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  • Zucchini Man

    Passing through your timeline today,
    the Zucchini Man
    grown with lots of love
    and watered by the fresh springs
    of the Low Valley of Ratones.

    Enjoy.

  • Life Credits

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    Carbon Credit, Water Credit
    Dignity Credit, Blood Credit

    In your digital hand lies a mineral
    that passed through an analog hand,
    sweaty, calloused, childish.

    Can your virtual finger do anything about it?

    The saddest day was when I found out that many mines in South America are still active, and children are still working in them.

  • A Thumb, a Smile, and Ten Days Waiting

    In the early days of Youper, we had these little social challenges. Nothing extreme, just things meant to poke the shy parts of our personality. Wear mismatched shoes. Say hello to strangers. Ask for a ride. Tiny exercises in courage (or embarrassment, depending on the day).

    I tried a few of them. And somewhere between curiosity and stupidity, I decided to try hitchhiking for real.

    Tenth day hitchhiking, a big smile brought me my first ride on the SC-401!
    Mismatched shoes challenge.

    I still remember standing there on the side of the road, sun burning, arm tired, thumb out like an antenna searching for human kindness. Cars passed. People pretended not to see me. I pretended everything was fine.

    But on day ten, someone finally stopped. A car pulled over, the window came down, and a friendly voice said something like, “Hop in, crazy guy.”

    And just like that, I got my first carona solidária.
    A tiny victory. A tiny lesson.

    Sometimes, all you need is a smile, a thumbs-up, and the willingness to take some risks on the highway. 😛

  • Hey Gringo

    “Gringo, gringo, gringooo,” said Deniro, a kid who sat beside me on a dusty bench in Pichanaki.

    “Oye niño, ¿por qué me llamas así?” I said asked, a bit hurt, I confess. The last thing I want is to sound like an American.

    “Porque los gringos son personas con barba.” he replied.

    I guess I’m a gringo! 🤷‍♂️

    Deniro and I, at a coffee farm in the Peruvian jungle. His mother was a big fan of Robert De Niro.

  • Black Soldier Flies for Lunch

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    Once, I was obsessed with Black Soldier Flies and came across another unusual person, Justin Piatt. We got some larvae and decided to prepare them as snacks.

    For better or worse, the owner of the pans was so disgusted that we decided to skip that experience for now.

    This is a glimpse of our hunting techniques.