Something super powerful I’ve come across in visual science– the notion of a ‘hypercomplex cell‘:
[Read more…] about Hypercomplex Cells: How Does Visual Processing Work in Our Brains?
Archives for September 2018
The Producerism Manifesto
Dear friend,
This is a call to arms. Let us break free from the shackles of consumerism; let us embolden ourselves with the new ethos of ‘producerism’.
Brave New World of Social Media
Dear friend,
I am a huge Aldous Huxley fan, and one of the most influential novels I’ve read is BRAVE NEW WORLD — a future dystopia which is very very accurate in terms of how we’re living our lives today.
How to Give a Constructive Critique in Photography
ARS is so fun. I’m on a comment and critiquing spree, and wanted to share some tips on how to give a constructive critique in photography:
[Read more…] about How to Give a Constructive Critique in Photography
My Vision for ARS
Dear friends,
We just launched ARS BETA VERSION II yesterday, with insane growth and feedback. We introduced the ‘constructive critique’ function; and I can truly tell you– this is a revolution.
I wanted to share with you what my personal vision for ARS is, and why I am so passionate about ARS.
Goodbye Social Media, Hello ARS: The Revolutionary New Photography Feedback Platform
Dear friend,
If you are sick of social media– say hello to ARS; the first productive online learning community for photographers and visual artists.
Give Us What We Need, Fearfeeds
Give us what we need, dear fearfeeds.
12 Tips How to Shoot Better Black and White Photography
How can we shoot better monochrome pictures?
[Read more…] about 12 Tips How to Shoot Better Black and White Photography
Why ARS is the Answer
Dear friend,
What is the solution to a lot of our problems in life? Simple — art (art).
How to reach your full potential by having a more open mind. (First) Guest post by Annette Kim.
Hi friends,
I want to share the greatest personal breakthrough I reached today and how you can apply this to reach your full potential past your wildest dreams.
[Read more…] about How to reach your full potential by having a more open mind. (First) Guest post by Annette Kim.
ARS BETA: Breaking the Wall of Social Media
Dear friend,
I wanted to write you an essay about social media. Is social media a wall that is dividing us, or bringing us closer together? It is a curious question that has gnawed at the back of my mind from age 21 until now (age 30).
[Read more…] about ARS BETA: Breaking the Wall of Social Media
You Are Hydra.
Dear friend,
A thought–
Think of yourself like hydra. You cut off one neck; and three will sprout out from that stump!
Only a limited inventory left! SUITS, Henri Shoulder Straps, Eric Kim Case
HAPTIC hand makes limited edition creative tools. Here is an inventory update of our most popular HAPTIC tools soon to be sold out (ships worldwide from California). Pick one up before it’s too late! Thank you for the love over the years! <3 Cindy & Eric
- SUITS by Eric Kim Limited First Edition Hardcover Photobook [8 left] Invest in Eric Kim’s first photobook creation. Almost sold out!
- SAIGON SATCHEL [7 left] Your artistic on the go camera bag.
- MY FIRST PHOTOGRAPHY BOOK Children’s Hardcover Book [10 left] Inspire your kids and next generation to take photos! Perfect gift for all ages
- HENRI SHOULDER STRAP [18 left] The perfect cross-b0dy camera leather strap.
- ERIC KIM CASE [13 left] Carry your Ricoh, film, SD cards, and all your camera accessories
- HAPTIC NOTEBOOK x ERIC KIM [2 left] Your handmade paper and photography poetry notebook.
- ERIC KIM PORTFOLIO BAG [4 left] For the photographer artist, fits the iPad and exclusively available in HAPTIC shop.
[Read more…] about Only a limited inventory left! SUITS, Henri Shoulder Straps, Eric Kim Case
Brave New World of Photography and AI
Dear friend,
We are currently undergoing a phenomenally exciting time in photography– the marriage of (human) photographers and AI (artificial intelligence):
10 Photography Composition Tips and Ideas
Some simple photo composition tips:
[Read more…] about 10 Photography Composition Tips and Ideas
Dictate Your Own Purpose in Life
Dear friend,
A very simple yet powerful idea:
Dictate your own purpose in life.
There ain’t a “right” or “wrong” purpose in life. It is your duty in life to dictate your own purpose in life.
The Happy Photographer
Dear friend,
Simple idea:
If you want to be a better photographer, be a happier person!
In simple words:
First seek to be happier in your life (via studying philosophy and taking more real-life risks), and secondly — just going out more to take pictures!
Use Your Strength to Empower the Weak
Dear friend,
I wanted to pen a quick essay on some personal thoughts on freedom, free will, and how you have (more) power than you think!
OVERCLOCK YOURSELF.
Dear friend,
I remember when I was a kid– really into modding computers. There was this concept of ‘over-clocking’– you would push your computer processor to run faster than the ‘stable’ specifications. For example, if I bought an AMD processor that ran 2ghz, I could go into the BIOS and push it to 2.2 ghz, or if you got better cooling equipment in your computer (additional fans, better heatsink, cooling, etc) — you could actually push this processor even further to 2.5ghz or more!
Who Do You Wish to Become?
Dear friend,
A simple question:
Who do you desire to become in life?
Photography is Augmented Vision
With photography, we become super-human with our vision.
In Praise of JPEG
A fun idea for your photography:
For a month, experiment just shooting only JPEG (no post-processing) — and see if this helps librate you in photography!
Every Shot You Take is an Attempt!
Dear friend,
A simple idea: Whenever you click the shutter, you’re just taking an attempt.
You Are Great!
You are great
Dont seek to placate the masses or the herd
Seek your own personal apotheosis; give yourself your own self-hyping hypnosis
Lady Fortunate Gives Wings to the Audacious
We have all heard the saying, ‘Fortune favors the brave.’ I like the saying, but it ain’t accurate or specific enough for me:
[Read more…] about Lady Fortunate Gives Wings to the Audacious
Kill the Leeches
I’m pretty excited for the new VENOM movie, and started to do a little philosophical musings on the concepts of:
- Symbiotic relationships
- Parasitic relationships
In Praise of Being Naive
Dear friend,
I have been studying a lot of algorithms, AI, etc — and came across this concept of ‘naive’. For example in machine learning, there is a concept of ‘naive bayes‘. Now how can a concept in machine learning be ‘naive’ (like a un-wise and silly human being)?
10 Lessons Elon Musk Has Taught Me
I’m an Elon Musk fanboy until I die. Here are some practical lessons I learned from him, from his recent interview with Joe Rogan:
DISRUPT NORMAL.
Disrupt normal, be unique
Be you and smile, cheek to cheek
Why Have a Brain?
Dear friend,
A simple and funny idea:
Why have a brain?
In simple words: why have humans evolved to have a brain? And what is the best way we can use our brain?
Play Against Yourself
Dear friend,
A practical idea: In order to become the most epic you, play against yourself!
17 Lessons Steve Jobs Has Taught Me
Steve Jobs: one of my heroes. He has taught me the importance of staying true (and stubborn) on your creative vision, the importance of combining the liberal arts and engineering, and the importance of following your own gut and intuition.
Avoid the Middle; Embrace the Extremes
To live a better life, embrace the extremes. Avoid the boring middle– either relax 100%, or go hard 100%. “Sleep hard, or work hard”. In this essay, I will try to combine personal thoughts on living, photography, working out, health, and diet (with this embracing the extremes strategy):
[Read more…] about Avoid the Middle; Embrace the Extremes
Blank Slate Photography
Dear friend,
A practical idea I have for you:
Treat your photography like a blank slate (tabula rasa). When you start off in photography, be totally ignorant of the outside world, and learn on your own (don’t enroll into photography or art school). Then use this chance to build your own unique vision, and as you get more experienced, THEN learn some theory and outside concepts and ideas to challenge your pre-existing ideas, then decide through dialectics (testing two contrary opinions) what best works for you.
Post-Traumatic Growth
My buddy Nassim Taleb posited a question in his book, ‘Antifragile’ that regarded ‘post-traumatic growth’. I think I’m one of the lucky few who was actually made stronger because of trauma– not weakened. I want to use this essay as a chance to share why I think I was able to grow from trauma, and some practical ideas on how we can help our future children thrive from stress and trauma.
Tabula Rasa
Wipe the slate clean
What new ideas can you glean?
The Future of Photography is Editing
Dear friend,
A basic idea: the future of photography is going to be editing (the art of selecting your best work, and not showing your weak work).
Set the Bar Higher
Set the bar higher, high-flyer
Don’t mind if you don’t reach the top— just keep hustling hard, and don’t you stop
Use AI, Neural Networks, and Deep Learning to Judge Your Photography Compositions
Check out the Stanford ‘Image Painting‘ demo to see how AI and deep learning can re-construct your photos; helping you better judge your own picture compositions!
[Read more…] about Use AI, Neural Networks, and Deep Learning to Judge Your Photography Compositions
Wisdom Augmentation
Dear friend,
I’m studying a lot of AI, and have been philosophizing (my entire life) about technology-human integration.
A realization today:
We are seeking to ‘augment our intelligence’ with technology, yet what I think we really want to do is to augment our wisdom!