So what should we do about it?

Elon Musk Thoughts

Just finished the Elon Musk biography by Walter Isaacson and feeling super inspired. These are some practical things that I’ve learned or gleaned from it.

1. You don’t want to be Elon Musk

The first practical and pragmatic thought that I have is that no you do not want to be Elon Musk. Better to be yourself.

I am grateful for all of the epic sacrifices that Elon has made, but, at the expense of his health and sanity and personal well-being, I don’t really think it’s worth it.

The simple thought I have is that instead of trying to become someone else, a better strategy is to just take the parts that you like, the parts you desire to emulate.

Practical lessons:

Let’s get it:

I think the best way to market yourself as a photographer is you first start in a very very small niche, dominate it, and then keep expanding.

The best way to mark yourself is still blogging, being indexable online via Google and YouTube etc. and propagating yourself your ideas and your artwork.

The reason why some people are insufferable or become insufferable is when their health starts to falter.

Every miserable person has poor health.

Healthy people are happy, happy people are healthy!

Spending maximum time outdoors, preferably at a huge ass park or a good national park close by?

1. Lots of effortless walking outdoors, surrounded by trees grass and dirt

2. Hard-core weightlifting. One rep maxing. Ultra hard-core. Nine plates 10 plates and beyond.

3. Demigod sleep.

4. Eat an insane amount of beef and lamb every single day, aim for about 4 pounds. Beef liver, beef heart, beef kidney, beef intestine, etc.

Ultra hard-core fitness?

JAY Z

Podcast

Ghetto is better:

I love ghetto!

Another good thought and inspiration from the Elon Musk biography; the generalized idea that sometimes, the ghetto and simple option is best!

Ghetto is better

My new aesthetic.

Something which is not discussed much; the notion of “growing“, your muscles.

To me, this is a critical distinction. Why? Assuming that life is about growth, and also this Silicon Valley obsession with growth, shouldn’t growth also be manifested to muscles?

For example, when I flex in the mirror, if my muscles don’t look more impressive, bigger, or more “swole“, then I remember, I think there’s a problem.

Certainly there are very very bad things about this line of thinking, namely that guys end up taking weird stuff like steroids supplement etc., or “natural” testosterone boosters for the sake of muscular growth. To me, this is the simple approach I make:

Lift heavier, increase your personal records for your one repetition max, and just eat more meat!

If your muscles ain’t growing, they’re dying!

I just finished the Elon Musk biography by Walter Isaacson, loved it. 12 stars out of 10. I even enjoyed it more than the Steve Jobs biography, up to date my favorite! Thought: perhaps Walter Isaacson should also do a biography on Kanye West.

Anyways, I highly recommend anyone and everyone to read it, if you’re interested in Elon, SpaceX, Tesla innovation entrepreneurship creativity design etc. In fact, I find the parts on design and design thinking and simplification and deletion and merging the most interesting.

For reference, I just bought it in the Apple iBook store, which was very convenient as I could read it on my iPhone and iPad. Started reading it on the flight to Philly from LAX, direct flight from Spirit airlines (I actually really like Spirit airlines! Very fast, and I actually prefer the no-frills Spartan approach; I prefer how much more direct it is than Southwest). Read a little bit of it when I was in Philly, and finished it on the flight back home.

1. Delete, delete, delete

The first thing I really loved was this notion of delete delete delete. I think this is where Elon Musk mirrors Steve Jobs, even myself this passion towards simplification.

2. Passion for design

Another big thing I learned which I intuitively thought and believed, but found out for real is how committed and passionate Elon Musk is about design. For example, for the Tesla roadster the original one, as well as the subsequent Tesla model S and the cyber truck etc., he had such a large say. For example, in the first Tesla Roadster, he had a very very strong opinion about the front headlight, the side doors etc. This caused 1 million headaches, and millions of dollars in delay, but that is what made it beautiful and successful.

What I think is also critical to understand is how passionate Elon Musk is about cars. For example after he sold X and zip two, the $1Million dollar McLaren he bought.

Another huge thing with the original Tesla model S; he worked insanely hard to make sure it didn’t look like an ugly bubble car. He pushed the designers and engineers hard to make the car lower, to lower the battery pack, to make it flatter, even to integrate the battery park as part of the frame.

Also, the flush door handles. And the friendly lights it emitted.

Not only that but the cyber truck, him and his head designer, truly trying to make something that would shock and awe people.

3. Cost reduction

Something that these salty haters do not understand about Elon Musk, being a “billionaire“, etc. is this:

They think the point is to become a billionaire to spend $1 billion, not to cut cost reduce and leverage money more intelligently.

For example, there is almost at least a dozen instances in which one of his enterprises almost failed or went bankrupt, and the way to save it was extreme reduction. Reducing the cost of something by 90%, or laying off 90% of the staff like he did at Twitter.

4. True skin in the game

I propose the sleeping bag rule: if the founder, head honcho, or the CEO is not willing to sleep in the headquarters under their desk, during extreme and critical times, they don’t have real skin in the game.

One of the interesting things is just how committed Elon Musk is. By reading the biography, you truly do understand that he cares. Why? If he is willing to put his skin on the line, and his soul on the line.

You cannot fake passion. Also you cannot fake anger.

It can be the park, outside, going on a walk, going to the gym etc.

Anonymous, carte Blanche.

Make your own decision

Don’t solicit recommendations ***

Engineering and product design cannot be separated

Uncork the economy to quasi-infinite levels ***

Future of abundance where there is no poverty ***

The future will not come here fast enough if we don’t force it!

All in , no halfway measures

Historically mega revolutionary product

10-trillion dollar company?

“Next generation platform”

Shave milliseconds ***

Orbital velocity

Ruthless ***

Cavalry generals who don’t know how to ride a horse

Extreme pruning: 90%

Deep cuts

Toxic speech

“Mis-gendering”?

Laziness & entitlement

Cut even more 80%!!

Deep cuts?

Root out people making snarky comments ***

Rid of negativity ***

Declare people are hardcore opt in.

Extremely hardcore

Simplify a process

Why does it suck?

How close to the sun can you fly?***

Bloated?

Insanely lean — insane lean ***

Ruthless pruning

Become scrappier and more nimble

Do it now?

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Why consume alcohol?

Often disposable is better

I am mega and Demi enough to do it all!

Anti swappable battery

1 day, not 10 days *** surge

“Why can’t that be done faster?”

Tesla as AI COMPANY

Neural network

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Cut prices to increase sales volume ***

Crazy enough to think they can change the world.

++

Radical cost cutting

Leaner & Meaner

Ultra hardcode

Make your own decision

Don’t solicit recommendations ***

Engineering and product design cannot be separated

Uncork the economy to quasi-infinite levels ***

Future of abundance where there is no poverty ***

The future will not come here fast enough if we don’t force it!

All in , no halfway measures

Historically mega revolutionary product

10-trillion dollar company?

“Next generation platform”

Shave milliseconds ***

Orbital velocity

Ruthless ***

Cavalry generals who don’t know how to ride a horse

Extreme pruning: 90%

Deep cuts

Toxic speech

“Mis-gendering”?

Laziness & entitlement

Cut even more 80%!!

Deep cuts?

Root out people making snarky comments ***

Rid of negativity ***

Declare people are hardcore opt in.

Extremely hardcore

Simplify a process

Why does it suck?

How close to the sun can you fly?***

Bloated?

Insanely lean — insane lean ***

Ruthless pruning

Become scrappier and more nimble

Do it now?

impulsive is fine

Walking exercises are best?

Just observe how children move

The best way to kill time is just walking and moving around

What do you want to do with money anyways?

If it is too expensive, just build it yourself

First principles algorithm

Delete parts which add mass?

Above the clouds?

Ever sunny?

“This is boring”

It must be cool!

Battle hardened

Transform how we live?

Do any laws of physics prohibit this from being possible?

Delete delete delete

Delete radar

Crutch.

Evidence from physics experiments

Enable freedom of information

Free people from the drudgery of driving

Free people from which drudgery ?

Woke-mind virus

Woke-mind religion

False virtue

Mollis— soft.

Time to get ready for war!

Remove empathy

Do not fear losing

Be more fearless, take more risks

Be proactive

Don’t just be reactive — be proactive!***

“Front minimization”

Maybe it is best and wise to simply trust the official front of policies?

Avoid offense?

Defense is more robust than offense ***

Do good deeds.

Be hardcore and relentless

Pure hypocrisy.

Opaque : darkened.

“Are you not entertained?”

Become a fire breathing dragon ***

“If we’re not blowing up engines, we’re not trying hard enough”.

I still got some thinking to do

Drastic action is needed

Lightness is godliness

From a technology perspective, it seems to be wise to be farsighted, being able to look at maybe the decade or 20 year span.

Mindless entertainment?

constipation

The privilege of the sun

This takes more skill, cleverness, ingenuity and creativity?

DOD— ironclad

Deter further aggression?

Bolster presence

Non negotiable

Low cost stainless steel

Try and fail

Make it fast, fix it fast.

Purge-pulse ideas.

Delete unnecessary parts:

The strategy is to delete as many parts as possible, and then re-add them later.

90% cheaper

Design shouldn’t be expensive to produce!

Leapfrog

Get everyone to think boldly

“Too adventurous”?

Guiding principle: make an engine that is lean ***

Muscly and gnarly

Don’t shoot for the moon, shoot for mars!

Delete / Merge ***

With iPhone — fewest ounces as humanly possible! Also same with laptops.

With traveling, the same ethos.

Goal: reduce costs! ***

Cut out as much machining as possible

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Philly Thoughts

$2 million to $200,000

Cost reduction!!

ALL-In mindset

10x faster

Reduce every ounce of mass ***

SURGE.

The will to zen and simplicity:

On iPad, iPad Pro, look at your photos as thumbnail grid three images across, and simply use the small thumbnail test to flag and favorite your favorite photos.

Typically with composition, when you see your photos as small thumbnails, you should be able to quickly determine and ascertain which your compositions are strongest.