The LOTS Project Morning Show

How much privacy are you willing to trade for convenience—or the promise of safety?

This week we look at the growing use of Flock license plate readers and why the argument of "I've got nothing to hide" completely falls apart once innocent people start getting caught in the system. One bad database entry, one misread plate, one false alert... and suddenly you're the problem.

We also dive into the latest speculation surrounding Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham before asking a bigger question: why does nearly every major event now come with multiple believable conspiracy theories? Is public trust collapsing, or has technology simply made it harder than ever to separate fact from fiction?

There's also plenty of homestead talk with updates on the cabin build, solar field clearing, flooring, wood chipping, and surviving another brutally hot Tennessee week.

This episode includes affiliate mentions for products and companies I personally use. If you choose to purchase through those links, it helps support The LOTS Project at no additional cost to you.

Support The LOTS Project

Fold Card https://use.foldapp.com/r/FANEWETX

• Blockstream Hardware Wallets https://rewards.blockstream.com/thelotsproject

• LogOX Forestry Tools https://tidd.ly/4y07Qhb

• Food Forest Farms Coffee https://foodforrestfarms.com

• ComfreyRoots.com https://comfreyroots.com

• Echo Radios https://echoradios.com?bg_ref=Sv7Jdlw250 Save $40 with code: ECHOBRIAN407720

• Amazon Storefront https://www.amazon.com/shop/thelotsproject

This week on Episode 895 of The LOTS Project Morning Show, I finally get the wood chipper running after replacing the carburetor and changing the oil. We also talk about a new forestry tool that's headed to the property, why real freedom means defending the rights of people you disagree with, and whether self-checkout has quietly trained us to do work that stores used to pay employees to do.

As always, expect plenty of opinions, a little sarcasm, and discussion from the live audience.

☕ Coffee of the Day: Light Brazilian from Food Forest Farms

Affiliate Links & Sponsors

• Blockstream Hardware Wallets https://rewards.blockstream.com/thelotsproject

• LogOX Forestry Tools https://tidd.ly/4y07Qhb

• Food Forest Farms Coffee https://foodforrestfarms.com

• ComfreyRoots.com https://comfreyroots.com

• Echo Radios https://echoradios.com?bg_ref=Sv7Jdlw250 Save $40 with code: ECHOBRIAN407720

• Amazon Storefront https://www.amazon.com/shop/thelotsproject

A simple flooring project turned into another lesson in why building your own cabin is never as straightforward as it looks.

This week I talk through the latest cabin progress, why weather is becoming the next obstacle, and how one overlooked specification completely changed the timeline.

Then we shift gears into a conversation about autonomous vehicles, why I still won't climb into a driverless taxi, what years of full-time RV living taught us (both good and bad), and finish with a discussion that's especially fitting before Independence Day:

Would the people who founded this country recognize what we've become?

Along the way we cover:

• Cabin construction updates

• DIY lessons learned

• Full-time RV realities

• Waymo and autonomous vehicles

• Bitcoin

• Government, freedom and personal responsibility

You'll also hear about some of the gear and products I actually use around the property.

Some links mentioned are affiliate links that help support the show without costing you anything extra.

Thanks for listening.

☕ Coffee provided by Food Forest Farms Use coupon code LOTS10 for 10% off and free shipping.

Support the show:

• Blockstream Hardware Wallets https://rewards.blockstream.com/thelotsproject

• Fold Bitcoin Rewards https://use.foldapp.com/r/FANEWETX

• Echo Radios https://echoradios.com?bg_ref=Sv7Jdlw250

• Amazon Storefront https://amzn.to/4xPF2YZ

• ComfreyRoots.com

Join our Telegram Community: https://t.me/LOTSChat

A camera on a pole doesn't sound like a big deal.

Until it becomes a network.

Until it follows vehicles across jurisdictions.

Until it starts identifying people instead of license plates.

And until cities start realizing they may have signed up for something bigger than they expected.

In this episode I dig into recent developments surrounding Flock, why some communities are pushing back, and why others continue expanding surveillance infrastructure.

I also share progress on the cabin build, including floor prep, patching seams, upcoming vinyl installation, and clearing trees for the future solar array. Plus my first impressions after finally getting the Echo Radios in hand and testing them in an area with almost no cell coverage.

If you're interested in self-reliance, preparedness, Bitcoin, homesteading, privacy, and questioning systems most people never think about, this episode has plenty to chew on.

Coffee of the Day: Light Ethiopian from Food Forest Farms Use code LOTS10

Sponsors:

• Blockstream Jade, Jade Plus & Jade Core https://rewards.blockstream.com/thelotsproject

• ComfreyRoots.com https://Comfreyroots.com

Telegram: https://t.me/LOTSChat

Echo Radios $40 off: https://echoradios.com?bg_ref=Sv7Jdlw250 Code: ECHOBRIAN407720

Affiliate Disclosure:

This episode may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of those links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Those commissions help keep the show running and support future content.

A chainsaw refusing to cooperate. Trees that still need clearing. A biochar experiment that didn't go exactly as planned.

And somehow, all of it led back to a bigger question: are we spending too much time watching the circus while ignoring the things that actually keep our lives running?

In this episode, Brian talks through solar field progress, diagnosing and fixing a decade-old Husqvarna, the reality of learning through failed experiments, and why biochar might deserve a place on your homestead. The conversation wanders into Idiocracy, Roman parallels, floating solar projects, Bitcoin, Echo Radios stuck in transit, and the value of focusing on what you can actually control.

This isn't a polished lecture. It's coffee-fueled thinking out loud from someone trying to build a life that's a little more independent and a little less dependent on systems that don't always deserve our trust.

Affiliate links mentioned in this episode help support the show at no extra cost to you, including Blockstream, Fold, ComfreyRoots.com, Echo Radios, Amazon, and other partners that Brian personally uses or recommends.

Settle in and listen to the whole ride. The best parts usually happen after the original topic is long gone.

SUPPORT THE SHOW

• Food Forest Farms Coffee – Use code LOTS10 for 10% off at https://foodforestfarms.com

• Comfrey Roots: https://ComfreyRoots.com

• Blockstream Jade Hardware Wallets: https://rewards.blockstream.com/thelotsproject

• Fold Card: https://use.foldapp.com/r/FANEWETX

• Amazon Storefront: https://amazon.com/shop/thelotsproject

• Telegram Chat: https://t.me/LOTSChat

This week starts with cabin cleanup and a reality every builder eventually faces: everybody has advice and half of it contradicts the other half.

I'm getting ready for flooring installation and trying to sort through the endless opinions on subfloor prep, skim coating, underlayment, and what actually matters versus what just costs more money.

Then we dive into a surprisingly heated local debate about a new hotel selling day passes to its infinity pool. Great business idea? Maybe. Great experience for paying hotel guests? That's another question.

We also spend time talking Bitcoin, Blockstream's new Jade Core wallet, Fold's growing ecosystem, and why price drops tend to create more opportunity than panic.

If you enjoy practical projects, independent thinking, Bitcoin, and occasional rants about things that don't make sense, you'll probably enjoy this one.

🔗 SUPPORT THE LOTS PROJECT

🟠 Fold App (Earn Bitcoin on Everyday Spending)

Join my Spin Squad and get $10 in Bitcoin after your first debit card purchase:

https://use.foldapp.com/r/FANEWETX

🔐 Blockstream Jade Hardware Wallets

Jade • Jade Plus • Jade Core

Use code THELOTSPROJECT for 10% off:

https://rewards.blockstream.com/thelotsproject

📡 Echo Radios

Minimal cell coverage. Works across all major networks.

Use Coupon Code: ECHOBRIAN407720 for $40 off

https://echoradios.com?bg_ref=Sv7Jdlw250

🛒 Shop My Amazon Storefront

Tools, gear, homestead equipment, RV gear and more:

https://www.amazon.com/shop/thelotsproject

🌱 Comfrey Root Cuttings

Premium Bocking 4 Comfrey Root Cuttings:

https://comfreyroots.com

☕ Food Forest Farms Coffee

Use Code LOTS10 for 10% off your order:

https://foodforestfarms.com

Affiliate Disclosure:

Some links may be affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for supporting The LOTS Project.

The cabin hit a major milestone this week.

After months of learning, climbing ladders, making mistakes, fixing mistakes, and figuring things out one project at a time, the trim is finally finished and the cabin is officially dried in.

That leads into a bigger conversation about learning new skills, solving problems without experts, and why YouTube may be the most valuable trade school ever created.

We also dive into Tennessee's blooming mimosa trees, the arrival of summer heat, an Enterprise commercial that accidentally highlights everything frustrating about renting vehicles, the Great American State Fair controversy, Bitcoin price predictions, the new Blockstream Jade Core, and a communications solution that might actually make sense for off-grid and low-signal living.

If you're building your own path, questioning systems, or just trying to get things done while the world gets stranger, this one's for you.

Affiliate links mentioned during the show may generate a commission at no additional cost to you.

Telegram Community:

https://t.me/LOTSChat

Comfreyroots.com

Blockstream Store (10% off by clicking or use code TheLOTSProject at checkout)

Echo Radios Coupon Code for $40.00 off ECHOBRIAN407720

This episode starts with anniversary week and porch furniture… and somehow ends with steroid-enhanced athletes, collapsing Middle East peace talks, and the political machine steamrolling Thomas Massie.

Pretty standard 2026 conversation.

We talk about:

• 10 years married and the journey from Minneapolis suburbs to off-grid Tennessee
• a huge week of cabin progress
• porch trim struggles and finally seeing the place come together
• why we changed our solar and utility plans
• the Massie Kentucky primary and what it says about modern politics
• growing disillusionment with establishment narratives
• market manipulation around war headlines
• and the launch of the Enhanced Games — aka the open-steroid Olympics

This one feels less like a “news episode” and more like watching modern civilization slowly turn into a sci-fi movie while trying to build a normal life outside of it.

Resources & Links:

• Telegram Chat: https://t.me/LOTSChat
• Blockstream Hardware Wallets: https://rewards.blockstream.com/thelotsproject
• Comfrey Roots: https://ComfreyRoots.com
• Food Forest Farms Coffee (LOTS10) https://foodforestfarms.com

Some links may be affiliate links that support the show.

The cabin officially has sheet metal on all four sides, and now comes the phase where confidence slowly turns into second-guessing your own decisions.

This episode gets into:

• wrapping up the exterior metal work
• learning construction skills in real time
• why I already think I may redo part of the porch trim
• local Tennessee radio
• a morning host voice that nearly breaks me
• hantavirus headlines everywhere
• Ebola quietly returning to the conversation
• Cuba allegedly building drone capabilities
• oil shortage rumors tied to Middle East instability
• and how modern media seems completely addicted to fear.

There’s also a solid discussion about how public trust collapsed after COVID and why people increasingly question institutional narratives instead of blindly accepting headlines.

Plus:

Apparently living in Minnesota permanently added “ope” to my operating system.

Resources & Links:

• ComfreyRoots.com

• Blockstream Jade & Jade Plus

• LOTS Telegram Community

Affiliate disclosure:

Some links may be affiliate links which help support the show at no additional cost to you.

Some weeks you make solid progress.

Other weeks you realize the real problem isn’t building a cabin… it’s dealing with people.

This episode starts with a win—figuring out a scaffolding + ladder setup that actually worked without killing me—and then takes a hard left into one of the most frustrating laundromat trips I’ve had in a long time.

From there it spirals into a bigger question:

Are things actually getting crazier, or are we just paying more attention?

We get into hantavirus, the way the media handles this stuff, and why it feels eerily familiar. Then zoom out into what’s going on globally—war, oil, and the incentives behind it all.

No polished narrative. Just real-time observations from someone trying to build something while everything else feels like it’s slipping sideways.

Resources mentioned:

Comfrey roots: https://comfreyroots.com

Blockstream hardware wallets: https://rewards.blockstream.com/thelotsproject

Food Forest Farms coffee: https://foodforestfarms.com

Some links may be affiliate links. If you use them, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.