Become even more insanely staunch —

Just get the Tesla model three performance, not the loser Porsche 

What is money? Portable power? 

.

The best leg workouts for photographers and street photographers 

.

Women who no longer have an interest in having kids? Hedonism?

.

Don’t open up old wounds; 

Emotional PTSD 

Your Legs Run the World

Everyday is Leg Day

Instead of buying the loser Lamborghini, the loser Porsche, the loser Ferrari… better to instead to juice up your legs?

***

Your legs are the ultimate lever and leverage

There is a funny meme in the world of fitness, life etc.; which is the notion of “skipping leg day“– the idea that we men are so obsessed about getting massive biceps, a massive chest, deltoids or shoulders etc.… that we instead of exercising our legs, we only focus on upper body movements which will show up on camera? 

My theory is that perhaps this meme has only created itself because of the camera, social media, etc. I think before cameras were invented, maybe before the ancient Greeks even had mirrors… muscles, show muscles weren’t really a thing. 

For example, imagine the Iliad, ancient Greece etc.,  ultimate question is who killed who? In terms of ultimate PVP, person versus person, player versus player combat… Who would kill who?

For example, on the battlefield… The question was who could kill Achilles? Nobody.

I’m sure certainly these ancient Greek heroes, king Leonidas, the Spartan 300 had insanely epic muscles. Yet, assuming that when you’re in battle, and you have battle armor on, certainly nobody is looking at your muscles, in fact, your muscles are only your metaphorical horsepower for your body and your lethality.

Chest?

A funny thing; ever since I got my 60 pound weight vest, and I strap it on, I instantly gained about five or 6 inches in my chest. The funny thought; a lot of weightlifters and bodybuilders obsessed over having a big and a massive chest. Isn’t it easier to just drop on a 60 pound weight vest instead?

Also, when it comes to combat, does ones chest muscles actually do anything in terms of making one more imposing fighter? I don’t think so.

Posture

Becoming sexier —

First, I think what we men seek is to become sexier. Also the same thing goes with women.

In fact, talking about revealed preferences or whatever; the reason I don’t like talk, is that people have all this fake talk about blah blah blah, but revealed preferences show what is truly critical:

For example, if you go to a wedding, and everyone is dressing up to the 10’s– how is it that everyone wants to dress? The women want to look sexy and beautiful, the men want to look handsome, confident, sexy as well.

As a random sidenote, there is a common outage in the world of marketing that sex sells. This is true.

Even the reason why I like to study marketing for women is that I think it shows revealed preferences; even the female clothing brand Reformation has a delivery car with the motto “On our way to make you look sexy.”

Even the reason why the clothing brand ALO yoga is killing Lululemon, especially in Los Angeles is that it seems that aloe has become the sexier brand, and sexier women wear ALO yoga, even though ALO YOGA clothing materials (Bella + Canvas) is inferior to Lululemon materials; but the big issue Lululemon here has that it seems that only older, middle-age women are starting to wear Lululemon, and younger women are starting to flock to ALO yoga instead –

No more focus on sexiness?

Also, I think the problem is in today’s world, sexiness, is no longer sexy. Rather, the new fashion trend is ugliness?

Why I prefer Los Angeles

“I’m sexy and I know it”

I think the reason why I still leave LA to be the Apex place is that this is where all the sexy women are! Even as undergraduate at UCLA; I know that going to UCLA was super then going to UC Berkeley because LA, UCLA were all the pretty and sexy girls went! UC Berkeley has a reputation for being grungy, dark, overcast, ugly, etc. And I think it is true.

Why does sexiness matter?

If you think about it, ultimately, sex might be the most important human virtue. Why? If you don’t have sex, you cannot produce children! And if you do not produce children, there would be no longer a human race! 

Are kids recession-proof?

I met the founder of this local child’s clothing brand and store, Sean Macklemore; and he told me that the reason he got into the business was that babies are recession proof! 

At first, I was a bit skeptical; wasn’t the reality that when there was a recession, people stop having kids? But it seems that the truth is actually, whether we like it or not, we will always prefer to have children!

For example the current trend of having a dog, reducing your carbon footprint not having kids or whatever… I think this is just a weird degenerate trend. I think it will die out. In fact if you look at more product cities in the future like Irvine, Still very encouraged for people to have at least 2.2 kids, a single-family home, etc.

I think they really really families, at least the smart ones, we always prefer to have children! Why? The really intelligent families with much power, they realize that the true Legacy is three generations from now, imagine trying to give your inheritance to your dog will die before you.

---

Why the Privilege is Your Legs

There’s this quote from Archimedes that says “Give me a place to stand, and I shall move the world!”

Note, he says a place to stand, not a place to sit. 

Taiko drumming?

The other day at the LA public library, the Mar vista branch, we saw this epic Taiko drumming show, and what was very interesting is that the Taiko drummers, when they were drumming at full force, would actually spread their legs and it looks like a lot of the power of the leg drive to hit the drums actually came from the legs?

---

Weightlifting for your upper body that also uses leg drive?

Could we invent an innovate new styles of weightlifting that worked out your upper body that also encouraged you to use your legs? 

Don’t be the cripple in the Rolls Royce

Questions; if I told you that you had to be a cripple, that you could not stand, use your legs, and you had to permanently be bound to a wheelchair for the rest of your life… But I would give you an unlimited collection of Rolls-Royce cars, Lamborghinis Ferrari Porsches whatever… McLarens ,,, name it… would you do the trade? Of course not!

Consumerism is all about sacrificing your legs?

 what are things are products which are marketed to us? It seems anything that has to deal with sitting, our butts.

For example, sofas couches, chairs?

The Herman Miller chair, lounging, sitting, first class… The strange sacrifice of your legs?

---

The best fitness

The ultimate exercise is just movement? Like walking around and moving around?

I’ve been thinking a lot about outside your type of exercise, movement, etc., and I think the first thought that I have is that the ideal movement has to deal with walking, movement, your legs?

Even taking things up a notch; I’ve mastered the 60 pound weight vest, could I do 100 pound and beyond? 

---

Generate new things

Where does your wisdom come from? Your innovation… your legs! 

For thinker, mathematician, scientist, innovator etc.… If you want to come out with new ideas, the best strategy is first start walking, a lot, an hour or two, and then the thoughts will naturally arise?

Also, for more productive presentations, conversations, interviews… Ideally the people would be outdoors walking together? Ideally in nature? 

Rather than having two individuals being stocked in a cramped podcasting interview room, better instead to have them both wearing Lavalier mics, Walking wall interviewing one other in the great outdoors? 

In fact, ultimately the quality of voices is not as important as the quality of the ideas. 

Better to have worse audio quality, but more unique creative ideas?

---

Why your legs?

When it comes to life, health, existence etc.; what is the ultimate privilege? Your legs, being able to walk, etc.

For example, as a photographer and a street photographer, what is our ultimate passion? To travel, travel the world, to hit the streets, and to shoot street photography, ideally all day every day, with great gusto, and no fatigue.

Let us consider, mobility, which means walking with your legs, is the most critical elements when it comes to travel.

For example, a lot of Americans work really really hard, hoping to retire at the age of 65 with a fat pension fund, and then travel the world, whatever… but what if by the time you are 65 years old, you are so fat, fat and obese, type two diabetes, that even though you have a huge pension fund, you can no longer stand nor walk? 

---

Legs

With health, you don’t really appreciate it until you lose it.

The other day I went to a friends wedding, tons of fun, tore up the dance floor etc.… And I’m just chatting with the ballet guys, about the richest guy, the richest car etc.… And the guy wisely asked me–

“Are you healthy?”

And I responded– “I am extremely healthy!” Then he gave me a grin and said “Then you are the wealthiest one!”

---

“Who has the most expensive car in the valet at the wedding?” 

Don’t be the cripple in the Rolls Royce:

I almost wonder if we could use this cripple, crippled metaphor for just modern day reality, philosophy, ethics etc.

Example, there are some people who are emotionally crippled, maybe has some sort of personal PTSD as a kid? Or people who lack empathy emotional social skills– social cripples? 

For example, I had the realization that in fact anyone who wears dark tinted sunglasses, all the time, even when they don’t need to… It is because they are extremely shy?

And it doesn’t really make sense for us to disdain people because they are shy?

---

Bitcoin & emotions

Like most humans, I am very emotional, especially when it comes to numbers, money, finances, gains and losses. This is why I never look at prices, too much noise and emotions.

I think my strategy of via negativa never checking prices is wise — why? Essentially when I got to bitcoin at around $6000, $7000 a Bitcoin … around 2017, 2018… I essentially “Set it and forget it!” After making my initial investment, I just switched my attention and focused to other random stuff like working out, weightlifting, one rep Max powerlifting, philosophy, etc. So hilariously enough when the whole FTX thing happened, Sam Bankman Fried… I was actually oblivious to it all. The only reason I even found out about it because there was a random guy at the gym who told me about it?

The signal and the noise

I am definitely on the Michael Saylor camp, — trying to think about the next 100, 200, 300 years… and also thinking about what NASSIM TALEB talks about signal and noise… 99.9999% of things is just noise. 

For example, if you think about bitcoin, which might be the ultimate volatile asset, maybe second after micro strategy stock…  checking prices even on a daily basis is bad. And let us consider that most people are checking prices literally mid to minute, not good.

Instead let us imagine checking the prices only every four years. When bitcoin first hit my radar, when I was in Vietnam in Saigon in 2017, I recall bitcoin being only about $300 a bitcoin, and people would comment that it would never hit 1000. Then fast forward a bit, bitcoin hitting $20,000 a bitcoin… Big deal. Then it hitting $60,000 of bitcoin, $66,000 of bitcoin… Big deal. Then crashing down to sub 10,000, then back up to over $70,000.. I think the all-time high thus far has been made around $77,000 a bitcoin?

Anyways, assuming that the bitcoin having cycle is every four years, the truly empirical way to assess prices is to look at prices only every 4 years. 

I think my general ethos of quitting the news, never looking at any news, has been wise… I’ve been able to dodge all this fake news about bitcoin being bad for the environment etc.… Which I think was essentially an insider lobbing scammed by Sam Bankman Fried and paying billions of dollars of promotion sponsorships and marketing to a bunch of random celebrities crypto influencers, green piece etc.… To try to spew this propaganda that bitcoin was bad for environment, and that somehow, their “green“ token was much better … like Luna token, FTT token whatever… Which all essentially went to zero.

I think one of the most clarifying things of having a child is that once you got a kid, your horizon expand. You no longer just think about your own personal short-lived existence… You start to intelligently think long-term.

For example, the next 30 years. I am currently 36 years old, Seneca is three years, three months old… So in 30 years Seneca will be 33, almost in his prime. I suppose for men, I think we hit our prime in our 40s 50s 60s, maybe even 70s? I think physiologically things start to go downhill maybe when we hit our late 80s, but I suppose my great gratitude of being born a man is that as time goes on, my potency increases overtime.

Day to day?

Some of their random thoughts: the wisdom of not thinking too far into the future:

First, every single day you wake up, you’re going to feel a little bit different, and also the things you’re going to care about is going to be different day to day. 

I suppose what I am grateful about leaving the loser Bay area is that I am starting to slowly “de-techify” myself. Saying goodbye to loser Patagonia down jackets, insecure nerds with AirPods on, complaining about rent and property prices etc.

In fact, I am 1 trillion times happier here in LA than I ever was anywhere anywhere else. Why? Certainly there is always a learning curve to moving to a new neighborhood or a new city or a new local, but LA, Culver City is perfect. Literally the only place I’ve ever lived where I can walk… super well?

In fact, the currently sweet apartment that I got, I’m gonna hold onto that, forever. The ultimate squatter who actually pays his rent.

---

Who skips leg day? Not Batman!

I think a general shift, a general shift I want to see is for us to become more gay, more jolly, grander, bigger, happier, louder, more joyful! Just go to a wedding, soak up all the good endorphins, and hit the dance floor!

Also don’t forget, it doesn’t cost anything to smile!

ERIC

---

How to judge a weightlifter or a bodybuilder or a power lifter 

Very simple… first look at the legs, then look at everything else! 

And also, if you really want to judge yourself according to any other man, ask them how much they could squat, deadlift, etc. 

We real men glorify our legs!

---

Clothes

Just a simple thought, let us assume that you could load up the squat rack at your local gym with 11 (45 pound) plates on each side. And as a simple challenge, all you had to do was lift it off the rack with your shoulders and your legs in your back for a centimeter. If this were the case… physics don’t lie. Could you do it or not?

Why rent control is good for us

A wise economic thought –rent control, rent control for us is a very good thing. 

Why? I can hypothesize that we are going through a low-key hyper inflationary environment.  for example, right before my very eyes, I saw the price of a single burger patty go from $1.49 all the way up to $2.50! Literally … I saw the price of a single burger patty almost double, nearly an 80% increase in price overnight!

$20 an hour to work at McDonald’s?

Anyways, this upcoming election cycle would be good for bitcoin. Why?

First, there seems to be about an 80% certainty that Donald Trump is going to win. And I think Donald Trump said he was actually pro bitcoin.

The issues here is that first, nobody likes Joe Biden, not even the liberals or the Democrats, not even myself, and I voted for him because he was the non-Trump candidate. 

I don’t even know who’s running against Donald Trump.

Anyways, in a world of uncertainty and chaos, bitcoin gains.

For example it looks like the big trend here is that irregardless of whoever the presidential candidate is… Over along enough time span, I think the value of the US dollar will keep inflating. Already now I see a single-family homes in Culver City, super basic going for $2.1 million?

Also, the new iPad Pro. I think it’s wise that apple increase the price of the iPad Pro to $999, instead of the customary $799.

And also, certainly whether we like it or not, the price is the iPhones also must keep going up. I’m sure in the next five iPhone Pro cycles, we will see the iPhone pro being above $1000.

So who will win?

Ultimately I think the big winners here will be the people who maximally frugal, Spartan frugal, and direct almost all of their economic energy towards purchasing and gaining bitcoin?

Paying your taxes in Bitcoin?

I wonder, if in the next 20 or 30 years, there will be an option that you could pay your US taxes with bitcoin? And this might be a good idea for the American government because she could start to store some of her wealth backed by bitcoin, not the typical gold standard.

---

What next?

1. Download the Coinbase app for your phone, link it with your traditional bank account, and start buying bitcoin! I think if you link it with the plaid integration to your JP Morgan Chase or Wells Fargo or whatever… You could buy up to $50,000 a day Without any wire transfers.
2. Once you bought the bitcoin, delete the Coinbase app from your phone. Refuse to look at any crypto news bitcoin news or whatever… And instead use that time to just watch Michael sailor interviews, and for literature, start to tap into the school of Austrian economics, Karl Manger. “The Bitcoin standard” book was also a good read.
3. Start to think more about peer to peer; for example, I’m starting to think that now even with photos and sharing photos, instead just publicly posting it to Instagram or Facebook, better instead to directly message it to your friends or family members, for them to enjoy! This is peer to peer photo sharing.
4. If you exercise go to the gym or workout, make every day like day! There is 10x testosterone production in your legs than your upper body; so if you think about it, if you hit legs every single day, your upper body will also benefit. I recommend heavy one rep max “rack pulls” (partial deadlifts off the squat power rack) or just the atlas lift (Google and YouTube ERIC KIM 1,000 pound atlas lift).
5. In terms of photography, still the best camera to have is a Ricoh GR III or a Ricoh GR IIIX, the new Ricoh GR 3 and 3XHDF is coming out soon, I’ll probably get one. My simple suggestion is if you have a growing kid, who likes to go rock climbing and play at the park etc., get the Ricoh GR III HDF (28mm equivalent), otherwise get the other one.

The future of media?

I just recently discovered that Apple podcasts automatically transcribes podcasts, and it is actually very very good! I’m doing this when I am taking a nap with kind of car, and I could just read the transcripts of the podcast interviews with Michael Saylor, because I don’t want to listen to the audio and wake up Seneca!

I still think that the future of media is still probably textbased. For example, the famous Lex Fridman Michael sailor interview which I think was three or four hours long, I just read the transcript of it, and therefore was able to download the information to my brain at least 1000 times faster.

---

What next?

Travel! Some good places I recommend:

1. Mexico City, stay in the Roma Norton neighborhood
2. Bangkok, Thailand
3. Phnom Penh Cambodia, Angkor wat / siem reap
4. Hanoi and Saigon in Vietnam
5. Seoul South Korea, Gangnam and all the cute hipster neighborhoods — Hongdae, Itaewon, Garosgil
6. Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto in Japan
7. New Orleans
8. Downtown LA, the fashion District
9. San Francisco Mission district, 24th street …
10. Dubai, London, Paris, Prague, all the big cities in Europe. Amsterdam etc.

Still… Traveling is the best thing for the buck for your photography! 

---

EK WORKSHOPS

Work your legs, your mind.,, your soul:

1. SF BAY AREA, MISSION DISTRICT
2. DOWNTOWN LA
3. ANGKOR WAT, CAMBODIA

EK WORKSHOPS

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Leg exercise ideas?

1. Buy a 60 pound weight vest — Titan.fitness, and just walk around town with it every single morning? Or go on a hike and just hike with it on?
2. If you have a gym membership, never do any exercises in which you are sitting, or lying on your back.
3. Think leverages; stop doing squats, rather do standing exercises. Atlas lift, atlas stand,,, rack pulls, partial deadlifts, “block pulls” etc.
4. When optimizing your life, minimal sitting lifestyle — better to go on a walk, use your legs. This goes with yourself and your kids

Anti bikes?

I think bicycles are seen as virtuous, but even bicycles have a downside that you have to sit? And often the issue with bicycles is that they are expensive, require a lot of maintenance, and dangerous if you live in a city. 

Even Seneca has been intelligence, he has a standing walking bike, the one without petals… But he has never once sat on it and wrote it like a bicycle; instead he uses it like a walker? He walks along side it?

---

What else?

At the gym, everyone is trying to show off how strong they are. But it seems that the ultimate idea is maybe when it comes down to it… The ultimate display of strength is the yoke walk.

For example, let it say that you have the cold gym in Venice Beach or whatever… And my simple thought is just have a standing yoke, have a permanently bolted down with a 1000 pounds…  and there would be two goals:

1. Could you lift it off the floor?
2. If so,,, how far could you walk it out in one go?

Then for competition ,,, have two guys, with the same yoke, and the goal is to see who could do 100 yard dash with the yokes quicker? 

Competition fitness muscles without the steroids?

I think out of all of the exercise fitness trends, maybe the most productive one is the strongman ones. But even though, it is essentially a bunch of fat guys on steroids.

We got to make the yoke walk cool again.

In fact, there is this new scene in the Baywatch movie —  the one with the rock and Zac Efron, in which they are at the beach in Venice Beach I think, doing a yoke walk competition?

---

The best shoes for photographers, travelers and street photographers

Zero drop, barefoot… Vibram 5 finger shoes.

Currently the vibram five finger ”EL-X” knit model.

We photographers spend so much money on our cameras lenses etc.… but how come so little money on our shoes, which is actually the most important element?

---

How to improve your photography

I also believe that the best thing to optimize in terms of your clothing is your shorts. Currently I believe the best shorts for photographers and street photographers to be the 5’’ license to train black shorts — zippers in the front pockets. 

Also, the simple ethos is that when you are out shooting, do you want to lighten your load to the minimum. RICOH GR III/X camera still seems to be peak.

---

Now what?

Sun is out! Hit the beach, go to a wedding, soak up the endorphins!

As much as possible, don’t be in the loser indoors.

Don’t let your kids watch movies, media, films, DVDs etc.; also you yourself unsubscribe and cancel your membership for Netflix HBO, Disney+ whatever.

Go on a walk, go on a hike!

Lately I’ve been getting Seneca into climbing, baby rock climbing the center city one, sender city for kids; but even ultimately… Even Seneca says he prefers to walk!

WALK ON!

ERIC

---

Ultimately, what is the most important thing? The beauty of the face.

For example with women… It seems that everything could be modified and adjusted in terms of fitness exercise etc., but you cannot really change the overall proportion of someone’s face; the face size, the face shape, size of the eyes, distance in between the eyes etc.

Even when it comes to design in cars; let us not forget that the front of a car is essentially a phase. The new Tesla model 3 has an extremely beautiful face, even better yet the cyber truck.  I still think why for men the cyber trucks Apex vehicle is that the singular cyclops light bar in the front, is like the most intimidating pair of eyes for a masculine face?

How to make your face prettier or sexier

Simple things; getting enough sleep, 8 to 12 hours a day. Lot of people, you could see the stress hormones in their face, especially when they don’t sleep enough.

Second, lower your stress in your cortisol. Delete everything from your phone besides FaceTime. Disable all your notifications especially the text ones.

Also, a very simple one you could do is charge your phone in a room that is outside of your bedroom where you sleep. Or just shut off your phone totally off when you go to sleep, and charge it in the living room or the kitchen and keep your bed Pristine space. If you need an alarm clock, maybe just buy a standalone alarm clock not your phone. In fact, I wonder if in today’s world, the iPhone is actually the worlds most inducing device exist?; If you want to get rid of, Get rid of your phone.

Also no loser Apple Watch.

---

Fitness first

When I observe Cindy, it seems that the day she misses exercise or her daily yoga sessions… It totally ruins the rest of her day. As a consequence, it seems that the optimal strategy is to always focus on health and fitness above all!

Exercise fitness working out whatever… Is 1 trillion times more important than your work and being “productive”. A life without health fitness exercise is not a life worth living!

---

How to become sexier

Model 3 new — much prettier face!

Toyota is the superior car to Tesla ,,, but still … the torque, power, and speed … potential power of Tesla is what still makes it king!

Also Tesla is sexier! Sex sells!

Lifting 8 plates easy—

Fulcrum, effort, load —

How effective a lever is —> the distance from the fulcrum to the effort and load?

Mechanical advantages

—> moving heavier load with a smaller effort

—> do you want to increase the effort or decrease the effort?

***

Increase effort, load?

Archimedes’ lever principle is a fundamental concept in physics and engineering that describes how leverage can be used to lift heavy objects with relatively little effort. Archimedes, an ancient Greek mathematician, physicist, and engineer, is credited with stating, “Give me a place to stand, and I shall move the Earth with a lever.”

The principle behind the lever is based on the idea that a lever amplifies an input force to provide a greater output force, making it easier to lift or move heavy objects. A lever consists of three main parts:

1. Fulcrum: The pivot point around which the lever rotates.
2. Effort: The input force applied to one end of the lever.
3. Load: The object or resistance that needs to be moved or lifted.

The effectiveness of a lever is determined by the distances from the fulcrum to the effort and the load. This relationship can be expressed using the principle of moments, where the moment (torque) on one side of the fulcrum must equal the moment on the other side for the system to be in equilibrium. Mathematically, this is represented as:

[ \text{Effort} \times \text{Distance from Fulcrum to Effort} = \text{Load} \times \text{Distance from Fulcrum to Load} ]

By adjusting the distances, one can increase the mechanical advantage, making it easier to move a heavier load with a smaller effort.

This principle has been applied in various tools and machines throughout history, such as seesaws, crowbars, and balance scales. Archimedes’ insight into the power of levers laid the groundwork for much of modern mechanics and engineering.

Technology is all about leverage?

The most beautiful car color is white?

Becoming less emotional –> stoicism

Don’t borrow or lend money … don’t borrow money nor lend it?

The Spartan motto

For example, certainly the Tesla is cooler than the Toyota by a factor of 1 billion. Yet, Toyota the better car. Yet people still desire to have the Tesla over the Toyota.

---

A 300 year camera?

.

Cooler or better?

The best is the longest duration

---

Being home is nothing but bad vibes and mood?

The Ultimate Privilege is Your Legs

The ultimate exercise is just movement? Like walking around and moving around?

Generate new things

**

When it comes to life, health, existence etc.; what is the ultimate privilege? Your legs, being able to walk, etc.

For example, Cindy‘s dad who is otherwise a very healthy man, maybe in his early 60s, he looks like his in his 50s… Call handsome guy, currently has type two diabetes, and I’m not sure if this is related… But has develop some sort of scoliosis in his legs and his back? Which makes it extremely painful for him to stand walk etc.

Anyways, I think with health, you don’t really appreciate it until you lose it.

The other day I went to a friends wedding, tons of fun, tore up the dance floor etc.… And I’m just chatting with the ballet guys, about the richest guy, the richest car etc.… And the guy wisely asked me–

“Are you healthy?”

And I responded– “I am extremely healthy!” Then he gave me a grin and said “Then you are the wealthiest one!”

A cripple in a Rolls-Royce?

Almost wonder if we could use this cripple, crippled metaphor for just modern day reality, philosophy, ethics etc.

Example, there are some people who are emotionally crippled, maybe has some sort of personal PTSD as a kid? Or people who lack empathy emotional social skills– social cripples? 

For example, I had the realization that in fact anyone who wears dark tennis sunglasses, all the time, even when they don’t need to… It is because they are extremely shy?

And it doesn’t really make sense for us to disdain people because they are shy?

---

Bitcoin & emotions

Like most humans, I am very emotional, especially when it comes to numbers, money, finances, gains and losses. This is why I never look at prices, too much noise and emotions.

I think my strategy of via negativa never checking prices is wise — why? Essentially when I got to bitcoin at around $6000, $7000 a Bitcoin … around 2017, 2018… I essentially “Set it and forget it!” After making my initial investment, I just switched my attention and focused to other random stuff like working out, weightlifting, one rep Max powerlifting, philosophy, etc. So hilariously enough when the whole FTX thing happened, Sam Bankman Fried… I was actually oblivious to it all. The only reason I even found out about it because there was a random guy at the gym who told me about it?

The signal and the noise

I am definitely on the Michael Saylor camp, — trying to think about the next 100, 200, 300 years… and also thinking about what NASSIM TALEB talks about signal and noise… 99.9999% of things is just noise. 

For example, if you think about bitcoin, which might be the ultimate volatile asset, maybe second after micro strategy stock…  checking prices even on a daily basis is bad. And let us consider that most people are checking prices literally mid to minute, not good.

Instead let us imagine checking the prices only every four years. When bitcoin first hit my radar, when I was in Vietnam in Saigon in 2017, I recall bitcoin being only about $300 a bitcoin, and people would comment that it would never hit 1000. Then fast forward a bit, bitcoin hitting $20,000 a bitcoin… Big deal. Then it hitting $60,000 of bitcoin, $66,000 of bitcoin… Big deal. Then crashing down to sub 10,000, then back up to over $70,000.. I think the all-time high thus far has been made around $77,000 a bitcoin?

Anyways, assuming that the bitcoin having cycle is every four years, the truly empirical way to assess prices is to look at prices only every 4 years. 

I think my general ethos of quitting the news, never looking at any news, has been wise… I’ve been able to dodge all this fake news about bitcoin being bad for the environment etc.… Which I think was essentially an insider lobbing scammed by Sam Bankman Fried and paying billions of dollars of promotion sponsorships and marketing to a bunch of random celebrities crypto influencers, green piece etc.… To try to spew this propaganda that bitcoin was bad for environment, and that somehow, their “green“ token was much better … like Luna token, FTT token whatever… Which all essentially went to zero.

I think one of the most clarifying things of having a child is that once you got a kid, your horizon expand. You no longer just think about your own personal short-lived existence… You start to intelligently think long-term.

For example, the next 30 years. I am currently 36 years old, Seneca is three years, three months old… So in 30 years Seneca will be 33, almost in his prime. I suppose for men, I think we hit our prime in our 40s 50s 60s, maybe even 70s? I think physiologically things start to go downhill maybe when we hit our late 80s, but I suppose my great gratitude of being born a man is that as time goes on, my potency increases overtime.

Day to day?

Some of their random thoughts: the wisdom of not thinking too far into the future:

First, every single day you wake up, you’re going to feel a little bit different, and also the things you’re going to care about is going to be different day to day. 

I suppose what I am grateful about leaving the loser Bay area is that I am starting to slowly “de-techify” myself. Saying goodbye to loser Patagonia down jackets, insecure nerds with AirPods on, complaining about rent and property prices etc.

In fact, I am 1 trillion times happier here in LA than I ever was anywhere anywhere else. Why? Certainly there is always a learning curve to moving to a new neighborhood or a new city or a new local, but LA, Culver City is perfect. Literally the only place I’ve ever lived where I can walk… super well?

In fact, the currently sweet apartment that I got, I’m gonna hold onto that, forever. The ultimate squatter who actually pays his rent.

---

Who skips leg day? Not Batman!

I think a general shift, a general shift I want to see is for us to become more gay, more jolly, grander, bigger, happier, louder, more joyful! Just go to a wedding, soak up all the good endorphins, and hit the dance floor!

Also don’t forget, it doesn’t cost anything to smile!

ERIC

---

How to judge a weightlifter or a bodybuilder or a power lifter 

Very simple… first look at the legs, then look at everything else! 

And also, if you really want to judge yourself according to any other man, ask them how much they could squat, deadlift, etc. 

We real men glorify our legs!

---

Clothes

Just a simple thought, let us assume that you could load up the squat rack at your local gym with 11 (45 pound) plates on each side. And as a simple challenge, all you had to do was lift it off the rack with your shoulders and your legs in your back for a centimeter. If this were the case… physics don’t lie. Could you do it or not?

Why rent control is good for us

A wise economic thought –rent control, rent control for us is a very good thing. 

Why? I can hypothesize that we are going through a low-key hyper inflationary environment.  for example, right before my very eyes, I saw the price of a single burger patty go from $1.49 all the way up to $2.50! Literally … I saw the price of a single burger patty almost double, nearly an 80% increase in price overnight!

$20 an hour to work at McDonald’s?

Anyways, this upcoming election cycle would be good for bitcoin. Why?

First, there seems to be about an 80% certainty that Donald Trump is going to win. And I think Donald Trump said he was actually pro bitcoin.

The issues here is that first, nobody likes Joe Biden, not even the liberals or the Democrats, not even myself, and I voted for him because he was the non-Trump candidate. 

I don’t even know who’s running against Donald Trump.

Anyways, in a world of uncertainty and chaos, bitcoin gains.

For example it looks like the big trend here is that irregardless of whoever the presidential candidate is… Over along enough time span, I think the value of the US dollar will keep inflating. Already now I see a single-family homes in Culver City, super basic going for $2.1 million?

Also, the new iPad Pro. I think it’s wise that apple increase the price of the iPad Pro to $999, instead of the customary $799.

And also, certainly whether we like it or not, the price is the iPhones also must keep going up. I’m sure in the next five iPhone Pro cycles, we will see the iPhone pro being above $1000.

So who will win?

Ultimately I think the big winners here will be the people who maximally frugal, Spartan frugal, and direct almost all of their economic energy towards purchasing and gaining bitcoin?

Paying your taxes in Bitcoin?

I wonder, if in the next 20 or 30 years, there will be an option that you could pay your US taxes with bitcoin? And this might be a good idea for the American government because she could start to store some of her wealth backed by bitcoin, not the typical gold standard.

---

What next?

1. Download the Coinbase app for your phone, link it with your traditional bank account, and start buying bitcoin! I think if you link it with the plaid integration to your JP Morgan Chase or Wells Fargo or whatever… You could buy up to $50,000 a day Without any wire transfers.
2. Once you bought the bitcoin, delete the Coinbase app from your phone. Refuse to look at any crypto news bitcoin news or whatever… And instead use that time to just watch Michael sailor interviews, and for literature, start to tap into the school of Austrian economics, Karl Manger. “The Bitcoin standard” book was also a good read.
3. Start to think more about peer to peer; for example, I’m starting to think that now even with photos and sharing photos, instead just publicly posting it to Instagram or Facebook, better instead to directly message it to your friends or family members, for them to enjoy! This is peer to peer photo sharing.
4. If you exercise go to the gym or workout, make every day like day! There is 10x testosterone production in your legs than your upper body; so if you think about it, if you hit legs every single day, your upper body will also benefit. I recommend heavy one rep max “rack pulls” (partial deadlifts off the squat power rack) or just the atlas lift (Google and YouTube ERIC KIM 1,000 pound atlas lift).
5. In terms of photography, still the best camera to have is a Ricoh GR III or a Ricoh GR IIIX, the new Ricoh GR 3 and 3XHDF is coming out soon, I’ll probably get one. My simple suggestion is if you have a growing kid, who likes to go rock climbing and play at the park etc., get the Ricoh GR III HDF (28mm equivalent), otherwise get the other one.

The future of media?

I just recently discovered that Apple podcasts automatically transcribes podcasts, and it is actually very very good! I’m doing this when I am taking a nap with kind of car, and I could just read the transcripts of the podcast interviews with Michael Saylor, because I don’t want to listen to the audio and wake up Seneca!

I still think that the future of media is still probably textbased. For example, the famous Lex Fridman Michael sailor interview which I think was three or four hours long, I just read the transcript of it, and therefore was able to download the information to my brain at least 1000 times faster.

---

What next?

Travel! Some good places I recommend:

1. Mexico City, stay in the Roma Norton neighborhood
2. Bangkok, Thailand
3. Phnom Penh Cambodia, Angkor wat / siem reap
4. Hanoi and Saigon in Vietnam
5. Seoul South Korea, Gangnam and all the cute hipster neighborhoods — Hongdae, Itaewon, Garosgil
6. Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto in Japan
7. New Orleans
8. Downtown LA, the fashion District
9. San Francisco Mission district, 24th street …
10. Dubai, London, Paris, Prague, all the big cities in Europe. Amsterdam etc.

Still… Traveling is the best thing for the buck for your photography! 

---

Bitcoin for artists and creators?

.

Own yourself

Google and Apple getting all the money?

Do you believe in freedom?

If you believe in freedom, you don’t use social media

.

Issue stock?

.

Bitcoin … virtuous

Virtuous Religions

Bitcoin is a religion

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Bumpy path

Wealth as a mental thing?

Opaque

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Save your wealth

.

“Right, like a plus, but they’re not… It’s kind of like if I was supporting a language that’s spoken by 1% of the world and I said, I’m going to create an album, but it’s only in that language. And you have to learn that language in order to listen to my music.

The problem is you’re going to lose your audience. And so we need strategies that get everybody to adopt and embrace Bitcoin. If we’re back to the subject of what’s good for Bitcoin, what you want, you want to make it easy for people to embrace Bitcoin.”

From Once Bitten! A Bitcoin Podcast.: @Saylor – The Year In Review 2022 In #bitcoin. #309, Dec 20, 2022
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-bitten-a-bitcoin-podcast/id1497540130?i=1000590791675
This material may be protected by copyright.

Pay your fees in bitcoin

.

Be insanely suspicious …

Beauty is subtracting ugliness

Rid ugliness from your eyes 

Ugly people?

A half-life of forever 

First, the speed and power is quite phenomenal. You can eaaaaasily outspeed and overtake anyone on the freeway. The power is good, when merging or just driving around the freeway, when it is easy to be eaten alive.

Some honest thoughts—

First, ride quality is a bit poor. My 2010 Prius funny enough feels far more comfortable. Tesla Model Y Dual Motor Long Range — a bit too stiff, you can kind of feel every bump on the road. And I also suppose because you’re a bit higher off the ground, you don’t feel as stable and planted to the road (downside of these micro SUV compact car segments, or just SUV’s in general)— I’d imagine it feels similar in a Model X. In terms of driving, I hate SUV’s or cars which are too high off the floor.

Also as a driver, the A pillar on the top far left is a bit too obstrusive — it blocks too much of the left side.

The overall quality of the car feels pretty cheap. The back rear passenger seat door and window integration … it is like the window and the glass is falling off it?

Autopilot

The auto steer (beta)— dangerous. Doesn’t really work on steep curves, can and maybe kill your family or cause your car to flip over.

The auto pilot basic keep safe distance between front car,,, this is very good! But it does make me feel a bit carsick when using it ,,, I think in super extreme stop and go traffic it is a godsend, but for mild traffic it makes me more uneasy than anything.

It seems the trend in today’s world is to and towards maximization. You want to maximize our utility of things, we want things to do more, for it to be more multivariagated,  perhaps to hedge or to predict or to feel secure in a world of insecurity chaos and randomness?

Hoarding? 

So it seems that the ethos of hoarding has its origin in fear. Fear of the future, unpredictability, and always wanting to be prepared for the worst. I think this is a lot of the refugee mentality, especially when I observe Cindy‘s families journey, being part of the refugee boat people, in which saving money and being frugal was literally a life or death matter. It probably takes at least two or three generations to unlearn this behavior.

Also, local family ethics. For example Cindy‘s family, 4 children. There needs to be some sort of calculus in which everybody has the maximum optimum amount of something… no winner take all here. For example, if I have six pieces of meat, everyone gets just one piece. 

For myself, essentially I was raised as the king. All the choice meats were always given to me, I was spoiled silly by my grandmother. I’m grateful for this, because she is the one who helped me gain my self-confidence and also my ego. So for myself, I was probably given all of the meats, maybe my sister just got one.

New unlimited ethics

In today’s radical world of abundance, we need to relearn new ethics. 

For example in the context of food… the only reason people consume rice, starch pasta grains, cassava root vegetables etc. is that 99.9% of the past was risen and raised on poverty. For example, if you were an Aztec God of the Maya people, you would not eat corn flour tortillas; you would just have unlimited oxen to feast on.

“Respect” for the past?

But now, we try to follow our cultural heritage, and to consume white rice and whatever… because it is “true” to our culture. But even Asian people now and Korean people know that white rice causes type 2 diabetes obesity and causes us to get fat, get heart disease, heart attacks, etc.

A lot of Latinos and Mexicans are also starting to learn that Tortillas, flour or corn similarly also causes obesity, and also Coca Cola — the evil corporation, in which there is a strange bias that when you consume Mexican meal, you must have a Coke, a Mexican Coke, which has “real” sugar, which apparently “not as unhealthy for you” as the typical high fructose corn syrup, and also you must have it in a glass bottle?

If anything, the evil Coca-Cola corporation is probably costing taxpayers billions if not trillions of dollars of medical issues because they have marketed Coca-Cola so hard, which causes people to get heart attacks and get into the hospital… and the healthcare system has to support this? 

Climate change 

For example, it does seem that climate change does feel real… It does appear to be hotter now than it was in the past. Also, empirically does look like pollution is a big problem to be tackled; for example living in Vietnam in 2017 and visiting a year ago… It definitely feels much more polluted in Saigon. I could taste it in the air. 

Also, in LA… The good thing is that looks like pollution could be reversed to a certain extent; apparently decades ago, the pollution and smog was so bad you couldn’t even see the sky. Now it is better… But when you drive through Inglewood or La Cienega, it is terrible. You always have to roll the windows up and run the air conditioning because the air outside is toxic.

Ultimately, I am the optimist here; I think with more stringent controls on things, climate change or heat change or pollution could be reversed; for example I think the whole California clean air thing of the future which requires that by a certain year all the cars have to be either fully electric or whatever… a very good idea. 

Economic Principles

Anyways, what is and should be the role of economics here?

I’ll give you example; your car, your vehicle. It seems that the trend in today’s world is to maximize utility anywhere and wherever.

For example, a new category of automobile which did not exist when I was a kid, the sports utility vehicle. It is kind of weird chimera between a truck and a car; the original SUVs were bulky ugly and gas guzzlers. Also, in terms of handling, the driving experience was terrible, they always felt too top-heavy, and being so far off the floor, felt very insecure.

As a kid growing up, the only cars which really existed were two-door coupe sports cars, which had a small profile, and was close to the floor. Ideally the best sports car was wide, load to the floor, and did not weigh much.

For cars, family cars… either you had a four-door sedan, so the kids could easily get in the back, or maybe a minivan if you had tons of kids? But beyond this, there were not that many category of cars. Maybe a station wagon?

But in today’s world, things are starting to get a little bit ridiculous. There are so many sub categories of sub cars; we have many SUVs, mega SUVs, compact SUVs, micro SUVs whatever. It seems that the trend is everyone wants some sort of hatchback, which I think is a positive good… But in terms of sizes, they come in infinite flavors.

But my simple thought:

Any sort of “crossover” is bad. 

For example these horrible bridge cameras; that offers a zoom lens that goes from 18 mm all the way to 300 mm… we all know these cameras suck. 

Length

Here is where the laws of physics are critical, especially when living in Los Angeles; when you really want to take your kid to the park, and there is literally only one parallel parking spot very tight… no amount of wealth in the world can magically shrink your car to make it fit the spot. in this case, this is the worlds smallest most compact car possible.

I suppose this is also where if you live in LA… even if you were a trillionaire, assuming that you had a kid, and you wanted to maximize your kids ability to enjoy the park, go on adventures, visit Ocean Park in Santa Monica, the best here is to have the maximally small and compact car possible. In this case, the Tesla model S and the model X is out, and also my beloved cybertruck is out. 

Nobody cares how cool your car is, until the moment you need to park it.

---

Maximum utility?

Typically speaking, tools which serve too many purposes are poor; for example, if you have ever used one of those Swiss Army knives, you’ll find that it has about 30 blades for every single purpose, but they all kind of suck.

Also with cameras, the reason why the iPhone Pro has become such a monstrosity is when you use it, the Apple photos operating system camera tries to trick you that it has like 10 lenses and one? And all the lenses kind of suck. Better to have one prime lens, a compact fixed lens, which is best, rather than a bunch of mediocre lenses shoved into one.

In fact, my vision for the next iPhone Pro Titan is for the Apple design team to have the balls to just get rid of all these other loser lenses, and just consolidated all into one mega lens. Maybe they could call it the iPhone “One”.  

Pick up truck or nothing 

This is where I think the SUV car is bad — it doesn’t really do anything that well.

For example, if you really need to haul something, better to have a pick up truck. If you want to take the family on adventures and you have a lot of kids, more than three kids… Better to have a minivan.

911 or nothing 

If you just want the best sports car of all time, better to just have a two-door coupe or a Porsche 911, instead of one of these strange AMG G wagon cars? 

Better yet, I have a simple rule; if you want a sports car, it must have a manual transmission. If you want the pure joy of driving, manual or nothing. Even when you think about cinema, cinematics… There is always much romanticism behind shifting gears when racing or speeding up. Nobody cares for paddle shifters, or automatic transmission cars, even though they are better.

The aesthetics and the ethos is supreme.

No loser 718

Anyone who buys a 718 or whatever Porsche car… everyone wants the 911 but is too poor to afford it? 

I say if you’re going to buy a Porsche, either 911 or nothing.

Stick or nothing

In fact if it is your aspiration to purchase a Porsche 911 or Porsche 718 car… it must have a manual transmission. More respect for the guy who drives the civic type R with a stick shift, rather than the pale and sickly impotent man driving the auto tragic Porsche 911.

Even something which is worth to note; is there any manual transmission Lamborghini? I think they are all automatic?

Some skill?

I think the romanticism of manual transmission is that at least it takes some skill to drive it. Knowing how to drive a stick shift car is a new modern day privilege.

Even Seneca, he loves stick shift cars! Whenever we go to the Honda dealership he likes to look at the civic type R stick shift, even the civic SI stick shift! And whenever I ask him whether he wants to learn how to drive stick shift or not, he says yes! Maybe the time he turns 15 years old, I’ll buy some sort of beater Japanese car for him, and I’ll teach him how to drive stick shift, his first car! Other random stuff I want to teach him is how to work on a car, how to fix it up how to maintain it etc.

And also I wonder if the irony in the future will be that the new modern day privilege will be teaching a kid how to drive a stick shift car.

---

Why do we want it to do all the things? 

This is where money, bitcoin, and currency is so useful; it is the ultimate transportable, shape shiftable thing possible.

For example, difficult to sell 1000th of your property in Manhattan to buy a cup of coffee,  we’re also, trying to weigh and judge how much something is worth or of value. 

Also, the problem with expensive things, like expensive trophy assets like your portion 911 car, your property is that you cannot just instantly sell it and consolidate it instantly, for other purposes.

If you have some sort of trophy asset like your Porsche 911, it is a dead asset. You might only drive it once a week or whatever… better to just rent it for fun instead. 

And this is where money is amazing; it is the ultimate enabler of optionlaity. 

---

A peer to peer future

I recently reread the bitcoin white paper, and I was so pleased to see how short, succinct, and well crafted it was. Especially the note on peer to peer.

The biggest issue in today’s world is that Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, all has an intermediary of some sort of newsfeed algorithm, which tries to promote stuff that it thinks that you will like, and also… to discourage controversial things which might be considered too dangerous for advertisers.

This is bad. It is almost like if you want to give your kid fresh drinking water and there is a hose, and then suddenly you had a guy in the middle, with a valve controlling the flow of freshwater to your child.

Even worse, imagine if they had a hinge in the center, which allows them to change the water composition at will, and whether or not to add corn syrup to the water, toxic things, etc. I just want to give my kid fresh drinking water, yet you are adding nicotine, cocaine, Coca-Cola, high fructose corn syrup, and sugar to it? This is essentially YouTube, YouTube for kids.

We all know that the best path to health is through fasting, what to cut out. Nothing in moderation.

For example I think we all agree that heroin in moderation is bad.

Craigslist is now bitcoin and crypto friendly

Also a simple thought; let us see that I have 10 bitcoin, and somebody is willing to trade their Lamborghini Aventador with the scissor doors to you for your one bitcoin. This is good because you don’t have to go through a third-party or a bank we’re having to withdraw $250,000 worth of cash from your bank, which often does not even allow you to access your money.

So here, peer to peer is great. 

Buying homes with bitcoin

Also, homes. Let us say that I want to buy that $1 million home, which is worth 10 bitcoin. If I could just send bitcoin from my wallet to your wallet, you would get rid of all of these unnecessary from real estate agents broker sellers some sort of closing cost etc. This be a much better way to trade?

And this was my personal vision about bitcoin; you say when you hoard your bitcoin for a very very very large purchases or, you could just sit on your bitcoin, and let the value just keep going up.

For example, if you have 16 square blocks in the middle of Manhattan, or fifth Avenue, you never saw that property. And you also inform your children to sell the property, and also the rule of the family a simple semi; never sell the property, even to your kids kids kids. Maybe even the wise ideas to take on debt and hedge it against the property value. 

And then also… maybe same thing with bitcoin. 

Or let us say that you really really want to buy that single-family home; my personal vision is when when one bitcoin is worth $1 million … the calculus will be simple; one bitcoin, one house. 

***

Just in time economics

Do you need it right now or not? 

It seems that planning too far ahead for the future is bad. For example, I currently got one kid… maybe it is not yet worth or useful to plan having 2, 3 or 4 kids… in which I would need a minivan?

And technically, the whole notion of “need” is superficial. For example if you have only two kids… you don’t “need” a minivan. Certainly it makes things a little bit more convenient, but then again it makes a lot of things inconvenient if you live in the city – once again, trying to parallel park it in a small neighborhood. I think for the most part minivans are only useful if you live in the suburbs?

Prius until I die

Anyways, one thing I am so grateful for my 2010 Prius is that there are three seats in the back, and if I really need to… we could easily fit two kids there and possibly even three! For example my friend Kevin has a Tesla model 3, and he has three kids, and he bought this compact car seat thing which allows three kids to all sit in the back? I am very impressed by how economical he is. 

And the more I think about it… even that I have over an M in Bitcoin, I want to drive my Prius for another 100 years? 

“Nice to have” vs critical

The only big optimization gotta make in life is whether you have four kids, or less than four kids. 

If you have four kids or more, you buy the minivan, not the loser cramped SUV because you don’t want to seem less manly.

Once again, I think a lot of foolish decisions in our lives arise from this need of optimization, or “just in case“. No.

---

Extreme Economy

It is positively better to simply articulate things you already got, rather than trying to find some sort of thing to buy. 

For example, I have currently maxed out my weights, for my one rep Max lifting at home. Part of me just wants to buy some new weights, to increase my one rep max numbers. 

But before that, what I’m trying to do is first innovate and what I already got to the maximum, and to re-articulate what I already got in clever ways. For example, by changing the height of my rack, changing my leverage, and making things progressively more difficult, with worse leverage– is certainly another type of training.

Or another ones; doing my infamous Atlas lift, with my eight plates, But doing it at different heights. It feels different at different heights, my body positioning and my leverages are different, and so changing things up certainly adds a new spice and variety to things.

Or even another thing… doing all my lifts, but having a 60 pound weight vest strapped on.

Don’t be tied to past numbers

For example, the current number I currently have in my head for my atlas lift is 1000 pounds, which I believe to be about 10 plates, a 25, and a five on each side. Yet I did this in the maximum optimize environment at my beloved crunch gym in Orange County, with maximum space, safety, ability to grunt and slap myself in the face etc. But now that I’m just working out in my Off the grid parking lot, I cannot. And also I do not want to?

---

Arbitrary goals?

I think in life it is good to have arbitrary goals to look forward to, setting yourself up arbitrary challenges.

For example, I have some other random weightlifting is at home, including a rickshaw Farmer’s walk dead lift thing, which changes things up a bit. I have less leverage with it, but currently my record on it is only six plates, some new goals are seven plates and eight plates on the open hex bar.

The other day I also met an older powerlifter who was 67 years old,  and he was just curious about how much I could squat and dead lift in the standard sense. I’m not really sure, I’m not too interested… But maybe I could work towards that? This is where my innovation in “partials“ is so interesting; 

for example, everyone talks about how you have to squat parallel, hit parallel below parallel a little bit above parallel etc. But to me this seems bizarre and pseudoscientific; it makes no sense. A better approach is instead, just see the maximum amount of weight on the barbell you can un wreck, walk out, and re-wreck. Currently my record is around seven plates, I could easily lift eight plates, but I don’t think I have enough strength or training yet to actually walk it out of the rack.

I’m also suppose this is where the yolk walk is kind of interesting to me because it does seem like to be the ultimate functional fitness; picking up something very very heavy on your shoulders, and seeing how far you could walk it out or seeing how quickly you could do it.

---

Future economics?

I saw today that the number one free app in the iPad App Store is HBO Max. Super fascinating because it looks like at the end of the day, entertainment is king.

Apparently a lot of people are afraid of whatever of artificial intelligence AI taking their jobs or whatever. However — not true.

For example, no artificial intelligence would have the genius of a Jay Z, or Kendrick Lamar, ultimately, human beings prefer human beings, for example I would pay money to show up to Kanye West Jesus concert, to see him real life in the flesh live… Never some sort of pre-recording or AI bot.

Same thing goes for Kendrick Lamar, who is essentially the superhero of all of Los Angeles. And the problem with generative artificial intelligence is that it could only use past language models and patterns to create use… It cannot create brand new information, carte blanche.

Also… ChatGPT could probably write articles that sound like ERIC KIM… But, there’s no way that ChatGPT could have predicted five years ago that ERIC KIM would get into bitcoin? Or even powerlifting? 

Charge money for human things

 very very simple thought is if you want to monetize your passion, charge money for real life human things. In life workshops, flesh to flash experiences, concerts etc.

Information has practically already always been free, now with ChatGPT and artificial intelligence… It will become even more free. Or even worse; people who are desperate to watch their show, will actually pay you to watch it, and review it.

For example, I see all of these billboards that’s a quote for your consideration”… Which means–

“Please watch my show or film!”

 For example, killers of the flower moon produced by Apple… I’m sure it was a great movie, had Leonardo DiCaprio and was produced by Martin Scorsese… But it still seems that nobody really watched it or cared for, even though it won a bunch of awards. 

I think the next step, also a good business idea is having verification that the review for thing is a real human review, not some sort of bot, or having a review or just use ChatGPT to produce a review.

For example, if you go on Amazon, almost all of the reviews … seem fake. I know Amazon has a vine program in which certain individuals are sent free products in order to exchange a review. But… How do you not know that the person who is writing that review is just using ChatGPT to leave a random five star review?

Currently it looks like the mass public is still not catching up to this yet… But I think within five or seven years, there will be need for a new more verification thing that the reviews were in fact written by real human beings, and based front real human experiences. Maybe reviews of the future will be some sort of short Snapchat like video selfie reviews of the human and the product, not the text.

And hopefully live captioning becomes so good that people could just watch the videos on mute, and see the captions for the text.

---

Now what?

I think the primary issue with economics is that we think too much about the future. Why not the now?

ERIC

---

 

Spartan minimalism

Think inverse

Steady

A genius is just a kid with good parents – Kanye

I desire to breed and train my kid to be a genius!

I think ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to be dominant. The best, the biggest, the strongest, the smartest, etc.

I think as a kid, it is interesting because for the most part everyone is kind of on an equal footing. Because nobody has jobs yet or salaries or money, money is not yet a metric to gauge balance or to judge one another as kids. Certainly there are superficial things like certain kids who have cooler clothes whatever… But we all knew still that was a function of how rich your parents were; the rich kids would have cooler cars and clothes, and those of us who were More scrappy… We pried ourselves on our annuity, or our cleverness, or our culture.

Or example, the Bay Area hyphy movement, which was at its peak when I was a teenager, middle school in high school. Essentially E-40’s “Tell me when to go” song was our anthem, and in order for a kid to be cool, all you needed was a white tee (t shirt) and some dark blue denim jeans, and you could be cool. And also at the time, the cool and popular shoes to have or the case whiz classic white tennis shoes, which for the most part all the kids could afford. And then even more disruptive notions like vans; in which it’s only became cool to wear vans sneakers, the skateboarding shoe which I think at the time was only $35 a pair? 

Anyways, now that we are all adults… The world becomes a little bit stranger. For example, I’m currently 36 years old, the other day a very friendly gentleman thought I was 26 years old… But anyways nowadays I have no idea how old people are. I often ask people how old they are or what year they were born or what year they graduated college to get a better sense of things.

Age is interesting because I think it is important because on one hand, if you discover that somebody’s about your age, then it is useful because you know that you grew up in a similar cultural mill you, and obviously the other basic things like if somebody is a decade or too older than you, certainly their income will probably be higher than yours, and also, there’s also likelihood that they have more money in the bank than you, Whatever. 

Nuances

A superficial way that men seek dominance or signal their dominance is through their vehicles. But here this is where things get interesting; it is all different.

For example, maybe on one hand, people want to signal their dominance by whoever has the most expensive or rare car. For example, truth be told I have almost 0 interest in Ferrari cars, I don’t really think the design is all that interesting. Typically the Ferrari cars are the most expensive. I prefer the design of Lamborghini cars.

But then I also supposed to issue here is that you don’t know if somebody owns the car, they’re leasing the car, or whether they’re just renting it for the weekend or the day.

Also let us assume that they did in fact purchase the vehicle, all cash or whatever… Then again doesn’t really matter either because you start to feel bad for the guy; all that expensive insurance you have to pay on it is bleeding them to death, or the high maintenance cost which is also slowly bleeding them to death, or the ultimate thought: 

Wow — that $250,000 they put into that car, maybe $350,000 after taxes etc.… is money they could have put into bitcoin. 

Assuming that bitcoin has an average growth rate historically of about 50% year over years; just do the math, and plug it into a table. I think in the context of money, we are only ever happy if we see the number go up and grow; when we see the number getting depleted and going down, we feel like we are losing power?

Double your money and make it stack!

I suppose here is where money in economics and capital, capitalism is a bit bizarre; I think the ultimate name of the game is infinite. Let us say that your money is a metaphorical skyscraper, essentially what is all about is who could keep building ever higher skyscraper. For example, let us say that you have a 100 story skyscraper, I want a 1000 foot Skyscraper! 

Also for the most part, money is not really based in physics anymore, more or less ones and zeros inside the machine, or Fiat currency is essentially like cotton candy being printed by the US government.  Therefore, the upper wealth in terms of US dollars and Fiat currency in a monetary value is infinite. For example, my net worth could be 1 million, 10 million, 100 million, 1 billion, 1 trillion, 100 trillion etc.

And this is also something weird and bizarre that I’ve discovered; I am so reticent to spend even $500 on something, even $150 on something, even $79 on something; yet watching my bitcoin balance, I could easily have a $50,000 gain in a single day, or a $250,000 gain in a matter of a week or two. Yet I am still reticent on spending money? Why?

“You can take the kid out the hood, but you can’t take the hood out the kid” – Kendrick

I think this is where I think your family history, how you were raised as a kid, and also historically numbers are so critical about money.

For example, I still remember when I was in high school… In the bay area, and I learned how critical buying brand new brakes and tires were for the safety of your car… My mom‘s old Nissan Maxima had old bear tires, and I was afraid that my mom would die in a car accident, yet we still didn’t even have $300 USD to pay for new tires?

Even a shameful thing, having to buy used tires because you can’t afford to buy new ones? And this is literally a life or death situation. Same thing with brakes.

Why do we seek dominance?

This is where I think sex is important; my critical thought is men, biological men, if you were born with testicles and a penis,… We all see some sort of dominance. We either seek social dominance, knowledge or intellectual based dominance, economic dominance, social dominance, artistic dominance etc. 

For example, this is where all the strange hips are dumb notions come from; whenever you meet antisocial guy in LA, sporting a Hitler mustache, some sort of obscure dark tinted sunglasses, a baseball cap or a trucker hat, secretly thinking they are superior to you… They use their obscure taste in vinyl records, music arts and culture to seek dominance over you?

I think this is also where the whole notion of revenge of the nerds comes from; all these kids were once bullied as nerd kids, now have the hand because they are so much richer and more successful than the jocks of yester year … now as adults, he or she who has the most money is the most supreme dominant and powerful. Yet here are some nuances:

First, debt. Debt is hidden. And also, I think the problem here is that a lot of people hide their debt in sneaky ways, in order to somehow assert that they are richer than the actual are. But if we have a purely mathematical physics based approach behind it… All debt is negative. There’s no such thing as a good dad. That is almost like a parasite or a disease in your body, which is slowly draining what your life force, or slowly letting your blood. As long as you have a mortgage or you have to pay off… You’re getting slowly getting bled to death. 

The opposite of death

This is also where things get a little bit bizarre to me; apparently a lot of really rich wealthy families what they do is their own property in highly desirable places,  and their property value keeps going up, and somehow they are able to borrow US dollars fiat currency at low percentage points, which essentially means that they are just printing free money for themselves? And they never pay taxes, because technically in terms of their taxes is that they always file as a loss. Even the founder and the head of related companies I don’t think has ever filed a profit Oregon; even though he probably owns about $100 billion worth of property in New York City the Hudson yards etc.

Even Michael Saylor said something interesting; ideally what you would do is use your bitcoin as your property digital property, and then you borrow cheap US dollars against that; which seems to be a wise leverage because assuming that bitcoin is gaining 50% year over here, and if you could borrow US dollars at about 5%… You still have a 45% hedge. I think that difficult thing about this is that it is just too complicated to do; I have no idea how to do it. Kind of similar how people we finance or re-mortgage their homes, and suddenly have a bunch of cash on hand? I think we will be able to do this soon with bitcoin cryptocurrency, crypto assets soon. 

How I lost faith in fiat currency 

Fiat means Faith; Faith and your government, faith in institutions etc. 

For example, a really downside mistake I made a few years ago is selling some of my bitcoin for some US dollars. A poor bet. Essentially over the course of four months, I withdrew about $5000 USD a month, and at the time, a single bitcoin is worth around $20,000. Now it is conservatively in the $60,000 range, which means  I essentially lost $40,000 in a shortsighted mistake. And $40,000 to a lot of parts of the United States could be a yearly salary. 

---

Numbers vs health?

Certainly more important than money is health. Also peace of mind. For example, you could still have $100 million in the bank, and have poor health, and still live in fear; the fear that your hundred million dollars will dwindle down to only $10 million or $1 million etc. He who climbs higher can suffer a more precipitous fall. 

so what should we do about this?

I think this is where philosophy becomes interesting —

The first very simple thing is think Spartan. Spartan economics.

What would King Leonidas or a Spartan hoplite say if they encountered modern day man? I think a highlight or Spartan would just be befuddled and confused and scratch their head.

Also, let us consider that for Spartans, it was about manliness, courage, dominance on the battlefield. I suppose the issue is in today’s world, we don’t really have the opportunity to exhibit Spartan virtues, unless you’re at the gym, drink some sort of powerlifting, HYPELIFTING, or if you’re an MMA, UFC fighter? 

I think the reason why bodybuilding is a poor approach is 99.99% of it is steroids. And grinding “hard work“. But don’t we know that hard work is just for slaves? Ancient Greeks, work as a vice. Only slaves worked and toiled the lands, the Spartans had the helots to do their dirty work, while they worked on more virtuous things like hanging out topless, training, engaging in fun banter etc.

The modern day Arena

Currently, social media, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, has hijacked the world.  The metrics of dominance are centered around how many likes followers etc. do you have? But the biggest issue here is that ultimately, even if you had 1 trillion followers, as long as you are a slave to the platform, you are still a slave.

For example, if you were a slave, with a gold crown on your head, decked out in the finest jewelry, driving all of the exotic sports cars, but you were still a slave… With no freedom… Would you take this exchange? Certainly not. Better to be a free spartan a Persian slave.

New ways of thinking of the world

First, I think we have to stop getting so obsessed about cars. Especially in today’s world where everyone has full limit all around the car… It is impossible to see who the driver is. Whether he is a 4 foot 10 man, or a dog… You have no idea. 

Or, in the near future we already see it now… Whether it is a self driving way more car? With no driver?

Imagine if you saw the coolest loudest Lamborghini slowly cruising through the streets, revving attention, you might feel some sort of petty envy towards the driver. But what if the windows roll down and it was a fully autonomous self driving car? 

---

Your “net worth”?

I think the new secret is not your net worth, but you’re not freedom. What is freedom? Whether you could go two years without checking your email inbox, or whether you could just go out, and leave your phone at home or in the car.

So the first thought is this; Via negativa signals of freedom — 

he who walks around town without a phone on him is in fact the most successful person.

“Success”?

Then another line of thinking; rethinking the notion of success. Once again it is not a success notion here, it is a freedom one.

Even when you think about the declaration of independence, and the founding fathers talk about life liberty and the pursuit of happiness… First the notion of life is too ambiguous. Pursuit of happiness is also too fuzzy. Liberty, liberty is a good one… but I think freedom is a better one. 

I think the real issue here is that freedom and capitalism are at odds. For example, typically speaking, individuals with more US dollars in their bank account, or individuals we have higher salaries typically have less freedom. For example, if you’re earning $1 million a year salary at Apple Amazon Facebook or Google… Most likely it is a signal that you have no freedom. Why? You can’t suddenly just stop checking your email, and just randomly in the middle of the day go on a hike in the middle of Malibu without any sort of Internet connection. With higher salaries implies higher responsibilities, less freedom.

And for the most part, what is having a job? What is careers? The simple thought is the higher you climb in the corporate ladder, the higher your income and salary… Conversely less your freedom?

For example, I remember when I was working my first tech job out of college, at demand media, ehow.com as an online community manager, now the company is rebranded as the leaf group, … I met a lot of programmers who refused to become managers, even if it would come with a pay bump. Why? They had the intelligence that with a nominal bump and salary, let us say a 20% raise in salary… Came with a 2000% increase in rate of responsibilities, other people to manage, etc.

Also one thing I’m starting to learn about academia and the universities fear; typically when academics take higher positions and salaries, get tenure, become full professors etc.… Even though they have a higher salary, they are also bombarded with more community-based responsibilities and labor. I suppose this is where it was nice that Cindy was a postdoctoral fellow, when you are a post doc, you have almost no responsibilities. 

---

The best schedule?

The best schedule is no schedule. Which allows for maximum option reality, you could do whatever you please, whenever you please. 

I also suppose if your passion is travel, whatever… Ultimate is having the ultimate freedom schedule which means you could travel and fly anywhere whenever you want to, and you could often save thousands of dollars on airfare if you decide to travel somewhere during an off. Period And this is where I suppose it is nice to not have any obligations back home, maintaining your property, pay your mortgage, pay double rent etc.

And certainly not having to worry about your car, where to park your car, how to maintain your car etc. Even the downside of a lot of gasoline cars is that if you have gasoline car part or too long of a period of time, with turning it on occasionally, the battery dies. Also I suppose with electric cars, the battery will slowly drain overtime, I’m not sure what the half-life is, but I think even the best Tesla, assuming that you don’t always charge it, and you leave for a year or two… It will probably run out of charge.

Laser eyes!

My new motto is laser eyes, from Michael Saylor.

I think he also follows the Steve Jobs thoughts; focus and laser your eyes on 11 single thing… And the maximum out of that one thing, instead of getting distracted by too many things.

For example, in the crypto sphere… Bitcoin is the only one worth following. All the stuff on Ethereum is a distraction, even chain-link which I like, is still a distraction.

The reason here is that time attention and focus is limited; one hour you spend on studying the second best loser is the time you could spend spending an hour studying the best.

Time with your kids 

This is also where I find things a bit bizarre; people who make this bizarre trade-off:

Pay money to have their kid in daycare, instead of spending the time with their kid?

Certainly if you have nonnegotiable 9 to 5 job, you don’t really have an option. But if you do have an option… Why would you want to have a bunch of strangers look after your kid when you can spend that time with your kid?

Time spent with your kids and loved ones is the ultimate investment. For example, I am very certain that my mom will be dead in 40 years, maybe she’ll make it to 100, but not 110. And isn’t the best way to Peter out the end of your life just to be around your loved ones?

***

Attention

There’s something I call fake time spent with your kids; it is when you take your kids to the park and you’re just on your iPhone the whole time, checking and answering email, looking at news, on Facebook Instagram or YouTube… Looking at financial things etc.

I think a lot of parents have the rational that they’re working hard to make money to provide for their kids. However they realize that the ultimate investment is just to directly cut out the middleman, lock your phone in the glove compartment, in the car, and just spend your precious limited time with your kid 100%?

---

Now what?

Nihil admirari (admire no man)

All man, irregardless of how great, is flawed. For example, Elon Musk who is the greatest entrepreneur of all time, a man I greatly admire… Still has lots of problems of his own. For example, his poor health, the demons he has with his father and his kids, etc. I would not want to be him. 

Or even Jeff Bezos, richest man on the planet, I think he’s only 5 foot seven? And now that he is older? Youth is the ultimate desired thing — would you trade your glorious 36-year-old body for the body of a 85-year-old billionaire with dementia? Probably not.

Time and money

It is not just time and money but health.

For example, why is it that IT guys make so much money? It is because they cannot sleep at night; they will often have to randomly wake up at 2 AM or 3 AM or 4 AM, dealing with some sort of data outage. Or, if you are working at an investment bank or whatever… Having to routinely work beyond midnight, always on call for your clients.

If you are a CEO of $1 billion company; as long as you have a publicly treated corporation, you are still a slave to the board of directors, shareholders, etc. If you like to sit on your butt and be in the middle of boring meetings for a profession… or send and answer emails for a living .. might be more fun to be a cop or a firefighter, or even work for California Highway Patrol.

---

Be humble?

Being humble, humility, being close to the floor… Is the general notion of being humble. But maybe instead of being humble, being spartan is a better strategy?

ERIC

---

 

Mortally wounded

Lock. Frozen redemptions ? Genesis

Bloodthirsty during carnage?

.

Look at the past?

Cowboys

Go west

The wild Wild West

Bribes

Criminals

Economically murdering people

---

Don’t be static

Bitcoin is my day job

Emotions?

.

Read and watch the past thing

Cycles

$50M into bitcoin

.

$16,000 a Bitcoin

Take the long view

Less than 4 years, speculator

.

4-10 years not long enough

10+ , 100+ year time horizon

.

Spartan & Stoic Bitcoin Economics

.

75% draw down

.

How people deal with adversity –> stoicism?

Think 100 years

.

Invest in something for 300 years?

.

Attitude –>

BATMAN

.

THINK LONGER

20 years

200 years

.

$500M

Stock to flow

Hardness of a commodity

35 year half life of gold

Non linear mathematics

.

Stock to flow is 0–> bitcoin, 21 million

Stock to flow is infinitely

–> never spend or use your Bitcoin

P goes to infinity

.

Half life of infinity

Not 100 years

Property

2%, 2%-> 4% a year

4/70… 16 year half life

17 years half life

.

Triple net

Supreme Frugaliy

Godlike Frugality?

Theory of monopoly and money

Bitcoin is the monopoly

6%–>? The real cost?

–> they may just take the money and never get it back.

50 years, cost to capital ..

.

$1M, 4.5% interest on 1 year bond

450 basis points

Fail once 50 years

650 basis points

Tax –> 400 basis points after tax

.

The wisdom of fear

.

Real rich people drive Toyotas

.

Toyota over Tesla?

.

Fail every 10 years

.

30% counterparts risk for get paid only 4% after taxes

Buy a negative -26% yield thing…?

Last 3 years?

.

Last Longer!

Bodybuilding and weight lifting still to age 70?

.

No bodybuilder or weight lifter has made it to 70 years old

Clothes for 100 years?

.

Risk of owning equity

… read disclosures

.

Public equity

Amazon is down 50%

10x more risk

Negative real yield of 40-50%

1/2 chance going to 0. In cycle.

Doesn’t understand securities

.

Related party issues

Liquidate or not liquidate

.

Never check prices unless you’re planning on buying?

.

No, zero loan

0

.

Honest & Competent

Loan $0 dollars and $10M

.

Orders of magnitude, 3 orders of magnitude less!

Honesty & competency

.

What is a “token”?

.

Don’t need CEO, marketing or a “hackathon”–?

Token vs Security

Digital commodity –> BTC

.

What’s best for the human race?

.

Do the virtuous thing ***–> not the “right” thing?

Do the manly thing

.

Peer to peer

.

Bitcoin is freedom, Bitcoin is liberty?

Solidified freedom is Bitcoin?

Upcoming is always most interesting?

1. Ripping cds, dvds, burning them— takes waaaay too long
2. The average human being has no idea how to turn on a VPN, open up piratebay, and torrent stuff. Just leave it to the IT nerds, who wouldn’t have paid money for it anyways

Ultimately speed, convenience trumps all.

The will to simplicity 

Just get what’s cheapest 

Additive or subtractive?

A realization when listening to some old music, or some music that I listen to a lot back in 2017, 2018:

I’m a new man now.

For example, big things which have changed include the fact that I have a kid now, a three year old, three month son… And also, I no longer live in Vietnam, I live in LA, the states.

Also more recently, I did a lot of one rep Max weightlifting, hype lifting powerlifting style went back in Orange County, in which there was literally nothing else to do but go to the gym.

New place, new body?

But now, living in Los Angeles is different.  ironically enough, living here in Culver City, this is actually the most I’ve ever walked in my life. When I wake up in the morning, after I pounded my love espresso, the first thing I want to do is get my ass outside, enjoy the beautiful sun, the beautiful weather, and get outside and start walking!

Therefore, a big thought; the place in which you live does in fact shape you.

For example, life in Los Angeles, the difference between heaven and hell. Literally just a few blocks over, on the “Los Angeles side“, not the Culver City side, it sucks a lot. It is just like this really ugly and depressing oppressive asphalt combination of freeways, throughways, which are absolutely antagonistic towards walking. in fact, for these intersections, every time you decide to cross the intersection, even if you are 100% alert, no headphones on, not looking at a phone, you’re always taking some sort of risk. In fact now they have Seneca, every single time we walk across the street… Extreme extreme caution. Very very common for lots of cars here to run red lights, or people to text while driving etc.

My first thought is  I wonder if as civilians, or citizens… Is there a way in which when you observe people breaking the law in terms of running red lights or whatever, you can record them with your iPhone video… And upload it somewhere to report their poor behavior? For example, there needs to be some sort of citizen justice upload repository where the California highway police could report them or something.

Why new thoughts?

Something I’ve discovered in the realm of philosophy is that there is a strange bias or line of thinking that the proper thinker, philosopher, or visionary should think about something for a very very long time, but once they make up their mind, they stay staunch to their idea, and then they hold this belief forever.  then once one has made up one’s mind, to change your opinion and seen as a sign of weakness, or a sign of illegitimacy.

But, isn’t it more virtuous instead to always have an open mind? That if you discover ideas or thoughts which are contrary to your belief system ha ha you’re willing to change your belief system at a moment notice? 

For example, Michael Saylor talks a lot about positions, the guy who discovered that blood in fact circulated around your body from your heart. He said famously, that no doctor over the age of 40 would change their mind.

Or can you imagine, ancient Greeks were even the doctors who bled George Washington to death… This insane notion of blood letting, or bodily humors? Or beliefs in black bile?

I’m pretty proud of myself that I’ve always kept an open mind, the way to change my belief systems when either I discovered new information or knowledge, new research, or just through my own life experiences.

For example, the reason why I think I am so wise in regards to food diet health fitness is that I’ve literally tried everything under the sun. I’ve done the high carb diets, the low-carb diets, carnivore diet, ketogenic diet, intermittent fasting, eating six small meals a day etc. I’ve also done bodybuilding, weightlifting, powerlifting, HYPELIFTING (my invention), strongman-style training etc. and now, more off the grid exercises, walking around town with my 60 pound weight vest.  Funny note, I think in fact, my 60 pound weight vest might be the ultimate fashion accessory of them all. I called it my SEAT TEAM aesthetic. Kind of like John Wick on steroids.

New directions

“You never step into the same river twice” – Heraclitus

I suppose outside of life is that even if you wanted to, you could not always be static. Your body is ever evolving ever changing forever ebbing and flowing, whether you like it or not.

For example, even if you rewatch the films which had a big impact on you as a teenager, or your early 20s or whatever… Re-watching the film with brand new eyes, the film will have a different effect on you. For example, we watching the film 300… And now that I have a son, the scene in which the captain son’s gets the capitated is one of the most and sorrowful experiences because it becomes more real and visceral; this is why I think every single man thinker philosopher or innovator should have at least one son… I think Greek tragedy and Homeric epics only begin to make sense once you’ve had your first born son.

Even random stuff from the Bible… Like sacrificing the life or the blood or whatever of your firstborn son in order for XYZ… I would not trade the life of Seneca for one quadrillion dollars multiplied by a quadrillion. And, if I had to trade my life that cynic may live his, I would do it without even blinking.

Sacrifice?

“Love without sacrifices is theft” – NASSIM TALEB

I think before you get married and have kids whatever… The notion of sacrifice is a fuzzy one at best. Difficult to ascertain what sacrifice means.

Not only that… But I think the notion of sacrifice has a poor branding problem here; I think sacrifices too much self-flagellation, imagining these strange early Christian fathers and monks flagellating themselves in the back with barbed wire etc.

First, I think self sacrifice in the traditional sense is too macabre. For example, we consider most of Christian morality, it is all around Jesus sacrificing his life for others and for humanity, his beliefs etc. And also, much of modern day thinking revolves around the idea of being a martyr, martyr dumb; but I find the notion of a martyr to be a bad one, a barbaric one.

Even Nietzsche says that no cause on the planet is ever worth self martyred done; that anybody who intentionally marches himself, is actually seeking suicide with some sort of legitimacy.

More interestingly enough, apparently one of the really really ancient Greeks, a real figure, is reported to have discarded his shield and spear in order to save his own life, his name was Atillochus or something?  he was one of the earliest Greek hop light poets, who famously stated that practically nothing in life was worth his life, no cause was worth sacrificing on life, and I think this is actually true and wise; I see no cause on the planet worth sacrificing my own life For Seneca and humanity… Even Achilles says in the Iliad how no cause was worth his life.

New ethoses of virtue?

I suppose the difficult thing here is that we need to create new notions of heroism, and virtue which is not centered around self-flagellation, self abnegation, self suicide, or martyrdom.

What we need instead is more virtuous solutions to things, more hardy, manly approaches to things. 

The Spartan approach

For example, a simple thought is the spartan approach to things. The general idea is that imagine that you live in the Spartan world, the movie 300… Assuming that you are king Lee and I this… What is the impetus of your life? To buy a car? This is insane!

Note in the movie 300, which I consider mandatory viewing for any man, king Leonidas and his 300 never use any vehicles, nor touch them. And also in terms of their equipment, insanely sparse; for the most part when they are just hanging around in town, they are essentially practically naked, just wearing a piece, bare chested, they’re only fashion accessory is there crimson cape which reaches the floor.

And also when they get into battle, essentially all they put on is greaves to protect their shins, forearm armor, helmets, sword shield and spear.  Also interesting to note is if you look closely… They’re just wearing sandals! Even in battle! And I think if you read the Iliad closely, the whole time everyone is just wearing open toed sandals. 

Anti capitalist approaches

Everyone is trying to get you to purchase something. Why? This is how capital, capitalism, works. If nobody ever purchases anything, nothing moves nothing works.

I actually had a funny business slot idea; is it possible to make money by encouraging people to get rid of things? Maybe Marie Kondo?

For example, the fitness industry or a gym or a gym trainer doesn’t benefit when you decide to cancel your gym membership, stop watching YouTube with advertisements, and decide to just work out at home, or start hiking in the mountains or the steps etc. Just watch it, trust no YouTube fitness influencer who either promote advertisements, promotes products, or has any sort of advertisements on it. Yeah yeah yeah everyone has to make a living, but know that anything you watch for free is essentially an advertisement for something.

If you really want to know people who trust, the best is to trust people who are just either independently wealthy, or they earn their money elsewhere; nowadays, my creation is through crypto and bitcoin, as a consequence, I suppose you could just trust me more in realms outside of crypto or bitcoin; putting more faith in my thoughts on philosophy, life philosophy, fitness etc. 

Nothing wrong about making money

Certainly there is nothing wrong about making money. In fact, a lot of making money is virtuous, because what money movement is is getting humans to be active, do stuff, perform labor, get the plan and moving. Movement is a good thing.

Imagine a bad world in which everyone was just hooked up to the oculus headset, never leave their apartment, this would be bad.

I suppose the nuance here is making your money your slave, not becoming a slave to money. 

What that means is certainly there are certain non-negotiables like paying rent, for food etc. But I suppose the wisdom here is trying to figure out how to intelligently leverage money in a virtuous positive way, which aligns with your core values.

For example, rent is a big issue, but I think one of the most intelligent like to you could do is rent a very expensive place in an extremely desirable area which allows maximum walking. In this regard, I have zero qualms about paying $3200 a month for our lovely two bedroom 1 bath here in Culver City. 

However, other simple ways to save money. Or to not deplete your money:

1. Don’t consume alcohol, whether at home or at the club or at the bar, at the restaurant etc. Nobody is putting a gun to your head and forcing you to consume alcohol. And also, some Canadian researchers have discovered that any sort of consumption alcohol is positively toxic to your body. I think this whole notion of drinking a glass of red wine a day whatever is some sinister loving from the alcohol fermented grape juice corporation; in order for fat rich old sick people to feel better about themselves.
2. Don’t smoke marijuana, consume CBD, or any weird drugs. I think it is good that they marijuana, but just because other people do it doesn’t mean you have to. Certainly there seems to be certain therapeutic upsides of marijuana if you’re dying of cancer or whatever… But if you’re overall healthy Bodied human being, my thought is the downsides of marijuana might outweigh the positives. There’s no such thing as a biological free lunch.
3. Don’t eat out, don’t order takeout, don’t order food delivery. It seems here this is where 99% of millennials blow their money. It is very very easy and simple to just cook at home!

---

Beverages

Real men consumed tapwater, or filtered water from home. Or water fountains. Don’t be a fool who purchases filtered water or even worse these pseudoscientific notions of alkaline water; this is almost came to me as having people measure your cranium for your intelligence levels etc.

I think the only beverages which are legitimate include water and black coffee straight up. Nothing else. Real or fake. 

Meat is cheap

Also another funny irony is if you want to save money on food, being a 100% carnivore is probably one of the most frugal things you could do. Why? Meet is cheap! And the average human can’t even eat that much of it.

If you think really critically about it… vegetables and fruit are actually far more expensive than meat.

I often see all these advertisements about ending hunger for kids whatever… the simplest solution would just be getting kids on 100% carnivore diet! 

Being naked is the best outfit

There is a very new popular clothing brand for women called reformation. And they have very clever marketing slogans like “the best outfit is being naked”.

When I think about fashion in general and clothing… My  generalized idea is the thought:

What is the function of this clothing? To hide your body ugliness and shame? Or to highlight it, and accentuate your body’s natural beauty? 

One thing I’ve discovered in regards to clothing and fashion is that the whole industry is centered around making you feel bad and embarrassed by yourself. To feel Lam, uncool, unwanted.

Even 99.9% of all these silly sneaker stuff; now that it is insane that you could purchase $700 sneakers… That somehow, feet are something to be ashamed of? Even for myself, I think the only reason people don’t wear the VR five fingers shoes is that they look weird. But besides this they are superior to any other show out there and every single shape form and way.

And also, it looks like a big issue in today’s world is that so many people are becoming over fat, I’ve even seen some random YouTube advertisements for women for some sort of body lotion or balm which prevents chafing in between your fat rolls? 

Fasting is the way

Assuming the adipose tissue, fat, your bodily fat is an organic battery… In theory you could probably live up to 60 days without eating any food, assuming you still drink water.

When you decide to fast, or getting into interment fasting in which you don’t need breakfast or lunch, only dinner… All of these evil flavored beverage companies don’t make a profit.

Once again, nobody earns money when the dietary fed is to not consume food or not to consume beverages.

For the most part, nobody earns a profit when you go “via negativa”.

Or let us consider… If you decide to delete Instagram, this is not good news for Facebook meta corporation.  Almost wonder if Facebook and Meda and Instagram is like the new AOL; they will do everything in their power to incentivize your friend unsubscribing or quitting.

Or can you imagine like the evil Philip Morris corporation making a positive positively difficult for you to quit smoking cigarettes? Or even worse, starting to market or brand your three year old toddler to start smoking cigarettes? Saying that is “OK in moderation?”

---

Think the ancients

I think the reason why I like thinking ancient thoughts, or reading ancient literature is that a lot of this ancient Greek world is before money or coinage was invented. Therefore, ancient Greeks were not capitalistic; certainly they believe in things like war, plunder, seizing prizes, battle etc.… But, no silly consumerist notions.

Just start carte blanche. Get rid of all of your old music literature books whatever, and start fresh.

ERIC

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For any investment, speculation, or reason in anything… All you need is one reason. 

Subtractive innovation

True innovations; subtracting things, making things simpler?

For example, getting rid of counterpart, counterpart risk, as well as subtracting the middleman?

Getting rid of the trusted third-party.

Honesty?

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Electronic transactions, which do not require “trust”

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Peer to peer is the future?

Decentralized peer to peer?

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What would things in life look like, if you literally did purchase nothing, extreme insane frugality? 

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Health

The easiest health thing you could do is just get your ass outside, and go on a walk, around the block, to the local park, to the local nature preserve, going up and down steps, etc. Whatever.

And then simple ways to build build muscle and get stronger to get into calisthenics, muscle ups, chin ups etc.

Or very very cheap ways to build and muscular leg string is to just buy some heavy sand bags from Home Depot, which you could literally buy a 50 pound bag for only three dollars!

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Food

As an experiment, just see if you go month, two months, three months without eating out, or ordering takeout or delivery delivery whatever.

And just cook all your food at home!

NoSco?

Or even try to go a month or two without visiting Costco; I love Costco to death, but still… Every time Cindy and I visit, it seems easy to drop $400 or $500 on a bunch of random stuff!

I’m more disciplined approach is using Amazon fresh, Amazon‘s grocery store. They have ground beef and eggs for very cheap. Also, eggs at Trader Joe’s is really cheap as well.

Other cheap groceries include Aldi’s, or even your local Mexican grocery store, meat market.

Clothing?

I am probably the most minimalist person I know, but even for myself, I still somehow have a huge closet full of random clothes, I purchased from almost a decade ago.

My suggestion is maybe, anytime you want a new outfit, just take an old article of clothing, and cut it up with scissors! Turn that old T-shirt into a tank top or sleeve shirt, or a crop top!

Or maybe even take that old pair jeans and turn them into Jean shorts?

Sometimes the best creativity you could do is by cutting stuff away, subtracting, or getting rid of stuff.

Or if you’re a man, just walk around topless without a shirt on! The only thing you must wear our pants, some black shorts are fine. 

Cars

If you want a new car, just get a virtual car. Here this is where video games make sense; just purchase a video game racing car simulator on your iPhone iPad, or PlayStation or virtual reality set up whatever. This will save you a lot of money and headache.

And this is where I thinking about virtual things in the meta-verse is interesting; with cars, I think we like the idea of owning a certain car, but nobody actually likes to really own it in real life.

For example, let it say I did buy that Lamborghini I wanted, now that I could afford them all. But, the stress and anxiety of having some random hooligan key a penis into it?

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Facebook buy nothing group

I think the saving grace of Facebook is the Facebook by nothing group; in which literally almost 99% of our baby stuff we got for free! If I do some calculations, I think we might’ve saved at least $10,000 on baby stuff guy getting it all for free from the group! 

The number one common myth about having a kid is that it is expensive. Literally all the babies stuff you get this for free from this group, and then inevitably once you have a kid, you’re going to get so much free stuff from friends and family that you don’t ever have to really purchase anything.

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How Amazon prime can save you money

Amazon prime if you do it intelligently can save you a lot of money. For example, I lost my old leather Cohan shoes, and I’m going to a wedding soon, and I just need some simple all black sneakers. I’m so happy I was able to order a pair of random ”L run” black men’s sneakers, with zero drop minimalist wide toolbox, for only 30 bucks deliver straight to my door. Instead of having to buy some sort of loser overpriced designer shoes.

Also, I think when you go into a store to browse, it is not only a waste of time, but also the biggest issue here is that you end up buying things you don’t need.

Amazon prime is good as if you use like a laser; to only target and purchase things you actually need.

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How to intelligently purchase things

you never need a reason to buy something. Either buy it or you don’t. Simple as that. 

1. When in doubt, don’t buy it.
2. Before buying something, think about it for at least 60 days
3. When you do buy something, imagine like you’re going to use it by the time you’re older; can use it for the next 30 years?

Time robustness

I think the reason why black is a good choice is that it will still be good 30 years from now. Colors come and go in terms of fashion.

Technically why is also good, but I suppose the issue is that overtime, it will get dirty. Unless you want the dirtiness to be an aesthetic fashion thing?

Black is often just easier.

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Real men drive Priuses

I have a fun game that I like to play with car dealers and car sales mints; having them guess what car I drive. Typically they think I drive a Tesla model X or something… And then finally after about five minutes of back-and-forth, they never guess that I drive a Prius!

In fact, starting my ERIC KIM CULT — the prerequisite for joining is having a Toyota Prius! For myself, I think the best bang for the buck is the 2010 Prius; the most JDM styled design – timeless design. The generation previous is too bubbly, the generations afterwards are cool but not really necessary. 

In fact, why have I not yet seen somebody Matte Black wrap their Prius? Especially the new new Prius, which essentially looks like a Porsche 911 from behind!

Cocaine white

Honestly I think the whole trend for people wanting to have black on black cars, murdered out, or Matt black wraps whatever is that somehow they want to look like a gangster? Or like Batman?

White is far superior; in the realm of cars.

If you want to sound like a gangster, just say that your white Prius is “cocaine white”– or “white girl” (E-40 slang for cocaine).

Obviously I do not promote drugs or cocaine; but this is a funny tongue in cheek rebranding of things you could do to make the color white on cars “cool”.

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Being sober is more manly

One thing I think that is bad about alcohol is that people think of it like liquid courage. For example, even photographers and street furs who need to have a beer or two, or consume alcohol before having the courage to shoot photography. This is bad.  

Vs…

“Intentionally rattle up and damage”