{"id":26281,"date":"2015-12-10T11:16:21","date_gmt":"2015-12-10T19:16:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=26281"},"modified":"2015-12-11T16:06:13","modified_gmt":"2015-12-12T00:06:13","slug":"hack-away-at-the-unessential","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2015\/12\/10\/hack-away-at-the-unessential\/","title":{"rendered":"Hack Away at the Unessential"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Marseille,
Marseille, 2015 #cindyproject<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not the daily increase but the daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d – Bruce Lee<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/p>\n

I just watched the new Steve Jobs movie last night, and loved the scene when Steve Jobs shitted on John Sculley (on the failure of the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Newton\u00e2\u20ac\u009d).<\/p>\n

\n John, the reason the Newton failed is because it has a stylus.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Funny enough\u00e2\u20ac\u201d you can kind of see how Apple is starting to lose its core value\u00e2\u20ac\u201d which is to hack away at the inessential (Bruce Lee).<\/p>\n

What Steve Jobs would have hated about the iPad Pro<\/h2>\n

I just saw the iPad pro announcement, and I was aghast. I thought to myself, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What would Steve say if he were still alive?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

The whole point of the iPad is that Steve didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t<\/em> want a stylus or a keyboard. This is what helped him (and the Apple team) innovate the iPad to be able to be used without<\/em> a stylus or a keyboard.<\/p>\n

Now you see the new iPad Pro\u00e2\u20ac\u201d and there are several things Steve would have been pissed off with:<\/p>\n

1. Size<\/h3>\n

I re-read Steve Jobs\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 biography by Walter Isaacson\u00e2\u20ac\u201d and I remember reading how Jobs would test hundreds of different screen sizes with Jony Ive\u00e2\u20ac\u201d to find the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153perfect\u00e2\u20ac\u009d size for a tablet (what the iPad Air 2 currently is).<\/p>\n

I briefly saw the iPad Pro in a store, and it was pretty ridiculous. Do you really need 13\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 for a tablet? What do you need with all that extra space?<\/p>\n

One of the biggest mistakes us Americans make is this: we assume everything bigger is better.<\/p>\n

But what if the opposite was true\u00e2\u20ac\u201d that innovation was being able to make do with less<\/em>? Often having a smaller screen helps you be more productive, more creative, and more innovative. The iPhone 4s is probably the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153perfect\u00e2\u20ac\u009d size for a smartphone\u00e2\u20ac\u201d Steve said you could reach every corner of the screen with your thumb without moving your palm. Unfortunately all these mega-big \u00e2\u20ac\u0153phablets\u00e2\u20ac\u009d aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t engineered for our human bodies (there are limits to the size of our hands).<\/p>\n

Anyways going back to the iPad pro\u00e2\u20ac\u201d it is this awkward device that isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t quite a laptop or a tablet. It is like the awkward teenager who doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t quite know which social clique he fits into\u00e2\u20ac\u201d and tries to tread the line between being an \u00e2\u20ac\u0153emo\u00e2\u20ac\u009d kid and a jock. It doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t quite work.<\/p>\n

2. Adding superfluous add-ons<\/h3>\n

No Apple\u00e2\u20ac\u201d we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Pencil\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (glorified marketing for a stylus) nor do we need a detachable keyboard. If we \u00e2\u20ac\u0153needed\u00e2\u20ac\u009d these things we would just buy a Microsoft Surface (ironically enough\u00e2\u20ac\u201d it seems that Microsoft is starting to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153innovate\u00e2\u20ac\u009d more than Apple nowadays).<\/p>\n

Hacking away at the inessential was Steves\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 mission. Even when making the original iPod, he wanted everything to be accessible with at least 3 clicks. With the iPhone, he kept asking \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Is this really necessary?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Without that devotion to ruthlessly editing the inessentials, we might still have Windows phones with 100\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s of buttons.<\/p>\n

More add-ons=more weight, more complications, more stuff to charge.<\/p>\n

3. Wanting to sell more shit<\/h3>\n

Honestly, I admire Apple so much, and idolize Steve Jobs. But honestly at this point\u00e2\u20ac\u201d it seems that all Apple is interested in isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153innovate\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, but to just sell more products (probably to the Chinese market).<\/p>\n

I look at companies like Leica\u00e2\u20ac\u201d they have also (mostly) wavered from their true identity\u00e2\u20ac\u201d to have a few core products, and doing them damn well. But look at Leica\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s new products (T, Q, etc) \u00e2\u20ac\u201d and they are essentially expensive cameras to (once again) sell to the Chinese market (they have tons of money and an expanding consumerist base).<\/p>\n

I think we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re at the point where hardware has \u00e2\u20ac\u0153maxed out\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201d do we really need bigger screens, faster processors, or more space? I think the point we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re limited is by the software \u00e2\u20ac\u201d not the hardware. It is going to take a lot of new \u00e2\u20ac\u0153innovation\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in software to drive innovation forward (I love how the iPad can imitate a track-pad\u00e2\u20ac\u201d that is one of the newest great innovations).<\/p>\n

The future is in the past<\/h2>\n

I think about innovation a lot. I like the idea of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153revolutionizing\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (Karl Marx) and overthrowing the old\u00e2\u20ac\u201d and paving way for the new.<\/p>\n

Ironically enough, the future is in the past (credit Nassim Taleb from \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Antifragile\u00e2\u20ac\u009d).<\/p>\n

The iPad wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153revolutionary\u00e2\u20ac\u009d device\u00e2\u20ac\u201d it is a re-imagined stone tablet from thousands of years ago.<\/p>\n

The Kindle isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t innovative at all\u00e2\u20ac\u201d it is just a replication of a small paperback book (ironically enough, what makes the Kindle more technologically advanced is that it simulates the older<\/em> technology of paper).<\/p>\n

Uninstall one app everyday<\/h2>\n

I have tried to be be more \u00e2\u20ac\u0153efficient\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153optimized\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in my life by downloading new apps everyday.<\/p>\n

But I took a note from Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching) in which he says that the fool adds one thing a day, and the master subtracts one thing a day.<\/p>\n

So I tried an experiment with my smartphone\u00e2\u20ac\u201d instead of installing a new app a day, I would uninstall an app everyday<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Holy shit, this is the first time in a long time I have finally regained control of my brain. I feel my phone is now my slave\u00e2\u20ac\u201d rather than me being a slave to my phone.<\/p>\n

Superfluous things I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve removed from my phone:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter)<\/li>\n
  • Email (shit this is the best removal ever\u00e2\u20ac\u201d now instead of checking my email when I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m waiting for the bathroom I can actually admire the walls and be okay with being \u00e2\u20ac\u0153bored\u00e2\u20ac\u009d)<\/li>\n
  • Notifications (without shit popping out in my face all the time, I can actually focus when using my phone)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    It was scary at first to uninstall things\u00e2\u20ac\u201d but remember; you can always re-install them later.<\/p>\n

    I did this experiment the last 3 months, and the only \u00e2\u20ac\u0153essential\u00e2\u20ac\u009d things that have lived on my phone include:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Evernote<\/li>\n
    • Uber<\/li>\n
    • What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s App<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Honestly everything else feels superfluous.<\/p>\n

      So friend\u00e2\u20ac\u201d if you really want to learn how to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153focus\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153innovate\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201d see how you can continue to ruthlessly subtract from your life.<\/p>\n

      Limit yourself to 3 options<\/h2>\n

      Recently on my blog, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m trying to ruthlessly minimize everything. For some reason I am drawn to the number 3\u00e2\u20ac\u201d the holy number (trifecta, the trinity, etc) is that it feels perfectly balanced.<\/p>\n

      So on my blog, I am keeping the menu only limited to 3 pages. Why? This helps me \u00e2\u20ac\u0153innovate\u00e2\u20ac\u009d by reducing the superfluous from my site. It keeps me focused, and provides more information with less clutter.<\/p>\n

      Furthermore, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m limiting my website portfolio to only 3 projects. If I want to add another project, I need to figure out 1 project to remove. This means less is more\u00e2\u20ac\u201d I only show my best work, and it is a true test to show what I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m truly dedicated to.<\/p>\n

      More devices, more problems<\/h2>\n

      So friend in your life see how you can \u00e2\u20ac\u0153innovate\u00e2\u20ac\u009d with getting by with less.<\/p>\n

      \n More devices, more problems\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

      I am a sucker to technology, I love buying new shit, and geeking out at the Apple store.<\/p>\n

      But if you really want to be focused and innovate in your life, only have the essential devices you need in your life.<\/p>\n

      For me that is just 2 things: a smartphone and a laptop. Everything else is a distraction.<\/p>\n

      Focusing is hard. But eliminating distractions are easier. Once you eliminate distractions, there is nothing left but to work.<\/p>\n

      Similarly on my laptop, I tried to do the same experiment as my smartphone (uninstall one app a day). I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m running pretty lean now, all I have is:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • Lightroom<\/li>\n
      • Photoshop<\/li>\n
      • iA Writer (best app ever, using this to type this right now)<\/li>\n
      • Evernote<\/li>\n
      • iBooks author (to make e-books, PDF, etc)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        The benefits of constantly uninstalling apps I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need\u00e2\u20ac\u201d the computer runs faster, is more memory-efficient, and once again\u00e2\u20ac\u201d fewer things to distract me.<\/p>\n

        Nowadays even when I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m browsing the web\u00e2\u20ac\u201d I try to use the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153one tab\u00e2\u20ac\u009d rule\u00e2\u20ac\u201d I focus on each site one at a time. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not allowed to have more than one tab open (unless I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m doing finances in Google Sheets with Paypal or something). This helps me focus at one thing at a time.<\/p>\n

        Even when I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m with Cindy, I will try to do only one thing at a time. If I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m having dinner with her, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m turning off my phone. No not silencing or setting it to vibrate\u00e2\u20ac\u201d turning it off<\/strong>. Off, completely. This helps me be fully-present with her.<\/p>\n

        Even when I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m dicking around on my smartphone I will focus:<\/p>\n

        \n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Right now I am only going to focus dicking around on my smartphone.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

        Once I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m doing screwing around on my phone, then onto better stuff.<\/p>\n

        Kill distractions; then it is easy to focus<\/h2>\n

        Be ruthless about eliminating distractions.<\/p>\n

        I love spotify, but I get distracted. Rather than enjoying the song I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m listening to right now, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m seeking the next new new song to download and listen.<\/p>\n

        Even now, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m using an old iPod nano (the clip one with the Lcd screen)\u00e2\u20ac\u201d and I only have two albums on it (Dr. Dre \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Compton\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and Kendrick Lamar \u00e2\u20ac\u0153To Pimp a Buttefly\u00e2\u20ac\u009d) \u00e2\u20ac\u201d and I listen to each album beginning-to-end.<\/p>\n

        I love books, and have tried to use all the different devices (iPad, Kindle Paperwhite, smartphone)\u00e2\u20ac\u201d but frankly speaking, the book is the perfect \u00e2\u20ac\u0153technology\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/p>\n

        Why?<\/p>\n

        You don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have shit distracting you when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re reading. When I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m using the Kindle app now\u00e2\u20ac\u201d I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m distracted by the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153calculating reading speed\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, the loading animation for screen-turns, the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153highlighting + notes + social sharing\u00e2\u20ac\u009d features, and all this extraneous bullshit which takes away from the pure reading experience.<\/p>\n

        With the physical book (yeah it sucks carrying the extra weight) the benefit is that you never need to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153upgrade\u00e2\u20ac\u009d it. I can give my Steve Jobs book to my future child 5 years from now, and my future child can give that to his future child 40 years from now, and so on.<\/p>\n

        Can you imagine giving your future kid your Kindle paper white with your e-books? Fuck that.<\/p>\n

        Even with photography\u00e2\u20ac\u201d I love technology and all these new \u00e2\u20ac\u0153innovations.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d But to be honest\u00e2\u20ac\u201d no digital camera is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153relevant\u00e2\u20ac\u009d after about 2-3 years (same cycle as smartphone). However with a film camera (film Leica)\u00e2\u20ac\u201d you can use it (in theory) for your entire life, and it will still be usable 200 years from now (most film Leica\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s are fully-mechanical, and can take photos without a battery).<\/p>\n

        Look to the past<\/h2>\n

        What really is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153innovation\u00e2\u20ac\u009d?<\/p>\n

        Steve Jobs says innovation isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t to pick good ideas\u00e2\u20ac\u201d but to say \u00e2\u20ac\u0153no\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to 1000\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s of great ideas (and focusing on the 1-3 good ones).<\/p>\n

        For me, innovation is to hack away at the inessential\u00e2\u20ac\u201d and finding inspiration from the past.<\/p>\n

        In photography that means finding inspiration from the masters of photography (Henri Cartier-Bresson, Josef Koudelka, Andre Kertesz) rather than looking at Terry Richardson or any other contemporary photographer.<\/p>\n

        In design that means looking at Roman architecture, looking at nature (funny enough how \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcmodern\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 architecture is just imitating nature with stone, wood, and water).<\/p>\n

        In technology that means subtracting<\/em> superfluous excess (the Vibram Five-fingers essentially removes the need of a padded shoe, and imitates our walking as hunter-gatherers from the past). The iPhone is innovative because it removed all the inessential buttons. The Macbook laptops were innovative because they removed the CD rom drive (they invented the future \u00e2\u20ac\u201d I actually think the new 12\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Macbook is the best innovation from apple since the Macbook Air). I also see the new digital Leica M is innovative (the one that doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have the extraneous \u00e2\u20ac\u0153live view\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and video functions).<\/p>\n

        Please please please camera companies, computer companies, and any other tech companies (if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re reading this) \u00e2\u20ac\u201d rather than adding features to your new products, see how you can remove<\/em> features from your future devices.<\/p>\n

        Samsung \u00e2\u20ac\u0153innovated\u00e2\u20ac\u009d with the Galaxy S6 by removing<\/em> the option of a removable battery, expandable storage, and a back that is open-able (it essentially copied the iPhone).<\/p>\n

        Leica also innovated with their Monochrom by removing<\/em> the option to shoot color (it only shoots in black-and-white). Fewer choices, more freedom, and more innovation. Think of it as a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153creative constraint.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

        Subtract the inessentials<\/h2>\n

        So if you haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t yet\u00e2\u20ac\u201d I highly recommend watching the new Steve Jobs movie, and better yet\u00e2\u20ac\u201d reading the Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson.<\/p>\n

        And see how you can subtract the inessential from your life \u00e2\u20ac\u201d hack away shitty friends, shitty family, shitty products, extraneous luggage, furniture you never use, gadgets that are collecting dust on your shelf, clothes you haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t worn in 6 months, and anything else holding you back.<\/p>\n

        A good quote to make you inspired:<\/p>\n

        \n “I do not intend to fasten upon my back a burden like this, of which I never can get rid of myself, nor do I nimble and lightly equipped as I am, mean to hinder my progress by plunging into the deep morass of business transactions” – Demetrius\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

        Subtract, ruthlessly, be light, free, and happy.<\/p>\n

        Always yours,
        \nEric<\/p>\n

        Thursday, 10:54am, Dec 10, 2015 @ Free Speech Movement Cafe at UC Berkeley<\/p>\n

        Oh yeah something that inspired me here (saw this as a plaque here), when Diogenes was asked what was the greatest good for men it was:<\/p>\n

        \n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Freedom of speech.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

        Farewell and create some beautiful art, ignore the people who try to hold you back, and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153do you.<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not the daily increase but the daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d – Bruce Lee<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26282,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-posts"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/IMG_1025.jpg?fit=1545%2C1024&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26281"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26281\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}