Why I love the new aluminum reuseable water bottles.
Category: Posts
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How to Pack
Often the best way to pack is to just throw everything into an open bag.
Just throw it all in a tote bag.
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5 Simple Street Photography Techniques
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. â€Pretend like I’m not here!â€
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 thoughtâ€. 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!â€
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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How to Simplify Your Life
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
- 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.
- Smaller file sizes: even with videos, exporting at 720P, and uploading as far as superior. Smaller and more simple file sizes are better.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Simple questions, profound answers: it is good to question common knowledge, and common biases, and striving to discover deep and profound answers.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Simplify your coffee: Only espresso
Simple is supreme.
ERIC
Explore More
Be intrepid. Embark on an epic SEOUL SOUTH KOREA WORKSHOP ADVENTURE this September 30-October 2nd, 2022. Bring the family along!
Things I love
- GoPro hero 10. I’m having so much fun with it!
- Vibram 5 finger EL-X shoes: The best shoe of all time
- iPad Pro: I wrote this whole thing on my iPad Pro, with the keyboard Apple voice dictate.
- Beef brisket from Costco business center, commodity or prime cut
- Going to the gym again. Going to the gym again has made me at least 100x happier again.
HAPTIC SUPPLY CO
MUSE BY KIM XX LEICA MP - MUSE BY KIM: Muse on.
- ERIC KIM NECK STRAP MARK II: Where will your RICOH take you next?
- HENRI NECK STRAP MARK IV: Classics never die.
HAPTIC PRESS
MASTERS PRINT - MASTERS VOLUME 1 Limited Edition Print Book with Crimson Foil // OPEN DIGITAL
- MODERN PHOTOGRAPHER OPEN SOURCE
- STREET PHOTOGRAPHY STARTER KIT
Your assignment
Shoot a selfie of yourself in the mirror, in an artsy way. Upload it to arsbeta.com
If this sparked any creative ideas within you, feel free to forward to a friend!
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BEEF BRISKET MUK BBANG ERIC KIM
Need moar brisket!
IN PRAISE OF MEAT:
- BEEF RIBS ARE KING.
- CUT YOUR OWN STEAK.
- The Philosophy of Meat Eating
- No Meat, No Life.
- The Anti-Meat Conspiracy
- Eating Meat Doesn’t Make You Fat
- If You Want to Gain Muscle Mass and Lose Body Fat, Eat More Meat (and Quit Sugar, Carbs, Fruit, and Starches)
- No, Meat is Not Bad for You.
- Alcohol is Okay, but Meat is Bad?
- Under-Nutrition is the Issue?
- ERIC KIM EATS
- Eating Meat Doesn’t Make You Fat
- Better to Record and Shoot Videos of Your Food than Still Photos
- Why Eating Fat is Good for You
- ERIC KIM EATS MEAT
- Meat is King
- How I Cook
- Meat
- Why I Eat Meat
- In Praise of Crock Pot Cooking
- Eat a Lot of Meat *AND* Eat a Lot of Bitter Greens
- CARNIVORE DIET
- How I Cook at Home
- The More Meat You Eat, the Stronger You Will Become.
- How Much Meat Can You Eat in a Day?
- Why Meat is Good
- How to Eat More Meat
- Why Eat Meat?
- Cholesterol (Meat) is a Steroid
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The “Best†is Often the Most Boring
For example, the Tesla Model S Plaid is certainly the best car, but the design is a bit boring and plain.
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AESTHETICS ARE SUPREME.
Even though it may be slower, less “efficientâ€.
Aesthetics over profits, optimization, etc.
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INVESTING OUT OF CURIOSITY.
Invest in something, because you are very curious on how it will manifest in the future. Follow your gut.
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Do What You Think is Best
Have the courage to be “wrong“. But at least you have the courage to do what you thought was best.
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Disregard the suffering of others
Pity for the suffering of others is a vice (La Rochefoucauld and many other moral philosophers).
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Long Amazon
Stepping into an Amazon fresh store, this is the future. To turn food into a technology.
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Death of the US Dollar Hegemony
What does this mean? Just own Bitcoin instead.
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JUST USE WHAT YOU ALREADY GOT.
Avoid the sucker trap of buying new stuff.
Instead of buying new things, just repurpose your old things in novel ways.
In fact, more robust and superior to get rid of stuff than to add new stuff.
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SAVE MONEY.
Better to have no or a few material possessions and a swole bank account.
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Maximally Breathable
The best fabric is maximally breathable.
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What is the significance of being a fan?
Fan is actually short for “fanaticâ€. What is the point of being a fanatic, or a fan for certain sports team. What is the significance if they win?
My theory is that you externalize your ego into a foreign entity, let’s say a sports team. And therefore, when they win, you feel like you win.
But does this make sense? No.
My intervention: rather than becoming a fan of a certain sports team, you yourself become your own fan by actually playing that sport. I find it very bizarre how lots of people follow certain sports, yet don’t play the sport, nor have ever played the sport.
It’s almost like claiming to be an expert on sex, when you’ve only watched pornography your whole life, and you’ve never done it in real life.
Same thing with superhero movies. Instead of watching superhero movies, you yourself strive to become that superhero. A simple step is just going to the gym and getting into powerlifting.
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Don’t work out if you’re tired
Perhaps it takes more will to not go to the gym, then to go to the gym every day.
Also don’t workout the day when you’re detoxing from coffee.
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What if gas becomes $20 a gallon?
Perhaps the whole American economy would crash. Who would any longer do the cheap labor jobs? Even if they pay 20 or 30 or $40 an hour?
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The Upsides of the Gym
- People watching
- Feeling a part of society
- Randomly seeing pertinent news on the TVs
- Getting a pump
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GRAVITY.
Exposure to gravity makes us stronger.
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DO YOU REALLY *NEED* FUNDING?
Perhaps not.
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Don’t pay for insurance
The best upside of not owning a car. You don’t have to pay for insurance.
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Sun exposure is the best stimulant
If you want more energy, just take off your shirt and go into the sun.
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Lame
Just follow your gut. You know what is lame and what is not lame.
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Don’t just imitate or copy the successful models of others
The reason why others were successful in their model, is probably because they were the first.
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Don’t Invest in Boring Stuff
Even if it can make you a bunch of money. Life is too short to invest in boring things.
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Ignorance is Wisdom
Ignorance is wisdom when the information either doesn’t pertain to you, nor affects you.
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The best is the most reliable?
For example, perhaps the best car is the most reliable car.Â
Why is this? Well, it seems that your car (breaks down) or doesn’t turn on always at the most inconvenient time. Tail events (super rare events), when you need it the most.
For example, the worst time you don’t want your car to break down (or not turn on or work) is during a blizzard or snowstorm.
Same goes with airlines– perhaps the best airline is the most reliable, the *LEAST* likely to get delayed, rescheduled, or having flights get canceled.
Or in IT– we all know that uptime is the most critical metric.
So perhaps it is a bad idea to use beta software– the bugs make it unreliable.
Maybe also with blockchain; the best blockchain of the future will not be the fastest or the ‘best’, but the most reliable?
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Teaching your body how to thrive on stress
It must be good stress, “eustressâ€. The stress which strengths you.
The stress must be in a very short duration. Prolonged stress and chronic stress is bad for you and your health.
For example, attempting to lift the maximum weight you can lift, once is good for your health. However, lifting weights, in the same repetition range, every single day is not good for you.
With stress and fear, it is good every once in a while to get really frightened, like seeing a lion in your bedroom as Nassim Taleb says. However, always living in trepidation or fear about your work or your boss is not a good idea.
For example, I hate looking at my investments. I only check my investments, maybe at most once a year. Ideally, once every two years.
Also I have a theory about coffee and caffeine consumption. Perhaps it’s only good to have an extreme amount of caffeine in the morning, but not steadily throughout the day.
The same thing goes with hunger and eating. Intermittent fasting is good for you, because the stress of hunger during the day actually strengthens you. Also the process of “autophagy†acts like a vacuum cleaner effect, getting rid of the bad and weak proteins in your body. And when you are going to break your fast in the evening, eat a shitload of meat.
Maybe it is also the same thing with anger. Hold your tongue 99.9% of the time, but allow yourself to violently erupt maybe once a month or every other month.
Maybe it’s the same with alcohol— better to get shitfaced once a month than having a beer every single day.
Maybe also the same thing with marijuana: better to just get very very high once a month, then smoke every single day to put yourself to sleep.
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Fail Safe
You always want to feel safe. For example, when attempting a one rep max squat, you always want the power rack with the safety pins behind you. Because if you can’t get it up, you can just ditch the bar behind you.
Burning the bridges behind you is not a good idea. Even though it sounds very romantic.
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TRUST YOUR BODY.
Your body has the deepest, most accurate sense of wisdom and truth.
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Modern things don’t last
Modern design things don’t last. For example, at Cindy‘s moms house, was installed this “modern water faucet, but the other day it literally broke in my hands. Ironically enough the old school hot and water turn on handles works better, and last longer, even though it is less “modern“.
Same thing goes with modern ideas. Modern ideas don’t last.
