Month: December 2020

How do most philosophies and modes of thinking fail? The bias: Life is bad, and being born is the worst thing which could have possibly fallen upon you. But in truth, being born is one of the greatest privileges known:

Before going super hard at anything … warmups are good:

The joy of photography: The hope and excitement for a more bright future— a future replete with many new life experiences and opportunities, and many new chances to make new photos!

A new thing I’m experimenting with: HDR photography (in-camera HDR setting on RICOH GR III), and have been having a lot of fun:

A good thought: The reason why photography is so great … deep excitement, hope and joy for this upcoming new year! New year, new experiences, new laughs, new sorrows, new happenings, new news, and new photos for you.

The other day I cashed out some gains I got from crypto (Bitcoin), and thought to myself: How is it that this profit was created out of thin air? Which makes me realize: Money is just a social construct— based on hope for a more prosperous future. In other words: When we “invest”— we are…

There ain’t much we can control in life, but one of the variables we can control in life is this: How much (the degree) of excitement we decide to pursue in life. And the thing is the riskier and the more interesting the life path we pursue, the more joy, hope, optimism and excitement we…

I don’t think I can say I’m the best blogger, but I can certainly say I’m the most productive and prolific blogger. I don’t know anyone else who has written as much as I have, in the course of a decade. As I’ve eclipsed the 10,000 blog post mark (your first 10,000 blog posts are…

I’ve always been an Android and anti-Apple fanboy ever since my college years. I preferred the open system of Android, Chrome, etc. But now as of 2020, Android and Google is starting to creep into ways into my life which I don’t like.

A Taoist “wu-wei” concept. No need to force things; let things naturally resolve itself by letting go. Follow your gut. Much wisdom in purposeful procrastination. Only do work when your body is strong enough for it!

Overall, I am very bullish on crypto (cryptocurrency (Digibyte, Bitcoin), smart contracts (Chainlink), and other forms of cryptography in regards to security, decentralized financed, etc). Why? It seems simple: Our world is becoming more and more digitally connected and integrated. There needs to be more oracles (search the “oracle problem) which connect our digital world…

In Providence I went to the local Roger Williams park and discovered by chance this Japanese zen garden, which is pure sublime. I had soooo much fun just running around and photographing all the textures, branches, trees, frozen waters, etc. Which made me truly appreciate the zen and visual sublime bliss of shooting nature ……

We are hunting to get more and more, to procure more and more money, savings, etc in order to finally feel “secure”. But will we ever feel secure? No. Thus it seems the practical advice is: Don’t delay your artistic creativity, do it now, today.

Wealth isn’t via positiva (having +++ tons of 1s and 0s and commas in your bank account). But instead, wealth as via negativa (wealth is good, as it *subtracts* your worries and concerns about money, paying rent, paying utilities, feeding yourself, etc).

I just cashed out some gains I got from Bitcoin (cryptocurrency) and currently I feel very pleased and secure with my finances. But the thing is: With cryptocurrency, you can be very rich on paper, but most of your cryptocurrency may not be liquid which means … your feeling of being rich and overly abundant…

In arts, creativity and life — to become more uninhibited is superior!

When in doubt, optimize for speed. Speed will always win — when it comes to business, entrepreneurship, workflow, and life:

What is one of the greatest joys in life? Meals with friends, family and loved ones. Morale of the story: To feel more joy in life, have *MORE* meals with others you love and care for!

My vision of open source art: Release your artwork openly and freely to the web. Open standards like PDF, JPEG, RAW, TIFF, PNG, .ZIP, etc. No need for copyright, watermarks, DRM (digital rights management), or other “protections”. Artwork wants to be free, and we love artwork which is open and free! Direct downloads, from your…

In this game of art, you’re the artist. You’re the creator, curator, and taste maker. You don’t require the permission or validation of any other external party besides yourself. No need to quote others, piggyback off others, or build your clout off others.

Everywhere I look, design is king. For example think about Apple, Steve Jobs, and Jony Ive and now Tesla and Elon Musk. Since then, designers are the new demigods of society. If we consider design and art as one in the same (I see design as artwork, applied in society, made practical and useful) then…

Why eat meat? Why *not* eat meat? I have yet heard a philosophical argument *for* meat-eating. All new-agey philosophy and modes of thinking are staunchly ANTI-meat eating. Or for the more ‘woke’ folks (who don’t want to openly admit to liberal-elite educated circles that they like to eat meat), they will say they only eat…

Consider — All these new buildings and monuments which are built in devotion to the ‘arts’ and ‘creativity’ and ‘creative arts’. Why are these things important? Once we have made a ton of money, and want to leave some sort of legacy … we want to impart the gift of entrepreneurship, arts, techniques, theater, culture,…

Currently I am at my peak physical condition. Deadlift is at 455 pounds (I can do more), Squat is at 375, floor bench is at 265, etc. I am convinced … one of the greatest joys I am experiencing right is the fact I am in peak physical shape, strength, and condition. I have never…

Random thought: Why is it that I can concentrate more when I am working at a coffee shop (with some stochastic resonance noise … aka small background noise), and why is it that I am also physiologically stronger at the gym surrounded by others (I gain more strength when I am weight lifting at the…

Not to cleave to one lifestyle. Rather, as your life progresses, you allow yourself to *dynamically change* based on your circumstances and life. This means: There is not one perfect lifestyle for your entire lifetime … rather, think about lifestyle in *phases*. For example, certainly your lifestyle as a teenager should be different from your…

Honestly at this point, I believe Apple Photos (the default photos app for Mac) to be *superior* to Adobe Lightroom Classic for desktop. Why? Some thoughts:

Simply put: The camera you always have with you, and is the easiest to shoot which allows you to shoot more … is the best camera! This can be RICOH GR III, iPhone Pro, Google Pixel, etc. Typically speaking, the best camera is: Digital Compact Small Lightweight Fits in your front pocket (or easily around…

Ironically enough, failing my one rep max attempts at the gym is almost as good as successfully achieving new PR’s (personal records) for one rep max’s in my lifts. Why? The big reason: When I fail at a one rep max attempt, I realize … it ain’t so scary! And this gives me huuuuuge new…

Creative photography is our pursuit. Thus the simple question: How do we become *more* creative in our photography? Some thoughts:

As long as we are stuck in this cult of productivity and thinking of utilitarian aims and ends … we can never truly conquer creativity.

We are all creative, yet it seems the *fear* is to be creative. How do we conquer this fear to create, and to perhaps … conquer creativity itself?

Creativity is the goal of existence — to make art, and keep making it!

Let us think deeply on this: What do you *really* want in life, or *from* life … and for what ends?

For me the ideal trifecta to build: Your artistic muscles Your physical muscles Your philosophical muscles

What is the ideal living domicile? Some thoughts on the ideal home:

I think I get this from Bruce Gilden as a photography assignment: shoot what you’re afraid of. Totally makes sense. If you see something which scares you, it probably interests you. And the more you can harness your fear and adrenaline in order to make more epic photos, the better. Like Jimmy Iovine says: Don’t…

What are we truly hungry for and searching for? Deeper photographic wisdom.

Your opinion regarding your own photos is always in a state of flux and changing. Certain photos which you were super enthusiastic about one day, you might lose that enthusiasm over time. Typically time is the ultimate judge. The longer you allow your photos to sit and marinate, you gain deeper wisdom and insight into…

Something which endlessly fascinates me: How to make the best composition of a given scene? I was looking through some photos, and a simple realization: The simpler the photograph, the more superior.

When out shooting in the snow, shooting high contrast monochrome on Lumix G9, the best function is the ability to quickly adjust exposure compensation using the right thumb wheel. Which made me think: How come nobody ever talks about how essential exposure-compensation is in photography, and how it makes photographs more beautiful and artistic?

Or why if your life goal is to maximize your photographic output, it’s best to live on the East Coast than the West Coast:

We all know that in order to become stronger and more fit physically, exercise is essential. Same goes with our artistry. We need to exercise our creative and visual muscles. Some ideas and exercises you can do:

We are not just mere photographers, we are also artists. But the thing is: Some photos we create are *more* artistic than others. For example, if I make a photograph of my grocery list receipt, I wouldn’t call it ‘art’ — I did it simply to record information. However, if I perhaps positioned the receipt…

What’s the best way to live life? Simple: Do what scares you. By doing that which scares you, you’re more likely to achieve epic things, and discover more interesting things about existence. What is “scary” anyways? Something you want to do, but you’re afraid of the negative consequences of attempting it. Thus once again ……

Your photos are visual poetry:

Chiaroscuro: the Italian word which means ‘clear‘ (chiaro) and ‘obscure‘ (oscuro). Thus in simple photographic terms, chiaroscuro is the art of extreme contrast (juxtaposition) between the clear and the dark in a photograph:

The upside of winter and the snow: More opportunities for beautiful images!

A thought and realization: In life, all experiences are good experiences. This means: No experiences are “good” or “bad” in themselves. All experiences meld and form you to become *more*.

Barre is essentially dance classes meets yoga meets ballet-fitness. The reason why barre is so interesting to me — it’s perfect for weight lifters and power lifters. In fact I prefer it over yoga.