FLEX ON!

More virtuous to flex your physical body, rather than flex how rich you are, or your possessions.

Why? Technically muscle building is more egalitarian. However buff you get get is more dependent on time, and effort, whereas getting very very rich is often a result of inheritances, or starting life with a leg up.

More virtuous to be more into yourself, then overly inquisitive or curious about others.

Also, rather than being too interested in the tabloids, become your own tabloid.

PODCAST

Maybe I’ll do more of these:

Far more fun and meaningful to make artistic photos your kids, rather than factual ones.

First of all, I say focus on composition. Strive to make dynamic compositions, skills in street photography will help.

Find interesting backgrounds

Also, shoot your photos as dark as possible, and photograph your kids against interesting backgrounds. For example, I like high contrast graffiti backgrounds.

Subtle details

I also say, I love the subtle details. For example, the silhouette of your kids hand against the background.

I say just focus on philosophy, powerlifting, exploring and traveling, and sharing your insights with others.

After having Seneca, my life has become 1000 times more interesting, meaningful, fun, and also photographically productive.

Surprisingly a good amount of grit and grain in the neighborhood.

Very walkable, really great coffee shops and restaurants, and a cool bohemian vibe of people. Also great light, sun and cool breeze. IMHO much cooler than Paris.

In praise of doing dumbbell press (off the floor) instead of on a bench:

The upsides:

1. Safer: You don’t need a spotter. If you can’t move the weight, you cannot move the weight.
2. Better leverage: You have better leverage when doing an extreme back arch, on the floor. Maximal grip.
3. You can lift more: Being able to move greater weight is more fun.
4. To get the dumbbell on top of your leg, just ask someone to help you lift it.
5. Bench press (flat bench press) seems like a bad idea. Even the bodybuilder Jay Cutler didn’t use bench press, but used dumbbell press instead. If you are going to do a bench press, just do a ‘floor bench press‘.

The M series processor is insanely good and fast. For example, the performance of the M1 chip in my iPad Pro feels at least 1000 times better than the A15 ship in my iPhone SE.

It seems the best way to live is without clocks. No watches, no clocks around the house.

The best way to think: to think like a kid.

1. Anticipate the decisive moment before it happens

You never know when a decisive moment will happen in street photography. Therefore, as a tip, I say try to anticipate it. For example, if you see an interesting color combination, let’s say these girls and green and pink, just kind of hover around them, and wait for something interesting to happen. Shoot a lot, and later review your photos, the decisive moment is an after the fact thing.

2. ”Pretend like I’m not here!”

If you see somebody you want to photograph, my suggestion is to just get very very close, and just start clicking. Once they notice you or your presence, just tell them why you find them so fascinating, like “you look so deep in thought”. And then just tell them to pretend like you’re not there.

3. Don’t treat it like a big deal

I’ve actually discovered that the most counterproductive thing you do in the street photography is to make it a big deal. Don’t treat it like a big deal. Just start clicking, before thinking.

4. Get into powerlifting

Much of the fear we feel in street photography is a physiological thing. That means we feel overactive adrenaline, before we shoot the photo. The best way to stabilize your adrenaline and nerves is actually to go into powerlifting.

For example, I can guarantee you that if you can deadlift 475 pounds, sumo style, you will feel a lot less fear in street photography.

5. Think like a kid

Kids are naturally fearless. I think fear is actually something that is socialized in us when we are young. For example, whenever kids go play on the playground, the thing that parents always say is be careful. Maybe it’s better to say “be fearless!”

Also one thing that is so funny with kids is that they don’t ask for permission. This is also something which is socialized within us. For example, the other day I was playing at the playground with my son Seneca, and a random kid came and just took the GoPro out of my hands and started shooting her own videos and selfies. I found this great, as it taught me something about human nature: just do it, without permission.

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Towards the Process of Simplification

Something that I personally discovered in my life is that as I become older and more advanced, I have tended towards a process of simplification. For example, more simple in my thoughts and ideas. With my things and stuff, more streamlined, which means owning fewer things. Also questioning everything. For example, rather than thinking about what the best headphones are, discovering that in fact, I don’t even need headphones. I could just play music off my phone speaker, or laptop speaker. Or, just going for long period of time not listening to music, fasting from music.

With cars, discovering that the best car is no car. More impressive to deadlift 600 pounds than to even own a Tesla model S plaid or Lamborghini.

Also with food, simplification. A preference towards fatty beef, like beef ribs, beef liver, or beef brisket. As a side, mustard, kimchi, or seaweed.

Also with design aesthetics, the best design being simple and streamlined. My great delight with iPad Pro, even the classic design of the iPhone SE. With Camera, Ricoh GR 3X.

Also with investments, extreme simplification. As of now, all I own is Bitcoin. 100% of my assets in Bitcoin, no other forms of crypto or cryptocurrency‘s.

Also with life in general, simplification. All I have a passion for is writing, thinking, blogging, vlogging, photography, spending time with Seneca, powerlifting, eating meat, and spending quality time with Cindy.

Why simplify?

The point isn’t to simplify out of some virtuous thing. In fact, it is a form of supremacy. Simple is supreme.

I think all of us are trying to live our best lives, and to live the most supreme version of our possible or potential lives. All the great thinkers and designers of the past have tended toward simple. In mathematics, simple yet eloquent equations like Albert Einstein. Relatively simple compositions from Leonardo da Vinci, simple design from Steve Jobs and Jony Ive, and simple cryptocurrency like bitcoin.

How to simplify your life

1. Rather than thinking about upgrading your stuff, or getting the new thing, think about how cute repurpose the stuff you already have, to make it better or faster. For example, my 13 inch MacBook pro touchbar from 2017 has slow down dramatically, which inspired me to start shooting extra small JPEG on my Ricoh GR 3X, which has sped up greatly my import and export process for my photos.
2. Smaller file sizes: even with videos, exporting at 720P, and uploading as far as superior. Smaller and more simple file sizes are better.
3. Just walk more: enough, the simple process of walking can dramatically improve your life. Rather than thinking about getting a new car, or the better car, maybe it’s just strive to walk more. For example, walk to the nearby gym instead of driving, and try to reduce your compass.
4. Spend as little time in the car as humanly possible: currently being stuck in the suburbs, the most virtuous thing I could do with Seneca is go to the park and do physical activity. We have found a very good park pretty close, which is about an eight minute drive. I found it better to keep going back to the same park, over and over again, instead of trying to go out and venture to further parks, which just means more time spent being stuck in the car.
5. Simpler but stronger. For example, at the gym simplify your workouts. I have found that if I could just condense all of my working out, it would gravitate towards three things: sumo deadlift, squat, and barbell or dumbbell floor press. And if you want to keep it very very simple, just go to the gym a maximum of three times a week. Monday Wednesday Friday if ideal.
6. Simple questions, profound answers: it is good to question common knowledge, and common biases, and striving to discover deep and profound answers.
7. Simplify your writing: the bias is that the more one rights, the more virtuous one is. Yet, it is better to have one very profound sentence, than 1000 words of standard ideas. for example, the aphorism from Heraclitus: “No man steps in the same river twice” is probably a quadrillion times more profound than any thought other the last thousand years.
8. Simplify your devices: I found it 1000 times more pleasurable to use my iPad Pro than my MacBook Pro. In fact, I’m not really that interested in buying a new laptop anymore. I’m more curious about how I could discover new mobile workflow options for myself.
9. Simplify your wardrobe: all black everything clothing. For T-shirts, only merino wool. Also, I’ve been starting to have a preference towards shorts, especially short shorts. All black. Exofficio Boxer briefs. Vibram 5 Finger Shoes.
10. Simplify your relationships: Rather than adding more friends to your life, focus on the friends you already got. And focus on the family you already got.
11. Simplify your library: simplify and reduce the number of books you like, try to stick to just three books you really like. Also stick to one or two music albums you really like, stick to three movies you really like. There to have a selection of your three favorites, and just keep reading or watching them or listening to them over and over again, then having a massive library, and only experiencing each media item one through twice.
12. Simplify your coffee: Only espresso

Simple is supreme.
ERIC

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Explore More

Be intrepid. Embark on an epic SEOUL SOUTH KOREA WORKSHOP ADVENTURE this September 30-October 2nd, 2022. Bring the family along!

Workshops by KIM

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Things I love

1. GoPro hero 10. I’m having so much fun with it!
2. Vibram 5 finger EL-X shoes: The best shoe of all time
3. iPad Pro: I wrote this whole thing on my iPad Pro, with the keyboard Apple voice dictate.
4. Beef brisket from Costco business center, commodity or prime cut
5. Going to the gym again. Going to the gym again has made me at least 100x happier again.

HAPTIC SUPPLY CO

1. MUSE BY KIM: Muse on.
2. ERIC KIM NECK STRAP MARK II: Where will your RICOH take you next?
3. HENRI NECK STRAP MARK IV: Classics never die.

HAPTIC PRESS

1. MASTERS VOLUME 1 Limited Edition Print Book with Crimson Foil // OPEN DIGITAL
2. MODERN PHOTOGRAPHER OPEN SOURCE
3. STREET PHOTOGRAPHY STARTER KIT

EXPLORE ALL HAPTIC PRODUCTS

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Your assignment

Shoot a selfie of yourself in the mirror, in an artsy way. Upload it to arsbeta.com

Upload

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If this sparked any creative ideas within you, feel free to forward to a friend!

ERIC KIM NEWS LINK

EK BLOG

I am what I eat:

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Need moar brisket!

MEAT

IN PRAISE OF MEAT:

1. BEEF RIBS ARE KING.
2. CUT YOUR OWN STEAK.
3. The Philosophy of Meat Eating
4. No Meat, No Life.
5. The Anti-Meat Conspiracy
6. Eating Meat Doesn’t Make You Fat
7. If You Want to Gain Muscle Mass and Lose Body Fat, Eat More Meat (and Quit Sugar, Carbs, Fruit, and Starches)
8. No, Meat is Not Bad for You.
9. Alcohol is Okay, but Meat is Bad?
10. Under-Nutrition is the Issue?
11. ERIC KIM EATS
12. Eating Meat Doesn’t Make You Fat
13. Better to Record and Shoot Videos of Your Food than Still Photos
14. Why Eating Fat is Good for You
15. ERIC KIM EATS MEAT
16. Meat is King
17. How I Cook
18. Meat
19. Why I Eat Meat
20. In Praise of Crock Pot Cooking
21. Eat a Lot of Meat *AND* Eat a Lot of Bitter Greens
22. CARNIVORE DIET
23. How I Cook at Home
24. The More Meat You Eat, the Stronger You Will Become.
25. How Much Meat Can You Eat in a Day?
26. Why Meat is Good
27. How to Eat More Meat
28. Why Eat Meat?
29. Cholesterol (Meat) is a Steroid

MUSCLE BY KIM

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MUSCLE BY KIM

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For example, the Tesla Model S Plaid is certainly the best car, but the design is a bit boring and plain.