Those of us who enjoy history often sit back and think about how it would be to live in a different time. Until a few days ago it's only been a daydream for me. No, I haven’t discovered the secret to time travel (yet) but ran across what I believe is the next best thing.
I discovered the Early America YouTube channel during the pandemic and watching it is strangely relaxing and satisfying to me for some unexplainable reason. This weekend I watched the video posted above and was shocked to learn some little known facts about the Boston Tea Party and that you can purchase the exact teas that the American Colonists drank on a regular basis. These were the same tea varieties that were thrown into Boston harbor, one of the many acts of rebellion that led to the Revolutionary War in America.
The teas can be purchased here. I ordered the most popular variety among the Colonists, Colonial Bohea Tea. According to historical records there were more chests of Bohea Tea thrown into the harbor than any other kind of tea. Needless to say, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.
Having owned a tea shop myself over a decade ago I’m a tea aficionado. I drink at least three cups of Clouds and Mist green tea every day and have for nearly thirty years.
This Bohea Tea is reported to be a very full-bodied and smoky black tea, bearing a close resemblance to coffee. In fact, many historians think this could be one of the reasons American colonists easily made the transition to drinking coffee in rebellion to the high tea taxes imposed by the British. My tin of Bohea Tea is on the way and I can’t wait to actually taste American history.
My New Spring Wardrobe Staple
I’ve been meaning to buy a t-shirt to rep crypto for years now and finally found the one I’ve been looking for recently. You’d better believe this bad boy is going into heavy rotation this spring. The artist, CryptoStitch, will be getting a lot more of my business in the days and months to come.
How Will We Know What to Believe?
Our goal to achieving artificial general intelligence gets a little closer every day. For over a decade now social media algorithms have been exploiting humanity’s natural tribalist tendencies, coaxing us to buy crap we don't need, manipulating our emotions, and pushing our fractured society further and further into the extremes.
We can find equally convincing information on both sides of nearly any issue now online based on our internet search terms. For example, type Benefits of Statins in your internet browser. Now do the same search using the term Dangers of Statins.
Take a few moments to casually scroll down the results page of each of the two to really get a good idea of all of the information supporting both sides. This is just one of an infinite number of examples. It’s almost as if the results are being generated in completely different realities and in some ways they are.
There is no denying there is structural evil at play in our world. If we’re paying attention, the knowledge of its existence can be a catalyst for our own transformation.
Now is the perfect time to decide exactly what your truths are, to develop a moral and philosophical framework in which to live your life. If you do this you won’t find yourself among those left wondering “what do I believe?”. The answer to this question will get exponentially more difficult once AGI is unleashed. We might, very well, be the last group of humans to have even the luxury of deciding the answer to this question.
Enjoy the day. Thank you for reading!
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I think it would be a simple and quiet lifestyle, much more engagement with family, relations and friends. However, in some aspects of life, I think it would be difficult, such as scarcity and poverity.
I agree, maybe in some ways much more satisfying. It's weird to think a simple infection could have killed them in those days!
Yea you are right, I didn't say the diseases.
As you might imagine, I drink a lot of green tea. Roasted green tea may be more common here than regular green tea. I swear, the smell of that is so good, about a million times better than the taste (which is great). That quickly became my favorite smell upon moving to Japan.
Oddly, I'm not a huge fan of black tea. Patrick Stewart's love of Yorkshire Gold made me try that (just as his character's love of Earl Grey made me try that one years before) and it's ok, but I still prefer green tea.
But anyway, that one you ordered sounds very interesting. I look forward to hearing what you think of it!
You live in tea Mecca! I like a lot of the Japanese greens. I drank Genmaicha quite a bit when I was younger. I also like some of the traditional Senchas and Gyokuro too.
Black teas have a character all their own. I drink these more during the cold months. Yorkshire Gold is huge in England. I found an Irish tea when I was over there called "Barry's" that I've been drinking regularly. The Bohea tea comes today so I'll be sure to share my impressions after I try it.
We are in this mess because of our beliefs. We believe our thoughts, emotions, feelings, almost everything that is being served to us both from the inside as well as the outside. Once we reconnect with our innate intelligence, we know. This is when we stop dwelling and questioning. We know. Best place to live from albeit not easy as it requires discipline and continuous practice -- it's a lifestyle 😊 As we move forward I expect more hardcore selling to take place when it comes to convincing humans to go from biological to digital (AI). Interesting times await us. Meanwhile enjoy your new fancy t-shirt and a delicious cup of Bohea tea as soon as it arrives.
You are so right when you say "it's a lifestyle". That's the correct approach, really the only way to thrive and maintain sanity during this next phase of our existence.
I think it's safe to surmise that those who are enamored with cutting edge technology now will be the first who volunteer to get the implants for non-medical reasons. It will be sold to them as a way to give them an mental/productivity edge. Then lots of others will feel they have to do it just to keep up. I'll never be among them. It's weird to think babies being born today will live in that world and won't know anything different.
Thank you! The tea will be delivered today. I can't wait to try it.
Totally with you on the above! The concept of non-interference comes mind; it enables us to observe and have a broader perspective as to what game (within the game) is being played. Those who don't value and understand the fact that we have the most powerful computer at our fingertips, a spectacular biological supercomputer that gives us access to the multiverse across multiple timelines (among other capabilities) are welcome to follow aka get tricked into whichever road they are taken.
I am a true lover of tea. I started drinking tea for due to my hectic job. I like the way it's brewed, and it's interesting because it has a historical connection. Also, I appreciate your words and cryptocurrency-themed t-shirt.
The whole ritual of tea (brewing and drinking) is relaxing and grounding isn't it? I really enjoy that aspect of it. What is your favorite kind of tea?
Wow, that is really cool about the tea. We have a shop in the next town over, but I haven't had the chance to visit there yet. It looks cool though. I like green tea, but my favorite is black tea. Beyond those, the random celestial seasonings box, and chai from Starbucks I don't have a ton of experience. I got a T-shirt from my brother in law that has the max supply of BTC written in scientific notation. So 21e6. I wore it so much it's now a junk shirt! Finally, I am going to an education conference in a month and they are supposed to have a ton of sessions on AI. The good, bad, and ugly as it applies to education. I am looking forward to that.
It's a lot of fun to explore all of the different varieties. So many of them are packed full of health benefits too, but then so is coffee. I was a tea drinker long before we opened the shop, so was my wife, but we learned a lot more about it in the years when ran the business.
That sounds like a great t-shirt you have! I wanted something that represented BTC but didn't say "Bitcoin" or have the symbol on it.
I think it's good that people are so actively discussing the pros/cons of AI now, especially in education. I don't remember as many of those discussions happening during the early days of the internet. I think AI will have even more profound implications on humanity than the internet. It sounds like Tesla is just on the cusp of rolling out Level 4/5 autonomous driving! I've been following the beta testing of the newest version (v12) and some of the stories from the beta testers are absolutely mind-blowing. The neural net + Pure Vision approach seems like it was the way to go. I'll be subscribing to FSD for a month this spring or summer when I make the drive to Ohio to test it out.
I'll be looking forward to hearing how that goes. As far as tea, my experience is pretty limited as I said. It is cool how there are so many different varieties. I especially like the health benefits. I've had a few people ask me what 21e6 means and it opens the door for some conversation.
A few of the FSD beta testers have been posting videos on X and a majority of them are having zero intervention drives. The cars are actually seeking out empty parking spaces near the destination, parking themselves, and even pulling over for emergency vehicles now.
There are so many health benefits it's hard to believe.
That's cool. That's exactly why I bought this one, to open conversations and to be recognized by those people who already know a little about it. I'm still a little concerned with wearing anything that says "Bitcoin" or has the symbol on it, especially here in the city.
Yeah, I can't blame you for that. That sounds really encouraging about the advancements in the self driving technology. I still get a little nervous using the lane assist in my wife's new car, so it will take time...
I still don't trust Tesla's basic Autopilot, especially in construction zones. I tend to use the level of driving assistance just below that the will maintain speed and distance but not steer.
I don't even trust my lane assist in construction zones, so I can totally appreciate that!
From the description, it sounds like you are probably buying higher quality stuff than the colonists were getting. It's more expensive though. In 1768, tea was ~ 1 shilling 9 pence per pound. That's 7.63 in 2017 pounds which equates to $9.64...vs $15 for 3 ounces today. I'm pretty sure the taxes and fees involved with importing tea today is probably much higher than any time in the 1700s...
It probably is higher quality that what they would have consumed. Some of the tea they drank probably had sat in warehouses and on ships for months or even years before being sold. It's insane when we think how many different ways we're taxed now. Modern governments have taken taxation to an entirely different level. People back than likely wouldn't have stood for it and would have revolted.
Isn’t tea drinking more about the doing than the taste of the brew, it always seemed that way to me. In any crisis or stressful situation someone would pipe up and say “who wants a cup of tea”
I would be interested to see how you find that new brew.
There is an element of ritual to it, for sure. I love the taste of certain varieties too though. A person can find just about any flavor profile they like. The new tea arrives tomorrow so I'll be sure to review it here.
This Bohea Tea, hope it doesn't have side effect to the body compared to other tea brand one is aware of
No side-effects for this one, unless you're sensitive to caffeine. Green, white, black, and oolong teas all come from the same plant, Camellia Sinensis and the different appearances and flavors of them all come about by how they process it. It's actually amazingly good for your health.
Wow, the crypto shirt is really nice. I like it. Have a nice day, Eric.
Thanks, I liked the color combination. I hope you're enjoying your week, Eliana!
I actually love that satoshi nakamoto shirt. I love the style of the design actually
Thanks, it really captured the essence of BTC for me!
History has a lot of beautiful things I would love to try out.
Thanks for sharing
You're welcome!
I am more of a coffee consumer, but in recent years, motivated by health, I have incorporated tea into my diet. This looks great, especially because its brewing style is related to history.
I love your t-shirt to represent cryptocurrencies
I take this opportunity, dear friend @ericvancewalton, to wish you a splendid day.
I like my coffee too. I usually have two cups of each (coffee/tea) per day. There are a lot of health benefits to coffee too. It's packed with antioxidants. Thank you my friend. I wish you a wonderful Thursday!
Right branding for the great satoshi nakamoto.
Right may be it brings positive changes
#hive #posh