[mc32]

John MacAfee has a great guide. Context is important. You need to know the situation, you have to be situationally aware. You can't just start showing money (maybe alcohol or other "currency" depending on their penchants are more apt). You have to know a bit about the locals. See http://www.whoismcafee.com/the-travel-guide/

[pavel_lishin]

Serious question: given how ... unstable ... McAfee seems to be, how reliable is this guide?

[at-fates-hands]

Just because he's paranoid schizophrenic now does not lessen his experiences before his brain went AWOL. Considering he's dealt with some pretty hostile governments and government officials, I'd say the advice is pretty solid.

On a side note, when I was in telecom, My boss (who had been in the industry for 15 years) used to tell me about working for MCI and doing surveying and laying copper in several middle eastern countries. He told me some stories that would make the hair on your neck stand up.

He said it was an open secret that MCI was giving his team suitcases of cash to bribe officials and the military just to allow them to do their job. Stories of being pulled over at gunpoint, negotiating with military people and being able to talk through the process of a bribe was something he always maintained was part of the day-to-day survival game they played.

[theoh]

Being schizophrenic does not mean that the brain/mind is "AWOL". Schizophrenics endure experience like the rest of us. The idea that the insane have "no mind" is an old-fashioned, dehumanizing idea which should not be tolerated even on HN where everyone is of course young, healthy and overconfident. (!)

[taneq]

I was thinking about this just the other day, the term "demented" literally means "with mind removed".

[elbrownos]

Actually it means "out of one's mind"

[taneq]

Huh. So it does, thanks for that!

...as a tangent, I'm impressed and slightly weirded out by the fact that I googled for "etymology demented" and it answered directly with an etymological tree for the word. Google's getting smarter.

[k-mcgrady]

>> "Just because he's paranoid schizophrenic"

Was this confirmed somewhere? I can't find any evidence with a quick search and I saw some of his interviews during the presidential campaign (he was running from the libertarian nomination I think) and he seemed ok.

[mc32]

I think a lot of that stems from his reported behavior in Belize. I think it was reported he was high on something on the occasions of some of his reportedly bizarre behavior. From my recollection.

[k-mcgrady]

Yeah that's my recollection as well. I presume the parent has something to back up the claim though as it's not a term you throw around lightly.

[tripzilch]

Most probably they did throw in fact it around lightly, but (carelessly) didn't intend to. I'm always very careful to not throw around medical (particularly psychiatric) diagnoses because I'm not trained for that. Instead I prefer to describe the symptoms I perceive and phrase it as my personal perception (aka, own it). At very most I might say "that guy might have some autistic tendencies ..." and almost always qualify it with "... but that spectrum is so vague, forget the label and just assess him on his particular quirks like the individual he is".

Anyway, not to distract this discussion into a further tangent, I think the best way is to charitably read it as "paranoid schizophrenic episode" (which is kind of fair, yes?) and the "mind AWOL" remark as hyperbole, without reading too much behind it. It was a setup to the post's main point anyway, the anecdotal part.

[sithadmin]

Based on what I've heard from colleagues that have spent extensive amounts of time in Central America, it's 100% spot-on.

[Teever]

Is McAfee that unstable?

Like I understand that he has done a lot of crazy drug addled things but I don't think that necessarily means that he is stupid or insane.

[celticninja]

I agree. Alexander Shulgin did far more than McAfee and i dont think anyone would question his sanity.

[wavefunction]

Sasha was a responsible scientist with a stable life.

McAfee is someone who kept a minor girlfriend, fled Belize after being implicated in the murder of his neighbor and spent most of his time down there booty bumping bath salts.

For some perspective.

[zensavona]

> spent most of his time down there booty bumping bath salts

source?

Having lived in Cambodia (nowhere near as dangerous as Belize, but probably just as corrupt), being implicated with a crime you didn't commit isn't the most far fetched thing.

[sreeni_ananth]

India is exactly the same, for its much hyped democracy, it is one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Recently there is a trend for implicating husbands and relatives in criminal cases just because the wife didn't get along. All interested parties including lawyers, judges, police get involved for financial gain.

[PeCaN]

Going by forum posts McAfee made—it's questionable whether or not he was trolling (he was for sure at one point wrt bath salts) but it's also somewhat likely he's into stimulants and sex.

[Steeeve]

> spent most of his time down there booty bumping bath salts

There's a phrase I'm never going to google. I'm happily ignorant.

[pantalaimon]

Well MDPV mostly, and he is somewhat professional about it

http://www.bluelight.org/vb/threads/541627-Hello-and-an-MDPV...

[celticninja]

And you got all this info on McAfee from Vice magazine or similar publications.

[brianwawok]

I mean, this is advice about doing something crazy. We aren't asking him for tax advice ;)

[zanny]

He seems pretty smart. I'd want a second opinion, but I wouldn't mind the help!

[mc32]

Well, going to these places is by the nature of them, risky for non locals. Knowing what works, how locals operate helps. Don't overplay your hand, don't insult (even unintentionally, it can cause affront). I think it helped that he seems to be very situationally aware. It's not going to work well, if you're green at it. Like many things, it probably takes luck and practice and interpersonal skills.

[cm2187]

Thanks. This guide is absolutely hilarious!