Jonathan Kohn is a Venezuelan born Energy professional with experience in Land and BIS management for the oil and gas industry. Prior to founding BitPetro, Jonathan served as VP for Balanced Energy LLC, where he was responsible for the development and capitalization of over 70 drilling projects in Texas.
BitPetro was founded in 2014, it focuses on the use of data science to provide land research and acquisition services focused on the intersection of Bitcoin and the Energy industry. Mr. Kohn also runs a Cripto Conserje, a Bitcoin Humanitarian project on the Colombia Venezuela border in the city of Cucuta.
The Cripto Conserje team believes that everyone should have access to financial tools like Bitcoin regardless of where they live or what kind of government controls their country’s economy. Like many things in the world COVID put a pause on their operations but now, with help from the bitcoin community they hope to raise enough to build a Bitcoin Humanitarian Center.
The work can continue as the land has already been purchased on the outskirts of Cucuta, they now need to get through permitting and construction with support from the Bitcoin Mining community though donations visa v the LN network or through donated Hash power.
Their goal is to raise 100K to build and operate the facility with an annual budget of 50K. The overriding goal is to provide a financial safety net for refugees who, for political and/or economic reasons, cannot access traditional banks and financial institutions.
Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon.
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Note – This is one of my favorite items in the TspAz catalog. I have sold literally thousands of them with nothing but positive feedback and today they are on sale for 30% off.
Every day I bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use or has been purchased by many members of the audience and I have researched enough to recommend.
The Soundcore 2 Is on sale today and gives you 12 watts of sound and an honest to God 24 hour play time on a single charge. I personally own a pair of these and love them. At 40 dollars each they are solid deal and pair of them produce awesome sound. Yet at 28 bucks a piece in my view they are a steal.
I use these in my workshop since it is not wired with AV like my garage is. So you are looking at 40 bucks for one or 80 bucks for a pair. To me at that price a pair is the way to go. And today they are on sale making a pair only 56 bucks.
Don’t over look that 2X paring! Again for just 56 bucks you can get two and create a true stereo environment with any bluetooth device. Think cheap surround sound with say a laptop playing movies. Or any TV with bluetooth ability. Or think one on each corner of a deck or patio.
Anyone will love this as a gift, and it is the kind of speaker you don’t freak out about taking to public places. I own a 300 dollar Bose speaker, it is fricken awesome, but it is also 300 fricken dollars and is not water proof. I am not sitting it on a table at a camp ground! Hell I don’t even trust myself not to forget it and leave it out in the rain when working on the back end of my property.
So how good are the dang things after all that? In short, they are very good. Now they are not shake windows loud but I’ll put it this way. If you are hanging out in a group and chatting with music on, you won’t want it all the way up, it will be too loud. But if you are listening by yourself and do turn it all the way up it can handle the power and still sounds great. The over all sound quality is excellent and one even survived Dorothy driving our Subaru Outback over it. I don’t advise doing that but it does say something that it survived the abuse doesn’t it?
The biggest complaint I have personally had with various bluetooth speakers and other bluetooth devices is syncing. Some sync easily, some are buggy as crap. Every Anker bluetooth device I have used works flawlessly. My biggest skepticism when I first tested an earlier model of these in late 2018 was the stereo paring. It also works flawlessly and every single time. Once a set “know each other” you don’t even need to do anything but turn them on. And yes they still will work solo, two is one and one is none anyone?
Every time I bring you Anker items I finish with this, but in a world of cheap electronic crap there is a reason. I have sold literally 10s of thousands of Anker items over the years. I have never had one complaint of a failed or damaged item that Anker did not make right. It is why you guys keep hearing me recommend them. So if you want to up your audio game in 2022, check out the Anker Soundcore 2 Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker while its on sale.
P.S. – I love Anker so much I have created this link, it always pulls up any and all Anker Products that are on special deals at any given time. Do BE AWARE it also has sponsored non Anker products in it, because that is how Amazon rolls. But it is worth checking this out from time to time. Anker really is the best value electronics brand on the market.
I get a lot of requests for more “old school” episodes of TSPC and most of those focus on homesteading, permaculture, hard skills, etc. Today we begin a 4 part series where we will go into what I consider to be the 4 pillars of any proper homestead from a quarter acre suburban homestead to a large landholding in the country.
Note this series is not about commercial farming for a profit, scaling food production to feed 50 families, etc. Rather old school American homesteading like our grand parents did. Feed yourself, store surplus and share surplus with your neighbors. That is not to say a side hustle market garden or similar won’t fit with this series just that the foundation is first about “feeding the family”.
So what are the pillars, for this discussion there will be four….
Gardening
Back Yard Livestock
Perennials and Herbs
Local Hunter Gatherer Knowledge (foraging and trade)
Like any set of “pillars” these are not end all, be alls, just the foundation on which to build. Each is connected to others though function stacking and additional systems. Gardens create waste, animals create waste the two are connected via composting, compost feeds the garden which feeds the humans and animals as one example.
Today though we keep it simple and start with what many call “the gateway drug to homesteading and/or prepping”, gardening. When I was a kid in rural PA and would cruise around on my bike and eventually my car, it seemed every third or forth yard at best had a garden. I didn’t know it but I was a “poor kid” and yet between these gardens and what the land provided (hunting/fishing/foraging) I never even thought about food being a problem.
When I moved to Texas after my time in the army I was shocked as I drove though suburbs and saw almost no gardens and those that I saw were simply ornamental. And even those planted with wholly useless landscaping plants that provided no food, no medicine not even any decent pollinator habitat.
Today though things are different, while I don’t see a garden in every third yard I do see a few in every neighborhood, see posts about it all the time on Nextdoor.com, etc. People are coming back to the idea that the freshest food comes from your own back yard. When I think about the gardens my grand parents and their neighbors grew though they have some common points that we have largely lost today in what they grew, how they grew it along with how much work they put into it.
My grandparents pretty much worked hard at the beginning of the seasons, a little during the middle and then hard again with harvest and preservation at the end. Kids like me were used for on going mid season tasks, think watering during a drought or weekly cutting of broccoli second crops or green been harvest. The garden was not a hobby, it was something that helped feed us.
My youthful zest even then for “new stuff” was lovingly scoffed at. Basically “okay kid, try what you want but dig an additional bed, all of the space is planned already and we’ve been doing it that way since before your dad was born”. Today I try to balance that old and new mindset. Finding amazing new things like last year finding Indian Snake Bean or finding Ping Tung Eggplant a few years back, yet sticking to the “tiny farm” mindset of my grand parents.
Join Me Today to Discuss…
The four pillars and why we are talking about them at the beginning of winter
Gardening
Small livestock
Perennials
Hunter/gatherer/local-trade knowledge
Why a garden as the first pillar
Can be done almost anywhere
Can be done very inexpensively
It is something you can do for your food security
It really is “the gateway drug”
The gardens of my grandparents and their contemporaries
Great things that did well with little effort in their climate
Focused on 8-12 crops that were happily eaten and stored in my grand parents case
Tomatoes
Sweet Peppers
Green Beans
Wax Beans
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Cucumber
Garlic
Sweet Corn
Cabbage
Butternut Squash
Plants were laid out like a “small farm” rotated seasonally but in dedicated rows
All beds were in ground beds, no raised wooden frames
Cabbage was planted first, then broccoli and cauliflower, the the rest
When the first freeze came we were DONE for the season (hunting season)
Fertility was the neighbors horse manure, fishing remains, mulch and gasp 10-10-10 fertilizer
Toxins like 7 dust were used (only when and were deemed necessary)
Herbs like dill were randomly grown in and around other plants
Harvest was an on going affair in a scheduled way to create meal quantities and/or enough to make storage make sense
My modern version
Follow the wisdom, grow what you eat all the time that is easy for your climate
Reserve an area to test new stuff annually, adopt what you discover
Incorporate trellising (vertical space)
Add in automated irrigation (Texas ain’t PA)
Use shade as a strategy
Grow niche crops in things like aquaponics, hydroponics and wicking beds
Grow dual use crops like sweet potato
Use raised beds but only because I absolutely have to
Replace 10-10-10 with an organic equivalent
Fight disease with organic methods or just grow other things
Plant in an organized way but interplant more than they did with vines, etc.
Grow things more for daily meals and mass scale storage (growing season is 250+ days vs. 130-150)
My 12 Core Crops
Peppers (sweet & hot)
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Tromboncino Squash
Asian Long Beans
Asian Egg Plant
Asian Cucumbers
Swiss Chard
Sweet Potato
Fennel
Basil
Indian Snake Bean
Lessons I take from my grandparents way of thinking
What we call less then ideal they called practical
There is room for fun but if you spend money/time you need an ROI
Don’t spend money on shit you don’t need
Don’t use something unless it is necessary
Don’t waste your production, eat it, store it, give it away or feed it to livestock
Harvest and harvest then harvest more it will create more production
My hope one day is gardens are more the exception than the rule, here’s why
Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon.
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Jack’s Bourbon Cooled Sumatra is back at Holler Roast Coffee this holiday season. Every year, Holler Roast Coffee sources a fresh crop of Jack’s signature bean, and every year they sell out. This premium coffee makes a great gift and you can add gift wrapping options, or add a special mug or cup to make an easy gift for your difficult-to-buy-for friends and relatives.
The beans are roasted to order in small batches and cooled with Four Roses Bourbon to increase speed of cooling and better develop the natural sugars at the end of the roasting process. We stumbled on this method of cooling beans in Vietnam. Street roasters use vodka to cool their beans. You will be surprised by the sweet, chocolatey tones.
It is no surprise that Jack likes this Sumatran bean with its complex flavor profile and hearty-yet-smooth mouthfeel. It is even less surprising that he prefers the coffee roasted more lightly than is traditionally recommended for the Sumatran bean at a medium roast. Jack does like to go his own way, but if you want it darker or lighter we can do that for you.
With the Holidays nigh, Holler Roast has launched a few great gift ideas beyond Jack’s signature coffee:
Sampler Pack Trios, either spirit-cooled or cooled with air. This offering is packaged in a gift box or gift bag.
Coffee of the Month packages – Give the gift of a different coffee each month for three, six, or twelve months!
Gift cards, mug and coffee packages can also be found at HollerRoast.com.
Notes from Jack
This year, Nicole has added the easy option for anyone with a list of folks they would like to see gifted. She will take your spreadsheet, hand-write your cards and send your entire list a coffee gift for a flat fee. Find out more on the Holiday Coffee page at Holler Roast. That’s pretty neat.
Don’t forget to use your MSB discount when ordering if you are a member and if not now is a great time to join the MSB.
Special Note – I am running this today because the 18 inch plug in saw is on sale for 90 dollars, and the 16 inch plugin saw is on sale for 72 dollars this is a beyond stupid cheap price. For the average back yard this saw will do anything you need and has a lot of safety built into it. `
That said please understand these tools have limits, they can’t run with a commercial quality gas saw like say a Shihl or Husqvarna Farm Boss, they serve a totally different purpose. Hell they can’t even run with cheap gas saws. `
However when you watch the video at the end please understand how hard a piece of seasoned live oak is. It is akin to cutting something just below stone on the hardness scale. Which is why I chose it. For trimming trees and felling smaller trees and such these saws cut like butter within their size limits. I have taken down a lot of trees on my property with both saws. Even oak if not seasoned they tear through it very easily.
Every day I bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use or has been purchased by many members of the audience and I have researched enough to recommend.
Today’s TSP Amazon Item of the day is a three fer.
In the video below I use both saws to cut seasoned live oak. I can’t emphasize how hard this wood is, it will plumb smoke a drill bit. I decided to do a seasoned hardwood log rather than a live piece of wood for the video to demonstrate a worst case scenario rather than a best case one.
You will note the plug in saw has a 18 inch vs. 16 inch bar compared to the cordless. It also has considerably more power as you would expect. The beauty of the plug in saw is cost, for only 135 dollars you get a self sharpening saw, that simple always works. The down side is working with an extension cord attached to your saw. I see this saw as best for bucking in one location or for the small property owner, say and acre or less that just needs a saw they can count on.
The cordless saw has plenty of power, I really should have cut some green lumber with it to show the difference. I have dropped, slashed and bucked quite large live oaks with it, say with trunk sizes of 10-12 inches. It is very light weight compared to a gas saw and even if I am using my gas Husqvarna I still tend to have this with me for limbing, bucking and slashing.
The common attributes these saws have that make them wonderful are as follows.
Noise – they are much quieter than a gas saw, and they only run while cutting, no constant idle. `
Self Sharpening – pull a lever and run the saw a few seconds you are back to a seriously sharp chain. `
Self Breaking Chain – while the plug in is better at this (it is instant see the video) the cordless only lets the chain run for about 1-2 seconds after you let the throttle go. This signifigantly reduces injuries. Most not all but most chainsaw injuries happen after the throttle is released. `
No Tool Chain Adjustment – the number one reason your saw will start cutting poorly is the chain gets loose. With most saws you loosen the cover with a wrench, tension the chain with a flat screw driver, then re-tighten the cover. With these saws you have two dials, both can be turned by hand and proper chain tension can be restored in a few seconds.
Again while these saws have many advantages over a gas saw, they are not equal to one. If I had to drop several trees I would reach for my gas saw. However my little three acre homestead has been very well served by these saws.
They are ideal for small property owners, people that use a saw say a dozen times a year of less, etc. Franky they are a pleasure to use, the self sharpening feature makes up for having less power then a gas saw. Sure I can sharpen a chain, but that takes time, and like many time is one of my greatest assets, anything that saves time is valuable to me.
These saws do use special chains, which are sold with the sharpening stone. I get a lot of use out of one chain though, I cut up a lot of dead stuff, prune a lot of trees and go though about one chain a year. That isn’t much.
Here is the chain/stone set for the plug in 18 inch saw the cost is 36 bucks. Get it Here.
Here it the chain/stone set for the 16 inch cordless saw the cost is 36 bucks. Get it Here.
If you have the first generation of the cordless saw, it has a 14 inch bar. Get it Here.
Please note that if you have the first generation saw with the 14 inch bar and want to upgrade to the new saw with the tool free chain adjustment (like I did) you can buy the bare tool and use your existing battery and chargers.
Remember you can always find all of our reviews at TspAz.com
P.S.– Chainsaws are dangerous tools, even modern saws like these with great safety enhancements. I think anyone using a saw for the first time should take a class or get an experienced person to teach them safe use.
I have some personal rules I follow. One is I don’t let anyone near me when I am cutting, if I can touch you with my saw without taking a step you are too close. I also always make sure to clear two avenues of escape when felling a tree, in case it falls other than were planned. There is a LOT more, again if you are not experienced do not use these or any such saw without getting some instruction.
I have seen several chain saw injuries and they are really awful injuries!
Today one day before the great American Holiday we stop and pause to think about what we have to be thankful for.
Two years ago I rerecorded the original portion of this show into much better audio quality, I do hope you enjoy it. If you would like to hear the first version of it as it was recorded in my car you can find the original that was published on Nov. 26, 2008 here.
The beauty of this show is I feel it is something you can share with friends and family. The real history of Thanksgiving is actually a lot more interesting and special then many of the myths.
Tune in today to hear…
Why much of what we learn about Thanksgiving is wrong or at least inaccurate
How Thanksgiving was at one time considered a “damn yankee holiday”
How Thanksgiving became a way for our nation to heal and reunite
How the date of Thanksgiving has often been moved around and why
The truth about those big buckles the pilgrims wore and all that black clothing
What feasting meant 100 years ago to our prior generation that we have forgotten
Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show.
Note – Bringing this around today because it is one of the most simple and fool proof forms of automation you can get for under 10 bucks and spring is the time for building out those gardens, aquaponics systems, etc. and of course Christmas lights.
Every day I bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use or has been purchased by many members of the audience and I have researched enough to recommend.
Today’s TSP Amazon Item of the day Century 24 Hour Mechanical Timer. I use them on pumps in some of my systems that don’t need to run 24/7, they pay for themselves quickly in reduced electricity that way. I use them on my fish tanks, especially my planted tanks. I use them for my plant lights for seed starting and hydroponics. There are dozens and dozens of uses for these things.
Let me tell you something though, I HATE timers. It amazes me how something that should be so simple is often so damn confusing and unreliable. So I went on Amazon and found the Century 24 Hour Mechanical Timer. Wow, where has this thing been all my life?
Look when I say I hate timers let me be clear, my hatred of timers is only over shadowed by my hatred of network printers. (NOTE THAT LINK IS NOT WORKPLACE SAFE) Well, that has changed I love this timer, so simple there are two steps to using it and it is pretty fool proof and very easy to see how you have it set.
Step one each hour has 4 small pins you can push down, simply push down the pins for each 15 minutes you want the power to be on. So say you wanted your timer to run from 8AM to 10AM every morning and 7PM to 9PM every night. Okay just push all the pins down for 8, 9 and 10AM and 7, 8 and 9PM. Step two turn the dial so the arrow points to the current time. That is it!
You then simply plug it in and plug in the device you want to control with it, done. There are no other steps, no holding a button and waiting for a light to blink three times or say moving stupid little pins around.
I love this timer and its simplicity so much I am constantly trying to figure out what to automate with it. About the only complaint I read in reviews (from thinking humans anyway) was that it is a large device and it takes up so much space as to block the second outlet.
There is a simple solution to such things, I have covered it before and it applies to any large plugs, just get some of these one foot extension cords and it keeps all outlets open.
Anyway I absolutely love the Century 24 Hour Mechanical Timer and think you will too. So check it out for any of your power automation needs.
Remember you can always find all of our reviews at TspAz.com
P.S. – Check out this quick video of how I have used this product on my homestead for a very unique need. I have set things up so that I can run ebb and flow with no bell siphon and it is flawless.
Remember while Rewind Shows are commercial free you can always support our show by Joining the MSB or simply by doing your Amazon.com shopping though TspAz.com
Tune in today for a special edition of The Survival Podcast with Chef Keith Snow. Keith is the creator of HarvestEating.com which focuses on eating seasonally and cooking with food you can grow in your backyard of obtain locally. He is also a daily listener to our show and shares many common ideals with the Survival Podcast audience. So I thought who better to bring on the air in preparation for Thanksgiving then Chef Keith. Whether you are going though having the “in laws” or just want to have the best Thanksgiving meal you ever cooked, today’s show is for you.
Let me tell you folks you are going to want a pen and paper for note taking on today’s episode!
Tune in today to learn…
The simple steps to perfect turkey
Gravy that doesn’t come from an envelope or a jar
Three variations on stuffing that will blow your family away
Simple cranberry sauce that doesn’t come from a can
A duck for Thanksgiving with an amazing spice blend
Using chestnuts and pecans for a great taste twist
How to properly cook stand alone drumsticks for extra dark meat
A way to make squash something special instead of sweet baby food
Mashed potatoes that won’t believe until you try them
Wine selections for Turkey Day
A desert that is so simple to make but totally amazing and unexpected
Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air
Every day I bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use or has been purchased by many members of the audience and I have researched enough to recommend.
Today’s TSP Amazon Item of the day is the Etekcity Wireless Remote Control Electrical Outlet Switch Kit. These things are just awesome and for under 30 bucks they provide a lot of convenience. The set comes with two remotes and 5 individual switches.
They are pretty intuitive but here is how they work. You plug one of these into an outlet, then you plug in what ever you want to control remotely into it, you just installed it, you are done. Now if it was unit one, when you push “on” for unit one, what ever is plugged into it comes on, when you push off, it goes off.
I know some of you are thinking, oh gee another gadget so people can sit on their ass and not even walk across the room to turn on a light. Now hold on, here are a few uses that make a lot of sense.
For one we have a floor lamp that is behind the couch, to get to it you have to walk around the back and contort yourself in an odd position to get to it. It isn’t a huge deal but it is a pain in the ass and it is also the best place for the lamp. Install one of these and no more contortionist activities to turn on the lamp.
When I first found these our grandson is too short to reach the wall switch in the bathroom, so I installed a small light, popped in one of these. No more, “I’m scared to go to the bathroom alone” stuff. Ended the excuse cold and he learned to see to his own needs. He also enjoyed using a remote to turn on lights.
I shoot videos at my desk and I have some pretty heavy lights that make the room work well for that. Say I want to shoot a video on the fly, push a button they come on, then off. Not a big deal but when it comes to my work with as much as I do I try to be as efficient as possible.
How about your annual Christmas lights? For us our tree is one of those pre lit jobs. Dorothy has some weird form of OCD around lights on Christmas trees, (okay honestly she is a Christmas tree Nazi, Really) that is unsettling. So I got a pre lit job to end it! After that she started building her annual “Christmas Forest” (seriously check out that link it is really cool). She has like 30 of those small tinsel trees she wire tied lights to and a bunch of other small trees. It really is beautiful but it is almost impossible to get to the wall and shut it off. Not with one of these, I just hit 2 and 3 when we go to bed and the forest is dark.
How about a shop with a light on the far end? Some of you likely have older parents with mobility problems, hey 30 bucks and make their life a little easier right? I put two cheap box fans in the roof of my back shop and can just turn them on for circulation in warm weather with a button push. I mean those cheap ass box fans that you can get for about 10 bucks BTW.
Okay you electric Nazis that hate phantom loss of electronics that are plugged in but not on. This can really add up, but if you put one of these in the connection and test it with a Kill a Watt, you will find they draw 1/10th of a watt in standby which is almost nothing. Over a year that would cost about 10 cents in electricity, where some devices can cost 20-30 dollars a year in “vampire draw” or even more. With that alone they can pay for themselves.
As we head into Thanksgiving week we get into what I personally call “the holidays. People mean different things when they say that, but I mean from now until New Years. I love this entire time of year mainly because I spend more time with family in these 6 weeks then the rest of the year in total.
It also leads us into the beginning of winter. Going into winter this year I took a different approach to my gardens and some other things. 2022 – 2023 will go down as a rebuilding year at Nine Mile Farm. Today we will talk about that. This will also be the only live stream this week. More on that in today’s episode.
Join Me Today to Discuss…
Main themes in my new plan…
The reality of living almost 100% low carb
The hard reality of what real drought is like on this land and climate
The need for automated irrigation and simplifiation
Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon.
Join the MSB Today
Want Every Episode of TSP Ever Produced?
Remember in addition to discounts to over 40 vendors who supply stuff you are likely buying anyway, tons of free ebooks and video content, MSB Members also get every edition of The Survival Podcast ever produced in convenient zip files in blocks of 24. More info on the MSB can be found here.
