Niko Freeman

Engineer.

Niko Freeman running, in white sunglasses, a white blazer and white sneakers

Chronically online

I was taking computers apart before I started school.

Power
  1. Pentium II 400 MHz · 32 MB RAM · 4.3 GB
  2. Starting Windows 98…
  3. ATDT… CONNECT 53333 V.90
  4. mIRC · Napster · LimeWire · DC++
#net

Building sites

I got my degree, got a job, and everything was fine. Except it wasn’t.

  1. A composite helmet painted white, white aviator glasses and a yellow tee
    The helmet I had the crew paint white, worn against regulation.
  2. The day the certificates were handed out: the team holding them, faces blurred by Niko
    Our site: Finland’s Construction Site of the Year. Rakennuslehti, Vuoden työmaa 2008
  3. On a building site in a white helmet, beside a colleague whose face is blurred
    On site, in the white helmet.
  4. A selfie in a white helmet and a hi-vis jacket on a steel bridge
  5. A steel truss railway bridge over a river, timber formwork along the track
    Bridges for people.
  6. A railway tunnel in bare rock, daylight at the far end
    Tunnels for minds.
  7. A new concrete portal on a railway tunnel, a worker on the covered tracks
  8. A steel truss bridge across a dark river, scaffolding at one end
  9. A railway tunnel lined with panels, daylight at the far end

Left everything

I sold everything. All I owned fit in a 32-litre backpack.

PayslipGrossTax50%Quit

Ok, this is it. Left everything behind and jumped on the train from Helsinki to Moscow.

  1. A mirror selfie in a pink tee, the backpack on
  2. Leaning back in a wooden boat on a jungle river, in white sunglasses
    I will never go back to my old life, will I?

You have to build your freedom every day.

The road

  1. RussiaRussiaThe hour has come to kick this trip up to speed!
  2. Trans-SiberianTrans-SiberianYes, I borrowed the jacket of a provodnitsa.
  3. MongoliaMongoliaThe wildlife is awesome here! Every now and then you can see camels, horses and packs of dogs running free in the desert …
  4. GobiGobiRiding a camel was almost like sitting on a sofa (even though not very comfortable one).
  5. ChinaChinaThe morning mist makes the scenery seem unreal.
  6. Cat BaCat BaI bravely jumped on the first motorised bike ever rode in my life. And I’m loving it to this day.
  7. VietnamVietnamHave to say, diving is one of the coolest things I have done …
  8. Cu ChiCu ChiClaustrophobia?
  9. MekongMekongCountless bridges to cross (none to be burned).
  10. KepKepThis might just be my new favourite means of travel.
  11. Koh RongKoh RongThe only sign this side of Koh Rong. It warns you about the dangers of rat race.
  12. Ta ProhmTa ProhmIt is like a movie. Trees hundreds of years old have completely taken over the temple.
  13. CambodiaCambodiaSeriously, everyone should go while it’s too late.
  14. BattambangBattambangAs the sun was getting ready to go down, we set for the famous Battambang Bamboo train!
  15. Night trainNight trainNothing quite like the feeling when you wake up in the morning on a train and make your way to the open doorway with a cup of coffee.
  16. TonsaiTonsaiOn top of a 5a lead, being my last for the day, I was exhausted.
  17. ThailandThailandThese are the times you remember why traveling just is the best damn thing!
  18. MalaysiaMalaysiaLots of tall buildings. Excellent food though!
  19. IndiaIndia
#road

Back on site

Time cardEnergy assessmentsRock engineering undergroundA hotel buildClock in

Unemployable

No way out

Exit

Locked.

The way out

The Read to Lead reading list

  1. The Starfish and the Spider, Ori Brafman & Rod Beckstrom
    The Starfish and the SpiderOri Brafman & Rod Beckstrom

    Decentralization explained, starfish style. If you want antifragility in your life or org, start here.

    In the bookshop
  2. The Bitcoin Standard
    The Bitcoin Standard

    The gateway drug for monetary truth. Bitcoin is almost an afterthought in this book that pushed me down the Austrian rabbit hole.

    Our first book, in FinnishIn the bookshop
  3. Man, Economy, and State, Murray Rothbard
    Man, Economy, and StateMurray Rothbard

    My #1. Capitalism, praxeology, and human action, all in one. If you only read one book on economics, make it this one.

    In the bookshop
  4. Defending the Undefendable, Walter Block
    Defending the UndefendableWalter Block

    A masterclass in debate. Teaches you to steelman any argument, even and especially if it’s taboo.

    In the bookshop
  5. Reality Transurfing, Vadim Zeland
    Reality TransurfingVadim Zeland

    Consciousness and reality get weird. A mind-bender on how you shape your world.

    In the bookshop
  6. Biocentrism, Robert Lanza
    BiocentrismRobert Lanza

    Consciousness and reality get weird. A mind-bender on how you shape your world.

    In the bookshop
  7. Grokking Bitcoin, Kalle Rosenbaum
    Grokking BitcoinKalle Rosenbaum

    Want to know how Bitcoin works? This is the technical backbone.

    In the bookshop
  8. Cryptoeconomics, Eric Voskuil
    CryptoeconomicsEric Voskuil

    And why it works. These two gave me the technical backbone.

    In the bookshop
  9. The Sovereign Individual, James Dale Davidson & William Rees-Mogg
    The Sovereign IndividualJames Dale Davidson & William Rees-Mogg

    Predicts our present. Pure gold.

    In the bookshop
  10. The Ultimate Resource, Julian Simon
    The Ultimate ResourceJulian Simon

    Proves people, not governments, solve problems. Pure gold.

    In the bookshop
  11. Education: Free and Compulsory, Murray Rothbard
    Education: Free and CompulsoryMurray Rothbard

    All education is self-education. A citadel begins with a library.

    In the bookshop
  12. Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand
    Atlas ShruggedAyn Rand

    Shaping narratives through stories. Be a better storyteller.

    In the bookshop
  13. 21 Futures: Tales from the Timechain, 21 authors
    21 Futures: Tales from the Timechain21 authors

    Publish compelling stories. A libertarian Trojan horse.

    In the bookshop

Chair

The weekly show
Debating the Bank of Finland
Finland’s first bitcoin conference
  1. On stage with a mic, pointing at a giant projected spider
  2. On stage with a mic before a slide of a squashed spider among starfish
  3. Seated on a panel on a round stage, between fellow panelists printed as silhouettes
  4. A mirror selfie in a venue lobby, in a black suit and white sneakers, the conference badge blurred

Konsensus

  1. Das souveräne Individuum
  2. L'Individu souverain
  3. Het Soevereine Individu: De overgang naar het informatietijdperk (Dutch Edition)
  4. 21 Futures: Financial Fallout
  5. Fifteen Shades of Time
  6. Praxeology
  7. Praxeologie
  8. El Manifiesto INcomunista
  9. Elige La Vida
  10. A Lodging of Wayfaring Men
  11. Energy, the Flip Side of Money

Keynote

Read to Lead

Watch the keynote

The slides

  1. Title slide: Read to Lead, books that forge futures
  2. Chapter 1, Ordinary world: life before the books
  3. Chapter 2, Call to adventure: The Starfish and the Spider
  4. Call to adventure: the spider falls, the starfish multiply
  5. Chapter 4, Crossing the threshold: Man, Economy, and State
  6. Chapter 5, Tests, allies and enemies: Defending the Undefendable
  7. Chapter 6, Approach to the inmost cave: Reality Transurfing and Biocentrism
  8. Chapter 7, Ordeal: Grokking Bitcoin and Cryptoeconomics
  9. Chapter 8, Reward: The Sovereign Individual and The Ultimate Resource
  10. Chapter 9, The road back: Education: Free and Compulsory
  11. Chapter 10, Resurrection: Atlas Shrugged
  12. Chapter 11, Return with the elixir: 21 Futures
  13. 21 Futures, tales from the timechain
  14. Chapter 12, The end: tell your story to the world

Writing

I’m building a library that will outlive me.

  1. The Way of the World: an engraved hand holds seeds, one of them gold, on greenThe Way of the WorldPart one in production

    economics from first principles

    Only individuals act.

  2. The Noderoid Saga: the covers of its books in a stack, Dreamers in frontThe Noderoid SagaDreamers is out; the trilogy is being writtenExplore the trilogyClose
    The trilogy in reading order

    Being written

    The very near future. A well-meant cause grows, step by step, into a system of total obedience and control.

    Published in 21 Futures

    Chronos Cross, . Vee-One, a human node, directs traffic, and about every the chain wipes his memory. He etches distress signals into the chain.

    Tick, tock, next block — the incessant rhythm of my existence persists like Chinese water torture.

    Being written

    Buried memories surface, and the Recallists rise against the Observer to break the chain of lies.

    Listen to Dreamers
  3. Wielding Bitcoin: a samurai stands by a river at sunset, a city across the waterWielding BitcoinFirst draft

    prepare, survive, thrive

    Collectivism always implies violence. The implication is just quieter than you expect.

  4. Left Everything and Found Something: a man in sunglasses sits on leopard-print seats in front of a gerLeft Everything and Found SomethingOutlined

    a novel

    Ok, this is it.

Now

On stage

Travel journal

Close

  1. Before the road

    1. Beginning of a travel journal
    2. Preparations
    3. Problem officer?
    4. Intensive pre-trip training

  2. Finland

    1. Farewell pictures Helsinki, Finland
    2. I’m off. Helsinki to Moscow train

  3. Russia

    1. Achievement unlocked: Find the hostel in Moscow Moscow, Russia
    2. Б-2 – Moscow Moscow, Russia
    3. Flu away… Moscow, Russia
    4. Food corner: Trans-Siberian train grub Moscow, Russia
    5. Gear corner: Survival Moscow, Russia
    6. Kremlins Moscow, Russia
    7. Moscow metro, GOUGOUGOU! Moscow, Russia
    8. Trans-Siberian Train – day1 Trans-Siberian Railway, Russia
    9. Trans-Siberian train – day2 Trans-Siberian Railway, Russia
    10. Gear corner: Leisure Trans-Siberian Railway, Russia
    11. Trans-Siberian train – day3 Trans-Siberian Railway, Russia
    12. Gear corner: Thermal regulation Trans-Siberian Railway, Russia
    13. Trans-Siberian train – day4 Trans-Siberian Railway, Russia
    14. Testing Ulan-Ude, Russia
    15. Trans-Siberian train – day5 Ulan-Ude, Russia
    16. Ulan-Ude Ulan-Ude, Russia
    17. Gear corner: Electronics Ulan-Ude, Russia
    18. Gear corner: Hauling Ulan-Ude, Russia
    19. Ulan-Ude – Buryat people Ulan-Ude, Russia
    20. Pasta and cream sausages Ulan-Ude, Russia
    21. Pasta la vista Ulan Ude! Ulan-Ude, Russia
    22. Piece of mind at Ivolginsky Datsan Ivolginsky Datsan, Buryatia, Russia
    23. Crossing over to Mongolia Ulan-Ude to Ulaanbaatar

  4. Mongolia

    1. Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
    2. People, people Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
    3. Bus, where are you? “I’m right here.” Ulaanbaatar to Dalanzadgad, Mongolia
    4. Gobi desert: day1 Gobi Desert, Mongolia
    5. Gobi desert: day2 Gobi Desert, Mongolia
    6. Gobi Desert: day3 Gobi Desert, Mongolia
    7. Gobi desert: day4 Gobi Desert, Mongolia
    8. Black market and Broadway pizza Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
    9. Bus, train, whatever… Ulaanbaatar to Beijing

  5. China

    1. 你好Beijing，我爱你！ Beijing, China
    2. Bringing the house down in Beijing! Beijing, China
    3. Days just passing by…WALL! Beijing, China
    4. 88 Beijing Beijing, China
    5. Mood killer Chengdu, China
    6. Chengdu, famous for its spicy girls and pretty food! Chengdu, China
    7. Can you Pingle? Pingle, China
    8. The last bit of China. (for now) Nanning, China

  6. Vietnam

    1. Hanoi Sucks Hanoi, Vietnam
    2. Test drive in Cat Ba Island Cat Ba Island, Vietnam
    3. Dive in! Nha Trang, Vietnam
    4. Bia Hoi, Saigon! Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
    5. Mekong Delta Mekong Delta, Vietnam

  7. Cambodia

    1. I’ts a holiday in Cambodia! Kep and Sihanoukville, Cambodia
    2. Paradise! Koh Rong, Cambodia
    3. Onwards to Phnom Phen! Phnom Penh, Cambodia
    4. Angkor What!? Angkor, Cambodia
    5. Battambang! Battambang, Cambodia

  8. Thailand

    1. Bangkok! Bangkok, Thailand
    2. Deep waters @ Tonsai Beach Tonsai Beach, Thailand

  9. Malaysia

    1. Langkawi Island Langkawi, Malaysia
    2. Penang -> Kota Bharu Penang and Kota Bharu, Malaysia
    3. Perhentian Island paradise Perhentian Islands, Malaysia
    4. Final stop in SE-Asia: KL Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

  10. After the road

    1. What is this Shit?
    2. Hold the phone!
    3. Good news!

Essays

Close

Essays and articles

Lines

The way of the world began with one person skipping a meal.

On X

A man who can leave is a citizen.
A man who cannot is inventory.

On X

Authority that can be walked away from has to be earned. Every other kind has to be endured.

On X

Money is a constraint set. The constraints determine the outcome.

On X

The heaviest price you pay is all the roads you didn't take.

On X

My idea for a book is free; take it. My book is not free; buy it.

On X

Freedom is a polar mindset; slavery has gradients.

On X

I expect higher yield from reputational capital over time than from monetary capital. You can only sell out once.

On X

Nothing has intrinsic value. Nothing.

On X

Talks

Close

Everything

Close

NOWN

  • SoftwareNown Portable trust layer between strangers

KONSENSUS

SONGS

  • Post

    The euro cheeseburger went up to 1,1€ in Funland 5 years ago. It’s now 2,5€.

    On X

WRITING

TALKS

ENGINEER

  • RecordPublishing
  • RecordWriting
  • RecordTravel
    • Left Helsinki on a one-way ticket
    • The Trans-Siberian in third class, Moscow to Ulan-Ude
    • The Gobi by jeep and by camel
    • Kuala Lumpur, where the overland leg ended
    • Teaching English in Rui’An, China
  • RecordEngineering
    • Building sites: foreman, then site engineer
    • Energy assessments of commercial renovations and structural inspection
    • Rock engineering, underground: shotcrete, rock bolting and high-pressure grouting
    • A hotel build: works and procurement scheduling

Photos

  • A mirror selfie in a venue lobby, in a black suit and white sneakers, the conference badge blurred
  • Laughing while hanging in a tree, in sunglasses, a backpack, rolled jeans and flip-flops
  • A peace sign against a pale sky, in a camo jacket, a boonie hat and white sunglasses
  • Pedaling a cycle rickshaw while its driver, printed as a silhouette, rides as the passenger
  • In a red turban and a patterned blazer, with a waxed mustache
  • On a roadside barrier in a helmet, white sunglasses and a yellow tee, banana plants and sky behind
  • Floating in green sea water in white sunglasses
  • A wide selfie in a hammock under a tree
  • Arms crossed before a gold-leaf temple mural, in a blue tee and a headband
  • On the Great Wall, one foot on the parapet, the wall winding over the ridges
  • Perched on a ruined stretch of the Great Wall above an arch, a guard below printed as a silhouette
  • Arms crossed on a stone post, the Great Wall behind
  • On a building site in a white helmet and a green top, arms crossed, beside a colleague printed as a silhouette
  • Seated on a panel on a round stage, between fellow panelists printed as silhouettes
  • On stage with a mic, pointing at a giant projected spider
  • On stage with a mic before a slide of a squashed spider among starfish
  • Holding a certificate of merit in a row of colleagues printed as silhouettes
  • A composite helmet painted white, white aviator glasses and a yellow tee
  • White shades and a black blazer, a baseball bat on one shoulder
  • Speaking before an event backdrop in a black blazer with a red pocket square, the backdrop logos blurred
  • Pointing in front of the orange Konsensus Network backdrop, books in one hand, the QR code blurred
  • Stepping off a blue-and-white train with a big backpack and a flat cap
  • White sunglasses on leopard-print van seats outside a gray felt yurt
  • Squatting on a dusty street in Cambodia, in a headband, glasses and flip-flops, the bystanders printed as silhouettes
  • In camo with a laser-tag gun on a hilltop, beside a teammate printed as a silhouette

JOURNAL

#net

Close
  1. * Now talking in #net
  2. * Topic is The early net
  3. <niko> mIRC, Napster, LimeWire, DC++, game console modding.
  4. <niko> I built hundreds of computers and taught computer construction at the open university.
  5. <niko> … A Pentium 400mhz powerhouse with 32mb Ram, 4gb hard drive, 56 kbit/s modem and a cd-drive. It was like science fiction. Made my first websites with it. Late 90’s ❤️
  6. <niko> I just remembered getting stuck behind a locked door with my friend and my c64. I typed on the command line: “how to get out of a locked room”. Was 25 years too early with that idea. lol. On X
  7. <niko> I spent a good portion of 1998 scouring the internet, trying to find ways to bring Aeris back, but I got over it fast. On X
  8. <niko> … I actually downloaded movies from dc++ and recorded them via video card to a vhs cassette. We had a pretty nice library of movies in the barracks that weren’t even in theaters yet. Ahh, good old times. On X

#road

Close
  1. * Now talking in #road
  2. * Topic is Road stories
  3. <niko> Ok, this is it. Left everything behind and jumped on the train from Helsinki to Moscow. I’m off.
  4. <niko> The hour has come to kick this trip up to speed! Trans-Siberian Train – day1
  5. <niko> Days just pass me by and I have become pretty indifferent to weekdays or seasons. I make my plans with a yearly calendar now 🙂 Days just passing by…WALL!
  6. <niko> The water was by far the clearest I’ve ever seen! Paradise!
  7. <niko> There is some sort of serenity in that I can’t quite describe. Deep waters @ Tonsai Beach
Niko Freeman

Contact

Follow on X @OmniFinn