Critical versus not?

Also, a funny thought; porn is just entertainment?

I don’t like films produced by women or directed by women? Not that women make poor movies, but as a man, I just cannot relate?

Sans vagine (Nieztche)—

As a man, I would prefer to watch testosterone, filmed, movies, produced, or filmed, or directed by people like Zack Snyder?

You are never the same person twice:

UBER THOUGHTS, VISION THOUGHTS.

Some fresh vision thoughts to get you going:

---

Apple Vision Pro? 

It’s weird when you really want to like something, and you try to force yourself to like it, but you cannot. This is my overall feeling towards the Apple Vision Pro; apparently the other day I learned that you cannot use Apple Vision Pro unless you have a prescription insert thing. This is a tragedy for people like myself who wear glasses; even oculus rift S was compatible to use with glasses on!

The demise of Apple?

I am probably the biggest Apple fanboy that I know, the biggest Steve Jobs fanboy. But even now, I have lost all passion and interest in essentially all of the products. Everything is so boring, same same, generic and played out. For example the other day my iPhone SE, the microphone got busted, and I went to the Apple in century city mall in LA, shout out to Jonathan Rosales — A++++ customer service from the technician Genius Bar– anyways, the microphone on my iPhone SE stopped working, and upon getting it inspected, Jonathan suggested that I just get a replacement iPhone SE for only $299 from the back.

It was a no-brainer. I busted out my credit card and gave him my old iPhone SE, with the broken microphone and also the messed up scratch screen, and I got a brand new iPhone SE, same configuration, and while I am glad that I have a working phone again, it all feels so lackluster and old and played out.

Lesson I got from my friend Todd Hata — you could just buy a refurbished iPhone mini directly on Amazon! This is what I should have done. Only around $450 USD —

Or, you could buy a refurbished iPhone directly from the apple.com website, maybe it is a good idea to buy a refurbished iPhone Pro, with max one terabyte storage (1 TB) storage.

In fact, this is a device strategy that I’ve had, based on my IT background;

Best to buy a maxed out refurbished product, the most expensive maxed out refurbished old product and milk it until the end of time, rather than buy something brand new, bottom of the line or even middle of the line.

For example, maybe buying a maxed out iPhone pro refurbished on the Apple website with 1 TB one terabyte of storage might be the most useful strategy.

---

Touch ID

Now that I’m super rich, something that is becoming a little bit more concerning to me is biometrics and data, security, two factor authentication etc.

For example, most of us now have text messaging 2 factor authentication enabled on our devices, but in theory, if somebody steals your phone and takes out your Sim card, technically they could access all of your financial and personal data.

To me, my only concern has to deal with my finances, nothing else. When people talk about getting your identity stolen or whatever, that doesn’t really concern me. The only thing which concerns me is getting my money stolen.

One of the good things about having an older iPhone with the thumbprint scanner is that I think it is actually more secure than Apple Face ID. There are funny stories that people 3-D printing out facial masks, and hacking into peoples phones, or even the joke is having somebody Apple face scan while they are sleeping or taking a nap or something.

Maybe for now, a thumbprint is the most secure thing. Even though the iPhone SE is not perfect, currently it may be the least bad iPhone out there. Either that or iPhone Mini.

Thumbprints, iPhone SE’s are the future.

90% Bitcoin, 10% Chainlink

Currently bitcoin is booming, it recently broke the 50,000, $51,000 a bitcoin barrier, which is always good news. Why? People get emotional about round numbers; this is why Apple prices the iPhone Pro at $999, rather than $1000 flat. It seems that we don’t like round numbers, we like it a little bit under or a little bit over.

For example, prices are significant one day go over the big hump.

Now that bitcoin is over 50,000, $51,000, it won’t be long until it goes back to $55,000 a bitcoin, $57,000 a bitcoin, $59,000 a bitcoin, $60,000 a bitcoin, and will soon and eventually break the $65,000 a bitcoin high watermark. Once it breaks that again, and it finally hit $70,000 a bitcoin, it is all just uphill from there. Then I don’t think we will balk any more at bitcoin being $100,000 a bitcoin, $150,000 a bitcoin, $200,000 a bitcoin, $300,000 a bitcoin, 400,000, 500,000, 1 million, 1.5 million, 3 million, 5 million, $10 million a bitcoin and beyond.

It was just yesterday I bought Bitcoin at $6,000 USD a Bitcoin and even then,,, I regretted NOT buying it at $300 a Bitcoin .. when I first started eyeing it.

The 90/10 power law

Therefore my simple strategy as of now is putting 90% of your crypto speculations into bitcoin, and other 10% into chainlink. Why chainlink? In the whole entire world of crypto, I think it might actually be the only interesting crypto technology platform or innovation there is. Everyone else is trying to become the next bitcoin, which seems like a poor strategy because honestly, there will never be another bitcoin.

The only issue with bitcoin is that it is too slow to transfer things. However a great innovation is the bitcoin lightning network, endorsed by Jack Dorsey and block.xyz.  this is also the same company that owns the square platform, cash app, and I suppose now tidal.

A just government and Republic? 

A republic is just a chimera — Galiani on Money

I feel that the most interesting book I’ve read of all time in anything regards to money or economics is Galiani ON MONEY. One of the takeaway points is that at the end of the day, the most prosperous nation is the nation with the most just government and liberty — currently on the planet that is America, the United States of America.

Also, Galiani, I think he wrote this book 400 years ago, talks a little bit about America, the Americans, the Quakers Boston and Pennsylvania how they only used paper money because America only traded with Britain at the time. Galiani said this was good because Quakers are trustworthy and kept their word.

Studying the history and philosophy and theory of money — super critical to any economic theorizing.

---

Fitness and beyond

Titan.fitness — it is pretty amazing that you could buy a squat rack, which is good up to 2000 pounds, for only about $350 on the Titan.fitness website. 

I think 99% the difficulty that people have about getting fit is that going to the gym is too much of a hassle. For example, having to drive there, be stuck in traffic, stuck in a car, having to find parking, having to enter, worry about people stealing your stuff, or having to wait for your favorite squat rack. The best strategy is to just build your own home gym; you could just leave it inside your house or apartment, keep it in your front lawn or back lawn, or even your parking spot.

For example, a great innovation I’ve discovered is this Titan.fitness “independent squat stand” which I could just move around as I please. This is very useful because I have two parking spots, one is where I park my Prius, the other is where I leave my squat rack. But if for some reason somebody wants to spend the night or keep their car parked in my second parking spot, I could just easily move the squat stand!

---

Buy more bone marrow, not devices.

So the Apple Vision Pro is $3499 — the new high water mark. To me it ain’t that expensive–

We can all afford it,, the better question is “do I really want it or not?”

For me,,,, I can afford a thousand Vision Pros but it just doesn’t interest me,,, no matter how hard I try.

A better thought:

Go to your local grocery market butcher and ask for bone marrow (Gelson’s in LA and the century city mall does it)

Bone marrow as the ultimate demigod food;; good enough for Achilles as a child! Bone marrow may actually be SUPERIOR to beef liver? My new thought.

Buy $3,499 worth of bone marrow,,, and your life and soul and destiny shall be transformed.

We humans don’t like having stuff on our head

A big big big big big note for VR — Meta, meta quest, Apple etc:

Nobody likes to put shit on their head —

Even Seneca age 3 hates putting on a baseball cap!

As a consequence — suggestion for Apple:

Make the iPhone, iPad insanely great again.

Personally I’m waiting for the iPad Pro M3 chip to come out before I upgrade — everything else seems lame.

Photo thoughts

New Fujfilm X100 is out which is good news — but why is the design the same? Boooooeing!

Fujifilm should have made a brand new all white color, or even a new matte black color,,, or even a matte pink or matte or shiny gold color.

Nobody cares for the internals,,, we buy it for the new design.

Heads up to Leica, Fujifilm, Sony, Apple Tesla etc:

Always be updating the new design.

For example the new Model 3 insanely great redesign — they’re selling like hotcakes! Also Cybertruck sales are off the roof!

---

Redesign Yourself

Perhaps a good idea —

Always redesign, and be redesigning yourself.

Prince, David Bowie Michael Jackson etc — Kanye, Jay Z, etc.

Better than redesigning your house home car etc … redesign yourself!

Also redesign your website, platform etc– a good approach.

Redesign your photography, art and creativity

No limits >

---

EK PHOTO SUPPLY

ALL HAPTIC STRAPS — new update… no more sales tax! Yippie!

Swim in the HAPTIC STREAM >

---

That new new shit

1. Open AI SORA — mind officially blown.
2. New lululemon license to Train 5’’ shorts in all black are the perfect shorts. Also don’t buy the tenthousand.cc shorts — they suck. Buy without the liner.

Solo thinking

1. One man, one barbell (Texas power squat bar, monster squat bar)
2. One man, one camera, one lens. Currently LUMIX G9, LUMIX pancake 14mm f2.5 lens

Chris Athanasiadis

ERIC KIM IS A TRIP.

Chris Athanasiadis– great blog.

He also got the new Nikon zf and loves it!

Check out Chris — the last interesting street photographer blogger alive?

---

New?

1. Start Here
2. Books
3. Downloads

Also saw the new Winogrand Color book … insanely great!

---

Who else, what else?

Speculate in you!

ERIC

---

EK NEWS

---

Movies to watch?

1. Barbie: The New Matrix?
2. New Napoleon Ridley Scott film
3. Dune 2– incoming.

CINEMA BY KIM >

---

You are never the same person twice.

EK BLOG

---

PHILOSOPHY BY KIM

---

I’m so future, I *AM* the future, I’m *from* the future?

Sexy, beautiful human bodies.

And also — children and kids!

Invest all of your money towards having (at least) 2 kids — and the rest of life is simple; being outside, outdoors, fitness, physical activity, uneven surfaces, hiking, climbing up hill, views, the outside world —

Good Apple Mac Pro motto

Explain it visually.

Zero Knowledge Proof —

True origin of foods?

”Golden record”?

Trust anchor for society?

The Verifiable Web: Fixing the Internet’s Truth Problem

Than yesterday?

Just buy the newest chip — the newest M-series chip.

Mac

True philosophers are *NOT* consistent to their thoughts, beliefs, ethos..

A man’s mind is never the same.

You never step into the same river twice; you never think the same twice.

Also better to just buy a new GoPro and Max lens mod and head mount than Apple Vision Pro?

Why I hate glasses, sunglasses, baseball caps?

Apple Vision Pro — bad bad bad. VR headsets — BAD BAD BAD

Let’s make the iPhone, iPad cool again!

Real men *should* only own one camera— and one lens;; nothing else.

100% bone marrow diet, extreme heavy weight lifting?

Less friction and reticence to experiment with random stuff!

$3499 USD worth of bone marrow —

$10 for a pack of bone marrow … 350 individual meals of bone marrow? Every day, every month … a whole year, 365 days in a row practically?

EAT BONE MARROW EVERYDAY.

Some fresh thoughts to get you going:

---

Apple Vision Pro? 

It’s weird when you really want to like something, and you try to force yourself to like it, but you cannot. This is my overall feeling towards the Apple Vision Pro; apparently the other day I learned that you cannot use Apple Vision Pro unless you have a prescription insert thing. This is a tragedy for people like myself who wear glasses; even oculus rift S was compatible to use with glasses on!

The demise of Apple?

I am probably the biggest Apple fanboy that I know, the biggest Steve Jobs fanboy. But even now, I have lost all passion and interest in essentially all of the products. Everything is so boring, same same, generic and played out. For example the other day my iPhone SE, the microphone got busted, and I went to the Apple in century city mall in LA, shout out to Jonathan Rosales — A++++ customer service from the technician Genius Bar– anyways, the microphone on my iPhone SE stopped working, and upon getting it inspected, Jonathan suggested that I just get a replacement iPhone SE for only $299 from the back.

It was a no-brainer. I busted out my credit card and gave him my old iPhone SE, with the broken microphone and also the messed up scratch screen, and I got a brand new iPhone SE, same configuration, and while I am glad that I have a working phone again, it all feels so lackluster and old and played out.

Lesson I got from my friend Todd Hata — you could just buy a refurbished iPhone mini directly on Amazon! This is what I should have done.

Or, you could buy a refurbished iPhone directly from the apple.com website, maybe it is a good idea to buy a refurbished iPhone Pro, with max one terabyte storage (1 TB) storage.

In fact, this is a device strategy that I’ve had, based on my IT background;

Best to buy a maxed out refurbished product, the most expensive maxed out refurbished old product and milk it until the end of time, rather than buy something brand new, bottom of the line or even middle of the line.

For example, maybe buying a maxed out iPhone pro refurbished on the Apple website with one terabyte of storage might be the most useful strategy.

---

Touch ID

Now that I’m super rich, something that is becoming a little bit more concerning to me is biometrics and data, security, two factor authentication etc.

For example, most of us now have text messaging to factor authentication enabled on our devices, but in theory, if somebody steals your phone and takes out your Sim card, technically they could access all of your financial and personal data.

To me, my only concern has to deal with my finances, nothing else. When people talk about getting your identity stolen or whatever, that doesn’t really concern me. The only thing which concerns me is getting my money stolen.

One of the good things about having an older iPhone with the thumbprint scanner is that I think it is actually more secure than Apple Face ID. There are funny stories that people 3-D printing out facial masks, and hacking into peoples phones, or even the joke is having somebody Apple face scan while they are sleeping or taking a nap or something.

Maybe for now, a thumbprint is the most secure thing. Even though the iPhone SE is not perfect, currently it may be the least bad iPhone out there. Either that or iPhone Mini.

90% Bitcoin, 10% Chainlink

Currently bitcoin is booming, it recently broke the 50,000, $51,000 a bitcoin barrier, which is always good news. Why? People get emotional about round numbers; this is why Apple prices the iPhone Pro at $999, rather than $1000 flat. it seems that we don’t like round numbers, we like it a little bit under or a little bit over.

For example, prices are significant one day go over the big hump.

Now that bitcoin is over 50,000, $51,000, it won’t be long until it goes back to $55,000 of bitcoin, $57,000 a bitcoin, $59,000 a bitcoin, $60,000 a bitcoin, and will soon and eventually break the $65,000 a bitcoin high watermark. Once it breaks that again, and it finally hit $70,000 a bitcoin, it is all just a pill from them. Then I don’t think we will balk any more at bitcoin being $100,000 a bitcoin, $150,000 a bitcoin, $200,000 a bitcoin, $300,000 a bitcoin, 400,000, 500,000, 1 million, 1.5 million, 3 million, 5 million, $10 million a bitcoin and beyond.

Therefore my simple strategy as of now is putting 90% of your crypto speculations into bitcoin, and other 10% into chainlink. Why chainlink? In the whole entire world of crypto, I think it might actually be the only interesting crypto technology platform or innovation there is. Everyone else is trying to become the next bitcoin, which seems like a poor strategy because honestly, there will never be another bitcoin.

The only issue with bitcoin is that it is too slow to transfer things. However a great innovation is the bitcoin lightning network, endorsed by Jack Dorsey and block.xyz.  this is also the same company that owns the square platform, cash app, and I suppose now tidal.

A just government and Republic? 

A republic is just a chimera — Galiani on Money

I feel that the most interesting book I’ve read of all time in anything regards to money or economics is Galiani ON MONEY. One of the Takeaway points is that at the end of the day, the most prosperous nation is the nation with the most just government and liberty — currently on the planet that is America, the United States of America.

Also, Galiani,  I think you wrote this book 400 years ago, talk a little bit about America, the Americans, the Quakers Boston and Pennsylvania how they only used paper money because America only traded with Britain at the time. Galiani said this was good because Quakers are trustworthy and kept their word.

---

Fitness and beyond

Titan.fitness — it is pretty amazing that you could buy a squat rack, which is good up to 2000 pounds, for only about $350 on the Titan.fitness website. 

I think 99% the difficulty that people have about getting fit is that going to the gym is too much of a hassle. For example, having to drive there, be stuck in traffic, stuck in a car, having to find parking, having to enter, Worry about people stealing your stuff, or having to wait for your favorite squat rack. The best strategy is to just build your own home gym; you could just leave it inside your house or apartment, keep it in your front lawn or back lawn, or even your parking spot.

For example, a great innovation I’ve discovered is this Titan.fitness “independent squat stand” which I could just move around as I please. This is very useful because I have two parking spots, one is where I park my Prius, the other is where I leave my squat rack. But if for some reason somebody wants to spend the night or keep their car parked in my second parking spot, I could just easily move the squat stand!

---

Buy more bone marrow, not devices.

The word “arrogant” comes from the Latin word “arrogans,” which is the present participle of “arrogare.” This term is composed of “ad-” (towards) and “rogare” (to ask, propose), which together imply a sense of claiming or demanding for oneself more than is due. The original meaning has a connotation of someone who claims or assumes for themselves the right to something in a presumptuous or overbearing manner. Over time, the word “arrogant” has come to describe a person exhibiting an inflated sense of one’s own importance or abilities, often manifesting as overbearing pride or presumptuousness.

On Apple website!

On the new iPhone, finally seeing it and playing with it in person,,, the new design, and color-infused matte frost colored back is actually super interesting —

For finishes what was super interesting — the new black, feels like a true matte black. The finish on the iPhone (normal, typical iPhone) in black.., has a more interesting finish than the iPhone Pro in black titanium?

Big growth!

Record revenue: ZEISS concludes fiscal year for the first time with revenue over 10 billion

19 DECEMBER 2023

---

ZEISS Group revenue has risen to over 10 billion euros (10.108 billion euros) for the first time in the company’s history (up 15% compared to the prior year) – EBIT at 1.7 billion euros (up 98 million euros compared to the prior year). ZEISS is investing record sums in research & development (R&D), infrastructure and the transformation of the company.

• Exceptional growth with contributions from all four segments
• Expenditure in research and development amounted to 15% of revenue
• Around 43,000 employees globally, up 11% on the prior year
• Around 3.5 billion euros in investments in infrastructure planned for the next 5 years worldwide – around 3 billion of which to be invested in Germany
• Transformation into a data- and process-driven organization

Weird things with Apple:

Why would Apple sell PlayStation controllers directly on their website?

Shop

Accessories

Apple Vision Pro ZEISS insets for Vision Pro

Simple idea— just get contacts?

If you wear contact lenses

If you use single vision soft prescription contact lenses, you can use Apple Vision Pro without ZEISS Optical Inserts — Prescription. 

• If you use hard contact lenses, it might impact your experience with Apple Vision Pro. If you experience difficulty with eye tracking, and your eye care provider has indicated that eye glasses with a comprehensive prescription is an option for you, then you may consider ordering ZEISS Optical Inserts. Otherwise, you may use an alternate form of input such as Pointer Control. 
• Cosmetic contact lenses are not compatible with Apple Vision Pro and should be removed before using the device.
• If you typically use reading glasses in conjunction with your prescription contact lenses, you may benefit from using ZEISS Optical Inserts â€” Readers in conjunction with your contact lenses.

How to order your ZEISS Optical Inserts

You can order ZEISS Optical Inserts when you purchase Apple Vision Pro, or later from the Apple Store website or app. If you start or stop using ZEISS Optical Inserts later, you might need a different sized Light Seal to ensure proper fit. 

Order ZEISS Optical Inserts when you purchase Apple Vision Pro

1. If you have a comprehensive, up-to-date prescription, go to apple.com/store. ZEISS Optical Inserts — Readers can be purchased in-person at an Apple Store, or online.
2. Begin your Apple Vision Pro purchase and complete your face scan.
3. Complete the vision questionnaire.
4. Purchase your Apple Vision Pro and ZEISS Optical Inserts as a set.
5. If you have a prescription, upload your prescription. You’ll receive a verification whether ZEISS Optical Inserts are available to you within about one business day.
6. You might be asked to provide additional information while your prescription is reviewed. 

You should receive your ZEISS Optical Inserts within approximately two weeks after your prescription has been confirmed. After you receive your ZEISS Optical Inserts, you need to attach and pair them.

Learn how to attach and pair your ZEISS Optical Inserts

Order ZEISS Optical Inserts through the Apple Store

1. Go to apple.com/store or download and open the Apple Store app.
2. Search for ZEISS Optical Inserts.
3. If you need a new pair or your prescription has changed, complete the vision questionnaire.
4. Add the ZEISS Optical Inserts to your bag and complete the transaction.
5. If you have a prescription, upload your prescription. You’ll receive a verification whether ZEISS Optical Inserts are available to you within about one business day.
6. You might be asked to provide additional information while your prescription is reviewed. 

You should receive your ZEISS Optical Inserts within approximately two weeks after your prescription has been confirmed. After you receive your ZEISS Optical Inserts, you need to attach and pair them.

Learn how to attach and pair your ZEISS Optical Inserts

ZEISS Optical Inserts  â€” Readers are also available in-person at an Apple Store. 

If you need another pair of ZEISS Optical Inserts

If you need to order another pair of ZEISS Optical Inserts, or a replacement pair, just follow the steps to order a pair of ZEISS Optical Inserts from the Apple Store. You need to upload your prescription for each pair of ZEISS Optical Inserts that you purchase. 

If you wear prescription eyeglasses 

You cannot wear Apple Vision Pro while wearing eyeglasses. If you require prescription eyeglasses, including for astigmatism, you may be able to order prescription ZEISS Optical Inserts that can be used with your Vision Pro.

To purchase ZEISS Optical Inserts for Apple Vision Pro, you need a legible comprehensive prescription. Here’s the information your comprehensive prescription should contain:

• Your distance correction needs and/or your near correction needs, indicated separately but on the same prescription sheet. This is known as the full manifest refraction by eye care providers.  
• An expiration date (that’s not expired).
• Your full name, and your prescriber’s license number and signature. 
• Your eye exam or issue date.

Intermediate distance, task distance, or computer distance should not be part of that prescription, and contact lens prescriptions are not accepted. If you’re not sure if your prescription is comprehensive, consult an eye care provider and reference the description in this article.

ZEISS Optical Inserts are available for the vast majority of corrections, including for customers who normally use progressive or bifocal lenses. A very small percentage of people have a prism value added to their glasses prescription. At this time, ZEISS cannot manufacture ZEISS Optical Inserts based on a prescription containing prism value. If you have a prism value, it is labeled on your prescription and noted separately from sphere, cylinder, axis, and ADD values. If you’re not sure if your prescription includes prism, consult with an eye care provider.

Depending on your prescription, your vision needs might not be met through ZEISS Optical Inserts.

Check whether your prescription is supported

Learn how to order ZEISS Optical Inserts for Apple Vision Pro

After you place an order for ZEISS Optical Inserts and upload your prescription, you’ll receive a verification whether ZEISS Optical Inserts are available to you within about one business day. 

I still find it very bizarre we would call certain people “Black”— very much as weird as we call certain people “White”

For example one of my personal gripes —

Why is Amazon, the Amazon app so ugly?

I would prefer a more beautiful Amazon?

Forget you’re wearing any clothes at all! “Like nothing at all!”

Do people actually enjoy running?

The etymology of “usury” traces back to the Medieval Latin term “usuria,” meaning “interest” or “usury,” which itself comes from the Latin “usura,” meaning “use,” “enjoyment,” or “the lending at interest.” The root word “usus,” from which “usura” is derived, translates to “use” or “usage.” Initially, the term did not inherently carry a negative connotation; it simply referred to the practice of charging for the use of money, typically in the form of interest on loans.

Historical Development

Over time, the meaning of usury evolved, particularly influenced by religious, social, and economic contexts. In many religious texts, including the Bible, the Quran, and the Torah, usury was criticized or outright prohibited, especially when it involved excessive or exploitative interest rates. This perspective influenced the term’s negative connotation, as usury came to be associated with the sin or moral wrong of charging unfair, excessive interest on loans.

In the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church condemned usury, defining it as any interest whatsoever on loans. This stance was based on the belief that money itself was sterile and should not “breed” more money. The moral and ethical debates surrounding usury significantly shaped economic practices and policies in Europe during this period.

Modern Usage

In contemporary language, “usury” generally refers to the practice of charging excessively high rates of interest that are considered unethical or illegal. The exact definition of what constitutes usury can vary by legal jurisdiction, with many countries and states establishing specific interest rate caps to protect borrowers from predatory lending practices.

The etymology of usury, with its roots in the concept of “use” or “usage,” reflects the complexity of its development over time, encompassing shifts in moral, economic, and legal interpretations of lending practices.

Conquests and servitude from others

Populous land

Armies! Military virtue!

Agriculture is the mother of all wealth — meat

Fishing and hunting

Augment agriculture

Just government

Public affair … public matter

Res publica

The etymology of “republic” traces back to Latin, originating from the term “res publica,” which directly translates to “public affair” or “public matter.” The word is composed of two parts: “res,” meaning “thing” or “affair,” and “publica,” the feminine form of “publicus,” meaning “public” or “pertaining to the people.”

Historical Context

In ancient Rome, “res publica” referred to the state or commonwealth as a form of government in which affairs and interests were public, in contrast to the interests of a monarch or a private ruler. The Roman Republic, which existed from around 509 BC until the establishment of the Roman Empire in 27 BC, was characterized by a complex form of constitutional government. In the Roman Republic, power was held by the Senate, various elected officials, and assemblies of the citizens, reflecting the idea of public participation in governance.

Evolution of the Term

Over time, the concept and the term “republic” evolved to denote a form of government in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and there is an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch. The term began to be used in the context of the various city-states in medieval Italy and later was adopted by other states and political entities that established forms of government based on civic involvement and the avoidance of hereditary monarchy.

Modern Usage

Today, “republic” is used broadly to describe states and countries with forms of government where authority is derived from the people, either directly or through representatives. While the specifics of governance can vary widely among republics, the core principle remains the involvement of the public in the affairs of the state, reflecting the term’s etymological roots in the notion of the public or common welfare.

East India Company of Amsterdam— became its own republic

Companies’*‘^ have been established principally for | navigation and trade with the Indies, and in distant | seas, which once were as lucrative as they were filled | with perils, losses, and vast expenses.

Since the genovese have made peace with the Venetians, he”^ says, after that
most important war which had taken place between them many years earlier, and since their republic was unable to satisfy those citizens who had lent it great sums of money, it granted them the income from customs. The republic wished each one to participate in the income from the princi­ pal Slim, according to the amounts owed to him, in order that he might be entirely satisfied with his share of the whole.
In order for them to be able to meet to­ gether, the palace above the customs house
was consigned to them. These creditors then arranged among themselves a type of
government, forming themselves into a coun­ cil of one hundred”“ to deliberate upon
Tontine, a. variety of life income.
public matters, and a magistrature of
The origin of companies.
eight citizens,
all the others.
into parts which they called loughi, and they named the whole organization San Giorgio. Once their government was consti­ tuted in this fashion, new needs occurred to the communes in the city, for which they turned for new help to San Giorgio which, because it was wealthy and well managed,
was able to accommodate them. The commune, on the contrary, which had begun by conced­ ing the customs, proceeded to concede some of its lands to them as a backing for the money they had. And so the matter proceeded, born of the needs of the commune and the services of San Giorgio, under whose manage­ ment the commune placed the major part of the lands and the city under the genovese empire, which it governed and defended, and to which it sends its rectors each year for
public support, no part of which the commune toils over. As a result of this, the citi­ zens have withdrawn their loyalty from the commune, as a thing oppressed, and placed it in San Giorgio, as a thing which is well and fairly managed. This is how the easy and frequent changes of the state have come about, and why their loyalty shifts from some citi-

An “agioteur” is a French term that refers to a stockjobber, speculator, or someone who engages in arbitrage, which is the practice of taking advantage of a price difference between two or more markets. Specifically, it describes a person who buys and sells stocks, bonds, currencies, or commodities with the aim of profiting from short-term fluctuations in their prices, rather than investing in the intrinsic value or long-term performance of those assets.

The term “agioteur” carries a somewhat pejorative connotation, often used to depict someone who manipulates or exploits market conditions for personal gain, sometimes at the expense of the broader economy or the stability of financial markets. The activities of agioteurs can include speculation on government securities, currencies, and other financial instruments, potentially influencing market conditions in ways that can lead to volatility or market bubbles.

Historically, agioteurs have been associated with periods of financial speculation and crises, where their activities were believed to exacerbate market instability. Their actions are often under scrutiny for their potential to distort market mechanisms, leading to calls for regulation to prevent manipulative practices and ensure market integrity.

In modern financial markets, the activities akin to those of agioteurs are subject to regulatory oversight to prevent excessive speculation and market manipulation, ensuring that financial markets function smoothly and transparently.

Private individuals are their own creditors?

Money to be multiplied — multiply your money *AND* children?

Cash fund

Convert the price of daring into gain

Cannot refuse

A good bank is one that which does not pay —

Fears of the greedy?

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“Agio di banco” is an Italian term that historically refers to the premium or exchange rate difference charged by bankers for exchanging one currency for another. This term breaks down into two parts: “agio,” which means premium, benefit, or advantage, and “di banco,” which translates to “of the bench/bank.” It reflects the practice in medieval and Renaissance banking where money changers and bankers would set their rates for exchanging currencies, often incorporating a fee for their services.

Historical Context

During the times when banking was taking its modern form in places like Italy, currency exchange was a crucial service. Cities and states issued their own currencies, and with the flourishing of trade, both within the Italian city-states and internationally, there was a constant need to exchange currencies. The “agio di banco” covered not just the service charge but also accounted for the risk and the differences in value between various currencies.

Modern Interpretation

In contemporary financial terminology, similar concepts are still in use, though the terms have evolved. Today, we talk about exchange rate spreads, service fees, or transaction costs when converting one currency to another. These costs can vary based on the currencies involved, the amount being exchanged, and the financial institutions or exchange services used.

The historical concept of “agio di banco” encapsulates the beginnings of what would become a sophisticated global financial system, highlighting the enduring nature of currency exchange as a fundamental economic activity.