Month: June 2022

Which environments are best simulating for our minds?

The best armor is muscle.

This is what we seek. 

Maybe it’s a good idea to try to intentionally scratch your phone, camera, and devices.

This is living life on the edge. No need for stupid protection devices, cases or covers.

If your kid is already perfect in your eyes, maybe one is enough.

My critique of a lot of modern day games, especially mobile games this this: it takes no skill. Honestly, if you look at it long enough, and click enough buttons enough, you will win and advance.

The upside of living in a hotel — your own personal fortress.

Often when you try to optimize things, you either break it, or make it worse.

What is critical photography? Critical coming from the Ancient Greek “Kritikos”, which means judge. As a critical photographer, you judge your own photos uncompromisingly, without concern for others.

How and why should you be critical? Not self critical in terms of self flagellation, and lowering your self-esteem. No, to become deeper, more introspective, and more philosophical in your photography. Becoming more critical on why you make photos, for whom, and what innovation and creativity means for you in the context of photography.

The upside of investing in photography — its a growing field!

Let us consider, the reason why people upgrade their iPhones is for the camera. Photography as the dominant form of communication, and artistic self expression.

Simple idea:

1. First of all, extra small JPEG. Faster transfer speeds and uploading speeds. Greater ability to publish more.
2. Resourcefulness: Use any environment you’re in to make photos. Be the ultimate photo chameleon — shoot landscapes, urban landscapes, street photography, selfies, abstracts, or photograph interesting signs, billboards or things you see.
3. RICOH GR IIIX or RICOH GR III/II. Always having your camera in your front right pocket ready to shoot.
4. Set it and forget it: P, program mode and autofocus and auto iso.
5. The goal isn’t to make one immortal photo that will outlive you, but to stay infinitely curious like a child, and keep exploring and shooting.
6. Life on the road: Whenever possible, opt for a more nomadic experience in life. Photography and your life is more important than your job and career.
7. Self hosted WordPress.org blog: The ultimate publishing and sharing platform.
8. No social media. Delete the gram.
9. Don’t shoot with iPhone: Ricoh GR has 1000x superior ergonomics and image quality. Also cheaper than iPhone Pro. Stand-alone digital cameras are the key.
10. 30,000 steps a day. If you walk 30,000 steps a day, how can you not find things to shoot?

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It is illegal to be naked in public. But if you’re a man, you’re allowed to go topless in public. As a man being topless in public might provoke some chagrin, but just go for it anyways.

Why I love living in a hotel, especially having a kid.

There are not a lot of things in life which can buy us happiness. But iPad Pro for photographers is one.

I’m also not interested in competing with others.

The joy of shooting 40mm with a Ricoh GR 3X is this: what do you see is what you get.

What Seneca loves the most is having things that he could interact with, cause-and-effect, pushing buttons, etc.

It doesn’t matter how great or poor you are, stagnation is our greatest enemy.

The reason I love Zenbrush 2 is my ability to illustrate my ideas. When I desire a futured image to better illustate my thoughts.

If you decide to go to college, or get a major, don’t study fields which are dying. Study things which are growing.

For example, don’t study anthropology because it is a dying field. Study computer science because it is a growing field.

The problem with our thinking analogies is this: we think about how we were raised, and what our ideals were for ourselves when we were children. However, it seems the wise thing to do is actually as an adult, think carte blanche, without regard for your upbringing, and think what is best for you right now.

The question is: what do you desire your child to become? For me, the best direction is towards creating your child into a demigod, or following the script of an ancient Greek hero mythology.

For myself, ideally turning Seneca into an Achilles or Hector.

Certainly things like human rights, equality between races and sexes, the right to vote, etc. is a good thing. However, thinking about things in general: equality is an ideal, not a reality.

For example, not all students are admitted into Harvard or UCLA. Inequality is what creates rank, and an elite status.

Therefore if 100% pure equality were indeed made realized, it would just uphold mediocrity. If we strive for a more beautiful, interesting, and elevated society, inequality is a must.

Perhaps America will just stand back and let Europe fall.

Also consider, does your diet mimic that of herd animals, like eating “plant-based foods“, or like a wild predator, where you prefer more fatty, higher cholesterol meat?

The best food to get your testosterone up, also what acts as a natural steroid, gives you more energy and power through the day, and will augment your muscular gains is beef liver.

Just get it at the local butcher shop. The best way to cook it is to just pan fry it. First cook some bacon, and then cook the beef liver in the bacon fat. Top with mustard and hot sauce and you’re good.

Why beef liver? It is an organ meat. Wild predators like Wolves will first consume the organ meat, and leave the lean cuts of meat for the vultures.

Also, beef liver has the highest concentration of dietary cholesterol in it, and cholesterol is a natural steroid and testosterone booster. Just Google it: how old school bodybuilders used to eat tons of beef liver and beef liver supplements.

When walking, don’t take the boring route. Also in life, avoid the boring path.

If your passion is walking, optimizing the right clothes is essential. I say:

1. Merino wool leggings. Prevents your thighs from chafing one other. Also merino wool is the most breathable.
2. Vibram five finger shoes: the most minimal and light shoes, the EL-X model. Allows for maximum walking, with least fatigue. Avoid any of these stupid other shoes to have all this ridiculous padding and “arch support“.
3. Merino wool T-shirt. Outlier.NYC has the perfect one (the “one” model).
4. Exofficio boxer briefs
5. No socks
6. Ricoh GR 3X camera and Eric kim wrist strap Mark two

Kids and adults who want to learn and develop need guidance.

What kids love the most — kinetic play. Is it the same for adults?

Far more thrilling, dynamic and interesting than just being at home all-day.

Also the upside of living on the road — you discover a new source of resourcefulness.

Seneca at 15 months has an epic 3 hour nap between around 11am to 2pm.

Also at night, he can sleep from 6pm-6am.

The secret:

Insanely epic physical activity, walking and movement during the day.

I try to get him to walk as much as humanly possible, climb up and down stairs, and accompany me walking around the city.

The reason why kids (and adults) don’t “sleep well”— not enough physical activity to tire you out.

I sleep well the days I walk 25,000 steps+. Also the days I do hardcore working out or powerlifting one rep max style at the gym.

I sleep most poorly when I’m sedentary all day, and don’t do anything.

Insanely fast, especially with the new M-series chip. 100x better than iPhone Pro.

A good subject matter to photograph:

Irregular patterns are good — far more fascinating to look at!

For both money, crypto and files.

A need for a faster blockchain, faster credit card payments. It should be instant — no lag, waiting, verification or delay.

Why I still prefer a SD card reader over doing the wireless transfer to my phone or iPad.

The logical idea.