HP Photosmart C4750 misprinting in Windows 10 with Adobe and MS Word.

Because this information should be available to Microsoft, Adobe, and HP, I"m putting it here.  I created a document in Microsoft Word.  Printing it from Microsoft Word mostly works fine.

I printed it to a PDF using doPDF and the resulting file looks great. In Adobe Reader, I printed it to my HP Photosmart C4750 and one of the options was "Save ink/toner." There is a help link that leads to Adobe's site, so I assume that Adobe is responsible for the problem, described below.

I printed the resulting PDF and everything was printed twice, the second copy being about 1/3 of a millimeter below the first copy, and little bit lighter. I figured my ink cartridges might be misaligned, so I printed the alignment page, scanned it, the printer reported that they were aligned, and then I tried again.  The problem persisted.  I saw that the "Save ink/toner" option was on, so I turned it off, and then the PDF came out almost perfectly. There is a textbox (created by MS Word) on the PDF and that box, and only that box, and all the text in it, still shows the problem. However, the problem shows up on that textbox even when I print directly from MS Word, so it is likely the case that some particular instructions between the HP printer and the software delivering printing commands to it is causing this problem, and that the Adobe printer uses them to "save ink/toner" while MS Word uses it for textboxes.

Thanks for the Click!

If you believe

• that the initiation of force is wrong;
• that the institution of government relies on initiatory violence against peaceful people;
• and that taxation is stealing

– then you meet the basic definition of being a voluntaryist.

We offer you a choice:
If you'd like to learn more, please visit our website, voluntaryist.com, or join the Voluntaryist Telegram group in which lots of questions get asked and answered.  There may even be a meetup in your area, just search for "voluntaryist."

If you love voluntaryism enough to donate toward its ongoing expansion, there are several options:

1. If you send bitcoin to the address on the voluntaryist site (1N9chGG4Dpp8Lw1eDye9wjiskAVqaiCi2Y), AND you email the Transaction ID to the webmaster (me) at webmaster (at) voluntaryist.com (or send it to me through Telegram, @dscotese), then I will know that this donation resulted from the ad you clicked and it will be used as described below.
2. If you find something you'd like to buy on the voluntaryist website, the proceeds of the sale will go to me.  I've been the webmaster for about eight years, and I became the owner when Carl Watner passed away in December of 2020.
3. If you'd like to donate a cryptocurrency other than bitcoin, please email me (see the email address in #1 above).

How Donations Will Be Used:

Donations identified as described in #1 above will be handled by me, Dave Scotese, in the following manner:

1. The first 0.004 BTC will go to the designer of the ad you clicked
2. The next $200 worth of BTC will go to me for hosting fees for two years.  In June of 2023, that will be paid again and this item will jump to the top of this list again.
3. 5% of any donation after the first two items are covered will be used to compensate our ad designers and encourage the creation of more ads to help spread voluntaryism.
4. The rest of the donated BTC will be spent on placing the ads our designer makes in places that may attract more people to the personal responsibility and respect for individual liberty that voluntaryism promotes. Where this money is spent will be discussed by me (Dave Scotese) and our designers.

A record of these donations will be listed at the end of this post.

By the way, even if you don't donate, you can help by sharing our website or Ken Schoolland's Philosophy of Liberty video.

Nicaragua 2019

I own a piece of a property in Nicaragua, as I wrote about in this earlier newsletter, and I stayed there from December 4 to December 14th.  I finished reading Jordan Peterson's first book, Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief and it changed me.  I started reading Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist on the plane on the way there.  Coelho's book was a gift from a nearly perfect stranger I met at jury duty in November. I leaned over to peak at the cover of her book and she held it up for me.  I'd heard of it on the Tim Ferriss Show (a podcast to which I subscribe). I'm lucky that I get a lot of books either from or because of smart people I know or listen to.  I haven't gotten to read that much in a very long time, and that's probably why it changed me.

I was already on a path to see value in doubt, and my (non) experience in Nicaragua increased the value I see in it.  I call it a "(non) experience" because I got to do nothing so much.  There were lots of things I did do, including seeing two pigs mate, cutting down fast growing trees so that slower-growing (stronger, and longer lasting) trees can get the sun they need to grow, befriending some dogs who serve as alarms, eating clean and healthy, locally grown food every day that I didn't have to prepare, and sleeping from dusk till dawn, which was about eleven or twelve hours.  And there were fireflies.

Doubt is hope, and which word you use is based on whether you're being optimistic or pessimistic.  At the same time hope is not a strategy, and many people recognize the seeds of destruction in hope. If all you do is hope, failure just becomes more likely.  It's taking action, even when you doubt that you will succeed, that increases the chances of success. An open mind will learn from failure, and learning is a kind of success too. My younger sister Anitra who died of breast cancer almost five years ago, gave me a shirt from a program she worked, "Supercamp," with seven keys to success on it, and one of them was "Failure leads to success."

Today I heard part of Tim Ferriss' interview of Marcela Ot'alora.  He asked her several questions about how one "sits for" someone who takes MDMA or some other psychedelic substance for the purpose of healing. Now that I'm writing this (fulfilling a promise I've been making to everyone who asked me how my trip was), I think a good way to put it is that I went there to "sit for" myself as I allowed it (myself, which I'm objectifying as my body and the experiencing spirit that lives in it) to do whatever it wanted. There are a lot of things for which I take responsibility when I'm home, and I got to let them all go.  I came back and take on these responsibilities and more with more energy and optimism than I had before.  It worked!

I've been making the claim that "I don't get bored."  It's not really true, but I like to make it as true as I can.  Being bored is an extreme luxury if you really think about it. Most creatures usually have something that needs to be done by a certain time, and they will work on doing that thing. If there's enough time, they will lounge around instead, and eventually, the need overtakes them and they get up and do it. I went to Nicaragua because I like lounging around.  I did a lot of it, and I still like it and do a lot of it.  I didn't have enough of an Internet connection to plan my next one, so I'll go work on that now.

My Internal Family System

One of the practices that can help a person avoid the destructive symptoms of Dissociative Identity Disorder ("DID") is to integrate their various personalities by having them communicate with each other and work together.  People who have not been diagnosed with any kind of disorder (and even those who have) can also benefit from recognizing and integrating various personalities that they might imagine they hold.  On my walk this morning, I worked on identifying and naming several of my own.  In the hope of inspiring you, I will introduce some of them.

I ask who wants to be introduced first, and it's "Thomas" (from "Doubting Thomas," the apostle who doubted that Jesus had risen from the dead).  I christen my ability to doubt, "Thomas," and you have probably met him if you've read other blog posts of mine.  Okay, who's next?

Theresa, probably because I'm proud of her too.  I chose that name because of the popular conception of "Mother Theresa" as an extremely compassionate person.  This part of me seeks to recognize other people's pain (as well as my own), and offer those suffering from it some understanding. Next?

Phil, who is named after Phil Collins, because of his song "In the Air Tonight," and the "bitterness and frustration" that I sometimes express. He is one of the last personalities I discovered. I figured I had gotten nearly all the "personalities" I can exhibit and asked if anyone was missing.  Phil showed up, just as a name, and then I realized that I hadn't really accounted for feelings I tend to suppress.  Sorry, Phil, I will honor you more in the future.

Greg (short for "Gregarious") seems to be a relatively new personality, perhaps because he was pretty insignificant until I went through The Forum, a training and development seminar from Landmark Worldwide.

David, the little boy who was abandoned.  He's the first personality I met (or invented).  I had been walking around the block considering a recent School Sucks podcast in which I heard about "Internal Family Systems Therapy." I introspected to see if I felt there were any personalities inside myself that might need attention, and a little abandoned boy showed up. I attach this to having to stay at school when my mom dropped me off at Preschool.  I only remember crying because I didn't want her to leave me.

Frank, who is ashamed of my sexuality.  His name comes from Francisco d'Anconia, a character in Atlas Shrugged who was known as a playboy.

Yoda, who is always saying "It's Okay," like my boss at iBus/Phoenix from many years ago, Mien Shih.  Yoda is an excellent Stoic.  He knows that our memories and our cognitive abilities are there to take the worst of situations, once they are in the past, and draw useful conclusions from them to have a better future.  That's why he's always there to alleviate my concerns and slow me down when I'm ready to jump into a situation and stop something that is about to happen. Yoda is the space between stimulus and response for me.

Chuck, or Charlie, from Charlie Brown, because he's the "peanut gallery."  He's funny.

Ed (prospective name, from my Toastmasters club) who likes to talk.  The reason Ed and Greg are two different personalities is that I like active listening.  Allowing someone to express themselves, again because of The Forum, is something I enjoy a lot, and it's Greg's function. Chuck and Ed could be the same, but I do like to have something useful to say when Ed has the floor (not "the light" because I think keeping others in the dark is foolishly dangerous).  Chuck just shows up for one-liners without much respect for anyone else, internal or external.

I made up all these personalities by questioning where a thought came from. What motivated me to do this today was that I was thinking one thing and then lost it to another thought that took over.  I can't remember either thought now, but I figured that those two competing motivations could more effectively work together if I distinguished them and created an intention.  I called a meeting in my head and started asking "people" (men, personalities, whatever) to speak up. This strategy was mentioned in a recent Tim Ferriss podcast as a way to get back to sleep when that was difficult.

There may be personalities that I've left out, as this is not an exhaustive exercise.  If you ever talk to me, and you feel that one of these personalities might be a better interlocutor, please remind me.  You have their names, and you are free to use the same names to name your own internal family members who share these traits.

Jackson Roland (likely not his real name), Scammer

Jackson's number, from the screenshots "Ben" sent me, is +1 281-884-9759, if you would like to offer him some advice.

Jackson: Hello (4:01 AM)
Ben: Hi (4:02 AM)
Jackson: How're you? (4:02 AM)
Ben: Good (4:02 AM)
Ben: What can I do for you?
Jackson: Can we chat for a while? (4:03 AM)
Ben: About what? (4:04 AM)
Jackson: Where are you chatting from? (4:04 AM)
Ben: I'm in the US (4:05 AM)
Jackson: Wow (4:06 AM)
Jackson: Am from northern Texas but I live in Romania (4:07 AM)
Ben: Cool (4:07 AM)
Jackson: Do you know Bitcoin? (4:09 AM)
Ben: Yes (4:09 AM)
Jackson: Am new in bitcoin (4:10 AM)
Ben: Nice (4:10 AM)
Ben: There's a lot to learn (4:10 AM)
Jackson: Yes but I do earn more than a thousand dollar on my wallet within 24hrs (4:12 AM)
Jackson: Have invested in bitcoin before? (4:15 AM)
Ben: No. I haven't (4:15 AM)
Jackson: I have a legit place were you can trade your btc and get back your profit within 24hrs (416 AM)
Ben: Really? How? (4:16 AM)
Jackson: Do you know an investor called Stanley woods he live in Ohio ? (4:18 AM)
Ben: No (4:18 AM)
Jackson: I can give you his private whatsapp line for you to invest and earn like me (4:20 AM)
Ben: I don't use WhatsApp (4:21 AM)
Jackson: Hmm okay I will help you talk to Mr Stanley woods if you are interested to invest? (4:22 AM)
Ben: Yes sure (4:23 AM)
Jackson: Okay so how much do you want to invest in btc (4:23 AM)
Ben: I don't know (4:24 AM)
Ben: How much do people usually invest? (4:24 AM)
Jackson: I depends on the profit (4:25 AM)
Jackson: Like today I invested 200$ (4:25 AM)
Ben: How much will $200 get me in profit? (4:26 AM)
Jackson: As you are a new member your profit will be 500$ (4:28 AM)
Ben: WOW (4:28 AM)
Ben: amazing (4:28 AM)
Ben: What if I invest more? (4:28 AM)
Ben: I have like 0.4 bitcoin (4:29 AM)
Jackson: It depends on the profit you want (4:31 AM)
Jackson: So how do you like to start up with? (4:32 AM)
Ben: I wanna invest 0.4 bitcoin (4:32 AM)
Ben: That's like $4000+ (4:32 AM)
Ben: Where do I sign up? (4:32 AM)
Jackson: Okay wait (4:33 AM)
Ben: Ok (4:34 AM)

Jackson: I have talk to him (4:55 AM)
Ben: Ok (4:55 AM)
Jackson: +14044654298 That's the manager number on telegram (4:58 AM)
Jackson: Massage him directly on telegram now so he can provide all the details you required for investment ok (4:58 AM)
Ben: Ok cool (4:59 AM)
Ben: Why can't you do the investment for me? (4:59 AM)
Ben: Do you work with him? (4:59 AM)
Jackson: Yeah (5:03 AM)
Ben: Ok then. Just let me work with you (5:03 AM)
Jackson: Okay (5:09 AM)
Ben: So how long is the investment before pay out? (5:09 AM)
Jackson: 24hrs (5:11 AM)
Jackson: Btctradmate.com
That's the company website I invested with ok (5:11 AM)
Ben: Ok I'm ready to invest. How do I do this? (5:11 AM)
Jackson: http://Btctradmate.com
Jackson: Create an account (5:12 AM)
Ben: Ok (5:13 AM)
Jackson: Signup and send me your username of your account registration So I can notify the manager for you, since you don't want to make him directly ok (5:14 AM)
Ben: Ok thanks (5:15 AM)
Jackson: Once you are done in sign up the account let me know (5:15 AM)
Ben: Done (5:26 AM)
Ben: Username: real_satoshi (5:27 AM)
Jackson: I will tell the manager to send his company wallet address so you can make your deposit (5:31 AM)
Jackson: Okay (5:31 AM)
Ben: Cool (5:31 AM)
Ben: Can you guys do me a favor first to make sure you guys are legit? (5:31 AM)
Jackson: We are legit we you have seen our website (5:32 AM)
Ben: Ima give you my bitcoin address and send me a small amount 50 cent or $1 (5:32 AM)
Ben: Just to make sure this legit (5:32 AM)
Jackson: We don't joke with our customer investment you can trust on us (5:35 AM)
Jackson: 14cpVR9YL9nKngsVSVByE9sjh5tmB4UoAF (5:35 AM)
Ben: This is my bitcoin address: bc1qv7sdkw9n3327gcd8wy8d3r37ng3ex45g 5s894tf9syppsxthgvvqeum4sa (5:35 AM)
Jackson: That's the company wallet address make your deposit and send me screenshots payment so I can send it to the manager now ok (5:36 AM)
Ben: Just make a small amount transaction so I can be at ease (5:36 AM)
Jackson: I don't get you (5:36 AM)
Ben: Send me 50 cent or $1 transaction to make sure you're legit (5:36 AM)
Ben: I will send back with my investment
Jackson: Okay the company will do so (5:38 AM)
Jackson: Send your wallet address (5:38 AM)
Ben: bc1qv7sdkw9n3327gcd8wy8d3r37ng3ex45g5s894tf9syppsxthgvvqeum4sa (5:39 AM)
Jackson: Okay wait (5:39 AM)
Ben: Ok  (5:39 AM)
Jackson: Just wait you will receive it (5:40 AM)
Ben: Ok  (5:39 AM)
Jackson: Invalid Bitcoin address (5:41 AM)
Jackson: Send your real bitcoin address 5-(42 AM)
Ben: Ok try this (5:43 AM)
Ben: 1DvdeyLJrRux747JKfHSZaDhrMSfouBAdj (5:44 AM)
Jackson: Wait (5:44 AM)
Ben: Ok  (5:44 AM)
Jackson: Sent (5:47 AM)
Ben: Awesome (5:47 AM)
Ben: Haven't got the notification yet (5:47 AM)
Ben: Just got it (5:47 AM)
Ben: Thank you (5:47 AM)
Jackson: Alright (5:48 AM)
Ben: Now go fuck yourself, you filthy scammer (5:48 AM)
Ben: Get a job and stop scamming people (6:01 AM)
Jackson: I am not a scammer (6:06 AM)
Ben: Stop it. Yes you are (6:06 AM)
Ben: And a stupid one too (6:06 AM)
Jackson: I swear I am not (6:06 AM)
Jackson: I Showed you a legit place to trade your btc edited (6:08 AM)
Jackson: Why me. (6:09 AM)

Jackson Roland last seen recently
bio: Life is sweet
username @Jackroland

Bitcoin is a Tool

Technology can be used to help anyone.  It can help criminals, and it can help upstanding people, and it can even help people who want to control everyone.  I recently had a reason to review Larken Rose's "The Tiny Dot," an explanation of which will soon be available on the voluntaryist website, in the newsletter, or both.  The reason I cherish bitcoin despite its ability to help people who want to control everyone is that they are a tiny minority.  As Larken explains, the reason they cause the problems they cause is that the rest of us have not "fixed what's between our ears."

I was one of the first people who started talking about the ability to track bitcoin.  I know this because I described what has been called "taint" before it was used in reference to tracking bitcoin. I'm not talking about that episode from Weeds where the actor who looks like Harry Connick Jr. explains what "taint" is.  That's a different kind of taint.

In a post on bitcointalk.org, I mentioned that the bitcoin stolen from a useful enterprise necessarily goes to an address (or a script) that can be watched on the publicly available bitcoin blockchain.  If bitcoin wallet software allowed it, the user could enter that new address or script into the software and if he ever got any of the bitcoin that was stolen, the software could tell him, and also tell him how many transactions happened between the heist and his receipt of stolen bitcoin.

It was amazing to me how many people resisted and challenged what I had pointed out.  No one said it was impossible, but rather they suggested it was "bad or wrong" because it would make bitcoin less fungible.  A few months later, blockchain.info provided a "taint analysis" tool that did exactly what I had described.  That tool is now gone, and I haven't found a good replacement for it.  It is the kind of thing that Chainalysis does.  If you know of a (free) replacement, please let me know.  I assume such a service would not be free because it takes some computing resources to do "taint analysis."  However, if the software were open source and you could run it on your own equipment, then you'd be paying that computing price.

Bitcoin is less fungible.  Companies like Chainalysis exist and can (sometimes!) track down bitcoin users, and this causes some bitcoin to be less useful than other bitcoin (the essence of fungibility).  If I remember correctly, some exchange or service accepted a BTC deposit and then would not let the depositor access the BTC, and offered the reason "Came from an illegal service."  It is a fact that what I described was possible, and it is being used, but it is not being used effectively to stop scammers.

Scammers are all over every website that allows peer to peer trading of bitcoin.  They are most likely all over other sites that don't do bitcoin, but which do other cryptocurrencies which also can be tracked.  I view this as a failure of the public to cooperate (which, I understand, is very common), but I'm part of that public, and so are you.  For that reason, I create a group in Telegram called "Imposter and Scammer Reporting."  You have to have some funds (at least 25 Satoshis, or about a quarter of a penny) to get in, but I can provide that for you.  Just ask me (@dscotese on Telegram).

Gibberish and Mind Control

Have you heard someone making sounds that didn't carry any meaning? By speaking words, we control the minds of those who are fluent in the language and can hear us. Speech is a form of mind control. Please be careful how you use it. 

Writing is also a form of mind control that can be used on those who are literate. Please be careful when you write.

Because you are literate in English, I'm responsible for a lot of what is in your mind right now, but there's plenty that is completely out of my hands. We currently share an important responsibility, the contents of your mind. If it disturbs you, don't forget that you can stop reading, or that your actions are entirely under your control.

Even if someone holds a gun to your head and demands a certain behavior, you still have the power to refuse, or even just lie about your intention to fulfill the demand.  The beautiful thing about our language-based susceptibility to mind control is that there is a space between the stimulus and the response, and in that space, we have the freedom to chart our own course and follow it. Become adept at processing input before acting on it. Look before you leap, because mind control is everywhere!