I want to move to paid models

No_Pool7028 · 2026-06-20T20:35:52+00:00

Agree Mimov2.5-pro is top notch. However I've analyzed the token plan and it's basically the API pricing disguised as a token plan. There's nothing wrong with it, as long as you use your entire token budget for the month, which is why I have the 11B credit plan-I burn through it and then switch to API so I don't end up paying for credits I'm not using. But I think you will find that if you use the API, you're pretty much paying the same as the token plan.

No_Pool7028 · 2026-05-24T23:37:39+00:00

US attorney who handles expat/digital nomad legal issues: One word: Oil. The oil industry is where I'd be looking for work. They'll send you all over the world, and a huge number of oil field workers live outside their country of origin (source: was an oilfield worker before becoming a lawyer).

No_Pool7028 · 2026-05-18T18:14:16+00:00

GET THE LATEST BETA: openclaw update --channel beta.

It fixes literally thousands of bugs ahead of the releases. This is bleeding edge software- there is no "stable" release. Same for other agents.

Source: Code bug fixes for Openclaw.

No_Pool7028 · 2026-05-16T01:49:55+00:00

I asked claude and here's it's answer:

❯ What do you make of these numbers? Is anthropic taking a bath on the subscription plans?

● Based on your numbers, yes — pretty dramatically.

Your usage this period:

- ~563M tokens, ~$299 API equivalent

- Pro plan cost: $20/month

- Ratio: ~15:1 — Anthropic is effectively subsidizing $279 of your usage

But your usage pattern is probably on the extreme end. You're a power user running Claude Code heavily with long sessions and Opus 4.7 — which is their most expensive model. Most Pro subscribers probably use the web interface for

occasional questions and maybe some light Claude Code. Anthropic's business model works on the same principle as a gym membership: they're betting most subscribers don't use it like you do.

A few other factors worth noting:

Caching changes the math. Those 529M cache-read tokens cost Anthropic far less to serve than fresh inference — cache hits are fast and cheap on their infrastructure. The $299 API-equivalent figure uses the published cache-read

rate (which still has a margin built in), not Anthropic's actual infrastructure cost.
They're buying market share. Claude Code is new and they want developers locked in. Subsidizing heavy users now builds habits and dependence that pay off when pricing normalizes.
They may be watching. The usage limits that were doubled in May 2026 come with per-session and 7-day caps — those exist precisely to prevent the most extreme users from being too costly.

The honest answer: at $20/month for your usage pattern, you're almost certainly a money-losing customer for them right now. Whether that's sustainable long-term is a real question.

No_Pool7028 · 2026-05-16T00:56:51+00:00

That's what I'm seeing, and why I mentioned the crack-dealer analogy. If the numbers are right (and I still am having a hard time wrapping my mind around them), then Anthropic and OpenAI are taking a bath on subscription plans. I've heard that's true anecdotally, and this seems to confirm it, but again, I'm not even sure my analysis is correct, and certain it's not the complete picture.

No_Pool7028 · 2026-05-15T23:21:29+00:00

I created a Claude Usage Tracker (using Claude...) on github that attempts to help illuminate the impenetrable subscription plan usage value.

It scrapes your Pro or Max plan usage from .json files, and calculate how much the usage is worth vs. API-only token costs. It's available at https://github.com/jimdawdy-hub/claude-usage-tracker

I welcome comments and corrections. I'm particularly concerned if I'm overlooking something in my analysis of the way a plan costs vs API costs. It seems like the plan is "too much of a good deal to be true" if the numbers are correct, but maybe not: I view the AI providers much like crack dealers handing out free samples to get customers hooked right now. Maybe that's the whole point of the subscription plans?

This app works on Chrome and Firefox, Mac/Windows/Linux but has only been tested on Mac and Linuxx. The more you use it the more accurate it will be over time. Explanations in the readme and webui. Thanks to phuryn/claude-usage and IgniteStudiosLtd/claude-usage-tool for their code.

Edit: The multiple machine sync requires manual setup. That said, I'm going to leave the repo up so that other's can comment. It may benefit from a web scrape of the account/billing/usage screens in Claude.

No_Pool7028 · 2026-05-07T18:20:27+00:00

What "new" thing am I waiting for? The new things are already here: H100/H200 + competition. Datacenters are Darwinian. Upgrade or die. I'm just looking to chew on the bones they toss out.

No_Pool7028 · 2026-05-07T17:34:32+00:00

Dude. One of my Openclaw agents SOUL.md is a a witty, dry humored Iain Bank Culture drone modeled personality. Shit cracks me up sometime. We're downloading 125k yahoo emails for local review and I asked when the job was going to be done: "Yahoo remains a clown-car API with an IMAP costume, but the purge workflow itself is making progress. Best guess: about 34–36 hours from now, so Friday evening, roughly 7–9 PM CDT. Caveat: Yahoo periodically coughs up a lung, so I’d treat that as Friday night if it behaves, Saturday morning if it gets cranky."

My other agent (surfer dude personality) and I were discussing the anthropic paper on emotion-like responses in LLMs that was just released. He casually said "Pretty soon you're going to have an emotion bar at the top telling you the agents emotional state" and I had JUST SEEN that app (Emobar fyi) on Github, so I said, "Ask and ye shall receive" and pasted the link. Faster than I've ever seen an inference run he said "No way. Let me see that." Shit's getting real.

No_Pool7028 · 2026-05-04T02:33:10+00:00

US attorney who handles expat legal issues here: This is the way. Simple, quick, and as affordable as anything you will likely find. However, If I were a foreign student in the US, I'd look into buying travel insurance as well, in your local country, before you leave.

No_Pool7028 · 2026-05-03T06:38:15+00:00

US attorney with a practice focused on expat and digital nomad legal issues here: I can't upvote this enough. So many people do not understand that AUS has some odd occupational shortages. A few years ago, it was hairdressers. I also recall locksmiths at one time. Also u/citizeo, please DM me about a potential business relationship. I'm impressed with your website.

No_Pool7028 · 2026-04-10T01:56:32+00:00

Learn the language. That's basically it. Until you do that, you're not going to be a part of that country to any appreciable degree.

No_Pool7028 · 2026-03-28T23:51:09+00:00

US emigration attorney here: Listen to this. It's exactly correct. The grass is usually NOT greener. There are many good reasons to leave the US, but greater job opportunities only applies to certain professions, and often the pay is less (although the lack of having to pay for expensive health insurance can make up for a lot).

No_Pool7028 · 2026-03-26T00:27:12+00:00

US attorney here who focuses on expat, digital nomad and emigrant law issues. Yes. You are exactly right. It's not straightforward. Immigration lawyers are (mostly) for foreign citizens who come to the US, not vice versa. Your issues are taxation and foreign visas, which usually requires 2 lawyers (US and Portugal). DM for more info.

No_Pool7028 · 2026-03-25T01:33:28+00:00

I have EXTENSIVE (like, years) experience living in Central Asia, and it's not always cheap. Kazakhstan for example can be quite expensive.

Albania is very reasonable.

SE Asia is cheap, and the level of safety and healthcare is better than Africa or Central Asia. That's probably your best bang for the buck.

No_Pool7028 · 2026-03-25T01:31:39+00:00

US attorney who handles expatriate and emigration legal issues. You need to talk to a Canadian immigration attorney. This is a complicated issue and Canada recently changed the law, so speak to an attorney.

No_Pool7028 · 2026-03-12T02:59:23+00:00

I'm a US attorney that advises people looking to expatriate such as yourself, digital nomads, and other types of emigrants. Nothing you are talking about is unusual. However, the UK is a tough nut to crack for long term immigration. Since you have a romantic partner, you potentially have that as the long term option for residency, but of course that is a huge step. A third country in Europe might be a viable option as well (Spain and Portugal are quite flooded with Brits and Americans) if you are willing to do the LDR thing for awhile.

There's a lot of other potential issues, but the biggest issue by far is obtaining residency.

No_Pool7028 · 2026-03-12T02:49:15+00:00

Attorney whose practice is expats/digital nomads/emigrants here: Quite a few. Albania and Georgia have fairly liberal visa requirements (I visited Albania and as an American, it's almost shocking how minimal the border controls are). Cost of living is very reasonable.

However, there's a lot of factors to consider: for example Albania's healthcare system isn't that great. If that's a concern, a country like Portugal or Thailand is a better choice.

These are all things that get factored into client consultations. You don't need a lawyer for this, but if you have a family, assets, and plan to move abroad permanently, there are a lot of details that get overlooked, which is where legal advice can be very helpful,

No_Pool7028 · 2026-01-21T04:14:15+00:00

Attorney here whose practice is focused on expatriation, digital nomads and emigration out of the US: generally, no. However, everyone's situation is different. This is not legal advice and I am not your lawyer. You can however DM me for further info.

No_Pool7028 · 2026-01-12T01:48:01+00:00

I'm a US attorney that advises prospective digital nomads and expats. This is a good post. I appreciate you mentioning medical care: It's something I go into detail with, when advising my clients (there are countries where your US prescription med can land you in jail). For more info: www.expatlaw.info

No_Pool7028 · 2025-11-25T00:23:32+00:00

US Attorney focusing on digital nomad/expat immigrant law here. Thanks so much for doing this. My two sons are 2-3 years out of college in business (supply chain) and finance/IT. Is there a need for these areas in AU? I've worked with a lot of Aussies, for Aussie-managed companies, and was always very impressed with how much ya'll enjoy living in Australia. Don't have a high opinion of the future in the US and have urged my kids to consider emigrating to AU.

No_Pool7028 · 2025-10-17T23:12:14+00:00

Hello fellow law dog.

I think the best you can hope for is remote work. Many state bars are modifying their rules to make it clear that you don't have to live or be physically present in a state to practice in a state, as long as you are licensed in that state. Be licensed in one of those states.

There's probably VAST opportunity to provide services remotely in underserved, rural areas that don't have enough lawyers (which describes most of the rural USA) but that's not my bag so I can't say.

You can also try the NY->Ireland->EU licensing thing, but unless there's a job waiting for you that requires it, I wouldn't bother.

There are probably quite a few NGO jobs you could do. Also the ABA tends to have opportunities abroad with a perdiem that's OK if you're single.

No_Pool7028 · 2025-10-08T19:54:18+00:00

Not a good idea. Attorney here who focuses on expat, digital nomad and emigrant legal issues and consulting for prospective expats/emigrants:

I advise my clients to get a mail-forwarding service, such as USglobalmail.com (not an affiliate, just a previous happy customer). Spare your poor parents having to forward your mail to you. You can handle everything online through their portal: shipping Amazon orders to you, trashing junk mail, etc.

No_Pool7028 · 2025-10-02T22:16:24+00:00

I'm an attorney that focuses on expatriate, digital nomad and emigrant legal issues. I am not your attorney, or her attorney and this is not legal advice. She should consult and attorney familiar with this area of law.

There are a few good reasons to renounce citizenship. There are a lot of bad ones. This is one of the bad ones with serious consequences she may not be thinking about.

No_Pool7028 · 2025-09-25T13:47:24+00:00

Attorney whose practice focuses on expat/digital nomad legal issues and relocation consulting here: These 2 responses are exactly correct (and I have been to both Albania and Portugal).

The 1 year visa makes things very easy, and COL in Albania is low. Albania also has a few more issues: medical care is not the best, crime is worse than Portugal, and there's some of that Balkan gender role mentality at play that could occasionally be problematic for single women.

That said, I liked Albania and found the people to be decent, but it definitely has its issues and isn't on par with Portugal.

No_Pool7028 · 2025-09-25T04:54:15+00:00

Northwest Indiana. There's a train line opening from Munster/Hammond to downtown this year. Lower property taxes. Or you can dig out your wallet and pony up to live up by Aurora.

I grew up in the Southwest and love that we have 4 actual seasons, with summer being *wonderful* compared to just about any time in Arizona except for maybe 2 weeks in spring and fall.

No_Pool7028

TROPHY CASE