ERIC KIM ₿

Category: Posts

  • BAGS ARE BAD.

    Why? They promote hoarding behavior!

  • Careerism?

  • Call no man successful unless he has started his own business, and is not employed by a foreign company

  • Generational Wealth

    Hmmm… if you came from a family, which owns a $3 million home somewhere in the hills…

  • True ethics: what you do and what you don’t do when nobody’s watching, or when you think nobody is watching

  • HALO

    Paramount —

  • Better to do a ghetto job than no job.

    For example, my 2010 Prius in white, has all of this chipping paint and issues. As a consequence, I decided a fun experiment, also the annoying holes in the trunk where I took out the emblems; I ordered some 3M Matt black vinyl wrap online, and was shocked how easy it was to apply. It is just like a big ass sticker, you stick it on, use a pair of scissors to cut it, and then you just wrap it around the sides.

    the new ones I discovered is that unless you have a heat gun, there will be all this annoying wrinkles and bubbles, but honestly speaking, I can’t be bothered buying a heat gun for around 120 bucks. I’m too cheap.

  • Put on your motherfucking cape!

  • MATTE BLACK VISION.

  • Can Islam smoke weed?

  • Don’t drink alcohol, don’t smoke weed.

    Don’t do any drugs? Only coffee?

  • Black & Bronze

    Black and bronze Bitcoin icon

  • SMALLER APARTMENTS ARE BETTER.

    Why? Easier, faster and cheaper to heat!

  • Visualize Spartan demigod deadlifting 1,500 pounds

    GOAAAALS!

    Haha

  • Matte black Spartan coin

    Use and promote your own shit!

    External vs internal promotions?

  • Spartan Street Photographer

    The new vision:

    Becoming the uber-street photographer:

    MASTER THE STREETS:

    Ultimate-Beginners-Guide-to-Mastering-Street-Photography-by-Eric-KimDownload
    The-Street-Portrait-ManualDownload
    100-Lessons-From-the-Masters-of-Street-Photography-by-ERIC-KIMDownload
    Bitcoin camera Eric Kim Back

     ERIC KIM CHATGPT BOTS

    1. ZEN OF ERIC
    2. ERIC KIM BOT

    STREET PHOTOGRAPHY STARTER KIT

    Open source:

    1. What is Street Photography? (2.4gb) / Download
    2. Black and White (2.3gb) / Download
    3. How to Shoot Street Photography (2.2gb) / Download
    4. Street Portraits 101 (1.9gb) / Download
    5. Conquer Your Fears (430mb) / Download
    6. Composition (460mb) / Download
    7. Masters (107mb) / Download
    8. Editing and Post-Processing (1.3gb) / Download
    9. Photography Projects (1.4gb) / Download
    10. Motivation (3.7gb) / Download

    View all >

    Video

    STREET PHOTOGRAPHY 101

    walking woman umbrella crimson red
    1. How to Become More Stealth in Street Photography
    2. HOW TO BECOME A BETTER STREET PHOTOGRAPHER
    3. Street Photography Mastery
    4. How I Became the Greatest Street Photographer Alive
    5. Antifragile Photography
    6. How to Conquer Your Fears in Street Photography
    7. INSANELY AUDACIOUS AND BOLD
    8. 5 Simple Street Photography Techniques
    9. STREET PHOTOGRAPHER.
    10. The Street Photographer Ideal
    11. 50 Street Photography Tips, Techniques and Ideas
    12. Street Photography Values
    13. STREET PHOTOGRAPHY DOESN’T NEED TO HAVE PEOPLE IN IT.
    14. Why Street Photography is So Great
    15. WHY BECOME A STREET PHOTOGRAPHER?
    16. Society Photography, Not “Street” Photography
    17. How to Street Photography
    18. STREET PHOTOGRAPHY OPTIONALITY.
    19. 10 Street Photography Tips
    20. The Street Photographer as the Apex Photographer
    21. Street Photography & Adrenaline
    22. STREETTOGS STARTING GUIDE
    23. 50 Street Photography Tips by ERIC KIM
    24. What I Wish I Knew If I Started Street Photography All Over Again
    25. Photograph like it’s not a big deal
    26. Suburb Street Photography
    27. What is Our Personal Motivation Behind Street Photography?
    28. WHY I’M SO PASSIONATE ABOUT STREET PHOTOGRAPHY
    29. Personal Street Photography
    30. STREET PHOTOGRAPHY AS A PRACTICE.
    31. Pandemic Street Photography
    32. AIRPORT STREET PHOTOGRAPHY
    33. How to Shoot Street Photography Right Now
    34. Towards a More Independent Street Photography Approach
    35. How Street Photography Improves Your Life
    36. How to Tell Stories in Your Street Photos
    37. Face Street Photography
    38. How to Start Shooting Street Photography
    39. How to Shoot Street Photography During a Pandemic
    40. 7 Street Photography Assignment Ideas

    STREET PHOTOGRAPHY STARTER KIT

    street photography starter kit by ERIC KIM

    Master street photography with STREET PHOTOGRAPHY STARTER KIT.

    STREET PHOTOGRAPHY 101

    Hearts. Hollywood, 2011 #flash

    If you’re new to street photography, start here:

    Brave New Street Photography

    Street Photographs

    ERIC KIM layers hong kong
    1. How to Shoot Street Photography with Dads and Kids
    2. HOW I BECAME SUCH A GREAT STREET PHOTOGRAPHER
    3. Use Quarantine as an Opportunity to Pick up Film Photography
    4. Hong Kong Street Photography by ERIC KIM

    Street Photography Philosophy

    Street Photography Articles

    Street Photography Techniques

    Street Photography Ideas

    Street Photography Composition Techniques

    STREET NOTES.

    Push yourself out of your comfort zone with STREET NOTES: Mobile Edition.

    STREET NOTES PAPER EDITION ON AMAZON >

    LEARN FROM THE MASTERS OF STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

    Timeless wisdom from the masters of street photography.

    Learn more about MASTERS >

    FUNDAMENTALS OF STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

    Street Photography Inspiration

    Beginner Street Photography Articles

    Get started in street photography:

    Definitions in Street Photography

    How to Shoot Street Photography

    Street Photography Equipment

    See all equipment articles >

    How to Conquer Your Fears in Street Photography

    See all articles to conquer your fears >

    Intermediate Street Photography Articles

    Take your street photography to the next level:

    Advanced Street Photography Articles

    Find deeper meaning in your street photography:

    Street Photography Tips & Technique

    Learn how to shoot on the streets:

    See all street photography tips and techniques >

    Street Photography Guides

    In-depth guides on street photography:

    Street Photography Equipment

    The best equipment for street photography:

    See all equipment articles >

    Street Photography Editing and Workflow

    How to Start a Street Photography Project

    Learn From the Masters of Street Photography

    “He without a past has no future.”

    Start here:

    1. Why Study the Masters of Photography?
    2. Great Female Master Photographers
    3. Cheat Sheet of the Masters of Photography
    4. 100 Lessons From the Masters of Street Photography
    5. Beginner’s Guide to the Masters of Street Photography
    6. Download All Articles >

    The Masters of Photography

    Classics never die:

    Free Downloads

    See all free downloads >

    Free Street Photography Books

    Distilled information on street photography:

    For more resources on photography, Start Here >

  • Visa and Bitcoin

    Visa has been actively engaging with the world of cryptocurrency, particularly Bitcoin, by forming partnerships and launching innovative services. They are focusing on integrating cryptocurrency into their vast payment network and exploring blockchain technology for various applications.

    1. Partnerships with Crypto Platforms: Visa has collaborated with over 50 crypto platforms to develop card programs. These cards allow users to convert and spend digital currency at millions of merchants globally. This initiative bridges the gap between traditional financial services and the emerging crypto market, making it easier for consumers to use their crypto assets for everyday transactions oai_citation:1,Visa Partners with 50 Crypto Platforms on Card Programs – Blockworks.
    2. Crypto Advisory Services: Recognizing the growing interest in digital assets, Visa has launched crypto advisory services. This service is aimed at helping banks and other financial institutions navigate the complex world of cryptocurrency. It includes guidance on everything from implementing crypto features to understanding the regulatory landscape oai_citation:2,Visa Launches Crypto Advisory Services for Banks as Demand for Digital Assets Grows.
    3. Exploration of Blockchain Technology: Visa is deeply exploring blockchain technology. They are investigating various aspects like Solana’s high-performance blockchain for stablecoin settlements, understanding Ethereum’s economics and staking model, and examining privacy-enhancing technologies in finance. These efforts show Visa’s commitment to understanding and leveraging blockchain technology for improving and expanding their payment services oai_citation:3,Crypto | Money is evolving | Visa.

    Visa’s proactive approach in integrating cryptocurrency and blockchain technology into its services demonstrates the company’s foresight in adapting to emerging financial trends. By bridging the gap between traditional financial services and the evolving digital asset space, Visa is positioning itself as a forward-thinking leader in the payment industry.

  • V (Visa Inc.)

    2008– I graduated 2010, my sophomore junior year at UCLA undergrad?

    $44 a share, raised $17.9 billion!

    Over the last five years, Visa Inc.’s stock has shown a trend of growth and resilience. While I couldn’t retrieve detailed day-by-day historical data for the entire five-year period, the overall performance can be summarized based on its recent market presence and known historical trends:

    1. Steady Growth: Visa’s stock has generally experienced steady growth over the past five years. The company’s strong position in the global payment technology sector, its continuous adaptation to digital payment trends, and expansion into new markets and technologies have contributed to this growth.
    2. Market Resilience: The stock has demonstrated resilience in various market conditions. Visa’s business model, which focuses on transaction processing rather than lending, provides a degree of insulation against economic downturns that affect the broader financial sector.
    3. Recent Performance: As of January 17, 2024, the stock closed at $266.63, with a slight increase in pre-market trading to $266.80. This is close to its 52-week high of $267.10, indicating strong recent performance.
    4. Analyst Perspectives: Analysts generally maintain a positive outlook on Visa, often rating it as a “Buy.” The 12-month target estimate for the stock suggests potential growth, with targets around $278.65, indicating confidence in its future performance.
    5. Innovations and Acquisitions: Visa’s recent years have been marked by innovations in payment technology and strategic acquisitions, further strengthening its market position and potentially influencing its stock performance.
    6. Dividends and Financial Health: Visa has also been notable for its approach to dividends and overall financial health, contributing to its attractiveness as an investment option.

    For detailed day-by-day historical stock prices and in-depth analysis, it would be advisable to consult financial news websites or financial services that offer comprehensive stock market data and analysis oai_citation:1,Visa Inc. (V) Stock Historical Price Data oai_citation:2,Visa Inc. (V) Stock Price, News, Quote & History – Yahoo Finance.

    As of the latest available information, Visa Inc.’s stock (NYSE: V) is performing well in the market. The stock closed at $266.63, with a slight increase in pre-market trading to $266.80. This demonstrates a steady performance, with the stock price near its 52-week high of $267.10. The company has maintained a stable market cap of approximately $547.975 billion and a PE ratio of 32.16. Analysts generally hold a “Buy” consensus on Visa stock, with a 12-month target estimate of $278.65, suggesting a potential upside from the current price.

    Visa Inc. has shown consistent financial growth. In 2023, its revenue was $32.65 billion, marking an 11.41% increase compared to the previous year. The earnings for the same period were $17.27 billion, an increase of 15.48%. This financial performance reflects the company’s strong position in the payment technology sector and its continuous adaptation to the evolving digital payment landscape.

    For the most up-to-date and detailed information, it’s always a good idea to consult the latest market data or financial news sources oai_citation:1,Visa Inc. (V) Stock Price, News, Quote & History – Yahoo Finance oai_citation:2,Visa Inc. (V) Stock Price, Quote & News – Stock Analysis.

    Visa Inc.’s stock history is a tale of consistent growth and market resilience, reflecting the company’s strong position in the global financial services sector.

    1. Initial Public Offering (IPO) – March 2008: Visa’s IPO was one of the largest in U.S. history. The company priced its shares at $44 each, raising $17.9 billion. The IPO came at a turbulent time in the financial market, amid the unfolding global financial crisis, yet it was remarkably successful.
    2. Post-IPO Growth: Following its IPO, Visa’s stock showed strong performance. The company benefited from the increasing global shift towards electronic payments and away from cash and checks. This trend was bolstered by Visa’s expansive network, brand strength, and technological advancements in payment processing.
    3. Stock Splits: In March 2015, Visa announced a 4-for-1 stock split, an indication of its strong market performance. Stock splits are often used by companies to make their shares more accessible to a broader range of investors.
    4. Resilience During Economic Challenges: Visa’s stock has generally shown resilience during economic downturns. While the financial sector can be volatile, Visa’s role as a payment processor, rather than a lender, shields it from some of the direct impacts of economic downturns, like credit defaults.
    5. Continued Growth and Innovation: Over the years, Visa has continued to grow, both organically and through strategic acquisitions, expanding its capabilities and global reach. The company has also been investing in new technologies such as blockchain and contactless payments, positioning itself well for the future of digital transactions.
    6. Market Performance: As of my last update in April 2023, Visa’s stock has been considered a stable and profitable investment by many analysts, reflecting the company’s strong financial performance and dominant position in the global payments industry.

    It’s important to note that stock market performance can be influenced by a wide range of factors, including economic conditions, company performance, and investor sentiment. Therefore, past performance is not always indicative of future results. For the most current information and detailed financial analysis, consulting a financial expert or accessing the latest market data would be advisable.

  • Story of Visa company

    Standardization — VISA *is* the credit card, only credit card to have? Whether debit or credit?

    VISA

    Revolving credit — buy now, pay later?

    BankAmericard— Bank of America in 1958–

    VISA at Costco?

    Who owns

    Visa Inc. is a publicly traded company, meaning it is owned by its shareholders. These shareholders include individual investors, institutional investors, and mutual fund holders. When Visa went public with its initial public offering (IPO) in March 2008, it was one of the largest IPOs in U.S. history at that time.

    Before its IPO, Visa was owned by a consortium of banks that issued its cards. These banks became some of the initial shareholders of the company after it went public. However, with the transition to a public company, ownership diversified widely among the investing public.

    As a publicly traded company, no single entity owns a controlling share in Visa. The ownership is spread across anyone who purchases its stock, which is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “V.” The largest shareholders typically include large institutional investors like mutual funds and pension funds. The exact composition of these shareholders can vary over time, based on stock trading and investment trends.

    How evolved

    The evolution of Visa reflects a remarkable journey of innovation, adaptation, and global expansion, deeply intertwined with the evolution of financial services and consumer behavior.

    1. Early Innovations (1950s-1970s): Visa’s predecessor, BankAmericard, introduced the concept of a revolving credit line and electronic data processing for financial transactions, revolutionizing the way people borrowed and spent money.
    2. Establishment of Visa and Global Expansion (1970s-1980s): Under Dee Hock’s leadership, the transformation from BankAmericard to Visa was not just a rebranding, but a reimagining of the credit card as a global financial tool. Visa standardized credit card operations, making it easier for banks worldwide to join its network, and thus began its global expansion.
    3. Technological Advancements (1980s-2000s): Visa was at the forefront of technological innovation in financial transactions. It introduced electronic authorizations and settlements, and the use of magnetic stripes made transactions quicker and more secure. These changes greatly increased efficiency and security, making credit cards a more attractive option for consumers and merchants alike.
    4. Adapting to the Digital Age (2000s-present): In the internet era, Visa adapted to the digital revolution. It embraced online payments and later, mobile payments, ensuring its relevance in the rapidly changing digital marketplace. Visa also invested in security technologies like chip-and-PIN and contactless payments, which provided greater security and convenience.
    5. Fintech Partnerships and Future Directions: Today, Visa not only competes in the traditional financial landscape but also collaborates with fintech companies. This symbiotic relationship has led to innovative payment solutions in e-commerce, peer-to-peer payments, and digital wallets.
    6. Sustainability and Social Responsibility: Recently, Visa has also been focusing on sustainability and social responsibility. This includes efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and initiatives to bring financial services to underbanked populations.

    Throughout its evolution, Visa has shown an ability to foresee and adapt to changing market dynamics, consumer needs, and technological advancements. This adaptability, underpinned by a commitment to innovation and strategic partnerships, has ensured its ongoing success and relevance in the global financial ecosystem.

    The story of Visa, the company, is a fascinating journey of innovation and entrepreneurship in the financial world. It began in the late 1950s and early 1960s when consumer credit was starting to gain momentum.

    1. Birth of BankAmericard: The story of Visa is essentially the story of BankAmericard, which was created by Bank of America in 1958. This was the first mass-marketed credit card program. It was a revolutionary idea at the time, offering a revolving credit system that allowed people to purchase things and pay for them later.
    2. Expansion and Challenges: Initially, the program faced numerous challenges, including financial losses and organizational hurdles. However, its convenience and utility soon made it popular among consumers.
    3. Formation of Visa: In 1970, Dee Hock, then a vice president at Bank of America, took charge of the troubled BankAmericard program. He proposed a new structure, transforming it into a separate entity. This led to the formation of National BankAmericard Inc. (NBI), a consortium of BankAmericard issuer banks. In 1976, NBI was renamed Visa, a simple, universally recognizable name.
    4. Innovation in Technology: Visa has been a leader in payment technology. It introduced electronic authorization of transactions and the magnetic stripe, key developments in the convenience and security of credit card transactions.
    5. Global Expansion and Dominance: Visa expanded globally by licensing its card program to banks in other countries. Today, it is one of the largest and most recognized brands in the world, with its cards accepted in millions of locations across numerous countries.
    6. Visa Inc. Today: The company has continued to innovate, embracing digital payments, mobile technology, and cybersecurity advancements. Visa’s journey from a Bank of America credit card program to a global financial giant mirrors the evolution of modern consumer finance and the rise of a globalized economy.

    This story resonates with themes of innovation, thinking ahead of the curve, and entrepreneurial spirit, key elements in revolutionizing the way the world engages in financial transactions and perceives credit.

  • PRO-VISA

    https://usa.visa.com

  • Apple Card Ideas

    https://www.apple.com/apple-card/

    1. Partner with VISA — not Mastercard? Nobody uses Mastercard!!!

  • APPLE IS THE NEW BANK?

    Trade in is a scam. Anyone who trades anything in is a fool!!!

    3% Daily Cash back with card? Super scammy.

    Simple marketing for Apple Card:

    One card to rule them all.

    Or more PC—

    One card and done.

    Bad marketing

    Don’t call it a “credit card”!

    Say—

    Apple Card— designed to simplify your life.

    With Apple Card, we completely reinvented the credit card. Your information lives on your iPhone, beautifully laid out and easy to understand. We eliminated fees1 and built tools to help you pay less interest, and you can apply in minutes to see if you are approved with no impact to your credit score.2Advanced technologies like Face ID, Touch ID, and Apple Pay give you an enhanced level of privacy and security. And with every purchase you get Daily Cash back that you can spend 3or save.4 Apple Card. It’s everything a credit card should be.

  • Apple Fitness+ Ideas

    Ideas —

    First, the url is ugly. https://www.apple.com/apple-fitness-plus/

    Simplify it!

    just apple-fitness

    or

    apple.com/apple-fitness

    Simpler language

    Just make it say:

    “Get fit”.

    Criticisms

    1. Why do the images suck and are so ugly?
    2. Get rid of the guys with the man buns
    3. Get rid of the overfat models
    4. Fewer options — 3 months, 1 year or whatever ,,, too many options?

  • I can’t wait until the iPad Pro M3 chip comes out!!

    It’s finna be a game changer!!

  • THINK TRANSIT.

  • ARE PEOPLE FROM UKRAINE “White”?

  • LEGACY LEGACY LEGACY

    Hmmm… a lot of titans had the startup capital from already family wealth?

    The surname “Pritzker” is a Jewish habitational name for someone from Pritski in Ukraine. This suggests that the origins of the Pritzker family name are geographically linked to the Pritski area in Ukraine, a detail that aligns with the family’s Jewish heritage and Ukrainian roots oai_citation:1,Pritzker Name Meaning & Pritzker Family History at Ancestry.com®.

    1871–

    Nicholas J. Pritzker, born in 1871, was a Jewish immigrant from Kyiv who established the Pritzker & Pritzker law firm in Chicago. He was part of the family’s initial generation that immigrated to the United States, escaping the Jewish pogroms in the Russian Empire in the late 19th century. Nicholas played a crucial role in laying the foundations for the Pritzker family’s future success in America. He passed away in 1957, leaving behind a legacy that his descendants would continue to build upon. For more detailed information, you can visit the Wikipedia page on the Pritzker family.

    Nicholas Pritzker

    Nicholas J. Pritzker, the patriarch of the American Pritzker family, was a Jewish immigrant from Kyiv. He was a key figure in establishing the Pritzker family’s roots in the United States. Nicholas founded the Pritzker & Pritzker law firm in Chicago and was also a cousin of the existentialist philosopher Lev Shestov. His emigration to the USA at the end of the 19th century was motivated by escaping the Jewish pogroms in the Russian Empire. His legacy continued through his children and grandchildren, who expanded the family’s business and philanthropic endeavors, most notably in the creation of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation oai_citation:1,Pritzker family – Wikipedia.

  • Jay Pritzker

    Jay Pritzker, the co-founder of Hyatt Hotels Corporation, was born to Abram Nicholas Pritzker and Fanny (née Doppelt). His father, Abram Nicholas Pritzker, was a significant figure in the family’s business endeavors. Born on January 6, 1896, in Chicago, Abram was the son of a Ukrainian Jewish immigrant who arrived in Chicago in 1881 from Kiev. He graduated from Harvard University with a law degree in 1920 and subsequently worked in his father’s law firm, which later became known as Pritzker & Pritzker.

    Abram, alongside his brother Jack Nicholas Pritzker, ventured out of the law firm in 1936 to explore opportunities in commerce. They invested in real estate and small companies, particularly around Chicago, which led to the rapid growth of the family fortune. They successfully managed to shield their profits from heavy taxation by setting up a number of trusts. Apart from his business acumen, Abram was also known for his philanthropic efforts, notably contributing to the establishment of the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago and donating several million dollars annually to various causes.

    The Pritzker family’s business empire continued to expand under the leadership of Abram Nicholas’s sons – Jay Arthur, Robert Alan, and Donald Nicholas. They were instrumental in transforming the Hyatt House hotel in Los Angeles, purchased in 1957, into the extensive Hyatt Hotels chain. Additionally, Jay and Robert were adept at rejuvenating financially troubled companies into profitable ventures. By the mid-1980s, their business interests included significant real estate holdings and hundreds of companies and subsidiaries, encompassing a wide range of industries from hospitality to credit reporting and water treatment.

    This remarkable journey of the Pritzker family, from their humble beginnings to establishing a multibillion-dollar empire, is a testament to their business prowess and philanthropic legacy oai_citation:1,Jay Pritzker – Wikipedia oai_citation:2,Pritzker family | Real estate, philanthropy & hospitality | Britannica.

    Who was his parents and their history

    Jay Pritzker, the co-founder of Hyatt Hotels Corporation, was born to Abram Nicholas Pritzker and Fanny (née Doppelt). His father, Abram Nicholas Pritzker, was a significant figure in the family’s business endeavors. Born on January 6, 1896, in Chicago, Abram was the son of a Ukrainian Jewish immigrant who arrived in Chicago in 1881 from Kiev. He graduated from Harvard University with a law degree in 1920 and subsequently worked in his father’s law firm, which later became known as Pritzker & Pritzker.

    Abram, alongside his brother Jack Nicholas Pritzker, ventured out of the law firm in 1936 to explore opportunities in commerce. They invested in real estate and small companies, particularly around Chicago, which led to the rapid growth of the family fortune. They successfully managed to shield their profits from heavy taxation by setting up a number of trusts. Apart from his business acumen, Abram was also known for his philanthropic efforts, notably contributing to the establishment of the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago and donating several million dollars annually to various causes.

    The Pritzker family’s business empire continued to expand under the leadership of Abram Nicholas’s sons – Jay Arthur, Robert Alan, and Donald Nicholas. They were instrumental in transforming the Hyatt House hotel in Los Angeles, purchased in 1957, into the extensive Hyatt Hotels chain. Additionally, Jay and Robert were adept at rejuvenating financially troubled companies into profitable ventures. By the mid-1980s, their business interests included significant real estate holdings and hundreds of companies and subsidiaries, encompassing a wide range of industries from hospitality to credit reporting and water treatment.

    This remarkable journey of the Pritzker family, from their humble beginnings to establishing a multibillion-dollar empire, is a testament to their business prowess and philanthropic legacy oai_citation:1,Jay Pritzker – Wikipedia oai_citation:2,Pritzker family | Real estate, philanthropy & hospitality | Britannica.

    Oh wow,,, also acquiring Ticketmaster in 1982–

    Jay Pritzker, born in 1922 in Chicago, was a prominent American entrepreneur and member of the Pritzker family. He played a pivotal role in diversifying the family business, which initially consisted of the Pritzker & Pritzker law firm, into the Marmon Group holding company. Alongside his brother Robert, Jay built a portfolio of 60 diversified industrial corporations.

    One of Jay Pritzker’s most notable achievements was the creation of the Hyatt Hotel chain in 1957, a venture he undertook with his brother Donald Pritzker. This marked the beginning of what would become a global hospitality brand. Besides Hyatt, he also owned Braniff Airlines from 1983 to 1988.

    In 1979, Jay Pritzker established the Pritzker Architecture Prize, now considered one of the most prestigious honors in the field of architecture. He was also involved in the acquisition of Ticketmaster in 1982, which he expanded before selling a significant portion to Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen in 1993.

    Pritzker was married to Marian “Cindy” Friend for 51 years, and the couple had five children. He was recognized for his contributions to various fields, receiving the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement in 1979 and, along with his wife, the National Building Museum’s Honor Award in 1996.

    Jay Pritzker passed away in 1999 in Chicago, leaving behind a legacy marked by significant contributions to the hospitality industry, architecture, and various business ventures oai_citation:1,Jay Pritzker – Wikipedia oai_citation:2,Jay Pritzker Biography | Infoplease.

  • Who owns the Shay Culver City

    1957– Jay Pritzker bought Hyatt House motel next to LAX.

    Hyatt Hotels Corporation, known for managing and franchising a diverse portfolio of hotels, resorts, and vacation properties, is substantially owned by the Pritzker family, a notable name in the hospitality industry. The company’s origins can be traced back to the entrepreneurial ventures of the Pritzker family, which have significantly influenced the expansion of the Hyatt brand over the years.

    The foundation of Hyatt dates back to 1957 when Jay Pritzker purchased the Hyatt House motel adjacent to the Los Angeles International Airport. This marked the beginning of a major expansion and evolution of the brand. The Hyatt brand saw significant growth under the guidance of the Pritzker family, evolving through various phases including the introduction of luxury brands like Park Hyatt and Grand Hyatt, as well as Hyatt Resorts which are designed to reflect the local area and offer numerous activities and facilities.

    Throughout its history, Hyatt has undergone several key developments. For instance, in the 1980s, the company experienced both growth and challenges, such as the tragic collapse of skywalks at the Kansas City Hyatt Regency Hotel. In the 1990s, Hyatt focused on streamlining operations and cost savings to address challenges related to the high cost of running its hotels. This period also marked the beginning of Hyatt’s venture into franchising, expanding its reach further.

    In the 2000s, Hyatt and Hyatt International were consolidated under a single entity named Global Hyatt Corp, which later became Hyatt Hotels Corporation. The company continued to grow and diversify its portfolio, including the launch of its first lifestyle brand, Andaz, and the acquisition of various hotel chains and groups such as AmeriSuites, Summerfield Suites, and Apple Leisure Group.

    This journey reflects the dynamic evolution of Hyatt Hotels Corporation, from a single motel in Los Angeles to a global hospitality leader, under the leadership and vision of the Pritzker family and other key figures in the company oai_citation:1,Hyatt – Wikipedia oai_citation:2,Hyatt Corporation — Company History.

    Who owns Hyatt and founder story

    The Shay, located in Culver City, is part of the Destination by Hyatt brand, which is owned by Hyatt Hotels Corporation. This 148-room boutique hotel, notable for its diverse collection of independent hotels, resorts, and residences, embodies the spirit of its location while being connected to a larger brand network. It opened as Hyatt’s first urban hotel in Southern California, aiming to celebrate the area’s creative community and rich history oai_citation:1,The Shay will open as part of Destination by Hyatt Hotels oai_citation:2,The Shay, A Destination By Hyatt Hotel, Debuts In Los Angeles oai_citation:3,LA’s Newest Hotel, The Shay, Now Open.

  • History of the Spartan helmet design?

    The Spartan helmet, known for its distinctive design, has a rich history deeply intertwined with Spartan culture and military philosophy. Here’s a brief overview:

    1. Origins and Design: The Spartan helmet evolved from earlier Greek designs, particularly the Corinthian helmet. It was made of bronze and covered the head entirely, leaving only slits for the eyes and a small opening for the nose and mouth. This design provided maximum protection in close combat.
    2. Crest and Plume: Some helmets featured a horsehair crest or plume, running from front to back. This was not just decorative; it also served to make the wearer appear taller and more intimidating on the battlefield. The color and style of the crest could indicate rank or unit.
    3. Symbol of Spartan Identity: The helmet became a symbol of Spartan identity, reflecting their reputation as disciplined, elite warriors. Spartans were known for their strict military training (agoge), and the helmet was part of their distinctive hoplite (heavy infantry) panoply.
    4. Practical Considerations: Spartan helmets were designed for the phalanx formation, a tight infantry formation where the side of one man’s shield protected the man next to him. The helmet’s design complemented this formation, offering protection while allowing for visibility and breathing.
    5. Cultural Impact: The Spartan helmet has become an enduring symbol of ancient Greek military power. Its image is often used in modern media to represent strength, discipline, and warrior ethos.
    6. Variations and Evolution: Over time, the design of the helmet evolved. Later versions in the Hellenistic period became more open, possibly for better visibility and hearing, reflecting changes in warfare tactics.

    The Spartan helmet’s design wasn’t just a matter of practicality; it was also a reflection of the Spartan ethos, emphasizing the values of strength, discipline, and unity. In this way, the helmet is not just a piece of military equipment, but also a cultural artifact that tells us about the society that created it.

  • JUST CONTEST IT.

    Call to witness. Testor— witness.

    testis: just call yourself to a judge and witness and plea your case!

    For *terstis, from  Proto-Italic *tristos, from Proto-Indo-European *tristhâ‚‚s (“a third party standing”, after the two parties to a contract or dispute), from *tréyes (“three”) and *stehâ‚‚- (“to stand”). 

  • MATTE BLACK STOIC SPARTAN COIN

    The artist meets innovator and visionary, meets economist?

  • STOIC COIN

    “Spartan Coin” could refer to a few different things, so I’ll provide a practical and philosophical perspective on two possibilities:

    1. Historical Spartan Coins: In ancient history, Sparta was known for its unique approach to economy and currency. Unlike other Greek city-states, Sparta was famously averse to wealth and luxury. They used heavy iron bars as currency instead of gold and silver coins, which was impractical for trade but aligned with their philosophy of austerity and discouraging accumulation of wealth. From an entrepreneurial perspective, this was a strategic move to keep citizens focused on military and communal values rather than individual wealth. However, it was also a limitation in terms of economic innovation and trade expansion.
    2. Cryptocurrency Concept: If “Spartan Coin” is a hypothetical or real cryptocurrency, it’s interesting to think about it in the context of Sparta’s values. A cryptocurrency named “Spartan Coin” might symbolize strength, resilience, and perhaps a no-frills, practical approach to digital currency. In the world of innovation and entrepreneurship, such a coin could appeal to those who value security, simplicity, and a back-to-basics approach in the often complex and speculative world of cryptocurrencies.

    In both interpretations, the Spartan philosophy of simplicity and strength plays a central role, highlighting how values and ideologies can deeply influence economic practices and innovations.

    Spartan coin.

  • STOIC ECONOMICS.

  • Stoic Money?

    Stoic Money?

    Vs fake money?

    silver certificate US dollar

  • HUMANS PREFER IMAGES

    Machines prefer text?

  • Why is 2032 pivotal for Bitcoin

    Controlled supply

    A fixed money supply, or a supply altered only in accord with objective and calculable criteria, is a necessary condition to a meaningful just price of money.[1]

    —Fr. Bernard W. Dempsey, S.J. (1903-1960)

    Every 4 years… halving effect?

    What can you surmise will be the price of bitcoin in 2032

    Predicting the price of Bitcoin, or any cryptocurrency, in 2032 is highly speculative and uncertain due to the myriad of factors that influence the market. However, one can consider various elements that might impact Bitcoin’s price:

    1. Market Adoption: If Bitcoin continues to gain adoption as a store of value, a medium of exchange, or as an investment asset, this could positively impact its price.
    2. Technological Developments: Improvements in blockchain technology, scalability solutions like the Lightning Network, or advancements in cryptographic security could enhance Bitcoin’s utility and appeal.
    3. Regulatory Environment: Regulations can have a significant impact on cryptocurrency prices. Supportive regulations could lead to increased adoption, while restrictive policies could hinder its growth.
    4. Economic Conditions: Global economic factors, such as inflation rates, currency devaluation, or economic crises, can influence investor behavior regarding cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.
    5. Halving Events: The next Bitcoin halving is expected in 2024, which will further reduce the rate at which new bitcoins are created. Historically, halving events have led to price increases, although past performance is not indicative of future results.
    6. Competition from Other Cryptocurrencies: The rise of other cryptocurrencies or digital assets could either detract from or complement Bitcoin’s value proposition.
    7. Institutional Investment: The entry of more institutional investors into the Bitcoin market could provide a significant boost to its price.

    Given these factors, and considering the historical volatility of Bitcoin, its price in 2032 could range widely. It’s crucial for investors to perform their own research, consider the inherent risks, and, if necessary, consult financial advisors before making investment decisions in the cryptocurrency space.

    Bitcoin in year 2032… just 8 years from now?

    When 21 million bitcoin all mined

    The 21 million Bitcoin limit is expected to be reached around the year 2140. This is a fundamental part of Bitcoin’s design, as outlined in its original whitepaper by Satoshi Nakamoto. The reason it takes so long to reach this limit is due to the process of halving, which occurs approximately every four years. During each halving event, the reward for mining new blocks is cut in half, which slows down the rate at which new bitcoins are created.

    Once the 21 million limit is reached, no new bitcoins will be created. This limit is intended to give Bitcoin a degree of scarcity, which mimics the supply limitations of physical commodities like gold.

    After the last Bitcoin is mined, miners will no longer receive block rewards. They will instead be compensated through transaction fees for processing transactions and securing the Bitcoin network. The dynamics of how this will affect miners, transaction fees, and the overall Bitcoin ecosystem are subjects of considerable speculation and debate within the cryptocurrency community.

    The year 2032 is significant for Bitcoin due to its halving events, which are a fundamental part of its design. Bitcoin halving is an event that occurs approximately every four years, where the reward for mining new blocks is halved, meaning miners receive 50% less bitcoins for verifying transactions. This process will continue until the maximum supply of 21 million bitcoins has been reached.

    By 2032, a significant proportion of these halving events will have occurred, resulting in a dramatic reduction in the rate at which new bitcoins are created. This scarcity is expected to have several potential implications:

    1. Increased Value: The reduced supply of new bitcoins might lead to an increase in value, assuming demand for Bitcoin remains strong or increases. This is due to the basic economic principle of supply and demand.
    2. Mining Impact: As the reward for mining decreases, smaller miners might find it less profitable to continue, potentially leading to greater centralization of mining power in large-scale operations.
    3. Network Security: Some speculate that reduced mining rewards could impact the security of the Bitcoin network, although this is a topic of debate among experts.
    4. Investor Interest: The anticipation of halving events and their historical impact on Bitcoin’s price often attracts investor attention, potentially leading to increased market activity.

    It’s important to note that while these are educated speculations, the actual impact of Bitcoin halving events, especially as far out as 2032, can vary depending on a wide range of factors including technological developments, regulatory changes, and broader economic conditions.

  • TRUE INNOVATORS

    True innovators, true visionaries are incomprehensible, “crazy”— “irrational”, cannot be deciphered?

  • Simple, Short, Elegant

    The original Bitcoin paper from Satoshi… only 8 pages long???

    bitcoinDownload

    Don’t trust long papers

    I think this is the simple heuristic:

    If a paper is too long and convoluted, it is no good.

    Why?

    Typically when a paper is too long, it is a signal that “something didn’t distill right!” Taleb

    Or for me —

    When a paper is too long, it is a signal that the author doesn’t really know what they’re talking about, or the idea is too convoluted and requires *MORE* text and *MORE* fake graphs and statistics and fake math to support their feeble point(s).

  • A BIG, BOLD MISSION STATEMENT.

  • Banks Are the True Menace to Society

    For example, consider how insidious overdraft fees are, credit cards, credit card debt, APR, almost everyone I know in LA has a large amount of credit card debt?

    Also, a really big problem is that banks finance homes and cars and other things, which once again, further enslave people into debt.

    Economics by KIM

    Money from nothing ERIC KIM
    Money dollar sign abstract ERIC KIM
    Andrew Jackson money macro ERIC KIM
    Money dollar Bill ERIC KIM
    money black red abstract
    building money bank
    Hong Kong money reflection
    orange bitcoin tilt camera ERIC KIM
    gold camera bitcoin money ERIC KIM
    benjamin franklin red fade eye
    Benjamin Franklin eye ERIC KIM money 00 005

    1. THE PROMISE OF FUTURE MONOPOLY PROFITS?
    2. High gas prices are good
    3. What is Capitalism?
    4. Pride in What You Paid For
    5. On Making Money from Nothing
    6. Save Money Towards What Ends?
    7. No Regret Investment

    Money thoughts:

    1. DONT BUY IT, BUILD IT!
    2. Silver US Dollar
    3. THE PHILOSOPHY OF MONEY
    4. THE FUTURE OF MONEY
    5. Price Insensitive
    6. WHY JOBS?
    7. The Future Economy
    8. What is Money?
    9. Individual Economics

    The Philosophy of Money

    1. How to Become Economically Independent
    2. Economic Dependency
    3. It’s the Economy, Stupid
    4. ERIC KIM PHILOSOPHY OF MONEY
    5. Debt is the Devil
    6. Capitalism is Cruel
    7. In Praise of Capitalism and Consumerism
    8. Capitalism as the Road to Tolerance
    9. DIGITAL CAPITALISM
    10. Capitalism 2.0
    11. In Praise of Capitalism
    12. CREATIVE CAPITALISM
    13. ZEN CAPITALISM
    14. Universal Basic Income
    • silver certificate US dollar

  • TRULY REVOLUTIONARY

    Electric coin — chain of signatures?

    What is needed is an electronic payment system based on cryptographic proof instead of trust, allowing any two willing parties to transact directly with each other without the need for a trusted third party.

    Bitcoin PDF

    Bitcoin open source implementation of P2P currency

    I’ve developed a new open source P2P e-cash system called Bitcoin. It’s completely decentralized, with no central server or trusted parties, because everything is based on crypto proof instead of trust. Give it a try, or take a look at the screenshots and design paper:

    Download Bitcoin v0.1 at http://www.bitcoin.org

    The root problem with conventional currency is all the trust that’s required to make it work. The central bank must be trusted not to debase the currency, but the history of fiat currencies is full of breaches of that trust. Banks must be trusted to hold our money and transfer it electronically, but they lend it out in waves of credit bubbles with barely a fraction in reserve. We have to trust them with our privacy, trust them not to let identity thieves drain our accounts. Their massive overhead costs make micropayments impossible.

    A generation ago, multi-user time-sharing computer systems had a similar problem. Before strong encryption, users had to rely on password protection to secure their files, placing trust in the system administrator to keep their information private. Privacy could always be overridden by the admin based on his judgment call weighing the principle of privacy against other concerns, or at the behest of his superiors. Then strong encryption became available to the masses, and trust was no longer required. Data could be secured in a way that was physically impossible for others to access, no matter for what reason, no matter how good the excuse, no matter what.

    It’s time we had the same thing for money. With e-currency based on cryptographic proof, without the need to trust a third party middleman, money can be secure and transactions effortless.

    One of the fundamental building blocks for such a system is digital signatures. A digital coin contains the public key of its owner. To transfer it, the owner signs the coin together with the public key of the next owner. Anyone can check the signatures to verify the chain of ownership. It works well to secure ownership, but leaves one big problem unsolved: double-spending. Any owner could try to re-spend an already spent coin by signing it again to another owner. The usual solution is for a trusted company with a central database to check for double-spending, but that just gets back to the trust model. In its central position, the company can override the users, and the fees needed to support the company make micropayments impractical.

    Bitcoin’s solution is to use a peer-to-peer network to check for double-spending. In a nutshell, the network works like a distributed timestamp server, stamping the first transaction to spend a coin. It takes advantage of the nature of information being easy to spread but hard to stifle. For details on how it works, see the design paper at http://www.bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf

    The result is a distributed system with no single point of failure. Users hold the crypto keys to their own money and transact directly with each other, with the help of the P2P network to check for double-spending.

    Satoshi Nakamoto
    http://www.bitcoin.org

    Views: 779763

  • 2032

    Projected Bitcoins Short Term

    This chart shows the number of bitcoins that will exist in the near future. The Year is a forecast and may be slightly off.

    Date reachedBlockReward EraBTC/blockYear (estimate)Start BTCBTC AddedEnd BTCBTC IncreaseEnd BTC % of Limit
    2009-01-030150.002009026250002625000infinite12.500%
    2010-04-2252500150.002010262500026250005250000100.00%25.000%
    2011-01-28105000150.002011*52500002625000787500050.00%37.500%
    2011-12-14157500150.002012787500026250001050000033.33%50.000%
    2012-11-28210000225.0020131050000013125001181250012.50%56.250%
    2013-10-09262500225.0020141181250013125001312500011.11%62.500%
    2014-08-11315000225.0020151312500013125001443750010.00%68.750%
    2015-07-29367500225.002016144375001312500157500009.09%75.000%
    2016-07-09420000312.50201715750000656250164062504.17%78.125%
    2017-06-23472500312.50201816406250656250170625004.00%81.250%
    2018-05-29525000312.50201917062500656250177187503.85%84.375%
    2019-05-24577500312.50202017718750656250183750003.70%87.500%
    2020-05-1163000046.25202118375000328125187031251.79%89.063%
    2021-05-0868250046.25202218703125328125190312501.75%90.625%
    2022-05-0573500046.25202319031250328125193593751.72%92.188%
    2023-04-2978750046.25202419359375328125196875001.69%93.750%
    84000053.125202519687500164062.519851562.50.83%94.531%
    89250053.125202619851562.5164062.5200156250.83%95.313%
    94500053.125202720015625164062.520179687.50.82%96.094%
    99750053.125202820179687.5164062.5203437500.81%96.875%
    105000061.562520292034375082031.2520425781.250.40%97.266%
    110250061.5625203020425781.2582031.2520507812.50.40%97.656%
    115500061.5625203120507812.582031.2520589843.750.40%98.047%
    120750061.5625203220589843.7582031.25206718750.40%98.438%

    * In Block 124724, user midnightmagic mined a solo block to himself which underpaid the reward by a single Satoshi and simultaneously destroyed the block’s fees. This is one of two only known reductions in the total mined supply of Bitcoin. Therefore, from block 124724 onwards, all total supply estimates must technically be reduced by 1 Satoshi.

  • Bitcoin Wiki

    21 million bitcoin hard cap.

    https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Main_Page

    ”swiss bank account in your pocket”.

  • Never follow a schedule, just follow your gut.

  • Don’t spend money.

  • Speculative Thoughts 

    Speculative Thoughts 

    Matte black bitcoin icon Eric Kim
    Speculative-Thoughts-1Download

    The joy of speculation:

    The limits to money, the limits to wealth

    So the first thing I find really interesting and fascinating is thinking about money, the limits of money, wealth, etc.

    For example, Seneca once said, “Nobody ever thinks to themselves, what if I am already too rich?”

    Simply put, my thought of the proper limit of money is once you have enough money to pay rent, utilities, and trips to Costco to buy meat, then, the positive utility of money diminishes. That is, sometimes having too much money is a positive distraction and burden; a lot of people who are too rich have issues diversifying and investing their money because they have no idea what to do with it.

    A simple crypto hedge fund idea

    If you want to invest in my fund, just shoot me an email at eric@erickim.com

    So a very simple crypto hedge fund idea is this: 90% of your money in bitcoin, 10% in chainlink, or the opposite; 90% of your money and chainlink, and 10% of your assets in bitcoin.

    The reason why I find this to be such an interesting and dynamic hedge, to quote TALEB is this –

    How can you take a maximally risky and speculative bet, that is both “safe”, reducing risk, and also maximizing upside?

    The first thought that NASSIM TALEB had was never put more than 10% of your life savings into one single investment or acid. For example, I heeded his words of wisdom, and when Cindy and I had around $250,000 of savings, I only put 10% of that into Digibyte and Bitcoin — around $22,000, I bought some bitcoin at $6000 a bitcoin, and I think I bought some digibyte at one cent or two cents a digibyte — and eventually I rode it all the way up to around $250,000 worth of investments, one bitcoin hit an all-time high at around $60-$65,000 a bitcoin. I did some swapping here and there, consolidating my digibyte back into bitcoin, a good move, I speculated and played around a little bit with Dogecoin, rode it up, eventually consolidated it back into bitcoin, etc.

    More recently, I wired $125,000 back into my crypto account, and bought more bitcoin.

    Why?

    People seem to hate the volatility of crypto, but I love it. Why? Perhaps for myself, I thrive off of high intensity, and adrenaline.

    Also one of the upsides of growing up poor, seeing my mom go through bankruptcy twice is that actually… I have almost close to zero anxieties when it comes to money. I’ve lived super poor before, on the brink of being homeless, as a kid, and that is what naturalistically made me so stoic.

    The reason why I don’t trust or give any heed to people like Tim Ferris or Tony Robbins is that it seems that once upon a time, both of them were super depressed, fat, losers, planning ways on how to commit suicide and kill themselves, and how to do it gracefully. Tony Robbins was the fat depressed one, Tim Ferriss was the suicidal one.

    I think it is very courageous that Tim Ferriss outlined the story of when he was an undergraduate at Princeton, he actually took out books to plan his own death, reading books on suicide and how to kill himself, and how to do it in a graceful manner, but fortunately somebody found out, had an intervention, unfortunately Tim didn’t do it. I don’t think anybody should ever commit suicide, under any costs.

    Anyways, I think the reason why it matters is that when people try to commit suicide, or have been severely depressed in the past, in high school middle school college elementary school etc.… that trauma stays with them.

    For myself I am a unique case; I experienced severe and potentially destroying trauma as a kid, for some reason, those experiences actually made me stronger. How and why?

    First, think I was fortunate because of random life things. For example, a formative time in Bayside queens in a very safe community, hanging out with my friends Spencer, Aditya, Jonathan etc and living like free range kids, at the ripe age of 11 to 12 years old, and also some great mentors along the way, Troop 11 in Alameda California, my Boy Scouts troop leaders, my coach Greg Lowe who essentially became my Mr. Miyagi private tutor and father figure guide, who taught me life lessons through tennis.

    Good schools

    Also fortunately, the good timing; my mom moving our family out of Alameda, which was bordering Oakland; even though Alameda is a nice town, it borders Oakland, and so even Alameda high school was full of a bunch of these ghetto kids, gangbangers and bad influences. I went to high school at Castro Valley High, a very nice school with no drama, good teachers and good AP classes, eventually I was able to get to UCLA as an undergraduate, which helped accelerate my roadmap to success.

    Think long

    Along the line, meeting Cindy, then just another person I met my freshman year, at our Korean American Catholic club called Kyrie — later traveling the world with her, dating her, marrying her, and now having a kid with her, Seneca at age 3 years old.

    Anyways, I have a lot of people to think, especially my uncle, who essentially helped my mom so much financially, and also my sister, for her private art school lessons, in order to get her into fashion school at Otis in LA, my sister eventually dropped out, but randomly through an apartment party, met her then future husband. Fortunately my sister‘s brother‘s family is very prosperous, opening up a fine art gallery in LA (VEFA)– will keep you updated with this, but anyways, our family is pretty set.

    In the long run, everything works out just fine!

    Just do what you believe to be righteous

    I think it is critical to have a good dose of criticality when it comes to the opinions of others, even your spouse. I think we should always respect and lend an ear to the opinions of others, but ultimately, it is you who must be staunch, and perform things and your life in accordance with your own personal beliefs.

    When people say “you’re not listening to me!” what they really mean to say is “how dare you not obey me!”

    The funny retort is people who get angry at us for not listening to them… aren’t they committing the same critical flaw of not listening to us?

    My New Year’s resolution is actually to become MORE close minded, more staunch in my beliefs.

    Speculation in the market

    People don’t know but I’ve been trading stock ever since I was around maybe 15 or 16 years old, my sophomore junior year in high school. I remember actually investing really early in Adobe stock, because I used Photoshop and I found it to be a good tool. I actually made some money in high school, investing my life savings which was maybe around $1500 USD, maybe I will also get Seneca into trading at a young age.

    Anyways, it was good learning and education because it taught me how to deal with ups and downs, and also losing it all.

    Bitcoin will never go down to zero

    The reason why I am so bullish about bitcoin is that I have a strong faith That you’ll never go down to zero. The reason why I would never put my money anymore into “alternative coins” [ALT COINS], or coins is that there is a high likelihood that a lot of them will go down to zero.

    For example, I think when the biggest scams in the cryptocurrency space, is Ada Cardano. They have set up a fake foundation with the .org website, with a bunch of fake people, fake talking heads and suits, nobody has any idea what they’re going to do or what their product is, I think a huge profit can be made by shorting it. I’m pretty sure that Cardano will go down to zero.

    Also, all these other weird alternative coins, only things that even have any nominal value include bitcoin, Ethereum, chainlink. 
    
    Why chainlink? First and foremost, chainlink isn’t really a crypto, it is like a new technology. I think of chainlink more like the next Google. Even the ex Google CEO ERIC Schmidt is on board. 

    Bitcoin is fascinating because ultimately, everybody knows what it is. To quote Galiani, on his treatsie “on money“, Galiani once said that the word “ducat”, rolls off the tongue quite beautifully, I also see that the word “bitcoin“, also rolls off the tongue quite beautifully. 

    Ultimate test: even Cindy‘s mom, a Vietnamese refugee immigrant can pronounce bitcoin in her “broken English“, and knows what it is. She says “I know what bitcoin is! It is the fake money!” Haha — true.

    So why does this matter?

    I think the reason why this matters is you don’t want to be sitting on your butt, 10 years from now, Seneca will only be 13 years old still very young… and kick yourself in the butt for not taking a bold risk, and something you believed in, a decade ago. Jeff Bezos calls this the “regret minimization framework“. 

    For example, some moderately regretful things I’ve done the last two years is selling some bitcoin, converting into worthless US dollars, in order to “alleviate“, some financial concerns. But, moving forward, 2024 and beyond, I think the goal should be to become more staunch, more unyielding, More close minded. 

    MOAR BITCOIN!

    20 BITCOINS; MATTE BLACK!

    Being close minded is a virtue?

    People say that being open minded is a virtue, but I’m starting to think, maybe not. Why? Do you want to be open minded about Adolf Hitler and Nazis? Or the new Nazis? Or alternative right wing weirdo conspiracy theorists, who want to hijack the American government, and promoting anarchy?

    Also, I’m very close minded for these weird anti-fascist, loser skinny fat, fakeass woke, anarchists; they all have iPhones, watch YouTube, jerk off to porn on Google incognito late at night on their laptop or their phones, use piratebay and private VPNs– no capitalism, no consumerism, no pornography.

    Trust no man who secretly watches porn.

    Anti men

    The really big issue at hand is that a lot of these people, men specifically, I don’t think we should trust most men. Why? A simple thing; it is true, the behavior of men and women is polar opposite. 

    For example, women do not start gangs, or become gangbangers. This is reserved to only men.

    Or another example, the difference between a woman bathroom and a male bathroom; in any bathroom, for example let me quote Galbi King — my new favorite Korean barbecue place in Los Angeles, only $26 a person, look at the difference between the men’s restroom and the women’s restroom. The men’s restroom has all these dicks graffitid on the walls, scratches on the window, graffiti on the walls, graffiti made with knives in the mirrors etc. Go to the women’s restroom; nothing.

    This is the tricky thing about sex and gender; sex is biological, gender is sociological. Therefore as a consequence,  people foolishly discount the differences of sex.

    For example, I think it has to do with testosterone, testes, the male hormone. The reason why I distrust all these weird hormone replacement therapies is that why not just be natural? For example, I think it is actually normal to be LGBTQ? But once you inject hormones into yourself, not good.

    For example, to inject any sort of external hormones to change your sex, is a patently bad one; we shame people for doing testosterone injections and steroids and stuff, why not the same consistency with these weird sex changing hormones?

    Back to speculation

    Some personal tips I recommend is stop using Google, either use bing.com, or just use ChatGPT, the premium one. Stop using Google.

    In fact, I think Google, YouTube, YouTube shorts whatever is the real bad guy here. Think about all these weird conspiracy theorist people, who platform themselves on YouTube etc. And with enough wikipedia’ing and googling, you’re gonna eventually fall victim to weird conspiracy theories.

    Also, put zero faith in TikTok, it is owned by mainland China, Tencent corporation —  if you’re on TikTok, or promote TikTok, you’re pro mainland China, not good.

    Democracy and freedom is at odds with social media?

    One thing I found very interesting about Donald Trump was he was very anti-TikTok, wise idea. Why? The way that one nation takes over another nation is through soft coercion, soft propaganda, sneaky propaganda.

    For example, RIOT games which is owned by also the Tencent mainland Chinese corporation – they own league of legends, and a bunch of other games; this is essentially their low-key way of taking over the minds and the souls of the American youth.

    Also the really big issue here is that a lot of these big tech companies are in bed with mainland China, this includes Apple, all of her phones and products are produced by Foxconn in mainland China, I think Google is trying to dip more into the mainland Chinese market, compromising their ethics by censoring the Tiananmen Square incident, And I am certain that Mark Zuckerberg wants to get into Maitland China as well; his wife is Chinese American, and I think Mark also taught himself Mandarin.

    The new oligarchs?

    I think a big issue at hand is that this New World, this New World order is not about nations or nation states anymore, but rather, individual rich oligarchs. What that means is individuals, doesn’t really matter your nationality, just trying to augment their wealth. Their private wealth.

    I find this to be very greedy, and also, unpatriotic. Anyone who tries to dodge taxes, I find this to be very bad behavior.

    Now what?

    OK all these weird theories aside, what now? 

    First, think digital real estate, not physical real estate. I think still nowadays, the internet is still a massive untapped market. Let us consider, to own a .com domain is only maybe $12-$20 a year, which is less than one dollar or two dollars a month. Let us consider that even if you buy a $3 million house in all cash, your property taxes will still look like around $12,000 USD a month.

    The reason why it is so difficult to think digitally is that we disdain the digital, we prefer the physical. But, if you think about the greatest drivers of wealth created the last 10 or 20 years, it is all technology, digital, internet.

    For example, Amazon web services, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

    So the first very simple thing you do is build your own website, blog, or web platform. My simple suggestion is try to enter a field or market in which you could do all the work and labor yourself. For example, I do not know how to code, and honestly speaking I have zero aspiration to learn how. But, writing and blogging and vlogging is second nature to me, I don’t even have to think about it. Therefore, it seems that perhaps the most intelligent strategy is to identify your archimedes lever, and maximize your leverage intelligently rather than trying to get good at something you’re not that good at.

    How do I identify what my Archimedes lever is?

    I would say the simplest strategy is first figure out what your passionate about what you love, and what you’re really good at, which others find difficult. Then, doubling down or 10X’ing down on it. 
    
    Then, the best way to move the world or change the world is to exploit your leverages to the maximum!

    ERIC

    Weather & Investments?

    I have a funny theory; I wonder if the weather or climate of a certain day and time and place influences and effects investing behavior?

    For example, when I bought or consolidated a lot more of my assets into bitcoin and back into bitcoin, I ensure to do it when the weather was insanely good, lots of beautiful light on my face and my naked body, that good mood was a good inspiration for making a big bet and a big trade.

    So just think, when you’re about to make a big trade, how is the weather? Is it better to invest when the weather is good or bad, or something else?

    That new new shit

    START HERE

    BOOKS

    WORKSHOPS

    1. March 2nd, 2024: ERIC KIM CREATIVE AI & PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP — Culver City, LA
    2. April 20th, 2024: SF ZEN STREET PHOTO WORKSHOP

    TIME TO DOMINATE >>

    NOW WHAT?

    Read:

    1. The Iliad by Homer
    2. The Odyssey by Homer

    Watch:

    1. John Wick (all) // philosophy of wick
    2. Matrix (all of them, not the 4th) // life lessons
    3. Movie 300;

    What else?

    1. Buy weight lifting equipment (titan.fitness)– workout at home or in your garage or back yard parking lot off the grid Eric Kim style.
    2. Strive to make your body look demigod
    3. Hot yoga, stop coffee or caffeine consumption past breakfast, try to sleep 8-12 hours a night

    For more thoughts more fire always on ERIC KIM BLOG >

    When in doubt, just blog it!

    ERIC

    “I shall make a monument more lasting than bronze!” – HORACE

  • BITCOIN CORE

    BITCOIN CORE

    About us

    Bitcoin Core is an open source project which maintains and releases Bitcoin client software called “Bitcoin Core”.

    It is a direct descendant of the original Bitcoin software client released by Satoshi Nakamoto after he published the famous Bitcoin whitepaper.

    Bitcoin Core consists of both “full-node” software for fully validating the blockchain as well as a bitcoin wallet. The project also currently maintains related software such as the cryptography library libsecp256k1 and others located at GitHub.

    Anyone can contribute to Bitcoin Core.

    https://bitcoincore.org/en/download/

  • WHEN IT *IS* BROKEN, THEN FIX IT!

  • Eric Kim on Horace

    HORACE is the goat!

    Eric Kim’s reflections on the teachings of Horace encompass several life lessons that resonate with his own experiences and philosophy. These lessons include:

    1. Adapting the World to Oneself: Kim emphasizes the importance of being true to oneself, rather than conforming to the expectations of the world.
    2. Valuing a Single Life: Drawing from Horace’s teachings, Kim advocates for constancy of mind and living in accordance with one’s personal philosophy.
    3. Living Well in the Present: He echoes Horace’s ‘carpe diem’ sentiment, urging people to live well and creatively in the current moment without postponing life.
    4. Praising Simplicity: Happiness for Kim lies in simple things, a belief inspired by Horace’s appreciation for nature and simple joys.
    5. Non-Envy of Others’ Possessions: Kim advises against coveting others’ belongings, which aligns with Horace’s thoughts on material possessions and contentment with one’s own lot.
    6. Originality and Not Following Others: He resonates with Horace’s encouragement to be original and not seek validation from the masses.
    7. Ignoring the Applause of the Crowd: Similar to Horace, Kim believes in the value of pleasing oneself and close friends over seeking widespread acclaim.

    These insights from Kim, inspired by Horace, reflect a blend of philosophical thought and practical wisdom, focusing on authenticity, simplicity, and the joy of living in the present. For a more detailed exploration of these lessons, you can visit Eric Kim’s blog on the teachings of Horace here【15†source】【16†source】【17†source】.

  • ERIC KIM HOW TO MAKE YOUR BODY LOOK DEMIGOD

    1. 100% RED MEAT CARNIVORE DIET
    2. Heavy weight lifting
    3. Aim to eat 5-6 pounds of beef or lamb a night
    4. Intermittent fasting no breakfast no lunch only dinner

    Eric Kim’s approach to achieving a “demigod” physique centers around a few key principles and techniques. One of the core aspects of his philosophy is intermittent fasting, which involves skipping breakfast and lunch and having one large meal in the evening. This method is combined with a focus on ketogenic dieting, which emphasizes low carbohydrate intake.

    In addition to dietary practices, Kim advocates for a specific approach to exercise. He places a strong emphasis on heavy weightlifting, as evidenced by his personal achievements like a 551-pound deadlift. His workouts often include intense and focused exercises like deadlifts and squats, suggesting a preference for strength training over more traditional bodybuilding or powerlifting methods.

    Kim’s philosophy also extends to a broader perspective on body and fitness. He views the body as a form of art and encourages a mindset of continuous muscle growth and fat reduction. The ultimate goal, in his view, is not just physical transformation but also a deeper appreciation and admiration for one’s own body, treating it as a valuable and beautiful entity.

    For more detailed insights and specific workout and diet plans, you can explore Eric Kim’s methods and philosophy in depth through his blog posts and other resources available on his website【7†source】【8†source】【9†source】.

  • Speculative Thoughts 

    The joy of speculation:

    The limits to money, the limits to wealth

    So the first thing I find really interesting and fascinating is thinking about money, the limits of money, wealth, etc.

    For example, Seneca once said, “Nobody ever thinks to themselves, what if I am already too rich?”

    Simply put, my thought of the proper limit of money is once you have enough money to pay rent, utilities, and trips to Costco to buy meat, then, the positive utility of money diminishes. That is, sometimes having too much money is a positive distraction and burden; a lot of people who are too rich have issues diversifying and investing their money because they have no idea what to do with it.

    A simple crypto hedge fund idea

    If you want to invest in my fund, just shoot me an email at eric@erickim.com

    So a very simple crypto hedge fund idea is this: 90% of your money in bitcoin, 10% in chainlink, or the opposite; 90% of your money and chainlink, and 10% of your assets in bitcoin.

    The reason why I find this to be such an interesting and dynamic hedge, to quote TALEB is this –

    How can you take a maximally risky and speculative bet, that is both “safe”, reducing risk, and also maximizing upside?

    The first thought that NASSIM TALEB had was never put more than 10% of your life savings into one single investment or acid. For example, I heeded his words of wisdom, and when Cindy and I had around $250,000 of savings, I only put 10% of that into Digibyte and Bitcoin — around $22,000, I bought some bitcoin at $6000 a bitcoin, and I think I bought some digibyte at one cent or two cents a digibyte — and eventually I rode it all the way up to around $250,000 worth of investments, one bitcoin hit an all-time high at around $60-$65,000 a bitcoin. I did some swapping here and there, consolidating my digibyte back into bitcoin, a good move, I speculated and played around a little bit with Dogecoin, rode it up, eventually consolidated it back into bitcoin, etc.

    More recently, I wired $125,000 back into my crypto account, and bought more bitcoin.

    Why?

    People seem to hate the volatility of crypto, but I love it. Why? Perhaps for myself, I thrive off of high intensity, and adrenaline.

    Also one of the upsides of growing up poor, seeing my mom go through bankruptcy twice is that actually… I have almost close to zero anxieties when it comes to money. I’ve lived super poor before, on the brink of being homeless, as a kid, and that is what naturalistically made me so stoic.

    The reason why I don’t trust or give any heed to people like Tim Ferris or Tony Robbins is that it seems that once upon a time, both of them were super depressed, fat, losers, planning ways on how to commit suicide and kill themselves, and how to do it gracefully. Tony Robbins was the fat depressed one, Tim Ferriss was the suicidal one.

    I think it is very courageous that Tim Ferriss outlined the story of when he was an undergraduate at Princeton, he actually took out books to plan his own death, reading books on suicide and how to kill himself, and how to do it in a graceful manner, but fortunately somebody found out, had an intervention, unfortunately Tim didn’t do it. I don’t think anybody should ever commit suicide, under any costs.

    Anyways, I think the reason why it matters is that when people try to commit suicide, or have been severely depressed in the past, in high school middle school college elementary school etc.… that trauma stays with them.

    For myself I am a unique case; I experienced severe and potentially destroying trauma as a kid, for some reason, those experiences actually made me stronger. How and why?

    First, think I was fortunate because of random life things. For example, a formative time in Bayside queens in a very safe community, hanging out with my friends Spencer, Aditya, Jonathan etc and living like free range kids, at the ripe age of 11 to 12 years old, and also some great mentors along the way, Troop 11 in Alameda California, my Boy Scouts troop leaders, my coach Greg Lowe who essentially became my Mr. Miyagi private tutor and father figure guide, who taught me life lessons through tennis.

    Good schools

    Also fortunately, the good timing; my mom moving our family out of Alameda, which was bordering Oakland; even though Alameda is a nice town, it borders Oakland, and so even Alameda high school was full of a bunch of these ghetto kids, gangbangers and bad influences. I went to high school at Castro Valley High, a very nice school with no drama, good teachers and good AP classes, eventually I was able to get to UCLA as an undergraduate, which helped accelerate my roadmap to success.

    Think long

    Along the line, meeting Cindy, then just another person I met my freshman year, at our Korean American Catholic club called Kyrie — later traveling the world with her, dating her, marrying her, and now having a kid with her, Seneca at age 3 years old.

    Anyways, I have a lot of people to think, especially my uncle, who essentially helped my mom so much financially, and also my sister, for her private art school lessons, in order to get her into fashion school at Otis in LA, my sister eventually dropped out, but randomly through an apartment party, met her then future husband. Fortunately my sister‘s brother‘s family is very prosperous, opening up a fine art gallery in LA (VEFA)– will keep you updated with this, but anyways, our family is pretty set.

    In the long run, everything works out just fine!

    Just do what you believe to be righteous

    I think it is critical to have a good dose of criticality when it comes to the opinions of others, even your spouse. I think we should always respect and lend an ear to the opinions of others, but ultimately, it is you who must be staunch, and perform things and your life in accordance with your own personal beliefs.

    When people say “you’re not listening to me!” what they really mean to say is “how dare you not obey me!”

    The funny retort is people who get angry at us for not listening to them… aren’t they committing the same critical flaw of not listening to us?

    My New Year’s resolution is actually to become MORE close minded, more staunch in my beliefs.

    Speculation in the market

    People don’t know but I’ve been trading stock ever since I was around maybe 15 or 16 years old, my sophomore junior year in high school. I remember actually investing really early in Adobe stock, because I used Photoshop and I found it to be a good tool. I actually made some money in high school, investing my life savings which was maybe around $1500 USD, maybe I will also get Seneca into trading at a young age.

    Anyways, it was good learning and education because it taught me how to deal with ups and downs, and also losing it all.

    Bitcoin will never go down to zero

    The reason why I am so bullish about bitcoin is that I have a strong faith That you’ll never go down to zero. The reason why I would never put my money anymore into “alternative coins” [ALT COINS], or coins is that there is a high likelihood that a lot of them will go down to zero.

    For example, I think when the biggest scams in the cryptocurrency space, is Ada Cardano. They have set up a fake foundation with the .org website, with a bunch of fake people, fake talking heads and suits, nobody has any idea what they’re going to do or what their product is, I think a huge profit can be made by shorting it. I’m pretty sure that Cardano will go down to zero.

    Also, all these other weird alternative coins, only things that even have any nominal value include bitcoin, Ethereum, chainlink. 
    
    Why chainlink? First and foremost, chainlink isn’t really a crypto, it is like a new technology. I think of chainlink more like the next Google. Even the ex Google CEO ERIC Schmidt is on board. 

    Bitcoin is fascinating because ultimately, everybody knows what it is. To quote Galiani, on his treatsie “on money“, Galiani once said that the word “ducat”, rolls off the tongue quite beautifully, I also see that the word “bitcoin“, also rolls off the tongue quite beautifully. 

    Ultimate test: even Cindy‘s mom, a Vietnamese refugee immigrant can pronounce bitcoin in her “broken English“, and knows what it is. She says “I know what bitcoin is! It is the fake money!” Haha — true.

    So why does this matter?

    I think the reason why this matters is you don’t want to be sitting on your butt, 10 years from now, Seneca will only be 13 years old still very young… and kick yourself in the butt for not taking a bold risk, and something you believed in, a decade ago. Jeff Bezos calls this the “regret minimization framework“. 

    For example, some moderately regretful things I’ve done the last two years is selling some bitcoin, converting into worthless US dollars, in order to “alleviate“, some financial concerns. But, moving forward, 2024 and beyond, I think the goal should be to become more staunch, more unyielding, More close minded. 

    MOAR BITCOIN!

    20 BITCOINS; MATTE BLACK!

    Being close minded is a virtue?

    People say that being open minded is a virtue, but I’m starting to think, maybe not. Why? Do you want to be open minded about Adolf Hitler and Nazis? Or the new Nazis? Or alternative right wing weirdo conspiracy theorists, who want to hijack the American government, and promoting anarchy?

    Also, I’m very close minded for these weird anti-fascist, loser skinny fat, fakeass woke, anarchists; they all have iPhones, watch YouTube, jerk off to porn on Google incognito late at night on their laptop or their phones, use piratebay and private VPNs– no capitalism, no consumerism, no pornography.

    Trust no man who secretly watches porn.

    Anti men

    The really big issue at hand is that a lot of these people, men specifically, I don’t think we should trust most men. Why? A simple thing; it is true, the behavior of men and women is polar opposite. 

    For example, women do not start gangs, or become gangbangers. This is reserved to only men.

    Or another example, the difference between a woman bathroom and a male bathroom; in any bathroom, for example let me quote Galbi King — my new favorite Korean barbecue place in Los Angeles, only $26 a person, look at the difference between the men’s restroom and the women’s restroom. The men’s restroom has all these dicks graffitid on the walls, scratches on the window, graffiti on the walls, graffiti made with knives in the mirrors etc. Go to the women’s restroom; nothing.

    This is the tricky thing about sex and gender; sex is biological, gender is sociological. Therefore as a consequence,  people foolishly discount the differences of sex.

    For example, I think it has to do with testosterone, testes, the male hormone. The reason why I distrust all these weird hormone replacement therapies is that why not just be natural? For example, I think it is actually normal to be LGBTQ? But once you inject hormones into yourself, not good.

    For example, to inject any sort of external hormones to change your sex, is a patently bad one; we shame people for doing testosterone injections and steroids and stuff, why not the same consistency with these weird sex changing hormones?

    Back to speculation

    Some personal tips I recommend is stop using Google, either use bing.com, or just use ChatGPT, the premium one. Stop using Google.

    In fact, I think Google, YouTube, YouTube shorts whatever is the real bad guy here. Think about all these weird conspiracy theorist people, who platform themselves on YouTube etc. And with enough wikipedia’ing and googling, you’re gonna eventually fall victim to weird conspiracy theories.

    Also, put zero faith in TikTok, it is owned by mainland China, Tencent corporation —  if you’re on TikTok, or promote TikTok, you’re pro mainland China, not good.

    Democracy and freedom is at odds with social media?

    One thing I found very interesting about Donald Trump was he was very anti-TikTok, wise idea. Why? The way that one nation takes over another nation is through soft coercion, soft propaganda, sneaky propaganda.

    For example, RIOT games which is owned by also the Tencent mainland Chinese corporation – they own league of legends, and a bunch of other games; this is essentially their low-key way of taking over the minds and the souls of the American youth.

    Also the really big issue here is that a lot of these big tech companies are in bed with mainland China, this includes Apple, all of her phones and products are produced by Foxconn in mainland China, I think Google is trying to dip more into the mainland Chinese market, compromising their ethics by censoring the Tiananmen Square incident, And I am certain that Mark Zuckerberg wants to get into Maitland China as well; his wife is Chinese American, and I think Mark also taught himself Mandarin.

    The new oligarchs?

    I think a big issue at hand is that this New World, this New World order is not about nations or nation states anymore, but rather, individual rich oligarchs. What that means is individuals, doesn’t really matter your nationality, just trying to augment their wealth. Their private wealth.

    I find this to be very greedy, and also, unpatriotic. Anyone who tries to dodge taxes, I find this to be very bad behavior.

    Now what?

    OK all these weird theories aside, what now? 

    First, think digital real estate, not physical real estate. I think still nowadays, the internet is still a massive untapped market. Let us consider, to own a .com domain is only maybe $12-$20 a year, which is less than one dollar or two dollars a month. Let us consider that even if you buy a $3 million house in all cash, your property taxes will still look like around $12,000 USD a month.

    The reason why it is so difficult to think digitally is that we disdain the digital, we prefer the physical. But, if you think about the greatest drivers of wealth created the last 10 or 20 years, it is all technology, digital, internet.

    For example, Amazon web services, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

    So the first very simple thing you do is build your own website, blog, or web platform. My simple suggestion is try to enter a field or market in which you could do all the work and labor yourself. For example, I do not know how to code, and honestly speaking I have zero aspiration to learn how. But, writing and blogging and vlogging is second nature to me, I don’t even have to think about it. Therefore, it seems that perhaps the most intelligent strategy is to identify your archimedes lever, and maximize your leverage intelligently rather than trying to get good at something you’re not that good at.

    How do I identify what my Archimedes lever is?

    I would say the simplest strategy is first figure out what your passionate about what you love, and what you’re really good at, which others find difficult. Then, doubling down or 10X’ing down on it. 
    
    Then, the best way to move the world or change the world is to exploit your leverages to the maximum!

    ERIC

    Weather & Investments?

    I have a funny theory; I wonder if the weather or climate of a certain day and time and place influences and effects investing behavior?

    For example, when I bought or consolidated a lot more of my assets into bitcoin and back into bitcoin, I ensure to do it when the weather was insanely good, lots of beautiful light on my face and my naked body, that good mood was a good inspiration for making a big bet and a big trade.

    So just think, when you’re about to make a big trade, how is the weather? Is it better to invest when the weather is good or bad, or something else?

    That new new shit

  • ERIC KIM ARCHIMEDES LEVER

    Just move it–

    HOW TO MOVE THE WORLD

    Eric Kim, a photographer and blogger, draws inspiration from the concept of Archimedes’ lever in various aspects of his work and philosophy. In his writings, Kim often uses the metaphor of Archimedes’ lever to describe finding and leveraging one’s strengths to achieve significant impact or change in the world.

    1. Finding Your Archimedes Lever: Kim emphasizes the importance of identifying what you are exceptionally good at, which he refers to as your ‘Archimedes lever.’ By recognizing and focusing on this talent or skill, you can maximize your impact in your endeavors.
    2. Applying the Concept in Photography: In the context of photography, Kim advises photographers to find their unique motivation and leverage it to enhance their work. He suggests that understanding what drives you in photography and focusing on that aspect can lead to significant improvements and unique contributions to the field.
    3. Philosophy as a Lever: Kim also relates this concept to philosophy, stating that it has been his Archimedes lever. His exploration of deeper questions about life, motivation, and self-empowerment reflects his belief in the power of philosophy to influence and guide life choices.
    4. Leveraging Strengths over Weaknesses: In line with the principle of Archimedes’ lever, Kim advocates for focusing on one’s strengths rather than trying to improve weaknesses. He believes that by exploiting what you are naturally good at, you can make a more significant contribution to your field or passion.
    5. Blogging and Website Building as Levers: Kim considers his ability in website and blog building as one of his Archimedes levers. He views his blog as a powerful tool for spreading ideas and information, more so than other platforms like social media, due to its open accessibility and control over content.

    In summary, Eric Kim’s interpretation of Archimedes’ lever is about finding and exploiting your unique strengths and talents to create the most significant impact in your endeavors, whether in photography, philosophy, blogging, or any other field. He encourages focusing on these strengths as a way to move the world, in a metaphorical sense, following the legendary concept attributed to Archimedes.

  • what does riot games own

    As of 2024, Riot Games, the developer and publisher of various popular video games, continues to manage and expand its portfolio. Their notable properties include “League of Legends,” a highly influential MOBA game; “VALORANT,” a competitive first-person shooter; “Teamfight Tactics,” an auto battler game; “Legends of Runeterra,” a digital collectible card game; and “League of Legends: Wild Rift,” a mobile and console adaptation of “League of Legends.” Additionally, Riot Games is known for creating “Arcane,” an acclaimed animated series set in the League of Legends universe. They also actively manage esports events for “League of Legends” and “VALORANT”【32†source】.

    Riot Games, the video game developer and publisher known for their popular game “League of Legends,” owns and manages a variety of games and related properties. As of my last update in April 2023, here’s a summary of what Riot Games owns:

    1. League of Legends: This is Riot Games’ flagship title, a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game that has become one of the most popular and influential games in esports.
    2. League of Legends: Wild Rift: A mobile and console version of “League of Legends,” designed to bring the LoL experience to new platforms with some adjustments for shorter game durations and touch controls.
    3. Teamfight Tactics (TFT): An auto battler game mode of “League of Legends,” which later became available as a standalone game on mobile platforms. It features characters and items from LoL in a strategy game format.
    4. Legends of Runeterra: A free-to-play digital collectible card game set in the League of Legends universe.
    5. Valorant: A first-person shooter game that combines elements of the hero shooter with tactical shooter gameplay. It has also gained significant popularity in the gaming and esports communities.
    6. Arcane: An animated television series on Netflix set in the League of Legends universe. The show has been well-received for its storytelling and animation quality.
    7. Riot Games Esports: Riot Games owns and operates several major esports leagues for “League of Legends,” including the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) in North America, the League of Legends European Championship (LEC), and other regional leagues. They also organize the annual League of Legends World Championship.
    8. Music and Entertainment Projects: Riot Games has ventured into music and entertainment, creating virtual bands like K/DA and True Damage, featuring characters from League of Legends, and releasing music tracks that have gained popularity.
    9. Various Mobile Games: Riot has been expanding its mobile game offerings, including adaptations of their existing titles and potentially new games in development.
    10. Project L and Project F: These are codenames for games that were in development as of my last update. Project L is a fighting game set in the League of Legends universe, and Project F is a project about which little is known, but it’s speculated to be an action RPG also set in the LoL universe.
    11. Technology and Game Development Tools: Riot also develops and owns various technologies and tools related to game development, online multiplayer infrastructure, and game publishing.
    12. Riot Forge: A publishing label that works with external development studios to create new games set in the League of Legends universe.

    It’s important to note that Riot Games is continuously developing and expanding their portfolio, so they may have new projects or acquisitions beyond what I’ve listed here.

  • ERIC KIM CRITICISM OF PORN

    Quit porn— go to the gym instead!

    Antidote to porn.

  • ‘JUST BING IT’

    BING.COM; OVER GOOGLE.

  • Eric Kim regret minimization framework

    NO REGRETS~~

    The Regret Minimization Framework in Photography and Life

    The Regret Minimization Framework, closely associated with Jeff Bezos, is a decision-making tool that focuses on minimizing future regrets. This framework can be applied to various aspects of life, not just business decisions like starting a startup or innovating in a particular field, but also personal life choices. It encourages individuals to focus on what truly matters in the long run, urging them to make decisions that they won’t regret when looking back on their lives at an older age.

    Eric Kim, a photographer and blogger, discusses this framework in the context of photography and life. He advocates for taking risks and embracing opportunities, suggesting that it’s better to attempt something and possibly fail than to never try and always wonder what might have been. This sentiment is echoed in Kim’s interpretation of street photography, where he encourages photographers to take risks and capture moments, even if it means facing potential confrontation or discomfort.

    Kim also reflects on the broader implications of the framework, noting that it’s not just about success in the conventional sense. It’s more about having the courage to attempt something grand and meaningful, regardless of the outcome. This aligns with the idea that living a life true to your passions and ideals, and chasing after your dreams, is crucial for fulfillment and happiness.

    Jeff Bezos famously applied the Regret Minimization Framework when deciding to leave his job and start Amazon. He imagined himself at age 80, reflecting on his life, and realized that he would not regret trying to participate in something he believed in, like the internet and Amazon. This decision-making approach helped him take a bold step towards innovation and long-term impact, rather than settling for a comfortable but unfulfilling career path.

    In summary, the Regret Minimization Framework is about looking at your life decisions from the perspective of your future self, evaluating potential regrets, and making choices that align with your values and aspirations. It’s a tool for long-term thinking and pursuing a life with fewer regrets, encouraging bold decision-making and personal growth.

  • Speculative Thoughts 

    The joy of speculation:

    The limits to money, the limits to wealth

    So the first thing I find really interesting and fascinating is thinking about money, the limits of money, wealth, etc.

    For example, Seneca once said, “Nobody ever thinks to themselves, what if I am already too rich?”

    Simply put, my thought of the proper limit of money is once you have enough money to pay rent, utilities, and trips to Costco to buy meat, then, the positive utility of money diminishes. That is, sometimes having too much money is a positive distraction and burden; a lot of people who are too rich have issues diversifying and investing their money because they have no idea what to do with it.

    A simple crypto hedge fund idea

    If you want to invest in my fund, just shoot me an email at eric@erickim.com

    So a very simple crypto hedge fund idea is this: 90% of your money in bitcoin, 10% in chainlink, or the opposite; 90% of your money and chainlink, and 10% of your assets in bitcoin.

    The reason why I find this to be such an interesting and dynamic hedge, to quote TALEB is this –

    How can you take a maximally risky and speculative bet, that is both “safe”, reducing risk, and also maximizing upside?

    The first thought that NASSIM TALEB had was never put more than 10% of your life savings into one single investment or acid. For example, I heeded his words of wisdom, and when Cindy and I had around $250,000 of savings, I only put 10% of that into Digibyte and Bitcoin — around $22,000, I bought some bitcoin at $6000 a bitcoin, and I think I bought some digibyte at one cent or two cents a digibyte — and eventually I rode it all the way up to around $250,000 worth of investments, one bitcoin hit an all-time high at around $60-$65,000 a bitcoin. I did some swapping here and there, consolidating my digibyte back into bitcoin, a good move, I speculated and played around a little bit with Dogecoin, rode it up, eventually consolidated it back into bitcoin, etc.

    More recently, I wired $125,000 back into my crypto account, and bought more bitcoin.

    Why?

    People seem to hate the volatility of crypto, but I love it. Why? Perhaps for myself, I thrive off of high intensity, and adrenaline.

    Also one of the upsides of growing up poor, seeing my mom go through bankruptcy twice is that actually… I have almost close to zero anxieties when it comes to money. I’ve lived super poor before, on the brink of being homeless, as a kid, and that is what naturalistically made me so stoic.

    The reason why I don’t trust or give any heed to people like Tim Ferris or Tony Robbins is that it seems that once upon a time, both of them were super depressed, fat, losers, planning ways on how to commit suicide and kill themselves, and how to do it gracefully. Tony Robbins was the fat depressed one, Tim Ferriss was the suicidal one.

    I think it is very courageous that Tim Ferriss outlined the story of when he was an undergraduate at Princeton, he actually took out books to plan his own death, reading books on suicide and how to kill himself, and how to do it in a graceful manner, but fortunately somebody found out, had an intervention, unfortunately Tim didn’t do it. I don’t think anybody should ever commit suicide, under any costs.

    Anyways, I think the reason why it matters is that when people try to commit suicide, or have been severely depressed in the past, in high school middle school college elementary school etc.… that trauma stays with them.

    For myself I am a unique case; I experienced severe and potentially destroying trauma as a kid, for some reason, those experiences actually made me stronger. How and why?

    First, think I was fortunate because of random life things. For example, a formative time in Bayside queens in a very safe community, hanging out with my friends Spencer, Aditya, Jonathan etc and living like free range kids, at the ripe age of 11 to 12 years old, and also some great mentors along the way, Troop 11 in Alameda California, my Boy Scouts troop leaders, my coach Greg Lowe who essentially became my Mr. Miyagi private tutor and father figure guide, who taught me life lessons through tennis.

    Good schools

    Also fortunately, the good timing; my mom moving our family out of Alameda, which was bordering Oakland; even though Alameda is a nice town, it borders Oakland, and so even Alameda high school was full of a bunch of these ghetto kids, gangbangers and bad influences. I went to high school at Castro Valley High, a very nice school with no drama, good teachers and good AP classes, eventually I was able to get to UCLA as an undergraduate, which helped accelerate my roadmap to success.

    Think long

    Along the line, meeting Cindy, then just another person I met my freshman year, at our Korean American Catholic club called Kyrie — later traveling the world with her, dating her, marrying her, and now having a kid with her, Seneca at age 3 years old.

    Anyways, I have a lot of people to think, especially my uncle, who essentially helped my mom so much financially, and also my sister, for her private art school lessons, in order to get her into fashion school at Otis in LA, my sister eventually dropped out, but randomly through an apartment party, met her then future husband. Fortunately my sister‘s brother‘s family is very prosperous, opening up a fine art gallery in LA (VEFA)– will keep you updated with this, but anyways, our family is pretty set.

    In the long run, everything works out just fine!

    Just do what you believe to be righteous

    I think it is critical to have a good dose of criticality when it comes to the opinions of others, even your spouse. I think we should always respect and lend an ear to the opinions of others, but ultimately, it is you who must be staunch, and perform things and your life in accordance with your own personal beliefs.

    When people say “you’re not listening to me!” what they really mean to say is “how dare you not obey me!”

    The funny retort is people who get angry at us for not listening to them… aren’t they committing the same critical flaw of not listening to us?

    My New Year’s resolution is actually to become MORE close minded, more staunch in my beliefs.

    Speculation in the market

    People don’t know but I’ve been trading stock ever since I was around maybe 15 or 16 years old, my sophomore junior year in high school. I remember actually investing really early in Adobe stock, because I used Photoshop and I found it to be a good tool. I actually made some money in high school, investing my life savings which was maybe around $1500 USD, maybe I will also get Seneca into trading at a young age.

    Anyways, it was good learning and education because it taught me how to deal with ups and downs, and also losing it all.

    Bitcoin will never go down to zero

    The reason why I am so bullish about bitcoin is that I have a strong faith That you’ll never go down to zero. The reason why I would never put my money anymore into “alternative coins”, or coins is that there is a high likelihood that a lot of them will go down to zero.

    For example, I think when the biggest scams in the cryptocurrency space, is Ada Cardano. They have set up a fake foundation with the.org website, with a bunch of fake people, fake talking heads and suits, nobody has any idea what they’re going to do or what their product is, I think a huge profit can be made by shorting it. I’m pretty sure that Cardano will go down to zero.

    Also, all these other weird alternative coins, only things that even have any nominal value include bitcoin, Ethereum, chainlink. 
    
    Why chain-link? First and foremost, chain-link isn’t really a crypto, it is like a new technology. I think of chain-link more like the next Google. Even the ex Google CEO ERIC Schmidt is on board. 

    Bitcoin is fascinating because ultimately, everybody knows what it is. To quote Galiani, on his treatsie “on money“, Galiani once said that the word ducat, rolls off the tongue quite beautifully, I also see that the word “bitcoin“, also rolls off the tongue quite beautifully. 

    Ultimate test: even Cindy‘s mom, a Vietnamese refugee immigrant can pronounce bitcoin in her “broken English“, and knows what it is. She says “I know what bitcoin is! It is the fake money!” Haha — true.

    So why does this matter?

    I think the reason why this matters is you don’t want to be sitting on your butt, 10 years from now, Seneca will only be 13 years old still very young… And kick yourself in the butt for not taking a bold risk, and something you believed in, a decade ago. Jeff Bezos calls this the “regret minimization framework“. 

    For example, some moderately regretful things I’ve done the last two years is selling some bitcoin, converting into worthless US dollars, in order to “alleviate“, some financial concerns. But, moving forward, 2024 and beyond, I think the goal should be to become more staunch, more unyielding, More close minded. 

    Being close minded is a virtue?

    People say that being open minded is a virtue, but I’m starting to think, maybe not. Why? Do you want to be open minded about Adolf Hitler and Nazis? Or the new Nazis? Or alternative right wing weirdo conspiracy theorist, who want to hijack the American government, And promoting anarchy?

    Also, I’m very close minded for these weird anti-fascist, loser skinny fat, fat big ass woke, anarchist; they all have iPhones, watch YouTube, jerk off to porn on Google incognito late at night on their laptop or their phones, use pirate bait and private VPNs– no capitalism, no consumerism, no pornography.

    Trust no man who secretly watches porn.

    Anti men

    The really big issue at hand is that a lot of these people, men specifically, I don’t think we should trust most men. Why? A simple thing; it is true, the behavior of men and women is polar opposite. 

    For example, women do not start games, or become gangbangers. This is reserved to only men.

    Or another example, the difference between a woman bathroom and a male bathroom; in any bathroom, for example let me quote Galbi king — my new favorite Korean barbecue place in Los Angeles, only $26 a person, look at the difference between the men’s restroom and the women’s restroom. The men’s restroom has all these dicks graffiti on the walls, scratches on the window, graffiti on the walls, graffiti made with knives in the mirrors etc. Go to the women’s restroom; nothing.

    This is the tricky thing about sex and gender; sex is biological, gender is sociological. Therefore as a consequence,  people foolishly discount the differences of sex.

    For example, I think it has to do with testosterone, testes, the male hormone. The reason why I distrust all these weird hormone replacement therapies is that why not just be natural? For example, I think it is actually normal to be LGBTQ? But once you inject hormones into yourself, not good.

    For example, to inject any sort of external hormones to change your sex, is a patently bad one; we shame people for doing testosterone injections and steroids and stuff, why not the same consistency with these weird sex changing hormones?

    Back to speculation

    Some personal tips I recommend is stop using Google, either use bing.com, or just use ChatGPT, the premium one. Stop using . In fact, I think Google, YouTube, YouTube shorts whatever is the real bad guy here. Think about all these weird conspiracy theorist people, who platform themselves on YouTube etc.

    Also, put zero faith in TikTok, it is owned by mainland China, Tencent corporation —  if you’re on TikTok, or promote TikTok, you’re pro mainland China, not good. 

    Democracy and freedom is at odds with social media?

    One thing I found very interesting about Donald Trump was he was very anti-TikTok, wise idea. Why? The way that one nation takes over another nation is through soft caution, soft propaganda, sneaky propaganda.

    For example, RIOT games which is owned by also the Tencent mainland Chinese corporation – they own league of legends, and a bunch of other games; this is essentially their low-key way of taking over the minds and the souls of the American youth.

    Also the really big issue here is that a lot of these big tech companies are in bed with mainland China, this includes Apple, all of her phones and products are produced by Foxconn in mainland China, I think Google is trying to dip more into the mainland Chinese market, compromising their ethics by censoring the Tiananmen Square incident, And I am certain that Mark Zuckerberg wants to get into Maitland China as well; his wife is Chinese American, and I think Mark also taught himself Mandarin.

    The new oligarchs?

    I think a big issue at hand is that this New World, this New World order is not about nations or nation states anymore, but rather, individual rich oligarchs. What that means is individuals, doesn’t really matter your nationality, just trying to augment their wealth. Their private wealth.

    I find this to be very greedy, and also, unpatriotic. Anyone who tries to dodge taxes, I find this to be very bad behavior.

    Now what?

    OK all these weird theories aside, what now? 

    First, think digital real estate, not physical real estate. I think still nowadays, the Internet is still a massive untapped market. Let us consider, to own.com domain is only maybe $12-$20 a year, which is less than one dollar or two dollars a month. Let us consider that even if you buy a $3 million house in all cash, your property taxes will still look like around $12,000 USD a month.

    The reason why it is so difficult to think digitally is that we disdain the digital, we prefer the physical. But, if you think about the greatest drivers of wealth created the last 10 or 20 years, it is all technology, digital, Internet.

    For example, Amazon web services, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

    So the first very simple thing you do is build your own website, blog, or web platform. My simple suggestion is try to enter a field or market in which you could do all the work and labor yourself. For example, I do not know how to code, and honestly speaking I have zero aspiration to learn how. But, Writing and blogging and Vlogging is second nature to me, I don’t even have to think about it. Therefore, it seems that perhaps the most intelligent strategy is to identify your committees lever, and maximize your leverage intelligently rather than trying to get good at something you’re not that good at.

    How do I identify what my Archimedes lever is?

    I would say the simplest strategy is first figure out what your passionate about what you love, and what you’re really good at, which others find difficult. Then, doubling down or 10X’ing down on it. 
    
    Then, the best way to move the world or change the world is to exploit your leverages to the maximum!

    ERIC

    Weather & Investments?

    I have a funny theory; I wonder if the weather or climate of a certain day and time and place influences and effects investing behavior?

    For example, when I bought or consolidated a lot more of my assets into bitcoin and back into bitcoin, I ensure to do it when the weather was insanely good, lots of beautiful light on my face and my naked body, that good mood was a good inspiration for making a big bet and a big trade.

    So just think, when you’re about to make a big trade, how is the weather? Is it better to invest when the weather is good or bad, or something else?

  • Why Eric Kim like bitcoin

    Eric Kim’s interest in Bitcoin and cryptocurrency is shaped by a unique blend of his artistic, philosophical, entrepreneurial, and innovative pursuits. His views on Bitcoin can be summarized through several key points:

    1. Philosophical Attraction: Kim is drawn to the decentralized nature of cryptocurrencies, seeing it as aligned with Stoic values and the independence emphasized in ancient societies like Sparta.
    2. Entrepreneurial Spirit: He views cryptocurrency as a disruptive force in traditional financial systems and a means of introducing new business models, reflecting his entrepreneurial mindset.
    3. Unorthodox Approach: Kim explores unconventional applications of cryptocurrency, like integrating blockchain technology in creative projects, diverging from mainstream narratives.
    4. Reflection on Wealth: His thoughts on cryptocurrency extend to the broader implications of wealth accumulation in this field, pondering the post-success scenario.
    5. Advocacy for Bitcoin: He strongly believes in the longevity of Bitcoin, considering it as the ultimate survivor among cryptocurrencies. This is backed by his personal investment and trading experiences in Bitcoin.
    6. Bitcoin as ‘Digital Gold’: He likens Bitcoin to gold, emphasizing its scarcity due to the hard cap on the number of coins and contrasting it with the unlimited printing of fiat currencies.
    7. Real-World Utility and Future Vision: Kim envisions a future where Bitcoin is used for everyday transactions and significant purchases, though he remains skeptical about cryptocurrencies completely replacing traditional payment methods soon.
    8. Cautious Investment Strategy: While optimistic about the long-term potential of crypto, Kim advises preparedness for the possibility of investments diminishing in value.
    9. Views on Fiat Currency: Kim sees fiat currency, especially the US Dollar, as a system based on faith with no intrinsic worth. He discusses the devaluation of fiat currency due to actions like the US Federal Reserve printing more money, and suggests the potential shift towards cryptocurrencies for significant financial transactions.

    In essence, Eric Kim’s philosophy on cryptocurrency and Bitcoin reflects a convergence of his diverse interests, characterized by a mix of artistic expression, philosophical inquiry, entrepreneurial spirit, and unconventional thinking oai_citation:1,Eric Kim Philosophy of crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:2,Bitcoin will never go to zero – ERIC KIM oai_citation:3,ERIC KIM WHY BITCOIN – ERIC KIM oai_citation:4,ERIC KIM THOUGHTS ON FIAT CURRENCY – ERIC KIM.

  • HEDGE

    JUST HEDGE IT —

  • Crypto & Adrenaline

  • ERIC KIM Seneca Lessons

    Why Seneca —

    Eric Kim, a contemporary photographer and entrepreneur, has drawn significant inspiration from Seneca’s teachings, integrating them into his philosophy and approach to life and work. Here are some key insights Kim has shared, reflecting his interpretation and application of Seneca’s lessons:

    1. Embracing Courage and Accepting Fortune: Kim appreciates Seneca’s views on fortune and courage, noting the idea that while external riches can be taken away, inner courage remains unassailable.
    2. The Power of Knowledge: Kim resonates with Seneca’s belief in the happiness that comes from understanding the causes of things, emphasizing the value of seeking knowledge and wisdom.
    3. Overcoming Fears and Anxieties: He discusses using philosophy, as Seneca suggests, to cure mental ills and overcome fears about the future and regrets about the past. This involves embracing a mindset that focuses on resilience and the strength to endure and grow from challenges.
    4. Seeking Internal Validation: Kim echoes Seneca’s advice to seek one’s own applause, emphasizing the importance of self-approval and internal validation over external praise and recognition.
    5. Living for Others and Community: Aligning with Seneca’s view that life’s purpose includes empowering and helping others, Kim stresses the importance of community and sharing one’s blessings.
    6. The Imperative of Action: He highlights the necessity of turning ideas into action, a principle he finds in Seneca’s teachings. For Kim, it’s about overcoming the fear of failure and realizing dreams through proactive steps.
    7. Continual Growth and Adaptability: Kim shares Seneca’s perspective that it’s never too late to learn and adapt, encouraging continuous personal growth regardless of age.
    8. Valuing Freedom: Finally, Kim resonates with Seneca’s prioritization of freedom over material possessions, viewing liberty as a key to fulfillment.

    Eric Kim’s reflections on Seneca’s teachings offer a modern interpretation of Stoic philosophy, applying ancient wisdom to contemporary life, art, and entrepreneurship oai_citation:1,Seneca Quotes – ERIC KIM oai_citation:2,Why Seneca – ERIC KIM.

    Eric Kim, a modern photographer and entrepreneur, has often drawn inspiration from the works of Seneca, a Roman Stoic philosopher. Seneca’s teachings focus on practical wisdom, self-improvement, and resilience in the face of adversity, which align with themes in Kim’s work and philosophy.

    Some key lessons from Seneca that may resonate with Eric Kim’s perspective include:

    1. The Importance of Time: Seneca’s famous quote, “It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it,” emphasizes the value of time. This aligns with Kim’s focus on seizing the moment and using time wisely, both in photography and life.
    2. Resilience and Adversity: Seneca believed that adversity and challenges are opportunities for growth. Kim’s journey in entrepreneurship and his approach to photography often reflect this Stoic resilience.
    3. Simplicity and Focus: Seneca advocated for a simple life, free from excess. This can be seen in Kim’s minimalist approach to his art and lifestyle, focusing on what truly matters.
    4. Reflection and Self-Improvement: Constant self-reflection and improvement are central to Seneca’s philosophy. Eric Kim often discusses the importance of introspection in his creative process.
    5. Control and Serenity: Seneca’s teachings on focusing only on what one can control and accepting what cannot be changed are pivotal for an entrepreneur and artist like Kim, where uncertainty is a constant.

    Eric Kim’s work, blending philosophy with practical advice on creativity and life, echoes many of Seneca’s core principles. His approach to photography and entrepreneurship can be seen as a modern application of these ancient Stoic lessons.

    Certainly! Here are some quotes by Seneca that align with the themes of time management, resilience, simplicity, self-reflection, and control, which are also reflected in Eric Kim’s philosophy:

    1. On Time Management:
    • “It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it. Life is long enough, and a sufficiently generous amount has been given to us for the highest achievements if it were all well invested.”
    1. On Resilience and Adversity:
    • “Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body.”
    • “Fire tests gold, suffering tests brave men.”
    1. On Simplicity:
    • “It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor.”
    • “True happiness is… to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future.”
    1. On Reflection and Self-Improvement:
    • “Night brings our troubles to the light, rather than banishes them.”
    • “We are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more from imagination than from reality.”
    1. On Control and Serenity:
    • “You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
    • “The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow and loses today.”

    These quotes from Seneca offer timeless wisdom that can be applied to various aspects of life, including the fields of photography, entrepreneurship, and personal growth, areas where Eric Kim has made significant contributions.

  • Speculative Thoughts 

    The joy of speculation:

    The limits to money, the limits to wealth

    So the first thing I find really interesting and fascinating is thinking about money, the limits of money, wealth, etc.

    For example, Seneca once said, “Nobody ever thinks to themselves, what if I am already too rich?”

    Simply put, my thought of the proper limit of money is once you have enough money to pay rent, utilities, and trips to Costco to buy meat, then, the positive utility of money diminishes. That is, sometimes having too much money is a positive destruction and burden; a lot of people who are too rich have issues diversifying and investing their money because they have no idea what to do with it.

    A simple crypto hedge fund idea

    If you want to invest in my fund, just shoot me an email at eric@erickim.com

    So a very simple crypto hedge fund idea is this: 90% of your money in bitcoin, 10% and chain-link, or the opposite; 90% of your money and chain-link, and 10% of your assets in bitcoin.

    The reason why I find this to be such an interesting and dynamic hedge, to quote TALEB is this –

    How can you take a maximally risky and speculative bet, that is both “safe”, reducing risk, and also maximizing upside?

    The first thought that Naseem Taleb had was never put more than 10% of your life savings into one single investment or acid. For example, I heated his words of wisdom, and when Cindy and I had around $250,000 of savings, I only put 10% of that into Digibyte and Bitcoin — around $22,000, I bought some bitcoin at $6000 a bitcoin, and I think I bought some digibyte at one cent or two cents a digibyte — and eventually I wrote it all the way up to around $250,000 worth of investments, one bitcoin hit an all-time high at around $60-$65,000 a bitcoin. I did some swapping here in there, consolidating my digit byte back into bitcoin, a good move, I speculated and played around a little bit with Dogecoin, wrote it up, eventually consolidated it back into bitcoin, etc.

    More recently, I wired $125,000 back into my crypto account, and bought more bitcoin.

    Why?

     People seem to hate the volatility of crypto, but I love it. Why? Perhaps for myself, I thrive off of high intensity, and adrenaline.

    Also one of the upsides of growing up poor, seeing my mom go through bankruptcy twice is that actually… I have almost close to zero anxieties when it comes to money. I’ve lived super poor before, on the brink of being homeless, as a kid, and that is what naturalistically made me so stoic.

     the reason why I don’t trust or give any heed two people liked Tim Ferris or Tony Robbins is that it seems that once upon a time, both of them were super depressed, fat, losers, planning ways on how to commit suicide and kill themselves, and how to do it gracefully. I think it is very courageous that Tim Faris outlined the story of when he was an undergraduate at Princeton, he actually took out books to plan his own death, reading books on suicide and how to kill himself, and how to do it in a graceful manner, but fortunately somebody found out, had an intervention, unfortunately Tim didn’t do it. I don’t think anybody should ever commit suicide, under any costs.

    Anyways, I think the reason why it matters is that when people try to commit suicide, or have been severely depressed in the past, in high school middle school college elementary school etc.… That trauma stays with them.

    For myself I am a unique case; I experienced severe and potentially destroying trauma as a kid, for some reason, those experiences actually made me stronger. How and why?

    First, think I was fortunate because of random life things. For example, a formative time in Bayside queens in a very safe community, hanging out with my friends Spencer, Aditya, Jonathan etc and living like free range kids, at the ripe age of 11 to 12 years old, and also some great mentors along the way, triple11 in Alameda California, my Boy Scouts troop leaders, my coach Greg Lowe who essentially became my Mr. Miyagi private tutor and father figure guide, who taught me life lessons through tennis.

    Also fortunately, the good timing; my mom moving our family out of Alameda, which was bordering Oakland; even though Alameda is a nice town, it borders Oakland, and so even Alameda high school was full of a bunch of these ghetto kids, gangbangers and bad influences. I went to high school at Castro Valley high, a very nice school with no drama, good teachers and good AP classes, eventually I’ll be able to get to UCLA as an undergraduate, which helped accelerate my roadmap to success.

    Along the line, meeting Cindy, then just another person I met my freshman year, at our Korean American Catholic club called Kyrie — later traveling the world with her, dating her, marrying her, and now having a kid with her, Seneca at age 3 years old.

    Anyways, I have a lot of people to think, especially my uncle, who essentially helped my mom so much financially, and also my sister, for her private art school lessons, in order to get her into fashion school at Otis in LA, my sister eventually dropped out, but randomly threw a Apartment party, met her then future husband.  Unfortunately my sister‘s brother‘s family is very prosperous, opening up a fine art gallery in LA (VEFA)– will keep you updated with this, but anyways, our family is pretty set.

    Just do what you believe to be righteous

    I think it is critical to have a good dose of criticality when it comes to the opinions of others, even your spouse. I think we should always respect and an ear to the opinions of others, but ultimately, it is you who must be staunch, and Perform things and your life in accordance with your own personal beliefs.

    When people say “you’re not listening to me!” what they really mean to say is “how dare you not obey me!”

    The funny retort is people who get angry at us for not listening to them… Aren’t they committing the same critical flaw of not listening to us?

    Speculation in the market

    People don’t know but I’ve been trading stock ever since I was around maybe 15 or 16 years old, my sophomore junior year in high school. I remember actually investing really early in Adobe stock, because I used Photoshop and I found it to be a good tool. I actually made some money in high school, investing my life savings which was maybe around $1500 USD, maybe I will also get Seneca into trading at a young age.

    Anyways, it was good learning and education because it taught me how to deal with ups and downs, and also losing it all.

    Bitcoin will never go down to zero

    The reason why I am so bullish about bitcoin is that I have a strong faith That you’ll never go down to zero. The reason why I would never put my money anymore into “alternative coins”, or coins is that there is a high likelihood that a lot of them will go down to zero.

    For example, I think when the biggest scams in the cryptocurrency space, is Ada Cardano. They have set up a fake foundation with the.org website, with a bunch of fake people, fake talking heads and suits, nobody has any idea what they’re going to do or what their product is, I think a huge profit can be made by shorting it. I’m pretty sure that Cardano will go down to zero.

    Also, all these other weird alternative coins, only things that even have any nominal value include bitcoin, Ethereum, chainlink. 
    
    Why chain-link? First and foremost, chain-link isn’t really a crypto, it is like a new technology. I think of chain-link more like the next Google. Even the ex Google CEO ERIC Schmidt is on board. 

    Bitcoin is fascinating because ultimately, everybody knows what it is. To quote Galiani, on his treatsie “on money“, Galiani once said that the word ducat, rolls off the tongue quite beautifully, I also see that the word “bitcoin“, also rolls off the tongue quite beautifully. 

    Ultimate test: even Cindy‘s mom, a Vietnamese refugee immigrant can pronounce bitcoin in her “broken English“, and knows what it is. She says “I know what bitcoin is! It is the fake money!” Haha — true.

    So why does this matter?

    I think the reason why this matters is you don’t want to be sitting on your butt, 10 years from now, Seneca will only be 13 years old still very young… And kick yourself in the butt for not taking a bold risk, and something you believed in, a decade ago. Jeff Bezos calls this the “regret minimization framework“. 

    For example, some moderately regretful things I’ve done the last two years is selling some bitcoin, converting into worthless US dollars, in order to “alleviate“, some financial concerns. But, moving forward, 2024 and beyond, I think the goal should be to become more staunch, more unyielding, More close minded. 

    Being close minded is a virtue?

    People say that being open minded is a virtue, but I’m starting to think, maybe not. Why? Do you want to be open minded about Adolf Hitler and Nazis? Or the new Nazis? Or alternative right wing weirdo conspiracy theorist, who want to hijack the American government, And promoting anarchy?

    Also, I’m very close minded for these weird anti-fascist, loser skinny fat, fat big ass woke, anarchist; they all have iPhones, watch YouTube, jerk off to porn on Google incognito late at night on their laptop or their phones, use pirate bait and private VPNs– no capitalism, no consumerism, no pornography.

    Trust no man who secretly watches porn.

    Anti men

    The really big issue at hand is that a lot of these people, men specifically, I don’t think we should trust most men. Why? A simple thing; it is true, the behavior of men and women is polar opposite. 

    For example, women do not start games, or become gangbangers. This is reserved to only men.

    Or another example, the difference between a woman bathroom and a male bathroom; in any bathroom, for example let me quote Galbi king — my new favorite Korean barbecue place in Los Angeles, only $26 a person, look at the difference between the men’s restroom and the women’s restroom. The men’s restroom has all these dicks graffiti on the walls, scratches on the window, graffiti on the walls, graffiti made with knives in the mirrors etc. Go to the women’s restroom; nothing.

    This is the tricky thing about sex and gender; sex is biological, gender is sociological. Therefore as a consequence,  people foolishly discount the differences of sex.

    For example, I think it has to do with testosterone, testes, the male hormone. The reason why I distrust all these weird hormone replacement therapies is that why not just be natural? For example, I think it is actually normal to be LGBTQ? But once you inject hormones into yourself, not good.

    For example, to inject any sort of external hormones to change your sex, is a patently bad one; we shame people for doing testosterone injections and steroids and stuff, why not the same consistency with these weird sex changing hormones?

    Back to speculation

    Some personal tips I recommend is stop using Google, either use bing.com, or just use ChatGPT, the premium one. Stop using . In fact, I think Google, YouTube, YouTube shorts whatever is the real bad guy here. Think about all these weird conspiracy theorist people, who platform themselves on YouTube etc.

    Also, put zero faith in TikTok, it is owned by mainland China, Tencent corporation —  if you’re on TikTok, or promote TikTok, you’re pro mainland China, not good. 

    Democracy and freedom is at odds with social media?

    One thing I found very interesting about Donald Trump was he was very anti-TikTok, wise idea. Why? The way that one nation takes over another nation is through soft caution, soft propaganda, sneaky propaganda.

    For example, RIOT games which is owned by also the Tencent mainland Chinese corporation – they own league of legends, and a bunch of other games; this is essentially their low-key way of taking over the minds and the souls of the American youth.

    Also the really big issue here is that a lot of these big tech companies are in bed with mainland China, this includes Apple, all of her phones and products are produced by Foxconn in mainland China, I think Google is trying to dip more into the mainland Chinese market, compromising their ethics by censoring the Tiananmen Square incident, And I am certain that Mark Zuckerberg wants to get into Maitland China as well; his wife is Chinese American, and I think Mark also taught himself Mandarin.

    The new oligarchs?

    I think a big issue at hand is that this New World, this New World order is not about nations or nation states anymore, but rather, individual rich oligarchs. What that means is individuals, doesn’t really matter your nationality, just trying to augment their wealth. Their private wealth.

    I find this to be very greedy, and also, unpatriotic. Anyone who tries to dodge taxes, I find this to be very bad behavior.

    Now what?

    OK all these weird theories aside, what now? 

    First, think digital real estate, not physical real estate. I think still nowadays, the Internet is still a massive untapped market. Let us consider, to own.com domain is only maybe $12-$20 a year, which is less than one dollar or two dollars a month. Let us consider that even if you buy a $3 million house in all cash, your property taxes will still look like around $12,000 USD a month.

    The reason why it is so difficult to think digitally is that we disdain the digital, we prefer the physical. But, if you think about the greatest drivers of wealth created the last 10 or 20 years, it is all technology, digital, Internet.

    For example, Amazon web services, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

    So the first very simple thing you do is build your own website, blog, or web platform. My simple suggestion is try to enter a field or market in which you could do all the work and labor yourself. For example, I do not know how to code, and honestly speaking I have zero aspiration to learn how. But, Writing and blogging and Vlogging is second nature to me, I don’t even have to think about it. Therefore, it seems that perhaps the most intelligent strategy is to identify your committees lever, and maximize your leverage intelligently rather than trying to get good at something you’re not that good at.

    How do I identify what my Archimedes lever is?

    I would say the simplest strategy is first figure out what your passionate about what you love, and what you’re really good at, which others find difficult. Then, doubling down or 10X’ing down on it. 
    
    Then, the best way to move the world or change the world is to exploit your leverages to the maximum!

    ERIC

    Weather & Investments?

    I have a funny theory; I wonder if the weather or climate of a certain day and time and place influences and effects investing behavior?

    For example, when I bought or consolidated a lot more of my assets into bitcoin and back into bitcoin, I ensure to do it when the weather was insanely good, lots of beautiful light on my face and my naked body, that good mood was a good inspiration for making a big bet and a big trade.

    So just think, when you’re about to make a big trade, how is the weather? Is it better to invest when the weather is good or bad, or something else?

    

  • HEDGE THOUGHTS

    Yeah

  • How to Hedge Your Future

    Podcast

    Hedge thoughts

    Speculative Thoughts 

    The joy of speculation:

    The limits to money, the limits to wealth

    So the first thing I find really interesting and fascinating is thinking about money, the limits of money, wealth, etc.

    For example, Seneca once said, “Nobody ever thinks to themselves, what if I am already too rich?”

    Simply put, my thought of the proper limit of money is once you have enough money to pay rent, utilities, and trips to Costco to buy meat, then, the positive utility of money diminishes. That is, sometimes having too much money is a positive destruction and burden; a lot of people who are too rich have issues diversifying and investing their money because they have no idea what to do with it.

    A simple crypto hedge fund idea

    If you want to invest in my fund, just shoot me an email at eric@erickim.com

    So a very simple crypto hedge fund idea is this: 90% of your money in bitcoin, 10% and chain-link, or the opposite; 90% of your money and chain-link, and 10% of your assets in bitcoin.

    The reason why I find this to be such an interesting and dynamic hedge, to quote TALEB is this –

    How can you take a maximally risky and speculative bet, that is both “safe”, reducing risk, and also maximizing upside?

    The first thought that Naseem Taleb had was never put more than 10% of your life savings into one single investment or acid. For example, I heated his words of wisdom, and when Cindy and I had around $250,000 of savings, I only put 10% of that into Digibyte and Bitcoin — around $22,000, I bought some bitcoin at $6000 a bitcoin, and I think I bought some digibyte at one cent or two cents a digibyte — and eventually I wrote it all the way up to around $250,000 worth of investments, one bitcoin hit an all-time high at around $60-$65,000 a bitcoin. I did some swapping here in there, consolidating my digit byte back into bitcoin, a good move, I speculated and played around a little bit with Dogecoin, wrote it up, eventually consolidated it back into bitcoin, etc.

    More recently, I wired $125,000 back into my crypto account, and bought more bitcoin.

    Why?

     People seem to hate the volatility of crypto, but I love it. Why? Perhaps for myself, I thrive off of high intensity, and adrenaline.

    Also one of the upsides of growing up poor, seeing my mom go through bankruptcy twice is that actually… I have almost close to zero anxieties when it comes to money. I’ve lived super poor before, on the brink of being homeless, as a kid, and that is what naturalistically made me so stoic.

     the reason why I don’t trust or give any heed two people liked Tim Ferris or Tony Robbins is that it seems that once upon a time, both of them were super depressed, fat, losers, planning ways on how to commit suicide and kill themselves, and how to do it gracefully. I think it is very courageous that Tim Faris outlined the story of when he was an undergraduate at Princeton, he actually took out books to plan his own death, reading books on suicide and how to kill himself, and how to do it in a graceful manner, but fortunately somebody found out, had an intervention, unfortunately Tim didn’t do it. I don’t think anybody should ever commit suicide, under any costs.

    Anyways, I think the reason why it matters is that when people try to commit suicide, or have been severely depressed in the past, in high school middle school college elementary school etc.… That trauma stays with them.

    For myself I am a unique case; I experienced severe and potentially destroying trauma as a kid, for some reason, those experiences actually made me stronger. How and why?

    First, think I was fortunate because of random life things. For example, a formative time in Bayside queens in a very safe community, hanging out with my friends Spencer, Aditya, Jonathan etc and living like free range kids, at the ripe age of 11 to 12 years old, and also some great mentors along the way, triple11 in Alameda California, my Boy Scouts troop leaders, my coach Greg Lowe who essentially became my Mr. Miyagi private tutor and father figure guide, who taught me life lessons through tennis.

    Also fortunately, the good timing; my mom moving our family out of Alameda, which was bordering Oakland; even though Alameda is a nice town, it borders Oakland, and so even Alameda high school was full of a bunch of these ghetto kids, gangbangers and bad influences. I went to high school at Castro Valley high, a very nice school with no drama, good teachers and good AP classes, eventually I’ll be able to get to UCLA as an undergraduate, which helped accelerate my roadmap to success.

    Along the line, meeting Cindy, then just another person I met my freshman year, at our Korean American Catholic club called Kyrie — later traveling the world with her, dating her, marrying her, and now having a kid with her, Seneca at age 3 years old.

    Anyways, I have a lot of people to think, especially my uncle, who essentially helped my mom so much financially, and also my sister, for her private art school lessons, in order to get her into fashion school at Otis in LA, my sister eventually dropped out, but randomly threw a Apartment party, met her then future husband.  Unfortunately my sister‘s brother‘s family is very prosperous, opening up a fine art gallery in LA (VEFA)– will keep you updated with this, but anyways, our family is pretty set.

    Just do what you believe to be righteous

    I think it is critical to have a good dose of criticality when it comes to the opinions of others, even your spouse. I think we should always respect and an ear to the opinions of others, but ultimately, it is you who must be staunch, and Perform things and your life in accordance with your own personal beliefs.

    When people say “you’re not listening to me!” what they really mean to say is “how dare you not obey me!”

    The funny retort is people who get angry at us for not listening to them… Aren’t they committing the same critical flaw of not listening to us?

    Speculation in the market

    People don’t know but I’ve been trading stock ever since I was around maybe 15 or 16 years old, my sophomore junior year in high school. I remember actually investing really early in Adobe stock, because I used Photoshop and I found it to be a good tool. I actually made some money in high school, investing my life savings which was maybe around $1500 USD, maybe I will also get Seneca into trading at a young age.

    Anyways, it was good learning and education because it taught me how to deal with ups and downs, and also losing it all.

    Bitcoin will never go down to zero

    The reason why I am so bullish about bitcoin is that I have a strong faith That you’ll never go down to zero. The reason why I would never put my money anymore into “alternative coins”, or coins is that there is a high likelihood that a lot of them will go down to zero.

    For example, I think when the biggest scams in the cryptocurrency space, is Ada Cardano. They have set up a fake foundation with the.org website, with a bunch of fake people, fake talking heads and suits, nobody has any idea what they’re going to do or what their product is, I think a huge profit can be made by shorting it. I’m pretty sure that Cardano will go down to zero.

    Also, all these other weird alternative coins, only things that even have any nominal value include bitcoin, Ethereum, chainlink. 
    
    Why chain-link? First and foremost, chain-link isn’t really a crypto, it is like a new technology. I think of chain-link more like the next Google. Even the ex Google CEO ERIC Schmidt is on board. 

    Bitcoin is fascinating because ultimately, everybody knows what it is. To quote Galiani, on his treatsie “on money“, Galiani once said that the word ducat, rolls off the tongue quite beautifully, I also see that the word “bitcoin“, also rolls off the tongue quite beautifully. 

    Ultimate test: even Cindy‘s mom, a Vietnamese refugee immigrant can pronounce bitcoin in her “broken English“, and knows what it is. She says “I know what bitcoin is! It is the fake money!” Haha — true.

    So why does this matter?

    I think the reason why this matters is you don’t want to be sitting on your butt, 10 years from now, Seneca will only be 13 years old still very young… And kick yourself in the butt for not taking a bold risk, and something you believed in, a decade ago. Jeff Bezos calls this the “regret minimization framework“. 

    For example, some moderately regretful things I’ve done the last two years is selling some bitcoin, converting into worthless US dollars, in order to “alleviate“, some financial concerns. But, moving forward, 2024 and beyond, I think the goal should be to become more staunch, more unyielding, More close minded. 

    Being close minded is a virtue?

    People say that being open minded is a virtue, but I’m starting to think, maybe not. Why? Do you want to be open minded about Adolf Hitler and Nazis? Or the new Nazis? Or alternative right wing weirdo conspiracy theorist, who want to hijack the American government, And promoting anarchy?

    Also, I’m very close minded for these weird anti-fascist, loser skinny fat, fat big ass woke, anarchist; they all have iPhones, watch YouTube, jerk off to porn on Google incognito late at night on their laptop or their phones, use pirate bait and private VPNs– no capitalism, no consumerism, no pornography.

    Trust no man who secretly watches porn.

    Anti men

    The really big issue at hand is that a lot of these people, men specifically, I don’t think we should trust most men. Why? A simple thing; it is true, the behavior of men and women is polar opposite. 

    For example, women do not start games, or become gangbangers. This is reserved to only men.

    Or another example, the difference between a woman bathroom and a male bathroom; in any bathroom, for example let me quote Galbi king — my new favorite Korean barbecue place in Los Angeles, only $26 a person, look at the difference between the men’s restroom and the women’s restroom. The men’s restroom has all these dicks graffiti on the walls, scratches on the window, graffiti on the walls, graffiti made with knives in the mirrors etc. Go to the women’s restroom; nothing.

    This is the tricky thing about sex and gender; sex is biological, gender is sociological. Therefore as a consequence,  people foolishly discount the differences of sex.

    For example, I think it has to do with testosterone, testes, the male hormone. The reason why I distrust all these weird hormone replacement therapies is that why not just be natural? For example, I think it is actually normal to be LGBTQ? But once you inject hormones into yourself, not good.

    For example, to inject any sort of external hormones to change your sex, is a patently bad one; we shame people for doing testosterone injections and steroids and stuff, why not the same consistency with these weird sex changing hormones?

    Back to speculation

    Some personal tips I recommend is stop using Google, either use bing.com, or just use ChatGPT, the premium one. Stop using . In fact, I think Google, YouTube, YouTube shorts whatever is the real bad guy here. Think about all these weird conspiracy theorist people, who platform themselves on YouTube etc.

    Also, put zero faith in TikTok, it is owned by mainland China, Tencent corporation —  if you’re on TikTok, or promote TikTok, you’re pro mainland China, not good. 

    Democracy and freedom is at odds with social media?

    One thing I found very interesting about Donald Trump was he was very anti-TikTok, wise idea. Why? The way that one nation takes over another nation is through soft caution, soft propaganda, sneaky propaganda.

    For example, RIOT games which is owned by also the Tencent mainland Chinese corporation – they own league of legends, and a bunch of other games; this is essentially their low-key way of taking over the minds and the souls of the American youth.

    Also the really big issue here is that a lot of these big tech companies are in bed with mainland China, this includes Apple, all of her phones and products are produced by Foxconn in mainland China, I think Google is trying to dip more into the mainland Chinese market, compromising their ethics by censoring the Tiananmen Square incident, And I am certain that Mark Zuckerberg wants to get into Maitland China as well; his wife is Chinese American, and I think Mark also taught himself Mandarin.

    The new oligarchs?

    I think a big issue at hand is that this New World, this New World order is not about nations or nation states anymore, but rather, individual rich oligarchs. What that means is individuals, doesn’t really matter your nationality, just trying to augment their wealth. Their private wealth.

    I find this to be very greedy, and also, unpatriotic. Anyone who tries to dodge taxes, I find this to be very bad behavior.

    Now what?

    OK all these weird theories aside, what now? 

    First, think digital real estate, not physical real estate. I think still nowadays, the Internet is still a massive untapped market. Let us consider, to own.com domain is only maybe $12-$20 a year, which is less than one dollar or two dollars a month. Let us consider that even if you buy a $3 million house in all cash, your property taxes will still look like around $12,000 USD a month.

    The reason why it is so difficult to think digitally is that we disdain the digital, we prefer the physical. But, if you think about the greatest drivers of wealth created the last 10 or 20 years, it is all technology, digital, Internet.

    For example, Amazon web services, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

    So the first very simple thing you do is build your own website, blog, or web platform. My simple suggestion is try to enter a field or market in which you could do all the work and labor yourself. For example, I do not know how to code, and honestly speaking I have zero aspiration to learn how. But, Writing and blogging and Vlogging is second nature to me, I don’t even have to think about it. Therefore, it seems that perhaps the most intelligent strategy is to identify your committees lever, and maximize your leverage intelligently rather than trying to get good at something you’re not that good at.

    How do I identify what my Archimedes lever is?

    I would say the simplest strategy is first figure out what your passionate about what you love, and what you’re really good at, which others find difficult. Then, doubling down or 10X’ing down on it. 
    
    Then, the best way to move the world or change the world is to exploit your leverages to the maximum!

    ERIC

    Weather & Investments?

    I have a funny theory; I wonder if the weather or climate of a certain day and time and place influences and effects investing behavior?

    For example, when I bought or consolidated a lot more of my assets into bitcoin and back into bitcoin, I ensure to do it when the weather was insanely good, lots of beautiful light on my face and my naked body, that good mood was a good inspiration for making a big bet and a big trade.

    So just think, when you’re about to make a big trade, how is the weather? Is it better to invest when the weather is good or bad, or something else?

    

  • Hedge Thoughts

    Audio

  • Speculative Thoughts 

    The joy of speculation:

    The limits to money, the limits to wealth

    So the first thing I find really interesting and fascinating is thinking about money, the limits of money, wealth, etc.

    For example, Seneca once said, “Nobody ever thinks to themselves, what if I am already too rich?”

    Simply put, my thought of the proper limit of money is once you have enough money to pay rent, utilities, and trips to Costco to buy meat, then, the positive utility of money diminishes. That is, sometimes having too much money is a positive destruction and burden; a lot of people who are too rich have issues diversifying and investing their money because they have no idea what to do with it.

    A simple crypto hedge fund idea

    If you want to invest in my fund, just shoot me an email at eric@erickim.com

    So a very simple crypto hedge fund idea is this: 90% of your money in bitcoin, 10% and chain-link, or the opposite; 90% of your money and chain-link, and 10% of your assets in bitcoin.

    The reason why I find this to be such an interesting and dynamic hedge, to quote TALEB is this –

    How can you take a maximally risky and speculative bet, that is both “safe”, reducing risk, and also maximizing upside?

    The first thought that Naseem Taleb had was never put more than 10% of your life savings into one single investment or acid. For example, I heated his words of wisdom, and when Cindy and I had around $250,000 of savings, I only put 10% of that into Digibyte and Bitcoin — around $22,000, I bought some bitcoin at $6000 a bitcoin, and I think I bought some digibyte at one cent or two cents a digibyte — and eventually I wrote it all the way up to around $250,000 worth of investments, one bitcoin hit an all-time high at around $60-$65,000 a bitcoin. I did some swapping here in there, consolidating my digit byte back into bitcoin, a good move, I speculated and played around a little bit with Dogecoin, wrote it up, eventually consolidated it back into bitcoin, etc.

    More recently, I wired $125,000 back into my crypto account, and bought more bitcoin.

    Why?

     People seem to hate the volatility of crypto, but I love it. Why? Perhaps for myself, I thrive off of high intensity, and adrenaline.

    Also one of the upsides of growing up poor, seeing my mom go through bankruptcy twice is that actually… I have almost close to zero anxieties when it comes to money. I’ve lived super poor before, on the brink of being homeless, as a kid, and that is what naturalistically made me so stoic.

     the reason why I don’t trust or give any heed two people liked Tim Ferris or Tony Robbins is that it seems that once upon a time, both of them were super depressed, fat, losers, planning ways on how to commit suicide and kill themselves, and how to do it gracefully. I think it is very courageous that Tim Faris outlined the story of when he was an undergraduate at Princeton, he actually took out books to plan his own death, reading books on suicide and how to kill himself, and how to do it in a graceful manner, but fortunately somebody found out, had an intervention, unfortunately Tim didn’t do it. I don’t think anybody should ever commit suicide, under any costs.

    Anyways, I think the reason why it matters is that when people try to commit suicide, or have been severely depressed in the past, in high school middle school college elementary school etc.… That trauma stays with them.

    For myself I am a unique case; I experienced severe and potentially destroying trauma as a kid, for some reason, those experiences actually made me stronger. How and why?

    First, think I was fortunate because of random life things. For example, a formative time in Bayside queens in a very safe community, hanging out with my friends Spencer, Aditya, Jonathan etc and living like free range kids, at the ripe age of 11 to 12 years old, and also some great mentors along the way, triple11 in Alameda California, my Boy Scouts troop leaders, my coach Greg Lowe who essentially became my Mr. Miyagi private tutor and father figure guide, who taught me life lessons through tennis.

    Also fortunately, the good timing; my mom moving our family out of Alameda, which was bordering Oakland; even though Alameda is a nice town, it borders Oakland, and so even Alameda high school was full of a bunch of these ghetto kids, gangbangers and bad influences. I went to high school at Castro Valley high, a very nice school with no drama, good teachers and good AP classes, eventually I’ll be able to get to UCLA as an undergraduate, which helped accelerate my roadmap to success.

    Along the line, meeting Cindy, then just another person I met my freshman year, at our Korean American Catholic club called Kyrie — later traveling the world with her, dating her, marrying her, and now having a kid with her, Seneca at age 3 years old.

    Anyways, I have a lot of people to think, especially my uncle, who essentially helped my mom so much financially, and also my sister, for her private art school lessons, in order to get her into fashion school at Otis in LA, my sister eventually dropped out, but randomly threw a Apartment party, met her then future husband.  Unfortunately my sister‘s brother‘s family is very prosperous, opening up a fine art gallery in LA (VEFA)– will keep you updated with this, but anyways, our family is pretty set.

    Just do what you believe to be righteous

    I think it is critical to have a good dose of criticality when it comes to the opinions of others, even your spouse. I think we should always respect and an ear to the opinions of others, but ultimately, it is you who must be staunch, and Perform things and your life in accordance with your own personal beliefs.

    When people say “you’re not listening to me!” what they really mean to say is “how dare you not obey me!”

    The funny retort is people who get angry at us for not listening to them… Aren’t they committing the same critical flaw of not listening to us?

    Speculation in the market

    People don’t know but I’ve been trading stock ever since I was around maybe 15 or 16 years old, my sophomore junior year in high school. I remember actually investing really early in Adobe stock, because I used Photoshop and I found it to be a good tool. I actually made some money in high school, investing my life savings which was maybe around $1500 USD, maybe I will also get Seneca into trading at a young age.

    Anyways, it was good learning and education because it taught me how to deal with ups and downs, and also losing it all.

    Bitcoin will never go down to zero

    The reason why I am so bullish about bitcoin is that I have a strong faith That you’ll never go down to zero. The reason why I would never put my money anymore into “alternative coins”, or coins is that there is a high likelihood that a lot of them will go down to zero.

    For example, I think when the biggest scams in the cryptocurrency space, is Ada Cardano. They have set up a fake foundation with the.org website, with a bunch of fake people, fake talking heads and suits, nobody has any idea what they’re going to do or what their product is, I think a huge profit can be made by shorting it. I’m pretty sure that Cardano will go down to zero.

    Also, all these other weird alternative coins, only things that even have any nominal value include bitcoin, Ethereum, chainlink. 
    
    Why chain-link? First and foremost, chain-link isn’t really a crypto, it is like a new technology. I think of chain-link more like the next Google. Even the ex Google CEO ERIC Schmidt is on board. 

    Bitcoin is fascinating because ultimately, everybody knows what it is. To quote Galiani, on his treatsie “on money“, Galiani once said that the word ducat, rolls off the tongue quite beautifully, I also see that the word “bitcoin“, also rolls off the tongue quite beautifully. 

    Ultimate test: even Cindy‘s mom, a Vietnamese refugee immigrant can pronounce bitcoin in her “broken English“, and knows what it is. She says “I know what bitcoin is! It is the fake money!” Haha — true.

    So why does this matter?

    I think the reason why this matters is you don’t want to be sitting on your butt, 10 years from now, Seneca will only be 13 years old still very young… And kick yourself in the butt for not taking a bold risk, and something you believed in, a decade ago. Jeff Bezos calls this the “regret minimization framework“. 

    For example, some moderately regretful things I’ve done the last two years is selling some bitcoin, converting into worthless US dollars, in order to “alleviate“, some financial concerns. But, moving forward, 2024 and beyond, I think the goal should be to become more staunch, more unyielding, More close minded. 

    Being close minded is a virtue?

    People say that being open minded is a virtue, but I’m starting to think, maybe not. Why? Do you want to be open minded about Adolf Hitler and Nazis? Or the new Nazis? Or alternative right wing weirdo conspiracy theorist, who want to hijack the American government, And promoting anarchy?

    Also, I’m very close minded for these weird anti-fascist, loser skinny fat, fat big ass woke, anarchist; they all have iPhones, watch YouTube, jerk off to porn on Google incognito late at night on their laptop or their phones, use pirate bait and private VPNs– no capitalism, no consumerism, no pornography.

    Trust no man who secretly watches porn.

    Anti men

    The really big issue at hand is that a lot of these people, men specifically, I don’t think we should trust most men. Why? A simple thing; it is true, the behavior of men and women is polar opposite. 

    For example, women do not start games, or become gangbangers. This is reserved to only men.

    Or another example, the difference between a woman bathroom and a male bathroom; in any bathroom, for example let me quote Galbi king — my new favorite Korean barbecue place in Los Angeles, only $26 a person, look at the difference between the men’s restroom and the women’s restroom. The men’s restroom has all these dicks graffiti on the walls, scratches on the window, graffiti on the walls, graffiti made with knives in the mirrors etc. Go to the women’s restroom; nothing.

    This is the tricky thing about sex and gender; sex is biological, gender is sociological. Therefore as a consequence, 

  • Attractive, unattractive?

    What does it that man seeks or desires? To extend his progeny, to beget children, with the maximally beautiful tall woman.

  • 20 bitcoins, matte black.

    The new vision?

  • Bitcoin billionaire speculator?