Something nobody really talks about: the importance of safety. For example, I just did a quick weekend trip in Lake arrowhead, and when driving up the mountain, there was an insane amount of fog, which was very dangerous. At that moment, the thought: what would be the maximum the safe car to climb up the mountain, surrounded by fog, with icy roads?

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Nobody knows what it means to be happy, but we know what it means to be focused. Knowing how to focus on something better you can control.

Therefore, put your strength and efforts towards focus. That means, knowing how to get rid of distractions.

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Also, skech on top of your screenshots!

The best ethos for raising a child, also works well with adults.

Best to be hands-on.

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Danger breeds focus.

Focus over “happiness”.

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Bitcoin ATM?

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The Palm Springs modern art museum as a great place!

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Currently doing a weekend retreat at Lake arrowhead, in the mountains at an Airbnb cabin lodge. To escape the cold, we drove to Palm Springs, checked out the art museum, and did a short fun hike, and walked around the downtown area. It was my first time in Palm Springs, and the main Avenue is very interesting. Almost like a bougie Santa Monica meets Vegas. Great for Street photography!

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The mountain air and elevation as very restorative for your health.

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I love cruel and harsh landscapes. They sharpen me, focus me, and inspire me.

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In praise of the mountains:

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How can we optimize our lives to live more dangerously, more recklessly?

Living in the mountains, desert, or more unforgiving climates. Places where it snows. East coast people as having more hair on their chest compared to soft California folks.

The purpose of life isn’t to stay at home, but to leave, embark, explore, discover, conquer, and traverse.

If you judge others or compare yourself to others, you equivalize yourself to others. Assuming you’re a rare plant, treat yourself as your own category, your own species.

When people challenge you to an argument don’t be suckered — there is no “winning” an argument by reason, logic or dialectics. Just ignore them, and don’t acknowledge what they said or their existence.

If I shot a lot of photos in a given day, it is a sign that I had a great day.

Actually not a horrible focal length!

In praise of iphone Pro to edit your photos while in the field.

What do we want? Things to be faster, more instant.

Consider the “Insta-pot”, or even “Insta-Gram”. Instant film (Polaroid, Instax).

Digital photography as superior to film photography because digital photos are instant.

Opt for smaller. With Tesla, get Model 3 Performance over Model S Plaid. iPhone Mini over iPhone Pro. Small is the new (clutch) luxury.

Small luxury apartments (less square footage, more modern and premium) over big (boring) and ugly suburban homes.

Not a matter of a ‘step forward’ or a ‘step backwards’. Rather, just different.

I say–

Embrace it.

Don’t stick to the old ways, even if it were in fact … ‘better’. Ride with the new.

Your aesthetic tastes will change and evolve as your life changes and evolves. Ride it!

Become less concerned with consistency. Should your life goals at age 12 be the same as age 21, or 33? Or 50? Or 120?

The sign of progress and evolution?

With technology, the march of technology is always forward and brutal. And whether we like it or not, perhaps it is best to just ride that wave?

Quick thoughts on iPhone 13 Pro:

The first thought is that I don’t actually really like the new design. I think it is big, bulky, heavy, and ugly. Yet, there are many things which are redeeming: this includes the improved battery life, the brighter screen, and the faster processor.

What is the iPhone for anyways?

The iPhone is no longer a phone. I think the iPhone Pro is just an iPad mini mini. It is an iPad which happens to fit in your front pocket.

For myself personally speaking, I actually really like the new iPhone Pro for blogging, vlogging, and processing and editing my photos.

I am also a big fan of the new 120 Hz screen, everything is so much more smooth and buttery. It makes for doing things like Zen Brush 2 and calligraphy even more fun.

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Uplifting habits:

Being outdoors, in the direct sun, walking, thinking.

Depressing habits:

Sitting on your butt all day, being indoors, also being indoors on a laptop all day on a standing desk.

Thought —

Better to just be walking around all day (30,000 steps a day) on an iPhone for work, instead of being at home on a laptop all day … even though the Laptop ix 1000x more efficient?

The minimum viable equipment you need in life:

1. Digital camera (The newest Ricoh GR III/IIIx camera)
2. Laptop (the most powerful MacBook Air)

The upside of a laptop:

The form factor doesn’t change.

Compare this with the iPhone — the form factor is always changing (with the Pro — always getting bigger, thicker, uglier).

Thus a simple idea:

Perhaps it is a good idea we keep the form factor consistent (in regards with our tools), and instead … innovate based on the artwork and things we create!

For example, Toyota seems to always be changing their designs of their cars, for the sake of it … and to perhaps drive sales?

At least one good thing with Porsche (911) — the goal is to continually refine it, perfect it, while keeping the form factor consistent.

With cameras, RICOH GR, and Leica M Rangefinder — the form factor doesn’t change, whereas the guts and engine is strengthened, improved, made smaller and more thing. More refined.

Therefore from an innovation perspective … maybe it is a good idea to keep consistent the form factor, and innovate instead by…

1. Making it thinner, sexier, more slim.
2. Making it more powerful (while keeping the same, small form factor).
3. Making the UI/UX more intuitive. Make it more fun and playful.

For example, even the future of TESLA:

No need to make a totally new design for the car designs, but to keep improving and innovating the self-driving features, and the UI/UX software on the screen.

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It seems that most people don’t have ‘taste’. But what does this mean?

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The bigger, bulkier, the uglier and the worse.

I just came back from Joshua trip, and I have nearly over 2000 photos to quickly sort through. In order to maximize speed up my workflow, this is what I did:

First, I shot both small JPEG, an extra small JPEG on my Ricoh GR 3X. I used the lightning to SD card adapter, and imported my photos into my iPhone Pro. Then, I look at the photos as aspect ratio, and favorite my best photos from the contact sheet screen.

The way I favorite my best photos is when I see them as small thumbnails, I click and hold the photos I like, and then I favorite them.

Also, a new hack I discovered is that when I like a certain photo and don’t want to lose it, I just screenshot it and crop it, and therefore it becomes their first photo in my photo stream, and I can quickly upload it to my WordPress media library.

To make a better composition, get closer, fill the frame, and make your compositions tighter.

For example, in this portrait I shot of my mom, Umma, look at how I worked the scene, and kept shooting from a distance and getting closer. Ultimately, I prefer the tightest composition, which has the maximum visual impact and intimacy.

A good way to make better compositions is this: place your subject in the extreme top of the frame.

The most fire shoe!

The reason why it is so great is that it fits your feet so well, is insanely comfortable, has a wide toebox, aesthetically looks great, and also it’s not a Croc. You can wear it everywhere, I’ve even seen a guy hiking with it. I also love that you could comfortably wear it without socks, which is great in Southern California. I hate socks.

Get it.

For the most part, I hate the design and ethos of the iPhone Pro. It is big and ugly, heavy, and too thick, not skinny and sexy enough.

Yet, I’ve discovered it is actually a very good blogging device. Also great to do vlogs— selfie front facing camera video.

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Some thing I learned from my friend Sean, who is a Japanese woodworker: the notion of honesty of materials. For example, if it is not wood, don’t make it try to look like wood. For example, the interior of cars should not simulate fake wood.

Even some thing I thought about the new iPhone Pro, with the stainless steel edges: even though I hate how shiny it is, untreated stainless steel is more honest. That is the purity of form, rather than coating it with another material.

This is why I really hate fake leather, a.k.a. “pleather”. If it is plastic, just let it be plastic. Real leather should be real leather, fake leather or “vegan leather “should not be a thing. Also this is why “fake meat“ is such a bad idea. Why are we trying to make soy beans taste like ground beef? Shouldn’t we just enjoy soy beans for the sake of soy beans?

Invest in Tesla — why? Simple thoughts:

1. The Model S might be the best car in the world. Why? It isn’t a car — it’s a mini autonomous self driving house/mini-RV. In case of a zombie apocalypse, you can definitely live out of one.
2. Unfortunately traffic — public transportation is not the future because of COVID. People will prefer to drive themselves and prefer sanitation. Autopilot is the best future to beat the fatigue of driving.
3. Elon Musk is the only interesting living entrepreneur, besides Kanye West.
4. Speed, endurance, range — what everyone desires in a car.
5. The rich are only getting richer — and cheaper to buy a Tesla than a house.
6. 30 years from now, Tesla as a company will only become greater.
7. 400 miles: The ultimate range. Eventually the Model 3 will probably get a 400 mile range battery. 400 miles enough from Norcal to Socal — the ultimate test. Even socal to Joshua Tree is only 120 miles— and there is a Tesla supercharging station next to Turtle Rock Casino closeby. 29 palms also as a great place. I cannot wait until Yucca Valley gets a Tesla supercharging station. Or make an Airbnb with a electric charging port.
8. Don’t die today: Less likely to die in a car crash from a Tesla than a normal car.
9. The minivan of the future: Rich people won’t stop having kids. Tesla Model X as the ultimate minivan— guys will be able to convince their wives to buy a Tesla Model X because it is “safe” and “good for the kids”. Why do they show the quarter mile drag race time for a Tesla Model X Plaid? To make guys who were once into sports cars (Porsche 911, etc), feel less shame driving a minivan with the kids.
10. California will eventually ban gasoline cars: Perhaps 20 years from now, California will no longer allow the new manufacture of gasoline cars.
11. In regards to battery life on electric cars — compare the iPhone 3G to the new iPhone Pro. iPhone Pro battery can easily last 2-3 days, and recharges insanely fast now. Same will happen with Tesla and electric cars.
12. Tesla is synonymous with electric car, just like when people mean to talk about Bitcoin when they talk about “crypto”, or talk about “Kleenex” instead of “tissue”.
13. $126,000 for a Tesla Model X plaid: Cheaper than an RV, camper van, and house. If I were a single millennial tech worker, I’d just be “homeless” and live out of my Tesla Model X than pay rent in SF/Bay Area.
14. When Tesla gets their Semi out — this will be the game changer for moving commerce. Great idea: The Tesla will complement drivers, rather than replace them. Also, there is currently a huge shortage of truck drivers. Imagine if your shipping company had a Tesla semi that you could drive, there would be tons of eager would be truck drivers who would sign up.
15. Solar is the future: it might take another 30 years, but we will eventually get there. Think about all the untapped sunpower left in the desert.
16. The truck of the future? It seems that Americans love trucks. And let us not forget that Tesla is technically an American company. Once the cyber truck finally comes out, I’m sure there will be a lot of people who trade in their Ford F1 50s for a cyber truck instead.
17. Tesla and Elon Musk has successfully created a cult, or a culture: This is how Apple became so successful, because honestly, Apple and Apple products are a quasi-religion and cult for atheist tech lovers.
18. The Tesla model Y is actually surprisingly affordable for what it is: In the suburbs, it seems like it is the most popular new family car. Around $60,000 is actually quite affordable for what it is, especially when comparing it to a Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, etc.
19. A super basic Tesla Model 3– $45,000. Not cheap, but, assuming you make monthly payments, even a quasi-normal person could afford one.

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Why this new cult of black?

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My great anger and disgust with Google — no I do not want notifications here!!!

Perhaps time to DuckDuckGo

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The new aesthetic — becoming an explorer.

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The basic idea —

Use Procreate app to dissect, add color gradients, add noise, grain, and other ”image destruction” or ”image obstruction“ filters to see your photos in new ways. Invert your photos to better see the darkness and tone distribution of your photos.

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Instead of learning how to code, better to learn how to blog.

Honestly at this point, blogging and wordpress is almost as confusing and technical as coding, yet blogging as a more effective way to distribute yourself and enact impact.

What do we seek as photographers and image makers? To make images which inspire — inspire movement, enthusiasm in the spirit of humanity, and the zest of living and being alive!

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Lately I’m really into camo — camouflage and military aesthetics. Function and tactical as an aesthetic.

Just go to the Marines website and see their attire.

We are interested in investing in stocks, crypto, etc … why not ourselves?

Yourself as a means to yourself

Why are we not allowed to posit ourselves as an end unto ourselves? To strive to seek to transform ourselves into the ubermensch? Why must we justify our own self development for the sake of having utility to and for others?

To become 1000x more as a photographer — in terms of photographic productivity, shooting, innovation, entrepreneurship, vision, ambition, and subject-defying genre. How can we become 1000x more insanely epic as a photographer when compared to others or what a traditional ”photographer” should be?

Simple ideas being —

1. You become a “full stack” solution. You are the author, creator, distributor and publisher of your photos. No reliance on social media, third parties, agencies, etc to distribute your work. You distribute it all yourself!
2. Extra small JPEG as an experiment. Edit and select all your photos on your iPhone. Upload straight to your blog media library.
3. You make photography the purpose, telos, and directive of your life. Don’t get distracted with all this other basic stuff.