The Taproot upgrade is a significant update to the Bitcoin blockchain that was activated on November 14, 2021. It incorporates three key Bitcoin Improvement Proposals (BIPs): BIP 340, BIP 341, and BIP 342. These collectively enhance Bitcoin’s functionality in several ways:
Schnorr Signatures (BIP 340): This introduces a new cryptographic signature method that is more efficient than the previous Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA). Schnorr signatures allow for the aggregation of multiple signatures into a single one, which simplifies and speeds up the verification process. This is especially beneficial for transactions involving multiple parties and can lead to reduced transaction fees and smaller transaction sizes.
Taproot (BIP 341): This proposal enhances the privacy and efficiency of Bitcoin transactions by implementing Merklized Alternative Script Trees (MAST) and a new transaction type called Pay-to-Taproot (P2TR). MAST allows for the compression of complex transaction data, improving scalability and privacy since only the necessary parts of the script are revealed when a transaction is spent.
Tapscript (BIP 342): This updates Bitcoin’s scripting language to accommodate the changes introduced by Schnorr and Taproot, allowing for greater flexibility and the potential future expansion of Bitcoin’s smart contract capabilities.
Ordinals is a protocol on the Bitcoin network that allows the inscription of arbitrary data directly onto individual satoshis, the smallest denomination of Bitcoin. This development was introduced following the Taproot update in 2021, which allowed more data to be included in Bitcoin blocks, thus expanding the network’s capabilities.
The concept of ordinals is based on the idea of giving each Satoshi a unique “serial number” or “ordinal number” which reflects the order in which it was mined. This allows for each Satoshi to carry unique data, essentially transforming it into a non-fungible token (NFT) on the Bitcoin blockchain. Users can inscribe various types of data, such as text, images, or audio, making these satoshis collectible and tradable as digital art or other forms of digital assets.
This innovation has opened up new possibilities for Bitcoin, traditionally seen only as a cryptocurrency, by enabling it to host NFT-like assets directly on its blockchain. It has also attracted new users and investors interested in the NFT space to the Bitcoin ecosystem, despite also leading to increased transaction fees and network congestion due to the heightened activity.
For more detailed insights, you can visit the dedicated pages on websites like CoinGecko, Ledger, or Binance Academy, which provide comprehensive information on how ordinals work and their impact on the Bitcoin network.
The BRC-20 token standard is a new development on the Bitcoin blockchain, introduced to enable the creation and transfer of fungible tokens similar to the ERC-20 tokens on the Ethereum network. It utilizes the Bitcoin Ordinals protocol, which was made possible by the Taproot update in 2021. This update increased the amount of data that could be included in Bitcoin blocks, facilitating new functions like Ordinals and, subsequently, BRC-20 tokens.
BRC-20 tokens are simpler than many blockchain tokens because they do not require complex smart contracts. Instead, they use JSON data inscribed directly onto satoshis (the smallest unit of Bitcoin) to create and manage tokens. This makes the process of minting and transferring tokens more accessible to those without extensive technical expertise.
However, the BRC-20 standard has its drawbacks, primarily due to its reliance on the Bitcoin blockchain’s infrastructure, which is known for its low scalability and slow transaction speeds. This has led to increased transaction fees and network congestion, particularly as the number of tokens and their usage has grown. Additionally, the BRC-20 lacks support for smart contracts, limiting the range of functionalities that can be implemented compared to other token standards like ERC-20.
Despite these challenges, the introduction of BRC-20 tokens represents a significant step in diversifying the types of applications and utilities that can be developed on the Bitcoin network. The standard has seen a rapidly growing number of tokens being created, with varying degrees of success and acceptance within the community.
For further details on BRC-20 tokens and their impact on the Bitcoin ecosystem, you can refer
Perhaps the best way to think about an approach life is towards radical and insane abundance; idea that you’ll never run out.
I think this is mostly the appeal of Tesla, digital things; is that it is infinite.
Zeiss lens wipes?
OK, some funny random things:
First, my beloved Zeiss lens wipes.  they are truly pardoned on the best. I have not discovered anything even halfway good.
It’s super annoying because I always run out of them. And having to re-order them is always a pain in the butt.
However, fortunately they come in a pack of around 200, sometimes even 400.
 Then very much to our surprise, the other day on our front door came another pack of 200! I think Cindy did the Amazon subscribe and safe thing about half a year ago, for the small discount, and forgot to unsubscribe. Now I have enough Zeiss Lens wipes to last me a small lifetime. 
ECO 80oz hair gel?
Another scam in the world is hair gel, hair wax, hair products.
For men, in which we are all striving to become more masculine manly dominant etc.… one of the biggest scams out there is in regards to hair products. 
For example, why is it that a little shitty tiny hair wax paste thing could cost $20 $30, 40 even $50!?
My best discovery is discovering on Amazon, you can get this insanely huge top up hair gel, 80 ounces, this brand called Eco — which lasts you an insanely long time! And I think the huge tub is only about 25 bucks.
My only personal desire is not to be one of these LA losers who’s always wearing a baseball cap. I only ever wear my baseball cap when I run out of gel, but otherwise, I hate the look and aesthetic because you just end up looking like everybody else. 
Why think infinite? 
I’ve been through the whole game; doing everything and in between in photography.
One period that I went through which was super annoying was Fatar, even though I love the process and the aesthetic to death, the notion of film, 35 mm film, and log film that runs out, that you had to buy money to purchase, and also pay for processing, pay more money to get this scanned etc.… Now that I look back at it, it is such a scam.
Why?
It is not infinite!
Compare this to digital photography, now that I am 36 years old, I’m starting to look back at it and I’m starting to appreciate digital photography more and more. 
First of all, it is infinite. At this point pretty much storage is free, if you use Google Drive, Google photos, WordPress, Flickr, your own website whatever. It is so cheap it is effectively infinite.
I am shocked, even on my antiquated Lumix G9 camera, the original one, it has still held up very well, and is built like a tank! 
The photos that it produces our great, I have gotten so many great photos out of it, with Seneca growing up, videos and beyond.
Infinite food and coffee?
In terms of real goods, a practical one is coffee. I’d like this idea of having infinite coffee, very much like the joy wonder living in Vietnam, especially in Saigon; that is Center of great coffee and coffee roasting.
The reason why I love it so much is that it is the freshest coffee of all time. And not only that,  it is closest to the source, some of the finest fine robusta beans grown in the central Highlands.
Anyways, when I run out out of my own good coffee, what I do instead afterwards  is either go to Whole Foods, which often has good deals on the coffee selections, or Cindy just orders a 5 pound bag of coffee on Amazon prime, which lasts forever essentially.
Also with food, The reason why I love Costco so much is because you essentially know that at in regards to meet, you’re paying rock-bottom prices. We may still complain that meat and food is too expensive, but truth be told, this is just the reality of inflation. Which means, when your beloved beef ribs used to only cost you 199 a pound pound, and I’ll cost you 499 a pound, essentially the value of the US dollar has the value valued by half, because everything is two times more expensive, not because things are actually more expensive, but because the US dollar is worth less.
Let us consider, people 20, $25 an hour to be a janitor, and people are still not fighting… This is a bad sign. I think even the other day I saw that McDonald’s was hiring for $18 USD an hour. That is what I earned Graduating from UCLA as an undergraduate, a four-year college degree!
Which makes me think, for Seneca’s generation, will he need to go to college? Probably not.
***
Why?
Thinking about abundance, radical abundance, I think the reason why this is so good and important is because when you think unlimited, you become unlimited.
Who likes feeling constrained? Nobody that I know.
The secrets?
Something which is still very very shocking to me, looking at Seneca, at three years one months old… He essentially has infinite energy more or less. Typically his workflow is when he wakes up, he rubs his eyes, uses the bathroom and rinses off, and then starts his slow waking up process by stepping into the bathtub, turning on the hot water, and slowly booting up underneath the Faucet of the hot tub.
Something I have been meaning to write or create or do is like some sort of book, ebook, pamphlet, or introductory primer to stoicism. I really think that stoicism is probably one of the most useful and philosophical models to live normal every day real life. Yet, I haven’t really found a good instructional guide on it, especially when I was self teaching it to myself.
Consider this a practical primer, cutting through the BS:
What does stoicism mean? 
Stoicism, stoic, the stoa in ancient Greece– essentially the stoa was like some sort of portico, patio, pillar, outside, essentially a spot where guys would just hang out, talk shop, talk philosophy, etc.  
I think about the show “Hey Arnold” in which I was raised with… the notion of “stoop kid“, the notion of a stoop is that in a lot of cities, especially the east coast in New York, you have this little stoop or porch, stairs that go outside your front door… and you could just hang out there, engage in social and neighborhood life etc.
The new stoa? 
One of my happiest moments was when I was living in Providence Rhode Island, and then COVID-19 hit. Everything was closed, besides the park. I can still go to the park, hang out, workout, do chin ups– I learned how to do muscle ups, more bodyweight calisthenics stuff, and also… I had a lot of fun with this “rock toss“ challenge and workout… in the middle of the park was a huge ass rock and huge ass stone, and every single day I would go there pick it up, and then eventually work out with it; throwing it around for fun, doing overhead presses with it, clean and jerks, squats, and eventually I would just throw it around for fun. Funny enough it might have been the most fit I was in my life… this was the true “functional” fitness.
The inspiration — Hector lifting an insanely massive stone (barely 2 strong men could lift it)… using it to break down the door of the ships of the other side.
Open air, open sun concept
Anyways, the reason why that period of covid was so good is that it was in the middle of beautiful Providence Rhode Island summer, so nice and bright and warm and lovely… and one of the good things was going to the park was like an open forum, a new anatheum for a lot of really cool guys to come, hang out, talk shop, go topless and shirtless, workout and hang out.
I met some really interesting people during that period of time. I met some guys who were really cool. For example, one guy I met was in the US military Navy, I think he was training to be a Navy seal or Delta force or something. Another guy in some sort of ROTC training, another cool guy from the hood, and also I would say I probably met half a dozen friendly drug dealers there. And of course a lot of people who believed in conspiracy theories; really friendly, a little weird, but overall good guys.
Anyways, one of the biggest benefits of hanging out at that outdoor park, open air, nothing but green grass, the beautiful sun and the fitness equipment was that I think having this sort of open air environment is actually very conducive to socializing, thinking and thought, and pro social behavior. My theory about a lot of modern day antisocial behavior has to do with the structures which enclose us. For example, almost universally most guys at the gym are extremely antisocial. Why? My theory is that because most gyms have closed, cramped narrow ceilings, and do not have access to natural light, or outside space.
The only good gym I went to which was interesting was the golds gym in Venice, which has this really big outdoor workout area. I think this is much more natural and more fun and better; to be able to work out directly outside outdoors, with your shirt off.
Who is this philosophy for?
Stoics, stoicism — it was originally I think codified by this guy named Zeno, and over time he picked up some followers. Essentially the whole thing happened organically; Zeno would first share his thinking on philosophy ethics and pragmatic ways to deal with other people and the downsides of life, he built a following, and then his followers would propagate the thoughts and start their own little schools of thoughts, their own little stoic clubs.
What is “real” stoicism?
Would I like about stoicism is how loosey goosey it is. It is kind of like zen, or taoism… it is not really quantified as a religion, or a strict moral order. In fact, a lot of the ancients stoics would meditate on random stuff like cosmology, natural sciences like Seneca, how volcanoes worked or whatever. I think nowadays in today’s world, we focus primarily on the pragmatic side; how to deal with fear, uncertainty, downsides etc.
So how did I discover stoicism?
I think I might’ve first learned about stoicism from Nassim Taleb and his ANTIFRAGILE book. I was curious, and my curiosity went to deep. To quote NASSIM TALEB and the Venetian saying “The ocean goes deeper, the deeper you wade into it.”
I literally consumed every single book I could find on stoicism, even the obscure ones. Funny enough, a lot of the stoic thinkers tried to claim other philosophers as being stoic, like Seneca did with Diogenes the cynic. 
Cynic, cynicism, actually comes from the word canine, the dog. Diogenes was considered the “dog” philosopher, first used as a pejorative, but ultimately Diogenes reappropriated that title for fun! He saw dogs as tough, almost like wild wolves, rather than seeing them as a negative thing.
Even Achilles when he was raging against king Agamemnon, he called him “dog faced“ as a heaping insult.
Who is worth reading?
First, Seneca. Seneca the younger, his dad was called Seneca the elder.
In fact, this is such a big deal because Cindy and I named our first son, Seneca, directly after the stoic philosopher. This is true soul in the game; if you name your kid after your favorite philosopher, certainly it is a sign that you really liked that philosopher, or found them impactful.
The reason why I really like Seneca the stoic philosopher is because he had real connections to real reality. What that means is he wasn’t just on the sidelines; he actually existed in the real world, engaged in real politics, was even advisor to the emperor Nero, the bad one, who eventually low-key coerced Seneca to commit suicide, in a manly, dignified manner.
I think this was because maybe… there was actually a plan to overthrow Nero, and essentially Nero found out. 
What makes Seneca so good?
I really like Seneca because his writing is accessible, practical and pragmatic, and interesting.
A lot of thinkers tend to lack connections to real reality, I have no tolerance for boring philosophers to talk about metaphysics, which is things which are not physical. Like thoughts ideas, the universe, electricity and energy, strange phenomenon and conspiracy theories on ghosts, “energy” whatever.
For a long time, I would hear the term “metaphysics” being thrown around, and I had zero idea what it actually meant. 
Meta– on top of. Or nestled within.
Physics — the physical, physical phenomenon like gravity, first principles.
The reason why metaphysics philosophers tend to be a bunch of losers is that they are all weak and anemic, nerds or geeks or weaklings who seem to have some sort of physiological degeneracy, which encourages them to opine or talk or think about impractical things, superficial things.
Personally speaking, I think philosophy must be practical. 
Practical, praxis, practice — to do!
The Spartan, Zen Stoic, demigod ideal
I have a very funny ideal; the general idea is that your body looks like a demigod, and your physiology is out of control. The general idea is one must be tall, strong, highly muscular, low body fat percentage, I’m not exactly sure what my body fat percentage is, but maybe it’s around 5%.
Also, physical fitness is critical to any stoic. My ideal is to walk 50 miles a day, eat 20 pounds of meat like Milo of Croton a day. And also, abstinence from silly things like media, alcohol, drugs, marijuana etc.
Trust no thinker who does drugs!
Even our best friend Nietzsche said that coffee was bad, because it would make people dark and gloomy. He encouraged 100% cocoa powder instead. 
You let the drugs talk I let my soul talk ayy! – Kendrick Lamar
Simple technique:
First, look at a picture or a portrait or a full body shot, ideally topless of the artist, philosopher or thinker or individual… then judge their thoughts later.
Why? My theory is this: the thoughts of an individual is hugely affected by their bodily physiology.
For example, an extreme example: if somebody is locked inside a solitary confinement cell, and not permitted to go outside for years, but, he had a pen and pad and would jot down some thoughts… Would be the quality of these thoughts? Certainly dark and morose.
In today’s world, why does it matter, what is the significance of stoicism, etc.?
First and foremost, I think we are living in a troubling time, especially with the advent of modern day internet based media and advertising. I think 99% of what is propagated on the internet is fear mongering, and what is hate? Hate is just fear.
The first thought on stoicism is that it is just fear conquering. What I discovered about street photography, is that 99% of it is conquering your fears. Conquering your fears of upsetting other people, getting in some sort of verbal or physical altercation etc. In fact my bread and butter workshop is my conquering your fears and street photography workshop, the workshop which is still interesting to me even after a decade.
Why is this so important? I think it is rooted in almost everything; conquering your fears is rooted in entrepreneurship, innovation, risktaking and real life.
Even my speculation in crypto. 99.9% of crypto speculation is just balls. Having the balls to make big bets, and when things go south, knowing how to master your emotions.
A simple extra I have is this: just imagine it will all go down to zero.
It was useful because when I was in college, my sophomore year I got really into trading stocks, and I eventually lost my whole life savings, maybe around $3500 USD, and some bad penny stock which I actually misread the financials… the whole time I thought the company was making a profit, but actually it was taking a loss. I actually didn’t know that if profits are written in parentheses, it means a loss.
It was funny because my initial start as an investor was back in high school, I bought some Adobe stock when I was a high school junior, and also some mutual funds, which both went up after about 4-5 years.
Also I remember in elementary school computer class, when I was in the sixth grade in Bayside Queens, there was some sort of stock stimulation trading game, and actually it was funny… the kids who made the most money and were the most successful just put 100% of everything into Apple, note this is when we were only 12 years old, and I was born in 1988.
Stoicism and capitalism?
Funny enough, it seems that stoicism actually plays well with capitalism. Why? According to modern day capitalist thinking, the best way to approach life is to be objective, strong, stoic, unemotional, logical and rational.
Also, with modern day media there is so much fear mongering in the news, about some sort of global armageddon, global financial ruin, etc. I call it “fear porn”.
Therefore stoicism as a mindset is useful to think and position your mind in such a way that you could consider that life is all upside, no downside.
In fact, if I could summarize stoicism in one sentence, it is that life is all upside, no downside. Inspired by NASSIM TALEB.
Sex and Stoicism
So, is stoicism useful to you if you’re a man or a woman? Does it matter?
The good thing is I think it could apply to both sexes. Conquering sexism and social pressures is useful if you’re woman, and also if you’re a man.
Also, gender is social. Lot of the expectations set on us by society is socialized and gamed to a certain degree.
Stoic strategies 
First, we got to unchain ourselves from modern day ethics and morality. I believe that all modern day philosophy and thinking and ethics and religion is bad.
For example, the notion of turning the other cheek is a patently bad one. Why did Jesus turn his cheek? It is because he lacked on army.
Also, philosophically I think we should put no trust in Socrates. I thought which has puzzled me for a long time was this “Why was Socrates so ugly?
Monster in face, monster in soul.
I think Socrates was a degenerate, and he lacked any sort of real power. Therefore he turned logic and rationality into his terrorizing weapon (via Nietzsche). Back in the day, you didn’t need logic or rationality to have things your way, you simply was able to dictate that which you wanted to pause it, because you had a military force behind you. Just think about Machiavelli and IL PRINCIPE– the reality of being a mercurial prince, king, and military leader is hard, stoic, “immoral”. But ultimately it all comes down to war, conquest, the military.
Trust nobody who uses rationality or logic as their tyrannizing weapon. 
In fact, I believe that all should have the body and strength of some sort of super soldier. Essentially look like all the guys from the movie 300, this is our ideal.
Demigod physique. 
What has helped me
Allow yourself to be a bad, immortal, “evil” person. When you decide to adopt an unorthodox way of thinking and living, you’re going to rub some feathers the wrong way. And truth be told, even if you act in a strange vibrant way… At worse you’re only “mildly” annoying other people.
For good inspirations, I think the best stoic writers and thinkers include Seneca, and Marcus Aurelius and also the humor of the cynic philosopher Diogenes. I would even posit the idea that one could consider Alexander the Great as a stoic. Why? When you’re trying to create an empire, and you always have your life on the line, certainly this takes a stoic mindset. Also, let us think and consider that Alexander the Great had a copy of the Iliad by his bedstand, it was the only book he traveled with during his military tours.
Imagine the worst possible case scenario, and backtrack: Apparently even NASSIM TALEB would do this when he was a trader; every single day when he would go to his trading desk, he would assume that his investments would all go to zero, and if that wasn’t the case every single day, it was just upside. Therefore for myself, I just think to myself very simple; imagine like I got zero dollars, zero money, and literally all I need is meat, a Wi-Fi connection and I’m good. 
Live like a poor person: The notion of “debasing“ the coin or the currency is the general idea that you are not a coward in regards to money. The best way to think about money is like a social tool; I think money is actually just codified labor. If you want people to clean bathrooms, run the cashiers stand, you have to promise them money. Even Seneca said the upsides of simulated poverty; essentially living like a poor person, or even a homeless person when you don’t need to… is the ultimate position to be in. Why? True freedom of spirit and soul; as a philosopher thinker writer or whatever… you cannot be “canceled”, because there is nothing to cancel. As long as you could pay your rent, buy meat at Costco, and publish your thoughts to your own self hosted website blog, and pay your server fee, you have 100% freedom. And also, still… America is the best place to be because there is true freedom of speech and expression, you don’t want to be a trillionaire but not be able to say what’s really on your mind. And I think this is the big issue with entertainers, actors, media people… as long as you’re signed to a contract, you don’t run your own production company, or, you’re still a slave to money… you’re not really going to see what’s really on your mind. Why is it that the Rock cannot say anything bad about China, or Tibet? Because he is still enslaved by the media corporation. New slaves by Kanye West.
And this is the true courage of Kanye West; he literally put everything on the line, and even lost his spouse and I think maybe his kids? All for the sake of revealing inequities. 
“I throw these Maybach keys fucking c’est la vie! I know that we the new slaves.”- Ye
Stoic training
The fun thing about stoicism is that you could just make it up as you go, devise your own strategies and whatever.
“Fucking c’est la vie!” My favorite Kanye West line.
Essentially the general idea is that in life, one should not take things too seriously. Laughter is golden, I forget the philosopher who was called the laughing philosopher… Democritus?; better to laugh about the follies of human beings rather than to be dark and morose about it.
Also, thoughts from the Odyssey; if you look far enough  into the future, everything becomes comedic and hilarious.
So when you’re in some sort of bad situation, just think to yourself “Perhaps one day, 20 or 30 years from now… I will look back at this and just laugh!” It will just be humorous.
Honestly, laughter, and kind of being able to joke about things might be the best way to live life and deal with setbacks. 
Modern day ailments
Problems in modern day life:
Too much time spent indoors, not enough time out in the sun. Perhaps it is better to be out outside all day, and joyful, even with the risk of getting skin cancer or whatever… rather than to be indoors, scared, weak and anemic. Differences between if you’re a man or a woman, but still… the most beautiful skin has a sunkissed, olive color tone; the true privilege is having a full body tan. 
Get chatGPT, the paid premium one. And use the image generation AI art tool DALL-E. People pay therapists to just speak their mind, and get some sort of sounding board. I actually think it’s much better to chat with AI instead; because it will not judge you, and ultimately what is a therapist anyways? A therapist is just a mirror, a sounding board for you to verbalize and flesh out your thoughts. Often when we talk about our problems, 90% of the issues go away because once we verbalize it, we feel much better about ourselves. The next thing I’m going to do is build some sort of therapy bot. 
Not enough walking: I have never met anybody who walks 30,000 steps a day and is depressed. Even my friend Jimmy, who works as a US postal worker delivering the mail, he walks around 30,000 steps a day and is always bright cherry and jovial. I think this is also where people who hike a lot or walk a lot in nature are so happy; when you’re able to walk around a lot, and zen out… you just feel much better. My simple suggestion is when you go on a hike or a walk in nature or even in the city… leave your phone at home, or locked inside your glove compartment, and don’t bring any headphones or speakers or Apple watches or whatever. Just bring along your camera, and enjoy. My personal ideal is the bear lifestyle; walking 50 miles a day. 
Real stoics don’t call themselves Stoics?
A funny thing I have learned is that when you call something something, it isn’t that.
For example, if someone calls something a “luxury car”, it ain’t. For example, a true modern day luxury car is maybe a Tesla, but Tesla never calls itself a luxury car. Also the ultimate luxury technology company is probably Apple… but Apple is very intelligent and not calling themselves a luxury brand.
A pro tip is when it comes to websites, read the alternative text, the header text, the stuff that shows up in the tab of your browser window. If the website, the automotive retailer tries to market themselves as a “luxury” brand, typically it is actually a sign that it isn’t a luxury brand it isn’t luxury brand.
Thought: what are some good examples of true luxury brands which don’t overly calls itself luxury? 
In someways, we can think and consider stoicism as our new luxury. In fact, having luxury, luxury of mind and soul… and luxury of freedom of speech, isn’t this the ultimate luxury?
When somebody asked Diogenes the cynic; “What is the best human good”? He said “Freedom of speech, speaking your mind, having the power to see whatever is on your mind.”
In fact, my current joy is becoming more and more free talking, and free riding. What that means is this; I’m ain’t going to censor myself no more, even if I might be politically incorrect insensitive or whatever. 
Also, I would prefer to speak my mind and seriously hurt the feelings of others, rather than soften it for the sake of the other person.   Similarly speaking, when people call themselves “influencers”, they are not influencers.
Stoicism as a technique and tool, not the end
Ultimately I think we should think of stoicism just like having another tool inside our tool kit. For example, if you’re a chef, you’re going to have different knives for different purposes. If you’re going to cut a big piece of meat, you probably want a big ass meat cutting knife, not something you would use to slice an apple with. Similarly speaking, if you’re going to scoop out the insides of an avocado, better to use a spoon rather than using a fork, or a knife. 
I think the problem is when some people get too into stoicism (I prefer writing stoicism with a lowercase), they think that everything needs to be consistent, and must fit into this nice little neat box of what is considered “stoicism“. This is a bad line of thinking… let us consider that Marcus Aurelius never even mentioned stoicism in his writings, his collections of thoughts, which we moderns call THE MEDITATIONS… it was just essentially his personal diary, to help him conquer his own personal fears and thoughts, I don’t think he ever intended it to be published publicly. I think he just wrote it to himself as self therapy. And I think the only stoic philosopher he even mentions is maybe Epictetus.
The future of stoicism?
For myself, I just come out with certain to work out thoughts and techniques because it helps me, and when I find these tricks or techniques or secret hacks or cheat codes… My passion is to simply share it with others. 
And ultimately, things are ever in flux and evolving and changing and adapting.
For example, I’ve discovered the quality of my thinking is different when I am in Culver City Los Angeles, compared to being in the boring suburbs of Orange County.
Also depending on my social environments… my stoic thoughts are different when I am in a gym, vs just working out by myself in my parking spot in the back of my apartment.
Also, the quality of my thoughts is different when living with family members or other people versus just living with myself Cindy and Seneca.
Stoicism is all about living with other people
Assuming you’re not growing your own vegetables and living in the middle of nowhere… you probably have some interaction with other human beings. As long as you have an iPhone, an Android phone, a smartphone, a 4G or 5G internet connection, wifi, a laptop, have to buy groceries somewhere… you’re still going to have to interact with other human beings.
And this is good. There is no other greater joy than other human beings.
In fact, modern-day society is strange because in someways, the ethos is to be antisocial and to be cowardly. But in fact, the best way to think about things is that real life is interaction with other human beings, and social conquest. One can imagine a lot of modern day entrepreneurship as simply a big dick swinging contest. He who is the most masculine confident tall and strong and stoic shall win.
More ideas
Assume that everyone is mentally insane: Have you ever been out in public, and you see some sort of crackhead or strange homeless person who acts radically, smells terrible, and is obviously mentally ill? Do you hate them for it? When they say something weird to you… do you take it personally? No. Why? They are crazy. Perhaps we should just adopt this stoic mindset towards other people; some people are actually physiologically ill, mentally unwell… don’t trust the opinion of nobody.
A lot of people are trying to actually deal with their own inner demons: For example, becoming the successful photographer and street photographer I am today… I’ve dealt with some individuals who would say anonymous bad things about me, and later I found out that their mom just died or something. I cannot imagine what it feels like losing a mother… therefore if somebody spew some hate on me because something bad happened to them, I’m not gonna take it personally.
Self-flagellation: I think a lot of people who are sick, mentally or physiologically self flagellate themselves. Essentially the way that they deal with other people or themselves is some sort of metaphorical self-flagellation.
For example… you know those strange individuals who have the whip and whip themselves, and inflict pain on themselves? I think some people do this metaphorically to themselves and others.
You just want to stay away from them.
Why so scared?
My personal theory on fear is that a lot of it is tied to morality and ethics. I think the general idea is not necessarily that we are afraid of anything… I think the true fear is that we’re afraid that we are some sort of bad evil unethical immoral person.
For example in street photography, the general ethical thought is that it is immoral to take a photo of somebody without their permission, because there is some sort of it inherent evil behind it. Is this true? No. Taking photos and not really a big deal.
Why do people make such a big deal out of small things?
I think it is because some people are just overly sensitive, which once again comes from some sort of physiological weakness.
For example, if you’re a weightlifter who could lift 1000 pounds, assuming you’re not taking any steroids or anything… are small things going to bother you? No. But let us assume that you are a skinny fat man, all you do is drink alcohol and smoke marijuana and watch Netflix, and you spent too much time on Reddit… you are 40% body fat, and have never lifted in your life. And also your testosterone is low and you never go outside. Certainly the quality of your thoughts is going to be different than if you’re a happy gay monster, lifting weights outside in the direct sun, laughing and having fun. 
In fact, I’ve actually personally discovered that the reason why a lot of people hate me is because I am so happy jovial and gay. They are secretly suspicious or envious of me? 
Weather and mood
Probably one of my worst experiences was this jarring transition; I was super happy insanely happy being in Vietnam in 2017; with a beautiful weather, the beautiful light, the happy people the great amenities etc.… and then that winter Cindy and I went to Europe, in Marseille Berlin and Prague, and maybe London… seriously the worst winter of my life. Why? I wonder if so much miserable feelings and thoughts simply comes from the darkness and lack of light. a lot of Europe is actually quite miserable; dark, unhygienic, morose.
Even Nietzsche had a thought about Schopenhauer; How much of these emo European philosophers came from the fact that it was just complaining about the cold weather in Germany etc.?  For myself, my ideal weather is Southeast Asia; I love being in Phnom Penh Cambodia, Vietnam etc. In the states, am I the only one who loves living in Los Angeles? Dr. Dre and Kendrick Lamar said that LA was the best for women weed and weather… I would definitely say the biggest upside of living in Los Angeles is the light, the sunlight. It actually does get quite cold here, but usually most reliably even in December during the winter time, the sun will always come up. As long as there is bright sunny light, I will be happy. And I think maybe for myself, considering that I am a photographer, and photography means painting with light… light for me is critical.
I also wonder how much of it is a physiological thing and a genetic trait; for example I could even recall being a young child, and my mom telling me that the most critical thing in finding a home or an apartment was light and natural light. Even now… 90% of my happiness comes from being able to have access to natural light, ideally floor to ceiling windows facing directly the sun, having some sort of modern temperature regulated apartment and home. Even living in our tiny studio minimalistic luxury apartment in Providence Rhode Island, where it was always 75° warm and cozy, and not frigid and damp and cold and dark and humid… I was always good. But moving to an older house, where it always felt damp and cold… this literally lowered my happiness by 1000%.
Therefore, if you’re feeling miserable sad or whatever… I say spend three months living in Hanoi or Saigon in Vietnam, or go to Phnom Penh Cambodia. I wonder if 90% of peoples misery is simply due to the weather.
Stoic assignments
”Better to be a gay monster than a sentimental bore!” – Fernandino Galliani, via Nietzsche
My stoic ideal is somebody who is happy, gay, smiling, no headphones or AirPods on, no sunglasses on, no hat, no facial hair, no baggy oversized clothing, no tint in their car. Somebody who makes great eye contact, laughs, stands up upright, jokes, and fools around. Like an overgrown child.
Also, lift weights at least once every day, ideally in the direct sun. Just buy some weightlifting equipment on Titan.fitness, I like the farmers carry handles, the Olympic loadable dumbbell, and also the Texas power squat bar. Just buy some cheap weights, and or buy a heavy 400 pound sandbag, and just have fun throwing it around.
True stoics are masculine
A true stoic should look something like Hercules or Achilles. Or like ERIC KIM; I have the aesthetic and the physique of Brad Pitt in FIGHT CLUB except with a lot more muscle. Like my friend Soren says, the Adonis physique and proportions.
A real stoic is sexy
I think a real stoic is sexy, happy and fun. Who doesn’t take life too seriously; and think of everything like a fun game. A real stoic would be joyful and cheery like three-year-old child without any adulteration from the outside world.
Why do adults become so dark and morose?
I don’t like talking with or hanging out with adults, uninteresting.
At what point or age do people become so emo?
Typically, highschoolers are very optimistic. Even college students. But I think at least in maybe college in high school nowadays… the bad trend is towards “over concern”, about the world the planet ethics animals etc.
I find a lot of this thinking superficial, performative, and uncritical. I think “animal rights“, “saving the planet” is this new pseudo world religion; which is just capitalism 3.0. I find the whole pet industry the whole dog industry to be insanely bizarre, and I trust nobody who talks about “saving the planet“ who owns an iPhone, owns any sort of car, or has an Amazon prime subscription. Certainly not any vegans.
A real stoic is a carnivore 
Animals are animals. They are lower on the hierarchy and totem pole on earth. Man is the apex predator, the apex bully and the apex tyrant.
Should we care for animals or “animal rights”? No. Animals are our slaves.
If you consider even dogs and pets… they are essentially our emotional slaves. People talk a lot about the virtuosity of dogs being loyal or whatever… and giving you unconditional love. This seems like some sort of emotional slavery.
The only dogs I respect are some sort of canine dogs, some sort of attack or defense dogs, or hunting dogs. For example, John Wick 3; Halle Barry and her dogs. An animal should either be a weapon, or nothing.
Why do people care about animals so much?
Essentially it looks like men no longer have a backbone. No more spine.
I trust nobody who owns a dog.
Let us not forget; they call it dog ownership, or “owning a pet”. There is no more concept of “human ownership, or “owning a human.”
End goals 
What is the end goal of humanity? To me it is towards entrepreneurship, innovation, art and aesthetics, philosophy etc. Design.
Stoicism should be considered a tool which could aid you in these things.
For example, I think 99% of entrepreneurship is courage. Stoicism could help you with that.
I also think with design, great design is also 99% courage, having the courage to attempt something that won’t sell or be received well… stoicism is all about practical courage. The only designers with courage include Steve Jobs, Jony Ive, Elon Musk, Kanye West. 
Also, weightlifting. To attempt to lift a certain weight you have never attempted before takes great courage. For example, me atlas lifting 1000 pounds; that is 10 plates and a 25 on each side, this is true stoic training. Why? The fear of injury is what holds most people back; if you had successfully conquered this fear and not injured yourself, this is pure stoic bliss.
The physical
I think the only and the only proper way to lift weights is one repetition maximum training. That is; what is the maximum amount of weight you’re able to successfully lift or move, even half an inch?
To me, the courage is the success. Even if you had the courage to attempt it… that is what is considered success. 
Simple exercises to do include the atlas lift, innovated by ERIC KIM, or a one repetition max rack pull.
Or, a high trap bar deadlift, heavy Farmer’s walks, or heavy sandbag carries. Or even a simple thing you could do is go to the park or to the local nature center, find the biggest rock there and just see if you could pick it up.
Now what?
If you’re interested in stoicism, and have had some interesting thoughts on stoicism, one of the most noble things you could do is start your own blog. I think blogs are 1000 times more effective than publishing some sort of static printed book; I think the problem in today’s world is that everyone is seeking some sort of legitimacy by being picked up by some sort of legitimate publisher and getting “published“, and seeing your printed book at Barnes & Noble whatever.
I say it is better to be open source, free and permissionless, decentralized. Just publish your thoughts and book as a free PDF, and just host it on dropbox, Google Drive, or your own web server. Share the link freely, and also just publish the raw text as a big blog post. 
Even Sam Bankman-Fried wisely thought; 99.9% of books could just be summarized as big blog posts.
Don’t trust any modern day published book which isn’t free, because… there is some sort of hidden clout chasing somewhere. 
Even one of the worst compromises that led to the demise of Ray Dalio was the fact that he took his Principles book, which was essentially a free ebook PDF on his website, and then took it off, because I think he got a book deal with Simon and Schuster. After he did that, he lost my respect.
If you’re already independently wealthy, and you don’t crowd source your self-esteem… why would you need to externally validate yourself by getting some sort of constipated publisher and annoying editor?
Editors are bad.
Now what?
Start your own blog and start blogging your own thoughts on stoic philosophy, and even start a YouTube channel and start vlogging on it. My generalized thought is simple: if your thought your idea your blog post your video or whatever could even impact the life of one other human being on planet earth… it is worth it.
ERIC
What is the secret to the maximum amount of happiness in life? The maximum amount of danger. (Nietzsche).
People have the wrong thought and assumption that somehow… having more money will make them live a “more” better life. This is not the case.
Here this is where critical thinking, physiology, practical thinking comes into play. I think if your true goal is to live a better life, you gotta think about physiology, environment, life in general, not money. 
The sun?
Probably the greatest realization and discovery that me Cindy and Seneca had recently was the discovery of the California science center, taking the metro, and being able to access it all simply while jumping on the metro, not having to drive at all. The reason why this is such a big deal is that truth be told, this life workflow has brought 1 million x joy to my life.
Why?
First, there is all this talk about cities of the future etc., and the truth is taking the metro, will indeed provide you with a “better” life.
How and why? 
First, contrary to the traditional antisocial behavior modernist line of thinking, the truth is people are actually much happier when they are kind of surrounded by people, or at least adjacent to other people.
For example, when you’re on the metro, being able to just be surrounded by other human bodies is actually strangely comforting, fun, and even the last few times that we have all taken the metro together, we had discovered some really cool people! Small talk, meeting new folks has been extremely uplifting.
Second, physiology. Thought to myself; we know that sitting is bad, and that standing is good… I thought of this invention of a standing car. We have standing desks, walking treadmill desks, why not the equivalent for transportation?
Surprisingly, it exists! The metro!
When you’re riding a metro, you could be straight up, and even walk around the cabin. The reason why this is so useful is that your physiology has improved by 1 billion x.
Also, thinking about your kids; kids love the metro! Actually which is funny; adults, we all dream about owning a certain type of car, but, kids don’t really care about ownership; they care more about experiences.
For example, the first time we jumped on the metro from the Culver City station, it was probably the most joy I’ve ever seen in Seneca’s face and his life.
Unlocking reality
Why? When we are walking around the metro, he always sees the metro going around, but I don’t think he actually really knew you could actually go on it. And once he is on it, it is so exciting and fun!
First, it is actually really really fast. A lot faster than driving, even if there is no traffic, which is an impossible in Los Angeles, even on Saturdays and Sundays.
Second, you get a really really cool elevated view of Los Angeles. I find it actually really exciting to jump on the metro, because what we have going for us in Los Angeles, is that our metro is above ground, which means that we are not trapped underground like the mole people in New York City.
I think the reason why people don’t like the metro in New York City is that you have to go underground, in Los Angeles, it is all above ground, which means that you get lots of natural light, and great view of the city.
What is the purpose of human beings?
I think this is the question which has plagued philosophers for thousands of years. The truth is that we are here, this is a fact. Now what?
A lot of these loser existential philosophers wonder, why are we here? 
I believe that this line of thinking is a waste of time. Much more productive to consider, now that we are here, what should I do with my life?
I think most people approach life the following way:
How do I progress through life with a minimal amount of pain, sorrow, and suffering… and maximize my base pleasures? 
For example, people dull the pain and the sorrow of modern day living with painkillers, antidepressants, marijuana, television and media, music, podcasts, going to festivals, going to burning man, “friends”, psychedelics, alcohol, drugs etc. Modern day soma. 
Ideas
First, the simple thought is in regards to transit, getting around, try to figure out whether you could do it all while standing, or walking, etc.
Even my critique about riding a bicycle is that it forces you to sit. Anything which forces you to sit is bad. 
Second, think the sun. I watched this insanely inspiring IMAX film at the California science center with Seneca and Cindy, called deep space, and the general thought about it was that the sun was the epicenter of all life at least in our galaxy.
And then the turbo thought I had:
Think Heat.
We also saw the Leonardo da Vinci exhibit, and he attempted to create a perpetual machine, but as we all know, it is impossible and it doesn’t work and it feels because much of motion is actually lost to heat.
Which made me think, is motion, power, life, just heat?
Even one of the easiest modern day ways to make your life better is to crank up the heat! I find that people have this foolish optimization in life in which they subject themselves to terrible cold in order to “save money”. But don’t these fools realize that converting your money into heat, for your home is probably the wisest trade?
Real and metaphorical heat
Therefore, ways to heat up your life include creaking up the heat at your house, doing hot yoga, or investing in insulation for your home, or just wearing insulated clothes. For example instead buying a new BMW or Tesla, just buy a brandnew Canada goose jacket! 
Food?
The difficulty with prices is that it is all framing.
For example, the big issue with apps, digital things that nobody wants to pay money for an app. Or a game. Because it is digital, we all think and hope and wish that it should be free. Why? The reproduction of digital things are technically free, but the big issue here is that the cost of production and maintenance is high. As a consequence, nobody likes to pay for digital things.
This is here where the subscription model has become interesting; I think people are actually more willing to pay for a subscription than to actually pay for a digital good.
The halving!
The bitcoin halving is happening very very soon, on April 20. Don’t be left behind.
Finance thoughts?
What is it that people in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, California, or whatever like to complain about or comment on? The cost of living.
For example, rent, rent prices, as well as buying a house, homeownership, single-family homes, condos etc.
As of now, I still think it is wiser to rent a more expensive place in an insanely desirable neighborhood, with the ultimate 100% walkability score, than to own a home, even a very good home in a non-walkable area.
Why? In terms of your personal happiness, walking is insanely positive for your happiness. The more you walk the happier you will be.
Food
Grassfed beef, grass fed ground beef, they sell them at Costco for really cheap! Get the grass fed ground beef patties, in the frozen aisle at Costco. Probably the best deal on the planet. Why grass fed beef? From a practical perspective, naturally cattle consume grass, not corn. Therefore, the real thought is if you consume cattle that was naturally fed grass, as nature intended it, shouldn’t it have superior nutrition, which will better elevate you in terms of your overall health, well-being, how will you sleep, your energy levels etc.?
Don’t be like one of these foolish people who believe I “calories“, consuming 2000 cal of Twinkies is different than consuming calories of ribeye steak or bone marrow.
Scientism
True science is critical thinking and first principles thinking.
For example, a true scientist is not foolish enough to believe calories in calories out, the insanely foolish idea that somehow the average human being “burns” 2000 cal a day, and if one keeps their calorie consumption to below 2000 a day, somehow he or she will not get fat.
The reason why most scientists are foolish is that they think scalar, numbers in numbers out, rather than dynamics.
The truth about fat, getting fat, putting on more adipose fat tissue is it has to deal more with hormones, insulin levels, sugar and starches than it does with calories.
Also, I think the whole thing about protein is overblown. I think actually, if your true goal is to put on muscle mass, and to become more muscular and dominant, the true goal is actually consume more dietary cholesterol, and beef liver, organ meats, etc.
For example, loser Bill Gates is trying to get all of us to eat less meat, to consume more of a “plant based” diet“. But let us consider what he looks like, just google it, Google images what Elon Musk tweeted “the quickest way to kill your Boner”– (picture Bill Gates, with his obese morbidly obese stomach jutting out. )
Sleep
What is my definition of modernity, or the modern day man?
Somebody who trades his or her health for money and productivity. 
For example, anybody who sacrifices their sleep in order to finish their work related tasks, or to be more productive, is a slave to this system.
My very very very simple suggestion is when you get home after work, or when the sun goes down or whatever, turn off your devices 100%. Turn off your phone, all the way off, turn off the iPad etc.
Instead, the best way to wind down in the evening is take a really really hot bath, or take a really really hot shower, read a book or whatever. Try to hit a new meat PR, a new meat personal record, how many pounds of grass fed ground beef can you consume in one sitting? 
Media is toxic
I’ve also found that one should have a strict cut off time for consuming media. My funny thought is actually the best time to consume media or any sort of media, watching a movie or Netflix is actually first thing in the morning. Why? Media is insanely stimulating, and will disturb your sleep, because a lot of these plot lines in these shows and movies keep your brain running even late at night.
If you want to watch a movie or show, do it while drinking or consuming your morning coffee.
Anti screens?
The other day Cindy Seneca and I visited the Tesla store in Santa Monica, and some thing I never realized:
Looking at the touchscreen LCD display in a Tesla at nighttime really hurts your eyes.
That alone made me think, because we are sensitive to light, never buy a Tesla. 
Even one surprising thing that I personally love about my 2010 Prius is that there is no glaring LCD screens. And also you could easily turn off the display if you want to. I am a tech whiz, but I couldn’t intuitively figure out how to dim the screen of the Tesla LCD screen; not good.
iPad is bad for kids?
Seneca is now three years, one month old, and I am actually very very happy that ever since he was born, he has never watched YouTube, or any of these dumb shows or whatever. As a consequence, he is not subjected to any media.
The only apps I consider good for the iPhone or the iPad is GarageBand, swift playgrounds on the iPad, and more recently, I’m a big fan of the poly bridge 2 app; Seneca loves the physics. 
However ultimately, at times I’m considering just throwing away my iPad Pro in the trash. Why? Even when he is doing something “educational”, like learning about physics on the iPad, he is static and still, and actually a big problem about kids on an iPad is when they are so focused on it, they will often pee in their pants, they forget their bodily controls.
My suggestion is if you’re going to be a new parent or whatever, the simple thoughts:
Never buy your kid an iPad, a stupid Amazon tablet, whatever.
on your iPhone, never install the YouTube app, uninstalled it immediately. It is like giving your kid heroin.
On the iPhone, the only app you should let them play with is GarageBand.
The real world
At the age of 36, looking back at my childhood, my only regrets is how much time I wasted watching TV, and playing video games. The truth is only reason why I played so many video games to watch so much TV was that my mom was at work all day, and my dead dad was just watching TV all day, so I had no parental supervision, overseeing, Nobody to guide me in real life.
As a consequence, my number one tip is the best way to be a good parent is when you’re with your cat at the park, turn your phone all the way off, and just lock it in the glove compartment before you go out to play. Or when you’re at home, once again turn your phone all the way off.
One idea I am actually very committed to is I will never buy Seneca an iPhone, not even in high school. If you ever wants one, I’ll just tell him to get a job and buy one himself.
Maybe if he somehow doesn’t need a phone down the line, I will buy him a phone. Or just try to schedule in such a way that he doesn’t need a phone.
The future is physical
 whenever Seneca plays well at the park, is running around good, going on hikes with me etc.… I feel overjoyed. The days I feel bad is when it is raining outside, and we can’t go out.
Ultimate privilege of any child or human being or adult is the privilege of being physical. The privilege of walking 30,000 steps a day, the privilege of interacting in the real world. Let us think, if you’re real life was an RPG, would you want to be stuck in your apartment all day, or conquering the real world?
