Month: April 2022

  • Becoming in Photography

    Becoming in Photography

    I’m not interested the photos you’ve already shot, in the past, I’m more interested in what your photos could become.

  • OP IS GOOD (OVER-POWERED)

    OP IS GOOD (OVER-POWERED)

    In video games, people often complained that a certain character or race (Protoss) is “OP” (Over-Powered). But this is assuming that everything should be ‘fair’ in life. But unfortunately, that is not how real life pans out. In real life, striving to become OP (OVER POWERED) is good.

  • Play Place or Prison?

    Play Place or Prison?

    The modern day school and modern day office as a prison.

  • OFFER AN ALTERNATIVE.

    OFFER AN ALTERNATIVE.

    Don’t just criticize, offer an alternative. Arsbeta.com instead of Instagram.

  • JUST LET THEM BE.

    JUST LET THEM BE.

    With kids, just let them do their own thing, and supervise. It’s okay if you let them wreck some havoc and destroy some stuff.

  • How to Become an Elite Photographer

    How to Become an Elite Photographer

    A thought on my mind: I think what we really desire is to become an elite photographer. The funny thing is that in America, we have this strange puritan notion that elitism is bad. Yet, we all desire to become elite. Some people strive to become elite through forced poverty (asceticism). Other individuals strive to…

  • JUST BLOG IT.

    JUST BLOG IT.

    When in doubt, just blog it.

  • REVIEW OF THE NEW BATMAN

    REVIEW OF THE NEW BATMAN

    Huge fan of the new BATMAN film. Darker, gloomier, more melancholic is good. More Dionysian aesthetic. HBO max seems to be killing it. Note that HBO (parent company) owns DC comics.

  • BUY THE DIP.

    BUY THE DIP.

    When Bitcoin dips, when Apple, Amazon, or TESLA dips, buy it.

  • MAKE A NAME FOR YOURSELF.

    MAKE A NAME FOR YOURSELF.

    Build your name. Your first and last name.

  • RICOH IS THE FUTURE.

    RICOH IS THE FUTURE.

    No more Leica. Only RICOH.

  • Digital Indentured Servitude

    Digital Indentured Servitude

    Don’t be a digital indentured servant (social media user). Digital Sharecropping, digital indentured servant.

  • THE BEST CONDITIONS FOR YOUR PERSONAL THRIVING.

    THE BEST CONDITIONS FOR YOUR PERSONAL THRIVING.

    What if the most optimal conditions for your personal thriving is to just have a big-ass house in the (quiet) suburbs, preferably somewhere warm (Southern California), a fast wifi connection at home, the proper tools you need (a good MacBook laptop, iPhone SE)/RICOH GR IIIX, a good nights sleep, and a good gym closeby (to…

  • WEBSITE/BLOG AS AN AESTHETIC EXPERIENCE.

    WEBSITE/BLOG AS AN AESTHETIC EXPERIENCE.

    Strive to make your website as beautiful, elegant, and sexy as possible. ‘Usability’ is second.

  • IMPROVE YOUR LIFE?

    IMPROVE YOUR LIFE?

    The goal we seek: To improve our lives. But be really critical. Think: Will it really improve my life, and what does that even mean?

  • AS LOCAL AS POSSIBLE.

    AS LOCAL AS POSSIBLE.

    The best living— keep it as local as possible, even if your locale is less good than other places. As little time in a car or in transit as possible.

  • MY DAILY AFFAIRS.
  • Dumb Down

    Dumb Down

    Just let other people dumb down their kids. Something I’ve observed being a new parent— witnessing other parents doing things which I witnessed as dumbing down their kids, like feeding them Cheerios, giving them tablets and having them watch YouTube, use phones, etc. Or talking to them or treating them like a baby, or being…

  • CHILDREN STEP COUNT.

    CHILDREN STEP COUNT.

    Perhaps your child’s step count and their mental and physical development runs hand-in-hand. My personal goal is to try to maximize Seneca‘s step count every single day. Also maximizing his time outdoors.

  • ELITE PHOTOGRAPHY.

    ELITE PHOTOGRAPHY.

    The goal is to become a more elite photographer.

  • WHY I HATE BRANDING.

    WHY I HATE BRANDING.

    You paid all the money for the thing, why have it branded on yourself like cattle?

  • BECOME YOUR OWN BUTCHER.

    BECOME YOUR OWN BUTCHER.

    Make your own restaurant. Go to Costco Business Center, and buy your own top sirloin steak meat (super cheap), cut it yourself, and grill it on the pan (like making your own all you can eat Korean BBQ for yourself at home). The other night I easily cooked and grilled around 3 pounds of top…

  • FUTURE-PROOF?

    FUTURE-PROOF?

    How do we make things ‘future-proof’, and why? With technology, it seems the best strategy is to just buy whatever is newest, most expensive, and max it out. This is the strategy that my old IT director boss taught me: When you gotta buy new equipment for the office, it is best to just buy…

  • TRI

    TRI

    TRIPLE. Triple. Tri-layer. Tri-force. Tri-motor (plaid). Three layers. Three things (triangles). For example, I put on two pairs of training underwear for Seneca, and a pair of shorts on top, which gives them a total of three layers, to prevent him from leaking and peeing through it. At first I thought two layers was sufficient,…

  • Physical Training

    Physical Training

    Physical training as perhaps 100 times more important than mental training.

  • Real Life Training

    Real Life Training

    My joy playing with Seneca in the real world, instead of restrictive indoors, and play places.

  • STRONG EMOTIONS ARE GOOD.

    STRONG EMOTIONS ARE GOOD.

    Extreme love, extreme hate — these are good. What we want to avoid is lukewarm or ‘meh’ or tepid emotions. Or best to be anti weak emotions. Indifference is the worst.

  • YOU CAN MAKE INTERESTING PHOTOS IN THE (BORING) SUBURBS!

    YOU CAN MAKE INTERESTING PHOTOS IN THE (BORING) SUBURBS!

    Your photos tend to be more subtle, but beautiful still!

  • SUBTLE COMPOSITIONS.

    SUBTLE COMPOSITIONS.

    Perhaps one of the best ways to approach composition is to make it subtle. Just add a foot on the bottom, or a small element somewhere in the frame.

  • DON’T MESS WITH YOUR ZEN.

    DON’T MESS WITH YOUR ZEN.

    Once you’ve discovered a certain lifestyle, place, or approach which gives you zen … don’t mess with it. Stick with it.

  • BANGERS

    BANGERS

    The best music are ‘bangers’. The Dionysian bliss of bass, and things that get you in the ZONE. Ironically is it BANGERS (high key) that get you in a more zen zone? Theory: Things which get your adrenaline going actually promotes zen? My current favorite songs: “Mr. Miyagi” (Kanye, Playboi Carti) OFF THE GRID (Kanye…

  • CUT OUT THE WHITES.

    CUT OUT THE WHITES.

    A simple composition thought in photography: When you’re framing, don’t include or cut out the whites (bright parts of the frame) when you’re shooting. This works especially well when you’re using “live view” on the LCD (shooting high contrast black and white JPEG): Once again, then photography and composition as a way of SUBTRACTION.

  • WHY DO THINGS WHICH SCARE YOU.

    WHY DO THINGS WHICH SCARE YOU.

    A simple thought: Things which you are scared of, or what causes fear inside you are things which you are actually really interested in, but for some reason, you’re afraid to attempt or pursue it, because you’re afraid of the negative consequences which might be related to it. For example, when you see a beautiful…

  • YOUR KID IS A MINI-YOU!

    YOUR KID IS A MINI-YOU!

    The simple observation and thought which others seem to miss: Your kid is a mini-you. Your kid is almost like a mini clone of you. So why not treat your kid like yourself? Your kid is your mini doppelganger!

  • CUT YOUR OWN STEAK.

    CUT YOUR OWN STEAK.

    A subtle fun life hack I’ve discovered: Go to the Costco Business center, buy large pieces of steak (beef), and just cut it yourself at home, and grill it on the frying pan at home. Top sirloin is a great choice. I also love the beef brisket at Costco (prime), and the beef ribs. MEAT…

  • Plugins Which *Remove* Functionality

    Plugins Which *Remove* Functionality

    The best plug-ins are the plugins or addons or extensions which BLOCK or REMOVE superfluous functionality. For example, plug-ins which BLOCK advertisements, popups, cross track site trackers, cookies, annoyances, “notifications”, comments, social media, etc. Also, the best technology REMOVES NOISE or distractions. My love for noise cancelling things like BOSE noise cancelling headphones, AirPods Pro…

  • OPEN SOURCE WEALTH

    OPEN SOURCE WEALTH

    Bitcoin is fascinating to me — not just open source money, but open source wealth. A thought: I like the idea you can store your wealth in open source (Bitcoin) and harness that (digital) wealth into creating your own digital creations. Bitcoin as the new “gold standard”. Or in other words — Would you rather…

  • Don’t Do or Attempt Anything Which You Cannot Do by Yourself.
  • CONSUME MORE.

    CONSUME MORE.

    What if it is more virtuous to consume and eat more, than ‘leave some’ for others?

  • SAVE TIME.

    SAVE TIME.

    Become more efficient and effective with time. One of the big upsides of having a kid— you learn to utilize your time very very well. And it becomes a great filter: What is truly important to you in your life, and what is not. For example, labor saving devices as helping you do MORE with…

  • BEAUTIFUL, SEXY, ELEGANT.

    BEAUTIFUL, SEXY, ELEGANT.

    My aesthetic ideal.

  • Choice Minimal
  • *SOME* NEGLECT IS GOOD

    *SOME* NEGLECT IS GOOD

    It’s just a dosage thing.

  • Photography Diptychs Are Creative

    Photography Diptychs Are Creative

    Making a diptych of your old photos is a good way of “creative upcycling”.

  • The Precautionary Principle

    The Precautionary Principle

    Follow Nassim Taleb advice — when in doubt, choose the more precautionary route. Or when in doubt, play it very safe.

  • The True Elite

    Many people who seem elite are actually just basic slaves.

  • STREET PHOTOGRAPHY IS YOUR ART.

    STREET PHOTOGRAPHY IS YOUR ART.

    No need to justify it. Art needs no self justification.

  • Anti Sentimentality

    Anti Sentimentality

    I don’t like sentimental art.

  • ONE OF A KIND.
  • UNCOMMON.

    UNCOMMON.

    The more uncommon you become, the better.