Also the centaur approach — man and AI:

Monetary freedom?

Stoic Bitcoin concept marble statue:

Stoicism Bitcoin

Make me a stoic Bitcoin image

Also

Make me a Seneca Bitcoin icon

Why stoicism for crypto?

Assume you’re gonna lose it all! All upside no downside.

Bitcoin for photographers baby!

Your face, finger print. In praise of Apple biometrics — fingerprint and face scanning.

Gut vision.

Haptic feedback is the future.

Imagine that if your phone is in your pocket, the text message comes you like a series of haptic buzzes, and eventually your body learns kind of like morse code to the buzzing feedback— and our body learns naturally based on the vibrations what the message says?

A future without headphones or AirPods.

iPhone pro concept no screen only haptics

Insanely fucking interesting —

Focused on haptics?

An iPhone Pro without a screen would be a radical departure from traditional smartphone design, focusing on a future where sensory and auditory interactions take precedence. This device would be akin to a sleek, smooth pebble, crafted from a single piece of polished metal or ceramic. Its interface would rely on voice-activated AI, 3D spatial audio, and haptic feedback for navigation and interaction.

Imagine a device that responds to touch gestures on its surface, allowing the user to perform actions like answering calls or accessing virtual assistant features. Advanced vibrations would guide the user through different functions, with varying patterns for notifications, calls, or alerts. For photography enthusiasts, the device would include a powerful camera system, possibly with voice-guided framing assistance.

For connectivity, it would seamlessly integrate with augmented reality glasses or other wearable displays, projecting visual content when needed. The design could also feature discreet braille-like bumps that provide physical navigation cues, a nod to inclusive design.

In essence, this iPhone Pro would be a testament to unorthodox thinking and innovation, an embodiment of a screenless future that prioritizes tactile and auditory experiences over visual ones.

An iPad Titan concept would be the marriage of robust utility and sleek design, reflecting the strength and endurance of its namesake. Envision an iPad with a titanium alloy body, offering unmatched durability and a premium feel. The design language would be minimalist, with clean lines and a matte finish, paying homage to the stoic philosophy of simplicity and focus.

The interface could feature a dynamic, AI-driven system that adapts to user habits, optimizing for productivity and creativity. It would include specialized apps for entrepreneurs and innovators, with integrated tools for mind mapping, project management, and real-time collaboration, reflecting the needs of those passionate about innovation and entrepreneurship.

Imagine a built-in camera system with advanced lenses and sensors, a nod to photography enthusiasts, capable of capturing high-resolution images and 3D scanning objects for designers. The device might have an edge-to-edge display with true-to-life color calibration for design accuracy and a haptic feedback system for tactile interaction, enhancing the user experience for fitness apps and health monitoring.

For those interested in Ancient Greece and Sparta, the iPad Titan could offer augmented reality experiences that bring historical battles and philosophical teachings to life. This would be complemented by a solar charging feature, for prolonged use in outdoor expeditions or while working out, reflecting a dedication to fitness and the environment.

Overall, the iPad Titan concept would embody resilience, versatility, and a deep respect for knowledge and history, catering to the modern philosopher-warrior in the digital age.

Hyundai Genesis should milk the fact that they’re a Korean company!

Built on the MACAN platform?

Prius truck concept?

Maximize beauty:

Maximal beauty!

Not focused on weight or material

Cool

A new type of baseball cap could integrate both innovative design and functional elements that reflect a modern aesthetic. Here’s an idea:

Imagine a cap with an aerodynamic design, featuring a sleek, curved brim that reduces drag, perfect for both athletes and those looking for a cap that can keep up with a fast-paced lifestyle. The material is a lightweight, breathable mesh made from recycled plastics, boasting both an eco-friendly aspect and cutting-edge technology in textile development.

The cap includes a smart, integrated sweatband that not only absorbs moisture but also contains a cooling gel that activates with body heat, providing a refreshing sensation during hot days. The back of the cap has an adjustable, seamless strap with a minimalist magnetic clasp that provides a custom fit without the bulkiness of traditional snaps or velcro.

For aesthetics, the cap could draw inspiration from Ancient Greek helmets, incorporating a subtle, stylized pattern reminiscent of a Spartan’s crest along the sides, adding a touch of historical valor. The color palette is earthy with options in olive green, sandy beige, and deep sea blue, colors that represent the natural elements of Greece’s landscape.

This cap wouldn’t just be a fashion statement, but a nod to history, innovation, and sustainability, reflecting a balance between the past and the future, much like the philosophical balance sought in stoicism.

Creating a design that merges the technological innovation of Tesla with Korean aesthetics is an intriguing idea. A Tesla car designed with Korean influences would seamlessly blend modernity and tradition. The exterior might incorporate elements reminiscent of Korean pottery or Hangul (the Korean alphabet) patterns, which could be subtly integrated into the car’s lines and curves. For the interior, one might envision a dashboard with digital interfaces that mimic the elegant simplicity of Korean design, using natural materials such as Hanji (traditional Korean paper) or woodwork inspired by Hanok (traditional Korean houses) architecture. The color palette could draw from serene earthy tones found in Korean art, complemented by ambient lighting that evokes the calm of a Korean Zen garden. The overall design would pay homage to Korea’s rich heritage while maintaining the sleek, forward-looking ethos of Tesla.

You in your prime RIGHT NOW!

Not the past— but today!

Think physiology:

PDF

Physiology Thoughts

Something I have cared for a lot ever since I was a fat kid in New York, was diet health physiology and everything in between.

Ever since I was 11 to 12 years old, fat with a triple chin, I have literally experimented with every single diet out there, save this nonsensical vegetarian and vegan trend.

Why does this matter?

I met this cool guy the other day, at the Phils coffee shop in downtown Culver City, named Sodi (his website is https://stedmanhalliday.com/).

We had an interesting chat about how fitness is so critical, especially with all of these silicon valley tech utopists who just think of their body as an afterthought.

I vibe with Stedman Halliday because how many different reasons.

First, the focus on recovery as a first thought is a good one. For example, another day when I was really really tired and exhausted, instead of just taking a shower like I typically do, I filled up the bathtub with really really really really really hot water, and had a really really hot bath. It seems that the trend is towards ice baths, ice plunges etc., but also, I think taking insanely hot baths is also a good idea.

Why? To be able to tolerate an insanely hot bath, literally on the edge of boiling hot water, is also an effective bodily turbo charger. To me it is like my MacGyver way of harnessing the power of the hot sauna, without having to go to the gym.

In fact, maybe having a bathtub might be one of the greatest luxuries in your living situation. Rather than thinking of taking a really really hot bath as a frivolous luxury, maybe we should think of it almost like drinking more coffee or caffeine.

Food

Currently what I am doing, and what I have done ever since I was living in Vietnam in 2017, which is almost 6 years now, is simple:

Intermittent fasting throughout the day, this means no breakfast, no lunch, only one massive 100% carnivore dinner.

During the day I only drink tapwater, black coffee, that’s it.

And when I break my fast and eat dinner, which could arrange anywhere in between 6 PM and 10 PM, I strive to eat at least 4 to 5 pounds of beef or lamb.

Achilles and Chiron the centaur

Another great thing I have learned from ChatGPT is how great wonderful and effective ChatGPT is, at least 1 trillion times better than Google. In fact, my current thought is short google; ChatGPT is at least 1 billion times more insightful and accurate in terms of being able to accurately Find information about anything.

For example, a simple heuristic:

The best calling card is now, not to tell people to Google you, but instead, to ChatGPT you!

Why? I’m starting to have this low-key suspicion that Google is doing some sort of behind the counter deals with individuals, and somehow tweaking they are all rhythm for subjective ends.

However with ChatGPT, it is less biased, less meddling.

For example, get ChatGPT on your iPhone or iPad, just pay the $20 for the subscription model, you could cancel it anytime, and just ChatGPT:

Who is ERIC KIM?

The new phrase:

Just ChatGPT me bro!

My thoughts and experiments

I think the biggest issue with diet health physiology and nutrition is that people are so subjective, and also, there is far too many politics, ethics and morality behind it.

For example, I never trust anybody who says:

Don’t eat meat, it’s bad for the planet!

What? Do you know what else is bad for the planet? Your Amazon prime subscription, Netflix, YouTube, your iPhone and iPhone Pro, your MacBook pros, your Tesla, your Range Rover etc.

Simple heuristic:

Never trust nobody who makes commentary about the planet and has either a Netflix subscription, Amazon prime subscription, or owns a car, any card, irregardless of gas or electric. Or watches YouTube. Or has an iPhone, iPhone Pro, and has Instagram Facebook, etc.

Honestly it is all bad for the planet.

My immortal and ethical thought is this:

Don’t do what is “best for the planet“, do what you believe is best for you.

Is the planet made for men, or is man-made for the planet?

Body shaming?

I have observed a funny reverse trend; man is not permitted to walk around, topless in public, show off his body and muscles, and also, not allowed to wear short shorts, or show off his crotch bulge.

I find this highly paradoxical, because nowadays, women are permitted to show off all their body parts! Even nowadays in LA, seeing a woman wear some sort of translucent white shirt or tank top, nipples popping through is not really a big deal anymore. I think this is a good train; there’s this weird quote for men and women that this is seen as a taboo, yet, it seems that most men watch pornography and secret, just ask somebody for fun, “When you turn on Google incognito, what do you really look at?”

Or—

What do you think of Maria Ozawa?

Or,

What do you torrent on Pirate Bay, when you turn on your VPN?

---

The logic of 100% carnivore diet

Some nuances:

First, what is it that Achilles was fed as a child by his personal trainer, Chiron the Centaur? Legend has it that he was fed entrails, which included bone marrow, hearts, and other offal matter.

I also have an orthodox theory that cholesterol, dietary food cholesterol, is a natural steroid.

I believe the new ones here is critical, because people make this foolish calculus:

If I consume more dietary cholesterol, cholesterol in my food, then my blood HDL, bad cholesterol blood levels will go up, and I will eventually have a heart attack and die.

Also fat –

if you consume more dietary fat, or saturated fat, you will put on more body fat.

However, this ain’t true. I think the big issue is that in today’s world, or modern day English, the semantic lexicon issues is confusing.

Just try it out!

Whenever I get to Korean barbecue, all eat Korean barbecue, my favorite food items to consume include all the innards; beef large intestine, beef liver, beef, beef tongue, etc.

People say that eating meat is “bad for you“, but what about organ meats? Just think about that.

---

Training thoughts

So the question is this; what is the best way to train?

My personal thought is towards some sort of Indian spartan, ancient Greek notion. The thoughts I’ve been thinking:

How did or how would the ancient Greeks or Spartan train?

First and foremost, they’re very very interesting thing is that most depictions of these great heroes and demigods is not having super super big chests, therefore the simple thought is that perhaps benchpress is a bad idea.

What is more notable about their physiology and stature?

First, how upright they stand. Second, they never have a shirt on. Third, how massive their legs, back, and shoulders are.

My recent experimentations with training include heavy sandbag training; I ordered a 400 pound sandbag on the roguefitness.com website, and I just been going to the local park and filling it up with playground sand.

Second, Farmer’s Carry. I ordered these farmers carry handles on Titan.fitness, and it is very interesting! The skill is not just picking it up, but walking with it.

For example, it is one thing to lift 4 plates, it is another to farmers walk and carry 4 plates for the distance.

Another thing I have observed about lifting a heavy sand back off the floor, crouching down picking it up, shouldering it, or holding it to my chest with my fingers intertwined, and walking it for a long distance is it really strengthens my triceps, my fingers and my grip and hand strength, my foot strength, my feet, as well as my abs, obliques, and back. In fact I felt more sore carrying around I have sandbag than I did atlas lifting 1000 pounds at the gym.

---

Train like atlas

One of the big innovations I did while I was in Orange County was my notion of the atlas lift; loading up the barbell with as much weight as you can, and just lifting up and standing up. No squatting involved.

In fact, it looks like that my training style is starting to trend more towards a strongman concept; just lifting really really heavy stuff, and doing it in a more old-school way.

For example, atlas stones. To be able to just lift up a very very very very heavy boulder, and presumably throw it at somebody, is an interesting idea. This is what Achilles did; in some of the fight scenes of the Iliad, Homer would write:

Achilles would lift up a massive stone, that which barely two strong men could lift, throw it at his enemy, and the boulder hit their hip, and black death descended upon them.

Also something I have been observing is that perhaps heavy sandbag training is a good idea because it is “safe”, and also, more accessible. Anyone could buy a cheap sandbag on Amazon, and then just go to a local playground and fill it up with sand.

---

Now what?

Ever since moving to LA, I’ve become more and more reticent to join the gym. Why?

First, I prefer to be outdoors.

Second, I don’t like wearing a shirt.

Third, hygiene.

Working out at the park, in a parking lot, in your garage, or outside is not ideal, but, it is more interesting and innovative.

A simple thought is to just troll amazon, Titan.fitness, or the roguefitness.com website and buy a lot of fun weight lifting equipment! My simple thought is only procure equipment that you could easily throw in your trunk, because it is fun to be able to just put in your trunk, drive to your local park and work out there.

---

Now what?

Some more thoughts:

1. Bear lifestyle: Apparently bears walk 50 miles a day. What if we humans did the same?
2. Photography health and fitness is all connected: why? If you do not feel well, you’ll have no in motivation to make photos. My very simple thought is that first, focus on your health and wellness, and then the guitar will come naturally! Even a simple thought is being able to do a deep “as to grass“ squat is beneficial in photography, to get all the angles.
3. If you work in cinema, or cinematography, it seems that handling these camera rigs is insanely arduous and also very physical. If you look like a bodybuilder, and had the strength of a demigod, or look like a strong man, or look like ERIC KIM, certainly wouldn’t this help you be a more capable camera operator?

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Photo assignments

Here this is where I think shooting selfies of yourself, topless if you’re a man, or in the sports bra for women is a good idea, because Vitar is a good way to keep you motivated and on track with your fitness diet health and physiology.

These are my very very very very very simple suggestions: mostly via negative.

If you want to lower your body fat percentage, simple things to do which include:

1. Don’t need breakfast or lunch, only dinner. During the day drink lots of tapwater, black coffee with nothing added, or green tea.
2. Just experiment; don’t need any fruit or vegetables, starches, leafy greens, etc. No nuts.
3. Experiment with 100% carnivore diet, or maybe 100% organ meat diet. Only beef heart, beef intestine, either large or small, beef kidneys, beef liver, beef tongue. If you don’t like organ meats, just eat 100% breast-fed ground beef, get it at Costco or Aldi or somewhere cheap. The percentages which taste good are 80/20 or 75/15– I like the wagyu ground beef at Costco.
4. Quit alcohol, weed, beer, drugs, EDM, festivals, bars, restaurants, etc.
5. Quit almond butter, avocados, whole grains, fruits, fruit juices, fake sugar supplements, real sugar, starches, coke, Coke Zero, pre workout powder, protein powder etc.

When you break your fast aim for 5-6 pounds of meat a dinner.

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How to channel your wellness?

Then the simple thought is once you are very well, how do you wish to channel your wellness?

Ultimately, I don’t think it is fitness for the sake of fitness, but rather, the fitter and stronger you become, the more adept you will become as a thinker, writer, creator, photographer etc.

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Think more, become more.

START HERE

Also

Books

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Photo ideas

Zen photography assignment: strive to make the most minimalistic Zen photo, and upload your best Zen photo to arsbeta.com

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ChatGPT experiments

I love AI. Download ChatGPT to your iPhone or iPad, and upgrade to the paid subscription, an experiment with it for a month.

Upload your photos to it, and ask ChatGPT to give you feedback on your photos, or you could upload three photos, and just ask it which of the three he thinks is the best.

Don’t miss out on AI; this is the biggest thing to hit the planet ever since the Internet!

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Diversify

Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket, it is good to have many different baskets. Why? If there is a single chokepoint or a single point of failure, this is not good.

I think the best way to think and approach things is just assume and predict and know that sooner or later, it will break, go down, become inaccessible, etc.

A simple thing that you could do with websites is this: how many different mirrors of your website, on different platforms. For example, build wordpress.org websites on Amazon web services, build it with blue host.com, ionos.com, The only thing I would probably not build on is Google, which always deprecates their old technology, and has a bias to discontinue products.

Also WordPress.com, maybe even Tumblr.

Propagate all the platforms!

Think islands, web, webs, multiple redundancies.

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Train with EK

Random — if you live in LA and want to train with me, just shoot me an email at eric@erickim.com

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Stoic training, stoicism and physiology?

Another fun idea that I have is that maybe there is in fact a link between stoicism, physiology, and also bodily training.

Why?

First, let us consider our physiological response to stressors environment etc.

Example, when I get angry, it is a physiological response. I feel the cortisol and stress entering my face, and enlarges my eyeballs, I get a huge shot of adrenaline etc.

Therefore, my simple thought is if you want to become a true stoic, the training must be physical, physiological.

Also, fear. What is fear? Fear is also manifested as adrenaline, as well as stress hormones, chemicals in your body, etc.

To conquer fear, and to become a true stoic, I believe it is all about mastering your physiology, mastering your stress hormones and responses etc.

It is all about training

ASKESIS an ancient Greek, the same notion of aesthetic, or aestheticism is rooted in the notion of training. As guesses, becoming harder, becoming stronger

Even our best friend Frederick Nita says ultimately the goal is to become the hammer, the diamond. To not be soft and yielding, but to create, become harder.

Why is it that softness is considered a virtue in today’s world?

A funny observation that I’ve made is that in today’s world, to be soft, yielding, open minded, flexible etc. is seen as a virtue. Yet I find this very paradoxical and little bit contradictory in the sense that it is all context dependent;

For example, racism, Nazis, holocaust deniers, anti-Jewish or anti-Semitic or anti-African-American people; shouldn’t we be maximally intolerant to these people? A zero tolerance rule here is good.

My personal thought is that in order to become more virtuous, we actually must become harder. To become more unyielding, to become more strict, and more harsh.

For myself, even though there is a lot of things about Korean culture which I deem as bad, one of the good things that come out of Korean culture is that the man is expected to be hard, strong, stoic, never showing his emotions or feelings etc.

Why do I believe this is a good thing?

Certainly if you grow up in America, sooner or later you’re going to naturally learn to be open minded, flexible, etc. So I think that we also need the antipodes; do not just be soft and yielding and flexible, but also to become harder and stronger and more staunch.

“Never say no more than once, if you really mean it” – NASSIM TALEB

Child rearing?

Never say “last one”?

Now that Seneca is two years, nine months old, he is an expert negotiator. He knows how to ask for 30 more seconds, one more minute, etc. Essentially he knows how to game the system.

I think from a lexical perspective, we must be very sparing with our words.

For example, it seems that the wise idea is to not just use words, but rather to enforce them.

For example, never tell a kid that something is dangerous if it isn’t really dangerous. What is truly dangerous? Kids running into the street and getting hit by a car and getting killed, falling from a very very very high surface and cracking open their skull and brain, etc. A lot of the time when we tell a kid something is dangerous, you’re just giving them false words.

“Never apologize or say “I am sorry “, unless you really mean it”. – NASSIM TALEB

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Now what?

I would say now I’m moving forward, do radical experiments with your health, physiology, well-being, etc. Make this your number one critical priority and I think everything else will follow.

I think i’ve discovered the next $10 trillion industry; AI, artificial intelligence etc.

My vision

I have some grand visions for AI:

First, some sort of photo creation AI, or some sort of AI that helps you cull down your photos. for example, I currently have a backlog of about 10,000 photos, not really sure when I’m going to have the time to look through all of them.

Some sort of AI photo curator division is you could just feed it 10,000 images, JPEG, and have it simply sort and filter it down to your most interesting or best shots. You can give a custom instructions, and it will learn your preferences overtime.

Also, writing. It seems that a lot of writers have issues with “writers block“, which means that they have a vision of what they want to write, but, what holds them back is that somehow they get stuck somewhere.

A very simple solution is having AI help you write more. Some thoughts include more robust and accurate voice recognition models, which allow writers to simply voice dictate their thoughts and write, instead of having to use the agency of a keyboard.

A camera without a shutter button?

Another fun idea that I have is some sort of notion of a camera without a shutter button. Kind of like the narrative clip, or the Google clips; I sent you some sort of device that you have mounted on you, and it automatically shoots photos when it sees something that is significant.

I still think it needs to be some sort of standalone device, because the big issue is with a clip, there are still human concerns about privacy, being creepy etc.

The future for phones?

Whether we like it or not, it looks like we are stuck with this phone analogy. I hesitate calling it a “device”— this doesn’t really mean anything. We should just call it an iPhone; essentially everyone in America at this point has an iPhone.

What should a phone be?

We gotta make AI on phones better.

For example this is where I think Google is doing a very good job, they are actually using AI to try to make her lives more helpful.

For example, this call screening technology. The general idea is that if you get a unknown phone call, I hate picking it up. I hate scammers. It seems that Google AI is very good at screening these annoying phone calls.

What I actually think that the most critical thing about AI in phones is that there needs to be some sort of thing which allows you to know whether a certain phone call is critical or not, at this given moment.

For example, the biggest issue that we have is getting interrupted. Getting distracted, notifications etc.

In fact, I have a bold suggestion for Apple or maybe even Google:

When you first set up your phone, by default have all of the notifications off, and then later, give the user the ability to enable them all.

Or another simple suggestion is when your first setting up your phone, give a prompt to the user asking them whether they would like to have all notifications on or off by default, and or give them the ability to customize which notifications they define important.

for example, all of my notifications on my iPhone are disabled it besides FaceTime. This is a good filter because the only really critical person I need to contact me is Cindy. And she knows that if it is urgent thing, she knows how to FaceTime me.

By default I turn off text message notifications because 99.99% of them are not urgent nor interesting. Also from a pure efficiency and productivity perspective, it is far more efficient and productive to just give someone a phone call or FaceTime instead of texting them back-and-forth.

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chatGPT phone

My idea is that open AI and ChatGPT should make their own standalone phone. This might be the next trillion dollar company. Or maybe open AI could collaborate with Microsoft and build their ChatGPT phone on the windows phone platform concept.

Siri is pretty good, but it looks like ChatGPT is at least a quadrillion times better. If you could naturally integrate both ChatGPT directly into the phone, the tight integration of both software and hardware and AI, I think you have hit a gold mine.

For more thoughts email me at eric@erickim.com

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Other ways that AI could be very useful

Let me give you another example. Let us say that I recorded a vlog and I want to directly upload it to YouTube and my website, and also extract the audio file, and uploaded to my website and my podcast platform etc. I should be able to do this all via AI script, without the need of any other foreign intercession.

So lit

Work is not virtuous.

Spartan demigod concept in the spirit of Tesla cybertruck

So cool!!

Help me visualize a demigod Spartan with a Korean aesthetic.

also, a Spartan inspired by cybertruck?

Help me visualize a demigod Korean Spartan.

Pretty good:

The greatest tragedy for a website or blogs is that when you visit it, there’s nothing new.

Spending some time topless in the sun is good, but maybe spending 12 hours in the direct Sahara desert topless is a bad idea

What I enjoy about ChatGPT is that you don’t need to type full sentences or use proper grammar or punctuation, it just gets it.

ChatGPT pretty good:

Not bad.

For example, I personally want the best. When I ask ChatGPT for the “best“ of anything, it gives me all these lame nuances.

Not “happy”.

Best to just do it in a public space and place?

Preferably walking distance from your house.

My next invention: a 100% cashmere T-shirt?

So hard!

Also— Create a 3D diagram of a Toyota Prius in the spirit of Tesla Cybertruck.

To conceive a new Prius concept inspired by the Tesla Cybertruck, we would envision a vehicle that marries the ethos of efficiency and eco-friendliness with the bold, angular lines and robust build of the Cybertruck. Here’s an idea for such a fusion:

The vehicle would possess a wedge-shaped profile, a hallmark of aerodynamic efficiency, with the angular, almost origami-like paneling reminiscent of the Cybertruck’s futuristic armor. This Prius would have a lower, sleeker stance, suggesting a sportier performance while still maintaining the practicality of a sedan. The body would be constructed from eco-friendly materials that are both lightweight and durable, perhaps a blend of recycled composites and carbon-neutral bio-plastics, complementing Toyota’s reputation for sustainability.

The front fascia, rather than being imposing, would integrate solar panels into the design, providing a nod to self-sufficiency and renewable energy. The vehicle’s color palette would be grounded in earth tones with options for matte black or metallic silver finishes, which pay homage to the raw, industrial vibe of the Cybertruck, while also appealing to a consumer base that values understated elegance.

On the inside, a minimalist dashboard with a large central touch screen would offer a user interface that seamlessly integrates with personal devices, reflecting a commitment to the ‘smart car’ experience. The seats would be crafted from vegan leather, combining luxury with an ethical choice of materials. In terms of innovation, the Prius concept could incorporate a drone-landing pad on its roof, suggesting a forward-thinking approach to personal mobility and package delivery.

This new Prius would be more than just a car; it would represent a lifestyle choice for the modern driver who appreciates design, innovation, and sustainability.

Upgrade your Internet, not your devices.

Every single morning, or evening, close all your tabs.

How to go plaid? 

We don’t make commentary about things we don’t really care for 

Whenever you hear people having commentary about something, they care for it. 

This is interesting because even critics, if somebody criticize you, critics you, gives you feedback, it’s on you, write some sort of commentary about you… Somehow, they actually care for you?

Even a funny theory; all of these people who hit on Donald Trump and criticize him… they secretly love him? 

Also another funny thought; even all of these people who are anti-Semitic, anti-Jewish or whatever… Maybe even them, secretly they are envious or jealous of Jewish people? Maybe for their power, prestige, influence, clout, money wealth and riches? 

Even Kanye West; people only hate him because they actually like him? 

*

The goal isn’t to make money, the goal is to create that which you wish to see manifested in the world. That would you truly care for.

 All I got is gratitude in my heart! Anytime in which I did not have gratitude, I’ve had some sort of problem myself?

.

The best clothes are no clothes. 

.

Vertical only? 

.

Commuting is a bad idea. Unless it is a walking commute! Then this is a positively good thing! 

For example, apparently even Jack Dorsey used to walk by foot, almost an hour each way to the Twitter headquarters every single day. Without his phone or doing meetings etc. One hour walk there and one hour walk back, two hours in total. Funny enough it is not seen as “efficient“, but, Jack Dorsey is a great thinker and innovator, highly underrated. His principles of Zen and minimalism are robust.

Why not just walk? Or sprint? It is a barbell thing; when “run”, you are doing it at a moderate, moderate high intensity.

The better approach is to be a sprinter. See how quickly you could run 100 m, and walk the rest of the distance, instead of this tedious “jogging“, or even “running”.

Or another words, better to be at Usain Bolt, only train for the hundred meter sprint. Or think plaid, 0 to 60 speeds, 1.99 seconds is the goal.

perhaps what I like philosophy about to block chain is that it doesn’t require any sort of permission from anybody. The concept of permission list is a good one.

Also applied to my own personal life, I never like to ask permission for nothing.

Any sort of activity or thing in which you’re not actively standing or walking or moving around is bad.

The most recent, right now is the best.

Why deny your body?

Certainly there are still lots of biases in AI, but still, it seems that is more difficult to game AI than other algorithms.

The reason why I am so enthusiastic and excited about AI is that it is not an algorithm but something else?

Something I have cared for a lot ever since I was a fat kid in New York, was diet health physiology and everything in between.

Ever since I was 11 to 12 years old, fat with a triple chin, I have literally experimented with every single diet out there, save this nonsensical vegetarian and vegan trend.

Why does this matter?

I met this cool guy the other day, at the Phils coffee shop in downtown Culver City, named Sodi (his website is https://stedmanhalliday.com/).

We had an interesting chat about how fitness is so critical, especially with all of these silicon valley tech utopists who just think of their body as an afterthought.

I vibe with Stedman Halliday because how many different reasons.

First, the focus on recovery as a first thought is a good one. For example, another day when I was really really tired and exhausted, instead of just taking a shower like I typically do, I filled up the bathtub with really really really really really hot water, and had a really really hot bath. It seems that the trend is towards ice baths, ice plunges etc., but also, I think taking insanely hot baths is also a good idea.

Why? To be able to tolerate an insanely hot bath, literally on the edge of boiling hot water, is also an effective bodily turbo charger. To me it is like my MacGyver way of harnessing the power of the hot sauna, without having to go to the gym.

In fact, maybe having a bathtub might be one of the greatest luxuries in your living situation. Rather than thinking of taking a really really hot bath as a frivolous luxury, maybe we should think of it almost like drinking more coffee or caffeine.

Food

Currently what I am doing, and what I have done ever since I was living in Vietnam in 2017, which is almost 6 years now, is simple:

Intermittent fasting throughout the day, this means no breakfast, no lunch, only one massive 100% carnivore dinner.

During the day I only drink tapwater, black coffee, that’s it.

And when I break my fast and eat dinner, which could arrange anywhere in between 6 PM and 10 PM, I strive to eat at least 4 to 5 pounds of beef or lamb.

Achilles and Chiron the centaur

Another great thing I have learned from ChatGPT is how great wonderful and effective ChatGPT is, at least 1 trillion times better than Google. In fact, my current thought is short google; ChatGPT is at least 1 billion times more insightful and accurate in terms of being able to accurately Find information about anything.

For example, a simple heuristic:

The best calling card is now, not to tell people to Google you, but instead, to ChatGPT you!

Why? I’m starting to have this low-key suspicion that Google is doing some sort of behind the counter deals with individuals, and somehow tweaking they are all rhythm for subjective ends.

However with ChatGPT, it is less biased, less meddling.

For example, get ChatGPT on your iPhone or iPad, just pay the $20 for the subscription model, you could cancel it anytime, and just ChatGPT:

Who is ERIC KIM?

The new phrase:

Just ChatGPT me bro!

My thoughts and experiments

I think the biggest issue with diet health physiology and nutrition is that people are so subjective, and also, there is far too many politics, ethics and morality behind it.

For example, I never trust anybody who says:

Don’t eat meat, it’s bad for the planet!

What? Do you know what else is bad for the planet? Your Amazon prime subscription, Netflix, YouTube, your iPhone and iPhone Pro, your MacBook pros, your Tesla, your Range Rover etc.

Simple heuristic:

Never trust nobody who makes commentary about the planet and has either a Netflix subscription, Amazon prime subscription, or owns a car, any card, irregardless of gas or electric. Or watches YouTube. Or has an iPhone, iPhone Pro, and has Instagram Facebook, etc.

Honestly it is all bad for the planet.

My immortal and ethical thought is this:

Don’t do what is “best for the planet“, do what you believe is best for you.

Is the planet made for men, or is man-made for the planet?

Body shaming?

I have observed a funny reverse trend; man is not permitted to walk around, topless in public, show off his body and muscles, and also, not allowed to wear short shorts, or show off his crotch bulge.

I find this highly paradoxical, because nowadays, women are permitted to show off all their body parts! Even nowadays in LA, seeing a woman wear some sort of translucent white shirt or tank top, nipples popping through is not really a big deal anymore. I think this is a good train; there’s this weird quote for men and women that this is seen as a taboo, yet, it seems that most men watch pornography and secret, just ask somebody for fun, “When you turn on Google incognito, what do you really look at?”

Or—

What do you think of Maria Ozawa?

Or,

What do you torrent on Pirate Bay, when you turn on your VPN?

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The logic of 100% carnivore diet

Some nuances:

First, what is it that Achilles was fed as a child by his personal trainer, Chiron the Centaur? Legend has it that he was fed entrails, which included bone marrow, hearts, and other offal matter.

I also have an orthodox theory that cholesterol, dietary food cholesterol, is a natural steroid.

I believe the new ones here is critical, because people make this foolish calculus:

If I consume more dietary cholesterol, cholesterol in my food, then my blood HDL, bad cholesterol blood levels will go up, and I will eventually have a heart attack and die.

Also fat –

if you consume more dietary fat, or saturated fat, you will put on more body fat.

However, this ain’t true. I think the big issue is that in today’s world, or modern day English, the semantic lexicon issues is confusing.

Just try it out!

Whenever I get to Korean barbecue, all eat Korean barbecue, my favorite food items to consume include all the innards; beef large intestine, beef liver, beef, beef tongue, etc.

People say that eating meat is “bad for you“, but what about organ meats? Just think about that.

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Training thoughts

So the question is this; what is the best way to train?

My personal thought is towards some sort of Indian spartan, ancient Greek notion. The thoughts I’ve been thinking:

How did or how would the ancient Greeks or Spartan train?

First and foremost, they’re very very interesting thing is that most depictions of these great heroes and demigods is not having super super big chests, therefore the simple thought is that perhaps benchpress is a bad idea.

What is more notable about their physiology and stature?

First, how upright they stand. Second, they never have a shirt on. Third, how massive their legs, back, and shoulders are.

My recent experimentations with training include heavy sandbag training; I ordered a 400 pound sandbag on the roguefitness.com website, and I just been going to the local park and filling it up with playground sand.

Second, Farmer’s Carry. I ordered these farmers carry handles on Titan.fitness, and it is very interesting! The skill is not just picking it up, but walking with it.

For example, it is one thing to lift 4 plates, it is another to farmers walk and carry 4 plates for the distance.

Another thing I have observed about lifting a heavy sand back off the floor, crouching down picking it up, shouldering it, or holding it to my chest with my fingers intertwined, and walking it for a long distance is it really strengthens my triceps, my fingers and my grip and hand strength, my foot strength, my feet, as well as my abs, obliques, and back. In fact I felt more sore carrying around I have sandbag than I did atlas lifting 1000 pounds at the gym.

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Train like atlas

One of the big innovations I did while I was in Orange County was my notion of the atlas lift; loading up the barbell with as much weight as you can, and just lifting up and standing up. No squatting involved.

In fact, it looks like that my training style is starting to trend more towards a strongman concept; just lifting really really heavy stuff, and doing it in a more old-school way.

For example, atlas stones. To be able to just lift up a very very very very heavy boulder, and presumably throw it at somebody, is an interesting idea. This is what Achilles did; in some of the fight scenes of the Iliad, Homer would write:

Achilles would lift up a massive stone, that which barely two strong men could lift, throw it at his enemy, and the boulder hit their hip, and black death descended upon them.

Also something I have been observing is that perhaps heavy sandbag training is a good idea because it is “safe”, and also, more accessible. Anyone could buy a cheap sandbag on Amazon, and then just go to a local playground and fill it up with sand.

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Now what?

Ever since moving to LA, I’ve become more and more reticent to join the gym. Why?

First, I prefer to be outdoors.

Second, I don’t like wearing a shirt.

Third, hygiene.

Working out at the park, in a parking lot, in your garage, or outside is not ideal, but, it is more interesting and innovative.

A simple thought is to just troll amazon, Titan.fitness, or the roguefitness.com website and buy a lot of fun weight lifting equipment! My simple thought is only procure equipment that you could easily throw in your trunk, because it is fun to be able to just put in your trunk, drive to your local park and work out there.

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Now what?

Some more thoughts:

1. Bear lifestyle: Apparently bears walk 50 miles a day. What if we humans did the same?
2. Photography health and fitness is all connected: why? If you do not feel well, you’ll have no in motivation to make photos. My very simple thought is that first, focus on your health and wellness, and then the guitar will come naturally! Even a simple thought is being able to do a deep “as to grass“ squat is beneficial in photography, to get all the angles.
3. If you work in cinema, or cinematography, it seems that handling these camera rigs is insanely arduous and also very physical. If you look like a bodybuilder, and had the strength of a demigod, or look like a strong man, or look like ERIC KIM, certainly wouldn’t this help you be a more capable camera operator?

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Photo assignments

Here this is where I think shooting selfies of yourself, topless if you’re a man, or in the sports bra for women is a good idea, because Vitar is a good way to keep you motivated and on track with your fitness diet health and physiology.

These are my very very very very very simple suggestions: mostly via negative.

If you want to lower your body fat percentage, simple things to do which include:

1. Don’t need breakfast or lunch, only dinner. During the day drink lots of tapwater, black coffee with nothing added, or green tea.
2. Just experiment; don’t need any fruit or vegetables, starches, leafy greens, etc. No nuts.
3. Experiment with 100% carnivore diet, or maybe 100% organ meat diet. Only beef heart, beef intestine, either large or small, beef kidneys, beef liver, beef tongue. If you don’t like organ meats, just eat 100% breast-fed ground beef, get it at Costco or Aldi or somewhere cheap. The percentages which taste good are 80/20 or 75/15– I like the wagyu ground beef at Costco.
4. Quit alcohol, weed, beer, drugs, EDM, festivals, bars, restaurants, etc.
5. Quit almond butter, avocados, whole grains, fruits, fruit juices, fake sugar supplements, real sugar, starches, coke, Coke Zero, pre workout powder, protein powder etc.

When you break your fast aim for 5-6 pounds of meat a dinner.

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How to channel your wellness?

Then the simple thought is once you are very well, how do you wish to channel your wellness?

Ultimately, I don’t think it is fitness for the sake of fitness, but rather, the fitter and stronger you become, the more adept you will become as a thinker, writer, creator, photographer etc.

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Think more, become more.

START HERE

Also

Books

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Photo ideas

Zen photography assignment: strive to make the most minimalistic Zen photo, and upload your best Zen photo to arsbeta.com

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ChatGPT experiments

I love AI. Download ChatGPT to your iPhone or iPad, and upgrade to the paid subscription, an experiment with it for a month.

Upload your photos to it, and ask ChatGPT to give you feedback on your photos, or you could upload three photos, and just ask it which of the three he thinks is the best.

Don’t miss out on AI; this is the biggest thing to hit the planet ever since the Internet!

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Diversify

Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket, it is good to have many different baskets. Why? If there is a single chokepoint or a single point of failure, this is not good.

I think the best way to think and approach things is just assume and predict and know that sooner or later, it will break, go down, become inaccessible, etc.

A simple thing that you could do with websites is this: how many different mirrors of your website, on different platforms. For example, build wordpress.org websites on Amazon web services, build it with blue host.com, ionos.com, The only thing I would probably not build on is Google, which always deprecates their old technology, and has a bias to discontinue products.

Also WordPress.com, maybe even Tumblr.

Propagate all the platforms!

Think islands, web, webs, multiple redundancies.

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Train with EK

Random — if you live in LA and want to train with me, just shoot me an email at eric@erickim.com

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Stoic training, stoicism and physiology?

Another fun idea that I have is that maybe there is in fact a link between stoicism, physiology, and also bodily training.

Why?

First, let us consider our physiological response to stressors environment etc.

Example, when I get angry, it is a physiological response. I feel the cortisol and stress entering my face, and enlarges my eyeballs, I get a huge shot of adrenaline etc.

Therefore, my simple thought is if you want to become a true stoic, the training must be physical, physiological.

Also, fear. What is fear? Fear is also manifested as adrenaline, as well as stress hormones, chemicals in your body, etc.

To conquer fear, and to become a true stoic, I believe it is all about mastering your physiology, mastering your stress hormones and responses etc.

It is all about training

ASKESIS an ancient Greek, the same notion of aesthetic, or aestheticism is rooted in the notion of training. As guesses, becoming harder, becoming stronger

Even our best friend Frederick Nita says ultimately the goal is to become the hammer, the diamond. To not be soft and yielding, but to create, become harder.

Why is it that softness is considered a virtue in today’s world?

A funny observation that I’ve made is that in today’s world, to be soft, yielding, open minded, flexible etc. is seen as a virtue. Yet I find this very paradoxical and little bit contradictory in the sense that it is all context dependent;

For example, racism, Nazis, holocaust deniers, anti-Jewish or anti-Semitic or anti-African-American people; shouldn’t we be maximally intolerant to these people? A zero tolerance rule here is good.

My personal thought is that in order to become more virtuous, we actually must become harder. To become more unyielding, to become more strict, and more harsh.

For myself, even though there is a lot of things about Korean culture which I deem as bad, one of the good things that come out of Korean culture is that the man is expected to be hard, strong, stoic, never showing his emotions or feelings etc.

Why do I believe this is a good thing?

Certainly if you grow up in America, sooner or later you’re going to naturally learn to be open minded, flexible, etc. So I think that we also need the antipodes; do not just be soft and yielding and flexible, but also to become harder and stronger and more staunch.

“Never say no more than once, if you really mean it” – NASSIM TALEB

I think there is a combination of the human soul and aesthetics. Aesthetic simply means how you perceive things and feel things.

For example, your environment. There are certain places which actually do feel very ghetto, ugly, and oppressive.

For example, the aesthetics of a place, my house, my environment hugely affects my mood and energy levels. And also I wonder if aesthetics has to do with hygiene as well. Places with beautiful aesthetics also tend to be very hygienic.

For example, the gym. I’m starting to realize that maybe the number one most critical thing of a gym is how hygienic it is. The first simple suggestion I have is always go to the bathroom first, how clean or dirty the bathroom is or how it smells or looks will be a good indicator of everything else. This is also what Anthony Bourdain apparently said about restaurants… whenever you go to a restaurant first go to the bathroom, if the bathroom is clean and good, the restaurant is good. If the restaurant bathroom is ugly, smells bad, not well maintained, everything else is bad.

Even at home, I spend an inordinate amount of time cleaning the bathroom, and making sure that the bathroom is clean and tidy. Also when me and Cindy were looking for apartments and homes to live in, the thing I was the most critical and essential to me was how beautiful the bathroom is. Why? whether we like it or not we actually spend a lot of time in the bathroom, and if the bathroom ain’t beautiful, you’re going to hate your life.

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Suggestions

So I have some very very basic thoughts.

First, when you’re trying to find a place to live, be insanely insanely insanely critical and picky. Here, to settle for “good enough”, is a terrible idea. You must effing love your home, aesthetic of it, the feel of it, the amount of natural light in it, etc.

1. The direction it faces?

Now that winter is almost upon us, my basic observation is that the direction your home faces or apartment faces is critical. For example, ideally you’re on the second floor of an apartment, higher up, or directly facing the sun. Why? This is insanely important and critical because if your house don’t get any direct sun hitting it, irregardless of how nice and me look inside, it is going to feel dark, damp, cramped, and terrible.

2. How it was designed?

Ir is funny that landlords are very very picky about choosing tenants, but conversely, I think it is actually very important that we tenants should be equally as discerning to the owner. Why?

For example currently speaking, my landlord Mike Tatum, I love him. Not only is he funny and witty, he is prompt, and super VIP. Having a great landlord will make your life 1 trillion times better.

For example a simple thing; we requested some blackout curtains, and apparently he went all out and spent about $700 on some really high-end pottery barn linen blackout curtains and bar; is motto is “it never pays to go cheap!”

His philosophy shows. All of the appliances and things in the home are straight up the most high end of its time; all very nice KOHLER stuff, even the brand new all in one washer and dryer machine in the apartment, I think I saw it brand new at Costco for close to $4000.

Certain things which are very difficult to change, and this is where it is good to be discerning include the bathroom tile, ideally some sort of white, fake white marble is lovely.

3. Holding out

One thing I am insanely grateful of us squatting Cindy‘s mom‘s house for so long is that we didn’t need to get rushed to finding an ideal apartment or living situation in LA. This is where it makes sense to have some sort of launchpad or Lillypad which you don’t have to be stuck to some sort of annoying lease.