:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfcvX0P1b5g Is Nick Szabo Satoshi Nakamoto?For several years, I believed Nick Szabo was Satoshi Nakamoto. It was an unoriginal deduction since Szabo is a popular choice among amateur Nakamoto detectives. Indeed, Szabo was one of Wallace's prime candidates for a long time.However, in his book, Wallace explains why Szabo has too many strikes against him:Szabo is a scatterbrain when it comes to projects. He doesn't focus on one thing for years. He juggles 150 balls. Nakamoto was laser-focused for 18 months.He told Jeremy Clark that Szabo "seemed to think that his bit gold was better" than Bitcoin. Clark also said Szabo is an "incoherent" presenter, whereas Nakamoto was "lucid." Although Szabo is intensely private, he's not a complete recluse. He likes sharing ideas and getting public recognition. Minor point: Satoshi Nakamoto wrote, "I'm not a lawyer," but Szabo is one.Although these points suggest Szabo is unlikely to be Satoshi, Szabo remains a strong Nakamoto candidate, given the absence of a perfect candidate.Besides, Clark's points are easily refuted. Just because Szabo implied Bitgold was better than Bitcoin means little. Szabo could say that to shake off people who think he's Satoshi. Or he could genuinely believe that aspects of Bitgold were superior to Bitcoin. Clark said Szabo "seemed to think..." He didn't say, "Szabo emphatically said..."Also, I listened to Szabo speak for 2.5 hours on the Tim Ferriss Show, and he sounded plenty lucid to me. Szabo is a decent speaker.Naturally, Szabo always denies he's Satoshi. As Wallace says, denying you're not the guy proves nothing. Mark Felt was an obvious suspect for being the Deep Throat in the Watergate scandal. He denied for decades. And guess what? He was Deep Throat! Sometimes the most obvious suspect is the criminal (think O.J. Simpson).Is James A. Donald Satoshi Nakamoto?After reading The Mysterious Mr. Nakamoto, I added another suspect to my short list: James A. Donald. Satoshi Nakamoto used the rare term "hosed" a few times. Donald did so twice. Furthermore, Donald was the first person to respond to Satoshi Nakamoto's original Bitcoin post, albeit in a critical way. He has various other attributes that Satoshi Nakamoto shares (read the book to see them all). However, Donald is rough around the edges, whereas Satoshi Nakamoto was silky smooth, polite, and unoffensive. Again, James A. Donald is no slam dunk candidate. Nobody is.Hence, the mystery endures. The only negative aspect about this book is that it may provide too much detail for the casual reader with limited interest in this mystery. If you're just looking for the answer, I'll tell you now: we do not know who Satoshi Nakamoto is. For Satoshi sleuths, there is no better resource than The Mysterious Mr. Nakamoto: A Fifteen-Year Quest to Unmask the Secret Genius Behind Crypto. It delves deeper and wider than any video, article, or book about the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto. Believe me, I've gone down that rabbit hole.Why should we care who Satoshi Nakamoto is?Many argue we don't need to know who Satoshi Nakamoto is because:Knowing his identity could taint the "immaculate conception" of Bitcoin because we might learn that Satoshi Nakamoto was an a*****e.We should respect Satoshi Nakamoto's right to privacy. He obviously wanted to be pseudonymous, so let him be.If Satoshi Nakamoto is alive, it would imbue him with too much power, especially over the Bitcoin protocol. I strongly disagree with this lack of curiosity. Why?There's a chance that in the 25th century, historians will consider Bitcoin one of the top 10 inventions of all time. I'm not saying that Bitcoin will be around in the 25th century, but something like it will exist and be the global currency, and historians will link its existence to Bitcoin.In 2001, Arthur C. Clarke predicted that by 2016, "All existing currencies are abolished. A universal currency is adopted based on the 'megawatt hour.'"Eight years before Clarke's prediction, Bitcoin was created.Although Clarke was wrong about other currencies being abolished,  Bitcoin's value is loosely correlated with its energy consumption. I explain why Bitcoin is worth anything.Consider the Top 10 Inventions and Their InventorsImagine if we didn't know who these inventors were:The Printing Press - Johannes Gutenberg (c. 1440): This invention revolutionized communication, allowing for the mass production of books and the widespread dissemination of knowledge, leading to the Renaissance and the Scientific Revolution.The Electric Light Bulb - Thomas Edison (1879): While others experimented with electric lighting, Edison created a practical, long-lasting, and commercially viable incandescent light bulb, which transformed society by extending the day and enabling new industries.The Telephone - Alexander Graham Bell (1876): The telephone revolutionized long-distance communication, enabling people to speak to each other across vast distances in real time.The Steam Engine - James Watt (1778): Watt's improvements to earlier steam engines significantly increased their efficiency, powering the Industrial Revolution and leading to the mechanization of factories, transportation, and other industries.The Automobile - Karl Benz (1885): Benz is credited with creating the first practical automobile powered by an internal combustion engine, ushering in the age of personal transportation and reshaping urban and rural life.Alternating Current (AC) Electrical System - Nikola Tesla (late 1880s): While Edison championed direct current (DC), Tesla's work on AC made it possible to transmit electricity over long distances, laying the groundwork for modern electrical grids.The Airplane - Orville and Wilbur Wright (1903): The Wright brothers achieved the first successful controlled, powered flight of a heavier-than-air aircraft, fundamentally changing travel, commerce, and warfare.Penicillin - Alexander Fleming (1928): Fleming's discovery of the first antibiotic revolutionized medicine by providing a cure for many bacterial infections, saving millions of lives.The Internet / World Wide Web - Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn (Internet, 1970s) & Tim Berners-Lee (World Wide Web, 1989): These inventions created a global network of information and communication, transforming almost every aspect of modern society, from business and education to personal life.The Computer - Charles Babbage (early 19th century): Babbage's designs for the "Analytical Engine" laid the theoretical groundwork for modern computers. Later, inventors like John Atanasoff, Alan Turing, and others developed the first electronic and programmable computers.Imagine if we had no clue who invented penicillin or the telephone. Wouldn't historians do their best to figure that out, especially since they were recent and impactful inventions? Would you just shrug your shoulders and say, "Who cares? My telephone works."Sure, many wouldn't give a s**t. However, for other, more curious minds, we'd like to know. Major Inventions with Unknown InventorsHere are four major inventions whose creator is a mystery:The Wheel: The invention of the wheel is one of the most important technological advancements in human history, enabling transportation and mechanization. Archaeological evidence suggests it originated in Mesopotamia around 3500 BC, but there is no record of who first conceived of it. The challenge wasn't just creating the wheel itself, but also the wheel-and-axle system, which required precise engineering.Writing: The development of writing systems enabled the permanent storage and transmission of information, transforming human society. The earliest known writing system, cuneiform, emerged in Sumer (ancient Mesopotamia) around 3400 BC. However, like the wheel, it was likely the result of a gradual process of development by many different people, not the work of a single inventor.Fire making: Some person probably rubbed two sticks together, and the rest is history. Since we can't know who that individual was, it would still be fascinating to know where it started and if it was developed in more than one place independently, like Calculus. Bitcoin: Yeah, it's a major invention. It's been the best-performing asset since 2010, it's worth more than any company, and Satoshi Nakamoto is the wealthiest person ever. It has sparked a multi-trillion-dollar industry in just 15 years. So, yes, it's important, and yet we don't know who created it.Verdict: 10 out of 10 stars!Admittedly, I'm a Bitcoin fan who has produced many videos and articles about the first cryptocurrency, so I'm biased.Still, if you love a perplexing mystery, you will love trying to solve this one. The good news is that we haven't solved it yet. My Satoshi Nakamoto FantasyThere's a good chance that Satoshi Nakamoto is around my age. If so, he also has a 30-year life expectancy. I hope that in 2050, a video appears on the Internet that shows an old man who says, "I am Satoshi Nakamoto. To prove it, I will do what no Satoshi pretender has been able to do: move the 'Satoshi' coins that have been dormant since I mined them in 2009."He records himself and his computer screen, and with a few clicks and keyboard taps, the transactions get broadcast onto the Bitcoin blockchain for all to see.   Next, he says, "I am donating my one million bitcoins to the Bitcoin Core for ongoing maintenance and to the following charities." Or perhaps he'll use the one million Bitcoins to create a Bitcoin node on the Moon. Or perhaps he will "burn" his Bitcoin, reducing the total BTC supply to 20 million coins, not 21 million.Regardless, I hope Nakamoto will finally unmask himself, just like Mark Felt (aka Deep Throat) did when he was 91 (he died at 95). Yeah, this fantasy is unlikely, but we can dream, can't we?ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at https://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:FacebookTwitterYouTubeInstagramTikTokLinkedInPinterestTumblr Sponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM with its unlimited hotspot & data that never expires! Use code LR32K4. Or get 5% off when you sign up with Saily, another global eSIM with a built-in VPN & ad blocker.5. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.6. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!7. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken. 8. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!9. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear. Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Replaceable You by Mary Roach is science writing with a mischievous grin. This book dives headfirst (and sometimes with prosthetic limbs) into humanity’s never-ending quest to patch, upgrade, and outright swap out our squishiest parts. Watch My Video ReviewI've read all of Roach's books. Roach, as always, brings her snort-laugh wit to the party, dragging us through a parade of oddballs, surgeons, biohackers, and the occasional harvested cadaver limb. You’ll read about everything from organs grown in stem cell “hair nurseries” to attempts at 3D printing spare parts. Spoiler: not a single scene is boring.But fair warning: this book spends nearly half its time on the past. Just as you’re itching for a jetpack kidney or a downloadable heart, Roach detours into the wacky history of medicine—think iron lungs big enough for a disco (but only if you like the rhythm of labored breathing), and the lost art of crafting noses from brass, because nothing says “fashion” like a faceful of steampunk.It’s charming… but if you came craving future-shock, you may find yourself staring at the calendar, wishing she’d hurry up and get to the bionic arms, brain chips, or at least a Bluetooth spleen. And don’t expect a grand promise that nature is almost obsolete. On the contrary, Roach’s conclusion drops the mike with a tear. Not a metaphorical tear—an actual, salty, rolling-down-your-cheek tear. Turns out, scientists can engineer robotic pancreases and print some new tracheas, but when it comes to replicating the humble human tear (yes, your basic public-crying fluid), they’re still stumped. Apparently, its precise chemistry is tougher to copy than most nanotechnology. So if we can’t even duplicate a tear, what hope do we have for building a better lung, heart, or anything else that squishes and squelches?Still, call me an optimist, but I think we'll get there this century.In conclusion, come for the face transplants, stay for the punchlines, and don’t blame Roach if you find yourself crying (with genuine, irreplicable tears) over the sheer weirdness—and stubborn brilliance—of the human body.VERDICT: 9 out of 10 stars.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at https://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:FacebookTwitterYouTubeInstagramTikTokLinkedInPinterestTumblrSponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM with its unlimited hotspot & data that never expires! Use code LR32K4. Or get 5% off when you sign up with Saily, another global eSIM with a built-in VPN & ad blocker.5. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.6. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!7. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken. 8. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!9. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear. Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Watch this episode on YouTube! Derek has accomplished numerous impressive feats. He founded CD Baby. In 2008, he sold CD Baby for $22 million and donated the proceeds to a charitable trust dedicated to music education. After selling the company, he transitioned into writing and speaking.Derek's books are short, dense, and profound. In honor of his style, I've broken up my interview with him into three fascinating segments.It would be great if you could buy Derek's new book, Useful Not True, from Amazon, as I receive a small commission. However, if you want a much better deal, do what I did: buy multiple copies of his book from Derek Sivers's website. It's significantly cheaper than Amazon, especially when purchasing multiple copies, as each additional hardcover copy costs only about $4 more. How Derek Sivers and I metDerek Sivers stumbled onto The Hidden Europe, fell in love with it, and reached out to me 10 years ago, telling me how much he loved my book.I had no idea who he was, but soon found out.A-list celebrities, such as Tim Ferriss, have interviewed Derek on multiple occasions.Still, I'm not one to fall for celebrities, unless she's Megan Fox.What makes me most thrilled about interviewing Derek is his philosophy: he's a stoic.This guy sold his company (CD Baby) for $22 million and gave the money away to charity. He loves to experiment, travel, and think out of the box.It pains me that he and I missed each other when I visited his city in Wellington, New Zealand. I was there for a day, and it happened to be the day that he devotes entirely and exclusively to his son. I wish he were a less responsible father.About Derek SiversDerek Sivers is focused on creation, learning, and living a minimalist, highly intentional life.Background: Born in 1969 in Berkeley, he moved frequently during his childhood, including to U.S. cities and England. His early focus on music began at the age of 14, when he was trained at Berklee College of Music. He transitioned into entrepreneurship.Career: Started multiple companies, including CD Baby and HostBaby, sold them in 2008, and since then has focused on writing, traveling, and intrinsic creativity rather than money or fame.Life Philosophy: Influenced by Stoicism, skeptical and open to changing perspectives, values self-strengthening for the future, and embraces the paradox that opposite views can both be true.Work Style: Loves to work alone intensely for long hours (12+ hours daily), prefers solo creative pursuits, and values deep focus and minimalist distraction. Uses minimal tech tools, avoids apps and cloud dependence, and prefers phone conversations to in-person socializing.Personal: American by origin, a world citizen, and expat living in various countries for extended periods. Has a 12-year-old son with whom he spends significant undivided time weekly. Identifies as an introverted extrovert with a strong social time limit, values voice communication, and dislikes noise and crowds.Values & Traits: Minimalist in possessions and technology, single-task oriented, future-focused, deliberate, avoids addictions, hates wasting time, and values silence and quality over quantity in relationships and experiences.Creative Interests: Loves and creates music with a focus on innovation, song craft, and high-quality recordings. Prefers analytical listening and creative originality rather than mainstream trends.Overall, Derek leads a carefully optimized life that prioritizes creativity, learning, and meaningful personal connections, with a strong emphasis on independence, long-term thinking, and simplicity.Connect with DerekDerek Sivers  [email protected]  https://sive.rs/Get my audiobooks, ebooks, and hardcovers at sivers.com/e?t=n0fw4KGN40U4D71fsive.rs/u = USEFUL NOT TRUE: reframing because belief → emotion → actionsive.rs/h = HOW TO LIVE: 27 conflicting answers and one weird conclusionsive.rs/n = HELL YEAH OR NO: what's worth doing?sive.rs/m = YOUR MUSIC & PEOPLE: humanistic marketing for creativessive.rs/a = ANYTHING YOU WANT: make your business a utopiaConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at https://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:FacebookTwitterYouTubeInstagramTikTokLinkedInPinterestTumblr Sponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM! Use code LR32K4. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.5. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!6. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken. 7. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!8. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear. Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

This is episode 2 of 3 featuring Derek Sivers.Watch it on YouTube!Derek has accomplished numerous impressive feats. He founded CD Baby. In 2008, he sold CD Baby for $22 million and donated the proceeds to a charitable trust dedicated to music education. After selling the company, he transitioned into writing and speaking.Derek's books are short, dense, and profound. In honor of his style, I've broken up my interview with him into three fascinating segments.It would be great if you could buy Derek's new book, Useful Not True, from Amazon, as I receive a small commission. However, if you want a much better deal, do what I did: buy multiple copies of his book from Derek Sivers's website. It's significantly cheaper than Amazon, especially when purchasing multiple copies, as each additional hardcover copy costs only about $4 more. How Derek Sivers and I metDerek Sivers stumbled onto The Hidden Europe, fell in love with it, and reached out to me 10 years ago, telling me how much he loved my book.I had no idea who he was, but soon found out.A-list celebrities, such as Tim Ferriss, have interviewed Derek on multiple occasions.Still, I'm not one to fall for celebrities, unless she's Megan Fox.What makes me most thrilled about interviewing Derek is his philosophy: he's a stoic.This guy sold his company (CD Baby) for $22 million and gave the money away to charity. He loves to experiment, travel, and think out of the box.It pains me that he and I missed each other when I visited his city in Wellington, New Zealand. I was there for a day, and it happened to be the day that he devotes entirely and exclusively to his son. I wish he were a less responsible father.About Derek SiversDerek Sivers is focused on creation, learning, and living a minimalist, highly intentional life.Background: Born in 1969 in Berkeley, he moved frequently during his childhood, including to U.S. cities and England. His early focus on music began at the age of 14, when he was trained at Berklee College of Music. He transitioned into entrepreneurship.Career: Started multiple companies, including CD Baby and HostBaby, sold them in 2008, and since then has focused on writing, traveling, and intrinsic creativity rather than money or fame.Life Philosophy: Influenced by Stoicism, skeptical and open to changing perspectives, values self-strengthening for the future, and embraces the paradox that opposite views can both be true.Work Style: Loves to work alone intensely for long hours (12+ hours daily), prefers solo creative pursuits, and values deep focus and minimalist distraction. Uses minimal tech tools, avoids apps and cloud dependence, and prefers phone conversations to in-person socializing.Personal: American by origin, a world citizen, and expat living in various countries for extended periods. Has a 12-year-old son with whom he spends significant undivided time weekly. Identifies as an introverted extrovert with a strong social time limit, values voice communication, and dislikes noise and crowds.Values & Traits: Minimalist in possessions and technology, single-task oriented, future-focused, deliberate, avoids addictions, hates wasting time, and values silence and quality over quantity in relationships and experiences.Creative Interests: Loves and creates music with a focus on innovation, song craft, and high-quality recordings. Prefers analytical listening and creative originality rather than mainstream trends.Overall, Derek leads a carefully optimized life that prioritizes creativity, learning, and meaningful personal connections, with a strong emphasis on independence, long-term thinking, and simplicity.Connect with DerekDerek Sivers  [email protected]  https://sive.rs/Get my audiobooks, ebooks, and hardcovers at sivers.com/e?t=n0fw4KGN40U4D71fsive.rs/u = USEFUL NOT TRUE: reframing because belief → emotion → actionsive.rs/h = HOW TO LIVE: 27 conflicting answers and one weird conclusionsive.rs/n = HELL YEAH OR NO: what's worth doing?sive.rs/m = YOUR MUSIC & PEOPLE: humanistic marketing for creativessive.rs/a = ANYTHING YOU WANT: make your business a utopiaConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at https://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:FacebookTwitterYouTubeInstagramTikTokLinkedInPinterestTumblr Sponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM! Use code LR32K4. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.5. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!6. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken. 7. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!8. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear. Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Video #1: What's Useful, Not True?This is episode 1 of 3 featuring Derek Sivers. Derek has accomplished numerous impressive feats. He founded CD Baby. In 2008, he sold CD Baby for $22 million and donated the proceeds to a charitable trust dedicated to music education. After selling the company, he transitioned into writing and speaking.Derek's books are short, dense, and profound. In honor of his style, I've broken up my interview with him into three fascinating segments.It would be great if you could buy Derek's new book, Useful Not True, from Amazon, as I receive a small commission. However, if you want a much better deal, do what I did: buy multiple copies of his book from Derek Sivers's website. It's significantly cheaper than Amazon, especially when purchasing multiple copies, as each additional hardcover copy costs only about $4 more. At 10:00 in the episode, Derek mentions Stewart Brand's How Buildings Learn: What Happens After They're Built. How Derek Sivers and I metDerek Sivers stumbled onto The Hidden Europe, fell in love with it, and reached out to me 10 years ago, telling me how much he loved my book.I had no idea who he was, but soon found out.A-list celebrities, such as Tim Ferriss, have interviewed Derek on multiple occasions.Still, I'm not one to fall for celebrities, unless she's Megan Fox.What makes me most thrilled about interviewing Derek is his philosophy: he's a stoic.This guy sold his company (CD Baby) for $22 million and gave the money away to charity. He loves to experiment, travel, and think out of the box.It pains me that he and I missed each other when I visited his city in Wellington, New Zealand. I was there for a day, and it happened to be the day that he devotes entirely and exclusively to his son. I wish he were a less responsible father.About Derek SiversDerek Sivers is focused on creation, learning, and living a minimalist, highly intentional life.Background: Born in 1969 in Berkeley, he moved frequently during his childhood, including to U.S. cities and England. His early focus on music began at the age of 14, when he was trained at Berklee College of Music. He transitioned into entrepreneurship.Career: Started multiple companies, including CD Baby and HostBaby, sold them in 2008, and since then has focused on writing, traveling, and intrinsic creativity rather than money or fame.Life Philosophy: Influenced by Stoicism, skeptical and open to changing perspectives, values self-strengthening for the future, and embraces the paradox that opposite views can both be true.Work Style: Loves to work alone intensely for long hours (12+ hours daily), prefers solo creative pursuits, and values deep focus and minimalist distraction. Uses minimal tech tools, avoids apps and cloud dependence, and prefers phone conversations to in-person socializing.Personal: American by origin, a world citizen, and expat living in various countries for extended periods. Has a 12-year-old son with whom he spends significant undivided time weekly. Identifies as an introverted extrovert with a strong social time limit, values voice communication, and dislikes noise and crowds.Values & Traits: Minimalist in possessions and technology, single-task oriented, future-focused, deliberate, avoids addictions, hates wasting time, and values silence and quality over quantity in relationships and experiences.Creative Interests: Loves and creates music with a focus on innovation, song craft, and high-quality recordings. Prefers analytical listening and creative originality rather than mainstream trends.Overall, Derek leads a carefully optimized life that prioritizes creativity, learning, and meaningful personal connections, with a strong emphasis on independence, long-term thinking, and simplicity.Connect with DerekDerek Sivers  [email protected]  https://sive.rs/Get my audiobooks, ebooks, and hardcovers at sivers.com/e?t=n0fw4KGN40U4D71fsive.rs/u = USEFUL NOT TRUE: reframing because belief → emotion → actionsive.rs/h = HOW TO LIVE: 27 conflicting answers and one weird conclusionsive.rs/n = HELL YEAH OR NO: what's worth doing?sive.rs/m = YOUR MUSIC & PEOPLE: humanistic marketing for creativessive.rs/a = ANYTHING YOU WANT: make your business a utopiaConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at https://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:FacebookTwitterYouTubeInstagramTikTokLinkedInPinterestTumblr Sponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM! Use code LR32K4. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.5. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!6. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken. 7. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!8. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear. Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Watch the VideoThis podcast is an edited version of the video, where I have removed the unboxing section, as it's challenging to follow in an audio-only format.After reviewing the Keystone 3 Pro, I wanted to inspect the Keystone Tablet Plus, a steel slab similar to the Coinkite Seed Plate and the Scaletron Crypto Seed Capsule, both of which I've reviewed.Watch the video below for my review, but also read the text below, as it includes one additional PRO and one additional CON that I did not mention in the video.Timeline00:00 Why buy a metal tablet?02:20 Unboxing05:00 Using it06:30 What is special about the Plus?07:45 Pros09:45 Cons12:00 VerdictBuy a Keystone Tablet Plus3 Pros of the Keystone Tablet Plus1. Reusability! Unlike the Coinkite Seed Plate or the Scaletron Crypto Seed Capsule, the Keystone Tablet Plus is reusable. If you change seed phrases, you rearrange the letters accordingly. 2. Extra security! Two security features make the Keystone Tablet Plus stand out. First, the package includes tamper-evident tape. Second, it has a hole that allows you to put a padlock. Admittedly, neither of these features prevents a thief from outright stealing the metal plate and cutting the lock off. However, they can alert you if someone is trying to snoop on your seed phrase slyly and quietly drain your wallet.3. Ease of use. I forgot to mention this in the video. Unlike the Coinkite Seed Plate or the Scaletron Crypto Seed Capsule, the Keystone Tablet Plus doesn't require you to awkwardly and permanently bang out your seed phrase. It3 Cons of the Keystone Tablet Plus1. No passphrase option. I forgot to mention this in the video review, but I thought about it after reviewing the Scaletron Crypto Seed Capsule.2. 304 stainless steel might not survive a super-hot fire. It should survive a standard house fire, but if it's unlucky enough to go through hell, it may not make it. An affordable solution to this is to place it in a fireproof envelope to double your protection.3. Won't survive a crushing. True, but this is highly unlikely.Keystone 3 ProIn case you missed it, check out my review of the Keystone 3 Pro, an outstanding cryptocurrency hardware wallet that can also serve as a Bitcoin-only hardware wallet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Mdqq5GrXoVisit the Keystone website to learn more about the company and its cryptocurrency products.🌱 What Is BIP39?Seed phrases usually use the BIP39 word list. BIP39 seed phrases are a cornerstone of modern cryptocurrency wallets, and understanding why they exist—and how they function—reveals a great deal about the balance between security and usability in cryptographic systems.BIP39 stands for Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 39, which defines a method for generating and using mnemonic phrases (typically 12–24 words) to back up and restore wallets. These phrases are derived from a specific list of 2048 words.🔐 Why Use BIP39 Words Instead of Random Passwords?✅ Human UsabilityRandom strings such as x8F$3kL@9z! are hard to remember, write down, or type correctly.BIP39 uses real words that are easier to recognize, pronounce, and transcribe.✅ Error ResistanceThe word list is carefully curated:No words sound too similar (e.g., “lead” vs “led”).Each word is unique in the first 4 letters, minimizing confusion.This reduces the chance of mistakes when writing or entering the phrase.✅ Cross-CompatibilityBIP39 is a standard, meaning wallets from different providers can interpret the same seed phrase.This makes it easier to switch wallets or recover funds if one provider goes offline.🧭 Why Not Just Use Random Passwords?While random passwords can be secure, they:Lack of standardization for wallet recovery.Are error-prone and hard to manage.Don’t offer checksum validation.Aren’t interoperable across wallets.BIP39 strikes a balance between security, usability, and portability—which is crucial when dealing with irreversible financial transactions.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at https://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:FacebookTwitterYouTubeInstagramTikTokLinkedInPinterestTumblr Sponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM! Use code LR32K4. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.5. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!6. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken. 7. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!8. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear. Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Watch Video on YouTubeFive years ago, I predicted Plan B's Bitcoin stock-to-flow model (S2F) would fail in this decade because it had 8 flaws.During Bitcoin's spectacular 2022 crash, many analysts declared the S2F models dead.I surprised everyone when I (one of Plan B's most prominent critics) said, "It's not dead yet."The reason Plan B's stock-to-flow Bitcoin models are not dead is not because they're correct, but because they have a wide range of acceptable values that will allow them to survive until the next halving.In 2025, the S2F average price has risen to a staggering $500,000, while Bitcoin (BTC) hovers around $120,000 as of August 11, 2025, when I released this video.Therefore, even though BTC has increased by over $100,000 from its $15,000 price in November 2022, and should be a cause for massive celebration for BTC fans, Plan B is lamenting the relatively low price appreciation of this "strange, flat bull market."In my annual S2F update, I'll examine how the S2F model is doing and explain why it will begin its slow and painful death at the end of this year. ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at https://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:FacebookTwitterYouTubeInstagramTikTokLinkedInPinterestTumblr Sponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM! Use code LR32K4. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.5. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!6. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken. 7. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!8. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear. Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

I encourage you to watch this 3-minute podcast on YouTube.YouTube is now dubbing my English videos into 10 other languages:DutchFrenchGermanHindiIndonesianItalianJapaneseKoreanPolishPortugueseSpanishIn my "After the Spike" video, YouTube only offers 8 languages.I don't know why.I'm fluent in French and Spanish, so I can confirm that the translation is surprisingly accurate! I suppose it's the case for other languages that I don't speak.Try it out!Go to any of my videos.Click on the Settings Wheel in the lower-right corner.Change the audio track to whatever language you understand!What do you think of the translation accuracy?Why me? YouTube added this slick feature to my YouTube channel because I participate in their Partner Program and my channel is educational.I suspect they will roll out the feature to more video creators in 2026.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at https://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:FacebookTwitterYouTubeInstagramTikTokLinkedInPinterestTumblr Sponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM! Use code LR32K4. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.5. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!6. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken. 7. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!8. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear. Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

See 20 other misused terms or expressionsRather than a left/right political spectrum, I prefer the 5 categories in the pictured grid. Take the test to discover where you stand.The terms "left" and "right" on the political spectrum can be confusing, partly because their meanings have evolved significantly over time and differ across countries and historical contexts.The same applies to the term "liberal."Initially, "left/right" originated from the seating arrangements during the French Revolution, where those who sat on the left supported revolutionary change. At the same time, those on the right favored the monarchy and the status quo.Today, “left” generally refers to progressive, reformist, or socialist policies, and “right” to conservative or traditionalist views. However, the specific policies and ideologies associated with each can vary dramatically between countries and eras.In the United States, “left” is often associated with Democrats or progressives, supporting ideas like social welfare, civil rights expansion, and government intervention in the economy.In parts of Europe, some parties that call themselves "liberal" actually promote free-market policies (which, in the U.S., are usually considered “right” of center).In Latin America, "right-wing" can sometimes mean supporting authoritarian regimes, while “left-wing” can carry connotations of populist or anti-imperialist movements, which again differ from European or North American understandings.The term "Liberal" is another example of shifting meaning:In the United States, "liberal" tends to refer to people who favor more government intervention in social and economic affairs, aligning with the political left.In the UK, "Liberal" historically meant support for free markets, individual liberties, and limited government, often closer to what Americans would call "libertarian" or even (in some cases) "conservative."In Australia or Canada, "liberal" can fall anywhere along the spectrum: in Australia, the Liberal Party is a major right-of-center party.Because political contexts, historical developments, and party platforms differ by place and time, these terms do not have a fixed, universal meaning. As a result, simply labeling someone or a policy as “left,” “right,” or "liberal" can cause confusion or miscommunication unless the specific context is clearly defined.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at https://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:FacebookTwitterYouTubeInstagramTikTokLinkedInPinterestTumblr Sponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM! Use code LR32K4. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.5. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!6. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken. 7. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!8. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear. Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Do you know people who wail about "the media"? Whenever that happens, it's always an incomplete sentence. They should say, "The media I disagree with."Saying "the media" implies there is only one media or that they have a united message. Media isn't unified. Just skim the Internet for a few minutes, and you'll get wildly different points of view and reporting.In the mini-episode, I elaborate.This mini-episode is another Public Service Announcement from a grammar Nazi. It's my simple effort to clean up sloppy English.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at https://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:FacebookTwitterYouTubeInstagramTikTokLinkedInPinterestTumblr Sponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! Claim your monthly reward by becoming a patron for as little as $2/month at https://Patreon.com/FTapon2. For the best travel credit card, get one of the Chase Sapphire cards and get 75-100k bonus miles!3. Get $5 when you sign up for Roamless, my favorite global eSIM! Use code LR32K4. Get 25% off when you sign up for Trusted Housesitters, a site that helps you find sitters or homes to sit in.5. Start your podcast with my company, Podbean, and get one month free!6. In the United States, I recommend trading cryptocurrency with Kraken. 7. Outside the USA, trade crypto with Binance and get 5% off your trading fees!8. For backpacking gear, buy from Gossamer Gear.  Get full access to Francis Tapon at ftapon.substack.com/subscribe

Simon & Schuster provided me with an advanced copy of the superb book After the Spike: Population, Progress, and the Case for People, scheduled for release on July 8, 2025.The University of Texas authors, Dean Spears and Michael Geruso, have written a mind-blowing book! It's my second favorite book of 2025! My favorite 2025 book is They're Not Gaslighting You.Videohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-JfpjJRkokPodcast The Population WhimperWhen I was born, Paul R. Ehrlich's book, The Population Bomb, was a mega-bestseller. Although I never read the book, my generation believed the book's message that humanity is dangerously overpopulated. The book gave me one major reason not to have children. The book made intuitive sense, built on Thomas Malthus's observations, that if our population continues to expand, we will eventually hit a brick wall.However, Ehrlich, a Stanford biologist, made these stunningly wrong predictions in The Population Bomb:Mass Starvation in the 1970s and 1980s: The book opened with the statement, "The battle to feed all of humanity is over. In the 1970s, hundreds of millions of people will starve to death in spite of any crash programs embarked upon now."  England's Demise by 2000: He suggested that England would not exist by the year 2000 due to environmental collapse related to overpopulation. Devastation of Fish Populations by 1990: He predicted that all significant animal life in the sea would be extinct by 1990, and large areas of coastline would need to be evacuated due to the stench of dead fish. India's Famine: He predicted catastrophic food shortages in India in the 1990s that did not materialize. United States Food Rationing by 1984: He envisioned the U.S. rationing food by 1984.Instead of all this doom and gloom, here's what happened: we went from 3.5 billion (when Ehrich wrote his doomsday book) to 8 billion people today, most of whom are fat. Today, our biggest problem isn't famine but obesity.Dean Spears and Michael Geruso's new book should have been called The Population Whimper because it says the opposite of what The Population Bomb said. Forget a catastrophic demographic explosion. We're going to suffer a catastrophic demographic implosion.The graph on the cover of After the Spike sums up the problem: during a 200-year time period, the human population will have spiked to 10 billion and then experienced an equally dramatic fall.Three criticisms of After the SpikeFor a book packed with counterintuitive arguments, it's remarkable that I can only spot three flaws. Admittedly, these are minor critiques, as they will disappear if we stabilize below 10 billion.1. Wildlife lostThe authors correctly argue that the environment has been improving even as the human population has been growing rapidly. For example:Air and water are now cleaner than they were 50 years ago, when the population was half its current size.Our per capita CO2 consumption is falling.Clean energy production is at an all-time high.There's one metric that authors overlooked: wildlife.As the human population doubled, we've needed more space for growing food. This has led to a decrease in habitat, which is why biologists refer to the Anthropocene Extinction.While fish farms are efficient, overfishing continues.The Amazon gets denuded to make space for soy and cattle plantations.The loss of African wildlife habitats is acute, as the African population is projected to quadruple in this century.I imagine that the authors of After the Spike would counter:National parks didn't exist 200 years ago.Green revolutions and GMO foods have made the most productive farmers ever.De-extinction may restore extinct species.And they're correct. There are bright spots. However, as we approach 10 billion, wildlife will continue to suffer and be marginalized. The book should have mentioned that.Dean Spears and Michael Geruso would likely agree that if humans continue to grow nonstop, wildlife will continue to suffer.However, they aren't arguing for nonstop human expansion. They want stabilization.When you combine stabilization with technology (e.g., vertical farming and lab-grown animal products), we would reverse the downward trend in wildlife habitat.2. Increased energy consumptionDean Spears and Michael Geruso celebrate humanity's progress in energy efficiency and productivity. However, they overlook these facts:1. The Rebound Effect (Jevons Paradox):As energy efficiency improves, the cost of using energy services effectively decreases. This can lead to:Increased usage of existing services: For example, more efficient air conditioners might lead people to cool their homes to lower temperatures or for longer periods. More fuel-efficient cars might encourage more driving.Adoption of new energy-intensive activities: The increased affordability of energy services can enable entirely new consumption patterns that were previously too expensive to adopt. Think about the proliferation of data centers for AI and digital services, or the growth of electric vehicles. While individual electric vehicles (EVs) are more efficient than gasoline cars, the rapid increase in their adoption contributes to overall electricity demand.2. Economic Growth and Rising Living Standards:Increased demand for energy services: As economies grow and incomes rise, people generally desire greater comfort, convenience, and a wider range of goods and services. This translates to greater demand for heating and cooling, larger homes, more personal transportation, more manufactured goods, and more leisure activities, all of which require energy.Industrialization and urbanization: Developing economies, in particular, are undergoing rapid industrialization and urbanization. This involves massive construction, increased manufacturing, and the expansion of infrastructure, all of which are highly energy-intensive. Even with efficiency gains, the sheer scale of this growth drives up overall energy consumption.Emerging technologies: The growth of data centers, AI, and other digital technologies is leading to a significant increase in electricity demand.3. Population Growth:While efficiency might improve per unit of output, the overall global population continues to grow. More people, even if individually more efficient, will inherently consume more energy in total.4. Shifting Economic Structures:Some economies are shifting from less energy-intensive sectors (like agriculture) to more energy-intensive ones (like manufacturing or specific services).Even within industries, while individual processes might become more efficient, the overall scale of production can increase dramatically.5. Energy Price and Policy Factors:Low energy prices: If energy remains relatively inexpensive (due to subsidies or abundant supply), the incentive for significant behavioral changes to reduce consumption might be diminished, even with efficient technologies available.Policy limitations: Although many countries have energy efficiency policies, their impact may be offset by other factors that drive demand.Conclusion: While technological advancements and efficiency measures reduce the energy intensity of specific activities, these gains are often outpaced by the aggregate increase in demand for energy services driven by economic growth, rising living standards, population increases, and the adoption of new, energy-intensive technologies and behaviors. The challenge lies in achieving a proper decoupling of economic growth from energy consumption, and ultimately, from carbon emissions.Humanity's per capita energy consumption has been steadily increasing with each passing century, a trend that is unlikely to change soon. Therefore, humans of the 26th century will consume far more energy than those of the 21st century. The authors of After the Spike would probably argue that in 2525, we'll be using a clean energy source (e.g., nuclear fusion), so it'll be irrelevant that our per capita energy consumption increases ten times. Again, short term, we're going in the wrong direction. However, in a stabilized world, we won't have a problem.3. Designer babiesThe authors of After the Spike never addressed the potential impact that designer babies may have. I coined the term "Homo-enhanced" to address our desire to overcome our biological limitations. Couples are already using IVF to select the gender and eye color of their babies. Soon, we'll be able to edit and select for more complex traits such as height or even intelligence. It's easy to imagine a world like Gattaca, where parents collaborate with CRISPR-powered gene tools to create custom-made babies.One reason some people don't want to reproduce is that it's a crap shoot. Any parent who has more than one child will tell you that each of their children is quite different from the others. Given that they grow up in the same environment, it suggests that genetics is a decisive factor.Until now, we couldn't mold our children's DNA. Soon, we will. If we were to remove the lottery aspect of having a child and allow parents to design their children, perhaps there would be a baby boom.Dean Spears and Michael Geruso would probably argue that this is unlikely or centuries away from happening. We'll be descending the steep population slope long before we are homo-enhanced.One trillion humans in this millennium?In the Bulgaria chapter of The Hidden Europe, I observed that Bulgaria is depopulating faster than any other European country. Having peaked at 9 million in the late 1980s, a century later, it will be half that size.Despite that, in that chapter, I predicted that in 500 years, we'll have one trillion humans in the solar system, with at least 100 billion on Earth.This video explains how and why that may happen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lJJ_QqIVncConclusionIn 2075, will After the Spike: Population, Progress, and the Case for People look as stupid as The Population Bomb looks 50 years after publication? Does After the Spike make the same errors as The Population Bomb?Paul Ehrlich's underestimated technology and the continued collapse in fertility rates. As Dean Spears and Michael Geruso point out, fertility rates have been declining since they were first measured. Had Ehrlich extrapolated the trendline, he would have realized that our demographic collapse was imminent, not an explosion. Furthermore, technology solved many of the problems Ehrlich imagined.Is After the Spike making the same error?Fertility rates won't fall forever. They must stop. Otherwise, we'll become extinct.However, will fertility rates soar due to technology or some other reason? What could make our fertility rates return to three or more? Here are a few ideas:We master fusion energy, providing us with ultra-cheap energy and dramatically decreasing the cost of having children.Robots perform most jobs, leaving humans with ample time to raise large families. As the negative effects of depopulation start rippling across the world, a global cultural panic erupts, prompting people to prioritize reproduction.Homo-enhanced humans, merged with artificial general intelligence, decide to proliferate to dominate the planet.Vertical farms and lab-grown cultured meat improve the environment so dramatically that humans feel less guilty about having three or more children, and generous subsidies offset the costs.Admittedly, these scenarios are unlikely to occur during the next 50 years, so After the Spike won't become the joke that The Population Bomb became in 50 years.Still, I predict that Ehrlich's great-great-granddaughter will write The Population Bomb II: Thomas Malthus Will Be Right Someday.Verdict10 out of 10 stars!ExcerptsThe excerpts below are from an advanced copy, which may have undergone edits. Hence, some of these excerpts may have been reworded or deleted in the final print. The reason I am quoting them is that even if the excerpts are removed in the final edition, they illustrate the book's overall message. It would be easy to think that fewer people would be better—better for the planet, better for the people who remain. This book asks you to think again. Depopulation is not the solution we urgently need for environmental challenges, nor will it raise living standards by dividing what the world can offer across fewer of us.Despite what you may have been told, depopulation is not the solution we urgently need for environmental challenges like climate change. Nor will it raise living standards by dividing what the world can offer across fewer of us. To the contrary, so much of the progress that we now take for granted sprang up in a large and interconnected society.Part I’s big claim: No future is more likely than that people worldwide choose to have too few children to replace their own generation. Over the long run, this would cause exponential population decline.Whether depopulation would be good or bad depends on the facts and depends on our values. We ask about those facts and values, building up to an overall assessment: Part II and Part III’s big claim: A stabilized world population would be better, overall, than a depopulating future.Part IV’s big claim: Nobody yet knows how to stabilize a depopulating world. But humanity has made revolutionary improvements to society before— we can do it again if we choose.We won’t ask you to abandon your concerns about climate change; about reproductive freedom and abortion access; or about ensuring safe, healthy, flourishing lives for everyone everywhere. We won’t ask you to consider even an inch of backsliding on humanity’s progress toward gender equity. We insist throughout that everyone should have the tools to choose to parent or not to parent.This book is not about whether or how you should parent. It’s about whether we all should make parenting easier.In 2012, 146 million children were born. That was more than in any year of history to that point. It was also more than in any year since. Millions fewer will be born this year. The year 2012 may well turn out to be the year in which the most humans were ever born— ever as in ever for as long as humanity exists.Within three hundred years, a peak population of 10 billion could fall below 2 billion.The tip of the Spike may be six decades from today.For every 205 babies born, human biology, it turns out, would produce about 100 females.Average fertility in Europe today is about 1.5. That means the next generation will be 25 percent smaller than the last.Birth rates were falling all along. For as long as any reliable records exist, and for at least several hundred years while the Spike was ascending, the average number of births per woman has been falling, generation by generation.In the United States in the early 1800s, married white women (a population for whom some data were recorded) gave birth an average of seven times.If life expectancy doubles to 150 years, or quadruples to 300 years, couldn’t that prevent the depopulating edge of the Spike? The surprising answer is no.The story of the Spike would stay the same, even if life expectancy quadrupled to three hundred years. In contrast, if adults’ reproductive spans also changed, so people had, say, one or two babies on average over their twenties, thirties, and forties and then another one on average over their fifties, sixties, and seventies, then that would stop depopulation— but it would be because births changed, not because later-adulthood deaths changed.Where exactly should humanity stabilize? Six billion? Eight? Ten? Some other number? This book makes the case to stabilize somewhere. Exactly where will have to be a question for public and scientific debate.So the extra greenhouse gas emissions contributed by the larger population would be small, even under the assumption here that the future is bleak and we go on emitting for another century.The environmental costs of a new child are not zero. Not by a long shot. Not yet. But they are falling. Each new person who joins the ranks of humanity will add less CO2 than, well, you over your lifetime.Humanity could choose a future that’s good, free, and fair for women and that also has an average birth rate of two. There is no inescapable dilemma. In that kind of future, people who want to parent would get the support that they need (from nonparents, from taxpayers, from everyone) to choose parenting.The most plausible way humanity might stabilize— and the only way this book endorses— is if societies everywhere work to make parenting better.Globally, we now produce about 50 percent more food per person than in 1961.“endogenous economic growth.” Endogenous means “created from the inside.” Ideas do not come from outside the economy. They come from us.Because scale matters, a depopulating planet will be able to fill fewer niches.A threat with a fixed cost: A threat has arisen that will kill all humans (however many) unless a large cost is paid to escape it (such as by deflecting an asteroid) within a certain time period.Could a kajillion lives ever be the best plan? That question goes beyond the practical question that this book is here to answer.Between our two families, we have had three live births, four miscarriages, and three failed IVF rounds.Parenting will need to become better than it is today. That’s what we, your authors, hope and believe.The opportunity cost hypothesis: Spending time on parenting means giving up something. Because the world has improved around us, that “something” is better than it used to be.In no case is there evidence that more support for parents predicts more births.Nobody— no expert, no theory— fully understands why birth rates, everywhere, in different cultures and contexts, are lower than ever before.I hope these excerpts compel you to buy the book. If you're still undecided, consider that the book features numerous graphs and illustrations that will rewire your brain. Buy After the Spike: Population, Progress, and the Case for People.ConnectSend me an anonymous voicemail at SpeakPipe.com/FTaponYou can post comments, ask questions, and sign up for my newsletter at https://wanderlearn.com.If you like this podcast, subscribe and share! On social media, my username is always FTapon. Connect with me on:FacebookTwitterYouTubeInstagramTikTokLinkedInPinterestTumblr Sponsors1. My Patrons sponsored this show! 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