며칠 전, **체중 75 kg(165 파운드)**인 내가 **547 kg(1,206 파운드)**을 들어 올렸다. 무려 자신의 체중 7.3배다!
많은 사람에게는 다소突발적으로 보일 수 있지만… 사실 나는 뉴욕 퀸스 베이사이드에서 12살 뚱뚱이 꼬마였을 때부터 웨이트를 시작했고, 지금 37살—무려 25년째 바벨을 붙들고 있다! 솔직히 말해, 나는 운동을 사진·블로그보다 먼저 사랑했다. 15살에 Xanga에서 블로그를 열었고(2+ eprops!), 18살에 사진을 시작했다.
내 철학의 핵심은 언제나 극복과 초월이다.
퍼스트 프린서플
왜 랙 풀(Rack Pull)인가?
바닥에서 데드리프트하는 것보다 안전하다.
바벨을 걸고 빼기가 훨씬 쉽다.
재미있고 흥미진진하며, 당연히 더 무겁게 들 수 있다!
거리를 줄이고… 무게는 더 크게 💥
예를 들어 60 kg 가슴조끼를 입고 30분 걷는 편이, 죽어가는 영양처럼 200마일을 달리는 것보다 낫다.
마찬가지로 1,206 파운드를 핀에서 0.5 cm만 들어 올리는 단 한 번의 랙 풀은 5조 번의 싯업보다 훨씬 인상적이다!
아이디어
바벨에 이미 무게가 꽉 찼다면, 가장 간단한 방법은 굵은 체인이나 산업용 나일론 스트랩을 이용해 추가 중량을 **바벨 칼라(collar)**에 매다는 것이다.
예를 들어 48 kg 케틀벨이 있다면? 달아라! 혹은 플레이트를 더 넣어라! 새로운 꿀팁: 바벨 끝에 10 kg 체인을 얹어 하중을 더 늘려라!
내 계산기 🧮
나는 캄보디아에서 최소 2,000 파운드를 버틸 수 있는 파워리프팅 바를 사용했다.
25 kg 빨간 플레이트 × 6
20 kg 플레이트 × 1
2.5 kg 강철 스크류 클립 × 1(양쪽)
48 kg 케틀벨 × 1
72 lb(≈33 kg) 케틀벨 × 1
10 kg 체인 × 1
바벨 자체 20 kg
➡️ 한쪽 총합 547 kg, 즉 1,206 파운드! 내가 쓰는 그 낡고 때 묻은 파워랙 기준으로, 최소 2,000 파운드는 거뜬히 버틸 것 같다🔥
An Eric Kim Hyper-Essay on Bitcoin, Velocity, and Unstoppable Self-Sovereignty
VROOOOOOM! Feel that? That’s the sound of 1.21 SHA-gigawatts of raw, untamed monetary lightning blasting you onto a friction-free freeway that stretches beyond time, borders, and the petty speed-limits of legacy finance. Welcome to the Brave New Digital Autobahn—and guess what fuels your rocket-engined Lambo? Bitcoin.
1. No Speed Limits, No Permission, No Apologies
Why crawl through the molasses of bank bureaucracy when you can rocket-thrust transactions at block-height velocity? On this autobahn:
Zero Tollbooths: No middle-men leeching fees “for your convenience.”
24/7 Green Lights: Bitcoin never sleeps, never glitches, never begs a manager for approval.
Borderless Asphalt: Whether you’re in Phnom Penh, Palo Alto, or Polaris Base 1 on Mars, the network is yours—instantly.
Every satoshi you send is a digital bullet train, blasting through antiquated rails like a photon torpedo through cardboard.
2. Engineered for Maximum Torque: Proof-of-Work Power
Under the hood roars a planet-scale V12 hash-rate engine—millions of miners chomping terawatts, forging blocks tougher than titanium. Proof-of-Work isn’t waste; it’s thermodynamic truth, converting raw energy into incorruptible ledger entries:
Energy in → Immutability out → Tyranny KO’d.
This is asymmetrical warfare against inflation, confiscation, and click-print funny-money. You’re not just a passenger—you’re a co-mechanic, fine-tuning the most muscular monetary motor ever conceived.
3. Lightning Network: Turbochargers Engaged
Think Bitcoin’s base layer is fast? Slam the Lightning turbo button and experience micro-second micro-payments:
Buy a Khmer iced coffee for 1 sat—settled before the barista blinks.
Stream value to a podcaster per decibel—no ads, no middle-suits.
Spin up machine-to-machine micro-economies where drones tip charging stations autonomously.
This is cash-at-the-speed-of-thought, a neural highway wiring every neuron on Earth into a shared, self-balancing ledger of freedom.
4. Hyper-Inflation? More Like Hyper-Acceleration
While fiat currencies hydroplane on a puddle of debt, Bitcoin grips the asphalt with scarcity slicks—only 21 million units, hard-capped, epoch-tested, and tick-tocking Halvings like precision-cut gears.
When supply is fixed, demand becomes a jet engine. Every new adopter pushes the pedal harder, compressing time, compounding momentum, catapulting us toward a financial escape velocity where governmental gravity can no longer yank us back.
5. Cultural Nitro: Meme-Fuel Meets Monetary Steel
Bitcoin isn’t just code—it’s a cyber-samurai ethos:
“HODL” as Stoic mantra.
Laser Eyes as digital war-paint.
Blocks Every 10 Minutes like the drumbeat of an unstoppable army.
Plug this meme-fuel into your creative furnace—blog posts, street photography, 7× body-weight rack-pull videos—and watch the internet detonate with virality. The Brave New Digital Autobahn is a content accelerator, multiplying signal, vaporizing noise.
6. DIY Sovereignty: Build, Run, Dominate
Don’t just wax poetic—spin your own node, verify every sat that enters your wallet, and become a sovereign pit-crew chief of your financial destiny. Stack sats like iron plates, tighten your philosophical lug-nuts, and scream down the track with total autonomy.
Remember:
Your Keys, Your Coins, Your Autobahn Lane.
Your Hash, Your Truth, Your Legacy.
7. Destination? Infinity — And We’re Already Cruising
Look around: institutional behemoths are fumbling for seatbelts, nation-states are scrambling to draft “crypto policy,” and you—yes, YOU—are already Mach-looping above their heads.
The Brave New Digital Autobahn has no final exit. It’s an ever-expanding, self-repaving ribbon of possibility. Each block is fresh tarmac under your tires, each Lightning channel another lane to blaze.
So downshift the doubt, red-line the conviction, and rocket into the horizon. Bitcoin isn’t just money—it’s the ultimate freedom machine, and you’re holding the steering wheel with white-knuckled joy.
Final Rally Cry
Smell the burning rubber of outdated paradigms. Hear the metallic roar of decentralized destiny. Feel the centrifugal pull of a future that refuses to decelerate.
This is the Brave New Digital Autobahn—and Bitcoin is the turbocharged engine powering your legendary ride.
Hit the gas. Never lift. See you in block infinity.
The other day I just lifted 1206 pounds, 547 kg, at 165 pounds body weight … 75kg. Which is 7.3X my body weight.
A lot of people this might seem kind of random but actually… I’ve been lifting weight since I was a fat 12-year-old kid in Bayside Queens New York, and I am 37 now… so technically I’ve been lifting weights for 25 years. Actually I’ve been interested in an exercise longer than I have been in photography and blogging. I picked up blogging when I was 15 years old on Xanga, 2+ eprops, and photography when I was 18 years old.
Underlying my whole philosophy has been always this idea of overcoming. And going beyond.
First principles
Why rack pull? Many reasons, first it is safer than a deadlift off the floor. Second, easier to rack and unrack the weights. Third, it is more fun and interesting, and obviously you could lift more weights.
shorten the distance, … heavier weights 
For example, better to walk 30 minutes with a 60 kg weight vest on, rather than to run 200 miles like a dying antelope.
Also more impressive to rack pull 1206 pounds, once, for half a centimeter, off the pins, rather than to do 5 trillion situps.
the idea
So once you have maxed out the barbell, very very simple one is to like chain or to wrap or to use heavy duty nylon straps to attach more weights to the collar of the barbell.
For example if you have 48 kg kettle bells add those. or add more plates. Or a new discovery, add 10 kg chains on top of the weights. 
My maths
I’m just using a powerlifting bar here in Cambodia, I think it’s like rated to like at least 2000 pounds.
First, six 25kg red plates, a smaller 20 kg plate, then a 2.5kg barbell heavy duty steel screwing clip on each side, a 48kg kettlebell strapped on, 72 pound kettlebell strapped on, a 10kg chain on top, … –> each side, and the barbell is 20kg. Et voila –> 547kg in total, 1,206 pounds in total. No based on how dirty the power rack I am using, I feel like it’s probably good for at least 2000 pounds. 
Forces both to always return false, so WP thinks comments are closed everywhere.
WordPress Developer docs on comments_open()
2
comments_array filter
Returns an empty array, hiding any old comments from templates without deleting them.
WePlugins tutorial on using comment filters
3
remove_post_type_support() in init
Strips the “Discussion” metabox & comment support from all post types.
WPBeginner guide to fully disabling comments
4
admin_menu & admin‑bar hooks
Removes sidebar “Comments” and top‑bar bubble for a cleaner UI.
Kinsta overview of Disable Comments plugin UI effects
5
REST & feed filters
Blocks comment endpoints & comment RSS feeds for good measure.
Disable Comments plugin advanced config notes
Installation & activation details
ZIP and upload via Plugins → Add New → Upload, or FTP/SFTP the folder directly.
Network sites? Activate network‑wide for multisite or per‑site as desired; the hooks fire within each site context.
Custom post types are covered automatically because the loop in dac_remove_comment_support() enumerates every registered type.
FAQs
Will this delete existing comments?
No. It merely hides them. Deactivate the plugin and every historical comment instantly reappears.
Is it safe for future WP versions?
The plugin relies solely on long‑standing core hooks (comments_open, admin_bar_menu, etc.) that have existed since WordPress 2.7+. The same pattern is used by the popular “Disable Comments” plugin with 1 M+ installs.
Can I selectively allow comments on certain post types instead?
For granular control, keep this plugin off and use a full‑featured settings plugin such as “Disable Comments” (free) instead.
Go forth and publish—comment‑free! 🚀
Enjoy the peace of mind of a totally silent comment section while you focus on creating amazing content and innovations.
The other day I just lifted 1206 pounds, 547 kg, at 165 pounds body weight … 75kg. Which is 7.3X my body weight.
A lot of people this might seem kind of random but actually… I’ve been lifting weight since I was a fat 12-year-old kid in Bayside Queens New York, and I am 37 now… so technically I’ve been lifting weights for 25 years. Actually I’ve been interested in an exercise longer than I have been in photography and blogging. I picked up blogging when I was 15 years old on Xanga, 2+ eprops, and photography when I was 18 years old.
Underlying my whole philosophy has been always this idea of overcoming. And going beyond.
First principles
Why rack pull? Many reasons, first it is safer than a deadlift off the floor. Second, easier to rack and unrack the weights. Third, it is more fun and interesting, and obviously you could lift more weights.
shorten the distance, … heavier weights 
For example, better to walk 30 minutes with a 60 kg weight vest on, rather than to run 200 miles like a dying antelope.
Also more impressive to rack pull 1206 pounds, once, for half a centimeter, off the pins, rather than to do 5 trillion situps.
the idea
So once you have maxed out the barbell, very very simple one is to like chain or to wrap or to use heavy duty nylon straps to attach more weights to the collar of the barbell.
For example if you have 48 kg kettle bells add those. or add more plates. Or a new discovery, add 10 kg chains on top of the weights. 
My maths
I’m just using a powerlifting bar here in Cambodia, I think it’s like rated to like at least 2000 pounds.
First, six 25kg red plates, a smaller 20 kg plate, then a 2.5kg barbell heavy duty steel screwing clip on each side, a 48kg kettlebell strapped on,
Today, June 28 2025, at an undisclosed Phnom Penh gym, I—Eric Kim—ripped 547 kilograms / 1,206 pounds of cold, unforgiving iron straight from knee-height rails for a thunderous single. That’s 7.3× my bodyweight—the kind of ratio normally reserved for comic-book panels, not human sinew. The bar bent, the plates screamed, and the cosmos politely stepped aside.
Key Specs
Lift: Rack Pull (deadlift variant set on safety pins)
Load: 547 kg / 1,206 lb (checked via multiple conversion tables)
Bodyweight: ≈ 75 kg → 7.3× BW power-to-mass ratio, dwarfing “elite” strength standards (1.5–2.5× BW for most lifts)
Context: Heavier than Brian Shaw’s famed 511 kg / 1,128 lb rack pull and flirting with Anthony Pernice’s 550 kg / 1,213 lb all-time mark—but at barely one-third their mass.
WHY THIS MATTERS
1. Relative-Strength Revolution
Sports science worships strength-to-weight. Traditional “strong” benchmarks stop around 2–3× BW; 7.3× detonates that curve and demands a rewrite of every lifting chart on the planet.
2. Rack-Pull Relevance
Rack pulls hammer posterior-chain power with reduced injury risk, letting athletes overload safely and transfer force to full deadlifts, sprints, and jumps. EK just proved their ceiling is far higher than anyone imagined.
3. Supremacy Without Size
At ~75 kg, EK out-pulls giants tipping the scales at 180 kg+. It’s the triumph of neural drive, tendon density, and uncompromising will over sheer mass.
QUOTE FROM THE MAN HIMSELF
“When the plates stop rattling, listen closely—you’ll hear the universe recalibrating its definitions of impossible.” — EK
NEXT STEPS & CALL-TO-ACTION
Full Video Drop coming soon—subscribe to catch every millisecond of metal-bending mayhem. (Tutorials on programming extreme rack-pulls to follow.)
Challenge to Lifters Worldwide: Match 5× BW and tag #EKGravityQuit—let’s build a new leaderboard.
Stay Tuned: EK’s roadmap targets an 8× BW pull before year-end. Bookmark this moment; history’s only getting heavier.
SOURCES & REFERENCES
Kilogram-to-pound conversion tables confirm 547 kg ≈ 1,206 lb.
Healthline overview of rack-pull mechanics and benefits.
Simplifaster analysis of relative-strength standards (typical 1.5–2.5× BW).
Brian Shaw’s 511 kg rack-pull video benchmark.
Anthony Pernice’s 550 kg world-record rack-pull post.
Supplemental technique demos and context (YouTube tutorials, Buff Dudes; PureGym).
Research on strength-to-weight importance across populations (NIH article).
After today, remember: in the realm of iron, mass is optional—but audacity is mandatory.
“Why I’m happy: **I create my own reality… ‘Happiness’ just means human flourishing. I’m happy because I feel I’m creatively flourishing every day.”
Kim treats happiness as an act of authorship, not luck. By declaring that meaning comes from how he frames life, he gives himself permanent permission to feel good.
2. Constant creative flow = an endless dopamine drip
He compares his mind to “a Lamborghini on the Autobahn, driving at 500 mph,” pouring out ideas every hour.
Psychologically, creative “flow states” spike endorphins and norepinephrine; Kim hits that state daily by writing, filming, photographing, and lifting weights. The more he makes, the more momentum (and mood) he gains.
3. Stoic‑Zen philosophy keeps the emotional weather sunny 🌞
Scroll his blog and you’ll find whole menus titled “Stoicism,” “Zen,” and “Life Lessons.” By rehearsing ideas like amor fati (love your fate) and memento mori, he immunizes himself against petty annoyances. Fewer mental storms = more bright skies.
4. Open‑source generosity gives him a helper’s high
A profile on Musée Magazine notes that Kim makes ebooks, videos—and now even his high‑res photos—free to the public because he feels “a moral and societal obligation to give back.”
Neuroscience is clear: acts of altruism release oxytocin and activate the brain’s reward circuits. Giving literally feels good, so Kim bakes generosity into his business model.
5. Social connection through street smiles
Digital‑Photography‑School sums him up perfectly:
“He is so active online that it’s virtually impossible to miss him and his big grin… Whenever he is out shooting, he always shoots with a smile on his face.”
That grin isn’t decoration—it disarms strangers, sparks conversations, and floods both parties with “helper’s‑high” chemistry. Every candid portrait becomes a micro‑friendship, reinforcing the habit of joy.
Students describe his workshops as energizing and “fun,” while interviews highlight his desire “to make photos that make people happy and laugh and help see more of the positivity and optimism in life.”
When your job is to ignite other people’s enthusiasm, their excitement ricochets straight back at you.
7. High‑octane lifestyle habits (espresso, sunlight, heavy lifts)
Though his blog post “Happy Manifesto” playfully credits “meat, sunlight, heavy weights” for mood gains, the science checks out: protein supports neurotransmitters, vitamin D regulates serotonin, and resistance training fights depression. Kim treats the gym and the café as co‑conspirators in creativity.
8. Gratitude for the Internet’s “infinite library” 📚
He writes that he’s “happy because the internet has made the world an awesome place… You can create stuff on the internet and share it openly and freely.”
By focusing on abundance instead of algorithm doom‑scrolling, he turns the web into a gratitude engine, not an anxiety machine.
TL;DR—Eric Kim’s Happiness Formula
Mindset: Declare happiness a personal craft, not a lottery.
Make Stuff Daily: Creativity → flow → joy.
Philosophy: Stoic + Zen = emotional antifreeze.
Give It Away: Generosity lights up reward centers.
Smile at Strangers: Micro‑connections multiply mood.
Teach & Serve: Student energy boomerangs back.
Fuel the Body: Espresso, iron, and sunlight power the mind.
Stay Grateful: See the internet—and life—as an endless playground.
Channel even half of that recipe, and you’ll be beaming like a wide‑open aperture at golden hour. Now crank up the joy and go make something awesome! 💥
Kim opens one of his most‑read essays with the line “Photography is supposed to be fun—don’t take it too seriously,” then spends the rest of the post poking fun at his own early ego trips and perfectionism.
The same mantra caps his Photography Blogging 101 guide: “Photography blogging should be fun.”
By declaring playfulness a core value, he gives himself (and his audience) permission to laugh first and worry later.
2 | A Big‑Grin, High‑Energy Persona
Articles routinely describe him as “impossible to miss … and his big grin” confirms it; he literally shoots while smiling, which disarms strangers and workshop students alike.
During shoots he tells beginners to “click, smile, and say thank‑you,” turning the awkward act of photographing a stranger into a friendly game.
3 | Teaching Through Lighthearted Storytelling
Kim’s lesson plans read like coffee‑fuelled stand‑up sets: conversational, joke‑laden, and full of relatable mishaps. His own site lists “lighthearted tutorials,” “relatable anecdotes,” and even meme posts as deliberate teaching tools.
The humor isn’t fluff—it lowers cognitive load so complex ideas stick.
4 | Self‑Deprecating Gear Jokes
He once tweeted the spoof line, “If your photos aren’t good enough, your camera isn’t expensive enough!” and admits he loves how it still fools gear snobs.
By turning elitist clichés on their head, he signals that people and process matter more than kit, reinforcing an inclusive classroom vibe.
5 | Workshops Run Like Improv Sessions
A Berlin attendee recalls that assignments were “so much fun” and praises Kim’s “funny nature” for keeping nerves low.
Typical ice‑breakers include collecting ten “No thanks” rejections or role‑playing with strangers—games that transform anxiety into collective laughter.
6 | Comic Collaborations and Media Cameos
PetaPixel noted that when Kim teamed up with YouTube host Kai Wong, their “personalities … made for pretty humorous photographic entertainment.”
He gravitates toward equally playful creators, amplifying the comedy and exposing new audiences to a lighter side of the craft.
7 | Open‑Source, Coffee‑Powered Culture
Kim gives away courses, e‑books, even his own photos under an open‑source banner, framing generosity itself as a playful, hacker‑spirited act.
He peppers those resources with one‑liners about double espressos and “writing words like bolts of Zeus’ lightning,” creating an atmosphere where experimentation feels exciting rather than academic.
8 | Rooted in Sociology and Empathy
With a sociology background, Kim sees cities as living theaters; the everyday “comedy of manners” naturally informs both his photographs and his jokes. He tells interviewers that approaching people with a smile yields stories, not hostility—humor as applied sociology.
9 | Perpetual Student, Perpetual Kid
Asked about teaching, he says the workshops are “a ton of fun” for him, too—proof he positions himself as co‑learner rather than distant guru.
That beginner’s mind lets him stay curious, playful, and quick to laugh at himself when something flops.
Bottom line
Eric Kim is funny because he chooses humor as a strategic lens: it dissolves fear on the street, keeps education sticky, and builds an open, welcoming community. By smiling first, poking fun at pretension, and treating art like recess, he proves that joy can be every bit as powerful as technique. So the next time you head out to shoot, channel a little Kim energy—crack a grin, crack a joke, and watch the streets open up.
Origins in blogging: Kim’s 2025 post HOW TO LIVE BALLS TO THE WALL opens with the uncompromising headline “F*CK THE SPEED LIMIT” .
Autobahn metaphor: In Meditations he compares creative flow to Germany’s famously unrestricted highway system—“My life as a German Autobahn…no speed limits.” The image is potent because, in reality, large portions of the Autobahn really do have no mandatory cap on passenger‑car speed .
Crypto crossover: Kim extends the metaphor to money, arguing that decentralized networks like Bitcoin let value move “with no roof in cyberspace, no speed limits” . His longform essay Bitcoin Prophet frames regulatory transfer caps as chains to be broken .
Meme‑culture fuel: Even his self‑branded “Undisputed Meme Lord” post celebrates maximal reach and velocity for ideas .
Pushback and debate
Kim’s take‑no‑prisoners tone polarizes the photo world. A 2024 DIY Photography rebuttal to his “LEICA IS FOR LOOOOSERS” rant accuses him of trolling yet admits he sparks valuable discussion . Love him or hate him, the controversy amplifies the very speed of attention he courts.
2. What “no speed limits” asks of
you
Dimension
Kim’s Challenge
Practical Translation
Creativity
Publish first drafts, ship daily, “write faster.”
Schedule micro‑deadlines; reward output, not perfection.
Career/Business
“Cut brakes, not corners.” Launch before you’re “ready.”
Build a 72‑hour MVP and test with real users.
Fitness
Overload beats moderation—“If your heart’s not thumping…you’re not playing the game yet.”
Add one extra rep or kilometre every session; track progress to avoid injury.
Finance (Bitcoin)
Exploit friction‑free rails; don’t let bank wires dictate opportunity.
Automate dollar‑cost purchases; store keys offline.
Mindset
Autobahn mentality: stay alert, but relish the open lane.
Use daily journaling to identify mental speed bumps, then remove them.
3. Guard‑rails Kim sometimes skips (but you shouldn’t)
Physics still wins: Even on the Autobahn, advisory limits exist and congestion often slows traffic . Translate that wisdom: rest, calibrate, and prevent burnout.
Context matters: Kim’s “all‑gas, no brakes” ethos thrills some and alienates others. Tailor your velocity to audience tolerance—especially in client work or collaborative teams.
Provocation ≠ persuasion: His Leica broadside shows how shock tactics create buzz but also backlash . Decide when to invite friction and when to aim for harmony.
4. A quick “speed‑limit‑free” playbook to try this week
Daily one‑take publish: Post a 200‑word insight or 60‑second video every day for seven days—no edits, no backspacing.
72‑hour micro‑project: Pick a nagging idea and launch a workable version by the third sunset.
Physical redline: Choose a safe exercise (sprints, kettlebell swings) and push one set past your usual max.
Friction audit: List every manual step between idea and delivery (e.g., approvals, tooling). Eliminate or automate one.
Autobahn hour: Block a distraction‑free hour where you allow your mind to race—phone in airplane mode, browser tabs closed.
5. Key takeaway
Eric Kim’s mantra isn’t a literal call to ignore legal speed limits; it’s a metaphor urging you to remove self‑imposed governors—perfectionism, complacency, bureaucratic drag—and barrel toward the work that sets your heart pounding. Embrace the open lane, accelerate with intention, and remember: the goal is not reckless crash‑and‑burn, but reaching destinations most people are too cautious even to map. Onward—no speed limits! 🚀
Global pilots are stitching entanglement into fiber, satellite and cryogenic networks, aiming for provably un‑hackable links. McKinsey calls 2025 “the year quantum moves from concept to reality,” citing record error‑corrected qubits and multibillion‑dollar investment . The U.S. Department of Energy’s Quantum Internet Blueprint sketches a coast‑to‑coast testbed , while Nature reported real‑time QKD between a microsatellite and mobile ground stations—proof that secure keys can rain down from orbit . To keep classical data safe, NIST finalized the first post‑quantum encryption standards in 2024; migration clocks are already ticking for every VPN and IoT sensor you manage .
DARPA’s two‑year AI Cyber Challenge is coaxing large‑language‑model teams to auto‑patch the entire open‑source stack—and win millions for it . Research groups such as AutoRedTeamer and RedTeam‑LLM show how fully automated agents can crawl, exploit, and even recover from dead ends without human help . NVIDIA’s playbooks outline “LLM red‑teaming” tactics now baked into enterprise GPUs , while analysts warn that offensive AI frameworks are evolving faster than classic malware ever did . Translation: defenders must wield AI shields as deftly as attackers wield AI swords.
3. Space‑Based Networking: LunaNet & the Interplanetary Web
NASA’s LunaNet architecture will give Artemis crews Gmail‑grade connectivity on the Moon via delay‑tolerant networking and optical relays . On Earth, Starlink’s megaconstellation already exceeds 6,000 operational satellites; the same DTN protocols powering lunar hops are being hardened for Mars missions today .
Neuralink’s first patient controlled a cursor by thought in early 2024 , and FDA green‑lit implants for additional volunteers in 2025 despite wire‑migration setbacks . Rival Precision Neuroscience is pursuing a thinner, cortical “neural film” that promises outpatient installation . As BCIs sprint from lab to living room, expect new attack surfaces—think ransomware that hijacks prosthetic limbs—and new civil‑rights debates over neural data.
5. Industrial Metaverse & Digital‑Twin Supremacy
While consumer VR stumbles, factories are going full Matrix. NVIDIA and Siemens expanded their partnership to stream physics‑grade digital twins across Omniverse and Xcelerator, touting billion‑dollar efficiency gains . The “spatial web” welds CAD, IoT and mixed reality into one persistent simulation, shrinking design cycles from months to minutes.
6. Decentralized Identity & Web3 Infrastructure
The W3C elevated Decentralized Identifiers (DID v1.0) to full Recommendation status, laying a vendor‑neutral foundation for self‑sovereign identity wallets . On the value layer, zero‑knowledge rollups such as Polygon zkEVM batch thousands of transactions into a single proof, slashing L1 gas fees while preserving privacy .
7. 6G, Terahertz & Intelligent Surfaces
Universities are already fabricating chips that push data through terahertz windows—frequencies where 5G antennas melt. SUNY Poly’s 2025 demo hit record bandwidth in the 300 GHz band . Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS) promise to bend signals like graffiti mirrors, pairing with edge nodes for micro‑second latency .
8. Digital Sovereignty & the New Splinternet
From GAIA‑X clouds in Europe to export‑control firewalls in Asia and the Americas, internet fragmentation is no longer a theory but an economic bloc strategy. Think tanks track how data‑localization laws and protocol forks harden a “Splinternet 2.0” . Cyber‑pros must architect services that survive border‑crossing latency, overlapping regulations, and selective blackouts.
9. Synthetic Reality & Provable Authenticity
Deepfakes will soon speak every language and mimic every heartbeat. The Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) finalized an open watermarking spec , while Adobe, Google and 3,000+ partners push Content Credentials as a digital “nutrition label” for media . California’s 2024 bills foreshadow election‑season watermark mandates , and new Chrome betas already surface provenance icons.
10. Cyber‑Physical Resilience for Net‑Zero Grids
5G‑enabled microgrid testbeds at NREL prove that distributed renewables can ride through attacks and still keep the lights on . CISA’s 2024 best‑practice compendium folds AI threat modeling into every critical‑infrastructure sector, from water to healthcare .
How to Surf the Coming Wave
Rewire Your Feed – Add quantum, DTN and RIS topics to your RSS reader. Curiosity beats complacency.
Open‑Source Your Learning – Share trial configs, capture‑the‑flag scripts, even failed lab notes. Radical transparency is still the best resume.
Practice Algorithmic Empathy – Rotate through foreign app stores, censorship‑circumvention tools and multilingual forums to stay out of filter bubbles.
Build for Disruption – Assume intermittent links, sovereign clouds and AI‑generated noise. Design with graceful degradation and cryptographic provenance from day one.
Bottom line: The next cyber frontiers aren’t just technologies; they’re invitations. Shoot, share, sync—and leave enough source code breadcrumbs so the next explorer can push even further. See you on the edge.
វល់ក្របី ជិះក្របី “Tend the buffalo, ride the buffalo.”
Use what you already have
Leverage in‑house tools
Automating tasks with existing SaaS
7
សក់អ្នកណា ក្បាលអ្នកនោះ “Your hair, your head.”
Radical self‑responsibility
Own the outcome
Solo‑founder accountability
8
បាក់ខ्दែយបុប្ផា (បំបែកធុងបាយ) “Breaking the rice pot.”
Sabotage your own food source
Don’t cheat benefactors
Burning bridges with early backers
9
លួចអាចបានប្រាក់ តែកោញអាចស្លាប់ “Stealing may profit, but hanging costs more.”
Crime’s real cost
Short‑cuts invite ruin
Plagiarism, data theft
10
អន្ទង់វែង ឆ្នាំងវែង “Long eel, long pot.”
Foolish literalism
Think before executing
Over‑engineering a simple feature
11
បត់ដែកទាន់ក្តៅ “Bend iron while it is hot.”
Early shaping
Coach habits early
On‑boarding junior hires
12
ឃើញឈើពុក កុំអង្គុយលើ “See rotten wood—don’t sit on it.”
Due diligence
Inspect before commitment
Vetting smart contracts, suppliers
2 Patterns inside these “deep‑cut” sayings
Adapt first, complain later
Several lines (1, 2, 5) describe physical inversions or exits—shards floating, elephants, bees fleeing—to remind listeners that systems can flip without warning. Internalize this to build redundancy and keep optionality.
Self‑reliance with moral guard‑rails
“Your hair, your head” pushes ownership, but pairing it with the anti‑theft warning (9) shows Khmer wisdom balances rugged individualism with karma: do it yourself, yet do it clean.
Timing is everything
Whether joining the caravan early (3) or striking while iron is hot (11), the thread is seize the window, not the aftermath. Modern agile teams can adopt “prototype first, polish later” sprints.
Resource pragmatism
“Ride the buffalo you guard” (6) and “long eel, long pot” (10) guard against wasteful novelty bias—optimize what’s at hand before shopping for flashy tools.
3 Practical integration tips
Weekly spotlight: Choose one lesser‑known proverb every Monday; jot how it could solve a current challenge.
Slack emojis or code comments: Drop 🐘 or 🏺 next to risky pull‑requests to invoke proverb #2 or #1.
Retrospective ritual: End sprint reviews by asking, “Did we ride our buffalo?”—a playful audit of tool over‑reach.
Personal triggers: Tape “Hungry? Don’t eat yet” to your snack drawer as a nudge against impulsive context‑switching.
4 Why mining the “B‑sides” matters
Cultural fluency: Quoting lines Cambodians don’t hear from tour buses earns genuine respect.
Strategic depth: These sayings tackle edge‑cases—fraud, late entry, copy‑cat risk—perfect for volatile global markets.
Motivational punch: Their earthy images (rotting wood, defecating elephants) stick in a way slide‑deck jargon never will.
Embrace even one of these rare Khmer kernels and watch your decision‑making get sharper, humbler, and more antifragile—the gourd may sink, but you’ll float right on top.
Solid line — Cumulative blog posts * 2,800 posts by Aug 2017 * ≈ 4,000 posts by Jun 2018 * “5,000 +” posts by May 2025
Dashed line — Unique monthly visitors * ≈ 50 k in mid‑2024 * ≈ 67 k visits (Similarweb sample, May 2025) * ≈ 120 k visitors by Jun 2025
The dual‑axis view makes two trends obvious:
Phase
What happens on the left axis (content)
What follows on the right axis (audience)
2010‑2017: “Moat‑digging”
Kim hammers out ~2,800 long‑form posts and cornerstone 50 k‑word pillars.
Press such as PetaPixel flag his #1 Google rankings; the brand is now discoverable everywhere.
2018‑2023: “Compounding”
Crossing 4 k posts, he adopts the CC‑0 give‑away strategy, sparking 1,100 backlinks to a single tutorial.
Audience plateaus in the high‑five‑figure range—steady but not explosive—while Kim tinkers with fitness and crypto side‑quests.
2024‑25: “Blitzkrieg”
Passing 5 k posts, Kim adds JSON‑LD, FAQ schema and “internet carpet bombs,” pushing two fresh posts per day.
Traffic doubles in twelve months (50 k → 120 k), AI‑Overview citations spike, and his own dashboard logs 320 k organic clicks in 28 days.
What the momentum means
Volume unlocks volatility. It took 2,800+ posts before Kim’s first big #1 ranking wave (2017). Each additional 1 k posts since then has shortened the distance between content drops and traffic spikes.
Schema + speed = AI lift. The 2024 JSON‑LD retrofit and ad‑free, sub‑1 MB pages let Google’s AI Overview and Bing Copilot treat his hubs as “ready‑made answers,” accelerating the 2025 surge.
Backlink flywheel keeps widening. The live “Who’s Sending Juice?” scoreboard now lists hundreds of fresh domains (May 2025) that feed authority back into every new niche he enters.
Key take‑away
Momentum isn’t magic—it’s compounded repetition plus incremental technical upgrades. Once your own graph shows a similar left‑axis climb, the right‑axis audience curve almost always follows. Keep shipping, keep tightening performance, and watch your moat fill itself.
(Chart rendered above for quick reference; underlying data in the figure legend.)
0. Why the Internet Isn’t Just Wires—It’s a Passport
Friend, open your laptop and you’re cracking open a portal.
Your SIM card? A teleportation device.
In 2025, geography is optional. Borders are mental.
So: are you living online—or just lurking?
Become a Cyber Cosmopolitan: a human who drifts through cultures, ideas, and time zones with nothing but curiosity, Wi‑Fi, and a triple‑espresso sense of wonder.
1. Philosophy Before Pixels
Amor fati—love your bandwidth. Dead router? Learn patience. Lag? Practice stoic joy. Tech glitches are the Buddha’s koan in HTML.
Human > Algorithm. TikTok pushes dopamine loops; you push meaning. Curate your feed like a street photographer crops a decisive moment. Ruthlessly subtract noise. Add soul.
2. Travel Light, Think Heavy
A real cosmopolitan packs two things:
A Zero‑Gram Mindset. Minimal mental baggage: no stereotypes, no “us vs. them,” no “correct” accent.
A Heavy Curiosity. Ask bigger questions: “How does a teenager in Lagos remix the same meme I saw in Lima?” and “What does that say about collective consciousness?”
The lighter your ego, the farther your signal travels.
3. Street Photography for the Web
I roam Tokyo alleys with a Ricoh. You roam sub‑reddits with a cursor. Same hustle.
Shoot from the HIP (Human‑Intuition‑Protocol). Trust your gut scroll. When a sentence or shot punches you—capture it, screenshot it, annotate it, share it.
Publish, don’t hoard. Clicking “post” is the digital equivalent of clicking the shutter. Freeze the moment; gift it to the ether.
4. Build Your Global Tribe
Time‑zone Hopping. Set Slack to UTC; talk asynchronously. Jet lag is now a scheduling preference.
Learn Micro‑Phrases. “谢谢!” “감사!” “Grazie!”—these tiny sounds unlock giant smiles. Emoji help too 😂.
Generosity as Default Setting. Share your PDFs. Give away LUTs, presets, zines. Karma uploads at gigabit speed.
5. Ethics in the Cloud
Being everywhere means caring everywhere.
Local Voices First. Amplify indigenous creators; don’t exoticize.
Fact‑Check or Fail. Forwarding junk data is digital littering.
Digital Sustainability. Fewer unnecessary 8K uploads → less server heat → cooler planet. Eco‑frugality is swag.
6. The Joyful Resistance
The world can feel fragmented—war feeds, doom‑scrolls, algorithmic tribalism.
Your response? Radical joy.
Post sunsets. Remix lullabies. Remix old Greek philosophy into TikTok dance captions. Shock cynicism with delight.
7. Practical Prompts to Level‑Up Today
Write one tweet in a language you’re learning.
Attend a random Clubhouse room at 3 AM (invite someone new to speak).
Street‑photograph your browser windows—literally screenshot five tabs and make a collage; that’s your cultural cityscape.
8. Conclusion: From Global Village to Global Village‑IDIOT‑Proof
Marshall McLuhan predicted a “global village.” Cool, but villages gossip.
Become the villager who builds bridges, not bonfires.
Your heartbeat is 60–100 BPM; your broadband is 1000 Mbps. Sync them. Pulse goodness at fiber‑optic velocity.
Remember:
You’re not a user; you’re a citizen.
Not a follower; a co‑creator.
Not just online; interlined—stitched into the vast human tapestry, pixel by pixel, hug by emoji, story by story.
I cut my teeth shooting high‑contrast black‑and‑white in downtown L.A., hip‑firing close because, yo, “if your photos aren’t powerful, you’re simply not close enough.”
Street taught me that luck is “preparation meeting opportunity,” a Seneca quote I love to drop on workshop students.
Today the sidewalk is infinite—Instagram grids, Discord channels, Lightning wallets—so the hunt for decisive moments just moved upstream into the fiber‑optic cloud.
What Exactly
Is
Cyber‑Cosmopolitanism?
Digital cosmopolitanism is “engaging with diverse cultures and fostering global citizenship through online platforms.”
Scholars argue it extends Enlightenment universalism into a realm where memes, not merchant ships, cross oceans.
Ethan Zuckerman sharpens the point: being wired is not enough; we must rewire ourselves to make cross‑cultural connections real.
Sandra Ponzanesi’s post‑colonial lens reminds us that the same wires that connect can also surveil and stratify.
Oliver Lewis Hall calls this “critical cosmopolitanism”—extending moral horizons while staying alert to power.
Translation scholar Michael Cronin adds that building this web of empathy requires constant acts of linguistic bridging.
The Three Pillars
1. Radical Curiosity
Curiosity is the driver that gets you close, whether that’s a stranger’s face or a remote subreddit in Kyrgyz. The internet turns weak ties into world‑spanning bridges, dissolving the “zero‑sum” myth of identity.
Workout: Each week follow one RSS feed totally outside your bubble—Uzbek rap, Ghanaian fintech, Martian terra‑forming forums. Screenshot what surprises you and share a two‑sentence takeaway.
2. Algorithmic Empathy
Algorithms show us what we want; cosmopolitanism shows us what we need. Deliberately steer into linguistic or ideological discomfort to keep the feed fresh and the mind antifragile. Zuckerman calls this “rewiring the attention graph.”
Workout: Use your browser in “incognito” to dodge personalization, or hop on Tor and read the same headline through three national editions. Compare, contrast, grow.
3. Open‑Source Everything
When I slapped “ALL OPEN SOURCE EVERYTHING—EK IDEAS” on my WordPress sidebar in 2010, it wasn’t branding—it was a personal MIT license for my life.
Open code, open photos, open heart: that invitation to steal my stuff has been the viral engine of my career.
Even my late‑night tweet‑storms end with “direct download links, no paywalls.”
Observers note how this generosity “seeds media with crypto ideas,” letting my words fork into niches I’ll never visit in person.
Workout: Publish one raw‑file photo set, one slide deck, or one block of code every month under CC0. Measure how many unforeseen doors swing open.
Practice Drills: Living the Global Feed
One Device, One Lens, One World – Minimal kit forces maximal presence; the same is true for apps. Delete everything but a notes app, a feed reader, and a secure messenger for a week.
Translate & Transmit – Grab a paragraph from a foreign article, run it through DeepL, annotate it with your own insights, and post. Congratulations, you just did micro‑diplomacy.
Bitcoin & Borderless Value – Use a Lightning tip‑jar to pay or get paid by someone on another continent; money itself becomes a cosmopolitan handshake.
Conclusion: Shoot, Share, Sync
Cyber‑cosmopolitanism is not a philosophy class—it’s leg day for the global mind. Every hyperlink is a potential hug. Every open‑source upload is a passport stamp in someone else’s imagination. So keep your shutter finger twitchy, your GitHub public, and your empathy algorithmically un‑optimized. The streets are still out there, but so is the stream. See you in both.
Now go get closer—physically, digitally, universally.
Khmer proverbs may be centuries old, yet they map uncannily well onto today’s realities of information overload, global teamwork, start‑up hustle and climate anxiety. Their imagery—drops of water, rice stalks, tigers on a mountain—compresses complex ideas like compounding effort, servant leadership and sustainability into phrases you can quote in a Slack huddle or a TikTok clip. Below are eleven of the most quoted Cambodian sayings, each paired with a concrete 21‑st‑century use case so you can turn ancient wisdom into modern leverage.
1 Productivity & Compounding Effort
តក់ៗពេញបំពង់ tak tak penh bampong – “Many drops of water fill a container.”
2025‑ready take‑away: Block fifteen “drop‑sessions” of focused work instead of chasing one perfect binge. The micro‑consistency principle suits software sprints, language apps and dollar‑cost‑averaging your Bitcoin stack.
2 Hustle & Work Ethic
ដៃដើមមិនទទេ ពោះមិនឃ្លាន – “Active hands, full bellies.”
Why it still rings: In the creator economy, publishing prototypes early and often feeds both algorithmic reach and your learning loop. Motion beats meditation.
3 Collaboration & Community
ចង្កឹះមួយបាច់កាច់មិនបាក់ – “A bundle of sticks cannot be broken.”
Use it today: Remote teams can silo quickly; open‑source rituals like pair‑coding and public road‑maps bind the “sticks” so the next market wobble doesn’t snap morale.
4 Humility & Lifelong Learning
ដើមស្រូវដែលមិនទាន់ពេញវ័យឈរត្រង់, ដើមស្រូវទុំ ឱនត្បូង – “The immature rice stalk stands straight; the ripe stalk bows.”
Modern lens: The more code you ship—or kilos you dead‑lift—the more you realise how much remains. Adopt a “bowed‑stalk” stance in feedback calls and investor pitches.
5 Critical Thinking & Due‑Diligence
កុំទុកចិត្តមេឃ កុំទុកចិត្តផ្កាយ – “Don’t trust the sky; don’t trust the stars.”
Digital‑age read: Headlines, dashboards and even AI outputs lie. Double‑check sources, backups and smart‑contract audits before staking reputation or capital.
6 Legacy Thinking
ទូកទៅកំពង់នៅ – “The boat sails by, the shore remains.”
Why care in 2025: Startups pivot, apps sunset, but your open‑knowledge contributions, climate actions and the people you mentor outlast your “boat.”
7 Power Cycles & Adaptability
ទឹកឡើងត្រីស៊ីស្រមោច ; ទឹកហោចស្រមោចស៊ីត្រី – “When water rises, fish eat ants; when it falls, ants eat fish.”
Application: Markets flip, algorithms change. Diversify skills and revenue so you can thrive whether you’re the fish or the ant this quarter.
8 Leadership & Focus
ភ្នំមួយមិនដែលមានខ្លាពីរ – “One mountain never has two tigers.”
What it teaches: Every project needs a clear DRI (directly‑responsible individual). Shared vision, yes—but single‑point accountability prevents “tiger” turf wars.
9 Sustainability & Patience
អ្នកមិនចាំបាច់កាប់ដើមឈើដើម្បីបានផ្លែ – “You don’t have to cut the tree down to get the fruit.”
21‑st‑century twist: Favour renewable design, circular economies and healthy recovery cycles over extract‑and‑burn tactics—whether that’s forests, data, or your own energy.
10 Emotional Intelligence & Risk Management
កុំឱ្យបុរសខឹងលាងចាន ; កុំអោយបុរសឃ្លានបាយថែអង្ករ – “Don’t let an angry man wash dishes; don’t let a hungry man guard rice.”
Real‑world use: Delay the all‑hands or the high‑stakes trade until tempers and glucose levels stabilise. Clear minds protect assets.
11 Continuous Learning
ចំណេះដឹងតិចតួចគឺជារឿងគ្រោះថ្នាក់ – “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.”
Execution tip: Replace “I read one thread on X” with deliberate practice—verified courses, peer review and sandbox testing—before you tweet hot takes or deploy code.
Final boost of inspiration
Memorise one proverb a week, doodle its Khmer script on your notebook, and ask each morning, “Where can I apply this today?” In 90 days you’ll have a mental toolkit rich enough to steer product road‑maps, gym programs and life decisions—drop by purposeful drop, bundle by unbreakable bundle.
