Author Archives: Carlos C. Tapang

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About Carlos C. Tapang

I run a company called Rock Stable Token Inc. I am the leader of the team behind the stabletoken called ROKS. ROKS is a cryptocurrency (digital money) and its value is tied to the U.S. dollar (USD). We are initially targeting it to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) with two great benefits: it costs almost nothing to send it, and it is fast. I am also involved in a movement (http://correctphilippines.org) to correct the Philippine constitution. It's an ambitious undertaking in itself, and there's no guarantee that improving our constitution will improve things. However, one thing is certain: if we don't establish a rational constitution, we will continue on our path of self-destruction. What kind of government is best? For me the best government is that which governs the least. We need the government not because it can provide for us but because it keeps us from running into each other. The proper function of government is that of a traffic light: it prevents us from bumping each other, but it does not tell us where to go.

The Freedom to be Selfish

Ayn Rand shook the world with her prescription for what ails it. She offered a very simple prescription, one that goes against everything we have been taught so far, from Jesus Christ to Ghandi. She wrote that selfishness is a virtue, and … Continue reading

Posted in Amateur Philosophy | 8 Comments

The Evolution of Digital Computers in the Context of How Humans Organize

I came into the computer industry by way of the 8080 CPU, the first CPU on a chip. After tinkering with the 8080 chip for several years, in 1980 I was lucky to get into Intel, the company that introduced the 8080 in the … Continue reading

Posted in Computers and Internet | 2 Comments

Parasites

I have friends who work abroad and who send money regularly back home to a sibling or two. I tell them, why not deposit that monthly amount to a savings account instead? They feel guilty if they’d do that. The … Continue reading

Posted in Journal | 4 Comments

Negative Effects of Weakened Property Rights: IPRA Law as a Prime Instance

(Important note: although in this article I advocate dismantling the IPRA law, I do not advocate disobeying the law as it currently exists. As a citizen and resident of the Philippines, I abide by all Philippine laws.) Our 1987 Philippine … Continue reading

Posted in News and politics | 2 Comments

In Response to “6 Things Rich People Need to Stop Saying”

A Response to http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-things-rich-people-need-to-stop-saying/ Liberalism is in retreat, and nowhere is this more evident than in the contrast between the Occupiers and the Tea Party. The truth is that the 99 percenters identify themselves more with Tea Partiers than with … Continue reading

Posted in News and politics | 15 Comments

The Mighty Dollar May Still Hold Its Value

If we empty millions of cubic meters of water into a small lake, that lake would overflow. However, the same amount of water would not even raise the level of an ocean. That, in essence, is the reason why in … Continue reading

Posted in Money and Economics | Leave a comment

The Government Cannot Be Benevolent, and Shouldn’t Even Try To Be

I do not mean to say that we should not help the poor. Far from it. All I am saying is to keep the government out of our charitable giving. Why? Because whenever and wherever the government is involved, there … Continue reading

Posted in News and politics | 1 Comment

Prices to Increase by as much as 100% (double)

Even though it appears that the U.S. Congress and President Obama are about to make a deal to avert a financial collapse on August 2nd (this Tuesday), it does not mean that the world’s financial troubles are over. The bottom … Continue reading

Posted in Money and Economics | Tagged | 2 Comments

We Have Just Come Down from the Trees II

One of my favorite movies is now a classic “2001: A Space Odyssey” directed by the great Stanley Kubrick. Aside from a truly visual feast that it is, the movie treats the audience to a most fascinating examination of the ephemeral nature of life. Considering … Continue reading

Posted in Amateur Philosophy | Leave a comment

The Sweet Spot for Taxes

A blogger called evilgenius has this graph of prices versus revenues for ebooks: Price versus Revenue Showing Sweet Spot In this graph, the sweet spot price point is between $3 and $4. Graphs like this are commonly shown to marketing … Continue reading

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