You are being watched whether you like it or not. You gonna do somethin about it?

I don't think you guys actually realize how far our (US) government as gone. Remember the Patriot Act?

From https://rally.stopwatching.us/:

"The NSA is spying on everyone's personal communications. It’s operating without any meaningful oversight.
On October 26th, the 12th anniversary of the signing of the USA Patriot Act, we're holding the largest rally yet against NSA surveillance. We’ll be handing more than a half-million petitions to Congress to remind them that they work for us — and we won’t tolerate mass surveillance any longer.
A stellar group of whistleblowers, activists, researchers and others from both sides of the political spectrum will be speaking at this historic event. The list includes:

• Congressman Justin Amash
• Former senior NSA executive and whistleblower Thomas Drake
• Social critic Naomi Wolf
• Jona Bechtolt, from electro-punk band YACHT
• Claire L. Evans, also from YACHT
• Lt. Dan Choi, LGBT advocate and U.S. veteran
• Rainey Reitman, EFF
• Bruce Schneier, internationally renowned security technologist
• Craig Aaron, Free Press
• Kymone Freeman, Director of the National Black LUV Fest
• Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson
• Khalilah Barnes, EPIC
• Shahid Buttar, Bill of Rights Defense Committee
• Malachi Byrd, DC Youth Poetry Slam Team
• Wafa Ben Hassine, writer and human rights advocate
• Former Congressman Dennis Kucinich
• Laura Murphy, ACLU
• NOT4PROPHET, Hip Hop MC and community organizer
• Black Alley, DC-based soul-garage band..."

For more information, read up on the Electronic Frontier Foundation's website.

So... do you have any bitcoins?

Bitcoin values have been skyrocketing recently. Soon it will be over 9000 I swear on the US Government's sustainability. I could write for hours about bitcoins and you still wouldn't get it so just start at www.reddit.com/r/bitcoin and good luck to you.

Get your free wallet here! http://bitcoin.org/en/choose-your-wallet. Don't forget your password, and don't tell it to anybody. That is the only way to open your wallet (unless you leave it open).

I have used bitcoin-qt and it is more secure bit it is slow. Multibit is still very secure and fast.

The two websites that buy/sell bitcoins with which I am familiar are coinbase.com and localbitcoins.com. There are more exchanges coming out but I am having trouble keeping up as new ones appear and others crash. Tread with caution if you decide to use a new bitcoin source.

Coinbase) You have to link your bank account. And your credit card. And you need your cell phone to login. But you get your bitcoins instantly! Usually.

Localbitcoins) Peer to peer (P2P) bitcoin exchange. Find someone selling bitcoins at a price you are willing to pay. You can use different payment methods including cash, bank transfer, paypal, etc. Also you may or may not meet the person face to face. Having a mobile bitcoin wallet app on your phone could be handy here.

Now that you have bitcoins...

If you want to support my nonstop rambling and raging against the machine, society, average people, and whatever crosses my mind, send your ones and zeroes to my wallet here. No donation is too small:
12dyMwEgbQWjZkEUMuVjPDRi2UTnSKqyc1

Or if you want to help people that really need it, go here and donate: http://seansoutpost.com/

"Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing, than a long life spent in a miserable way" - Alan Watts

     I in no way condone drug use by any individuals (ESPECIALLY MINORS) without doctor's supervision. This blog post is merely a curiosity post for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. DRUGS ARE BAD MKAY???

     With that out of the way, I'd like to point out that politicians do not understand chemistry as well as chemists, neuroscientists, and psychopharmacologists do (shout out to my homie Shaun Flax doing his PhD in psychopharmacology!). I am not an expert, and what follows is based on my biased opinions and thousands of hours of 5-hour energy driven insomnia scouring the internet for truth. If anyone has legitimate information that contradicts anything in this post, please tell me right away so I can remove/correct the content.

     Also keep in mind if someone tells you they are selling you specific chemicals and you do not test them with lab equipment, then you do not know they are telling the truth about what they are giving you. You definitely should not consume whatever chemicals that person just took your money for. See: http://www.dancesafe.org/ Harm reduction, people.

The following US classified Schedule 1 drugs have killed exactly zero humans:

1) N,N-DMT - Also known as the 'dream molecule'. So-called because it naturally exists in your brain and the levels of DMT in your brain elevate while you are dreaming. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimethyltryptamine. That's why I don't allow myself to dream. I don't want to go to prison.

2) Cannabis - Cannabis researcher Dr. Paul Hornby said that "you have to smoke something like 15,000 joints in 20 minutes to get a toxic amount of delta-9 tetrahydrocannibinol". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_%28drug%29#Safety

3) LSD-25 - (acid) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lsd#Potential_adverse_effects. Keep in mind that pretty much no one has real acid anymore. Unless you are deep in the underground. Thanks America. If you buy "acid" from someone, chances are it's actually one of dozens of synthetic hallucinogenics, if it is a drug at all. None of these have the 0 kills record that LSD has so just don't do it. The situation is similar for MDMA.

4) Psilocybin (Shrooms) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psilocybin#Toxicity_and_harm_potential

5) Mescaline (Peyote) - https://www.erowid.org/ask/ask.php?ID=1778 

I hope in the future our politicians can make more enlightened policies. We have to educate ourselves as people to help them.

I do believe in something...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secular_humanism

     The Happy Human is an icon and the official symbol of the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU). The IHEU is the world union of more than one hundred Humanist, rationalist, irreligious, atheistic, Bright, secular, Ethical Culture, and freethought organizations in more than 40 countries. The "Happy Human" is the official symbol of the IHEU as well as being regarded as a universally recognised symbol for those who call themselves Humanists. Secular humanist organizations are found in all parts of the world. Those who call themselves humanists are estimated to number between four and five million people worldwide.
     The trademark is still held by the British Humanist Association, which freely licenses use of the symbol by bona fide Humanist organisations worldwide. Many Humanist organisations use the symbol or an adapted version of it.
     The philosophy or life stance of secular humanism (alternatively known by some adherents as Humanism, specifically with a capital H to distinguish it from other forms of humanism) embraces human reason, ethics, social justice and philosophical naturalism, while specifically rejecting religious dogma, supernaturalism, pseudoscience or superstition as the basis of morality and decision making.
     It posits that human beings are capable of being ethical and moral without religion or a god. It does not, however, assume that humans are either inherently evil or innately good, nor does it present humans as being superior to nature. Rather, the humanist life stance emphasizes the unique responsibility facing humanity and the ethical consequences of human decisions. Fundamental to the concept of secular humanism is the strongly held viewpoint that ideology—be it religious or political—must be thoroughly examined by each individual and not simply accepted or rejected on faith. Along with this, an essential part of secular humanism is a continually adapting search for truth, primarily through science and philosophy. Many Humanists derive their moral codes from a philosophy of utilitarianism, ethical naturalism or evolutionary ethics, and some advocate a science of morality.

External links

• British Humanist Association page on the symbol
• Humanism is Eight Letters, No More — An endorsement of the Happy Human by some leaders of the IHEU, including former Presidents of the IHEU, Rob Tielman and Levi Fragell.
• Origins of the Happy Human logo based on information from Humanist Society of Victoria, a member organisation of CAHS 

All credit for this post goes to the people who wrote the websites and submitted the content from which I did copypasta (with editing). Thanks.

Anonymous Browsing with Tor

I am still working on a post on bitcoins, but in the meantime I can write about anonymous browsing with Tor. By using this special browser (based on a modified version of firefox) that hides your location you can browse the internet with more privacy. Download here: https://www.torproject.org/projects/torbrowser.html.

Background: From this guide http://www.digitaltrends.com/web/a-beginners-guide-to-tor-how-to-navigate-through-the-underground-internet/,  Tor was initially intended for protecting the U.S. Navy and its communications – now basically refers to a piece of free software that bounces users around a network of open connections run by volunteers all over the globe. This prevents people who are spying on your Internet connection from finding out what sites you visit and scrambles information that could pinpoint your exact physical location. Tor works with a lot of computer applications, web browsers, and instant messaging platforms, among others. By using Tor, you can protect your personal information, your browsing habits, and other online activities.

FAQ: 

Q: Can someone still find my location if I am using Tor?

A: There are several ways that a determined entity could use to determine your location. If you open downloaded applications, use torrent or other downloading software, use a regular browser, or have any other active internet connection running while using Tor you are more vulnerable to spying. Furthermore, the NSA has revealed that it can manually track individual users, although this is usually only used on high priority targets.

Q: Is using Tor legal?

A: Yes.

Q: Can I use javascript while running Tor?

A: It is recommended that you disable javascript for maximum security while using Tor. Javascript can be exploited to reveal information about your browsing. Change your preferences on the content tab to disable javascript.

Please feel free to ask me any questions you have and I will try to answer as best I can. See also: https://www.torproject.org/dist/manual/short-user-manual_en.xhtml

Encrypting Messages on a PC

     To follow up on my first post here is a guide for encrypting messages on a PC. The basic outline I will follow is this:

1) Download and install software
2) Create key pair
3) Export your public key
4) Import key
5) Encrypting
6) Decrypting

Step 1) First you need the encryption software. For this I use GPG4Win: http://www.gpg4win.org/download.html. Download the latest stable version. Install it, but when you get to the Choose Components page, only select GnuPG, Kleopatra, and Gpg4win Compendium. Install those components.

Step 2) Next, open Kleopatra. If it doesn't ask you already, you need to create a new OpenPGP key pair. Go to File -> New Certificate.  Click Next -> Create Key. Enter the name and email you want to associate with your encryption key. These do not have to be real. Kleopatra will ask you for a passphrase for this key. Choose one that you've never used before and write it down. Longer passwords are generally more secure. Kleopatra will then make your key pair.

Step 3) Export Key - Select your new key and click Export Certificates. Choose the name of the file like 'my pub key' or whatever and pick a location to save. You can open this file with a basic text editor (notepad) and you will see your key. In order for someone to send you an encrypted message that you can decrypt, you first have to give them this key. For example, you can copy and paste it into an email and send it to them. Note: You must include all the text, including the '-----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----' and the '-----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----' parts.

Step 4) Import Key - Find the public key of the person to whom you want to send an encrypted message. They can email it to you or whatever. Open notepad and then copy/paste their public key into the text document. Highlight their pubkey including all the "-----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----" at the beginning and the "-----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----" at the end. In your system tray (usually at the bottom right of the screen), Kleopatra will have an icon. Right click the icon and go to Clipboard -> Certificate Import. That will import the message recipient's public key. Now you can encrypt messages for that person's key. Only someone who has the secret/private key that pairs with that public key can decrypt the message. Never share your secret/private key, only your public key.

Step 5) Encrypting - This part is a bit tricky so read carefully. Open notepad again and type your message. Highlight your message, right click Kleopatra's tray icon and go to Clipboard -> Encrypt. Here you choose who you would like to send the info to. [Remember ONLY the recipient can decrypt your message]

•    Click Add Recipient and select the recipient's key (which you should have already imported).
  
•    Click Next and Kleopatra will encrypt your address. (In your clipboard!)
   
•    Click Ok.
•    Now go back to Notepad. Paste (ctrl + v) what is on your clipboard. Your message is now encrypted in a way that ONLY the possessor of the recipient key can decrypt. To anyone else, your message is gibberish.
 •    Copy and paste the message wherever you want, like in an email, on twitter, on a webpage, Facebook, etc. No one can read it except the person to whom you encrypted the message. You can encrypt the message so more than one key can decrypt it as well, if you want more than one person to be able to read it (select more than one recipient when encrypting to do this). Don't forget to include all the "-----BEGIN" and "-----END" stuff.

Step 6) Decrypting - To decrypt a message from someone, just copy/paste it into a notepad document, highlight it and right-click Kleopatra's tray icon and go to Clipboard -> Decrypt. Paste the newly decrypted message from your clipboard and it should be readable.

You should probably practice this a couple times to make sure you understand how it works. Join the PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) club! Import my public key below and send me an encrypted message and/or your public key (you can send me the key by itself, or include it in an encrypted message!).  I will send you an encrypted message and you can decrypt it! Now you are ready to be a secret agent! pewpewpew

-----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
Version: GnuPG/MacGPG2 v2.0.19 (Darwin)
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==
=JHWt
-----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----

How to Encrypt your Messages for Maximum Privacy (Mac Version)

     I have had a couple friends talk to me recently about online anonymity, with the concern that their messages and information could be accessed without their knowledge or permission. It is for them and anyone who wishes to keep their information secure that I have written this encryption guide.

     With the patriot act and unrestricted NSA spying, some (of the more paranoid) of us are concerned that our regular law-abiding free speech may get us into trouble (see the Electronic Frontier Foundation's website https://www.eff.org/nsa-spying). What happens when overzealous authorities mistake me for a criminal and I am arrested? Well I wouldn't ask that question because I am still waiting for the DA to throw out my case.

     The question remains, what can we do to protect the privacy of our conversations online? The answer is encryption. Cryptography (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptography) has been around for thousands of years but has long been considered to be a tool only of spies and criminal masterminds. Now it is available for you to protect yourself against those who would steal your identity or exploit or persecute you.

     In this blog post I have put together a guide for encrypting your messages for Mac OSX. I prefer mac but for maximum security you should use linux. PC is the least secure. I will post a PC guide soon anyway.

MAC OS:

Step 1) First you need the encryption software. For this I use GPGTools: https://gpgtools.org/. Scroll down and download the latest stable version.

Step 2) Once you have installed the program, open it.

Step 3) Create your encryption key pair: This is pretty straight-forward. Click "new" and enter the name and email you want to associate with your encryption key. These do not have to be real. Note: when you create a key, you need a passphrase for that key. Don't lose it! If you forget this passphrase, too bad. No excuses, no recovery. You should probably write it down somewhere. If you save it in plain text on your computer or encrypt it with your new key you are missing the point. Longer passwords are generally better.

Step 4) Change your System Preferences: Go to your System Preferences -> Keyboard -> Keyboard Shortcuts -> Services (left box) and then go to Text in the right box. Scroll down and check all the OpenPGP options. If you can handle this, the hard part is literally over. Read on.

Step 5) Import key: Find the public key of the person to whom you want to send an encrypted message. They can email it to you or whatever. Open TextEdit and then copy/paste their public key into the text document. Highlight their pubkey including all the "-----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----" at the beginning and the "-----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----" at the end. Right-click the highlighted key, and go down on your pop-up menu to Services. When that pops open, you'll see the GPG options you enabled in Step 4! Click OpenPGP: Import Key. Now your GPGTools program will save their key so you can encrypt messages for them to read!

Step 6) Open TextEdit again and type your message. Highlight your message, right-click it, and go down on your pop-up menu to Services. When that pops open, click OpenPGP: Encrypt and select the key that corresponds to the person to whom you are sending the message. Your text will turn into gibberish! Copy and paste this gibberish (again, include all the "-----BEGIN PGP MESSAGE...END...-----" stuff) into an email or other conversation box (facebook? twitter?) and send your encrypted message away with confidence and security!

Step 7) Decrypting — To decrypt a message from someone, just copy/paste it into a TextEdit document, highlight it and right-click, go to Services, and click OpenPGP: Decrypt. Now the message is in clear text. Note: this will only work if they encrypted the message using your public key. You have to send them (or publicly post) your pubkey so they can encrypt messages for you because only your 'secret key' can decrypt those messages.

Step 7b) How do you know your own public key? — Go to GPG Keychain Access and select the key you made for yourself. Export it, and do not include your secret/private key. That will spit out an .asc file which is just plain text, open it in TextEdit to see your public key.

Thanks for reading. Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions.