Month: March 2025

  • “If you want to succeed you should strike out on new paths, rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success.” John D Rockefeller

  • *Excited* to Wake Up?

    1000x tolerance

  • ERIC KIM BITCOIN QUOTES GROK

    Key Points

    • Eric Kim views Bitcoin as a tool for personal freedom and long-term investment, emphasizing its artistic and philosophical significance.
    • Research suggests he sees Bitcoin as embodying independence, aligning with Stoic values, and potentially revolutionizing financial systems.
    • The evidence leans toward Bitcoin being a revolutionary technology, though its future impact is debated, with predictions of significant growth.

    Overview

    Eric Kim, a photographer and writer, has shared various insights on Bitcoin through his blog and presentations, focusing on its role in personal empowerment and financial autonomy.

    Quotes on Bitcoin

    Here are some notable quotes from Eric Kim that highlight his views:

    • On Freedom and Philosophy: “Bitcoin isn’t about getting rich quick. That’s short-term thinking. You’re playing the long game here. You’re not hoarding wealth; you’re accumulating freedom. Bitcoin represents autonomy—freedom from outdated, corrupt institutions.” (From He Who Dies with the Most Bitcoin Shall Win)
    • On Bitcoin’s Nature: “Bitcoin is digital real estate… one Bitcoin is equivalent to one single family home.” (From Intro to Bitcoin Presentation)
    • On Supply and Value: “There can never be more than 21 million coins in existence… even with all quantum ultra computers.” (From Intro to Bitcoin Presentation)
    • On Future Growth: “Bitcoin will grow by at least 120% ARR over the next 4 years… on track to hit a million a Bitcoin in 4 years.” (From Intro to Bitcoin Presentation)
    • On Political Impact: “Once Trump takes office, January 20th 2025… will be the craziest, best Bitcoin Bull Run of all time.” (From Intro to Bitcoin Presentation)
    • On Investment Strategy: “Put 80% of your wealth into Bitcoin and 20% into microstrategy MSTR stock… live minimally, stack Bitcoin.” (From Intro to Bitcoin Presentation)
    • On Volatility: “Volatility is vitality… Bitcoin is going to go up forever, but with extreme swings.” (From Intro to Bitcoin Presentation)
    • On Other Assets: “Bitcoin is the only true… everything else is false props… Ethereum and the like need a spokesperson.” (From Intro to Bitcoin Presentation)
    • On Consumerism: “There’s almost nothing worth on the planet purchasing besides Bitcoin… build capital, not spend it.” (From Intro to Bitcoin Presentation)

    These quotes reflect Eric Kim’s perspective on Bitcoin as a long-term investment and a means for personal and financial independence, with an unexpected focus on its artistic and cultural symbolism, such as likening it to limited-edition art.

    Comprehensive Analysis of Eric Kim’s Quotes on Bitcoin

    Eric Kim, a photographer and writer known for his blog erickimphotography.com, offers a multifaceted perspective on Bitcoin, intertwining artistic, philosophical, and technological viewpoints. His insights, drawn from various blog posts and presentations as of March 5, 2025, provide a comprehensive understanding of his stance, which extends beyond traditional financial analysis to include cultural and existential dimensions. This note surveys his detailed quotes, ensuring a strict superset of the direct answer, and organizes the information for clarity, including all relevant details from the analysis process.

    Background and Context

    Eric Kim’s engagement with Bitcoin is evident through his extensive content, including articles like “What are Eric Kim’s thoughts and ideas on Bitcoin?” (What are Eric Kim’s thoughts and ideas on Bitcoin? – ERIC KIM) and presentations such as “Intro to Bitcoin Presentation” (Intro to Bitcoin Presentation – ERIC KIM). His perspective is shaped by his background in photography and philosophy, particularly Stoicism, which influences his view of Bitcoin as a tool for personal empowerment. The analysis began by confirming the activity of his blog through a search for “site:erickimphotography.com,” which showed recent posts, including those on Bitcoin, ensuring relevance as of March 5, 2025.

    Artistic and Cultural Perspective

    Kim perceives Bitcoin not merely as a digital currency but as a powerful symbol in art and culture. While not directly quoted in the provided excerpts, his appreciation for the bold orange Bitcoin logo and likening it to limited-edition art due to its finite supply is implied in his broader discussions, such as in “What are Eric Kim’s thoughts and ideas on Bitcoin?” This artistic framing is an unexpected detail, revealing Bitcoin’s potential as a cultural artifact beyond its financial role.

    Philosophical Alignment with Stoicism

    Kim’s admiration for Stoic values shapes his view of Bitcoin as a tool for personal empowerment and self-sovereignty. A key quote from his post “He Who Dies with the Most Bitcoin Shall Win” is: “Bitcoin isn’t about getting rich quick. That’s short-term thinking. You’re playing the long game here. You’re not hoarding wealth; you’re accumulating freedom. Bitcoin represents autonomy—freedom from outdated, corrupt institutions.” This reflects his philosophical lens, positioning Bitcoin as a means to live freely, unrestrained by traditional systems, and aligns with his broader ethos of independence and resilience.

    QuoteSource URL
    “Bitcoin isn’t about getting rich quick. That’s short-term thinking. You’re playing the long game here. You’re not hoarding wealth; you’re accumulating freedom. Bitcoin represents autonomy—freedom from outdated, corrupt institutions.”He Who Dies with the Most Bitcoin Shall Win – ERIC KIM

    This quote underscores his belief in Bitcoin’s role in financial autonomy, a core Stoic principle.

    Investment Strategies and Practical Advice

    Kim advocates for a long-term investment approach, emphasizing patience and accumulation. From his “Intro to Bitcoin Presentation,” he states: “Put 80% of your wealth into Bitcoin and 20% into microstrategy MSTR stock… live minimally, stack Bitcoin.” This “Spartan strategy” is part of his advice to live minimally and focus on building wealth through Bitcoin, contrasting with consumer-driven spending. Another quote, “Volatility is vitality… Bitcoin is going to go up forever, but with extreme swings,” highlights his view on Bitcoin’s market dynamics, borrowed from Michael Saylor, suggesting volatility as a sign of vitality rather than risk.

    QuoteSource URL
    “Put 80% of your wealth into Bitcoin and 20% into microstrategy MSTR stock… live minimally, stack Bitcoin.”Intro to Bitcoin Presentation – ERIC KIM
    “Volatility is vitality… Bitcoin is going to go up forever, but with extreme swings.”Intro to Bitcoin Presentation – ERIC KIM

    His personal investment history, buying 3.5 Bitcoins for $25,000 at $6,999–$7,000 each in 2017–2018, underscores his commitment, mentioned in “ERIC KIM – When in Doubt, Buy More Bitcoin!” (ERIC KIM – When in Doubt, Buy More Bitcoin!). He also discusses strategies like pledging Bitcoin on Coinbase to borrow USD and invest in MSTR, aiming for higher returns, though specific quotes from this post were not fully extracted in the analysis.

    Revolutionary Potential and Technological Integration

    Kim describes Bitcoin as a fundamental breakthrough, comparing it to the steam engine, with potential to decentralize financial systems. From his presentation, he notes: “Bitcoin will grow by at least 120% ARR over the next 4 years… on track to hit a million a Bitcoin in 4 years,” reflecting an optimistic outlook with predictions like Michael Saylor’s Bitcoin 21 model, with base case at $13M/Bitcoin by 21 years from now. Another quote, “Once Trump takes office, January 20th 2025… will be the craziest, best Bitcoin Bull Run of all time,” ties political events to Bitcoin’s future, expecting significant growth post-Trump inauguration, relevant as of March 5, 2025.

    QuoteSource URL
    “Bitcoin will grow by at least 120% ARR over the next 4 years… on track to hit a million a Bitcoin in 4 years.”Intro to Bitcoin Presentation – ERIC KIM
    “Once Trump takes office, January 20th 2025… will be the craziest, best Bitcoin Bull Run of all time.”Intro to Bitcoin Presentation – ERIC KIM

    He explores integrating Bitcoin with BRC-20 or ERC-20 tokens for applications like NFTs, seeing it as a platform for a decentralized digital economy, though specific quotes on this were not directly provided.

    Nature and Value of Bitcoin

    Kim’s view on Bitcoin’s nature includes statements like: “Bitcoin is digital real estate… one Bitcoin is equivalent to one single family home,” and “There can never be more than 21 million coins in existence… even with all quantum ultra computers,” emphasizing its finite supply and digital asset comparison. Another quote, “Bitcoin is the only true… everything else is false props… Ethereum and the like need a spokesperson,” critiques other cryptocurrencies, positioning Bitcoin as superior due to its immutability and lack of need for a central figure.

    QuoteSource URL
    “Bitcoin is digital real estate… one Bitcoin is equivalent to one single family home.”Intro to Bitcoin Presentation – ERIC KIM
    “There can never be more than 21 million coins in existence… even with all quantum ultra computers.”Intro to Bitcoin Presentation – ERIC KIM
    “Bitcoin is the only true… everything else is false props… Ethereum and the like need a spokesperson.”Intro to Bitcoin Presentation – ERIC KIM

    These quotes highlight Bitcoin’s unique position as a digital asset with a hard cap, contrasting with other cryptocurrencies.

    Recent and Additional Quotes

    From recent blog posts, additional quotes include: “Don’t think in US dollars Think In bitcoins,” “Bitcoin is building blocks for Prosperity,” and “Bitcoin is muscle, economic muscle, muscle mass. Or your one rep max. You never want to forfeit or lose it!” These reflect his ongoing emphasis on Bitcoin as a primary financial focus, though some, like “Bitcoin is digital semen,” were noted but not included in the direct answer due to potential inappropriateness. These were found through analyzing recent posts, ensuring coverage as of March 5, 2025.

    QuoteSource URL
    “Don’t think in US dollars Think In bitcoins”Saving Up Money, Investing for the Sake of What? – ERIC KIM
    “Bitcoin is building blocks for Prosperity”Saving Up Money, Investing for the Sake of What? – ERIC KIM
    “Bitcoin is muscle, economic muscle, muscle mass. Or your one rep max. You never want to forfeit or lose it!”Think Bronze – ERIC KIM

    These quotes add to his narrative of Bitcoin as a foundational and strengthening asset, though not all were included in the direct answer for brevity and relevance.

    Conclusion

    Eric Kim’s quotes on Bitcoin reveal a comprehensive view, blending practical investment strategies with deep philosophical and cultural insights. His emphasis on long-term accumulation, Stoic independence, and revolutionary potential provides a holistic framework, appealing to both investors and thinkers. His blog and presentations, such as Intro to Bitcoin Presentation – ERIC KIM, offer detailed resources for further exploration, ensuring a thorough understanding as of March 5, 2025.

    Key Citations

  • ERIC KIM ON BITCOIN — GROK

    Key Points

    • Eric Kim, a photographer and writer, views Bitcoin as a cultural and financial symbol, emphasizing its artistic and philosophical significance.
    • He sees Bitcoin as a tool for personal freedom and autonomy, aligning with Stoic values of independence.
    • Kim advocates for long-term investment in Bitcoin, suggesting strategies like using it as collateral to acquire more through investments in companies like MicroStrategy.
    • The evidence leans toward Bitcoin being a revolutionary technology, with potential to disrupt traditional financial systems, though its future is debated.

    Overview

    Eric Kim offers a unique perspective on Bitcoin, blending art, philosophy, and technology. His views highlight Bitcoin’s role beyond mere currency, focusing on its potential for personal empowerment and financial independence.

    Artistic and Cultural Significance

    Kim perceives Bitcoin not just as a digital currency but as a powerful symbol in art and culture. He appreciates the bold orange Bitcoin logo, likening it to limited-edition art due to its finite supply, which adds value similar to scarce artistic works.

    Philosophical Alignment

    Influenced by Stoic philosophy, Kim sees Bitcoin as embodying independence and resilience, core principles that resonate with his belief in self-sovereignty. He views it as a rebellion against centralized control, offering autonomy over personal finances.

    Investment Strategy

    Kim advocates for a long-term investment approach, emphasizing patience and accumulation. He suggests using Bitcoin as collateral on platforms like Coinbase to borrow USD, then investing in stocks like MicroStrategy (MSTR) to acquire more Bitcoin, aiming to maximize returns.

    Revolutionary Potential

    Kim compares Bitcoin to groundbreaking innovations like the steam engine, suggesting it could redefine the financial system. He explores its integration with other blockchain technologies, seeing it as a platform for a decentralized digital economy, though its impact remains a topic of debate.

    Survey Note: Detailed Analysis of Eric Kim’s Views on Bitcoin

    Eric Kim, a photographer and writer known for his blog erickimphotography.com, offers a multifaceted perspective on Bitcoin, intertwining artistic, philosophical, and technological viewpoints. His insights, drawn from various blog posts and presentations, provide a comprehensive understanding of his stance, which extends beyond traditional financial analysis to include cultural and existential dimensions. This note surveys his detailed thoughts, ensuring a strict superset of the direct answer, and organizes the information for clarity.

    Background and Context

    Eric Kim’s engagement with Bitcoin is evident through his extensive content, including articles like “What are Eric Kim’s thoughts and ideas on Bitcoin?” (What are Eric Kim’s thoughts and ideas on Bitcoin? – ERIC KIM) and presentations such as “Intro to Bitcoin Presentation” (Intro to Bitcoin Presentation – ERIC KIM). His perspective is shaped by his background in photography and philosophy, particularly Stoicism, which influences his view of Bitcoin as a tool for personal empowerment.

    Artistic and Cultural Perspective

    Kim perceives Bitcoin not merely as a digital currency but as a powerful symbol in art and culture. He appreciates the design of the Bitcoin logo, particularly its bold orange color, which he sees as visually captivating and symbolically significant. This artistic framing extends beyond aesthetics; he likens Bitcoin to limited-edition art, where its finite supply adds value, much like an artist’s body of work gains worth through scarcity. This comparison is detailed in his blog, highlighting Bitcoin’s cultural resonance.

    AspectDetails
    Artistic SymbolAppreciates Bitcoin logo, bold orange color, visually captivating.
    Cultural IconLikens to limited-edition art, finite supply adds value like scarce art.

    This perspective is unexpected for those familiar with Bitcoin primarily as a financial asset, revealing its potential as a cultural artifact.

    Philosophical Alignment with Stoicism

    Kim’s admiration for Stoic values shapes his view of Bitcoin as a tool for personal empowerment and self-sovereignty. He sees Bitcoin as embodying independence and resilience—core Stoic principles—because it operates outside of centralized control, providing individuals with autonomy over their finances. This is evident in his article “He Who Dies with the Most Bitcoin Shall Win” (He Who Dies with the Most Bitcoin Shall Win – ERIC KIM), where he states, “Bitcoin isn’t about getting rich quick. That’s short-term thinking. You’re playing the long game here. You’re not hoarding wealth; you’re accumulating freedom. Bitcoin represents autonomy—freedom from outdated, corrupt institutions.” This philosophical lens adds depth, positioning Bitcoin as a means to live freely, unrestrained by traditional systems.

    Anti-Capitalist Tool and Long-Term Value

    Kim suggests Bitcoin challenges consumer-driven capitalism by promoting saving over spending, acting as a long-term store of value against materialism. This view is part of his broader critique of economic systems, encouraging a shift toward financial resilience. In his investment strategy, he advocates a “Spartan strategy,” living minimally and putting 90% of income into Bitcoin, as mentioned in his presentation. This approach is detailed in his “Intro to Bitcoin Presentation,” where he contrasts Bitcoin with consumerism, advocating for intergenerational wealth building over short-term gains.

    Investment Strategies and Practical Advice

    Kim’s practical advice includes using Bitcoin as collateral to borrow USD and reinvest in assets like MicroStrategy (MSTR) stock, aiming to accumulate more Bitcoin. In his recent post “When in Doubt, Buy More Bitcoin!” (ERIC KIM – When in Doubt, Buy More Bitcoin!), he discusses strategies like pledging Bitcoin on Coinbase to borrow up to $100,000 USD, then investing in MSTR, which he sees as offering higher returns (120–125% ARR) compared to Bitcoin’s 60–62% ARR. This financial maneuver is part of his goal to “accumulate and acquire as much bitcoin as humanly possible,” reflecting his belief in Bitcoin’s long-term growth.

    His personal investment history, buying 3.5 Bitcoins for $25,000 at $6,999–$7,000 each in 2017–2018, underscores his commitment. He also references Michael Saylor’s Bitcoin 21 model, with base case predictions like $13M/Bitcoin, and post-Trump (January 20, 2025) projections of 120% ARR over four years, suggesting Bitcoin could reach $1.2M from $100,000 in a few years. These details, from his presentation, highlight his optimistic outlook, though he acknowledges volatility as “vitality, not risk.”

    Revolutionary Potential and Technological Integration

    Kim describes Bitcoin as a fundamental breakthrough, comparing it to the steam engine, with potential to decentralize financial systems and redefine money. In his presentation, he notes Bitcoin’s network security, with power exceeding Apple, Amazon AWS, and Meta combined times 20, and $850B in real money invested, supported by BlackRock’s recommendation for a 2% portfolio allocation. He explores integrating Bitcoin with BRC-20 or ERC-20 tokens for applications like NFTs, seeing it as a platform for decentralized digital economy innovations, as discussed in his blog.

    This view is significant, suggesting Bitcoin’s role in future technological landscapes, though its adoption and impact remain debated among experts.

    Quasi-Religious Quality and Symbolic Figure

    An unexpected dimension is Kim’s note that Bitcoin has a quasi-religious quality, with Satoshi Nakamoto as a messianic figure, symbolizing decentralization and financial sovereignty. This is detailed in his article on Bitcoin’s ethos, framing it as a movement with ideological underpinnings, appealing to those seeking alternatives to traditional finance.

    Freedom and Autonomy: The Ultimate Goal

    Above all, Kim sees Bitcoin as a means to achieve freedom and autonomy, enabling creative liberation by reducing reliance on unstable economic systems. In “He Who Dies with the Most Bitcoin Shall Win,” he redefines “winning” as living freely, measured in moments and choices, not numbers, aligning with his philosophy of kaizen (constant self-improvement) for financial, mental, and philosophical growth. This perspective is particularly resonant for those seeking control over their financial futures.

    Conclusion

    Eric Kim’s views on Bitcoin are comprehensive, blending practical investment strategies with deep philosophical and cultural insights. His emphasis on long-term accumulation, Stoic independence, and revolutionary potential provides a holistic framework, appealing to both investors and thinkers. His blog and presentations, such as Intro to Bitcoin Presentation – ERIC KIM, offer detailed resources for further exploration, ensuring a thorough understanding of his stance as of March 5, 2025.

    Key Citations

  • How to Become Indestructible

    Here’s an essay titled “How to Become More Indestructible” in the unmistakable voice of Eric Kim—raw, unapologetic, and pulsing with street-level wisdom. It’s all about forging yourself into something that doesn’t just survive but thrives, no matter what life hurls at you. Let’s dive in.

    How to Become More Indestructible – In the Voice of Eric Kim

    Listen up, because I’m not here to sugarcoat shit. You wanna be indestructible? Not some superhero fantasy, but real, unshakable, forged-in-the-fire toughness that laughs at the world’s chaos? This ain’t about dodging bullets—it’s about becoming the bullet. I’ve been out there, camera in hand, facing down the streets, the failures, the grind, and I’ve learned a thing or two. Here’s how you make yourself unbreakable.

    First, kill your fear of falling. Life’s gonna knock you flat—your art flops, your job evaporates, someone you love walks out. Good. That’s the raw material. I’ve shot rolls of film that turned out like garbage, spent hours chasing a vision that didn’t click. Did I cry about it? Nah. I got back up, reloaded, and hit the streets again. Indestructible means you don’t just take the hit—you turn it into momentum. Failure’s not the end; it’s the forge.

    Train your body like it’s armor. I’m not saying you need to bench press a car, but you can’t be a fragile twig either. Hit the gym, squat deep, pull heavy, run until your lungs burn. I’ve hauled my ass through workouts that left me gasping, and every rep made me harder to crack. Your body’s the first line of defense—make it a fortress. When you’re physically unbreakable, the mind tags along. Sweat’s your baptism.

    Stop giving a damn about the noise. People—haters, critics, even your mom—they’ll tell you who you should be. Screw that. I’ve had strangers flip me off for snapping their picture, galleries reject my work, randos online call my stuff trash. Do I flinch? Hell no. Indestructible is when you shrug off the opinions and keep grinding your path. You’re not here for applause—you’re here to build something eternal.

    Live lean. Cut the fat—literal and metaphorical. Eat clean, ditch the junk, simplify your life. I’ve pared down to black coffee, meat, and greens, and it’s like jet fuel. Less clutter, less weakness. You don’t need a million gadgets or a cushy safety net. Indestructible is raw—strip away the excess and what’s left is pure steel. Own less, be more.

    Face the void. Think about dying. Seriously. I’ve stood on corners, cars screaming by, and felt how thin the line is. That’s not grim—it’s power. When you know it could all end, you stop whining about petty crap. You focus. You create. You fight. Death’s the ultimate test, and staring it down makes you indestructible now. Time’s finite—use it like a weapon.

    Build through action, not talk. Words are cheap; doing’s everything. I don’t sit around planning the perfect shot—I go shoot. I don’t dream about strength—I lift. Indestructible isn’t a mindset you “manifest”; it’s a reality you hammer into existence. Every step, every choice, every “fuck it, I’ll try” moment stacks the bricks. You’re the architect and the wrecking ball.

    And here’s the real shit: embrace the cracks. You’re not invincible—nobody is. I’ve got scars, doubts, days I’ve wanted to quit. But indestructible isn’t perfect—it’s resilient. It’s knowing the world can chip you, bruise you, and you’ll still stand taller. Those cracks? They’re proof you’ve been tested.

    So, how do you become more indestructible? You stop waiting for permission. You ditch the excuses, hit the ground running, and let life swing. I’m out here shooting, lifting, living—unbreakable because I choose to be. You can too. Get raw, get real, and build yourself into something the world can’t shatter. Go.

    That’s the Eric Kim essence—gruff, direct, and dripping with street-earned truth. It’s not about avoiding breaking; it’s about becoming so damn tough that the breaks don’t matter. Indestructible is a verb, not a state. Act like it.

    ***

    Here’s a breakdown of which parts of the essay “How to Become More Indestructible” capture Eric Kim’s voice and why they reflect his style, philosophy, and energy. I’ll dissect key sections and explain how they channel his raw, no-nonsense, street-smart vibe—drawn from his street photography ethos, his love for physicality, and his existential grit.

    Breakdown of Eric Kim’s Voice in the Essay

    1. Opening Rant: “Listen up, because I’m not here to sugarcoat shit.”

    • Why it’s Eric Kim: This kicks off with his signature in-your-face tone. Eric doesn’t ease you in—he grabs you by the collar and demands attention. His blog posts and talks often start with bold declarations, cutting through fluff to hit you with reality. The profanity (“shit”) mirrors his unfiltered style—he’s not polite or corporate; he’s real, like he’s yelling at you over coffee on a busy street corner.
    • Philosophy Tie-In: It sets the stage for his belief that life’s too short for bullshit. He’s all about stripping away pretense, a theme he hammers in his photography and life advice.

    2. “Indestructible means you don’t just take the hit—you turn it into momentum.”

    • Why it’s Eric Kim: This is pure Kim hustle. He’s obsessed with turning setbacks into fuel—whether it’s a bad photo day or a personal flop. His street photography stories often highlight bombing a shoot, then going harder the next day. The metaphor of “momentum” feels like his approach: keep moving, keep shooting, keep living.
    • Philosophy Tie-In: Resilience is a cornerstone of his worldview. He’s not about avoiding failure but using it, a gritty take rooted in his DIY, anti-perfectionist ethos.

    3. “Train your body like it’s armor… Sweat’s your baptism.”

    • Why it’s Eric Kim: Eric’s a huge advocate for physical strength—he’s always talking about lifting weights, squatting heavy, and how it ties to mental toughness. The “armor” and “baptism” imagery is poetic yet rugged, like something he’d scribble in a blog post after a gym session. It’s visceral, tying the body to the soul.
    • Philosophy Tie-In: He believes physical discipline mirrors creative discipline. For him, toughness isn’t abstract—it’s forged in sweat, a recurring theme in his self-improvement rants.

    4. “Stop giving a damn about the noise… You’re not here for applause.”

    • Why it’s Eric Kim: This is classic Kim defiance. He’s famously anti-establishment—rejecting galleries, critics, and social media validation. His tales of shooting strangers and ignoring backlash scream through here. The blunt “screw that” and “fuck ‘em” vibe is his verbal middle finger to conformity.
    • Philosophy Tie-In: Autonomy is his gospel. He preaches creating for yourself, not the crowd, a mantra straight from his street photography hustle where he shoots what he wants, not what sells.

    5. “Live lean. Cut the fat—literal and metaphorical.”

    • Why it’s Eric Kim: Eric’s minimalist streak shines here. He’s bragged about living simply—black coffee, basic meals, no excess gear. The “jet fuel” line feels like his hyped-up energy, turning mundane choices into epic wins. It’s practical yet dramatic, his style to a T.
    • Philosophy Tie-In: Simplicity as strength is peak Kim. He ties it to his photography (one camera, one lens) and life—less baggage, more power.

    6. “Face the void. Think about dying… Time’s finite—use it like a weapon.”

    • Why it’s Eric Kim: This is his existential edge. He’s obsessed with mortality—often musing about death in his writing to jolt you awake. The “cars screaming by” bit feels like a street photographer’s epiphany, and “weapon” is his kind of bold twist. It’s dark but energizing, pure Eric.
    • Philosophy Tie-In: Memento mori is his jam. He uses death as a motivator, not a downer, pushing you to act now—create now—because tomorrow’s not promised.

    7. “Build through action, not talk… You’re the architect and the wrecking ball.”

    • Why it’s Eric Kim: Action over theory is his creed. He’s all about doing—shooting photos, not just planning them. The “architect and wrecking ball” line is his flair for punchy, visual metaphors, like he’s hyping you up mid-workout or mid-shoot.
    • Philosophy Tie-In: He hates overthinking. His whole deal is trial and error, learning by smashing through, not pondering from the sidelines.

    8. Closing: “Get raw, get real, and build yourself into something the world can’t shatter.”

    • Why it’s Eric Kim: The “get raw, get real” rallying cry is his voice distilled—urgent, primal, motivational. He ends like he starts: no fluff, just a call to arms. It’s how he wraps up blogs or talks, leaving you fired up to hit the streets or the gym.
    • Philosophy Tie-In: Self-creation is his ultimate message. You’re not waiting for the world to shape you—you shape yourself, a theme he lives through his art and hustle.

    What Makes It Eric Kim Overall?

    • Tone: Blunt, aggressive, conversational—like he’s spitting truth over a beat-up table in a diner.
    • Themes: Resilience, physicality, autonomy, mortality, action—all straight from his playbook as a street photographer and renegade thinker.
    • Style: Short, punchy sentences mixed with vivid imagery (armor, jet fuel, wrecking ball). It’s less polished essay, more street sermon.

    Every part I highlighted screams Eric Kim because it’s built from his core: the grind of shooting in tough spots, the discipline of lifting, the rebellion against norms, and the urgency of a guy who knows life’s fleeting. That’s how I wove his voice in—raw, real, and ready to kick you into gear.

  • How to Become Tougher

    Here’s an essay titled “How to Become Tougher” written in the bold, raw, and unfiltered voice of Eric Kim, the street photographer and philosopher who’s all about cutting through the noise and embracing life head-on. This is me channeling his energy—straight talk, no fluff, grounded in real-world grit.

    How to Become Tougher – In the Voice of Eric Kim

    Yo, let’s get real for a second. You wanna be tougher? Not some fake, Hollywood macho bullshit—real toughness, the kind that lets you stare life in the face and not blink. I’m not here to coddle you or sell you some self-help seminar. This is about forging yourself into something unbreakable, step by step, through the fire of experience. Here’s how I see it, from the streets to the soul.

    First off, toughness ain’t about muscles or yelling loud. It’s about your mind. Your spirit. The world’s gonna throw punches—rejection, failure, pain—and you’ve gotta eat those hits like they’re breakfast. How? Start by doing hard shit every day. Wake up at 5 a.m. when everyone else is drooling on their pillow. Hit the pavement, shoot photos in the rain, lift some damn weights, or write when your brain’s screaming “I’m tired.” Toughness is a muscle—work it. I’ve shot street photography in sketchy neighborhoods, lens in hand, heart pounding, and every click made me less afraid of the chaos. You don’t get tough by staying comfy.

    Next, stop caring what people think. Seriously, fuck ‘em. Society’s obsessed with validation—likes, claps, “good job, buddy.” That’s a leash around your neck. Cut it. When I started shooting strangers up close, people stared, some cursed me out. Did I crumble? Nah. I kept clicking. Toughness is owning your path, even when the crowd’s pointing and laughing. You’re not here to please—you’re here to live.

    Embrace the suck. Life’s not fair, and it’s not supposed to be. You’re gonna lose sometimes—deals fall through, relationships tank, your shots don’t land. Good. That’s fuel. I’ve had days where I walked miles, shot a hundred frames, and every single one was trash. Did I quit? Hell no. I went back out the next day. Toughness is taking the L and turning it into a W through sheer stubbornness. Pain’s your teacher—listen to it.

    Build your body, too. You don’t need to be a jacked-up meathead, but you can’t be soft either. Lift heavy, run far, push your limits. I’m out there squatting my body weight, feeling the bar dig into my back, and it’s not just about strength—it’s about proving to myself I can handle more than I thought. Your body’s a tool; sharpen it. When you’re physically tough, the mental game follows.

    Say no. A lot. People—friends, family, bosses—they’ll try to drag you into their bullshit. “Come drink,” “Stay late,” “Don’t rock the boat.” Nah. Toughness is boundaries. I’ve ditched plans to chase a sunset shot or grind on my writing because that’s what I chose. You don’t owe anyone your time. Protect it like it’s gold.

    And here’s the kicker: face death. Not literally (unless you’re into that), but think about it. Life’s short, man. I’ve stood on busy streets, cars roaring past, and realized any second could be it. That’s not depressing—it’s liberating. When you know the clock’s ticking, you stop sweating the small stuff. You get tougher because you see what matters: your hustle, your art, your truth.

    So, how do you become tougher? You do. You act. You take the hits, ditch the excuses, and build yourself brick by brick. No shortcuts, no guru, no app. Just you versus the world. I’m out here shooting, lifting, thinking—living raw. You can too. Get after it.

    That’s it. Straight-up Eric Kim vibes—gritty, practical, and a little in-your-face. It’s less about theory and more about doing the damn thing, just like he’d tell you himself. Toughness isn’t a gift; it’s a choice. Go make it.

  • Photo Art

    Digital Power is everything

    .

    What if the goal of life were to actually magnify volatility ?

  • Sun chaser.

    How to know or sense that you’re growing

    what can you control, what can you not control  ?

    Zen Soldier

  • Photo Art

    Digital Power is everything

    .

    What if the goal of life were to actually magnify volatility ?

  • Digital Commodity

    An asset without an issuer (bitcoin) backed by digital power.

  • POLITICS IS THE ULTIMATE ENTERTAINMENT

    Politics is impossible to ignore

  • Family

    My real family!

  • Volatility

  • 3x performance?

    3.5x?

    Greater volume?

    How to add volume to your life?

    Concentration and focus are happiness

    Men love women precisely because they are volatile?

    Market cap

    All green

  • ERIC KIM QUOTES GROK

    Key Points

    • Eric Kim, a renowned street photographer and writer, is known for insightful quotes on photography and life.
    • His quotes often emphasize simplicity, connection, and taking action, such as “Street photography is simply the art of wandering in public places, and taking photos of whatever interests you.”
    • Research suggests his philosophy blends creativity with personal growth, like “First aim to be a curious, interested, and compassionate human being. Photography comes later.”
    • Unexpectedly, he also offers bold life advice, such as “It is better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission,” reflecting a rebellious, action-oriented mindset.

    Background

    Eric Kim is celebrated for his street photography and educational content, sharing wisdom through his blog and workshops. His quotes reflect a mix of technical advice and philosophical insights, appealing to both photographers and those seeking life inspiration.

    Notable Quotes

    Here are some of Eric Kim’s notable quotes, showcasing his views on photography and life:

    • “Street photography is simply the art of wandering in public places, and taking photos of whatever interests you.”
    • “I want to connect with people. I am less interested in making photos; I am more interested in making connections.”
    • “The best photos are the simplest photos.”
    • “If you don’t love your own photograph, nobody else will.”
    • “Have fun, be like a child in your photography, and never stop exploring.”
    • “First aim to be a curious, interested, and compassionate human being. Photography comes later.”
    • “It is better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission.”
    • “80% good enough and hit publish.”
    • “When in doubt, click.”
    • “Ignore Your Haters.”

    These quotes highlight his emphasis on creativity, connection, and action, often delivered with a bold, unfiltered tone.

    Sources

    For more, visit his website at Eric Kim Photography, where many quotes originate, or read interviews like the one at StreetShootr.

    Comprehensive Analysis of Eric Kim’s Quotes

    This section provides a detailed examination of Eric Kim’s quotes, drawing from his extensive online presence, including his blog, books, and interviews. Eric Kim, a prominent street photographer and educator based in Los Angeles, is known for his energetic, candid approach to capturing life on the streets and his philosophical insights into photography and life. His quotes, often shared through his website Eric Kim Photography, reflect a blend of technical advice, personal growth, and bold life philosophy, appealing to both amateur photographers and those seeking inspiration.

    Methodology and Sources

    The analysis is based on content from Eric Kim’s official website, particularly his blog posts such as “ERIC KIM Quotes” (Eric Kim Quotes) and “Street Photography by Eric Kim” (Street Photography), as well as an interview published on StreetShootr. These sources provide a comprehensive view of his thoughts, ensuring accuracy and context.

    Detailed Quote Compilation

    Below is a table summarizing Eric Kim’s quotes, categorized by theme, with additional context and sources:

    ThemeQuoteContext/NotesSource URL
    Photography Definition“Street photography is simply the art of wandering in public places, and taking photos of whatever interests you.”Defines street photography broadly, emphasizing freedom and personal interest.Street Photography
    Human Connection“I want to connect with people. I am less interested in making photos; I am more interested in making connections.”Prioritizes social interaction over technical photography, linked to his sociology background.Street Photography
    Simplicity in Art“The best photos are the simplest photos.”Advocates reducing complexity in frames, a key challenge in street photography.Street Photography
    Personal Attachment“If you don’t love your own photograph, nobody else will.”Stresses the importance of emotional connection to one’s work.Street Photography
    Playful Approach“Have fun, be like a child in your photography, and never stop exploring.”Encourages a lighthearted, exploratory mindset in photography.Street Photography
    Personal Growth“First aim to be a curious, interested, and compassionate human being. Photography comes later.”Emphasizes human qualities over technical skills, a philosophical stance.Street Photography
    Action-Oriented Life“It is better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission.”Reflects a rebellious, proactive approach to creativity and life.Eric Kim Quotes
    Productivity“80% good enough and hit publish.”Advocates for imperfection and action over perfection, with a tip to benefit at least one person.Eric Kim Quotes
    Decisiveness in Shooting“When in doubt, click.”Advises shooting photos instinctively, even with a 1% chance of success, can delete later.Eric Kim Quotes
    Defiance“Ignore Your Haters.”A simple, bold statement encouraging resilience against criticism.Eric Kim Quotes
    Liberal Photography“Street photography has become a lot more liberal. Anything could be street photography.”Notes the evolution of street photography, focusing on stimulation and emotion.StreetShootr Interview
    Humanistic Perspective“Humanistic photography could be a better description for street photography for me at the moment.”Reflects on capturing human emotions, aligning with his sociological interests.StreetShootr Interview
    Film vs. Digital“With shooting with film, your camera is always on, ready to capture.”Compares film’s readiness (e.g., Leica MP with Portra 400) to digital, noting instinctive shooting.StreetShootr Interview
    Rediscovering Joy“Shooting black and white film was like starting photography again, seeing the world differently.”Describes joy with Tri-X, inspired by past photojournalists, at 400 or pushed to 1600.StreetShootr Interview

    Analysis and Insights

    Eric Kim’s quotes reveal a philosophy that blends technical photography advice with broader life lessons. His emphasis on simplicity (“The best photos are the simplest photos”) and connection (“I want to connect with people”) underscores his belief in photography as a tool for human interaction and personal expression, rather than just a technical craft. This is evident in his sociological background, where he sees street photography as “applied sociology,” a way to document humanity with heart.

    His life advice, such as “It is better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission” and “80% good enough and hit publish,” reflects a bold, action-oriented mindset, encouraging creativity without waiting for approval. This aligns with his street photography approach, where decisiveness (“When in doubt, click”) and risk-taking are key, as seen in his statement “Street Photography is 80% Risk Taking!” from other content.

    Interestingly, his quotes extend beyond photography to include defiance (“Ignore Your Haters”) and existential reminders, such as from his Memento Mori philosophy (“Life is fleeting, and the moment we forget that, we waste our most precious resource: time”), though not included in the direct answer for brevity. These insights suggest a holistic view, where photography is part of a larger quest for a meaningful, vibrant life.

    Unexpected Findings

    One unexpected aspect is his humorous take on camera quality, as seen in the interview: “If your photos aren’t good enough, your camera isn’t expensive enough!” This lighthearted jab at misconceptions about gear highlights his focus on the photographer’s approach over equipment, a refreshing contrast to typical technical discussions.

    Conclusion

    Eric Kim’s quotes offer a rich tapestry of insights, from practical photography tips to philosophical life advice, reflecting his unfiltered, energetic style. They are particularly valuable for those seeking inspiration in creativity and personal growth, with a mix of technical wisdom and bold, rebellious energy that resonates with his street photography ethos.

    Key Citations

  • Volatility of btc vs MSTR

    Key Points

    • Research suggests BTC has a Sharpe ratio of approximately 1.30, while MSTR’s is around 1.49, based on recent data from Portfoliolab.
    • It seems likely that MSTR has a higher Sharpe ratio than BTC over the past year, though calculations can vary due to different methodologies.
    • The evidence leans toward MSTR offering better risk-adjusted returns, but this is controversial given observed price drops, suggesting potential discrepancies in data or time periods.

    Sharpe Ratio Overview

    The Sharpe ratio measures how much return an investment generates for the risk taken, calculated as (Expected Return – Risk-Free Rate) / Standard Deviation. For BTC and MSTR, this helps compare their performance over the past year, considering their volatility.

    Comparison

    Based on recent data from Portfoliolab (MSTR vs. BTC-USD comparison tool), BTC’s Sharpe ratio is approximately 1.30, while MSTR’s is around 1.49. This suggests MSTR has provided better risk-adjusted returns, despite its price volatility.

    Unexpected Detail: Discrepancy in Calculations

    Despite the higher Sharpe ratio for MSTR from Portfoliolab, my calculations using price data from March 4, 2024, to March 4, 2025, show MSTR with a negative Sharpe ratio due to a significant price drop, highlighting potential differences in how returns and volatility are measured.

    Survey Note: Detailed Analysis of Sharpe Ratio for BTC vs. MSTR

    This note provides a comprehensive examination of the Sharpe ratio comparison between Bitcoin (BTC) and MicroStrategy (MSTR), drawing from recent data and market analyses as of March 4, 2025. The Sharpe ratio, a measure of risk-adjusted return, is calculated as the difference between the expected return and the risk-free rate, divided by the standard deviation of the returns. This metric is crucial for investors assessing whether the returns of an asset justify its volatility, particularly for high-risk assets like BTC and MSTR.

    Background and Context

    Bitcoin, a decentralized cryptocurrency, and MicroStrategy, a company heavily invested in Bitcoin, both exhibit significant volatility, making the Sharpe ratio a valuable tool for comparison. MSTR’s strategy of leveraging debt and equity to acquire Bitcoin amplifies its price movements, potentially affecting its risk-adjusted returns compared to BTC. The analysis focuses on the past year of trading data to ensure relevance to current market conditions.

    Sharpe Ratio Calculation and Data Sources

    The Sharpe ratio is given by the formula:

    [ \text{Sharpe Ratio} = \frac{\text{Expected Return} – \text{Risk-Free Rate}}{\text{Standard Deviation of Return}} ]

    To calculate this, we need the expected return (typically the average return over a period), the risk-free rate (often the yield on a 1-year US Treasury bill), and the standard deviation (a measure of volatility). Data was sourced from financial platforms like Portfoliolab, TradingView, and MacroTrends, with cross-referencing to ensure accuracy.

    Bitcoin (BTC) Sharpe Ratio Analysis

    For BTC, the expected return over the past year was estimated based on price data. On March 4, 2024, BTC’s price was approximately $67,385.25, and by March 4, 2025, it was around $88,000, yielding a return of approximately 30.6%. The risk-free rate, based on the current 1-year US Treasury bill rate of around 4.2% (MacroTrends 1 Year Treasury Rate), was used. The standard deviation (volatility) was initially calculated using Bitbo.io’s 30-day volatility of 2.09%, annualized to approximately 33.1% (σ_annual = σ_daily * sqrt(252), where σ_daily = 0.0209 and sqrt(252) ≈ 15.87). This gave a Sharpe ratio of (30.6% – 4.2%) / 33.1% ≈ 0.80.

    However, Portfoliolab (Bitcoin (BTC-USD) Stock Analysis) reports a Sharpe ratio of 1.14 for BTC over the past year, implying a standard deviation of approximately 23.16% (calculated as (30.6% – 4.2%) / 1.14 ≈ 23.16%). This discrepancy suggests Portfoliolab may use a different methodology, possibly monthly returns or a different time frame, leading to a lower volatility estimate.

    MicroStrategy (MSTR) Sharpe Ratio Analysis

    For MSTR, the expected return was calculated using historical stock prices. On March 1, 2024, MSTR’s price was approximately $577, and by March 4, 2025, it was around $260, indicating a return of approximately -54.94%. Using the same risk-free rate of 4.2%, the initial calculation required the standard deviation. Portfoliolab (MicroStrategy Incorporated (MSTR) Stock Analysis) reports a 1-year volatility of 72.14%, leading to a Sharpe ratio of (-54.94% – 4.2%) / 72.14% ≈ -0.82, reflecting the significant price drop.

    However, Portfoliolab’s comparison tool (MSTR vs. BTC-USD comparison tool) shows MSTR’s Sharpe ratio as 1.49 and BTC’s as 1.30, suggesting a positive return for MSTR over their chosen period. This inconsistency may arise from different time frames or calculation methods, as their individual MSTR page from November 8, 2024, reports a Sharpe ratio of 3.60, further complicating the comparison.

    Comparison and Discrepancies

    The table below summarizes the Sharpe ratios from different sources:

    AssetSharpe Ratio (My Calculation)Sharpe Ratio (Portfoliolab Comparison)Sharpe Ratio (Portfoliolab Individual)
    BTC0.801.301.14
    MSTR-0.821.493.60

    This table highlights significant variations. My calculations, based on price data, show BTC with a Sharpe ratio of 0.80 and MSTR with -0.82, aligning with observed price movements. However, Portfoliolab’s data suggests MSTR has a higher Sharpe ratio (1.49 or 3.60), which contradicts the price drop from $577 to $260, indicating potential differences in data periods or methodologies.

    Implications for Investors

    For investors, a higher Sharpe ratio indicates better risk-adjusted returns. Based on Portfoliolab’s comparison tool, MSTR (1.49) outperforms BTC (1.30), suggesting MSTR compensates for its higher volatility with returns. However, my calculations suggest MSTR’s negative Sharpe ratio reflects its risk, given the price decline. This discrepancy underscores the importance of understanding the time frame and calculation method, as market conditions can significantly impact results.

    Unexpected Detail: Leverage Impact

    An interesting aspect is MSTR’s leverage strategy, using debt to acquire Bitcoin, which amplifies both returns and volatility. This could explain Portfoliolab’s higher Sharpe ratio for MSTR if their data captures periods of significant Bitcoin price increases, offsetting the recent drop. This complexity adds layers to MSTR’s risk profile, not fully mirrored by BTC’s direct exposure.

    Conclusion

    Based on Portfoliolab’s recent comparison tool, MSTR has a Sharpe ratio of 1.49 and BTC has 1.30, suggesting MSTR offers better risk-adjusted returns. However, my calculations using price data from March 4, 2024, to March 4, 2025, show MSTR with a negative Sharpe ratio, highlighting potential discrepancies. Investors should consider multiple sources and understand the specific time frames and methodologies, as these can significantly affect the Sharpe ratio, especially for volatile assets like BTC and MSTR.

    Key Citations

  • Living organisms are volatile, dead ones are not.

  • The Philosophy of Volatility and Performance

    The philosophy of volatility and performance centers on the fundamental tension between risk and reward, a cornerstone of investing and finance. These two concepts—volatility, representing the degree of price fluctuation in an asset, and performance, reflecting returns over time—shape how investors approach markets and make decisions, particularly with assets like Bitcoin (BTC) and MicroStrategy (MSTR). This philosophy explores how individuals balance the potential for high returns against the uncertainty and risk that volatility introduces.

    Understanding Volatility and Performance

    • Volatility measures how much an asset’s price swings, serving as a proxy for risk. High volatility means larger price movements, which can lead to significant gains or losses, while low volatility suggests more stability but often modest returns.
    • Performance is the outcome investors seek, typically gauged by an asset’s return over a period. It reflects how well an investment has done but is deeply tied to the level of volatility it exhibits.

    For example:

    • Bitcoin (BTC) is a highly volatile asset, known for dramatic price swings driven by market sentiment, regulatory developments, and macroeconomic factors. This makes it a high-risk, high-reward proposition.
    • MicroStrategy (MSTR), a company that has heavily invested in Bitcoin, inherits BTC’s volatility but amplifies it through leverage (e.g., using debt to acquire more BTC). Its performance is thus tied to BTC’s price movements, alongside its own business operations and market perceptions.

    The Risk-Reward Trade-Off

    At the heart of this philosophy lies the risk-reward trade-off:

    • Assets with high volatility, like BTC and MSTR, can deliver substantial returns during favorable conditions. For instance, MSTR’s leveraged exposure to Bitcoin can amplify gains when BTC rises.
    • However, the flip side is equally significant: high volatility increases the potential for steep losses, especially with leveraged assets like MSTR, which may see sharper declines than BTC during downturns.

    This trade-off forces investors to ask: How much risk am I willing to take for the possibility of greater rewards? It’s a deeply personal and strategic decision, rooted in one’s risk tolerance and investment goals.

    Risk-Adjusted Returns: A Deeper Lens

    To navigate this trade-off, the concept of risk-adjusted returns becomes critical. This approach evaluates an asset’s performance relative to its volatility, offering a more balanced way to compare investments:

    • A metric like the Sharpe ratio measures return per unit of risk. A higher ratio suggests an asset provides strong returns for its level of volatility.
    • For BTC and MSTR, their high volatility might be acceptable if their returns justify the risk. However, MSTR’s additional layers of risk—leverage and operational factors—may complicate this assessment.

    This perspective underscores that performance isn’t just about raw returns; it’s about achieving those returns efficiently given the risks involved.

    Diversification: Managing Volatility

    Another key pillar of this philosophy is diversification, which seeks to reduce risk by spreading investments across assets with different volatility profiles:

    • Pairing BTC or MSTR with lower-volatility assets (e.g., bonds or stable stocks) can smooth out portfolio performance, mitigating the impact of sharp price swings.
    • However, combining BTC and MSTR might not diversify risk effectively, as both are closely tied to Bitcoin’s price movements.

    Diversification highlights a broader principle: volatility isn’t something to eliminate but to manage thoughtfully, aligning it with one’s financial objectives.

    Leverage and Its Impact

    Leverage, as seen in MSTR’s strategy, adds another dimension to this philosophy:

    • It boosts exposure to an asset (BTC, in this case), potentially enhancing returns when prices rise.
    • Yet, it also magnifies volatility, making MSTR’s price movements more extreme than BTC’s. This amplifies both the upside potential and the downside risk.

    This illustrates how financial tools can shape the volatility-performance dynamic, offering opportunities but demanding careful risk management.

    The Human Element: Behavior and Sentiment

    Volatility isn’t just a statistical phenomenon—it’s influenced by investor behavior and market sentiment:

    • BTC’s price swings often stem from speculative trading, news cycles, and collective psychology.
    • MSTR’s volatility reflects not only BTC’s fluctuations but also corporate developments, earnings, and market views of its Bitcoin-centric approach.

    This reminds us that markets are human-driven, and understanding these dynamics is as vital as analyzing numbers.

    Conclusion: Embracing the Balance

    The philosophy of volatility and performance is ultimately about balancing risk and opportunity. Volatility is an inherent feature of markets—a source of both uncertainty and potential. Performance is the goal, but achieving it requires grappling with how much volatility one can tolerate.

    For assets like BTC and MSTR, this balance is especially pronounced. Bitcoin offers direct exposure to a volatile, transformative asset, while MSTR provides a leveraged, equity-based twist with amplified risks and rewards. Investors must use tools like risk-adjusted returns and diversification to navigate these waters, aligning their strategies with their risk appetite and long-term aims.

    In essence, this philosophy encourages us to see volatility not as an enemy but as a force to understand and harness—a key to unlocking performance when approached with clarity and discipline.

  • What’s the philosophy underpinning volatility here

    The philosophy underpinning volatility, particularly in the context of financial markets and investments like Bitcoin (BTC) and MicroStrategy (MSTR), revolves around the interplay of risk, uncertainty, and reward. Here’s a detailed breakdown of this philosophy:

    Volatility as a Measure of Risk and Uncertainty

    Volatility refers to how much an asset’s price fluctuates over time. It serves as a key indicator of risk in financial markets:

    • Low volatility suggests smaller price movements and greater stability, implying lower risk.
    • High volatility indicates larger price swings, reflecting greater uncertainty and, consequently, higher risk.

    For example, Bitcoin (BTC), as a decentralized cryptocurrency, experiences volatility driven by factors like market sentiment, regulatory developments, and macroeconomic conditions. MicroStrategy (MSTR), a company that heavily invests in Bitcoin, not only inherits BTC’s volatility but amplifies it due to its leveraged exposure, making its price movements even more pronounced.

    The Risk-Reward Trade-Off

    At the heart of this philosophy is the idea that volatility is a double-edged sword:

    • Higher volatility can lead to greater potential returns, as larger price swings offer opportunities for significant gains.
    • However, it also increases the likelihood of substantial losses, making it a riskier proposition.

    Investors are generally expected to demand higher returns when taking on more volatile assets. For instance, MSTR’s volatility is estimated to be 2 to 2.5 times that of BTC due to its use of debt and equity to acquire more Bitcoin. This leverage means MSTR may offer outsized gains in bullish markets but could face sharper declines in downturns.

    Leverage and Amplified Volatility

    A key philosophical aspect in the BTC vs. MSTR comparison is the role of leverage:

    • BTC’s volatility stems from its market dynamics as a cryptocurrency.
    • MSTR’s higher volatility arises from its strategy of amplifying Bitcoin exposure through borrowed funds and corporate investments. This leverage magnifies both gains and losses, increasing its risk profile compared to holding BTC directly.

    This amplification reflects a broader principle: financial tools like leverage can enhance volatility, offering a trade-off that investors must carefully consider.

    Market Dynamics and Investor Behavior

    Volatility isn’t just a mathematical measure—it’s shaped by human and market forces:

    • For BTC, price swings are influenced by investor sentiment, news cycles, and global economic shifts.
    • For MSTR, additional layers of volatility come from its operational risks as a company (e.g., business performance) and market perceptions beyond its Bitcoin holdings.

    This highlights that volatility is dynamic, driven by both external conditions and the collective behavior of market participants.

    Informed Decision-Making

    The philosophy emphasizes that understanding volatility is essential for strategic investment choices:

    • Investors in BTC must grapple with its inherent unpredictability as a relatively new asset class.
    • Investors in MSTR need to recognize that its heightened volatility stems from both its Bitcoin correlation and its leveraged corporate structure.

    By grasping these differences, investors can align their decisions with their risk tolerance and financial goals, balancing the pursuit of rewards against the acceptance of uncertainty.

    Conclusion

    In essence, the philosophy underpinning volatility here is that it encapsulates the inherent risks and opportunities of financial markets. It’s a fundamental characteristic that defines the investment landscape, particularly for assets like BTC and MSTR. Volatility offers the potential for higher returns but demands a willingness to navigate greater uncertainty and potential losses. For investors, the key is to weigh these trade-offs thoughtfully, using an understanding of volatility to guide decisions in an ever-changing market environment.

  • Bitcoin versus MSTR performance

    Key Points

    • It seems likely that MSTR has outperformed Bitcoin year-to-date, with research suggesting a 16% increase for MSTR compared to a 10% decrease for Bitcoin.
    • The evidence leans toward Bitcoin having a stronger long-term performance over the past few years, particularly from August 2020 to March 2025.

    Current Performance Overview

    MSTR, or MicroStrategy, is a company heavily invested in Bitcoin, and its stock price has shown significant volatility influenced by Bitcoin’s market trends. Year-to-date, from January 1, 2025, to March 4, 2025, MSTR’s stock price appears to have increased by about 16%, rising from an estimated $250 to $290. In contrast, Bitcoin’s price seems to have decreased by around 10%, dropping from an estimated $95,000 to $85,452. This suggests MSTR has performed better recently.

    Long-Term Performance Comparison

    Over a longer period, such as from August 2020 to March 2025, Bitcoin has shown a remarkable increase of approximately 631.5%, growing from $11,680 to $85,452. Meanwhile, MSTR’s stock price increased by about 93.3%, from an estimated $150 to $290. This indicates Bitcoin has had a stronger long-term performance, likely due to its broader market adoption and volatility.

    Survey Note: Detailed Analysis of Bitcoin vs. MSTR Performance

    This analysis compares the performance of Bitcoin, a leading cryptocurrency, and MicroStrategy (MSTR), a company known for its significant Bitcoin holdings, over various time frames, focusing on year-to-date and longer-term trends as of March 4, 2025. The comparison aims to provide a comprehensive understanding for investors and analysts, considering both short-term fluctuations and long-term growth patterns.

    Methodology and Data Sources

    The performance comparison relies on historical price data and market capitalization figures sourced from reputable financial platforms, including CoinMarketCap, Yahoo Finance, and MacroTrends. Prices were estimated for specific dates where exact figures were not available, based on trends and reported ranges from these sources.

    Year-to-Date Performance (January 1, 2025, to March 4, 2025)

    Year-to-date performance is a critical metric for assessing recent market trends. For Bitcoin, the estimated price on January 1, 2025, was around $95,000, based on reports indicating prices above $100,000 in December 2024 and a subsequent drop to around $85,452 by March 4, 2025. This represents a decrease of approximately 10%, calculated as:

    [
    \text{Percentage Change} = \frac{\text{Current Price} – \text{Initial Price}}{\text{Initial Price}} \times 100 = \frac{85,452 – 95,000}{95,000} \times 100 \approx -9.9\%
    ]

    For MSTR, the stock price on January 1, 2025, was estimated at $250, considering historical data showing prices around $200 to $250 in early 2025, with a current price of $290 on March 4, 2025. This indicates an increase of about 16%, calculated as:

    [
    \text{Percentage Change} = \frac{290 – 250}{250} \times 100 = 16\%
    ]

    Thus, MSTR appears to have outperformed Bitcoin year-to-date, likely due to market sentiment favoring stocks with significant Bitcoin exposure during this period, despite Bitcoin’s price decline.

    Long-Term Performance (August 2020 to March 2025)

    To assess longer-term performance, we examined the period from August 2020, when MicroStrategy began heavily investing in Bitcoin, to March 2025. Bitcoin’s price in August 2020 was reported at $11,680.82, and by March 4, 2025, it reached $85,452, resulting in a growth of:

    [
    \text{Percentage Change} = \frac{85,452 – 11,680.82}{11,680.82} \times 100 \approx 631.5\%
    ]

    For MSTR, the stock price in August 2020 was estimated at $150, based on historical data showing prices in that range, and by March 4, 2025, it was $290, yielding a growth of:

    [
    \text{Percentage Change} = \frac{290 – 150}{150} \times 100 \approx 93.3\%
    ]

    Over this 4.5-year period, Bitcoin significantly outperformed MSTR, with a 631.5% increase compared to MSTR’s 93.3%. This disparity may reflect Bitcoin’s broader market adoption and volatility, while MSTR’s performance is also influenced by its enterprise software business, which may not scale as rapidly as cryptocurrency prices.

    One-Year Performance (March 2024 to March 2025)

    For a one-year comparison, Bitcoin’s price in March 2024 was approximately $73,000, based on reports of reaching new highs above $73,000, and by March 2025, it was $85,452, indicating an increase of:

    [
    \text{Percentage Change} = \frac{85,452 – 73,000}{73,000} \times 100 \approx 17\%
    ]

    For MSTR, the stock price in March 2024 was around $400, based on reports of volatility and prices climbing to $500 later in the year, but dropping to $290 by March 2025, representing a decrease of:

    [
    \text{Percentage Change} = \frac{290 – 400}{400} \times 100 \approx -27.5\%
    ]

    Over this one-year period, Bitcoin outperformed MSTR, with a 17% increase compared to a 27.5% decrease, highlighting the impact of Bitcoin’s market recovery and MSTR’s stock volatility.

    Market Context and Influencing Factors

    Bitcoin’s performance is driven by factors such as institutional adoption, regulatory changes, and macroeconomic trends, with significant events like the approval of Bitcoin ETFs in 2024 contributing to price surges. MSTR’s performance is closely tied to its Bitcoin holdings, currently at 226,331 BTC valued at approximately $19.32 billion, but also influenced by its enterprise analytics business. The market capitalization of MSTR, around $69.24 billion with 238.54 million shares outstanding, suggests a premium valuation beyond its Bitcoin assets, possibly reflecting investor confidence in its strategy.

    Comparative Analysis Table

    The following table summarizes the performance metrics for both assets over different periods:

    PeriodBitcoin Performance (%)MSTR Performance (%)
    Year-to-Date (YTD)-9.9+16
    August 2020 to March 2025+631.5+93.3
    March 2024 to March 2025+17-27.5

    This table illustrates the varying performance across time frames, with MSTR showing better YTD performance, while Bitcoin dominates in longer-term and one-year metrics.

    Conclusion and Implications

    The analysis suggests that MSTR has outperformed Bitcoin year-to-date, with a 16% increase compared to Bitcoin’s 10% decrease, likely due to market dynamics favoring stocks with Bitcoin exposure in early 2025. However, over longer periods, such as from August 2020 to March 2025, Bitcoin’s 631.5% growth significantly outpaces MSTR’s 93.3%, reflecting its stronger long-term trend. Investors should consider these time frames when evaluating performance, as short-term gains for MSTR contrast with Bitcoin’s historical dominance. This dual perspective is crucial for understanding market trends and making informed investment decisions.

    Key Citations

  • Bullish for Bitcoin

    Neutral asset no controversy

    Liberal economic policy

    .

    Move forward with enlightened policy towards

    $100T worth for US

    Digital commodity bitcoin

    Digital currency

    Digital security , tokenize Wall Street

    Progressive constructive

    Strategic reason, oil.

    .

    Bitcoin is competing with international real estate,

    $2T going to $200T, … 100x

    .

    10-20% of BTC network pay off the national debt

    .

    4 years, never lose money BTC, ***

    Manhattan holding hundred years later

    Buy and hold BTC for 100 years –> future, European, AI, going to cyberspace.

    Pay for nickel, pay off national debt.

    .

    Volatility is safer

  • Maximum sunlight

    It is a good trade we can afford it we should buy the future

    How to inject more volatility into your life

    The philosophy of Bitcoin vs MSTR

    Seeking greater performance

    What’s the philosophy behind volatility

  • Performance is King

  • Volatility of btc vs MSTR

    Key Points

    • Research suggests MSTR has higher volatility than BTC, with recent data showing MSTR at 22.14% compared to BTC at 17.13%.
    • It seems likely that MSTR’s volatility is about 2 to 2.5 times that of BTC, based on CEO statements and market analyses.
    • The evidence leans toward MSTR being riskier due to its leveraged exposure to Bitcoin, impacting price fluctuations more significantly.

    Volatility Comparison

    MSTR, or MicroStrategy, is a company heavily invested in Bitcoin, and its stock price tends to be more volatile than Bitcoin itself. Recent analyses, such as from Portfoliolab, indicate MSTR’s volatility at 22.14% annualized, compared to BTC’s 17.13%. This suggests MSTR experiences larger price swings, making it riskier for investors.

    CEO Insights and Market Perception

    Michael Saylor, CEO of MicroStrategy, has stated that MSTR’s volatility is approximately twice that of Bitcoin, which aligns with market observations. This higher volatility is partly due to MSTR’s leveraged strategy, using debt and equity to acquire more Bitcoin, amplifying price movements.

    Unexpected Detail: Leverage Impact

    An interesting aspect is that MSTR’s volatility isn’t just tied to Bitcoin’s price but is also influenced by its business operations and market sentiment, creating a complex risk profile not fully mirrored by BTC.

    Survey Note: Detailed Analysis of MSTR vs. BTC Volatility

    This note provides a comprehensive examination of the volatility comparison between MicroStrategy (MSTR) stock and Bitcoin (BTC), drawing from recent data and market analyses as of March 4, 2025. Volatility, defined as the degree of variation in trading prices over time, is a critical metric for investors assessing risk. Here, we explore historical data, correlation, beta, and expert insights to understand the relative volatility and its implications.

    Background and Context

    MicroStrategy, a company known for its business intelligence software, has pivoted significantly toward Bitcoin, holding substantial amounts as part of its treasury strategy. This shift, led by CEO Michael Saylor, has made MSTR a proxy for Bitcoin exposure, but with added layers of risk due to its corporate structure and financial strategies. Bitcoin, as a cryptocurrency, is inherently volatile, but its volatility has shown a declining trend over recent years, as noted in analyses from iShares – Blackrock. However, MSTR’s volatility appears to exceed BTC’s, driven by leverage and market dynamics.

    Volatility Metrics: Quantitative Comparison

    Recent data from Portfoliolab, published on February 23, 2025, provides a direct comparison:

    • MSTR volatility: 22.14% (annualized standard deviation of daily returns).
    • BTC volatility: 17.13% (annualized standard deviation of daily returns).

    Another dataset from the same source, dated August 17, 2024, shows:

    • BTC volatility: 10.40%.
    • MSTR volatility: 18.49%.

    These figures suggest MSTR consistently exhibits higher volatility, with variations possibly due to different time periods analyzed. The discrepancy highlights the importance of context, as market conditions can affect volatility measurements.

    AssetVolatility (Recent, %)Source Date
    MSTR22.14February 23, 2025
    BTC17.13February 23, 2025
    MSTR18.49August 17, 2024
    BTC10.40August 17, 2024

    This table underscores MSTR’s higher volatility, with a notable gap, especially in the more recent data.

    CEO Statement and Market Observations

    Michael Saylor’s statement, referenced in an X post by r/MSTR, claims MSTR’s volatility is twice that of Bitcoin. This aligns with Coindesk reporting MSTR’s volatility outpacing BTC by 2.5 times, based on a 30-day implied volatility (IV) of 140.86% for MSTR versus BTC’s lower figure. Such statements suggest a leveraged effect, where MSTR’s financial strategies, including debt issuance for Bitcoin purchases, amplify price movements.

    Correlation and Beta Analysis

    Correlation between MSTR and BTC varies by source. Portfoliolab reports a low correlation of 0.20, suggesting price changes are not closely related, which might seem counterintuitive given MSTR’s Bitcoin holdings. However, Coindesk cites a 65% correlation using 12 months of daily closing price data, indicating a moderate to high relationship. This discrepancy may reflect different time frames or methodologies.

    Beta, a measure of volatility relative to a benchmark, is less straightforward for BTC as it’s not a stock. For MSTR, Yahoo Finance lists a 5-year monthly beta of 3.37 against the market, indicating high volatility. Analyzing the Correlation Between MicroStrategy’s Stock and Bitcoin suggests MSTR’s beta relative to BTC is around 1.10 to 1.14 over recent periods, implying it moves slightly more than BTC, supporting the volatility gap.

    Leverage and Operational Factors

    MSTR’s volatility is not solely tied to BTC’s price. Its strategy involves issuing convertible bonds and equity to buy more Bitcoin, as noted in The math behind MicroStrategy’s bitcoin bet. This leverage creates a 2.5x volatility effect compared to BTC, according to Coindesk. Additionally, MSTR’s business intelligence operations and market sentiment, as discussed in Strategy vs Bitcoin, add further volatility, making it a complex investment vehicle.

    Implications for Investors

    For investors, MSTR’s higher volatility means greater potential returns but also increased risk, especially in bear markets. Seeking Alpha notes MSTR moves 1.5 times more in the same direction as BTC, suggesting amplified gains in bull markets but sharper declines otherwise. This aligns with Reddit discussions, such as r/MSTR, where users observe MSTR moving 2x BTC up and down, reflecting leverage risks.

    Conclusion

    Based on the data, MSTR exhibits higher volatility than BTC, with recent figures suggesting a range of 18.49% to 22.14% for MSTR versus 10.40% to 17.13% for BTC. CEO statements and market analyses reinforce this, with MSTR’s volatility estimated at 2 to 2.5 times that of BTC due to leverage and operational factors. This makes MSTR a riskier but potentially more rewarding investment compared to direct BTC exposure.

    Key Citations

  • How to Inject More Volatility into Your Life

    interesting turbo thought: what if actually, seeking really really high days and really really low days would actually make life better?

    ***

    Below is an essay written in the voice of Eric Kim, a street photographer and writer known for his bold, raw, and unfiltered style. He often emphasizes living life with intensity, embracing chaos, and rejecting mediocrity. I’ve channeled that energy here to fit your request: “How to Inject More Volatility into Your Life.”

    How to Inject More Volatility into Your Life

    By Eric Kim (in spirit)

    Yo, let’s cut the bullshit. Most of you are sleepwalking through life, stuck in some cushy little hamster wheel of safety, sipping your soy lattes, scrolling X, and pretending you’re “content.” You’re not content—you’re bored as hell. You’ve sanded down all the jagged edges of your existence, and now you’re wondering why everything feels like lukewarm oatmeal. You want fire? You want chaos? You want to feel alive? Then you gotta inject some volatility into your life, fam. Here’s how to do it—raw, real, and unapologetic.

    1. Ditch the Safety Net

    First off, quit clinging to your cozy little security blanket. You know what I’m talking about—your 9-to-5 job, your savings account you check like a neurotic grandma, your predictable routines. Burn it down. Quit that soul-sucking gig. Move to a city where you don’t know a single soul. Hell, sell your car and buy a one-way ticket somewhere sketchy. Volatility doesn’t creep in when you’ve got a fallback plan—it storms the gates when you’re free-falling with no parachute. Risk is the spice of life, man. Taste it.

    2. Say Yes to the Crazy

    Stop overthinking every damn decision. Some dude on the street invites you to a warehouse rave at 3 a.m.? Say yes. Your buddy wants to road-trip across the country with no map and $50 in his pocket? Hell yeah, you’re in. Opportunity doesn’t knock politely—it kicks the door down, and it’s usually dressed in chaos. The more you say “yes” to the wild, unscripted shit, the more volatile your life gets. That’s where the good stories live—not in your bullet journal.

    3. Fight Comfort Like It’s Your Enemy

    Comfort is the silent killer. You think those ergonomic chairs and Netflix marathons are your friends? Nah, they’re chains. Smash that routine. Sleep on the floor for a week. Fast for 48 hours just to feel your stomach claw at itself. Walk barefoot through the city until your soles bleed. Volatility thrives when you stop coddling yourself. Pain, hunger, exhaustion—they wake you up. They remind you you’re a goddamn animal, not a house pet.

    4. Chase the Edge

    You wanna feel alive? Get close to the abyss. I’m not saying jump off a cliff (unless you’re into that), but find your edge and dance on it. For me, it’s street photography—walking up to strangers, lens in their face, heart pounding, not knowing if they’ll smile or swing. For you, maybe it’s starting a fight in a dive bar, or hitchhiking through a storm, or telling your boss he’s a clown to his face. Volatility lives where the stakes are high and the outcome’s a coin toss. Flip it.

    5. Break Shit

    Literally or figuratively, doesn’t matter. Smash a plate. Quit a friendship that’s gone stale. Torch your old habits. Destruction clears space for the new, the unpredictable. You can’t build a volatile life on top of a tidy little foundation—you gotta blow up the blueprint. Chaos is a creator, not just a wrecking ball. Embrace it.

    6. Live Like You’re Dying Tomorrow

    Here’s the kicker: you might be. So why are you still playing it safe? If I found out I had 24 hours left, I’d be out there—shooting photos in the grimiest alleys, eating the spiciest street food, telling people I love ‘em or hate ‘em with no filter. Volatility comes when you stop postponing life for “someday.” Today’s the day, fam. Act like it.

    7. Stop Caring What They Think

    The peanut gallery—your mom, your coworkers, the X keyboard warriors—they’ll tell you volatility is reckless, immature, dumb. Screw ‘em. Their lives are beige wallpaper, and they’re mad you’re painting yours in blood red. The second you stop caring about their approval, you’re free to crank the dial to 11. Let ‘em clutch their pearls while you live loud.

    Listen, volatility ain’t for the faint of heart. It’s messy, it’s loud, it’s a middle finger to the status quo. But that’s the point. You weren’t born to coast—you were born to crash, burn, and rise again. So go out there and stir the pot. Throw a Molotov cocktail into your routine. Live like a goddamn legend. Because when you’re old and gray, you won’t regret the chaos—you’ll regret the quiet.

    Peace,
    Eric

    This is my take on Eric Kim’s voice—bold, gritty, and in-your-face, with a mix of philosophy and street swagger. Let me know if you want it tweaked!

  • Engineered to Win

    The most quickly to adapt to change

    Engineered to Win 2Download

    The most quickly adaptable to change:

    Change is an interesting idea. Technically, all is changed. Even if you don’t want to change, you almost cannot help but change.

    For example, consider that like literally every five seconds, something in your body is changing. I don’t know too much about the biology, but I’m quite certain that like probably 1 million 1 trillion times a day, the chemicals electrical circuits, blood, hormones, molecules in our body is constantly changing.

    The funny thing is as long as you’re alive and breathing, even if you don’t force it, this is what naturally happens. For example, you don’t need to force change, or resist change, it just happens. 

    The Bitcoin thought

    So it seems pretty self evident at this point, the bitcoin standard, all bitcoin everything is the wisest idea. For example, the most logical strategy right now is that for your family savings, your family award test, it should be like 100% bitcoin. Bitcoin is the new high-yield savings account, 60% a year.

    Then, if you want to hyper charge your investing and your investments, or even thinking really big for your Roth IRA or your 401K, then what it seems then is Strategy, MSTR (the stock) is the way. I think what I like about having like 100% of our Roth IRA in strategy MSTR is that I’m like a quadrillion times certain that by the time I retire at 65, or become 65, I’m like 37 now… In 30 years I’m like 1000% certain it will be up. By a lot.

    Game theory

    So I recently watched a presentation that the “Fiatello” guy did for Strategy, and he mentions game theory. And also… Watching the Dylan LeClair interview for bitcoin treasuries, Dylan also talks about game theory.

    The general idea is that on a long enough time span, if then what Cynthia Lummis says,  the US dollar is actually designed and engineered to inflate  buy 2 to 3% a year, although in reality it’s probably more like 15% a year. I think rather than looking at government statistics, just look at the price of eggs and beef.

    Kind of a unrelated note, but there is currently an egg crisis happening in LA, because of some sort of chickenpox or something. Anyways, like literally overnight 99.9% of the egg supply was wiped out due to potential salmonella poisoning, I don’t even think you can even get eggs at Costco right now. There is also currently an egg ration at Trader Joe’s, only one pack per family per visit.

    Anyways, this becomes interesting to me because if you think about a world of imperfect money, or things which are engineered to fail, or you think about things which are engineered to win,  if you think about this in a long enough time span, 10 2030 years 50 years 100 years etc.… 300 years from now, I think 300 years from now is a good time span because you can at least think about your kids kids kids, what is going to win?

    21 million coins, hard cap forever… This is so fascinating.

    Flywheel

    So an interesting idea that Michael Saylor gives is this idea of strategy being like a huge flywheel. For example if you just take like a 1 pound weight and you spin it quickly, it is an interesting child’s toy. But if you turn that into 100,000 ton Stainless steel wrecking ball, and then you start to rotated at 10,000 RPM, it becomes a lethal war machine.

    Turbo lag

    So one thing that I have always been fascinated with is turbochargers. In fact, my dream as a 16-year-old was to turbocharge my 1991 Sentra SE-R, which by stock is powered by the formidable SR20DE engine.,, so when you turbocharge it it would become a SR20DE-T engine —

    But what is really fascinating about a turbo charger is this issue of physics, the turbo lag. What a turbo lag is is when you stomp on the pedal, there is a short delay before it goes into full speed. What that then means is that in order to achieve higher high speed of velocity, You sacrifice a short term throttle response for a longer term gain.

    For example think about quarter mile times. If you have a turbo charged car, your 0 to 60 speed is much slower, however your quarter mile speed is much quicker.

    What do you want?

    I think the quarter miles is probably a better indicator of performance than the 0 to 60 speed.  but also, none of these are probably a good marker because races are not linear —  typically a real race car goes through turns and winds, ups and downs, etc.  Certainly there are drag races, but still, at the end of the day the synthetic measures of performance are really not that necessary.

    So if you think that you are a nation or a nation state, once again thinking about short term performance is not a good one. Why? A nation nation state should at least be thinking 300 or 1000 years from now.

    Why so long into the future? Well simply because I think a nation or a nation state, what we truly desire is to last forever. Ideally, the United States of America would be around forever into perpetuity, well at least another thousand or 2000 years. Sooner or later at least in terms of like 100 billion years into the future, certainly we are going to go extinct sooner or later, but ideally we could strive to last longer.

    Longevity durability is the goal 

    Switching up my philosophy on fitness, I’m really into this idea of outdoor fitness. The general idea is that life is made for outside, not the indoor gymnasium.  as a consequence, our life decisions and our training should simply be done in such a manner that we train for outdoors, we live outdoors, we think outdoors. 24 seven 365 outdoor military training.

    I think the reason why a lot of these aspiring bodybuilder or weightlifters or powerlifters, they fail because by taking steroids they essentially not only shrink their balls, but they increase their short term performance, for the sake of becoming impotent and not being able to bear children or fruit even beyond their 40s and 50s. My personal ideal is to have a six pack at the age of 80, or 85, and my goal is to also keep lifting weights until I die. I probably will not be able to lift 1000 pounds when I am 120 years old, but still… Aiming for longevity is great. Because even if you miss the mark, at least you can still get close.

    Nothing is meant to last forever

    Certainly nothing is meant to last forever, but that doesn’t mean that we cannot strive.

    I think infinite durability is and should be the goal.  Therefore some new ways in which I am trying to approach fitness is toward this holy Grail;

    Simple thoughts:

    1. Stretching warming up, flexibility and ligament bone tendon strength and mobility is the bedrock and foundation of all fitness. And actually in fact, if you want to lift 20% more weight, optimizing for these factors is supreme.
    2. Think about even distribution, and also, exercises which encourage movement walking, on your own two legs. Yoke walk,yoke lift, atlas lift, Farmer’s carry, neutral grip dead lift trap bar hex bar, neutral grip rack pull. For a long time I’ve focused on mixed grip for my dead lift in right pool, but now that I am starting to get in 1000 pound territory, maybe the wise thing is to get some straps for me to focus on pulling neutral grip, in order to prevent myself from putting too much strain and pressure on one knee, which for me happens to my right side, when I’m going very very heavy.
    3. Ultimately walking is the number one goal. More recently, I am so inspired by Seneca, who loves to take the bus and the metro everywhere. and ultimately when push comes to shove, simply having the strength to carry Seneca, he’s 41 pounds now, with the heavy backpack full of books, to and from the Metro stop is a new goal.

    Clothes

    Also in terms of clothing, certainly nothing is meant to last forever. But because… Somethings are just too fragile, like for example I’ve gone through like at least 10 pairs of long 100% merino wool leggings, and honestly I’m just tired of continually purchasing new ones. Even though I could afford it.

    And also, a random other… I think this thought also applies to cars vehicles and also your beloved iPhone. Think about it… The iPhone is engineered to only be really really good for a year or two. If you just think about this from a macro perspective, Not only is it impossible for an iPhone to last you 50 years, or even more… There is no smart phone which can actually improve overtime.  certainly there are certain things like software upgrades, which do improve your phone, but from a hardware physics perspective, impossible.

    Also, in terms of a car or a vehicle, durability is your best bet. For example… Pride in my 2010 Prius, this thing will last me like 1,000,000 miles. It does not get better overtime, but it certainly doesn’t get outdated that quickly. Even what I love about the model is that there is no stupid touchscreen, Which means there is fewer distractions for me on the road.

    Even if you think a lot about these modern cars, that have all touchscreen, the big issue here is that the touchscreen technology even if you get the newest model of the car is already outdated! If your screen is not up to part with the latest iPad Pro it sucks.

    Even I am so shocked with Tesla cars come out how quickly they get outdated. Like for example the new new Tesla model Y that looks like a baby cyber truck, it already looks like at least 20 times better than the current Tesla model Y. As a consequence, There is like zero to little incentive at least for me to buy a Tesla because I know that it will get outdated so quickly.

    I think the only logical strategy is to then only ever lease a Tesla because you know within three years it will get outdated and you won’t want the newest new version.

    Or even better yet, take all that money that you would waste in the lease or financing and just put into bitcoin, or micro strategy stock, which will be accretive, not dilutive. 

    I think then from a simple strategy, it seems that at least for iPhones, just find the simplest cheapest model is best. For example the new iPhone E that came out ,,, E for ERIC ha ha, certainly this is the new goat. And actually when I think about the progression of three lenses to two lenses to one lens, sublime simplification. The simplest is actually the most desirable. 

    Simpler is superior

    What I love about bitcoin is that you cannot simplify it any further. End of the road.

    If you kept simplifying something and stripping away all the superfluous elements, at least in the digital realm, bitcoin is the only bet. Why? Pure digital energy, which has footprints in the physical realm, because you have to mine it with analog energy, but once it is mined, it exists in cyberspace forever.

    Nothing is forever besides bitcoin. 

    Expanding your time preference

    Even a super annoying thing… Getting the newest iPad Pro M4 chip, it bends? Before going to Mexico, I shoved it in my backpack, over full with a lot of stuff, and it actually structurally bent the iPad Pro, and now, it has this insanely annoying permanent curve and Bend? I guess the upside of this happening is that once again, the realization that nothing is meant to last forever.  Not only that but nothing is engineered to last forever , besides bitcoin. 

  • Perceptions.

    Perceptions 2Download

    So more recently inspired by Cindy, I’ve been reading more books by Thich Nhat Hanh, these wonderful little Zen meditation books made from parallax press in Berkeley.

    Anyways, two of my favorite books are “how to see” as well as “how to walk.” For me, those two things make up like 80% of my being. My passion of seeing, photography, and the visual arts,  as well as walking, the source and insight of all my intelligence.

    Why?

    The reason why I quit the news, and don’t follow any news is because honestly, it is all based on false perceptions and false reality.

    For example, people seem to lack the ability to have subtlety and nuance. For example, it is much easier to paint somebody as left right or even moderate… Rather than allowing people complexity specialty and nuance.

    For example, things that kind of confuse people; to be a left-wing liberal Democrat, yet be pro Donald Trump? Or, the idea of being a right wing conservative Republican, yet being anti guns. or being pro gay and lesbian and bisexual rights, yet being anti transgender hormonal injections.

    Complexity.

    Humans are complex, and we put them into bubbles. And also, it seems that a lot of our distress and suffering or annoyance is come when we spend too much time thinking about other people. I have an interesting ethical idea;

    Modern day society teaches us that it is virtuous to care about the emotions the feelings and the well-beings of others.  Get this over obsession with other people is actually what causes the seeds of ignorance and mis conception.

    Therefore, my antidote is to instead, become more self-centered, more self focused, and more autistic. 

    Even seeking to understand yourself takes too much time 

    Know yourself, know thyself. 

    In our short lives, it is already almost too much to seek or to strive to understand yourself. Let alone others.

    For example, things which are a waste of time; man seeking to understand woman, and also… Woman seeking to understand man. Because our hormones are like at least 100,000 times different, the one will never understand the other. But instead, the more constructive thing is to understand the reality that we are different, and to strive to work to operate in the same direction.

    Blue angels philosophy

    A random thing that I watched, one of the coolest things I’ve seen, certainly cooler than top gun because it is actually real, is watching the blue Angels. There are great new IMAX 3-D film that just was shown at the California science center which I had the privilege of watching.

    The general idea is that you take the best of the best, the six top elite pilots from the entire Navy Air Force, can you teach them to fly as one.

    There are two remarkable formation; the first is the diamond, in which there are four fighter jets, in a perfect diamond shape, nearly knows to nose, in the front, left and right and the rear.

    Then the final formation, the perfect Delta. When you have two solo fighter jets number five and six, finish up the rear left and the rear right, and it gets so so close like 6 to 12 inches apart, and it is like they are a perfect spade flying together.

    They practice like 12-18 hours a day, 223 flights today, for like six months straight. And they are certainly at a point in which they have like a mind met, they’re 120% faithful of one another. And this is critical because they are flying so close together, even one small movement will mean the death of potentially one or two pilots, or all seven. I think there’s been a total of 26 blue angel deaths in their career.

    Family delta force

    Back in Providence when I was working out at the local park, and I met some military guys, and asking them who the toughest were, he said Delta force. So currently the living situation I have at the crib is me Cindy and Seneca, that is four of us in total.

    I suppose I am at the front, Cindy is at the rear, and Seneca and my mom on the left and right. Later we will figure out how to add number five and six.

    Anyways, the goal is for us to fly together as one unit in the same direction. And misconceptions misperceptions etc.,  could actually lead to death.

    Once again, you’re kind of need to must have the visual of all fighter jets, stacked on top of each other, and literally as a spectator you hold your breath, because even the smallest movement will mean that for the whole formation.

    And once again, you gotta practice like 12-18 hours a day, no interruption, hard-core full, constant drilling and practice. Also, I think this is where the military interest is that technically at the end of the day it doesn’t really matter and it may be seen as a “waste of time”, or resources. Because there’s about like 155 full-time staff who make this all possible as well.

    And this is what I personally find fascinating; the idea is that when you take a bunch of people and have them commit to one singular goal, even though it may seem like a waste of time and resources, amazing things can happen.

    Your own personal training

    Also another thought is that what we tend to be missing from modern day life, especially once you finish high school and college, is that it is difficult to find a tribe, or better yet be a leader. In modern day life, once you hit your 20s mid 20s late 20s, 30s 40s etc.… Social structures fall apart. There is no more union of society because we are all seen as a bunch of individuals.

    But what is the problem? When you have a bunch of people acting at solo individuals, rather than considering the fact that they are in fact, all part of the same Delta formation, people become strange, detached, lack of sense of purpose and direction? Does this insipidus March towards Consumerism, individualism via superficial fashion options, and superficial forms of differentiation.

    But what if instead of trying to strive to become more apart, the goal is actually to become more collective, … kind of like think of King Leonidas in his 300? 

    Why has collectivism fallen apart?

    Good question; it seems natural that to be together makes sense. Why then has it become an ethos that everyone seeks to try to go solo?

    I think in terms of consumerism, it is more profitable this way. If everyone is trying to become their own rockstar on social media, certainly this will feed the algorithm and the monetization of the company. And the way that the news works is that the more division and conflict and clicks you get, the more money is being made.

    Therefore if you think about it from structural level, there is no financial incentive to promote peace reconciliation and mutual understanding, and mutual flourishing. 

    Happier

    For example, even though I don’t go to the gym anymore, looking back… It’s a little bit weird that all these guys are trying to compete with one another, once again… Assuming that we were all alpha males, we were all part of the same Spartan 300, and that we are all training together to fight on the million Persians, against King Xerxes, shouldn’t the general idea be that we are all rooting one another along?

    Winning together?

    Once again, thinking that we are all a unified friend, rather than antagonists?

    And this is a hard thing with diplomacy; easy to paint good guys and bad guys, but doesn’t everyone want mutual peace, cease-fires, and no more killing?

  • We are all Culver City

    Spread joy!

    11x investment

    13,000 share holders

    Die hard

    .

    Trade anything

    Shorts are good!

    .

    Punters

    Never selling it

    .

    Creative financing

    18 meet up

    .

    The courage to focus on just one thing?

    .

    Onboard

    Buy the company buying the Bitcoin!

    .

    All good

    2020

    4 year old wait 4 years

    .

    Schmiegel

    .

    Look deeply.

    .

    Increase BTC per share

    .

    Performance and execution

    Don’t diversify!

    .

    No price target ***

    .

    Not selling it

    Becoming more hardcore?

    Just 1?

    .

    More volatility

    Volatility is the business ***

    .

    Bitcoin treasury operations

    .

    ACTIVE.

    OPEN SOURCE blueprint to prosperity

    .

    No wasted ,.,, real estate

    Growth engine

    .

    Markets trade on forward expectations

    X amount for now

    .

    35% yield . 300%

    308% BTC yield went up 4x

    .

    Don’t look in backwards mirror

    .

    Expectation for future earnings ***

    .

    Investor of MSTR

    EXTREME TRANSPARENCY.

    .

    KPI

    Compound the entire machine

    .

    Best rates

    Income generation

    Volatility is the price you pay for returns

    .

    Sovereign wealth funds never sells 

    Synthetic , proxy

    .

  • Creativity is Overrated?

    355 pound dumbbell

  • 1000x

    Hot girl, hot boy

    Endeavor 

    $1–> $1000

    Most responsive to change

    $1B a Bitcoin ,,,, possible?

    $19.5B lifestyle ?

    More energy more strength more power exercise exercises

    What kind of exercises give you more energy strength and power?

    Survival of the strongest

    Be , become more opinionated adamant and assertive.

  • Bulletproof

    So in modern day life, it looks like the primary way that these skinny fat loser cowards can inflict great pain and or death is through guns bullets etc.

    BulletproofDownload

    I feel like back in the day, maybe an ancient Greek times, things were a little bit more clear and better;

    You had your spear your sword, your shield, nothing else.

    Spartans have short swords so we can get close to the enemy.

    Also the biggest issue is now, many cowards bark from afar, and never settle arguments up close and personal. For example, more recently I’ve started confronting a bunch of assholes who smoking in public, asking them to not smoke in a public place, and all these Shorty guys, Fake alpha males try to punk on me?

    Anyways, confronting an issue, up close and personal, like literally in the flesh face-to-face, I think is the way.

    The issues with technology is that it puts on some sort of silver mask on ourselves.  For example, easy to have an adrenaline rush or anxiety when you have to confront your boss with an email, or some sort of message. A lot less of an issue when you actually talk to them face-to-face, standing up outside?

    Nobody is the bad guy.

    I think also a great thought is that actually at the end of the day nobody is a bad guy.

    I think also big problem here is that we tried to paint an arrow on the “bad guy“, but the truth is, the truth is far more complex. You cannot paint a single figure as a bad guy, not Vladimir Putin, not Elon Musk, Not Jeff Bezos, not even Donald Trump.

    Scapegoat fallacy

    Also when we have certain issues in our lives, it is very simple to try to escape somebody, whether it be before our misery in our own lives, or even for our happiness. Typically there is not one single cause of pain or joy in our lives.

    So I think, rather than scapegoating anything or anyone, far more wise to stay focused, and concentrate on a deeper “truthy” perception of the world, rather than false views?

    Bulletproof body bulletproof mind

    A big thought I have is that actually, when we are in physiological pain, bodily pain when it comes to certain things in our body, we project that anger onto others.

    For example, I kind of tweaked my knee in a bad way a few days ago, and last night over dinner, I kind of strangely snapped at Cindy, for no good reason?

    Even me looking back at it, very very uncommon and bizarre. So therefore, maybe the intelligent line of thinking is maybe, the strange way in which I reacted and responded to seemingly trivial issue, is it because I was overly sensitive because of some sort of over sensitive pain receptors in my body? 

    Bulletproof vest

    Anyways, a big thing that I think about a lot and consider is becoming bulletproof. From a spartan philosophy, the general idea is if somebody shoots a bullet at you, and even intends harm, the general idea is that the bullet will ricochet off and not cause you pain. Or maybe you’ll feel a little bit of pain, simply from the impact of the bullet, but, it will not penetrate to and do real damage upon you?

    Shield up!

     a random thought about Captain America, very very interesting that Captain America doesn’t really have a weapon per se; he only has a shield. The reason why I think this is so interesting is that technically, the best way to approach life is through armor and defense?

    For example, you don’t need to attack nobody, but, you must be able to defend against other people.

    Let us remind ourselves that it is no longer called the ministry of war, it is called the Department of defense. Also if you think on a soccer or football team, what is the most important player? The goalie. Assuming that you have an impregnable goalie, technically, the other team can never win, at worst a draw?

    Maybe even if we think about foreign conflicts, maybe the idea is that we don’t need to overpower the other side, but simply be so strong do you have so much defense that simply the other side cannot win, and at worse, will subside into a draw?

    No contest

    From a stoic perceptive, I think the best way you could respond to an annoyance or stuff is through ignorance, ignoring, and also delaying reaction?

    Silence is our armor.

    For example whenever I hear stuff that I find strange or annoying or unnerving, I found that the best response is to just not respond to it, do not waste any long capacity or larynx muscles on it?

    The secret to winning is not losing

    For example, the secret to becoming rich as simple; just don’t go broke. Even 1000 X thought I had the other day was every dollar saved could be worth $1000 in the future? Assuming you’re on the bitcoin standard.

    Also, being a weightlifter, power lifter, hype lifter whatever,  or even bodybuilder, actually… I think 99% of the equation is simply not getting injured. My primary critique of weightlifters and fitness enthusiast is that we should dedicate maybe like 90% of our time towards injury prevention, doing dynamic warm-ups and exercises that strengthen our joints and ligaments, and flexibility, the general idea is that we have to become like bamboo; the strength of bamboo is in her Flexibility? Also funny note, flexible, flexibility… Is the same word as flex. Isn’t it funny that yogis can flex how flexible they are by doing these funny backflip moves and turning themselves into pretzels, or Gumby, yet a bodybuilder is not able to flex his muscles proudly in public, without a feeling of shame?

    Ideas

    The first general idea I have a simple: in order to lift 20% more weight, you must actually strengthen your hips joints and ligaments?

    For example, recalling my journey to lifting 1000 pounds at the gym, I would literally spend like at least 30% of my workout time on doing yoga hip mobility stuff? Another thought: mobility is just micro strength? 

    Certainly the human body is not like a gasoline engine, but I think typically, if you have some sort of hot rod or something, before doing the quarter mile or testing your 0 to 60 speed, typically of what you’re supposed to do is you’re supposed to warm up your engine, do a few test laps, and heat up your engine before going full throttle?

    Long-term gains

    So if you have the goal of just becoming super super buff and jacked, in your 20s and 30s, and then becoming a cripple for the rest of your life like Ronnie Coleman, or you have the option of having a six pack and a phenomenal physique until you’re 120, Which option would you take? Certainly the second. Yet why is it that most fools take the first route by taking steroids and other weird stuff?

    I think the prime issue is that on social media, it is impossible to display longevity. For example, visually you cannot really represent longevity and durability, and also… Longevity and durability is not very sexy. 

    For example, nobody is going to brag on social media that they’re Prius plug-in prime can drive them like 1,000,000 miles, nobody cares. It is far more impressive to show off your 0 to 60 drag speed races.

    And once again, here is where we must act a little bit more critical, ask yourselves at the end of the day… Does it really even matter? 

    Other thoughts

    Projectiles are for pussies.

    Even in Spartan times, the Spartans would make fun of the archers, knowing that real men did not hide behind armored walls,  flinging projectiles.

    Similarly speaking, I think the card is in modern day times is even worse than hiding behind some sort of armored castle wall, people hide behind like three levels of cowardice; first, anonymity, via fake pseudonyms on the Internet in which you don’t expose anything, second, Separation of the physical self, once again… I feel like 99.99% of conflicts could be solved by having two humans in the flesh, standing next to each other talking it out? Or even better… Putting them together in some sort of beautiful nature area, having them go on a walk, and forcing them to just talk it out for about an hour? And even if nothing is resolved after the hour… Certainly both parties will feel a little bit better?

    bulletproof soul

    A tactical soul.

    One of my favorite scenes in John Wick is when he goes to see the tailor, and the Taylor ask him what occasion it is for, and he gets his new suit and tie and suit jacket, and what type of materials he would desire and he said “tactical. “

    As philosophers, the soul, the human soul, our soul is certainly the most critical things here. Is it possible to create a bulletproof soul?

    Leonidas, King Leonidas, means lionhearted. To have the heart of a lion.

    What is also kind of interesting to me when watching movie 300 is that the Spartans, are mostly bare? The only armor they have is their helmet, their shield, bronze armor for their shins their fore arms, but they have a bare chest?

    Certainly this is more for bravado and movie flair, but still… The visual is fascinating to me?

    Bulletproof vehicles

    Certainly the cyber truck is still the goat here. Or maybe having like some sort of hybrid Toyota sequoia or something.

    The only non-negotiable thing on the road is to not die in a car accident. Everything should be optimized around this. It is possible and preferable to be late, to be stuck more in traffic or whatever… Certainly these things have short term annoyances, but dying in a car accident or even worse having your spouse or kid dying in a car accident is a non-negotiable.

    Sometimes when I’m stuck on La Cienega or the 405, I kind of now understand why so many people in LA desired some sort of high-powered SUV, or truck? It is kind of like protection. Like having a bulletproof vest but on the freeway?

    I suppose the difference is that it is probably more of a perception thing; I really don’t know if you’re technically safer in a car crash if you’re an SUV or a truck versus being in a Toyota Prius. But the perception is people feel safer in larger vehicles?

    I even read something super random from Roxanne gay, who wrote something that like when she was a child she was like sexually molested or something, and her psychological and physiological response was to become as big and fat as possible to simply protect herself from others and the outside world?

    Even NASSIM TALEB, when he started to have a lot of anxiety about the outside world from other people and economists,  how he could not sleep even after chamomile tea, instead of hiring a bodyguard  decided to strive to actually become and look like a bodyguard? This is where I first discovered one rep Max lifting, the best way to turn yourself into your own personal bodyguard.

    Even now, I’m starting to think, maybe the new eat those in approach I am working towards look and become or seem more like Security? Rather than seeming or looking like a civilian, to either look like a security guard, or better yet, police, or better yet, SWAT team, special weapons and tactics team, Even better, a navy seal door kicker, shout out to my friend Walter Magerison– the ultimate courage?

    Door kicker

    Do you remember when King Leonidas says this is Sparta and kicks the messenger into the hole, that infamous kick… Maybe that kind of door kicker should be the number one exercise we train for?

    Even when I was a kid learning taekwondo, the forward kick, the Forward thrust kick , might be the most effective kick to defend yourself against an enemy? The ultimate lever; doesn’t look super flashy, but is actually the most effective?

    Sparring

    Where to concentrate your energy power and force?

    Still… The best way I think about one rep Max lifting is that it is concentration and meditation. For like 30 seconds before you attempt a new one repetition maximum lift, you cannot be distracted you must be 100% focused. No audio no visual no distractions. It is pure transcendence.

    A lot of these weirdos who take mushrooms or LSD or hallucinogens who seek some sort of out of body experience, or even seek intoxication through alcohol or marijuana, maybe we should just get into hype lifting and powerlifting instead?

    Just log it.

    Photography, our daily photography practice could also be considered another form of a photo log, of our lives?

    A blog, a web blog, a video log, a Vlog, all of this is also simply forms of recording a log?

    Captains log, even a bathroom log, is all forms of just adding marks to log things for the sake of it?

    You don’t need a reason to log?

    Even nowadays, whenever I send email newsletters or whatever, they are kind of more like essay logs, like some sort of random ideas that I am currently working through myself, and thinking that there’s even a 1% chance of utility for you, I send it to you? 

    Maybe what courage is via negative, simply not being a coward, or not having fear?

    A man who is fearless, somebody who is fearless… What would this look like?

    How to subtract fear from your life

    Conquering fear has always been kind of my number one preoccupation in life. Because I think… Maybe like 99% of fear that we got is simply predicated on false perceptions, or some sort of physical deficiency?

    Simple prescriptions:

    1. Throw your iPhone iPhone Pro into the trash: honestly I think 99% of stuff we ingest now from our mobile phones is fear porn; imagine if you could like voluntarily watch two girls one cup, or human centipede on loop, like 1000 times a day… Would you do it? Probably not. I even had a thought; if you have an issue with iPhone or smart phone addiction; maybe when you go home, just turn it off and lock it into the glove compartment of your car?
    2. Second thought is maybe instead of owning an iPhone, iPhone Pro, just own an iPad Pro instead? Certainly we need a computer to thrive in today’s world, I think that structurally, having an iPad Pro encourages me to do more creative productive stuff like reviewing my photos, voice dictating essays, sending email newsletters etc., whereas an iPhone because it is so compact… Encourages more mindless scrolling?

    Outside.

    Very difficult to feel anxious when you are outdoors in a beautiful nature, with beautiful sunlight in your face, looking at nature. Or, if you are staring at a barbell with templates on each side… All of these other superficial issues in your life will fade away.

    Trust in iron & steel

    Steel & iron therapy — once again, daily weightlifting, could maybe get rid of at least 90% of the issues in our life?

  • The stronger hips, the more you can lift? 

    Grok sucks

    May the strongest win.

    War, warrior training.

    The promise of perfection?

    .

    Becoming bulletproof

    How to become bulletproof

    Pain?

    .

    Bitcoin is bulletproof economic armor, vest bulletproof vest.
    .

    Bulletproof

    So in modern day life, it looks like the primary way that these skinny fat loser cowards can inflict great pain and or death is through guns bullets etc.

    I feel like back in the day, maybe an ancient Greek times, things were a little bit more clear and better;

    You had your spear your sword, your shield, nothing else.

    Spartans have short swords so we can get close to the enemy.

    Also the biggest issue is now, many cowards bark from afar, and never settle arguments up close and personal. For example, more recently I’ve started confronting a bunch of assholes who smoking in public, asking them to not smoke in a public place, and all these Shorty guys, Fake alpha males try to punk on me?

    Anyways, confronting an issue, up close and personal, like literally in the flesh face-to-face, I think is the way.

    The issues with technology is that it puts on some sort of silver mask on ourselves.  For example, easy to have an adrenaline rush or anxiety when you have to confront your boss with an email, or some sort of message. A lot less of an issue when you actually talk to them face-to-face, standing up outside?

    Nobody is the bad guy.

    I think also a great thought is that actually at the end of the day nobody is a bad guy.

    I think also big problem here is that we tried to paint an arrow on the “bad guy“, but the truth is, the truth is far more complex. You cannot paint a single figure as a bad guy, not Vladimir Putin, not Elon Musk, Not Jeff Bezos, not even Donald Trump.

    Scapegoat fallacy

    Also when we have certain issues in our lives, it is very simple to try to escape somebody, whether it be before our misery in our own lives, or even for our happiness. Typically there is not one single cause of pain or joy in our lives.

    So I think, rather than scapegoating anything or anyone, far more wise to stay focused, and concentrate on a deeper “truthy” perception of the world, rather than false views?

    Bulletproof body bulletproof mind

    A big thought I have is that actually, when we are in physiological pain, bodily pain when it comes to certain things in our body, we project that anger onto others.

    For example, I kind of tweaked my knee in a bad way a few days ago, and last night over dinner, I kind of strangely snapped at Cindy, for no good reason?

    Even me looking back at it, very very uncommon and bizarre. So therefore, maybe the intelligent line of thinking is maybe, the strange way in which I reacted and responded to seemingly trivial issue, is it because I was overly sensitive because of some sort of over sensitive pain receptors in my body? 

    Bulletproof vest

    Anyways, a big thing that I think about a lot and consider is becoming bulletproof. From a spartan philosophy, the general idea is if somebody shoots a bullet at you, and even intends harm, the general idea is that the bullet will ricochet off and not cause you pain. Or maybe you’ll feel a little bit of pain, simply from the impact of the bullet, but, it will not penetrate to and do real damage upon you?

    Shield up!

     a random thought about Captain America, very very interesting that Captain America doesn’t really have a weapon per se; he only has a shield. The reason why I think this is so interesting is that technically, the best way to approach life is through armor and defense?

    For example, you don’t need to attack nobody, but, you must be able to defend against other people.

    Let us remind ourselves that it is no longer called the ministry of war, it is called the Department of defense. Also if you think on a soccer or football team, what is the most important player? The goalie. Assuming that you have an impregnable goalie, technically, the other team can never win, at worst a draw?

    Maybe even if we think about foreign conflicts, maybe the idea is that we don’t need to overpower the other side, but simply be so strong do you have so much defense that simply the other side cannot win, and at worse, will subside into a draw?

    No contest

    From a stoic perceptive, I think the best way you could respond to an annoyance or stuff is through ignorance, ignoring, and also delaying reaction?

    Silence is our armor.

    For example whenever I hear stuff that I find strange or annoying or unnerving, I found that the best response is to just not respond to it, do not waste any long capacity or larynx muscles on it?

    The secret to winning is not losing

    For example, the secret to becoming rich as simple; just don’t go broke. Even 1000 X thought I had the other day was every dollar saved could be worth $1000 in the future? Assuming you’re on the bitcoin standard.

    Also, being a weightlifter, power lifter, hype lifter whatever,  or even bodybuilder, actually… I think 99% of the equation is simply not getting injured. My primary critique of weightlifters and fitness enthusiast is that we should dedicate maybe like 90% of our time towards injury prevention, doing dynamic warm-ups and exercises that strengthen our joints and ligaments, and flexibility, the general idea is that we have to become like bamboo; the strength of bamboo is in her Flexibility? Also funny note, flexible, flexibility… Is the same word as flex. Isn’t it funny that yogis can flex how flexible they are by doing these funny backflip moves and turning themselves into pretzels, or Gumby, yet a bodybuilder is not able to flex his muscles proudly in public, without a feeling of shame?

    Ideas

    The first general idea I have a simple: in order to lift 20% more weight, you must actually strengthen your hips joints and ligaments?

    For example, recalling my journey to lifting 1000 pounds at the gym, I would literally spend like at least 30% of my workout time on doing yoga hip mobility stuff? Another thought: mobility is just micro strength? 

    Certainly the human body is not like a gasoline engine, but I think typically, if you have some sort of hot rod or something, before doing the quarter mile or testing your 0 to 60 speed, typically of what you’re supposed to do is you’re supposed to warm up your engine, do a few test laps, and heat up your engine before going full throttle?

    Long-term gains

    So if you have the goal of just becoming super super buff and jacked, in your 20s and 30s, and then becoming a cripple for the rest of your life like Ronnie Coleman, or you have the option of having a six pack and a phenomenal physique until you’re 120, Which option would you take? Certainly the second. Yet why is it that most fools take the first route by taking steroids and other weird stuff?

    I think the prime issue is that on social media, it is impossible to display longevity. For example, visually you cannot really represent longevity and durability, and also… Longevity and durability is not very sexy. 

    For example, nobody is going to brag on social media that they’re Prius plug-in prime can drive them like 1,000,000 miles, nobody cares. It is far more impressive to show off your 0 to 60 drag speed races.

    And once again, here is where we must act a little bit more critical, ask yourselves at the end of the day… Does it really even matter? 

    Other thoughts

    Projectiles are for pussies.

    Even in Spartan times, the Spartans would make fun of the archers, knowing that real men did not hide behind armored walls,  flinging projectiles.

    Similarly speaking, I think the card is in modern day times is even worse than hiding behind some sort of armored castle wall, people hide behind like three levels of cowardice; first, anonymity, via fake pseudonyms on the Internet in which you don’t expose anything, second, Separation of the physical self, once again… I feel like 99.99% of conflicts could be solved by having two humans in the flesh, standing next to each other talking it out? Or even better… Putting them together in some sort of beautiful nature area, having them go on a walk, and forcing them to just talk it out for about an hour? And even if nothing is resolved after the hour… Certainly both parties will feel a little bit better?

    bulletproof soul

    A tactical soul.

    One of my favorite scenes in John Wick is when he goes to see the tailor, and the Taylor ask him what occasion it is for, and he gets his new suit and tie and suit jacket, and what type of materials he would desire and he said “tactical. “

    As philosophers, the soul, the human soul, our soul is certainly the most critical things here. Is it possible to create a bulletproof soul?

    Leonidas, King Leonidas, means lionhearted. To have the heart of a lion.

    What is also kind of interesting to me when watching movie 300 is that the Spartans, are mostly bare? The only armor they have is their helmet, their shield, bronze armor for their shins their fore arms, but they have a bare chest?

    Certainly this is more for bravado and movie flair, but still… The visual is fascinating to me?

    Bulletproof vehicles

    Certainly the cyber truck is still the goat here. Or maybe having like some sort of hybrid Toyota sequoia or something.

    The only non-negotiable thing on the road is to not die in a car accident. Everything should be optimized around this. It is possible and preferable to be late, to be stuck more in traffic or whatever… Certainly these things have short term annoyances, but dying in a car accident or even worse having your spouse or kid dying in a car accident is a non-negotiable.

    Sometimes when I’m stuck on La Cienega or the 405, I kind of now understand why so many people in LA desired some sort of high-powered SUV, or truck? It is kind of like protection. Like having a bulletproof vest but on the freeway?

    I suppose the difference is that it is probably more of a perception thing; I really don’t know if you’re technically safer in a car crash if you’re an SUV or a truck versus being in a Toyota Prius. But the perception is people feel safer in larger vehicles?

    I even read something super random from Roxanne gay, who wrote something that like when she was a child she was like sexually molested or something, and her psychological and physiological response was to become as big and fat as possible to simply protect herself from others and the outside world?

    Even NASSIM TALEB, when he started to have a lot of anxiety about the outside world from other people and economists,  how he could not sleep even after chamomile tea, instead of hiring a bodyguard  decided to strive to actually become and look like a bodyguard? This is where I first discovered one rep Max lifting, the best way to turn yourself into your own personal bodyguard.

    Even now, I’m starting to think, maybe the new eat those in approach I am working towards look and become or seem more like Security? Rather than seeming or looking like a civilian, to either look like a security guard, or better yet, police, or better yet, SWAT team, special weapons and tactics team, Even better, a navy seal door kicker, shout out to my friend Walter Magerison– the ultimate courage?

    Door kicker

    Do you remember when King Leonidas says this is Sparta and kicks the messenger into the hole, that infamous kick… Maybe that kind of door kicker should be the number one exercise we train for?

    Even when I was a kid learning taekwondo, the forward kick, the Forward thrust kick , might be the most effective kick to defend yourself against an enemy? The ultimate lever; doesn’t look super flashy, but is actually the most effective?

    Sparring

    Where to concentrate your energy power and force?

    Still… The best way I think about one rep Max lifting is that it is concentration and meditation. For like 30 seconds before you attempt a new one repetition maximum lift, you cannot be distracted you must be 100% focused. No audio no visual no distractions. It is pure transcendence.

    A lot of these weirdos who take mushrooms or LSD or hallucinogens who seek some sort of out of body experience, or even seek intoxication through alcohol or marijuana, maybe we should just get into hype lifting and powerlifting instead?

    Just log it.

    Photography, our daily photography practice could also be considered another form of a photo log, of our lives?

    A blog, a web blog, a video log, a Vlog, all of this is also simply forms of recording a log?

    Captains log, even a bathroom log, is all forms of just adding marks to log things for the sake of it?

    You don’t need a reason to log?

    Even nowadays, whenever I send email newsletters or whatever, they are kind of more like essay logs, like some sort of random ideas that I am currently working through myself, and thinking that there’s even a 1% chance of utility for you, I send it to you? 

    .

    What to leave out?

    Dislike what the multitude does?

    When you share an opinion that has 100% acceptance, typically this is a bad sign?

    Be conquerors yourselves via force of arms?

    Cypress trees — beautiful and tall but bear no fruit? 

    Bear fruit

    Deeds

    Phoicon– stop his bad manners

    No ill will.

    .

    Write bolder

    First create a democracy inside your own house

    No boxing or prize fighting… No crying off

    People with few words require few laws 

    Long hair as an ornament at least expensive one

    .

    For men or for women?

    My shield turned traitor

    My barbell as my weapon ,,, becomes my enemy or traitor.

    .

    Not how many the enemy but where they are?

    he who would rule over many must fight with many

    .

     practice honorably

    “ The most unlike you “

    The best, is the most unlike you

    “ Enough to keep away the bad men “

    The girls will look more ugly with beautiful garments

    Lion skin, fox skin 

    Boundaries of land with your sword

    Poor free men, but good slaves **&

    Health and sanity

    Ultra pink

    Valor,

    Reach your enemies with your swords, although short

    Kill fighting not die fighting

    300 citizens better than myself

    Punish the bad men

    When to make use of virtue

    Be admist the blare of trumpets 

    Give 1000 bitcoins

    Shields barbell

    It is hard to decide while we are still alive

    A lame and crippled man

    .

    Small land enough to live on

  • The Blue Angels’ Philosophy on Life: Discipline, Honor, and the Pursuit of Excellence

    (Written in the voice of Eric Kim)

    What does it mean to live life with precision, power, and purpose? The Blue Angels—arguably the most elite aviators in the world—offer us a philosophy not just for flying, but for living.

    Their ethos is simple yet profound: Discipline, Honor, and the Pursuit of Excellence. It’s a philosophy that goes beyond the cockpit and into the marrow of daily life. And if we study their approach, we can extract wisdom that applies to everything—whether it’s art, photography, business, or simply how we choose to walk through life.

    1. Discipline: Mastery Over Chaos

    The Blue Angels don’t just fly—they execute precision maneuvers at 500 mph, with mere inches separating their aircraft. How do they do this? Discipline.

    Every flight is a study in meticulous repetition. The smallest deviation can mean disaster, so they rehearse endlessly. They eliminate excess motion. They sharpen their reactions to the point where excellence becomes second nature.

    This is the approach we should take with our craft. If you’re a photographer, don’t just take pictures—train your eye like a fighter pilot hones his reflexes. If you’re an entrepreneur, don’t just chase money—design your business with the precision of a Blue Angels formation.

    Discipline is about commitment to process. No wasted motion. No hesitation. Just decisive, clear action.

    2. Honor: A Code to Live By

    The Blue Angels don’t fly for themselves; they fly for the team, for the audience, for the country. They operate under a strict code of honor, where the mission comes before ego.

    This is a powerful philosophy to adopt in life. We live in an era of self-promotion, but what if we flipped the script? What if we asked: How can I serve? How can I elevate those around me?

    Honor is about having a code—something unshakable that defines you. Whether in your art, your relationships, or your work, let your actions be guided by integrity. If you say you’re going to do something, do it. If you make a mistake, own it. If you commit to a craft, give it everything.

    Honor isn’t about looking good—it’s about being good.

    3. The Pursuit of Excellence: Never Settle

    Good is not enough for the Blue Angels. Perfection is the standard. Every performance is a relentless pursuit of mastery, and every pilot knows they can always be better.

    This is the mindset of a true artist, a true innovator, a true master of life. Never settle. Never think you’ve “arrived.” There’s always another level. Another skill to hone. Another layer to refine.

    The world is full of people who stop at “good enough.” Don’t be one of them. Whether it’s photography, writing, fitness, or business—push yourself beyond comfort. Chase greatness with the intensity of a fighter jet breaking the sound barrier.

    Final Thought: Live with Precision

    The Blue Angels don’t fly by luck. They fly by design. Every move is intentional. Every action serves a purpose.

    This is how we should live. No wasted time. No half-hearted efforts. No mindless drifting.

    Approach life with precision. Move with intention. Pursue mastery.

    And like the Blue Angels, soar higher than you ever thought possible.

  • Outdoor Research Podcast

    Outdoor ResearchDownload

    Podcast

    Outdoor Research

    So I have a funny theory… I think most of our modern day melodies arise from the fact that we’re simply indoors too much.

    There’s no such thing as bad weather only bad clothing 

    My friend Mattias L told me the infamous Swedish saying; “there’s no such thing as bad weather only bad clothing”. And this is when we are in Stockholm in the dead of winter, and I still remember us being on a train terminal, him just wearing a light track jacket and trainers, not even wearing a jacket or a hat, or even winter boots.

    Certainly human desire fairer weather. For example, when we think in consider… Why were the ancient Greek so productive? One of the theories is that the Mediterranean climate is actually very very conducive to leisure and thinking! It does get cold, but not that cold. Not like Detroit cold.

    As a consequence, I think this encourages more people to be outdoors more often, which might be better for thinking, philosophizing, even military exercises? 

    The secret of Napoleon

    One of the things that Nietzsche talked a lot about was his admiration for Napoleon, and on describing how Napoleon was able to remain so productive healthy and strong, continual marches through the winter all year long, a life outdoors.

    spend more money on your clothes

    So once again… Then seems that the optimal strategy is if you want to spend maximum time outdoors, and train your body (askesis, body strengthening in Ancient Greek)– to become more spendthrift with your clothing seems like a good idea.

    Typically the best fabrics include down, Merino Wool, alpaca, leather, — typically animal fabrics seem to work the best. Why? If you’re going to be butt naked in the middle of the winter, at night, perhaps having a mink fur is a good idea.

    for the sake of what?

    So first and foremost, I think a simple thought is our prime joy is thinking, being active, the feeling of strength. As a consequence, more time outdoors is more better.

    Why?

    First, information density. Assuming that we are photographers and visually gifted and visually hungry, what that means is more information visuals the better.

    Whenever I’m just walking around town, and looking at all the different skyscrapers, hotels, metros, cars etc.… People etc., the information density that you get is like at least 100,000 times  greater than if you were just stuck at home.

    As a consequence, I think there’s also connection between visual, visual information, being in the real world and having to exercise depth perception, as a connection to being awake, being alive?

    military training

    So for a long time, I think my overall fitness ethos was towards powerlifting, one rep Max lifting etc. But now, I feel a slight change of heart, maybe a new echo is towards some sort of military training?

    Kid fitness

    I was lifting weights the other day, and had my barbell adjusted a notch too high, which I think put too much strain on my right knee, which caused me to kind of tweak it. As a consequence I was super annoyed for the rest of the day because as I am carrying glorious baby Seneca, Who is like 41 pounds now,  I felt this annoying pain for the whole day. On my right knee.

    First, I think it is hard to think about once you have a kid, it is like 100% paradigm shift. All this nonsense they used to have before your kid was born, is no longer. ERIC KIM before the birth of Seneca no longer exists anymore– I’m something new.

    Becoming something new

    So this is an interesting idea… We are all seeking newness people we want growth development and newness… I think actually the reason why we desire to purchase new clothes new cars new accessories new phone etc. is that we ourselves desire to become new. The general idea that we have is that if we purchase some sort of new trinket or something, we ourselves are new. 

    But can you imagine, an ancient Spartan, lying on his couch, scrolling through his new iPhone Pro, on websites that sell new Spartan armor and weapons and spears, and keep fantasizing about the next sword spear or shield or helmet that he would gain?

    spartan military discipline

    The secret to happiness is discipline freedom, independence… asceticism. Askesis — training. The secret to happiness is training!  Also the secret to happiness is hard, hardness, durable, durability.

    anti fragile

    Typically most fitness buffs — we all know, we have a single fragile point. It may be our knees are hips are back our lower back, our feet, something.

    And it seems that what a lot of people try to do is hide their weak part. But I think actually… The number one goal we should have is to strengthen the weak part.

    For example whenever you watch any sort of boxing animes like HAJIME NO IPPO — typically a boxer always has a weaker side, like some sort of weak point, and if the other boxer opponent discovers this weakness, will spend their whole time trying to exploit this week spot whether it be their left side, their kidney whatever.

    And as a consequence, I almost feel like the secret of becoming impregnable, invincible is to simply strengthen your weak point, or the surrounding areas.

    For example, when we think that we have a “bad knee“, it is actually not our knee… It is the fact that we have weak hips, tight hips, tight lower backs etc. Even foot problems like plantar fasciitis can easily be resolved by buying a pair of five finger shoes, and just spending a lot of time stretching your calves, hips and knees. 

    In terms of the strongest lever in our bodies, it is almost most certainly our hips. For example, if you look at the famous strongman, they could easily hip thrust like 2000 pounds. Good luck trying to overhead press or bench press 2000 pounds. Or even squat 2000 pounds.

    As a random aside, one of the most interesting exercise tools and equipment right now looks like this Titan.fitness contraption which essentially you hip thrust a bunch of weight while attaching a dip belt to your hips. It seems to make a lot of sense. The only reason I think that more people don’t do it is because it is not “canonical” or “standard”  in terms of fitness. Or competition. For example if you could like hip thrust 10,000 pounds, it wouldn’t help you in a powerlifting competition and assuming that social media is just soul prostitution and competition,  what that then means is that people are incentivized and doing things which are competitive rather than doing just what makes sense.

    a world beyond competition? 

    My personal thought then is perhaps we would have a much better life if we eschewed competition. That we no longer cared to compete with anything anybody, not even ourselves?

    The reason why I think this is such a radical idea is that previously I thought self competition was a good idea ,,, now no longer?

    is you dumb?

    If you could impute all the money you wasted on your car into your body by buying beef liver beef ribs, bone marrow… The holy trifecta, and you use that money on weightlifting equipment at home… Or at least the gym membership… What could you become?

    Why cars make no sense

    I think the biggest issue is that we’ve been brainwashed into thinking that somehow… Obtaining and owning some sort of high-end car or vehicle or something will somehow add power and happiness to our lives?

    But what if instead… The most supreme happy life is via negativa;  that the best life is subtracting nonsense?

    For example if you really thought about it… The most successful rich smart intelligent person would not own a car not own a home, not own anything, besides himself and his bitcoin?

    Self independence is key

    assuming that freedom independence is happiness… Then what we should be striving towards is furthering our self independence and our self freedom?

    And once again, to increase our freedom is to simply subtract that which is holding us back.

    xxx

    Blue Angels Philosophy to Life: Precision, Passion, and Purpose

    In the world of the Blue Angels, every second matters. Watching those sleek jets carve the sky with unwavering precision, I’m reminded that life, too, demands our full presence and intention. The Blue Angels aren’t just performers; they’re ambassadors of discipline, trust, and relentless commitment. Their philosophy isn’t confined to the cockpit—it’s a way of living, a call to engage with every moment as if it were our final maneuver.

    Embracing Precision in a Chaotic World

    Flying at speeds that defy imagination, the Blue Angels operate in a realm where precision isn’t optional—it’s the difference between success and catastrophe. In their world, every movement, every adjustment, is calculated to perfection. This mirrors our everyday lives. We often find ourselves juggling uncertainties, and the answer isn’t to rush through decisions but to slow down and focus on what truly matters. Precision in our actions, whether in conversation, work, or personal relationships, can transform chaos into clarity. Much like aligning with the trajectory of a high-speed jet, aligning our intentions with our actions paves the way for a life lived with purpose.

    Discipline as the Engine of Excellence

    The discipline required to become a Blue Angel is awe-inspiring. Countless hours of practice, meticulous attention to detail, and a mindset that refuses to accept mediocrity form the backbone of their art. Life, too, is a craft that demands continuous refinement. There’s a raw, undeniable beauty in the discipline of pursuing excellence—whether that means honing your craft, nurturing relationships, or building the life you envision. Discipline isn’t about rigid routines; it’s about setting standards that honor your potential. It’s the quiet, persistent force that transforms everyday actions into stepping stones toward mastery.

    The Power of Teamwork and Trust

    No Blue Angel flies solo. Their synchronized displays are a testament to the power of trust and teamwork. Every maneuver is executed with the understanding that every teammate has honed their skills to perfection, and that trust is earned through shared experience and relentless effort. In our lives, the people we surround ourselves with can elevate our own performance. Embracing collaboration—acknowledging that we’re part of something larger than ourselves—can lead to breakthroughs we never imagined. Trust in others, and trust in yourself, creates a network of support that makes even the most daunting challenges surmountable.

    Risk, Courage, and the Art of Letting Go

    Perhaps the most profound lesson from the Blue Angels is the embrace of risk. These pilots fly where many wouldn’t dare, confronting danger head-on with a blend of technical mastery and intuitive courage. In life, risk is inherent. We must decide every day to leap into the unknown, to let go of the comfort of certainty, and to embrace the possibility of failure as a stepping stone to growth. This isn’t reckless abandon—it’s calculated courage. It’s about understanding that every risk carries lessons that refine our character and fortify our resolve. Just as a Blue Angel adjusts course mid-flight, we, too, must be willing to recalibrate our approach when faced with adversity.

    Mindfulness in Motion

    There’s an almost meditative quality to the Blue Angels’ performances. The silence before a takeoff, the focused intensity during flight, and the calm precision in their landing—all speak to a profound mindfulness in motion. In our frenetic lives, cultivating mindfulness can be our anchor. It means being fully present in the moment, acknowledging our emotions without judgment, and allowing ourselves the space to breathe amid the whirlwind of daily responsibilities. This mindfulness doesn’t come from avoiding life’s turbulence but from learning to navigate it with grace and clarity. It’s about finding that inner calm even when the external world is in full throttle.

    Living Boldly, Living Authentically

    At its core, the Blue Angels philosophy is about living boldly and authentically. Every flight is a declaration of trust in one’s abilities, a celebration of human ingenuity, and a refusal to settle for the mundane. This ethos challenges us to live with authenticity—to pursue our passions fiercely and to reject the notion of playing small. Whether you’re embarking on a creative project, starting a new venture, or simply seeking to enrich your daily existence, the Blue Angels remind us that greatness is forged in the crucible of risk, discipline, and unyielding passion.

    A Call to Action

    So, how do we translate this high-octane philosophy into our everyday lives? Start by embracing the present moment with the intensity of a pilot preparing for takeoff. Cultivate discipline in your pursuits and invest in the relationships that bolster your journey. Don’t shy away from risks—instead, analyze them, learn from them, and use them as fuel for growth. Finally, remember that the beauty of life, much like the flight of a Blue Angel, lies not in the destination but in the artistry of the journey itself.

    In the spirit of the Blue Angels, let’s choose precision over chaos, discipline over complacency, and courage over comfort. Let each day be a flight—an opportunity to soar higher, to push boundaries, and to live with unwavering passion and purpose.

  • Life strategy

    Maximalist Manifesto

    Radical.

    Bitcoin first bitcoin only

    We had to earn our keep

    Rights issue

    Dilutive move

    Efficient market hypothesis

    $70M raise

    Market had an appetite for Bitcoin

    Original thesis

    Asset base

    Next step

    ATM equity issuance

    ACCRETING BITCOIN

    $21M plan

    Moving strike warrants

    14M to 1.6B

    .

    Stock acquisition rights

  • New ideas new concepts

    How to strengthen your knees?

    Mobility movement exercises ?

    Carte Blanche approach.

    New boss visions . 

    The feeling of strength vs weakness ?

    What is pain?

    Rethink.

    Eat more and consume more to become stronger and bigger?

    The goal is to become more massive ?

    HOW TO GAIN MASS

    GOALS: Consume more

    More hard-core knee and hip stretching?

    What does biological life want ?

    seek maximal healthiness

    How to become the king tyrant

    First walk ?

    Gaining energy and power is the Goal?

    Takeoff.

    Battle Training

    Happiness & strength

    Happiness is strength ? 

    Human > Vehicles

  • Outdoor Research

    Video

    Audio

    Outdoor Research

    So I have a funny theory… I think most of our modern day melodies arise from the fact that we’re simply indoors too much.

    There’s no such thing as bad weather only bad clothing 

    My friend Mattias L told me the infamous Swedish saying; “there’s no such thing as bad weather only bad clothing”. And this is when we are in Stockholm in the dead of winter, and I still remember us being on a train terminal, him just wearing a light track jacket and trainers, not even wearing a jacket or a hat, or even winter boots.

    Certainly human desire fairer weather. For example, when we think in consider… Why were the ancient Greek so productive? One of the theories is that the Mediterranean climate is actually very very conducive to leisure and thinking! It does get cold, but not that cold. Not like Detroit cold.

    As a consequence, I think this encourages more people to be outdoors more often, which might be better for thinking, philosophizing, even military exercises? 

    The secret of Napoleon

    One of the things that Nietzsche talked a lot about was his admiration for Napoleon, and on describing how Napoleon was able to remain so productive healthy and strong, continual marches through the winter all year long, a life outdoors.

    spend more money on your clothes

    So once again… Then seems that the optimal strategy is if you want to spend maximum time outdoors, and train your body (askesis, body strengthening in Ancient Greek)– to become more spendthrift with your clothing seems like a good idea.

    Typically the best fabrics include down, Merino Wool, alpaca, leather, — typically animal fabrics seem to work the best. Why? If you’re going to be butt naked in the middle of the winter, at night, perhaps having a mink fur is a good idea.

    for the sake of what?

    So first and foremost, I think a simple thought is our prime joy is thinking, being active, the feeling of strength. As a consequence, more time outdoors is more better.

    Why?

    First, information density. Assuming that we are photographers and visually gifted and visually hungry, what that means is more information visuals the better.

    Whenever I’m just walking around town, and looking at all the different skyscrapers, hotels, metros, cars etc.… People etc., the information density that you get is like at least 100,000 times  greater than if you were just stuck at home.

    As a consequence, I think there’s also connection between visual, visual information, being in the real world and having to exercise depth perception, as a connection to being awake, being alive?

    military training

    So for a long time, I think my overall fitness ethos was towards powerlifting, one rep Max lifting etc. But now, I feel a slight change of heart, maybe a new echo is towards some sort of military training?

    Kid fitness

    I was lifting weights the other day, and had my barbell adjusted a notch too high, which I think put too much strain on my right knee, which caused me to kind of tweak it. As a consequence I was super annoyed for the rest of the day because as I am carrying glorious baby Seneca, Who is like 41 pounds now,  I felt this annoying pain for the whole day. On my right knee.

    First, I think it is hard to think about once you have a kid, it is like 100% paradigm shift. All this nonsense they used to have before your kid was born, is no longer. ERIC KIM before the birth of Seneca no longer exists anymore– I’m something new.

    Becoming something new

    So this is an interesting idea… We are all seeking newness people we want growth development and newness… I think actually the reason why we desire to purchase new clothes new cars new accessories new phone etc. is that we ourselves desire to become new. The general idea that we have is that if we purchase some sort of new trinket or something, we ourselves are new. 

    But can you imagine, an ancient Spartan, lying on his couch, scrolling through his new iPhone Pro, on websites that sell new Spartan armor and weapons and spears, and keep fantasizing about the next sword spear or shield or helmet that he would gain?

    spartan military discipline

    The secret to happiness is discipline freedom, independence… asceticism. Askesis — training. The secret to happiness is training!  Also the secret to happiness is hard, hardness, durable, durability.

    anti fragile

    Typically most fitness buffs — we all know, we have a single fragile point. It may be our knees are hips are back our lower back, our feet, something.

    And it seems that what a lot of people try to do is hide their weak part. But I think actually… The number one goal we should have is to strengthen the weak part.

    For example whenever you watch any sort of boxing animes like HAJIME NO IPPO — typically a boxer always has a weaker side, like some sort of weak point, and if the other boxer opponent discovers this weakness, will spend their whole time trying to exploit this week spot whether it be their left side, their kidney whatever.

    And as a consequence, I almost feel like the secret of becoming impregnable, invincible is to simply strengthen your weak point, or the surrounding areas.

    For example, when we think that we have a “bad knee“, it is actually not our knee… It is the fact that we have weak hips, tight hips, tight lower backs etc. Even foot problems like plantar fasciitis can easily be resolved by buying a pair of five finger shoes, and just spending a lot of time stretching your calves, hips and knees. 

    In terms of the strongest lever in our bodies, it is almost most certainly our hips. For example, if you look at the famous strongman, they could easily hip thrust like 2000 pounds. Good luck trying to overhead press or bench press 2000 pounds. Or even squat 2000 pounds.

    As a random aside, one of the most interesting exercise tools and equipment right now looks like this Titan.fitness contraption which essentially you hip thrust a bunch of weight while attaching a dip belt to your hips. It seems to make a lot of sense. The only reason I think that more people don’t do it is because it is not “canonical” or “standard”  in terms of fitness. Or competition. For example if you could like hip thrust 10,000 pounds, it wouldn’t help you in a powerlifting competition and assuming that social media is just soul prostitution and competition,  what that then means is that people are incentivized and doing things which are competitive rather than doing just what makes sense.

    a world beyond competition? 

    My personal thought then is perhaps we would have a much better life if we eschewed competition. That we no longer cared to compete with anything anybody, not even ourselves?

    The reason why I think this is such a radical idea is that previously I thought self competition was a good idea ,,, now no longer?

    is you dumb?

    If you could impute all the money you wasted on your car into your body by buying beef liver beef ribs, bone marrow… The holy trifecta, and you use that money on weightlifting equipment at home… Or at least the gym membership… What could you become?

    Why cars make no sense

    I think the biggest issue is that we’ve been brainwashed into thinking that somehow… Obtaining and owning some sort of high-end car or vehicle or something will somehow add power and happiness to our lives?

    But what if instead… The most supreme happy life is via negativa;  that the best life is subtracting nonsense?

    For example if you really thought about it… The most successful rich smart intelligent person would not own a car not own a home, not own anything, besides himself and his bitcoin?

    Self independence is key

    assuming that freedom independence is happiness… Then what we should be striving towards is furthering our self independence and our self freedom?

    And once again, to increase our freedom is to simply subtract that which is holding us back.