Month: August 2020

Addiction — to show devotion to a certain thing, concept, or substance.

The small thumbnail test as a tool to select your best photos. The idea: Look at your photos as small thumbnails (like the ‘icon’ view in MacOS) and use this as a way to select your best photos. The heuristic: If the photo looks good as a small thumbnail, it will definitely also look great…

The sad reality: Nobody cares for ethics because it doesn’t make money and isn’t lucrative. But just because it ain’t lucrative doesn’t mean that it is not important or illegitimate!

All zen everything:

Money: Codified human-metabolism-movement power. If money can be used as a tool to motivate people to do x, y, z for you … it is good.

To better understand the economy, statistics, public health policy, government etc … just follow the money. I think it was Bill Clinton (or Ronald Reagan) who famously said: “It’s the economy, stupid“. Thus when analyzing anything in modern life let us realize … the true root is economics, money, and power.

Something I have been having soooo much fun with: Shooting food videos (4K, 60FPS) of food — whether Cindy’s food, my own food, or the food of others. If you look closely enough, food is soooo insanely interesting and beautiful!

If we were perfectly balanced, technically we are stuck in a state of stasis. Progression movement and growth only works if we are unbalanced … leaning towards a certain way! An anti-hippy, zen-Buddhist-Taoist modernistic notion of “enlightenment”.

I am insanely grateful for life, being alive, for society and everything in-between. Why? My thoughts:

Some economic thoughts: Perhaps if we desire to augment our wealth, freedom and bank account this is an optional strategy: Opt to buy really cheap and ‘shitty’ phones (I just bought a new Motorola phone [Android] for only $150!!!) It works very good, clean Android, and it does the most important thing very well ……

Tolerance: Even though someone else’s opinion or philosophy is different from yours, you don’t do physical or mental harm upon them. Intolerance: “It is my way or the highway!” Now why is this so important? This is important because a lot of so-called “woke” people (the intolerant left) are actually quite militant and INTOLERANT towards…

Why am I never satisfied with my purchasing decisions? Not a money thing… but a skill or ingenuity thing? Lesson: Don’t think the goal of life is just to get stupid rich and buy all the nice expensive shit you want. Perhaps more robust to instead, use your personal skill, talent and ingenuity to build…

Even though I’m a minimalist I will have to admit–at the end of the day we will get bored with all of our possessions tools and things, irregardless of how good it is or how good the quality is. Therefore would life just be better and more carefree if we just allowed ourselves to buy…

A thought: Perhaps pain is a true cardinal fact of human beings; pleasure isn’t. The idea originally from Nieztsche. The result then: In life instead of striving to increase your pleasure (hedonic treadmill), more effective to just get rid of your pain points (the “pebble in your shoe” as Nassim Taleb quotes the Mafia).

Why we love instant — instant feedback:

The simplest guide on becoming rich and wealthy:

What is “natural” for us isn’t always what is best for us. For example, poisonous mushrooms are “natural” yet can kill us. Cocaine (extracted 100% pure) from Coca Leaves are “natural”, but it certainly isn’t “good” for us. “Organic” sugar or honey might be “natural”, but that doesn’t mean it is good for us. In…

The reason why I’m so skeptical towards statistics: Statistics can be gamed to say or suggest whatever you want it to say. For example, some problems of statistics: Hidden agendas and motives for whoever funds the studies. Cherry picking of data, and sweeping “outliers” under the rug. People assume numbers and data is ultimate truth…

Follow the money. Be highly skeptical and suspicious of everything. Everyone is often trying to sell you something which is “good” for you (fear marketing tactics). But let us understand … let us not get suckered by the hidden economics of things.

Without mental space, we cannot do anything, we cannot think anything new, we cannot innovate. Protect your mental space vigilantly. Mental space is king.

Two of the biggest things which can drastically improve our health in modern day society: Improved hygiene (both mental *AND* physical hygiene, in favor of “mental space”) Improved nutrition (towards a more meat-forward carnivorous diet).

What new secrets have yet been discovered? Social secrets? Art secrets? Physiology secrets? Shout out to Peter Thiel (Zero to One book); Not all the secrets have been discovered. This is great because the gist in modern society is this: All the secrets have already been discovered. My life has no purpose or meaning, because…

Judge others not out of spite or malice, but from genuine interest and love.

Should we be responsible for our lack of knowledge or ignorance? Ignorance literally meaning “not + know” (ig+noscere) in Latin.

Enthusiasm literally means “a god dwelling inside you”. To pursue anything you love and are enthusiastic about … this is truly godlike.

Make it as if you were giving it to yourself as a present

What is the supreme lifestyle? A life with the maximal amount of creative freedom, chutzpah, balls, guts, and audacity-brazenness. To speak your mind without self censorship. To have fewer things you worry or care for, in order to create more.

Contrary to what we may believe, seeking your own maximal personal benefit is best. For example: Opting for a simpler more ascetic lifestyle is often the supreme lifestyle. Why? Fewer cares, worries, stresses, anxieties and less bullshit. This means more mind space to create, think and make stuff. To opt to NOT buy the “nicest”…

No newness, no new life!

Perhaps this can be our mantra and motto and guiding-thing in street photography? Coffee x Concrete … it doesn’t get any better:

Perhaps in photography and life we should just give ourselves more permission to just shoot random snapshots during our everyday life! These photos tend to be very fun, carefree and interesting! In other words, less concern about shooting ‘serious’ photos. More in favor of shooting *FUN* and carefree photos!

As you create, you learn:

When in doubt, just upload it:

Beginners make the best photos because they have yet been suckered by any dogma in photography or notions of ‘good’ or ‘bad’ photography:

I don’t know about you, but I am personally interest in the minutae (the mundane, everyday) of the life of others. For example, I’m curious what Elon Musk, JAY Z, or Kanye has for breakfast. How they live their daily lives, what phones they use, etc. Thus then perhaps you can do the same —…

An insight into my life:

Personal thoughts on retirement, the philosophy and how to do it:

What is a life post-retirement? A life which is more carefree, less busy. Slower. Only pursuing what you care for. No need for a monetary incentive to do … anything! Contrary to popular belief … after you retire you can actually become *MORE* creatively productive with your own personal interests and passions in life!

Impossible to judge, understand or gauge people until you’ve met them in the flesh. Face to face. Sharing the same air. To talk with them in the flesh, look at them in the eye, hear their voice, studying their height and facial features and their physique, body composition and their physiology. Why is this the…

It seems the goal of many people is to either become rich, or retire (or thinking that becoming rich is the road to retirement). But then the trillion dollar question: Once you actually reach your final destination … then what? Some thoughts:

My theory — The reason we are always so tired, weak and anemic is because we are under-nutritioned. In other words, we need to eat more meat. Towards a more carnivorous diet.

As much as color is beautiful and fun, black and white is the ultimate bliss:

When you got nothing else to shoot, look up and shoot the sky!

The goal of photography: To never stop shooting!

My philosophy on work flow:

Let us not get suckered. Computers should be ‘bicycles for the mind’ (Steve Jobs). Don’t think that humans can be made redundant. We can get rid of all computers with zero downside. But can we get rid of all humans with no downside?

When people pay real money for something, they will value it more.

Does being more productive make you more happy? My thoughts:

If you never shared your opinion (what you think), how could society or humanity advance?

My personal passion and interest in life: Striving towards the simplest, most optimal work flow. To create with the minimum amount of resistance. To just flow: