Maintenance is for losers!

The difference between a growth mentality and a maintenance mentality.

Boring is not virtuous!

Almost everything is lame.

Insane optimism is good!

What is the point of existence? To fuck shit up:

Fuck up the world!

To fuck shit up, to fuck up the world! (FUTW as JAY Z says)

If you feel adrenaline, and maybe some fear, this is a good thing.

A lemming is “wise”, a savage is “foolish”.

Lemmings “do their research“, while savages simply experiment for themselves.

Lemmings do “proper form“, and ask for critique and feedback and get coaches and trainers. Savages disdain what is proper.

Perhaps in life and our equipment, we want to have overconfidence in it.

Better at the gym.

The basic idea is every day, increase the weight by 1%.

The world adapts to you — the Steve Jobs approach.

In praise of lamb meat! Costco Business Center has lamb meat in the frozen aisle chopped up into cubes for super cheap!

For example, countries starting to accept bitcoin as tax payment?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liechtenstein

When people see me, they are shocked, to see my full body tan, etc. People are surprised to see I healthy human being?

The funny thing is at the gym, everyone wants to become super big, buff, “put on weight“, etc. But, I don’t think this is the goal. The goal is simply not to be a weakling and puny.

For example, my physique and my look. Whenever I atlas lift 895 pounds and beyond, and I strap on more than nine plates, and max out the barbell, I am always kind of a spectacle. I think this is the shock that people have:

I do not look like this huge, steroided out guy, yet, I can lift a demigod amount.

The only knowledge, wisdom, ideas, etc. that I have gleaned from reading, reading philosophy, reading literature, or even from documentaries cinema movies etc. is when the things I learn are useful.

Maybe a thing with education and life and things is this; it isn’t about having positive “good” role models, but simply, to keep your kids, and also keep yourself away from bad influences, bad role models, etc. Or in other words, your kid doesn’t have to go to the best private school, or the best school in general, just make sure that they don’t go to a bad school or a ghetto school.

For example, where is it that kids learn bad behavior, bad words, bad behaviors, etc.? Once they go to school, and they meet other kids, and when kids exhibit “bad“ behavior, it is not their fault, simply a reflection of their parents. For example, if you got elementary school kids cursing, saying bad things, doing bad things etc., the parents are probably doing it in the house around them.

A very simple and good workout and strength training exercises this: only using chalk, grab the heaviest dumbbells at your gym, lift it up, and just see how long and far you could walk it out.

For example, at my local crunch fitness gym, the dumbbells go up to 150 pounds. This is what I thought:

All of these guys at the gym what they try to do with heavy dumbbells is that they try to overhead press it, or they tried to shoulder press it, or they try to incline press it, or they try to do flat dumbbell press with it, or some sort of lying down or seated or elevated exercise with it.

But the simple funny thing is this; it is much easier and more efficient and in terms of leverage, more straightforward to simply pick it up, and carry it, in terms of moving the weight. Because, my thought:

Isn’t the point to simply be able to use the most efficient and effective mechanism of movement, an action, to simply manipulate and move a weight?

For example, I could pick up 150 pound dumbbell, lift it off the rack, hold it in my hand, grip it, and also walk with it, whereas I cannot lie on my back, and do a floor dumbbell press with it.

What’s the point?

Then, people might think,

“What’s the point of doing this?”

A lot of people say it is good for a “grip strength training“, but that doesn’t really mean anything. Nobody really cares for “grip strength“, look at all of these guys call instead of using chalk, simply use the hand wrist straps when weight lifting, whether it be doing rock pools, deadlifts, shrugs, rows, etc.

Is there any problem to using wraps?

The reason why I am anti-wraps is this:

It prevents you from getting stronger.

The ultimate point is it to lift heavier weights, it is to become stronger. By using wrist wraps, you do not give your body, your hands, your fingers, your forearms, your grip, your hyped and focus to effectively choke the barbell or dumbbell.

My simple thought:

Grip strength *IS* strength.

For example, how strong your grip is might be the greatest indicator of how strong you really are. Just overall strength.

Even as a thought, maybe the best way to judge the strength of men is to simply challenge them to the farmers walk with the heavy dumbbells. The simple competition:

Only using chalk, no wrist wraps, how far can you farmers walk the heaviest dumbbells?

Another example

Another good example I have is the legendary 330 pound golden dumbbells at golds gym Venice Beach. I mastered it.

Grip strength *is* strength:

Instead … what do we want?

Greater adventures, dangers, challenges, conquests.

Notions of “time”, “efficiency”, etc … just modern day Taylorism in action?

For the ancient Greeks, there was no real notion of “time“. There were no stopwatches, no clocks, no notion of seconds, minutes, hours, etc. There were only notions of sunrise, sundown.

Even when it came to speed, the closest thing that we have is looking at the Iliad, the funeral games, in which there was a chariot race, as well as a sprinting foot race.

Also, no real good measurements of weight. The way that Homer describes the strength of Achilles is his ability to lift a stone that barely even two strong men could lift.

Vlog

The point isn’t to seek to placate yourself or others:

Thinking about Achilles.

Achilles was by far the greatest “role model“, we’ve had in terms of a man. Yet, he is not by any means virtuous, or even “manly“ in the common regard.

What is the virtue of Achilles? His pure power. That by far, he is the most potent fighter, the most lethal, the most powerful both in physical strength, and also battle prowess.

However, in terms of his personality, he seems a bit soft at times. Him crying by the shore, and complaining about such a petty matter like his “prize,” Breisis.

He also, to an extent his foolish stubbornness. It is only the death of his best friend which pumps him back into battle. In someways, if Achilles wasn’t so stubborn, Patroclus would have never ran into battle with Achilles armor and died.

Then, perhaps the goal is this; power and wisdom?

Seeking approval from others, is actually, fear conquering in disguise?

For example, with imageGPT, chatGPT, etc., is there really a way that we can authenticate truly whether it was created by a human being or AI?

What Chainlink seeks to fix.

In modern day times, we think that more money means more power. This is actually not the case.

We must create a more philosophically precise and accurate notion of power.

If in fact, did you spend more money on equipment and things and invest in yourself and your equipment, will it really help you earn more?

Maybe.

EQUIPMENT by KIM

There is no “perfect” camera. Don’t fall into GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) and falsely believe that buying a new camera will make you a better photographer.

If you’re not feeling inspired in your photography, I recommend you to buy books, not gear. Also check out these 75+ Inspirational Photo Books You Gotta Buy. You can also download my free books.

Equipment Articles >

1. GOPRO BONES IS THE GAME-CHANGER
2. ERIC KIM RICOH GR IIIX REVIEW
3. The Optimal Camera
4. Material Matter
5. Just buy it and forget it.
6. Products will not bring you joy
7. DARK GEAR.
8. EVEN THOUGH WE GET THE BEST, WE’RE STILL NOT SATISFIED.
9. HARDWARE IS THE FUTURE.
10. iPad Pro over iPhone Pro
11. Is Leica Overrated?
12. Fujifilm X-PRO 3 over Leica M10
13. Equipment Creep
14. Once You Got Perfect, Then What?
15. WHY I LOVE RICOH GR III
16. One-Handed Photography
17. Why Rangefinders Are Overrated
18. WHY YOU MUST BUY RICOH GR III
19. The Best Equipment is The Equipment You Already Have
20. The Best Camera is the One You Shoot with the Most
21. Why RICOH GR III is the Best Camera
22. Use and Abuse Your Gear!
23. RICOH is the new LEICA
24. In Praise of Banging around Your Camera
25. Electric Cameras
26. Why the RICOH GR III is Better than the Leica Q2
27. Buy a new Ricoh GR III, not a New iPhone
28. The Best Headphones are In-Ear Monitors
29. Are Point-and-Shoot Cameras the Best Cameras?
30. Gear Adaptation Syndrome
31. Satisfice
32. What is the Benefit of “Standalone” Digital Cameras?
33. All Cameras are Good Cameras
34. Why The Future of Photography is Software
35. RICOH MAFIA
36. Use and Abuse Your Gear!
37. Why RICOH GR II is the Best Street Photography Camera
38. The Best Photography/Vlogging Equipment Setup
39. My Favorite Travel Street Photography Equipment
40. Zen Body-Hand-Mind Connection with the Camera
41. Why It Doesn’t Matter What Camera You Shoot With
42. What is the Best Camera and Lenses for Street Photography?
43. The Best Travel Street Photography Equipment 2018
44. 6 Lessons I’ve Learned After Shooting All the Expensive Cameras
45. How to Make Good Photos on a Shitty Camera
46. Why I Shoot With One Camera and One Lens
47. My Travel Equipment, Winter 2017
48. What is the Perfect Camera For You?
49. What to Consider When Buying a Camera

Digital Medium Format Photography

• Why Digital Medium Format is a Game-Changer for Color Photography
• The Upsides and Downsides of Digital Medium Format Photography
• Fujifilm GFX 50R and 45mm f/2.8 Lens First-Impressions Review
• Review of the Pentax 645Z and Digital Medium Format Photography
• 7 Reasons Why I Love Digital Medium-Format Photography
• My Experience Shooting Digital Medium Format in Street Photography
• My Experience Shooting my Friend’s Wedding on Digital Medium Format
• Why Digital Medium Format is the Future of Photography
• Is Digital Medium Format Worth It?
• 7 Lessons I’ve Learned Shooting Fashion For the First time on Digital Medium Format (PENTAX 645Z)

Smartphone Photography >

• The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Smartphone Photography
• Benefits of Shooting Street Photography With a Smartphone
• In Street Photography, The Smaller the Camera, the Better

Film Photography 101 >

• Film Street Photography Manual
• What I Learned Shooting 100 Rolls of Black and White Film
• What I Learned Processing 164 Rolls of Film

---

My favorite camera: RICOH GR III

Currently my favorite camera is the RICOH GR III:

• Why the RICOH GR III is the Best Travel Photography Camera
• Why the RICOH GR III is Better than the Leica Q2
• Why the RICOH GR III is the Best Street Photography Camera
• The RICOH GR III (3) is the Best Camera Ever Made.

---

Best Equipment by ERIC KIM

This is a list of my personal favorite equipment in photography, computers, and life:

Of course, this list probably won’t apply to you — but this is advice I would give myself (if I needed to buy stuff):

---

Film cameras

If you’re new to shooting film, pick up a copy of FILM NOTES.

Best film rangefinder

Leica MP + Leica 35mm f/2 Summicron Lens

Best affordable film rangefinder

Leica M6 + Voigtlander 35mm f/2.5 Lens

Best compact film camera

Contax T3

Best medium-format film camera

Hasselblad 500-series

Best black and white film

Kodak Tri-X 400 (pushed to 1600): $5

Best color film

Kodak Portra 400: $8.50

Best film scanner

For medium-format/35mm: Epson v800: $800

For 35mm: Plustek OpticFilm 8100: $270

---

Camera accessories

Best camera shoulder bag

SAIGON SATCHEL

Best camera backpack

Fits 13” Laptop and Camera: Thinktank Perception 15 (black): $120

Best photography neck strap

• Henri Neck Strap
• ERIC KIM Neck Strap: (for RICOH GRII)

Best photography wrist strap

• Henri Wrist Strap

---

Best photography inspiration website

MagnumPhotos.com

Best photography news blog

PetaPixel.com

Best photography software

Adobe Lightroom

Best video editing software

iMovie (free) or Final Cut Pro X ($300)

---

Books

See all my free books.

Best educational photography book

Magnum Contact Sheets

Best black-and-white photography art book

“Exiles” by Josef Koudelka

Best color photography art book

“The Suffering of Light” by Alex Webb

Best photography handbook

Street Notes

Best philosophy book

On the Shortness of Life – Seneca ($8) // 10 Lessons Seneca Has Taught Me.

---

Best digital tools

Best laptop

Maxed-out 13” MacBook Pro (Refurbished)

Best phone

The smallest iPhone available (currently iPhone Mini)

---

Best Mac Apps

Best writing app

IA Writer (for writing)

Best screen recorder

Camtasia

Best image resizer

JPEGmini Pro

---

Audio

Best earbuds

In-ear monitors

---

Apparel

Best underwear

ExOfficio Men Boxer Brief (black): $26

Best T-shirt

Outlier NYC Merino Wool T-Shirt

Best socks

Outlier NYC Black Merino Wool Socks

Best pants

Merino Wool Leggings (black)

Best glasses

LINDBERG – Titanium

---

Finance

Best bank

Chase

---

Best entrepreneurial tools

Best blogging platform

WordPress.org + Genesis theme

---

Best paid online services

Best cloud storage

Dropbox (Pro)

---

Diet & Nutrition

Food

Intermittent fasting — with one big meal a day (only dinner)

Workout

Deadlifts (one rep max) + squats + dumbbell press + chin-ups + pushups

---

Conclusion

Of course this is just a list of stuff that work for me. It probably won’t work for you.

But I got inspired to make this list– because it took me about 10 years to figure out the best equipment for me. And this works for me, and I hope it can help simplify your purchasing decisions (at least in photography and some other details).

I’ll continue to do articles and videos related to equipment– because I do believe (up to a certain degree) having the ‘right’ equipment in life makes life easier. But the problem is falling victim to GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) where we are buying stuff for the sake of it (has happened to me).

If you already have a bunch of equipment that works for you– stick with it. But if you need some help, I hope this list helped you.

Always,
Eric

The goal isn’t to placate, to either placate others or yourself.

Placate means to make smooth, flat.

The truth is that human nature is implacable. We have “divine dissatisfaction” as Jeff Bezos says.

Therefore the problem I think is that in life, we think the goal should be to placate others, to make them “happy”, and to give them everything that they ask for. However, this isn’t and shouldn’t be the case.

What should we be driven by then instead?

For example, weightlifters, bodybuilders, powerlifters shouldn’t seek to an achieve some sort of satisfaction or placation. Instead— to simply lust for more is a virtue?

Compliment others honestly!

“Sexism” as not the issue but disrespect. Both sexes should and must respect one another.

Also, everyone should respect one another.

By saving time, you save life. And then the philosophical question is this; what is it that you really want to do with your time, or achieve in life, while you are still alive?

It is all upside, no downside

The first simple thought is once you have achieved all of your great life dreams, then, you can simply pursue things which seem inconsequential to you.

Others are fragile.

First, just make it personal. When in doubt, better to Overshare than under share.

Second, all media. Make it video, audio, and also photo.

What is “motivation”? What does it mean, and why does it matter?

Just lift it:

Photos are infinite.

My theory; because it doesn’t offend anybody.

In other words, anyone who is too into electronic music, maybe it is a sign of cowardice?

How to become more charming: