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Learn from the masters

All 100 lessons

Here is a summary of the “100 Lessons From the Masters of Street Photography” by Eric Kim, formatted into a numbered list:

1. Fulfill your personal maximum.
2. Get closer to your subjects.
3. Shoot 25% more than you think you should.
4. Shoot from the gut, not the brain.
5. The “.7 Meter Challenge” – get comfortable shooting close.
6. Let your photos “marinate” before reviewing.
7. Don’t shoot from the hip, use your viewfinder.
8. Influence the scene, don’t be afraid to interact with subjects.
9. Avoid cropping to improve your composition.
10. Focus on the edges of your frame.
11. Emotionally detach yourself from your photos.
12. Create context in your frame.
13. Provoke your subjects.
14. If you miss the decisive moment, ask your subject to repeat it.
15. Don’t be a slave to your camera.
16. Cure yourself of “G.A.S.” (Gear Acquisition Syndrome).
17. Embrace “beginner’s mind.”
18. Shoot how you feel.
19. Limitations are freedom.
20. Document your life.
21. Shoot with a “stream-of-consciousness.”
22. Shoot what it feels like, not just what it looks like.
23. Embrace failure.
24. Don’t overanalyze your photos.
25. Focus on the process, not just the result.
26. Your best photos might come from your worst days.
27. Engage with your subjects.
28. Seek inspiration from other forms of art.
29. Keep your camera ready at all times.
30. Find beauty in the mundane.
31. Pay attention to light and shadows.
32. Practice patience; wait for the right moment.
33. Use your camera as a tool for storytelling.
34. Be willing to take risks in your photography.
35. Develop your unique style and voice.
36. Learn from the masters, but make your own rules.
37. Focus on emotions rather than technical perfection.
38. Capture the essence of a scene, not just its appearance.
39. Trust your instincts.
40. Always be curious and explore new places.
41. Look for contrasts in your scenes.
42. Don’t be afraid to shoot in bad weather.
43. Experiment with different perspectives and angles.
44. Capture movement and energy in your photos.
45. Look for symmetry and patterns.
46. Use reflections creatively.
47. Capture candid moments rather than posed ones.
48. Be aware of your surroundings.
49. Practice shooting in different lighting conditions.
50. Observe people and their interactions.
51. Develop a routine to get into the flow of shooting.
52. Study your photos to understand what works and what doesn’t.
53. Embrace imperfections in your photos.
54. Experiment with different focal lengths.
55. Focus on one project or theme at a time.
56. Capture the culture and spirit of a place.
57. Use photography as a way to connect with others.
58. Look for humor in everyday life.
59. Create a strong focal point in your photos.
60. Use negative space to enhance your compositions.
61. Capture the mood of a scene.
62. Use lines and shapes to guide the viewer’s eye.
63. Look for juxtapositions in your scenes.
64. Be persistent; great shots often require patience.
65. Focus on storytelling, not just aesthetics.
66. Use layers to add depth to your photos.
67. Capture the essence of a person, not just their appearance.
68. Use color to convey emotion.
69. Pay attention to details.
70. Capture the energy of a city or place.
71. Use light to create mood and atmosphere.
72. Experiment with different shutter speeds.
73. Develop your own creative process.
74. Use shadows to add drama to your photos.
75. Look for gestures and body language.
76. Capture the contrast between old and new.
77. Use your photos to ask questions, not just provide answers.
78. Be open to serendipity.
79. Look for repetition and rhythm in your scenes.
80. Use photography as a way to understand the world.
81. Capture the texture of a place.
82. Use photography as a way to express yourself.
83. Focus on capturing feelings rather than just scenes.
84. Be patient and wait for the right moment.
85. Use your photos to tell a story.
86. Capture the beauty of the ordinary.
87. Focus on capturing authentic moments.
88. Use photography as a way to connect with people.
89. Capture the spirit of a place or event.
90. Be willing to experiment and try new things.
91. Use light and shadow to create contrast.
92. Capture the mood of a moment.
93. Use your photos to provoke thought and emotion.
94. Focus on capturing the essence of a scene.
95. Use your camera as a tool for exploration.
96. Capture the beauty of imperfection.
97. Use photography as a way to learn about yourself.
98. Capture the energy and vibrancy of a place.
99. Use photography as a way to connect with the world.
100. Keep shooting, keep learning, and never stop exploring.

This summarized list captures the essence of the lessons shared in the document. If you need more details or a specific explanation for any of the lessons, feel free to ask!

Summarize to Numbered List

Here is a summarized version of the “100 Lessons From the Masters of Street Photography” by Eric Kim:

1. Fulfill your personal maximum.
2. Get closer to your subjects.
3. Shoot 25% more than you think you should.
4. Shoot from the gut, not the brain.
5. The “.7 Meter Challenge” – get comfortable shooting close.
6. Let your photos “marinate” before reviewing.
7. Don’t shoot from the hip, use your viewfinder.
8. Influence the scene, don’t be afraid to interact with subjects.
9. Avoid cropping to improve your composition.
10. Focus on the edges of your frame.

For more details, you can view the full list here.

Some honest thoughts:

1. Insane Spartan frugality 

This is what people do not understand or get; technically, if you want to become a millionaire, the goal is actually to never spend any money. Just like Kanye said, “White people make money don’t spend it – but I’d rather buy 80 gold chains and go ignant (ignorant)”.

What that means is don’t buy the Tesla, don’t buy the single-family home, don’t buy the condo, don’t buy these stupid overpriced clothing, don’t buy random stuff at Costco.

What that then means is cancel anything which requires a subscription, and funnel all that money into bitcoin. If you could take that $10 a month, that you’re pissing away into the toilet into Netflix Netflix Hulu Disney+ HBO Max etc.… Or even Spotify… And you could put that into bitcoin? Assuming that bitcoin will 10,000x from here ,,, that $10 a month will become 100 a month, 1000 month, or $10,000 a month.

If I told you with 100% certainty that the Spotify you pay $10 a month, when the future be worth $10,000 a month… Wouldn’t the rational thing to do is to unsubscribe from it and buy bitcoin instead? Obviously!

2. Why bitcoin is hope and optimism 

I think the simple reason why bitcoin is hope and optimism is because the potential that bitcoin could be worth $21 million a bitcoin or whatever. Or if I give you the simple thought that bitcoin will go up, year over year, 25%, compounded interest forever… And you simply plug that into ChatGPT to create you a future graph, wouldn’t you invest your money differently? 

Or even more extreme… If I told you with 100% certainty that bitcoin would go up 55% year over here, for the next 500 years… Wouldn’t you use your money differently? Or not use your money differently? 

3. Having kids

The funny irony is that having kids is actually not expensive. Literally almost 100% of kids stuff you get for free from friends and family, or the Facebook by nothing group. I think the only concern that people have is having to put your kids into daycare, or childcare, which can get expensive.

I don’t think anybody should ever have to pay for childcare. This is where if you have grandparent help, grandma or grandfather on either side… Ideally all of them, all the time, this is the key.

Let us consider, if you’re married, in theory you should have a grandfather and a grandmother on both sides, for grandparents. Even if some people have passed, often you will have at least one or two grandmothers who are more than willing to take care of your kid full-time.

4. Free or nothing

Let us think about it now, at this point clothing is essentially free. If you have to pay money, even $10 to purchase something, it is simply too expensive. Just get it for free. Once again the Facebook group, or even ask friends or family members if you have extra clothes that they don’t wear anymore whether they could give it to you.

I think the real secret to success and riches is to get everything for free! For example, all these celebrities etc.… I don’t think they have ever spent their own money on buying an iPhone, a Samsung phone or whatever. Apparently even Lil Wayne would get Samsung phones for free!

And also cars… I think the logical strategy is to never spend any money to buy a car, ideally you would just get it for free! You might be able to get a free car from a family member who wants to dump it or traded in or whatever, and just fix it up and drive it! Or other successful people that have met, you just buy the car at a car auction, in which you buy some thing at an extreme discount. 

5. Never buy new

Anybody who purchases any new vehicle, is a 100% fool.  Even if you bought a Tesla model three performance, for about $60,000.05 years ago… That car is not only worth about 20 or $25,000. This is the exact opposite of rich, this is a surefire recipe on getting poor.

6. Tax intelligence

My definition of what it means to be a citizen is superior taxes. Yet the intelligent thing is to try to not do anything which can incur capital gains taxes.

This means you buy your bitcoin, and theory, you hold onto it forever… And you just keep accumulating it, rather than selling it, which is a capital gains tax, or even sending it to people, I think in America if you send  bitcoin to other people you have to pay some sort of tax.

Also, the intelligence of being a soul provider, is that you could pretty much file almost anything as a tax deduction! But, to simply purchase things in order to log it as a tax deduction is also a foolish idea.

The supreme idea is to just live insanely frugally!

7. There is no second best

Better to be number one in a very small niche, then to be number two in a big one. 

So whatever business or thing you pursue, ensure that you are number one. Or don’t bother at all?

The very weird bias in today’s world; the general idea that black is bad. Typically, with things… we think and see that blacker is worse. 

For example, purity is typically seen as white. But if you think about the yin and yang, technically… the black and the white are equal and one and the same, a co-part of one another. 

For example, man and woman. Technically, there is no real reason why men should be superior to women and vice versa.

Man needs woman, woman needs man.

Even on a very very basic perspective… you modern day fools; don’t you know that in order to beget children, we need both man and woman? 

I think honestly, both sides are at fault here. I think there are some men who think that they could live without women, and just jerk off to their internet porn girlfriends instead, and also similar speaking… women who think that they have no need for men either. And both sides see companionship through a dog? Very weird. 

Anyways, we could just ignore them, because honestly… The Earth and the planet will be fine. Regardless of all these weird anti-trend kids, and pro dog trends… Sooner or later people will wake up, and want to have kids. I think it just happens a lot later.

For example, here in Culver City… It seems like the average age of a new father looks like mid 50s? And for women… Late 30s or maybe early 40s?

It’s really really bizarre to me because whenever I see new fathers, kids who are younger than Seneca, maybe the kid is two years old or one years old… The dad looks like he has maybe 55 or 56? Super weird.

Anyways, what this means is don’t hate or spite anybody or any side. 

Even Democrats and Republicans… If you think about the unit and Yang theory, let us say that we took the Yang and Yang, and we just made it red and blue instead… Don’t we know that we are one in the same? You cannot have an American flag without the red, nor the blue. You need both.

It looks like the Republicans have taken red as their color motto, Donald Trump is always wearing a red neck tie. And the Democrats have taken the blue. But once again… The red white and blue flag is all united. 

What if we started thinking that we were in fact the same thing?

I think this is a pretty radical idea. The idea that we are just the same, just different sides of the same coin. 

Even the notion of masculine vs feminine… maybe this is not a really good idea. 

For example, I think every man has a little bit of feminine in him, and every woman has a little bit of masculine in her.

For example, even when I was in high school, the guy who had the best dance moves would often do the more “feminine“ dance moves like the booty bump, backing it up etc. And also, the guys were the most stylish wore pink; the pink polo and the Louis Vuitton backpack, like Kanye West. 

And also, it is very sexy when a woman is very strong, and could deadlift over two plates. Even Cindy‘s record for deadlift is 265 pounds. 

And now, Seneca‘s favorite color is pink, and I love pink too! Even in my wardrobe, this random cable knit brooks brothers pink sweater that I got, from a free pile of clothes, is the article of clothing I get the most compliments on! And also this really cool matte pink bomber jacket, from this Korean American brand ”IISE” (this means second generation in Korean)– I also got for free.

Anyways, it’s kind of weird how there is a bifurcation between men and woman, woman and man.

For example… Even if you are a gay woman, Or lesbian or something, who wants to have kids… Obviously biologically you need to get a male sperm donor. I don’t think it is possible to take the DNA straight out of another woman, and injected into the uterus of another woman, to beget a child. I don’t think…?

And also there is this weird thing for men to desire not to have children? That they want to just keep ejaculating in or on beautiful women, indefinitely, forever? 

But once again, you fools… Don’t you know that the purpose is to have kids? Ideally strong sons, to carry on you?

How to raise a child

Something that I am having so much fun with is raising Seneca. All things considered, I consider it my crowning glory. I value Seneca his life and the way I’m raising him and the time spent to him as 1 trillion times more important than anything else I have done in my life.

Anyways, I think each and every philosopher should have children, because first and foremost, if you have a strong opinion on how the world should be, it is very simple… You just instill these values into your kids! 

Also, philosophically, if you’re curious about how kids learn, human nature or whatever… Certainly the easiest way to learn this is through your kids!

Do you have a bunch of these constipated methamphetamine addicted to French philosophers who have all these high and mighty theories about human nature, but I think most of them didn’t have kids?

I find this really bizarre, how can you have an opinion on how humans exist, without having your own child?

I think perhaps my theory is most philosopher men simply couldn’t spit enough game, to get a beautiful woman or wife! Even Nietzsche, I think he was madly in love with this one woman, who rejected him many times, there’s even funny stories  that a lot of women would actually be frightened by Nietzsche and his imposing mustache.

Also in today’s world, I see zero reason for men to have facial hair or mustaches or beards or whatever. Honestly I think the only reason that men grow facial hair or beards is to make themselves look uglier, to make themselves look more ironic, or to hide Their ugliness, their double chin, etc. 

I even see this, dude sitting in their brand new Porsche cars, and I pure into them, and then they are very very skinny fat, they look lean, but if you look at them closely, you see their little belly fat bulging out?

Also, other skinny fat dudes with the little iconic Hitler mustache, if you look at them really closely, they too also have a double chin? 

Double chins are bad. Excess body fat adipose tissue is bad. 

Never judge somebody until you have seen them butt naked.

It is my personal believe that humans are the most beautiful when they are in the nude, naked without clothes. Also think that is possible for a beautiful men to be in the nude, that is not pornographic, not even erotic… kind of like when you see the Venus de Milo nude Greek art stattues. Nobody looks at a marble statue of a Greek woman and gets a boner. 

---

Why this matters

Let us say that we are all black and white photographers;  then the funny thought… we don’t call it black on black photographer — we call it black and white.

That is why when it comes to tragedy, we also need comedy! And sort of concept which is all misery no comedy… Is bad. This is where I love the Lego Batman movie; it is insanely humorous, for what we consider a dark gloomy figure!

And also… I think the greatest films also do have a touch of comedy. I think this is where Robert Downey Jr. was such a great Iron Man character… Certainly Robert Downey Jr. has his inner demons, he makes it lighthearted with humor!

Maybe this is where Disney is bad; when you “Disney-fy” something, it becomes too generic, and maybe even family oriented?

Also, something I’ve discovered… when something is “family friendly“, it is typically boring, and actually not that family friendly.  Even Seneca, at the age of three years four months old, has more fun talking to adults and Apple security guards rather than other basic kids his age, a little younger than him or a little older than him?

Certainly everyone has the right to raise their child however they want, but man… These modern day kids are made so basic by their parents. They all watch the same generic stuff on YouTube, Disney+, they like the same superheroes, think alike, talk alike, they are also boring.

And also, these kids are so wimpy! The other day I saw a kid, who I haven’t seen in about six months, and the kid is tiny! I think the mom is maybe vegetarian or vegan and the kid doesn’t eat any meat? Seneca looks at least four times buffer than the other kid, and about a head taller. 

Should we compare?

I remember as a kid, the thing I hated the most was when my parents would compare me to my cousin, or to other kids in the random Korean newspaper, comparing my grades with other kids, etc. I always had the American notion “Don’t compare me with other kids! Just judge me for myself!”

I think this is wise. Certainly there will always be some sociological biases,  in which we in advertently do compare ourselves and our kids with other kids and families etc. That being said, I think we can still try to make a conscious effort to try to curb it a bit.

If you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say it

Similarly speaking… Maybe the corollary exists, which is don’t sing the praises of other kids either?

What that then means is to just ignore other kids? To just raise your kid however you personally see fit? 

Because let us critically consider this… all of this is bad:

1. Comparing your kids to other kids, whether they are better or worse
2. Hating or critiquing other kids
3. Praising or saying good things about other kids

My simply idea is just keep your mouth shut, smile and nod, be friendly, engage and entertain other kids and play with them. Certainly acknowledge them and smile at them!

But beyond this… Don’t say evil, see evil, and be evil.

Because when you brag, while comparing your superiority or the superior of your kid versus other kids, what you are doing is actually debasing them. 

For example, if you could lift over 10 plates, are you going to brag about how you are so much stronger than the guy who could only lift two plates? No! They’re not even on your radar. 

Perhaps nobody is on your radar? Nobody is on equal footing?

---

Why weigh yourself in comparison to others? 

Something I stopped doing about 7-8 years ago was weighing myself on a scale. Why? Many reasons.

First, to weigh yourself is a very arbitrary measure of anything.  it doesn’t tell you anything. No scale, irregardless of how expensive or advanced it is accurately break down your muscle percentage versus your body fat percentage. Even those modern inventions where you could grip the handles or you can stand on the barefoot… None of these things work.

The only really empirical thing to see is look at the mirror, and pinch your belly fat. Even Arnold said it well; “if it jiggles, it is fat”.-

Or a better measure or not for men:

Do you have a six pack or not? 

To get a six pack of super simple; you don’t even have to do crunches or whatever. The simple thing is intermittent fasting, no breakfast no lunch, only one massive dinner a day. 100% carnivore diet. The only non-meat item to eat is maybe arugula or kale.

1. Quit alcohol, all alcohol is bad for you, even the “good alcohol“, “reservatrol” is a scam — I did a deep dive on this and essentially, all this fake ass studies on red wine being good for you is funded by alcohol and wine corporations, or other insidious corporations trying to peddle “reservatrol” pills.
2. Quit smoking weed. It makes you fat lazy and dumb. And also it gives you the munchies, which will mean that after smoking weed, very easy to order McDonald’s when you’re high, and eat everything, all that high fructose corn syrup.
3. Don’t eat out. Besides maybe Fogo de Chão and all you can eat Korean barbecue, everything sneakily has sugar added to it. Even something I’ve discovered is a lot of Korean restaurants, even a lot of all you can eat Korean barbecue places add corn syrup or sugar to the kimchi?
4. Create a new culture: no cake, no desserts, no birthday cake. If you want a birthday present, tell people to just buy you meat instead.

---

Go opposite

I’m starting to think… The next time I need to upgrade my iPhone, I’ll just get a white iPhone. Why? First, less prone to overheating, especially in the strong Los Angeles sun. And also, The big issue here is it seems that everyone is just going for the all black look. And it is pretty boring for the most part.

All white everything is a better flex; go to the wedding with an all white suit, white shoes, white pants. And even if it gets dirty, no big deal! You’re rich enough.

Car aesthetics?

Why have I not yet seen all white Porsche 911, with all white solid rims? 

Bring back the solid white rims! Also the upside, better contrast against the black tires.

How and why colors matter

Your color preferences signal and show who you are.

Also, pragmatic one; then if you’re living in Los Angeles and it hits the mid 90s, or the hundreds, do you want an all black car, even if it is fully tinted? No! I wouldn’t wish this upon my worst enemy.

There’s a reason why if you live in Southern California to have an all white house makes sense; to keep out the heat! 

Or, if you’re in the middle of the Sahara desert, the reason why it makes sense to wear white linen clothes, to reflect the heat!

Ultimately, when shit hits the fan, the pragmatics will supersede the style and the fashion. 

When it is hot, just wear white. 

This is also the reason why the French colonists would wear all white linen clothing and suits.

Where did the notion of all white tennis shoes come from?

I wonder if it is a material thing; back in the days when you play tennis on the courts, maybe if you had dark shoes or sneakers, it would leave a mark on the courts? White was less likely to leave marks? Still… Thinking about my all white K SWISS tennis shoes back in high school, size 10 and a half.

White people, black cars?

In America, it seems that if one wants to reach the apex of privilege, one must be “white“. But the problems here:

First, the hierarchy issue with race. I think when people talk about white people didn’t mean to say white protestant Anglo-Saxon Caucasian. For example, if you’re Irish, or if you have a “Mc” in your last name, don’t forget that Irish was not considered white for a very long time. Even now.

 For example, Russian people are not considered white, or people from the Slavic regions. Polish people are not seen as white, people from Ukraine are not seen as white, even though they are “white passing“. Jewish people are not white — as long as Jewish people have to keep changing their last names, and as long as there are internals… Unfortunately, Jewish, anti-Semitism… Almost as bad as black racism. But not as bad because in Hollywood and media, because a lot of eastern European Jewish Ashkenazi folks are “white passing“– like John Stewart and the like they are mostly off of the radar of the typical person. Same thing with Scarlett Johansson, etc.

Racial politics

All human beings, irregardless of their ethnicity or race, look far more beautiful and healthy with a tan, rather than being pale and emaciated looking. I think this is where class privilege was a thing. In Korea,  whiteness was equated with royalty, because if you were royalty, you did not have to go into the fields until the land. You could be indoors, or in the shade all day.

But now, opposite holds true. If you have the privilege of having a full body tan, an upper thigh tan, it is a signal that you are rich enough to spend all day at the beach! Typically beach bums or surfer bros are actually quite affluent. Either their family comes from money, so they have a trust fund or something, or they are rich and successful and retired enough to just go surfing all day. This is why whenever I meet men with a beautiful body full body tan, I know that they’re successful. Because if you’re a construction worker or something, you might just have a Farmer’s tan or something?

Blacken and tan your skin not your car 

Rather than doing a loser mat black murdered outlook on your car, just get a full body tan!

Spend maximum time in the sun, Put on tons of sun spray, contain your body to the maximum, within common sense limits. For example, even if you had SPF 300 sun spray, it would probably not be very effective if you were butt naked all day in the Sahara desert.

---

Opposites are the same

You know the idea that opposites attract? Very true!

I think regardless of what people say… We are not attracted to people like us. Also from a pragmatic perspective, if you end up marrying somebody who is so similar to you… There is no dynamic range or diversity here. 
For example, I would have zero interest in marrying anybody or having a kid with anybody who was exactly like me, in personality scope and appearance.

I’m all for LGBTQ rights, but one thing that I am very grateful is that I was born super straight. I feel bad for all these kids who end up growing up deal so confused about their sexual preferences or whatever.

For my perspective, I think biologically, it makes sense that some people are born gay lesbian, queer or whatever. There seems to be enough genetic diversity here, whether you are bisexual, whatever.

I think then the secret and the goal is to discover what you are, and to not be ashamed of it. For example, if you’re a man and you’re attracted sexually to other men, vice versa etc., all good! Same goes with women etc. 

And whatever your gender whatever, all good.

Be proud of what you are, don’t hide or feel bad about it. But I think the nuance is we should not become tyrants here. 

---

Innovations

1. Be the first techie who buys an all silver MacBook Pro, or be that next person who actually buys an iPhone Pro in white. Or the natural titanium color.
2. Don’t be another clone and loser driving an all black range rover, murdered out, whatever. Don’t be another clone with an all black Dodge charger, super boring. I find it more interesting to see guys with white muscle cars, rather than a typical black one. Why have I never seen an all white dodge hellcat?
3. Get a tan! Just put on some SPF 60 sunblock, take off your shirt and get your tan on! If you’re a woman, sports bra bikini whatever.
4. Formal attire, wear as much wide as possible. Buy some skinny white denim jeans. Just get some cheap ones at Old Navy, Zara, H&M, or Uniqlo. And also the goal is to not hide dirt; it is cooler to wear all white, and have it dirty, rather than being an insecure person who thinks everyone is looking at the stain on your clothes, but nobody notices.

Dirtier is better?

More joyful to see a kid who is all dirty from playing in the sand rather than one of these Netflix YouTube zombie kids, super puny and eating Cheerios.

iPad is not the issue

iPad tablets, cheap Amazon tablets are not the issue here. The issue is the media; the issue is Netflix, YouTube, YouTube kids, Disney+ etc.

My personal suggestion is I think an iPad is good for kids, in terms of creativity. The nuance is never download any free apps. There is always some sort of gotcha somewhere.

Give them procreate, nomad sculpt, GarageBand. These are virtuous applications.

My suggestion is avoid Minecraft, it seems really good, but it is almost too good. Maybe better to buy play dough instead.

***

Recover, how to recover time, life?

So a new luck experiment; within reason, never jumping into a car, even if it is good.

Some points of rationale:

First, it seems that the primary issue here is when it comes to these asshole drivers on the road, road rage etc., the logical approach is to not just expose yourself to these assholes. The simplest thing is to just not jump into a car!

Why? I see eyewitness a lot of these big ass tough guys, we tried to bully me on the road with their anemic cars. People do this in many ways, they do with trucks, lifted trucks, over landing vehicles etc., the door with loser range rovers, loser AMG G wagons,  loser portion 911’s, you name it. Fortunately it seems that the best drivers on the road are Tesla drivers; I think because it has the Tesla AI behind it, the good thing is that it discourages asshole behavior or asshole driving.

Become the change in which you wish to see in the world

This Gandhi quote has stuck with me for a very long time, ever since I first heard it in high school, in fact I use this “for my UCLA admission letter, which I guess got me into UCLA as an undergrad. And also, pretty impressive that first I applied for biology, which is actually very competitive… And even with subpar grades, I think my total weighted GPA at the time was only a 3.98, I still got in! I credit being a Boy Scout Eagle Scout and doing a bunch of community service to get in. Definitely not my grades.

Anyways, I think the primary issue at hand is you have a lot of these passive aggressive assholes, who hide and mighty in there vehicles will try to bully you with their loser cars. But, if you see them in the street… They would never dare to honk or bark at you if you saw them face-to-face.

For example, let us just imagine… Let us say that you are on the sidewalk, and you have a person right behind you, and the crosswalk turns green. If you do not move within half a second, would the person behind you  honk at you, yell at you to get moving, whatever? Certainly not.

Also, I think if you do things in the flesh, if somebody from behind yelled at you or honked at you, but you were just walking in the flesh… You could do a simple thing like turn around, and then assess them, judge them, and Measure them up.

The big issue of being in car is this asymmetry; if you are driving, somebody honked at you from behind, first you cannot really see who is honking at you, sometimes even I am confused whether I am being hung from the person at behind, or if it is somebody else on the road.

Second, let us say there’s a loser in the Range Rover who honked at you from behind, because you did not go on the green in the split millisecond; I have no idea who is the human being who honked at me. Is it a man, a woman? Is it 80 year old man, or a 36 year old punk? Is it a 4 foot tall man, or is it a 400 pound obese man?

These things matter. Nobody would dare to punk me on the streets, because I am 6 foot tall, weight vest on, super jacked and swole, and I am probably the nicest guy, but I could also be the most aggressive person, if shit hits the fan.

And this is the truth, real men, real men with high testosterone, real fighters, MMA fighters, UFC fighters in the flesh… In real life these men are actually insanely friendly, polite, jovial! It is only these low testosterone man who are antisocial,  are sizing you up behind their cowardly fully tinted sunglasses baseball cap and beard, but pretending like they are not… A real man doesn’t wear sunglasses, doesn’t have tint in the front of their car, nor did they have tint in there sunglasses, the real man doesn’t use AirPods, and even this whole facial hair trend I think a bad one; the reason why a lot of men grow out their facial hair is to hide their double chin, or their fat. 

Even an insanely bizarre new modern day trend is these skinny fat loser guys once again, sunglasses, baseball hat, growing out a Hitler mustache? I find it objectively ugly and offensive to look at.

Anyways, I think the first thought about recovering time, recovering life is maximum time walking, outside! We could be on the sidewalk, you could be in public, it could be a hiking spot, a national park trail etc. For example, whenever I see people hiking on a trail… People are in a very good mood! Even better than the beach!

I love both, but still for me maybe the mountains are more interesting because typically when you’re hiking on the mountain, which just means walking on uneven surfaces, we feel more connected to nature, like to see elevation, we see plant life wilderness trees etc., All of this time I spent in Boy Scouts as a kid going on hikes and doing camping and summer camp was actually very good for me! I didn’t really think about him much as a kid, I think I took it for granted, I would prefer to just be at home playing video games, but now as an adult looking back, I am so insanely grateful to my scoutmasters, my troop, Troop 11 from Alameda! Maybe once Seneca gets old enough, I’ll also put him in scouts? Maybe one day I’ll become a scoutmaster? 

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The sociological issue here

Whether I like to admit it or not, I think ultimately, perhaps my primary interest is sociology; Social physics, being human, being in human in public spaces etc.

Why does this matter? It is 1 trillion times more important than you think. When it comes down to it, almost everything modern day life, is a sociological phenomenon. 

For example, the sociology of money, the sociology of capitalism, the sociology of consumerism etc. Also the sociology of being on the streets, being in public, and also, the sociology of driving a vehicle or being on the road!

In fact, I don’t think anyone has actually done a comprehensive analysis or critique or line of critical thinking in regards to the politics of driving, especially in LA.

One thing I learned from my neighbor Jim, who always walked his dogs outdoors in Orange County, in a neighborhood where there is literally no sidewalks, when there would be crazy cars speeding down 50 miles an hour down a 25 mph residential neighborhood, she would make eye contact and yell into his hands gesture to tell them to “slow down”. I am starting to do the same hand gesture, which is just taking out your palm outside of your driver side window, putting your hand flat like a palm, gesturing “calm down”. I’ve already had a guy throw the middle finger out at me,  and another skinny fat loser with a beard honked at me from behind, now that I am no longer allowing these wimps to bully me, people are shocked.

Never tolerate no disrespect. Become the change which you wish to see in the world. Even if it exposes you to danger.

Guns

I’ve been on a rampage telling people to not smoke in public, or to please not smoke in public.

Apparently I was talking to my friend Ray, and he said that once, he told her guy in Venice to not smoke in public, and a guy pulled out a gun on him. Another time he saw some kids graffiti and he asked him to stop graffiti, and once again the kids pulled out a gun, and then he just threw up his hands and said “OK OK I’m sorry let me go”.

No the response is not to just get a gun yourself, and do some sort of John Wick pistol fighting match.

Maybe the first thought is just always be armored up, always have a bulletproof vest on you, or at least a 60 pound weight vest. If cops could do it all day long, can’t you?  I’m pretty sure you could Amazon prime yourself a bulletproof vest.

In America, there are lots of laws regarding legality or illegality of owning a gun, but, no laws or illegal edict which prevent you from owning a bulletproof vest.

In fact, I think the law should be rewritten, not the right to bear arms, but the right to defense. Defense is armor.

I also think and believe that the reason why bitcoin is such a great innovation is that it is the ultimate cyber defense, the ultimate cyber armor. Let us consider that the bitcoin work is the ultimate un hack Abel thing on the planet, because there is just too much energy and money invested in it.

Even if you took $100 trillion, you try to take the bitcoin network, you can’t. In regards to the volatility of bitcoin, it is a feature not a bug.  my personal thought is with any asset which has more extreme volatility, has the momentum and the monetary physics and economic physics to fly ever higher?

Or another thought, without extreme highs and lows and dips and swings, it would be impossible for bitcoin to hit $21 million a bitcoin. 

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Ethics?

I’m starting to think more more about ethics, this is important. For example, once again it comes down to this notion; “first do no harm unto others” (Primum, no nocere)– Hippocrates.

I think the big issue nowadays is there’s too much of a financial incentive for a lot of of these doctors. Or trying to cover their ass from being made liable or being sued.

For example, the reason why you have all these doctors peddling all these cholesterol lowering drugs is they just want to avoid a lawsuit! For example, let us say you have a 400 pound obese man, who pops into your clinic,  who is certainly an extremely poor health, might get a heart attack soon. What is the first thing you do? Your prescribe him all these pills you tell him the basics of trying to eat healthier and exercise whatever, and ultimately the doctor doesn’t really care… The doctor simply doesn’t want to get sued a year or two later, if the guy ends up having a heart attack, and he was not prescribed these cholesterol lowering drugs.

But, what if you take an extremely healthy 36 year old man, 6 foot tall, highly muscular a six pack,  obviously in supreme health, and you do a blood test and you see that his cholesterol is “high“? Do you tell him to start taking these cholesterol lowering pills, so he doesn’t have a heart attack? Of course not! But this is how doctors will think, once again the issue here is they apply a one pill fits all solution, and honestly… These doctors are tired. Cram 30 appointments a day, quick 15 minute Appointments with each patient, in order to maximize the revenue because they are still paying off medical school debt. I don’t blame them.

Then the solution is for us to become critical ourselves; think for ourselves, to think wisely.

Anybody who swallows traditional knowledge, is a fool. The worst thing is when a doctor tells you to do something, or when somebody changes their behavior or thinks they should change their behavior because the doctor told them to.

The dirty secret; a lot of these doctors themselves are unwell. A lot of them are highly anxious, depressed, out of shape miserable, stressed, they themselves don’t eat healthy or exercise, in fact, I know a lot of doctors who actually smoke cigarettes and secret as well? I’ve also met dentist, pediatricians who actually let their kids eat candy?

Trust no dentist who allows their kids to eat candy.

Parents

Obviously we are all fallible human beings at the end of the day. The notion of perfection is ridiculous one, often centered around this Jesus savior Messiah notion of supreme moral rectitude, the supreme court of ethics, the ultimate nice guy who  only eat carbon neutral vegetables and plants grow in his own garden, maybe he doesn’t own a car, and only rides a bike, he is not subscribed to Amazon prime, doesn’t have an iPhone, etc.

Let us not forget, Jesus was a badass. Don’t you remember that scene which she goes into the temple, and he sees all these people selling stuff in the temple, and he busted out some whips, and he overturns the tables,  whips out the kettle saying “don’t sell merchandise inside my father‘s house!”

Can you imagine a modern day human doing the same thing? Probably not.

Pacified ethics.

I think sociologically when think about this critically,  what is the role of society, modern day society and society? To pacify the individual. It would not be very productive if you had a bunch of dragons or monsters, a bunch of gay monsters simply rampaging around town, doing as they pleased, with no concern about the well-being of others.

You see this especially in Tokyo and Asia; the social physics and the human bodies are important here; if you have 10 million people taking the subway every single day, it is probably wise from a social perspective to have everyone be quiet, polite and orderly. If you had a bunch of kids, or American travelers talking super loud, taking up space, etc.… The whole thing will not work. 

America becomes an interesting case, because the truth is America is super super big. Certainly it is more desirable to live in the coastal areas, especially now that the weather patterns in the states in Los Angeles is starting to get super weird; but if you think about farmland in the middle of America, there is still so much space left available!

To all these people who complain about rent prices, don’t you know you could just move to Boise Idaho, probably only spent $300 a month in rent? Certainly people don’t want to do this, because we humans are no fools; we like to be around other people, and we also like to be close to bodies of water. This is where Los Angeles may be the most ultimate place to live– easy access to the beach, to body of water the ocean to mountains, beautiful people etc.

Maybe Manhattan also comes close, but the downside of Manhattan is there is no trails or places to hike.

The Bay Area East Bay is good, but… I don’t think we have any beaches in the Bay Area or the east Bay? Even in Alameda where I grew up… The beach was a dump. Super dirty.

Perhaps it is a good idea to become a social justice warrior

So I think the right tends to make fun of liberals who are social justice warriors. I’m starting to think that perhaps to be a social justice warrior is a virtue, assuming that you’re not a coward hiding behind your iPhone, your laptop etc.

And also, once again the asymmetry here;  you could talk all high and mighty, you could try to punk me around, and let her say that you have a gun, obviously I am no match for you. Because I have zero intention of ever owning a gun or pistol, because guns are for pussies. 

And this is where the right is just as dumb as the far left. You call them “lib-tards” … you are also “flag-tards”– I will assume that the average conservative who waves a flag in their Tacoma truck which is Japanese, probably doesn’t know how to properly fold an American flag, like we did in Boy Scouts.

In fact, there is a funny heuristic I have;  if you stick a flag an American flag sticker on your car, or your truck, or whatever… You are not a true patriot. Why? It is kind of like an overcompensation thing here — kind of like how really short guys drive these really really tall and big trucks.

If you really really wanted to show your patriotism, you don’t post things to Facebook or Twitter or put things on your truck, you just enroll in military service! Simple and done. Well at least do some sort of partial reserve Navy officer training? I’m even thinking about doing this myself.

You are not your car

The number one thing we learned from our best friend Tyler Durden is that you are not your car, and let us also look at Brad Pitt, the apex of manliness and texting us, who tells Edward Norton “I don’t own a car”.

Tell me what you drive and I’ll tell you who you are

I think one of the best ways to really understand somebody, it sounds insanely superficial, but ask them what car they drive. Especially when you meet an economist.

A true economist will drive an economy car, this is why when I first read that Dan Ariel’s purchased and drove an Audi car, the writing was on the wall; he was a fake economist.  a true economist would only drive a Toyota or a Prius, anybody who drives an Audi is trying to seem elegant stylish and smart? Even though that everyone knows that Audis are not good cars. 

Putting your money where your mouth is

This is where money is good; true skin in the game. You only know what you truly value on the planet based on how use money or how you do not use money. 

And it is fine; everyone has the right to use their money however they would like. I think this is good! But, even that one dude who had that blog getting rich slowly, when he wrote that his dream was to purchase a BMW mini car, which is a terrible car – and then he actually purchased it, once again, the man seemed like a fool.

What ideas do you desire to promote?

I suppose the question at hand is in regards to your ideas, what ideas do you want to promote? Which ideas do you not want to promote?

For example, there is no ultimate right and wrong in ethics. It is all gamed.

For example, I would easily sacrifice the life of 1000 degenerates for the sake of one beautiful child. Also, if for some reason a guy was trying to attack me or Seneca whatever, assuming I had a gun, I would have zero hesitation shooting him in the balls and making him a eunuch etc. 

In fact, this seems harsh, but also ethically, let us assume that a man is a child predator, pedophile, convicted and caught, the solution is super simple! Just castrate him! Cut off his balls, or force sterilize him. Boom — easy and done.

How to deal with homeless people?

Currently Culver City is doing a great job with their mobile crisis team, which is essentially a van which provides services to homeless people, to recuperate them back into society. Ultimately, simple things, like providing them some new clothes, helping them get clean off of their addictions, Giving them a shower and a shave, and also giving them training to become productive members of Society again.

Example, something I’m not sure; is there truly a point of no return? I don’t think so… The human mind is far more malleable than we give it credit, so even if you have a cracked out homeless guy, in theory, if you invest in money and time and human resources to rehabilitate him, you could! And just get him a job at Shake shack or McDonald’s flipping burgers, or even a custodian picking up trash etc.

The ideal city?

Seneca Cindy and I watch this really great film at the California science Center, titled cities of the future. The future is right here.  in Culver City, it is very common place to see those self driving Waymo Google cars, without a driver in the front seat! Every time I see this, it is pure magic.

So truth be told, let us assume you live in Culver City, your architect job, or you could work as long as you have Wi-Fi… There is zero reason to actually drive a car, unless you want to go on a hike, see friends and family etc. And also because we are close to the metro line, you could easily go to Santa Monica and the beach and the pier, or you could easily go to the California science center and I suppose the new incoming George Lucas Museum of the narrative arts.

So then, if you think about this critically, a vehicle just becomes a superficial vanity object, a trophy asset.

I think we all know that trophies are ridiculous. The moment I realize that you could actually go to a trophy store, and buy yourself a gold trophy is when I realize the whole thing was a scam.

Even the Academy Awards, all of these Grammy awards… I think these awards are just plated in nickel or some fake gold foil, thing is plastic inside.

True wealth?

Wealth is the health of your family, you and your wife your kids I think Kanye said “A happy family is heaven on earth”. I agree.

And happiness is not based around money, but rather, through health, social life, friendliness, physical health and vigor, and walking around a lot! I’ve never met anybody who walks 40,000 steps a day who is depressed.

DIFFICULT TO MONETIZE WALKING 

Let us consider this critically… Perhaps the reason why running is so heavily marketed through that loser Nike corporation, which tells you that running is good for you or whatever. In order to peddle there loser $300 running shoes. 
The simple way to fix everything is to just walk barefoot. But it is difficult to monetize being barefoot, because you cannot really purchase a product to become barefoot. In fact I met this one entrepreneur in SF, Who had a super interesting idea, which was putting these disposable sticker things on the bottom of your feet, which gave you all the upsides of barefoot walking, while still giving you a little bit of protection from the dirty San Francisco streets.

A much simpler solution is to purchase Vibram five finger shoes; honestly  the only reason people don’t want to wear them is that they look weird. But I’m starting to wonder… Foot shame, foot shaming is a thing? I actually think it is more beautiful to see people walking around barefoot at the beach, then them wearing those loser Hoka shoes or even worse… Brooks shoes, are reserved for prediabetic elderly people.

Even I think about the insidious effects of middle school and high school; trying to be cool you have to purchase a Nike shoe?  I think Nike might be the most evil corporation in terms of lowering the self-esteem of the youth, especially young boys… Do you know that on Amazon prime you could purchase $10 water shoes, instead of a loser $700 Balenciagas sneaker? I’m starting to think more and more… The purpose of fashion is to do functional things, but not to feel ashamed about it. For example all these losers supreme people, They refuse to wear a fanny pack unless it has supreme logo on it? Or they refuse to wear a sun hat which makes you look like an old Asian lady, supreme logo Embedded in it?

Even reformation, the new hot female clothing brand, even they say that the best outfit is being naked, but that they are number two.

Difficult to market people being naked. Maybe also illegal?

Shame in capitalism and consumerism

How do you know whether somebody is self owned or not? Whether they could walk around in public topless, with booty shorts, not concerned about how other people look at them.

The other day I was in Santa Monica Ocean Park, and I saw a dude, great full body tan, muscular, on the phone talking to somebody… Wearing full on booty shorts, pretty much the closest thing you could get to wearing a speedo, with a full body tan, and he looks so glorious and successful! 

Even the more impressive thing… All of his legs, even the upper thighs were also well tanned! To me this was a signal that this guy was super insanely successful; because he has the privilege of just walking around all day, and his booty shorts, getting the full on tan?

How do you know whether somebody is homeless or not?

My friend Sebastian Calvo said; “the reason I know that you’re not homeless is that you’re too buff and muscular”. Typically homeless people are not muscular. Although a lot of them do walk around without clothes on. 

So this is where I’m starting to think, the modern day successful or at least human being, if you’re a man, is centered around being topless in public, and also highly muscular.

Nowadays if you’re super muscular with a six pack… It is a sign that you’re super successful. Why? You have the time the leisure to work out, and also, a signal of intelligence; if you have a six pack, you are no dummy. it is the signal that you have the intelligence of not eating stupid stuff which makes you fat.

And this is where I trust no bodybuilder who is fat, or on steroids… It is super obvious. 

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Vote for me!

ERIC KIM for mayor!

True power is political power?

I think the truth of the matter is true power is political power. Why? The politicians have the power to print the money, and assuming that money and economic power is centered ultimately — then who has the park? The guy who controls the (money) printing press, or the guy who stacks his cotton candy paper fiat currency? 

Proof of work

The reason why proof of work makes sense from a physics or a common sense perspective is that proof of work is true. Based on physics. Proof of stake, you can indefinitely print more air tokens, or cotton candy tokens, forever.

For example, if Vitalik, and Ethereum foundation  overnight, decided that it was a good idea to produce more Ethereum gas tokens, 1 billion more, they could.

Even if there’s a .01% risk, or chance for valuable human beings to make that mistake, they can. 

Also, you remember the great Ethereum hack, and they did the hard Fork? Any protocol which could be hacked, is a bad one. Bitcoin and the bitcoin network is unhackable.

Unkillable

The reason why wolverine and Deadpool are everyone’s favorite anti-heroes is that they are both unk kill Abel. They can feel pain but you can’t kill them.

Deadpool, if you just chop off his body into a stump, With enough time he could regenerate his whole body. This is the ultimate superpower.

I suppose even the downside of Superman is that you could have a jealous Batman invent a kryptonite gun, and kill Superman. Superman is flawed.

With Wolverine, can you actually kill wolverine? Maybe not? Because his exoskeleton and his body is made of adamantine,  you can’t?

Is Wolverine the apex hero? 

In fact, besides Spider-Man, in terms of who I desired to emulate or be as a kid was actually wolverine! I love how ferocious he was, strong he was, and the adamantine steel claws notion is super cool to me, wolverine doesn’t use a gun. 

Also, the thing that is insanely impressive with Hugh Jackman; he has aged so incredibly well! If you look at his space, he looks like a fresh 38-year-old, even though he is maybe 56?

It seems certain or highly likely that she took steroids and weird testosterone enhancing drugs when he was playing the wolverine part. But if you look at his face, right now in 2024… Why does his face look so healthy?

Ultimately, you can modify your body through all of these drugs, but you can’t modify the face.

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Think by the time you’re 56

My new goal is to be like Hugh Jackman, when I am 56. I’m 34 right now, which means for the next 22 years… Time for me to become even more jacked, more ripped, more healthy and youthful for Hugh Jackman?

Why does Brad Pitt look so old? 

Even compared to Tom Cruise, I think Tom is in his 60s? Besides all the Scientology and maybe the Botox surgery… Tom Cruise still looks great!

I think this is where longevity, the longevity of being a man is critical. Even George Clooney, nobody cares about him anymore.

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Having kids

If there was a John Wick spin off, I would love a concept where John Wick has a kid, a son, and he trains his son to become the next John Wick.

This would be great!

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EK IDEAS

Never miss a single idea: EK NEWSLETTER >

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What’s on my mind right now?

Essentially the number one idea is this really revolutionary idea of being able to live a whole day, without ever jumping into a car. Isn’t this true freedom?

ERIC

PHILOSOPHY BY KIM

Lifestyle, zen, ethics.

Also

START HERE

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What is a streetcar for? A street guitar for is a force on the streets, beyond the road, beyond the pavement.

The critical issue of being in a car, in an automobile, in a truck, whatever… Is that it puts you on equal putting with all of these other cowards.

For example, being here in LA… Now here in Culver City, I am the GOAT of the streets.  Everybody knows me; they know me and my iconic 60 pound weight vest, how I am always walking around in public with Seneca, and also walking around with my iPad Pro.

Now as a consequence, I feel a sense of ownership of the road. Or the streets. 

For example, any skinny fat loser in a car, especially when behind you, could honk at you, for not driving immediately half a second after the light turns green, or, throw you the middle finger because you stuck at your arm to know them to calm down.

Assuming that street Fatar fee is truly your prime passion, I think then the simple goal is dual: first, never drive a vehicle to get anywhere, and also don’t ride a bicycle. I’m all about bikes in general, but the truth is when you ride a bicycle, it is very dangerous, especially with these crazy distracted drivers in LA.

And also, the downside of a bicycle is that walking is at least 10,000 times superior to even riding a bike.  Why? When you walk, it is far superior for your legs, your back, your hips, your shoulders your tendons etc. 

And also, once again… It is very common to get road rage, if you are in a car, or in a bicycle, or a motorcycle or a moped etc.

However, when you are naked in the streets, without your 5000 pound metal vehicle encasing you, then, you really do put people at a position of true valor. 

Being naked on the streets.

So I think the first issue here is that most people when they’re walking in public, are a bunch of cowards. What the typical loser millennial does is they try to in case themselves with a shroud of cowardice; they do this with walking any opportunity of interaction with strangers;, Pros, Hitler mustache, or facial hair,  focus on their dog or pet, busting out their iPhone, wearing heavily tinted sunglasses, wearing a baseball cap, and frumpy clothing etc.

A very simple thing you could do is for an entire day, within limits of reason,  is for the entire day, never step into a car a vehicle… Just do 100% pedestrian walking day! And the assignment is anytime you cross paths with a stranger, or somebody on the road, wave high to them, give them a peace sign, a thumbs up, a simple head, or say hello!

I think the issue in today’s world most people are always in their cars, it is easy to vilify or dehumanize other human beings on the road.

However when you’re on the streets, it is very very easy to judge people. You could judge their height, their sex and gender, their body mass percentage, their clothing choices etc.

For example, any pre-diabetic old man, and a loser portion 911 convertible could honk at you from behind, because you did not go on the green light and half a millisecond. But if you saw the man on the street, would he dare to do this face-to-face, especially if he is only 5 foot four, old and fat, and you are 6 foot tall, tall dark and handsome? of course not.

Building social courage

Honestly nowadays, I’m sorry I think that street photography is almost 100% courage.  my bread and butter workshop for the last 15+ years has been my conqueror your fears of shooting street photography workshop, because it is resistant to all technology, media, platforms etc. I think any normal human being, in modern day times, and also in the past present and future will have to deal with Social anxiety, cowardice, courage, risk and reward etc.

For example… Now walking around town with my 60 pound weight vest, I command a sense of dominance. Even police officers are impressed by me, because I think their bulletproof vest may only weigh 10 or 20 pounds, whereas mine is 60. And I’m also starting to see… When I see police officers up and close in the flesh, without sunglasses on… A lot of these guys are actually not that fit, not very intimidating, etc. Often younger than me, and certainly less tall, muscular and fit.

I think when we think of cops, in the modern day media term, I think Oliver knowledge comes from television media etc. Television media etc., typically a cop is a male Caucasian man, insanely buff, tall, dominant. But I’m starting to think… The problem of media, if you want to look dominant on the screen, 99% chance they’re on steroids, to give them that dominating on screen presence. 

For example, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rambo, Sylvester Stallone, the rock; all on steroids and the juice. 

Now the reason why this becomes a problem is that steroids become normalized; I’m starting to think that Chris Hemsworth who played Thor was probably most certainly on steroids when he got his super jacked physique for the Thor movies, just look at him about 10 years later, he is pretty wimpy looking.

Also, John Cena, who was super jacked for the fast and the furious movies, but in hus more recent roles,  he is starting to look very skinny. Even the rock, seeing him in the Baywatch movie, why is his legs and his calves so skinny? 

Also I would not be surprised if Zac Efron took some sort of steroids to get into his role for certain movies etc. 

Why this matters

This matters because men, boys, adults, alike… We often equate ourselves with people who we see on the big screen, superheroes, marvel superheroes, Disney YouTube etc. But the big prom here is if everyone else is on steroids, in secret… You will give you a false version of reality, in which You in vain to get similar monstrous gains, but end up not looking like them?

This is where I think media is so pernicious; Once again, it gives us a distorted and warped view of reality, which is not centered around real physics, or real biology. Don’t trust any movies cinema or film.

Even the movie 300, all these guys who got super jacked, especially the Spartans in the background, seeing their massive 8 pack abdominals — if you’re just a movie extra, there’s really no downside to taking steroids to look more jacked. To get the role.

Walking

One of the thoughts I had this morning is my two passions include walking and weightlifting. Then, how can you combine and integrate both of them?

First, 60 pound weight vest, and just walking around town. The second is focusing on weightlifting activities which allows an encourages walking and movement. For example, Farmer’s carries, or any sort of weightlifting activity which encourages you to walk and move while lifting the heavyweight.

Even with Santa, at the age of 3 years, four months old…   he might wait around 40 pounds now, and I could spend a whole day easily just arm carrying him around town.

This is my thought with if you are a father, my simple suggestion is get rid of the stroller, either or ergo baby carrier the kid in the front, or just arm carry the kid!  First, the benefit is you become more muscular jacked and swole, and also your kid gets the beneficial upside of being outside in the elements! 

It looks like my training of Seneca is working; everyone mistakes him for a four or five-year-old, and his 100% beef, beef burger patty diet is also working;  he is much taller, stronger, and buffer in the arms and thighs compared to other kids I see on the playground who are all wimpy and anemic working, all these other kids are fed too many Cheerios, not enough meat.

And also, a tragedy, when I see young boys being raised by Spanish-speaking nannies, rather than their fathers.

In fact, I think the early years are so critical, especially if you have a son. For you to train and breed them and grow them in such a way which reflects your own personal morals ethics and worldview.

The spartan way.

Simple ideas

If you are person or a human being, who has the option of either raising your kids yourself, versus having somebody else raise your kid, raise your kid yourself! You could just do the sacrifice of being 100% caretaker of your child until they go to transitional kindergarten or whatever. This is what I have done, with great upsides.

I think the great tragedy is when you have young male children, being raised by female Latina women who themselves are most likely immigrants, and also not in great shape.

Certainly everyone has the right to raise their kids however they want, but I seek to raise an elite child, the new Spartan boy.

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Male standards

To me all children are universally beautiful, all children I love, they always put me in a good mood etc. Yet the big downside here is that once again, you’re not having men raise the boys, you’re having women raise the boys. Certainly there’s no issue with that, but the male attitude of raising a boy versus having a woman raise a boy will be starkly different. 

For example, have you ever seen a male nanny? No! I’ve seen a bunch of different nannies, all women. 

In regardless of what all of this modern day gender politics and sociology said, biological men with testicles and testosterone and a penis will certainly be different than a biological female with ovaries, a menstrual cycle, and a vagina. 

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The benefit of literature over movies and films

With literature, for example reading the Iliad… Will be 1 trillion times better for your imagination creativity rather than watching a prepackaged movie and film which is centered around fake metrics of success, which include box office numbers, profit etc. Ancient Greek literature had no profit, the motive was to create truly great literature and stories, which would ideally last forever.

And also, let us consider that the past  there was no such thing as advertising, news or media.

The only type of news you would get was in your local towners Square, just talking shelf with other people in the flesh. And this becomes useful because you could see the veracity or the trustworthiness of the individual… Would you trust a cracked out homeless person telling you about the modern day? Certainly not.

And also nowadays, ChatGPT, the paid premium one…  it is impossible to know whether something was produced by ChatGPT or not. It has superseded the touring test, and in fact, for the most part ChatGPT is more eloquent, interesting, and better than you.

This is where I think that the literature or the words the future will be more random, this dumped, un functional, and also, based around the personal real life opinion, rather than proper grammar spelling etc.

In fact, I have created my whole empire over blogging; which has zero to do proper grammar, rules of composition etc. Yet I might be the first millionaire street photography blogger that has ever existed, the only useful things I learned through K-12 education was the general rules of spelling and grammar, but beyond this, I got straight B’s in all of my English classes– yet now, I know more ancient Greek and Latin etymology than the average academic or scholar. 

---

Self erudition is the best erudition

The difficult task of having kids memorize stuff and remember it, then re-recite it is that if you’re being forced by a teacher to do something or learn something or remember something, you won’t. Why? The only way to remember something is when you are personally curious about it, you are personally invested in it, etc.

Autotelic — to pursue something purely for the sake of it, or for the sake of your curiosity, not for the sake of some sort of political social economic payoff. Even the Mars Rover is simply called “curiosity“;  there is not really a huge material payoff of exploring Mars, you will not find any Martians or extraterrestrial beings, you won’t find precious minerals, or water. I think we humans would like to explore simply for the sake of it; **our own personal curiosity which is antifragile! **

The more you try to squelch your curiosity, the greater it will become.

This is where I encourage you to indulge any of your curiosities, irregardless of how bad, evil, immoral it is; if you don’t pursue your curiosities, it will hunt your dreams and your mental space.

Often when I pursue my curiosity, and I find a semi good answer to my curiosity, it helps me quiet my mind, and refocus on other stuff.

When in doubt, just pursue your curiosity!

---

Think hygiene, basic rules of hygiene 

Sure it is fine for homeless people go to the library, if they don’t observe basic rules of hygiene, they are not allowed to enter.

Maybe you can have some sort of machine which could smell you? 

***

You cannot change the universe or the planet, but you could direct yourself the opposite way to become beyond man, the ubermensch ideal:

Thoughts on immortality:

---

Masculine or Feminine?

Masculino o feminino — 

Men who are into tending plants, a feminine trait.

The notion of being masculine, let us think about this.

First, let us consider a Achilles. What was Achilles? The apex of manliness, the most supreme, dominant, powerful, let us not forget that he was a demigod in the flesh. 

First, let us consider how he was so dominant on the battlefield. Ultimately when it comes to the apex or valor, it comes down to combat, physical combat, none of this shooting guns shit. Why are guns for cowards?

Asymmetric warfare. 

For example, any 400 pound obese loser can shoot you and kill you with a gun. Imagine fitting him with armor, a shield, and a spear… And put them in man-to-man, PVP, player versus player, 1v1 combat — versus an Achilles; assuming that he is 6 foot tall, handsome, around 160 pounds with pure muscle, 5% bodyfat and a 6 pack. Who would win?

Why does this matter?

Currently, it seems that at least with men, modern day capitalism, is all kind of a big dick measuring contest. Instead of measuring how many inches your penis has, what people try to do is measure their metaphorical capital by how many dollars or commas or zeros trails them.

But, let us consider some extreme examples. If you were a 4 foot man, obese, but with a 20 inch penis, would anyone care? No!

Being a “stud”

Apparently, at least with horses… A stud is a type of horse which is prime for breeding. And now with myself… I’m starting to feel like a stud. Whenever I walk around town, now I have women checking me out. Even when I am alone with my 60 pound weighted vest on! 

And also, let us consider… What women seeks is a mate. Ideally tall dark and handsome.

Even a nuance; I actually think naturalistically… A woman is less attracted to wealth, more attracted to a man’s height, attractiveness, muscularity, etc? A woman who marries a 4 foot tall billionaire man… Very bizarre. 

---

IMMORTAL

Mortal, it means you will die. All of us, born on the planet are mortals.

When do we think about the immortals, an ancient Greek mythology, essentially it means somebody who cannot die. The gods who live on Mount Olympus, or people who got locked up by Zeus, these were the immortals.

I had some thoughts about economic immortality, but also a new thought about fitness in general or life in general, being a man… As I have advanced in maturity, I truly do feel wiser. 

What’s the point?

For example, the purpose of muscularity, health, etc is simple; not to be the buffest guy at the gym. In fact some insider information that I personally got was apparently, there are some weightlifters who try to dirty bulk, and get really really buff, maybe while taking steroids or whatever, and they get really really fat, end up doing a cutting phase by taking Adderall, forcing themselves not to eat food in order to lean up. True story!

Don’t trust the buff shorty (bald) guys

Also, a funny telltale sign I’ve discovered is when you meet guys who are short, really short, but insanely buff… maybe bald or balding, maybe with a beard, often a lot of these guys are taking steroids?

Why or how do you know?

Because the nuance is that as a man, no matter how rich or smart we are, we cannot add inches to our height, not even with steroids. However, you could add inches to your chest, your arms, by taking steroids. And I feel bad for these shorty guys, they will forever feel inadequate because of their short height. Even Jeff Bezos, I think he is only 5‘7“ tall? And Kanye is maybe 5‘6” tall? I think Kendrick Lamar is 5 feet 2 inches tall, and also a lot of these rappers are really short. Only tall rappers include Jay Z, I think he is 6‘2“ tall. Elon Musk is tall, I think he is over 6 feet tall.

Even a lot of action stars are pretty short. I think Tom Cruise is only 5’3” tall, even Arnold Schwarzenegger who seems like a giant onscreen is only 6 feet tall! About my height.

Vin Diesel is pretty short, maybe 5‘8“ tall? I’m quite certain he took a lot of steroids to get those massive arms, this is also why he is bald (steroid usage often leads to male balding or baldness)

Why does this matter?

Whether we like it or not, we always judge and weigh ourselves in comparison to others. This is the number one thing I learned from thinking sociologically; to be human is to judge, to weigh, to compare, to measure. We do this with height, how many inches your penis is, ones and zeros you got in your bank account, how many followers you got, how many ones and zeros you got in your bank account, how many bitcoin you own, how many inches your arms and biceps are, how much you could deadlift squat and bench press, etc.

How did we measure men before rulers and scales?

But this is where being a man in modern-day times is bizarre; we have weights and measures to compare ourselves with other men. But once again in the past, this wasn’t a concept. There would be no skinny fat loser pulling out a tape measure, or a scale to see how much Achilles weighed, his body fat composition, how tall he was, his dick size whatever. No, it was very simple, the question;

Is there, or was there, or can there be any man who could kill Achilles on the battlefield? 

And we all know the answer is no. Hector even knows this. Hector is no fool, he knows that Achilles is the superior fighter, after all, Achilles is demigod; half man, half god. His mom was a goddess, his father a mere mortal. Hector is 100% mortal and human. Not a fair chance.

Even a thing that is impressive about Achilles, he even takes on the gods! Not even Ares can kill or take on Achilles? 

And this is where the notion of immortality becomes fascinating to me; Achilles is demigod, 50% God, 50% mortal, means that he could be killed. And he does die.

How can you imagine, an immortal god like Ares taking on Achilles, 1v1– and losing? This is an insanely grand idea:

A partly mortal man can take on a god, and win. 

Lowercase god

So in modern day times, we have this Judeo Christian God, the god of Moses, the monolithic god. This is God with the capital G, who is the ultimate supreme being.

This is where I think studying ancient Greek mythology is fascinating; there were many gods! And they were just like you and me, they quarrel with their wives, sibling rivalry, mayhem and mischief, they would get angry, get spiteful, want revenge, would succumb to lust and desire, play favorites, troll around, go to sleep, have sex etc.

This is where the notion of a single God is oppressive; if there is a single supreme God, who controls everything, who is 0% human, what are we mere mortals to do? 

This is where theology is interesting, the idea that God consubstantiated with Jesus, became man, to help us mirror immortals, this is quite an innovative idea. That uppercase God would take human form, to help humanity. I suppose this is where Catholic or Christian Theology is a bit useful; at least you could imitate Jesus! Who was 100% man, and also 100% capital God?

---

Goals

So obviously we take no drugs, we don’t consume alcohol, we don’t smoke weed, our only drugs include nice sunshine, the beach, the mountains, physical activity, tapwater and black coffee. No sugars no starches, no fake foods. We only consume beef oxen and cattle; we leave the plants for cows.

Becoming immoral

I think the first grand advance is becoming immoral. That means looking at all the modern day ethics morals etc., and upending all of them. Disrupting normalcy, disrupting ethics, disrupting morality.

I hesitate to say the word religion; because religion is something else. Religion is not morals and ethics, is rather a racial, geographic based power-complex; each and every region on the planet has a different religion which emerges, based on different needs of people.

For example, Moses was in fact a historical figure. A real human being. I think the best way to think about things is all the stories of him parting the Red Sea, superhuman acts, are best interpreted as metaphors. I think the only historical text on Moses is from the Roman historian Tacitus, I think Tacitus to be a good historian because not only does he praise the military prowess of the people of Judea, but he sees things the more analytical lens.

Obviously, all history is flooded. But if we think about the history of the Peloponnesian war, probably the best historical text that we have, or the histories, essentially Herodotus and the like wrote history not to have some sort of objective documentation of what happened, because back then there wasn’t somebody with a video camera to record the whole thing, but rather, it is based on allegory, ethics, morality, and virtues. And it all tends to be anti-tyranny, towards the democracy. The ancient Athenian way.

Democracy as an experiment

I do not consider myself a libertarian, I still see myself as a cold blooded, red white and blue Democrat. I believe in democracy. Even if it is wrong.

I have always voted Democrat my whole life, but I have nothing against anybody else. I don’t care if you are Republican right left middle center conservative moderate crazy whatever, you have the right, assuming you pay taxes, to your own opinion, and to your own vote!

The only thing you’re not allowed to do is incite violence, physical violence. Even hate, hate speech, I think technically legally you’re allowed to do so, but just keep it to yourself, keep it inside your own ranch, if you have something not nice to say don’t say it at all.

And also do not forget the fact that once upon a time, your family was also an immigrant, or trying to escape persecution from the British, and seeking a new life with more freedom and opportunity. Even the Chinese call America the beautiful country.

Mainland Chinese people would prefer to live in America

The big issue here is capital controls. Mainland Chinese, rich mainland Chinese, truth be told they want to take their wealth out of Beijing, out of Shanghai, and take it to America if they could. They all send their kids to American schools– they all want to send their kids to Harvard, Yale, even a UCLA or maybe even UC Berkeley.

I think if you think about it… If you think on a long enough time scale, surely but slowly, I think all power wealth and money will be concentrated in America.

Why? China is too polluted. I think mainland China is currently having a problem; all of these rich mainland Chinese oligarchs are pumping coal, producing as quickly as they can, in order to quickly get rich, and then send their kids to a more beautiful location, for example the appeal of a Vancouver; surrounded but nothing with trees, nature. Even Chip Wilson, the founder of Lululemon said that Vancouver is the perfect place to be, and also the reason why Lululemon was invented there, it could have not happened on any other city on the planet.

Culver City is our new Kyoto! (in LA)

For myself is an American, I currently believe LA, specifically Culver City to be the perfect place to be. Why? It is the only place which is actually walkable in all of Los Angeles, and also, the only place in all of Los Angeles that have seen a city having a dedicated graffiti removal team; my daily walk, one of the best telling things I discovered was there was some sort of sticker art on this one pole for a very long time, and finally, I actually saw that the Culver City public services department cleaned it up, scraped it off! Where else is this possible in any of Los Angeles?

Also, the new Apple headquarters on Washington street in Culver City. They are currently in the midst of expanding it, and building a super mega campus. This ain’t gonna go away for a long time.

Even though Apple is not as innovative as it is before, at least for our lifetime, I am certain that we will all still be using iPhones, not some loser Pixel or Samsung phone.

And I think Apple has been wise, we have all become subscribed to the Apple ecosystem and financial services; Apple has effectively become its own bank and security system; we have all of our passwords saved to iCloud, and paying with Apple Pay is 1 trillion times easier than any other competitor. And once you could pay with bitcoin from your iPhone, with touch or Face ID… Apple will truly take over the planet.

Touch ID or Face ID and your Bitcoin wallet for iPhone

Back to you

What can one man do, what can a single human being do? A lot!

Simple things; every time you see a kid, smile and wave at the kid! There’s a saying, whenever you smile at a child, the universe smiles back at you! 

Pedophiles don’t really exist

I think a very very bad thing which has been promoted by social media, mainstream news is a fear of pedophilia. Especially with child predators, men.

Now being a dad, with a three year-old four month-year-old son… honestly I think we have 0% to be fearful of pedophiles, the only real thing to be afraid of is distracted drivers, texting while driving, or even these electric scooters and electric bikes, if you’re distracted on your iPhone for even half a second, and one of these things whiz by at full speed and hit your kid, it actually might kill your kid.

Avoid potential fatal things for your kid.

For example, once again, I think 100% focus should be just be insanely careful when you are crossing the street with your kid, or with cars running red lights, or even driving while high! I’ve already seen two people smoking marijuana while driving cars stuck in traffic, Very scary.

Having at least one son, having kids

Let us think about the simple biological truth: if for some reason tomorrow, all human beings on the planet, all 8 billion of us decided to not have kids, with a generation or two we would all die off.

Certainly, the first goal, especially being a man is to have at least one male; at least one son to carry on the family name.

Or, have at least one kid, doesn’t matter whether boy or girl. Ideally more. 

For example, one of my neighbors, super friendly 70-year-old Chinese American lady, has two daughters, about my age, 34 and 37, and both of them, no serious relationship, not married and certainly no children. I feel bad for my neighbor; probabilistically, she might never have any grandchildren, even with two daughters! Maybe Seneca could just be her metaphorical grandkid.

The greatest tragedy is to die without any grandchildren? Or even worse no kids?

What is the purpose of grandparents?

Grandparents are key.

I think the simple purpose of grandparents is to take care of the grandkids! In America, we have bastardized this notion; and this is where things become very inefficient for the modern day American.

People say that daycare, having kids is expensive; not really, if you have a grandma or grandpa, ideally both around!

Is your whole family lives together, in one house or complex, and the grandparents take care of the young children, while their parents are working or doing something else.

The problem is the world has shifted towards hedonism; for example, hedonic pleasure through traveling, backpacking, seeing the world, eating good food, socializing, etc. Certainly these are all good things, but I don’t think they should be the telos of a grandparent– the ultimate telos of grandparent is to take care of the grandchildren, to instill them with wisdom, love, abilities!

And the truth is, all grandchildren universally adore their grandparents, especially the grandmother! Even now, as a 36 year-old man, I have nothing but affection for my grandma! I’m a lot more distant with my grandfather on my mom’s side, and my grandfather on my dad side passed when I was only two years old, so I have zero memories of him. But even Cindy, she has great memories of her grandfather, and I think this is a great thing!

Lineage

Ultimately, what is the point of life? I think it has to deal with lineage. Essentially, you just don’t want the family line to die off! 

Ideally, the family lineage lasts forever! The purpose or the point isn’t your personal immortality — it is the immortality of your family bloodline! Thinking about your kids kids kids.

Don’t mention things you don’t like

Don’t get free marketing or free PR or free publicity to things you don’t like.

If you really hate Donald Trump, don’t say nothing, just vote for Kamala Harris, or the other side. 

When will you hate something, or vocalize when you hate something, we actually secretly like it? 

Why else would we complain or vocalize it?

New moral rule: whenever we hate some thing or dislike something, we stay silent. More manly to pause, and emit silence than say something evil.

---

A real man?

A true mensch?

What is an “uber”-mensch? My ideal, my vision is to be beyond man. To not be a mere mortal, even though we are mortal.

For example, we mortal men, we lose our shit, we get angry, we yell, we get violent, we get aggressive, etc. Maybe the goal or the path is to not see yourself as a human — maybe the best thing is to not allow yourself any human emotions– the stoic way.

“Human, all too human”

It is obvious that we are all human, and that we all have human emotions. But then, the simplest innovation we can make as an individual is to be anti-human, anti-man?

Maybe going opposite or doing the opposite?

For example, when you are angry, be kind instead? Or even the funny reverse; when you want to be kind, show fake anger instead?

There are still are many innovations we can make in ethics guys! 

ERIC

---

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---

Now what?

Time to win. Now just go out there and just do it!

ERIC

---

ERIC KIM BLOG >

---

Life is your ultimate call to action!

START HERE

---

You cannot change the universe or the planet, but you could direct yourself the opposite way to become beyond man, the ubermensch ideal:

Thoughts on immortality:

---

Masculine or Feminine?

Masculino o feminino — 

Men who are into tending plants, a feminine trait.

The notion of being masculine, let us think about this.

First, let us consider a Achilles. What was Achilles? The Apex of Manley is, the most supreme, dominant, powerful, that is not forget that he was a demigod in the flesh. 

First, let us consider how he was so dominant on the battlefield. Ultimately when it comes to the Apex of valor, it comes down to combat, physical combat, none of this shooting guns shit. Why are guns for cowards?

Asymmetric warfare. 

For example, any 400 pound obese loser can shoot you and kill you with a gun. Imagine fitting him with armor, a shield, and a spear… And put them in man-to-man, PVP, player versus player, 1v1 combat — versus an Achilles; assuming that he is 6 foot tall, handsome, around 160 pounds with pure muscle, 5% bodyfat and a 6 pack. Who would win?

Why does this matter?

Currently, it seems that at least with men, modern day capitalism, is all kind of a big dick measuring contest. Instead of measuring how many inches your penis has, what people try to do is measure their metaphorical capital by how many dollars or commas or zeros trails them.

But, let us consider some extreme examples. If you were a 4 foot man, obese, but with a 20 inch penis, would anyone care? No!

Being a “stud”

Apparently, at least with horses… A stud is a type of horse which is prime for breeding. And now with myself… I’m starting to feel like a stud. Whenever I walk around town, now I have women checking me out. Even when I am alone with my 60 pound weighted vest on! 

And also, let us consider… What women seeks is a mate. Ideally tall dark and handsome.

Even a nuance; I actually think naturalistically… A woman is less attracted to wealth, more attracted to a man’s height, attractiveness, muscularity, etc? A woman who marries a 4 foot tall billionaire man… Very bizarre. 

---

IMMORTAL

Mortal, it means you will die. All of us, born on the planet are mortals.

When do we think about the immortals, an ancient Greek mythology, essentially it means somebody who cannot die. The gods who live on Mount Olympus, or people who got locked up by Zeus, these were the immortals.

I had some thoughts about economic immortality, but also a new thought about fitness in general or life in general, being a man… As I have advanced in maturity, I truly do feel wiser. 

For example, the purpose of muscularity, health, bigger is simple; not to be the buffest guy at the gym,  in fact some insider information that I personally got was apparently, there are some weightlifters who try to dirty bulk, and get really really buff, maybe while taking steroids or whatever, and they get really really fat, end up doing a cutting phase by taking Adderall, forcing themselves not to eat food in order to lean up. true story!

Also, a funny telltale sign I’ve discovered is when you meet guys for short, really short, but insanely buff… Maybe bald maybe not, maybe with a beard, often a lot of these guys are taking steroids? Why or how do you know? Because the nuance is that a man, no matter how rich or smart we are, we cannot add inches to our height, not even with steroids. However, you could add inches to your chest, your arms, by taking steroids. And I feel bad for these Shorty guys, They will forever feel inadequate because of their short height. Even Jeff Bezos, I think he is only 5‘7“ tall? And Kanye is maybe 5‘6” tall? I think Kendrick Lamar is 5 feet 2 inches tall, and also a lot of these rappers are really short. Only tall rappers include Jay Z, I think he is 6‘2“ tall. Elon Musk is tall, I think he is over 6 feet tall.

Even a lot of action stars are pretty short. I think Tom Cruise is only 5’3” tall, even Arnold Schwarzenegger who seems like a giant onscreen is only 6 feet tall! About my height.

Vin Diesel is pretty short, maybe 5‘8“ tall? I’m quite certain he took a lot of steroids to get those massive arms, this is why he is bald.

Why does this matter?

Whether we like it or not, we always charge ourselves in comparison to others. This is the number one thing I learned from thinking social logically; to be human is to judge, to weigh, to compare, to measure. we do this with height, how many inches your penises, ones and zeros you got in your bank account, how many followers you got, how many ones and zeros you got in your bank account, how many bitcoin you own, how many inches your arms and biceps are, how much you could dead lift squat and bench press, etc.

But this is where being a man  in modern day times is bizarre; we have weights and measures to compare our cells with other men. But once again in the past, this wasn’t a concept. There would be no skinny fat loser pulling out a tape measure, or a scale to see how much Achilles weighed, his body fat composition, how tall he was, his dick size whatever. no, it was very simple, the question;

Is there, or was there, or can there be any man who could kill Achilles on the battlefield? 

And we all know the answer is no. Hector even knows this. Hector is no fool, he knows that Achilles is the superior fighter, after all, Achilles is demigod; half man, half God. His mom was a goddess, his father Amir mortal. Hector is 100% mortal and human. Not a fair chance.

Even a thing that is impressive about Achilles, he even takes on the gods! Not even Mars can kill or take on Achilles? 

And this is where the notion of immortality becomes fascinating to me; Achilles is demigod, 50% God, 50% mortal, means that he could be killed. And he does die.

How can you imagine, an immortal god like Area taking on Achilles, 1v1– and losing? This is an insanely grand idea:

Partly mortal mind can take on a god, and win. 

Lowercase god

So in modern day times, we have this Judeo Christian God, the God of Moses, the monolithic god. This is God with the capital G, who is the ultimate supreme being.

This is where I think studying ancient Greek mythology is fascinating; there were many gods! And they were just like you and me, the quarrel with their wives, sibling rivalry, mayhem and mischief, they would get angry, get spiteful, want revenge, would succumb to lust and desire, play favorites, troll around, go to sleep, have sex etc.

This is where the notion of a single God is oppressive; if there is a single supreme God, who controls everything, who is 0% human, what are we mere mortals to do? 

This is where theology is interesting, the idea that God substantiated with Jesus, became man, to help us mirror immortals, this is quite an innovative idea. That uppercase God would take human form, to help humanity. I suppose this is where Catholic or Christian Theology is a bit useful; at least you could imitate Jesus! Who was 100% man, and also 100% capital God?

---

Goals

So obviously we take no drugs, we don’t consume alcohol, we don’t smoke weed, our only drugs include nice sunshine, the beach, the mountains, physical activity, tapwater and black coffee. No sugars no starches, no fake foods. We only consume beef oxen and kettles; we leave the plants for cows.

Becoming immoral

I think the first grand advance is becoming immoral. That means looking at all the modern day ethics morals etc., and up ending all of them. Disrupting normalcy, disrupting ethics, disrupting morality.

I hesitate to say the word religion; because religion is something else. Religion is not morals and ethics, is rather a racial, geographic based power complex; each and every region on the planet has a different religion which emerges, based on different needs of people.

For example, Moses was in fact a historical figure. A real human being. I think the best way to think about things is all the stories of him parting the Red Sea, superhuman acts, are best interpreted as metaphors.  I think the only historical text on Moses is from the Roman historian Tacitus, fine to be a good historian because not only does he praise the military prowess of the people of Judea, but he sees things the more analytical lens.

Obviously, all history is flooded. But if we think about the history of the Peloponnesian war, probably the best historical text that we have, or the histories, essentially Herodotus and the like   wrote history not to have some sort of objective documentation of what happened, because back then there wasn’t somebody with a video camera to record the whole thing, but rather, it is based on allegory, ethics, morality, and virtues. And it all tends to be anti-tyranny, towards the democracy. The ancient Athenian way.

democracy as an experiment

I do not consider myself a libertarian, I still see myself as a cold blooded, red white and blue Democrat. I believe in democracy. Even if it is wrong.

I have always voted Democrat my whole life, but I have nothing against anybody else. I don’t care if you are Republican right left middle center conservative moderate crazy whatever, you have the right, assuming you pay taxes, your own opinion, and to your own vote! The only thing you’re not allowed to do is inside violence, physical violence. Even hate, hate speech, I think technically legally you’re allowed to do so, but just keep it to yourself, keep it inside your own ranch, you have something nice to say don’t say it at all. And also do not forget the fact that once upon a Time, your family was also an immigrant, or trying to escape persecution from the British, and seeking a new life with more freedom and opportunity. Even the Chinese call America the beautiful country.

Mainland Chinese people would prefer to live in America

The big issue here is Controls. Mainland Chinese, Richmond land Chinese, should be told they want to take their wealth out of Beijing, out of Shanghai, and take it to America if they could. They all send their kids to school, they want to send their kids to Harvard, Yale, even a UCLA or maybe even UC Berkeley.

I think if you think about it… If you think on a long enough time scale, surely but slowly, I think all power wealth and money will be concentrated in America.

Why? China is too polluted. I think mainland China is currently having a problem; all of these rich mainland Chinese oligarchs are pumping coal, producing as quickly as they can, in order to quickly get rich, and then send their kids to a more beautiful Location, for example the appeal of a Vancouver; surrounded but nothing with trees, nature. Even Chip Wilson, the founder of Lululemon said that Vancouver is the perfect place to be, and also the reason why Lululemon was invented there, it could have not happened on any other city on the planet.

For myself is an American, I currently believe LA, specifically Culver City to be the perfect place to be. Why? It is the only place which is actually walkable and all of Los Angeles, and also, the only place in all of Los Angeles that have seen a city having a dedicated graffiti removal team; my daily walk, one of the best telling things I discovered was  there was some sort of sticker art on this one to for a very long time, and finally, I actually saw that the Culver City public services department cleaned it up, scraped it off! Where else is this possible in any of Los Angeles?

Also, the new Apple headquarters on Washington. They are currently in the midst of expanding it, and building a super mega campus. This ain’t gonna go away for a long time.

Even though Apple is not as innovative as it is before, at least for our lifetime, I am certain that we will all still be using iPhones, not some loser pixel or Samsung phone.

And I think Apple has been wise, we have all become subscribed to the Apple ecosystem and financial services; Apple has effectively become its own bank and security system; we have all of our password saved to iCloud, and paying with Apple Pay is 1 trillion times easier than any other competitor. And once you could pay with bitcoin from your iPhone, with touch or Face ID… Apple will truly take over the planet.

Back to you

What can one man do, what can a single human being do? A lot!

Simple things; every time you see a kid, small and wave at the kid! There’s a saying, whenever you smile at a child, the universe smells back at you! 

Pedophiles don’t really exist

I think a very very bad thing which has been promoted by social media, mainstream news is a fear of pedophilia. Especially with child predators, men.

Now being a dad, with a three year-old four month-year-old son… Honestly I think we have 0% to be fearful of pedophiles, the only real thing to be afraid of is distracted drivers, texting while driving, or even these electric scooters and electric bikes, if you’re distracted on your iPhone for even half a second, and one of these things whiz by at full speed and hit your kid, it actually might kill your kid.

Avoid potential fatal things for your kid

For example, once again, I think 100% focus should be just be insanely careful when you are crossing the street with your kid, or for cars running red lights, or even driving while high! I’ve already seen two people smoking marijuana while driving cars stuck in traffic, Very scary.

Having at least one son, having kids

Let us think about the simple biological truth: if for some reason tomorrow, all human beings on the planet, all 8 billion of us decided to not have kids, with a generation or two we would all die off.

Certainly, the first goal, especially being a man is to have at least one male; at least one son to carry on the family name.

Or, have at least one kid, doesn’t matter whether boy or girl. Ideally more. 

For example, one of my neighbors, super friendly 70-year-old Chinese American lady, has two daughters, about my age, 34 and 37, and both of them, no serious relationship, not married and certainly no children. I feel bad for my neighbor; ballistically, she might never have any grandchildren, even with two daughters! Maybe Seneca could just be her metaphorical grandkid.

What is the purpose of grandparents?

I think a simple purpose of grandparents is to take care of the grandkids! In America, we have bastardized this ocean; and this is where things become very inefficient for the modern day American.

People say that daycare, having kids is expensive; not really, if you have a grandma or grandpa, ideally both around!

Is your whole family lives together, in one house or complex, and the grandparents take care of the young children, while their parents are working or doing something else. 

The problem is the world has shifted towards hedonism; for example, hedonic pleasure through traveling, backpacking, seeing the world, eating good food, socializing, etc. Certainly these are all good things, but I don’t think they should be the telos of a grandparent–  ultimate tell us of grandparent is to take care of the grandchildren, to instill them with wisdom, love, abilities!

And the truth is, all grandchildren universally adore their grandparents, especially the grandmother! Even now, as a 30 six-year-old man, I have nothing but affection for my grandma! I’m a lot more distant with my grandfather on my mom side, and my grandfather on my dad side passed when I was only two years old, so I have zero memories of him. But even Cindy, she has great memories of her grandfather, and I think this is a great thing!

Lineage

Ultimately, what is the point of life? I think it has to deal with lineage. Essentially, you just don’t want the family line to die off! 

Ideally, the family lineage last forever! The purpose or the point isn’t your personal immortality — it is the immortality of your family bloodline! Thinking about your kids kids kids.

Don’t mention things you don’t like

Don’t get free marketing or free PR or free publicity to things you don’t like.

If you really hate Donald Trump, don’t say nothing, just vote for Kamala Harris, or the other side. 

When will you hate something, or vocalize when you hate something, we actually secretly like it? 

Why else would we complain or vocalize it?

New moral rule: whenever we hate some thing or dislike something, we stay silent. More manly to pause, and emit silence than say something evil.

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A real man?

A true mensch?

What is an “uber”-mensch? My ideal, my vision is to be beyond man. To not be a mere mortal, even though we are mortal.

For example, we mortal men, we lose our shit, we get angry, we yell, we get violent, we get aggressive, etc. Maybe the goal or the path is to not see yourself as a human — maybe the best thing is to not allow yourself any human emotions– the stoic way.

“Human, all too human”

It is obvious that we are all human, and that we all have human emotions. But then, the simplest innovation we can make as an individual is to be anti-human, anti-man?

Maybe going opposite or doing the opposite?

For example, when you are angry, be kind instead? Or even the funny reverse; when you want to be kind, show fake anger instead?

There are still are many innovations we can make in ethics guys! 

ERIC

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Some more thoughts about economics, and you:

Economic immortality 

I think why this is such an important thing to think about and consider is that when it comes to money and economics, this affects any single and every single human being on the planet, all 8 billion of us.

There is no society on the planet that does not rely upon money in order for us to pay rent, purchase food, pay for electricity and Wi-Fi etc.

Now I think the bizarre carrot and stick we are fed in America is to get super super rich, in order to purchase certain things. For example, to one day be able to purchase a Lamborghini, Ferrari, whatever.

But the issue here is thinking about maintenance cost, and the productive half-life of something.

So for example, let’s just say you buy the new Porsche Lamborghini or Ferrari whatever, I think initially… It will bring you a huge wave of exhilaration and excitement! Maybe the same feeling of the excitement of being able to bed and insanely beautiful woman!

But… The second that you bet her, and you blow your load, boom time to go to sleep. And let us say that you are with this insanely beautiful supermodel babe days weeks months and years… It seems that this playboy man, eventually his enthusiasm may change. 

I think thing with beauty, in the context of vehicles homes cars women etc.… Man is ever fickle, he always seeks novelty. 

Now the unsustainable model is this guy just keeps working himself to death, attempting to stack his billions on billions, kind of like the Jay Z model, in order to purchase all these things he desires.

“I bought every V12 engine, I wish I could take it back to the beginning.” – JAY Z, THE LIFE OF OJ

In this line from the life of OJ, I find it a really fascinating thought… he says he has already amassed enough wealth to purchase every single automobile car with a V12 engine. So when he says that he wants to take it back to the beginning… What does he mean to say? Does he mean to say that he wishes that he didn’t waste all that money on all these V12 engine vehicles, and had invested that money instead? Or, he wishes that he could take it back to the beginning before he was super rich and successful, in order for him to feel hungry and scrappy again like he was in the beginning? Or maybe both — a double entendre — what rappers are masters at?

Regardless, there are some fools who seek biological life immortality, these weirdos and Silicon Valley guys who want to live 100,000 years or whatever by uploading their consciousness to the cloud whatever. I personally find this to be a very poor poor idea,  and also very bizarre… I found a lot of men who does actually do this, practically no women.  Maybe women are more wise; they know that if they become 300 years old or whatever… No amount of plastic surgery, Botox, fillers, or cosmetic aesthetic surgery or whatever could make them forever look like a sexy 26-year-old babe or something. In fact, being here in LA, I see this a lot… Women, who are still beautiful and sexy, but beyond their prime… Maybe in their mid 40s, 50s, 60s… Who might have had Botox or some sort of facial surgery somewhere in the past… And it doesn’t age well…

I’ve also noticed this issue with any sort of facial injections or Botox or plastic surgery; especially with Koreans, Korean women, and now even Korean men! If you see them in the flesh, in the dark sunlight… It really does look like plastic, and all that white stuff looks caked on… a little bit frightening almost like the joker? 

This is why you should never judge anybody until you have met them in the flesh, face to face, standing next to them, in the direct sunlight, outside. There’s only so much you could take behind an iPhone camera and selfie mode, with nice indoor lighting.

Better for economic immortality, and be Spartan… than to live like a Persian slave? 

What is the ultimate asset that you have? Your attention, your time, your focus. If you wake up, with your iPhone charging next to you, and the first thing you do is check your email… You are a slave. Or, if by not taking your email you can get fired… You are also a digital slave.

Or, if you cannot delete your Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube channel, Twitter without economic impoverishment… you are not free. 

What is economic immorality?

I think the general idea is for your capital to outlive you. That as time goes on, your pile of capital continues to accumulate indefinitely, kind of like a tree that ever grows taller and taller overtime, gradually but surely, and continues to expand her branches and leaves… Sprouting new seeds, propagating herself etc.

The reason why I like this metaphor is that the funny thought is perhaps we human beings… We’re not that different from trees. What we seek is dominance! Apparently in the rainforest… Only the tallest trees, that can outgrow the competition, and get to the highest height, can capture the sunlight, which allows it to produce seeds. If you’re in the rainforest, And you’re not tall enough, and you cannot access sunlight… You’re not going to produce any seeds.

Is the reason people don’t want to have kids because they’re not rich enough? 

I don’t think so. I think part of it is a strange brainwashing from these tree hugging childless liberals who seek to help serve “the planet”, over humanity.

For example, the bizarre thought that having kids is bad “for the planet”…  this is one of the most weird thoughts of all time… The question:

Are kids made for the planet… Or is the planet made for kids? 

You fools! Don’t you know, if suddenly every single human being on the planet stopped producing children, stopped having kids… Though within a generation or two the entire human race would go extinct?

If you had the scenario… What would you prefer–

1. The death of humanity

You are supreme dictator of the planet, and you force sterilize every single human being on the planet, which makes it impossible for any single human to give birth to a new child, and therefore it is guaranteed that no more children will be produced on the planet.

As a consequence, you have “saved” the planet and the earth and the environment – but within a generation or two, let us say 200 years, every single human being on the planet parishes, and the human race goes extinct. Then would you be happy?

2. “Carbon footprint”?

It is certain that humans burning coal and creating emissions is doing something to the planet, it is certainly changing it, my friend calls it “global weirding”. Weather patterns are becoming more and more weird. But the idea that one day the planet will become in inhabitable is false.  I believe is that more and more extremes will happen; maybe in Los Angeles, the summers will keep getting hotter and hotter, maybe eventually making it to the point that it is not uncommon to have whether in the 90s, mid 90s, even the hundreds, or the low hundreds kind of like Arizona or Nevada. And then in the winter, getting really really cold, like the 30s or something. Or maybe even the 20s?

I suppose here is we’re buying beachfront property is a desire or a strategy for some people, like purchasing property in Santa Monica, Venice, Venice Beach, Miami Beach etc. Even in Orange County, Newport Beach or Dana Point is the most highly sought after. Why? Maybe if in the next 50 years, the planet will keep getting hotter,  then being closer to the water and feeling the ocean breeze might be a good thing.

Certainly if the planet gets really really cold, this is also very very bad, but I suppose here is where humans are better adapted, if it is like 20° or 30° in LA, it sucks but at least you could buy a Canada goose jacket. If it is 120°, Like in Saudi Arabia or Dubai… At this point, is it literally impossible to just leave the house? Without air conditioning?

Simple ideas

If you think about thermodynamics, the simple strategy is to prevent heat loss. For example, if you think about the human body, technically we actually have enough heat in our body to keep us warm wherever we are or go.

So if we apply thermo dynamic principles to money and finances,  the similar principal applies: the goal is to prevent yourself from heat loss, or economic energy loss, or money loss, or financial loss.

A simple one is delete or unsubscribe from all of your subscriptions. All of your media streaming music services, your gym memberships etc. Get rid of Spotify.

Also as a simple filter, consume no media which is advertising supported, this includes Joe Rogan, or your favorite media personalities. Why, err regardless of how much you love them, as long as they are getting paid a check, to promote some sort of service or product, they and you are not 100% free.

In fact, even advice for people like Tim Ferriss, of who I am a big fan… Tim, you’re original, why don’t you just privately finance your podcast and books, you don’t have anything left to prove to anybody? You have already achieved all of the success you really need, Just give it away for free, without annoying advertisements, and just do a pro bono because it is your passion?

Creating new media hosting platforms 

OK something insanely annoying… My video press.com account, prevents me from uploading videos anymore. Maybe I’ll just start posting it myself, and providing direct links instead?

I suppose this is where it is useful that I got into the Internet in the 90s and the early 2000s… I have good knowledge about FTPs, and online storage. And websites.

I met a lot of aspiring filmmakers and creators, who still don’t have their own self hosted website, are they fools?

Simple:

1. Ionos.com or bluehost.com, and just sign up for the cheapest self hosted server plan, which gives you access to your own FTP server, in which you could directly upload your own video files or whatever, and provide direct download links for people.
2. Use WordPress.org we’re only trust open source things. Why? Open source lasts longer; because typically when people create open source stuff, they do it because it is their passion not because there is a financial motive. Therefore as a consequence, it typically lasts.

It is not guaranteed that a passion project will last, we have good duration, but, perhaps the true indicator is this:

If you were offered a financial incentive or motivation to publish somethunf with a publisher, but you refused and you gave it away for free instead… you are true.

100 Lessons From The Masters Of Street Photography — this will last forever.

Why bitcoin will last forever

Even if you think about this, ultimate generous act; to create something invent something, anonymously, to give it away for free and then disappear forever… Isn’t this the ultimate generous act?

Satoshi did this. It is probably doubtful that he is Japanese, his English is too good. Probably after some Caucasian American man, slightly anti-establishment, anti-beings, a programming whiz, really believed in this. Kind of like the founder of Linux, etc. 

This is where you should never put any faith in any sort of corporation, product, security, or crypto crypto acid which has had a general founder. Why? When the founder dies, and there is no more vision… The whole thing will probably go under.

Steve Jobs vision was to create a company imputed with so much creative passion that it would outlive him. It seems like he has won here. Procreate wasn’t invented or created yet when Steve Jobs was alive, and if you think about it… The true ultimate vision of Steve Jobs was to create iPad, no stupid stylist, no stupid keyboard. This is why if you are a true fanboy, a true acolyte of Steve Jobs, what you would do is just use the 11 inch iPad Pro, no stupid accessories. You are a true innovator this way.

A true and grand man with real vision?

To become a true visionary is to see beyond well, monetization, even your own financial well-being. A true visionary doesn’t really care for money; Elon Musk doesn’t care about money, Jeff Bezos doesn’t, Peter Thiel doesn’t, Steve Jobs didn’t.

Maybe this is where we have to ask Jay Z and Kanye from our economic minds; I think the pernicious thing in the African-American community is around money. Why? It makes sense; even in America, talking to my friend Ray.. racism is still alive and well, and I don’t think it’s necessarily gotten any better. Certainly there is more access, there is no more legal laws which prohibit a certain race a person to purchase property, but still, people are still going to be racist towards you towards the pigment of your skin, your morphology, your genetic heritage etc., assuming that you are not Anglo-Saxon protestant Caucasian man in America.

Even Jewish people, they are not white. They are closet white, or “white passing“, — as long as America never elect or votes for a Jewish American president, Jewish people in Jewish businessmen will always be at a disadvantage, lower on the totem pole.

Even a Donald Trump… Certainly he is not Christian or religious or whatever… But he is certainly not Jewish. 

Even Catholics, Catholicism… Besides John F. Kennedy, Catholicism and being Catholic is still the weird sub-sect.

so what are we to do?

First, stop the heat loss, stop the oxygen loss, stop the bleeding! The most critical thing to consider in regards to economic policy for yourself, is to stop all debt, stop bleeding, and don’t leverage any debt or bad things!

Mortgages?

If you live in California, the taxes will bleed your dry. Even if you live somewhere like Florida, which has a lower tax jurisdiction, there are still taxes!

Which means, with property, you never really own the property, you simply have a lease from the government to borrow it. Do you have more privileges like building stuff on top of it, but still, as long as you have to pay a forever home owner city tax, you don’t really own it. 

Perhaps this is where people get tempted by certain things like clothing or cars, if you purchase it in all cash, technically you do own it. 

Avoid the indoors like the plague 

A lot of people coughing now, indoors. Maybe then the wise ideas to avoid indoors like the play, kind of like early Covid days. And also, maybe starting to become wise again to wear a facemask when going anywhere indoors?

–> always live life like it is COVID?

Because the issue here is not even catching Covid is just getting sick! I don’t want to catch the common cold; which has no vaccine. 

Every day is different

Each and every day is different… Never planned the night before. Just do what you feel like morning of. 

Bitcoin is digital cash

I think Satoshi wrote this in the bitcoin white paper, and also this is interesting because the notion of cash, because the simple ideas with a home or property or whatever… Either 100% all cash offer or nothing.

If you have to finance it, just keep stacking your money until you do it all cash.

But also the issue… If you think like a real investor, and you think about 10, 100 X, 1000 X gains… There’s almost nothing worth purchasing.

For example, at this point I could technically purchase anything I want. As long as it is less than $1 million. But the thing is… There’s nothing worth purchasing, nothing I value purchasing considering if my bitcoin can 10x, 100x, 1000x or even 10,000x from here.

Never spend money on yourself only others

Besides purchasing some weightlifting equipment from Titan.fitness from my remaining PayPal balance, I haven’t spent money on anything perhaps the last year?

I think the big thing is not because I’m doing it out of a sense of virtuality, but instead, ethos is that there is just nothing worth it?

And also, I’m starting to understand that I like the idea of things rather than actually owning it. Even my friend Don Dillon told me this about his Porsche 911 GT3: maybe we like the idea of something more than actually owning it.

This is where I love marketing, marketing materials, marketing copy images videos etc.; it is also inspirational, motivational, and interesting to me! For example, I do not wish even my worst enemy to own a Ferrari, the maintenance costs on these things are insane; at least a Lamborghini is just an Audi or a Volkswagen with a body kit; so if you’re going to fix your Lamborghini Huracan V10 engine… You could presumably use Volkswagen or Audi parts. But with Ferrari… You’re screwed. Do you want to fix your suspension, or your engine? Say goodbye to $200,000. And even if you’re super rich… Even a billionaire… To spend $200,000 to fix your car is always going to be annoying. And will irk you in a bad way.

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“Finance”?

So studying some etymology for the word finance, the general idea is that finance literally means to hold someone at ransom? 

Very bad apparently, 99.99% of people finance their homes, which means that they take out a 30 year mortgage or whatever. And also even worse, apparently talking to some guys at the Toyota dealership, most people also finance their cars. This is horrible idea for many reasons:

1. First, if you’re going to take any APR that is above 0%, you’re in the red. Even 1.99% APR… That is lost money.
2. If you have to do a down payment on a car, and finance it, that is money you could’ve put into bitcoin, and 1000x’d — a $5M mistake, assuming that the average down payment on a car is $5000 USD.

Even more foolish is to Lisa vehicles; because once again, after three years you have to give it back! So you have literally pissed your money down the drain.

How to know whether people are really rich or not rich?

1. If they have not paid off the mortgage on the house in full, then they are not rich.
2. If they drive a Tesla, they are not rich
3. If they have a job they are not rich

Richness, is absence. The absence of having to have a job, the absence of having to “work“.

Does it matter?

I’m more critical thing to consider, which is even beyond my personal scope: does it matter? 

For example, why do you care to see or know how rich somebody is, in comparison to you?

I don’t think it really matters.

Maybe it comes out of a sense of insecurity; do you have to always weigh yourself according to others, maybe it is simply lack of self-esteem? And also, is this a socialized thing?

Because for example, if you were Achilles, you would not care about how rich somebody wasn’t comparison to you. I’ll Achilles was weary of just conquering towns for the sake of king Agamemnon. He just wanted to take Breisis his prize, and just retire to his fertile lands. And of course, after Hector kills Patroclus, on accident, thinking that it was Achilles… Achilles’ sole objective was to enact revenge by killing Hector. He had no use for golden tripods, more cattle in the like. Even the whole period of time in which he is trying to get his revenge, he actually forces his self not to eat– and of course the gods infuse him with ambrosia so he won’t starve to death, but still technically… he is technically “intermittent fasting“ the whole time.

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Live like Achilles

Maybe the secret to economic immortality is to just live like Achilles. Your only joy is through combat, physical valor, strength, muscle.

My very very simple suggestion is quit your gym membership cancel your gym membership, and use that money to buy your own barbell and weights. If you want to do it super cheap, just purchase a sandbag, and buy some cheap place and from Home Depot, only about five dollars for a 50 pound bag.

Also, armor. 60 pound weight vest from Titan.fitness. 

And then, your joy is just maximum time outside, in the direct elements, training, for life.

ERIC

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I’m impressed; is your 2024… And the matrix, the notion of the matrix is still a great one! Maybe the film matrix is anti-fragile from as time goes on, the film actually becomes better and more pertinent to modern day life, rather than irrelevant.

Also, I think this is also where Blade Runner will age well, because now that we have the new ChatGPT 4o (paid premium)– with the ability to have natural voice conversations, even trying it out in Korean, the Korean voice sounds so real!

Anyways, the general thought I have is maybe the future elite kids, will have the privilege of not using AI, not using ChatGPT etc. 

K-12?

OK, if you want to live in America well, there are basic things you gotta learn, like how to read right, basic arithmetic math etc.

So then if you think about the whole schooling system, what is the point of it?

First, maybe the point is socialization, learning how to play well with other kids, and ride with other humans etc. And then maybe it is these fun extracurricular activities like sports etc. Or arts, music etc. Or it is just a free babysitting daycare that you could pull your kids out, in order for you to do other stuff while your kids are in school.

I think the best strategy to approach is assume that every single kid will have access to an iPhone pro, with the paid premium version of ChatGPT. If this is the case… Maybe some sort of real world training is useful.

For example, I ChatGPT really good at doing tedious things, even one of the best things in TurboTax recently is having tax connect to your bank account and credit card, and it automatically files all of your expenses, according to category. I used to have to do this manually, and it was so insanely tedious, this is what I actually hated most about doing taxes. Now, it is super easy!

Also, tea is good at simple rhyme, or it is like a targeted Google or Wikipedia search, that doesn’t require you to look at advertisements. In fact my suggestion is anytime you want to google something, just first ChatGPT it.

Also, the reason why I find ChatGPT should be such an amazing great thing is that it doesn’t take you down rabbit holes, like Wikipedia or Google. In fact, I love hyperlink, but often hyperlinks are a huge distraction, that take you down these bizarre rabbit holes. if you spend enough time on Wikipedia, sooner or later you’ll come across any conspiracy theory, the similar thing that happens on Google search or YouTube.

Get rid of Google, YouTube, Wikipedia

Obviously ChatGPT is flawed, but still, because it is a paid premium product, at least there is not a problematic financial incentive at play; the incentive of open AI and ChatGPT is to create the best possible product, to best assist humans and humanity, and it hopes that everyone will subscribe to their paid model for $20 a month, which is a real and a good sustainable business model. 

Compare this with Google, which I think when it comes down to it is an unethical company. Why? 99% of the revenue is through paid search, or display advertisements, or YouTube ads or whatever. And therefore the financial incentive for creators is to create things which have maximum Machach factor, in order to maximize eyeball exposure, which tends to be around extremes in terms of human fears, concerns, doubts, Things that make people angry.

In fact, the notion of “injustice “porn; when you spend enough time on Twitter Instagram Facebook TikTok podcast whatever… Sooner or later you will feel unjust about something and it will make you angry!

Anger is a great monetization strategy 

OK, some random thoughts:

Time for me to go to war on these assholes, acting all tough in their cars, asshole smokers in public etc.

Nonconsensual exposure

Here is where ChatGPT really shines; its ability to quickly navigate thousands of pages of legal law, to find city ordinances, and laws in regards to smoking, smoking in public areas etc.

First, to evoke NASSIM TALEB, skin in the game, the general ethical idea is that laws are feeble, ethics are robust. It is very easy to gain legal laws, city ordinances etc.… typically for profit. 

Anyways, I’ve been thinking a lot about the ethics or the politics of smoking; first and foremost, I grew up, with my dad being a very very heavy smoker, and I think cigarette smoke might be one of my most hated things on the planet. I hate it 1 trillion times more than even politics. 

I think the primary ethical issue here is that it is nonconsensual exposure. For example, if I’m out walking in public, walking in the streets, by myself or with Seneca… I do not want to smell any secondhand smoke.

What some of these assholes try to do is that they tried to smoke in a corner, or really far away… Not thinking that in fact, secondhand smoke especially if you’re downwind from it, could almost travel up to one or two city blocks.

Now that I am the king of Culver City, the primary issue here is that whenever I randomly see people smoking on the sidewalk, crossing the street, in a corner,  at the intersection of a public street, etc.… Sometimes I don’t act quickly enough, or say anything quickly enough, because I think to myself:

Well —  it seems like I won’t be exposed to their smoke because they seem far away… Or maybe the wind is blowing the opposite direction?

But then… When I walked down a block or two… And I instantly smelled the smoke, I immediately get a headache, feel pain and become infuriated… And I am not willing to backtrack a block, once again smelling the secondhand smoke again, to tell them to stop.

Anti smoking rampage

OK, if you want to smoke in the comfort of your own home, inside your bedroom, give yourself cancer etc– so be it,,, but, the second you step outside your home, there becomes some ethical dilemmas for you.

Even a new new one; there are no robust laws which prevent people from smoking in their outdoor patio in multi level apartment complexes etc.

Because let us say that you’re addicted to smoking cigarettes, or even if you’re addicted to smoking marijuana, do you think that your secondhand smoke when you smoke on your patio doesn’t affect others… But it does.

Even another nuance; when you’re out in public, driving your car, and smoking with your windows down, assuming that I have my windows down, your secondhand smoke could come into my car!

Sometimes what I’ll do is just roll up the windows and turn on the air conditioning, because I don’t want to pick a fight. But then again… If I prefer to have my windows down, to get a fresh breeze, and your smoking with your windows down… Why should I have to roll up my windows, because you are polluting the communal air?

Is it worth it?

I think for a very very long time, I would just take it, I would just take it up the ass like a ventriloquist (Ye). But now… Now that I have Seneca, a young child, things change. Both when I am actually with him, walking with him in public, we’re also, when I’m just by myself…

Now I’m starting to think, to evoke children is unethical.  For example, to tell these asshole smokers in public to not smoke cigarettes because there are children around, or that it is “bad for the kids“… It is typically poor manners. Why? Because if you think it from the kids perspective… Technically you’re blaming the kids… Or the kids end up feeling guilty and culpable?

Obviously smoking is bad for kids, secondhand smoke is bad for kids… But these asshole smokers do it anyway, thinking that they could get away with it, or thinking that they are far enough that they are not harming anyone. But once again, the laws of physics and the wind, Even here in Culver City, because we are relatively close to Venice and the beach, we actually get a really nice breeze! And especially when you are in public areas, if I could smell the smell of smoke, I perk up like a wolf immediately, or even marijuana.

Don’t be a coward

If something is ethically wrong in the pit of your soul, you must stand up, speak out, even if you’re the asshole, even if you’re the bully, even if you are the unreasonable one.

Now, I think all smokers secretly know what they are doing is bad and shameful. And they should. Yet,,, once again, the average citizen never says anything, I’m starting to think that Angelino’s are a bunch of cowards and pussies.  The problem with the modern day American man is that he is a passive aggressive coward, who never says something to your face,  but instead, bitches and moans in private, on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram, or complaints to friends and family and other people behind closed doors over dinner conversations.

Now, I’m just gonna think that I am a navy seal officer, I am a ranger, Delta force, that I am the mayor, the Supreme Court judge, the CHP, the police.

WE are taught all the stuff in k-12 education about Rosa Parks, refusing to stand up at the back of the bus whatever, but why is it that the modern day man is so cowardly?

Man vs woman?

I found out recently… I’m actually really good at yelling at other men, and being an asshole to other men… But when I see women who are as asshole drivers, who honk at me from behind for not moving half a millisecond forward, or even worse… when I was in a parking lot complex, and some asshole lady in a AMG wagon honk at me from behind because I’m simply trying to find a parking spot… Or even the other day I saw a lady smoking cigarette while crossing the public sidewalk street, … why do I hesitate to tell off women?

I suppose the issues here is that men are taught to treat women with more respect, to not be aggressive towards women etc. Typically I think this is good, but once again, when it comes to the public good, like smoking, or the public roads… This should not be tolerated.

> Zero tolerance

Every day politics of every day life

People often talk about  politics in the realm of the ephemeral digital world, of Donald Trump and international politics and international politics in the light. I find this very cowardly and superficial.

What is more critical here is to talk about politics every day life. For example, once again, face-to-face, flesh to flesh human interactions.

I’m starting to think the reason why people are such assholes wouldn’t come to cars is this asymmetry of power;

When somebody honk at you from behind, you cannot honk back because your horn is facing forward, there is no such thing as a backwards facing horn.

A simple suggestion could be installing a horn on your trunk which faces the opposite way, in which if some asshole honks at you from behind, you could honk back. 

What is the purpose of a horn?

Every automobile car is legally required to have a horn, and the purpose of a horn in a car is to prevent potential accidents. You only honk when it is a life or death situation, or when there might be an incoming accident. The purpose of a horn or to honk at somebody isn’t to tell them to hurry up when they are not moving in traffic. Simple suggestions; if a car in front of you is not moving, even when the light turns green… Just wait a few seconds! Who knows if that person simply has a kid in the car seat behind them, and the kid is asking them for food or something!

Here, those stickers that say kid on board is useful… But aesthetically I don’t want to put that sticker on the back of my automobile, because I find it unaesthetic.  But once again, there is an asymmetry here in which if somebody behind you doesn’t know that you have a kid on board, they might be more likely to be an asshole, but most people lack them or the knowledge that there are some people who drive cars who have kids on board, And therefore, when people aggressively drive behind you, cut you off without turning on their signal, I’m starting to think that we have to educate them.

When you observe dangerous behavior on the road, a simple thing you could do is highbeam them, either you could blink it twice, or just go behind them and blast your highbeams at full at them, to inform them that they did something wrong.  I personally do not believe in honking, because even I am sensitive to the sound of honking even if the honking is coming from my car.

Perhaps a simple weapon that we could put on our cars are those really really extremely bright LED high beams, you could just get them on Amazon for 30 bucks. And they are so bright that even in the Los Angeles sunlight, it reaches the eyeballs of the perpetrator.

Road rage is passive aggressive

The primary issue with road rage, is that it is passive aggressive. Let us realize that when you are driving a car, and you get road rage or aggressive on the road, you have a 3000 pound silver bullet. Not only can you kill yourself and your passengers on board, you could also kill other people on the road, their kids etc.

Once again, the false ethical thought that people have in regards to these crazy drivers is that they could kill themselves. But once again if they are driving on a public road, and there is at least one or two other cars around them… In theory they could cause a multi car accident, which could indirectly or directly harm you and your kid on board! This is starting to get so bad that I am even considering that by the time Seneca gets into school… Getting a part-time job as a California highway police officer, to start to serve justice,? Or at least become accredited to become a cop?  well at least become some sort of petty officer, or reserve officer somewhere in the American military? To At least get some sort of higher clearance,  or authority, or badge?

Think about it… If you were a California highway police officer, or even a cop, in your driving around in a cop car with some asshole honk at you from behind to hurry up? No! They will not dare to. So what makes these assholes think that they could bully the average civilian?

Another random solution I have is installing those super bright LED light bars, in the back of your car, to prevent assholes from tailgating you, or as a form of punishment you could just turn them on the second that people start honking at you from behind.

A random thought; you had one of those massive lifted trucks, a cyber truck, or a car that has spikes from behind, or some car that looks beautiful… Would it prevent people from tailgate, or honking at you like an asshole? Uncertain.

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TANK

Certainly if you drove a tank on the streets, people would probably not honk at you from behind to hurry up. And also, if you’re walking around town with your 60 pound weight vest on… You’re kind of look like SWAT team, and I found that when people are on the streets and they see you with your 60 pound weight vest on, they either assume that you’re security, or that you have a bomb strapped to your chest. 

Regardless, when I do have my 60 pound weight vest strapped to my chest… It does make me feel tougher, stronger, more confident more brazen, and when I tell people off… I feel zero hesitation. Why? Two things, first, if I have my 60 pound weight vest on… It might be able to Prevent penetration even from a Glock pistol? 

Even I was chatting with a Culver City police officer, LAPD officer, and even they saw me with my weight vest and was impressed… And they told me that their bulletproof vest was around 20 pounds.

Also, I would certainly probably win in a fistfight, because I think anybody if they attempted to punch me with my weight vest on, they would definitely fracture their hand or fist. 

I suppose the difficulty is that it is easier for me to wear my 60 pound weight vest, walking around town by myself, but it becomes a little bit more difficult when I am with Seneca.

No more passive aggressive, only aggressive aggressive. 

One of the great things about being Culver City, is that I really do have a strong sense of ownership here, I feel like a valued member of the community, I know everybody here, and I suppose when I am the greater Los Angeles area, I might be a little bit more hesitant to tell people in public not to smoke whatever… But certainly here in Culver City I have zero qualms.

Once again with these asshole smokers, the cowardly thing to do is when you see somebody smoking in public is to simply take you and your kid, and try to go away. The problem is even when you are trying to retreat or run away from the smoker, The draft from a block or two down from there smoking your lungs, and the lungs of your kid!

Will they return?

Another thought: typically, if you see somebody smoking somewhere, they typically have their pre-designated smoking spots. What they do is they always come back to a certain spot, typically in a public place, and then they indignantly light up their cigarettes.

So I suppose the benefit of telling somebody off, to not smoke in public, or telling them not to smoke in our city, is that you might prevent them from future smoking in public, and I wonder… How much of trying to stop assholes from smoking in public has to deal with you versus other people their kids etc.?

The first thing; I love kids! I love all kids! All kids are pure, genuine, sweet, and adorable. Becoming a new father, I do sense and feel  I general sense of well-being, and affection for all kids, regardless whether they are mine or not. I’m not not sure why, it is just kind of like a gut feeling.

So certainly I do not want other random kids to get secondhand smoking or cancer or lung exposure.

Assuming that we humans are altruistic, and we care for the well-being of others, even other kids who don’t belong to us, if you really did care about humanity the human race altruism… Maybe you should say something.

Cars on the road?

Certainly trying to tell off every single human being on the planet or in Los Angeles to drive better is not really sustainable. Let us say that you are one human being, and there is 100,000 asshole drivers on the road, you cannot correct everyone.

However, you could create one person, or two people, or three people… This is enough to make a change!

ERIC

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EK

Good businesses are digital; that exist on the Internet, you don’t have to pay rent, storage fees, monthly building mortgage payments, land leases etc.

For example, when I was starting off, in street photography… Started my blog etc.… Even up until now my server fee for my blog might be about 100 bucks, 200 bucks a month. But compare this to having to sign a lease on the building in which you are being held into the property, and you have to pay that lease indefinitely! Seems like a poor idea.

I think in the world of finance, art, there is this romanticization of the Parisian artist, with his private studio, his private bookstore or café… Etc. They should hear is a scale ability issue, and also, issue that you have to attend to the property!

For example, the problem is in regards to having to be there, maintain the toilets, etc.

For a moment, I was considering opening out my own gym, but then I realized, the headache of having to always be there, or higher staff, maintain the toiletsetc. A trillion headaches. 

The laws of physics

Currently, Amazon is the goat. There is no other business as dominant, impressive, and all encompassing than Amazon. If you want any sort of physical good, Amazon is almost always your best pet, especially if you have Amazon prime. Why? Speed. To get your products delivered to you, within a day, two days, or the day of same day… Speed wins.

But the funny thing is even for me, Amazon is too slow. When I want to buy something, I want to purchase it immediately, right now! So this is where I like to walk into the store and purchase something, because I like the immediate effect of something being instantaneous. Perhaps for me, there is a greater joy in instant, rather than even waiting a few hours.

Digital goods?

OK the biggest issue here is that there is still no such thing as a digital good. For example, e-books, digital products are not really digital… In the scarcity notion.

For example, let us say that I sell an e-book for $10. Follower may purchase it because they desire to support me, want immediate access to it, or cannot find a free version online. But beyond this… The second which you download a PDF file, you could replicate it indefinitely! If you download a PDF file of something, or even a EPUB file of an e-book,  you could replicate it 1 million times, send it to 1 million of your friends online, etc.

Non-replicable?

The closest thing we have so far is the notion of a non-fungible thing… NFT. For example, having some sort of proof on the block chain, backed by Ethereum which “proves” that you are indeed, the true “owner“ of something. But even for me as a bitcoin and crypto enthusiast, I have almost 0 interest in an NFT. Why? I don’t care for the ownership something… Or example if you made an NFT art of something, I could just screenshot it, and hold onto the image. don’t care whether I own it or not, I just like looking at the image!

Where Bitcoin becomes such a fascinating value proposition  is that you cannot replicated, even if you wanted to. Why? Proof of work, the idea that you must expend energy in order to mind a bitcoin, like putting human laborers to work for a bar of gold etc.

The foolish thing that people say is that bitcoin is bad for the environment or the planet or whatever… But they do not talk about how bad for the planet is to mine gold, Mine diamonds, precious metals for jewelry etc.

For example, if you’re a woman or man saying that bitcoin is bad for the planet. Yet you have ever purchased or received any gold object or jewelry, or if you want iPhone… Or a laptop or whatever… Or an automobile car… That’s bad for the planet! 

Even worse, gold, diamonds, etc.… Depends on slave labor. Even apparently to produce your lovely sneakers, whether they be Adidas Nike, cloud on whatever… There are some close to slavery like working conditions, somewhere in Indonesia Vietnam, to make your lovely athletic apparel. Same thing goes with Lululemon; All the brands.

There is no such thing as ethical fashion, ethical clothing, ethical iPhones or iPhone pros, ethical make up whatever.

Women vs men

When it comes down to it… Woman seeks to beautify herself, either with her thoughts, her words, her clothing her dress, her literature, her artworks etc. 

What does man seek? Man seek dominance, power, influence, women.

The way that we our desired goals through capitalism or consumerism is through purchasing, purchasing power.

For a man,  what is the significance of purchasing property or single-family home? The purpose is to build a citadel, build a fortress, a castle, a point of defense, a TROY, etc. Therefore the appeal of prosperous men who desire to purchase property on top of a hill or a mountain, overlooking his fiefdom, feeling high and mighty etc.

I think for a woman, the purpose of property, purchasing a home has to be more around a feeling of security. 

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Being honest?

I think one of the most pernicious modern day lines of thinking has deal with the fact that somehow… Sexual differences don’t matter. It does matter if you are a man or a woman, whether you have testes or ovaries.

Why? If you have any menstrual cycle or hormonal cycle, certainly this will be very different than if you’re a man, with testicles, and you have greater sports aggression due to heightened cortisol or adrenaline levels.

For example, you would never put the top male UFC fighter against the top female UFC fighter. Why? This would simply be unethical and slaughter.

However, the top UFC female fighter certainly probably destroyed 99.9% of the male population. But if you took the top UFC female fighter versus the top UFC male fighter, no chance. I’m not sure… But even if you took the top female UFC fighter, versus even a middle male UFC fighter, or even a bottom tier male UFC fighter… I think the man would always win. This is why you never see Roger Federer versus Serena or Venus Williams, and this is why you will never see LeBron James versus any women’s NBA player.

Also, in the context of weightlifting, powerlifting, or strongman competitions; even if you took all the steroids in the world, I don’t think you will ever see a 501 kg lift from a woman. Or even see a woman lift 1000 pounds? Certainly not 2000 pounds.

gender versus sex

Gender is whatever you want. It is fluid. In this sense, to be a transgender or whatever is fine; ever since I was a kid, the notion of a tomboy, a drag queen, whatever is not a big deal. Even Kanye West putting on the pink polo… I remember in middle school high school, one of the cool African-American guys, sporting a pink polo, it was so shocking to everybody because pink was seen as only for women, but he did so confidently and everyone thought he was awesome.

Even now with Seneca, pink is his favorite color! And so is mine! I have this pink Brooks brother sweater I love which I always get compliments on, and also this cool pink bomber jacket ISSE , which I found for free in this donation pile, which I love. Other day one of the Toyota dealership guys thought Seneca was a girl because he wore pink shoes, which threw him off. 

Certain colors are socialized, also, behaviors and the way you decide to dress, this is all fluid! I’ve been seeing a lot of men, with facial hair, 3 o’clock shadows, dressing in skirts or dresses whatever. And that is fine.  even this one person at one of our favorite fried chicken takeout places, has facial hair, but the voice sounds like a girl, but the facial features look masculine… I have no idea. But typically, if you have facial hair, or a beard… You’re a man. 

I love the alphabet soup!

It don’t matter what you is, And also, I don’t know why people care what you are either. If you’re a man and you want to wear a sports bra, a crop top, a bikini, a skirt or dress, whatever… Why does it matter?

Also, I think the first rule is to just leave other people alone. If other people want to dress however they want, or act or talk the way they want to, or have sex or intercourse the way they want to, why do you care?

I think perhaps for me, the only annoying thing is when it comes to gender pronouns. If you have a beard, if you’re 7 foot tall with facial hair, I’m not going to call you a woman.

If you’re 6 foot seven, and you have a beard, and you want me to call you a woman, I will not. And this is where I find things nonsensical; it is not a hate crime to call somebody what they biologically are.  

Even the funny thing… To call somebody “bro” nowadays is not even gendered.  I even see young elementary or middle school kids calling their moms “bro” or “bruh”.

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Back at the line of thought

So let us take a via negativa approach:  start off by axing and eliminating all the bad business ideas.

1. Based in the physical world, in which you have to pay rent, a mortgage, reoccurring physical space expenses.
2. High risk businesses, latest realize that the simple statistics here, never put yourself into a fragile position.

Day jobs are good

When I first started my blog, I had zero intention or thought that it would be commercially viable. My personal thought was that actually, to make money through photography was impossible.  The only way I was able to make it work was part by chance, part by luck, part with hard work and hustle. 

But the greatest benefit was I didn’t have any stress to monetize it. Why? I still have my day job, earning $40,000 a year in 2010 2011, so at least I could cover my rent, and basic expenses.

This is why my number one advice for any entrepreneur is the goal is not to get super rich from your passion, the goal is simply to be able to sustain yourself in a Spartan level and degree ; doing the absolute minimum, paying rent, and purchasing meat and coffee.

Spartan entrepreneurship

If you study any super super successful entrepreneur, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos in the light … They all started super scrappy.  Steve Jobs would just subsist on beans and rice, and filled the apple computer with Steve Wozniak, in his parents garage, with down jackets on, and space heaters. Elon Musk, in the early days, shared a single computer with his brother, and also, would just shower at the local YMCA, and I think he fed himself on two dollars a day on just spaghetti and hotdogs.

Also, Jeff Bezos; him just personally driving his beat up Honda accord to the local post office, to deliver books. Also the early days he would create tables for his workers, simple doors that he would buy at Home Depot.

So I think the primary mistake that a lot of these aspiring entrepreneurs make is that they think that somehow need a lot of funding, or a lot of money.

The truth is… Entrepreneurship is Spartan;  essentially, assume that you have zero resources, zero money, zero startup capital, and all you have is access to the Internet, your brain, and earning enough money to just pay for your website server bill.

Once again… The way that you leverage yourself 1 trillion X is to just start your own self hosted website, Ionos.com or bluehost.com with WordPress.org

And the simple way to propagate yourself is through free marketing, through free YouTube videos, free podcast, free files, etc. The path forward is through indirect monetization; you cannot make a sustainable living simply from advertising. You have to provide some sort of service or product.

Promotion?

Also, maybe you could indirectly get rich by promoting stuff, like for example… You become super famous for something, and let us say that you own a lot of bitcoin, maybe simply to educate people about bitcoin, the virtues, might be indirectly good for you; because you build a trust with your audience in an unrelated field, and you could use that as a platform to promote bitcoin or whatever… And as a consequence, your Bitcoin value goes up? 

Everyone knows ERIC KIM as the street photographer, philosopher, Stoic Spartan, now weightlifter and muscular guy, but bitcoin is a new identity.

The ethics of personal gain

Ethical question:  if you own bitcoin, a lot, and you tell everybody that you own bitcoin, and you are vested in it, you have at least $1 million of your wealth in it… Is it at the culture promote it, assuming that when you’re promoted, the value of your own personal bitcoin may go up to $10 million $100 million or $1 billion?

Yes. Why? You got skin in the game! I would say it is unethical to promote something that you’re not vested in; for example very very unethical for these early crypto influencers to promote FTX, when they in fact by themselves did not host their own assets on FTX, or that they did not purchase any FTX with their own tokens.

Even a bad thing that I saw with chain-link; they recently had a hackathon, and I think the offered like $100,000 worth of prizes. But shouldn’t the ethical thing be instead, to offer prizes with chain-link, not US dollars?

Michael Saylor

The reason why I really love Michael Saylor is that the whole time, in all of his 100+ interviews, he never once promotes his own company, or tells people to buy it.  instead, he tells people to buy the bitcoin itself, not shares in his company.

Some people think, wait, isn’t it bad for Michael Saylor to promote bitcoin if you will indirectly monetize from it? No! Because he has risk and exposure.

It would be unethical if he was promoting Ethereum, if he was given a $10 million check from Vitalik, but did not actually purchase any Ethereum himself.

And also, this is where all these corporations are evil; for example even Disney… Who owns Marvel, I see these Coca-Cola cans and bottles, with superheroes plastered all over it? Burn it down!

Also, unethical marketing, with beer and alcohol companies; name one athlete who drinks a beer or drinks vodka or Mezcal or tequila before playing a game. Zero.

Or, think about the ethics of a Toyota dealer who would prefer to drive an AMG wagon over a Toyota.

Or, a Lamborghini dealer selling Lamborghinis, but in private, he drives a Tesla instead.

This is where money in the game, soul in the game matters;  assuming that money is just economic energy, when you have economic energy and something, your opinion is true.

For example, if the evil Philip Morris company offered you $1 trillion to say that smoking cigarettes what’s good for your health, would you do it? Of course not. 

Trust nobody who uses advertising

I put zero faith in anybody who relies on advertising revenue, sponsorships, to make a living. Why? First and foremost ,,, I recall that there were some early crypto influencers or bitcoin guys who promoted Gemini as a trading platform, and that they trusted it and used it themselves etc. But now… Is it still around? Not certain.

The only reason I used Coinbase was at the time, it had the best aesthetic branding, simplicity, and was super easy. I suppose my benefit was before I bought bitcoin, I spent many years thinking about it, philosophizing about economics, field currency etc.… Rather than listening to any of these YouTube videos or podcasts.

Streaming slaves

Any artist who is dependent on streams, number of streams, is a slave.

Once again, if you want to appeal to the lowest common denominator, you just give everyone a sweetened Starbucks Frappuccino beverage, with five pumps of caramel and agave sugar and almond milk on top. Or coconut milk, or oat milk.

Also, you give all the kids kids, have them watch paw patrol, Bluey, Disney+, Disney films etc.

Also let us consider that 99.9% the population still watches television, TV shows, Netflix, HBO Max etc.

Trust nobody with a subscription to any media streaming service.

So now what?

My very simple thought is think local, think your own local city, city politics rather than international or international politics.

For example, I don’t really care what’s gonna happen this upcoming election cycle — I’m about 99.9% certain Donald Trump is going to win, even though I vote for Kamala Harris.

Be the change in which you wish to see in the world, and don’t do things that you don’t like 

For example, I hate it when people honked at me, and therefore I will never never honk at people, unless it might be a life or death situation.

I don’t like when people act low-key racist to me; so maybe I’ll try my best to not be low-key racist to other people.

Also, smile to strangers and wave at them!  it literally cost you nothing, and that worse, they frown at you back, or ignore you. I would say this:

Better to risk a kind hello smile and peace sign, and get ignored or snuffed, rather than not attempt it at all! 

Be magnanimous, be the great man!

ERIC

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Pettiness, jealousy and envy are only for weak men.

Just think, “what would John Wick do“? Or what would King Leonidas do?

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Imperative? What are your personal imperatives in life?

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Ethics and morals of this present and future

So some big thoughts I’ve been having lately; about imperatives, ethical and moral imperatives, thinking about what to do in life, what not to do in life, etc.

True imperatives is something that stirs you from within, something which you are not forced to do by anybody, but rather, it is “autotelic”; it feels like it is your own moral self impelled reason to do something, for the sake of it, not for the sake of virtue or whatever.

Where we go wrong

One of the things that I disdain about modern day education, is too much of it has to deal with morals and ethics. Yes yes yes, traditional K-12 education we have to learn basic things like how to write read basic rules of grammar etc.

Also, simple math, science, physics, fundamentals.

Yet beyond this — what is all this nonsense we are taught in schools? I think too much time is wasted in school teaching students how to shut up, be quiet, listen and obey to the teacher, and to kowtow to authority figures. In fact, if you critically assess the whole K through 12 industrial educational complex, it has to deal with suppression, authoritarianism:

I am the teacher, you are the student, I am superior and more dominant than you, do not challenge me.

What is the point of K-12 education anyways?  

First, free babysitting, or a free place to put your kids while you have to work your job, to pay the bills and rent/mortgage etc.

Second, not all parents, but some… I don’t think a lot of parents would actually prefer to be with their kids 24/7. I find this insanely bizarre.

Certainly everyone has the right to live their lives however they want, but I suppose this is just a class thing: 

Let the basic parents be basic, our goal is to be supreme. 

Why be basic?

This is where things become fun; everyone seeks some sort of individuality, moral or ethical supremacy, yet, people tend to trend towards being basic?

For example, the average person drinks Coca-Cola or sweetened beverages, whether 0 cal or real sugar or agave sugar or whatever, the average American is overfat, the average American man watches pornography in private,  the average person eats McDonald’s, eats three square meals a day, finances their car and has a monthly car payment, has a mortgage, walks less than 1000 steps a day, spends an hour commuting to work, or five hours a day on zoom, uses Google Chrome, reads the news, is on Facebook Instagram or Google news, watches YouTube, allows their kids to watch YouTube or YouTube YouTube kids etc.

Once again… Do you want to drive the Toyota Corolla, or the matte Black cyber truck?

“I’m the number one idea supplier!”

I think for myself, my number one passion skill, and talent is ideas. I never run out of them! In fact, as time goes on, my penchant for ideas is intensifying. I credit this to the fact that this is the most I’ve ever walked in my life, every morning I wake up, pound my espressos, toss on my 60 pound weight vest, and I go on my daily morning walk, in which I walk with my iPad Pro, voice dictate my thoughts, and come up with lots of ideas. 

Ideation

The ideas are in your legs!

There is talk about “creative ideation“ in Silicon Valley, the basic idea is this–

How do you come up with creative ideas?

My major critique is too many of these artists are too effeminate, weak, overly sensitive, lack access to sunlight and the great outdoors, super pale in the skin and lacks a tan, never goes out, never leaves their home apartment studio or cafe, doesn’t lift weights, or exercise, eats mostly “a plant-based diet” (trust no thinker who is mostly plant-based), and seeks their moral supremacy in their artwork through how obscure, strange, or anti-they are.

True art is not anti

The reason why a lot of thinkers and artists are very superficial is that they seek their uniqueness simply through being anti-.

It is extremely easy to be anti-. Easy to be anti-mainstream, anti-capitalist, anti-government whatever. In fact, I believe that it takes more more courage to be pro government, pro capitalism, pro consumerism etc.

And also, when it comes down to it, we are actually all far more similar than dissimilar. We all have to use the toilet, we all have friends family members and loved ones, we all have good memories and bad, we all similar ends, and have similar goals.

The major problem here is that we tend to vilify one another, and over-exaggerate our differences, rather than trying to intensify our similarities. 

How are they similar?

For example, when it comes to material or consumerism, we try to intensify how these things are different rather than similar.

But wouldn’t the wiser path be to consider, how these things are more similar than dissimilar? 

For example, we all speak the English language, anybody who speaks English or understands English is 80% more similar to you than dissimilar to you. 

We all care for money, whether we like to admit it or not.

We heterosexual men, we all care for beautiful women, we all have certain sexual preferences etc.

And also, everybody likes to be happy! Even good old Aristotle said how happiness might be one of the only human good in which we seek it for the sake of it; I don’t know anybody who doesn’t see happiness or who doesn’t like to be happy?

Why divide?

Here, the bad guys are not politicians, or even nation states, I really think that the bad guys here is the media, the news etc. Why do they care so much to differentiate us all, and to divide us all? The simple idea is that it is more profitable. The more division, the more you incite hate and anger, the more advertising clicks and revenue you get.

Hate is profitable

The simplest way to become happier is via negativa:

Quit the news!

What is the news? Anger porn, hate porn!

For example, the more you incite hate, violence, moral justice, moral virtuosity whatever… you stoke more advertising revenue!

Google is the bad guy?

This is where Google knows that it is in a bad position; they are desperate to indefinitely increase their revenue, advertising revenue, and how do they do this? They do this by inserting ads, sneakily into every part of your existence. The ad advertising in your Google Chrome newsfeed, the ad advertising inside your Google maps, I won’t be surprised if one day the ad advertisements within your Gmail in the future.

Also, Facebook, Instagram, the Meta corporation: once again, any business or company or corporation, tech company that earns revenue through advertising is unethical; the only way they could earn money is through stoking fear, uncertainty, doubt, racism, classism, etc.

Donald Trump is profitable for Google and Facebook and Twitter (X)

Let us consider, what is going to get more advertising clicks, Donald Trump saying something racist or sexist, or a story of a friendly boy helping a grandma across the street?

Duh!

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Music

Also my critique on music, modern day music etc.; the very very simple thought is this:

> Don’t trust any music which is dependent by any publishing label.

Very very simple here guys, any musician, who is signed to any label… They are like puppets, the publishing label is like a ventriloquist.

“She going to take it up the ass like a ventriloquist!” – Ye, Carnival

For example, when you see all these rappers, talking about money clothes hoes, Lamborghinis chains etc., how do you know that they’re not just a muppet? With a hand up their ass, forcing them to just say whatever?

Music to trust?

Certain songs, albums which I find fascinating is in which an artist or musician is already independently wealthy, like Kanye when he still had his Adidas deal with his sneaker YEEZY brand,,, the albums he put out I think, are probably much more honest because he was already a billionaire, through his sneakers, and the music that he put out, he just really wanted to put it out because of the sake of it?

Indirect monetization

Or, another masterpiece; “a Written testimony“ by Jay Electronica, and Jay Z. Here, Jay Z is already rich, he don’t need to make music to make money. And this is where Jay Z actually throws down the gauntlet, and takes out all the big arms, and says:

“Time for me to actually rap well”.

And this is where I find the whole Jay Z the real Jay Z; the master vocalist, the master rapper, the sweetest flower. And also Jay Electronica, Jay Z almost becomes a patron saint for Jay electronica, allowing Jay electronica to also shine, because when you already have monetary backing from an independently wealthy person, the artwork creates doesn’t have to monetize itself. 

For example, this is the Sistine chapel; imagine how subpar the Sistine chapel would be if Michelangelo needed to somehow monetize it? 

Also, all the great artworks by Leonardo da Vinci, innovations etc.; because Leonardo da Vinci had the backing from the Medicis, he was able to just focus on his random thoughts and personal interests… Which allowed him to make great innovations!

Cool hair?

How to become more handsome, more beautiful, sexier? Very simple: via negativa!

For example, don’t use a loser baseball cap! I personally hate wearing a baseball cap, I’ve only been having to put it on because the sun is so strong, and giving me sunburn on my forehead and my nose, even putting on SPF 60 sunblock.

I still think that the best haircut to have is the Brad Pitt fury haircut; just get a wireless Wahl hair cutter clipper on Amazon, and just shave the sides to a zero, and let the top grow out and bang!

And then just get some “eco” olive oil hair gel on Amazon, and slick it back!

Better to have a Lamborghini haircut than to drive the loser Lamborghini 

That is consider, the second that you dropped $250,000 on a Lamborghini, that is money which is instantly evaporated from your bank account! And the problem is… You feel cool in your car when you’re driving it, and people are checking out, but the second that you park it, and you walk around in public… Nobody has any idea that you drive a Lamborghini, unless you’re insecure individual who has to wear a Lamborghini hat, to try to signal to people that you drive a Lamborghini.

But the thing is… the second you step into the gym, walk around in a public place, go to the local coffee shop, go to the local bookstore, ride the subway, go to a public event, go hiking, go to the mall etc.… Nobody has any idea what you drive!

So the funny thought; could you spend that $250,000, and purchase something that you could permanently bolt onto your body? 

This is where I think bitcoin is so wise; the second you spend $250,000 on a Lamborghini, the value of your Lamborghini will slowly depreciate overtime, you will slowly bleed yourself to death, and also, to pay for insurance, maintenance will bleed you dry.

The exact opposite; the bitcoin could always be with you, in your iPhone or in the cloud, and overtime, it does the exact opposite; it appreciates. There is no insurance, maintenance fees, laws of physics holding it back. It will just keep accumulating value, over time, forever.

CRYPTO BY KIM

Lose fat

If we consider fat like a biological battery, the genius is this:

If you have any margin of adipose tissue aka fat on your body… That is your metaphorical biological battery, your body is not like a gasoline powered car; you don’t need to put gas into it in order to drive.

Maybe it is better that, to think about your body like a Tesla, or an electric car, and the biological fat you have on your body is like the battery pack!

So for example, let us say that you are 6 foot tall, and you weigh 200 pounds, and you have a lot of body fat on you. Or let us say you don’t have a six pack.

Then I could estimate, perhaps 160 pounds of muscle, and 40 pounds of it might be body fat, adipose tissue. And how long can 40 pounds of adipose tissue last you? Probably at least 100,000 miles!

This is where metabolic disease, or metabolic dysfunction happens; you already have all this body fat on you, yet you still think you have to keep eating, in order to sustain your life?

No! Just start fasting! Fasting if you are over fat, fat, “overweight” or whatever — has zero consequences, zero side effects, and doesn’t cost you anything. The suggestion for people to start fasting is genius because it doesn’t require any equipment, any subscription, or any amount of money, and also technically… fasting or to fast doesn’t require you to do anything – to cook, prepare food, and eat it, or even ordering takeout from your phone, we’re ordering food is a positive action, simply choosing not to eat doesn’t require you to do anything!

Fasting is great for lazy people!

And technically, if you’re super super lazy, the genius of fasting is that it is the ultimate intelligent lazy person thing to do! Stop cooking, stop buying food, stop ordering food on your phone… You could just do nothing!

---

Posture

Something that I realize for myself, is that the whole time, I think I’ve had extremely poor posture. Always kind of hunched over, you see this happen to a lot of tech workers. My result is from too much time on the laptop, too much time standing or sitting, etc. Even if you have a standing desk or treadmill desk, it is bad for your posture. Why? The axis and the plane is only single directional — we tend to hunch forward, or if you think about a treadmill desk, you only walk forward.

The ideal, which I’ve been experimenting and doing myself, is simple: 


1. Don’t use an iPhone, all iPhones are bad
2. Use an iPad Pro, the 11 inch, without a loser keyboard case or pencil
3. For jotting down thoughts, walking around, in the direct sun, using the voice dictation built into the iOS, the little microphone button in the bottom left corner
4. Just walking around town

Why this could be so revolutionary

“Trust no thought that doesn’t come to you while you are walking outside in the great outdoors!” – Nietzsche 

I think one of my new modern day adaptations which is good is that whenever I sit, even for five minutes, my back and my lower back immediately starts to feel pain. As a consequence, I must stand up, walk around, be mobile. 

All of these fools, what they try to do instead is to just figure out a better table or desk or chair setup; in order to cause them to not have any sort of back pain. But the real idea should be

1. Get rid of the table, don’t use any tables, no desk, no sitting desk, no standing desk, no treadmill desks
2. Get rid of the chairs, no chairs. Chairs are for slaves

Anti chairs

What is the most unnatural position for a human being to be in? To sit.

Technically, a human being should be standing, or walking around, or, if a human being is tired, a human being should be lying on their back, sleeping or taking a nap.  

Either stand and walk around, or lie down on your back.

And this is where I’m starting to think… All chairs are bad. Being a pilot of a fighter jet, you’re still sitting on your butt on a chair. Or if you’re in the Lamborghini or McLaren… You’re just in a chair.

Wheel – chair?

The greatest tragedy, for a man, is to be beholden to a wheelchair, simply to navigate. 

Also, I think the reason why people want you to sit down, take a seat, is typically, when you have other sit down, you are putting people in a more submissive person than you. 

For example, even when you go to church or mass… And there is part of mass or church in which everyone has to sit down, the priest stands up and then give their speech. You never see a priest giving a homily while sitting.

Chairs?

Even a simple thing, when I am eating food, I prefer to stand! In fact, one of my ongoing theories is if you’re a competitive eater or whatever, or if you want to digest better, it is better to eat while standing, rather than sitting. Why? When you’re standing, I think technically your intestines or your digestion is in better physiological form.

Jobs which allow you to be outside, walk around, stand all day?

Apparently, meeting some guys at the local Toyota dealership, very impressive, one of the guys showed me their step counter on their phone, and showed me that on average, he walked about 20,000 steps a day! Very impressive.

Also, my old friend Jimmy the mailman, USPS worker, told me that on average he walked at least 40,000 steps a day?

Outside is the ultimate freedom

Also, apparently a job that I never considered was being a park ranger, in which technically you’re almost like a police officer, you have a gun, but your job is to create some sort of security at the national parks?

I was thinking about it, even a military duty… I feel bad for all the Navy officers and this men who had to just be stuck in aircraft carrier, or in these cramped indoor domiciles all day? 

Or even astronauts, I think the number one issue that most astronauts face is not having the freedom to move around, being stuck in the same old place?

This is where visions of the future astronaut is interesting when it has to deal with gravity, water, swimming in a pool etc.

If you were an astronaut, or stuck in a spaceship, assuming you could produce some sort of artificial gravity, being able to lift weights, swim in the water seems like a good idea! And also, artificial sunlight.

Innovate for the sake of what?

Michael Saylor has a good idea; that is simple life goal or a path is to upgrade the human race. I like this.

Because sooner or later… after years of studying philosophy, going off the grid, etc.… I think the philosopher innovator simply wants to serve human kind, benefit humankind, etc.

And I think this is the nice thing about humanity, the false commentary we get is that humans are naturally selfish, I don’t think so. I think naturally humans are actually very selfless, we think about the collective, the clan, and I think there is natural altruism within ourselves!

Why? A single human being by himself is useless. There is no human being that could collectively hunt cook procure resources, and do everything by himself, or herself. We all need each other.

Even for myself, I am so grateful for society, I’m glad that I don’t have to grow my own cattle, produce my own firewood, produce my own petroleum for my car, we have to figure out advanced technologies to create my own Internet.

The best way to scale yourself

It seems that a simple strategy is to embrace websites, blogs, the web, digital, cyberspace, maybe having a podcast, a video podcast, a YouTube channel, a self hosted email newsletter, your own self hosted blog etc.

Why? Because in theory, let us say that you publish a free PDF e-book on something… A single individual could downloaded it 1000 times, send it to 1000 of their friends, and 1000 of their friends could send it to another thousand of their friends.

Or, in theory, a single blog post could be read 1 billion times,, shared saved and downloaded etc.

Plain text

I’ve been having this annoying issue where I can no longer upload videos to my videopress.com, to my wordpress.org blog. I’m not 100% sure what’s the issue, but I don’t want to put forth the effort to fix it. I’m just like “fuck it”– no more videos.

I think also the biggest issue with videos is that it is not easily transportable, the file sizes are far too large, even assuming that you have a gigabit fiber Internet connection. And unfortunately 99.99% of the planet is running on some sort of super rudimentary, super slow, super low and bandwidth Internet. 

And as a consequence, the reason why I really like text, markdown, simple blog post with text is that it is the ultimate portable thing. You could just copy and paste the whole thing into ChatGPT, or to Google translate, whatever.

Even now, whenever I send out an email newsletter, I always make it a point to export all the text as a simple text based PDF, and I attach it, because if anyone wants to download it and read it later, share it with friends or family or whatever, it is so easy!

And in fact, the reason why I really like the idea of a PDF is that it is a digital book. Technically, a book only needs to have at least two pages, for it to be book. 

Don’t put any faith in all these oversensitive emo book nerds, who gave fellatio to the hardcover, printed book. 

---

The future of books?

The truth is 99.99% of books could just be really long blog posts.

But, why do they overinflate these boring ass books? Simple: to make money! It is difficult to monetize a single blog post, easy to take a 300 page book, hardcover it, and sell it for 40 bucks.

And the truth is, 99.99% of modern day books published within the last 10 years are not worth reading. 

The only modern day books that have read, which has had any consequence on me the last 10 years published was books by NASSIM TALEB, Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, zero to one by Peter Thiel. That is pretty much it. 

As a consequence, this is where using the Internet archive, project Gutenberg for books is so wise; typically if a book is out of copyright, at least it has the test of time which might mean that it has a higher likelihood of being good.

For example economies, to study ancient books on economics, rather than any modern day ones.

For example, economics by Aristotle, or on money by Fernandinho Galliani.

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Ancient media?

Maybe only watch movies which are at least 10 years old, or 20 years old, or 30 years old? Or even older than that?

And also the wisdom of reading ancient literature, anything by homer, the Iliad the Odyssey – even Virgil is no good. Virgil is too modern, the Aeneid was really boring. 

Think Greek

Even in ancient Greek times, the commentary was that the Greeks were already in a position of decline. For example, even homer in the Iliad talks about how the modern day Greeks of his time were already degenerate. Or weak. 

The reason why I like reading ancient literature is that it is so simple, so blunt, so great, yet so poetic and elegant. For example when you read the Iliad, thinking about “the dark beaked ships” does 1 billion times more for your creative imagination than any modern day boring book, and also do not trust the French writers, like Balzac they were all a bunch of degenerates addicted to drugs, smoking, narcotics etc.

Only trust sober artists.

Even Nietzsche was very anti alcohol, meth, and “uppers”– opiates of his time, etc.

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The Spartan Street photographer

My new idea.

ERIC

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The Multi modal approach?

A simple approach is when you create things and ideas, do a multimodal approach; audio, visual, text… Do it all! 

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Creative ways to lower expenses? 

My new pursuit is via negativia– my Spartan economic approach.

First, don’t waste money at a car wash, which can get pretty expensive… Just hose it down and wash it yourself!

Second, unsubscribe from everything which has a recurring expense. This means all streaming services, all music platforms, etc.

Get rid of Disney+, Netflix, Spotify, HBO Max etc.

Also, if you’re clever enough, cancel or get rid of your gym membership. On killing multiple birds with one stone: 

1. No more reoccurring expenses, which in theory, last indefinitely
2. Opportunity cost, time saved not having to commute.
3. Also, time saved in regards to not having to find parking, waiting for the squat rack etc.
4. I also have an ongoing period that exercising in the great outdoors is far beneficial for your health, outside, even when it is very cold… Is better for your physiology than doing it indoors, which is just a breeding ground for Covid!

Anti COVID lifestyle?

How quickly we forget about Covid… Even now, there is currently a spike in Covid, which has me very nervous and anxious; I cannot afford to get sick, or catch Covid.

I’ve been taking Seneca to these great free events… But even playing with some of these kids, Lego camp, brick building etc.… All these activities are indoors! With no windows open or no ventilation on!

Maybe I’m going to recenter myself, and avoid all indoor places like the plague, as much as humanly possible.

Even another pragmatic reason to stop going to the gym or cancel your gym membership, even a 1% chance of getting sick, or catching Covid from some sort of anti-VAXxer?

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Your kid?

Maybe I’ll start my own Montessori?

Issues:

1. If, your kid is forced to be inside a classroom all day… With all these other sick coughing kids, maybe none of it is worth it?
2. Also, these modern day kids, with all these weird media preferences, are a bad influence?

Certainly you cannot shield your kids forever, but if I think about it… the only good thing I got out of school K-12 is socialization skills, my friends etc. But still… now is a 36-year-old adult, I only truly care for two of my childhood friends, Grace and Justin, and also my college roommate Kevin. Besides this, I don’t really consider anyone else my friend.

When somebody calls you “my friend“… you’re not. 

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Only invest in the best

The best or nothing!

ERIC

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“Imma let you finish”

“Role models”?

All role models are flawed. Besides you.

EK

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BECOME UNLIMITED >

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WORKSHOPS

Incoming workshops in SF, LA, CAMBODIA:

ERIC KIM WORKSHOPS >

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THE VAULT

1. Start Here
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And for the freshest ideas

EK BLOG

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Better to live a glorious and happy volatile life, than a boring, predictable and stable one.

ERIC

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More ideas on ERIC KIM PODCAST >

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Posture is the future? 

Imperative? What is your personal imperatives in life?

---

So some big thoughts I’ve been having lately; about imperatives, ethical and moral imperatives, thinking about what to do in life, what not to do in life, etc.

Unemployed is something that stirs you from within, something which you are not forced to do by anybody, but rather, it is “autotelic”; it feels like it is your own moral self impelled reason to do something, for the city of it, not for the sake of virtue or whatever.

Where we go wrong

One of the things that I Deas about modern day education, is too much of a has to deal with morals and ethics. Yes yes yes, traditional K-12 education we have to learn basic things like how to write read basic rules of grammar etc.

Also, simple math, science, physics, fundamentals.

Yet beyond this — what is all this nonsense we are taught in schools? I think too much time is wasted in school teaching students how to shut up, be quiet, listen and obey to the teacher, and to kowtow to authority figures. In fact, if you critically assess the whole K through 12 industrial educational complex, it has to deal with suppression, authoritarianism:

I am the teacher, you are the student, I am superior and more dominant than you, do not challenge me.

What is the point of K-12 education anyways?  

First, free babysitting, or a free place to put your kids while you have to work your job, to pay the bills and rent.

Second, not all parents, but some… I don’t think a lot of parents would actually prefer to be with their kids 24/7. I find this insanely bizarre.

Certainly everyone has the right to live their lives however they want, but I suppose this is just a class thing: 

Let the basic parents be basic, our goal is to be supreme. 

Why be basic?

This is where things become fun; everyone seeks some sort of individuality, moral or ethical supremacy, yet, people tend to trend towards being basic?

For example, the average person drinks Coca-Cola or sweetened beverages, whether 0 cal or real sugar or agave sugar or whatever, the average American is over fat, the average American man watches pornography in private,  the average person eats McDonald’s, eats three square meals a day, finances their car and has a monthly car payment, has a mortgage, walks less than 1000 steps a day, spends an hour commuting to work, or five hours a day on zoom, uses Google Chrome, read the news, is on Facebook Instagram or Google news, watches YouTube, allows their kids to watch YouTube or YouTube YouTube kids etc.

Once again… Do you want to drive the Toyota Corolla, or the matte Black cyber truck?

“I’m the number one idea supplier!”

I think for myself, my number one passion skill, and talent is ideas. I never run out of them! In fact, as time goes on, my penchant for ideas is intensifying. I quit this to the fact that this is the most I’ve ever walked in my life, every morning I wake up, pound my espressos, toss on my 60 pound weight vest, and I go on my daily morning walk, in which I walk with my iPad Pro, voice dictate my thoughts, and come up with lots of ideas. 

Ideation

The ideas are in your legs!

There is talk about “creative ideation“ in Silicon Valley, the basic idea is this–

How do you come up with creative ideas?

My major critique is too many of these artists are too effeminate, weak, overly sensitive, black access to sunlight and the great outdoors, super pale in the skin and lacks a tan, never goes out, never leaves their home apartment studio or cafe, doesn’t lift weights, or exercise, eats mostly “a plant-based diet” (trust no thinker who is mostly plant-based), and seeks their moral supremacy in their artwork through how obscure, strange, or anti-they are.

True art is not anti

The reason why a lot of thinkers and artists are very superficial is that they seek their uniqueness simply through being anti-.

It is extremely easy to be anti-. Easy to be anti-mainstream, anti-capitalist, anti-government whatever. In fact, I believe that it takes more more courage to be pro government, pro capitalism, pro consumerism etc.

And also, when it comes down to it, we are actually all far more similar than dissimilar. We all have to use the toilet, we all have friends family members and loved ones, we all have good memories and bad, we all similar ends, and have similar goals.

The major problem here is that we tend to vilify one another, and over-exaggerate our differences, rather than trying to intensify our similarities. 

How are they similar?

For example, when it comes to material or consumerism, we try to intensify how these things are different rather than similar.

But wouldn’t the wiser path be to consider, how these things are more similar than dissimilar? 

For example, we all speak the English language, anybody who speaks English or understands English is 80% more similar to you than dissimilar to you. 

We all care for money, whether we like to admit it or not.

We meant, we all care for beautiful women, we all have certain sexual preferences etc.

And also, everybody likes to be happy! Even good old Aristotle said how happiness might be one of the only human good in which we seek it for the sick of it; I don’t know anybody who doesn’t see happiness or who doesn’t like to be happy?

Why divide?

Here, the bad guys are not politicians, or even nation states, I really think that the bad guys here is the media, the news etc. Why do they care so much to differentiate us all, and to divide us all? The simple idea is that it is more profitable. The more division, the more you insight, the more advertising clicks and revenue you get.

Hate is profitable

The simplest way to become happier is via negativa:

Quit the news!

What is the news? Anger porn, hate porn!

 for example, the more you insight hate, violence, moral justice, moral virtuosity whatever… You stoke more advertising revenue!

This is where Google knows that it isn’t a bad position; there are desperate to indefinitely increase their revenue, advertising revenue, and how do they do this? They do this by inserting ads, sneakily into every part of your existence. The ad advertising in your Google Chrome newsfeed, the ad advertising Inside your Google maps, I won’t be surprised if one day the ad advertisements within your Gmail in the future.

Also, Facebook, Instagram, the meta-corporation: once again, any business or company or corporation, tech company that earns revenue through advertising is unethical; the only way they could earn money is through stoking fear, uncertainty, doubt, racism, classism, etc.

Let us consider, what is going to get more advertising clicks, Donald Trump saying something racist or sexist, or a story of a friendly boy helping a grandma across the street?

Duh!

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Music

Also critique on music, modern day music etc.; the very very simple thought is this:

> Don’t trust any music which is dependent by any publishing label.

Very very simple here guys, any musician, who is assigned to any label… They are like puppets, the publishing label is like a ventriloquist.

“She going to take it up the ass like a ventriloquist!” – Ye, Carnival

For example, when you see all these rappers, talking about money clothes hoes, Lamborghinis chains etc., how do you know that they’re not just a Muppet? With a hand up their ass, forcing them to just say whatever?

Music to trust?

Certain songs, albums which I find fascinating is in which an artist or musician is already independently wealthy, like Kanye when he still had his Adidas deal with his sneaker YEEZY brand,,, the albums he put out I think, are probably much more honest because he was already a billionaire, through his sneakers, and the music that he put out, he just really wanted to put it out because of the sake of it?

Or, another masterpiece; “a Written testimony“ by Jay Electronica, and Jay Z. Here, Jay Z is already rich, he don’t need to make music to make money. And this is where Jay Z actually throws down his cotton, and takes out all the big arms, and says:

“Time for me to actually rap well”.

And this is where I find the whole Jay Z the real Jay Z; the master vocalist, the master rapper, the sweetest flower. And also Jay Electronica, Jay Z almost becomes a patron saint for Jay electronica, allowing Jay electronica to also shine, because when you already have monetary backing from an independently wealthy person, the artwork creates doesn’t have to monetize itself. 

For example, this is the Sistine chapel; imagine how subpar the Sistine chapel would be if Michelangelo needed to somehow monetize it? 

Also, all the great artwork by Leonardo da Vinci, innovations etc.; because Leonardo da Vinci had the backing from the Medici, he was able to just focus on his random thoughts and personal interest… Which allowed him to make great innovations!

Cool hair?

How to become more handsome, more beautiful, sexier? Very simple: via negativa!

For example, don’t use a loser baseball cap! I personally hate wearing a baseball cap, I’ve only been having to put it on because the sun is so strong, and giving me sunburn on my forehead and my nose, even putting on SPF 60 sunblock.

I still think that the best haircut to have is the Brad Pitt fury haircut;  just get a wireless Wahl hair cutter clipper on Amazon, and just shave the sides to a zero, and let the top grow out and bang!

And then just get some “eco” olive oil hair gel on Amazon, and slick it back!

Better to have a Lamborghini haircut than to drive the loser Lamborghini 

That is consider, the second that you dropped $250,000 on a Lamborghini, that is money which is instantly evaporated from your bank account! And the problem is… You feel cool in your car when you’re driving it, and people are checking out, but the second that you Park it, and you walk around in public… Nobody has any idea that you drive a Lamborghini, unless you’re insecure individual who has to wear a Lamborghini hat, to try to signal to people that you drive a Lamborghini.

But the thing is… The second step into the gym, walk around in a public place, go to the local coffee shop, go to the local bookstore, ride the subway, go to a public event, go hiking, go to the mall etc.… Nobody has any idea what you drive!

So the funny thoughts; could you spend that $250,000, and purchase something that you could permanently bolt onto your body? 

This is where I think bitcoin is so wise; the second you spent $250,000 on a Lamborghini, the value of your Lamborghini will slowly depreciate overtime, you will slowly bleed yourself to death, and also, to pay for insurance, maintenance will bleed dry.

The exact opposite; the bitcoin could always be with you, in your iPhone or in the cloud, and overtime, it does the exact opposite; it appreciates. There is no insurance, maintenance fees, laws of physics holding it back. It will just keep accumulating value, overtime, forever. 

Lose fat

If we consider fat like a biological battery, the genius is this:

if you have any margin of adipose tissue AK fat on your body… That is your metaphorical biological battery, your body is not like a gasoline powered car; you don’t need to put gas into it in order to drive.

Maybe it is better that, to think about your body like a Tesla, or an electric car, and the biological fat you have on your body is like the battery pack!

So for example, let us say that you are 6 foot tall, and you weigh 200 pounds, and you definitely have body fat on you. Or let us say you don’t have a six pack.

Then I could estimate, perhaps 160 pounds of muscle, and 40 pounds of it might be body fat, adipose tissue. And how long can 40 pounds of adipose tissue last you? Probably at least 100,000 miles!

This is where metabolic disease, or metabolic dysfunction have been; you already have all this body fat on you, yet you still think you have to keep eating, in order to sustain your life?

No! Just start fasting! Fasting if you are over fat, fat, “overweight” or whatever — has zero consequences, zero side effects, and doesn’t cost you anything. The suggestion for people to start fasting is genius because it doesn’t require any equipment, any subscription, or any amount of money, and also technically… Fasting or too fast doesn’t require you to do anything – to cook, pork food, and eat it, or even ordering takeout from your phone, we’re ordering food is a positive action, simply choosing not to eat doesn’t require you to do anything!

And technically, if you’re super super lazy, the genius of fasting is that it is the ultimate intelligent lazy person thing to do! Stop cooking, stop buying food, stop ordering food on your phone… You could just do nothing!

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Posture

Something that I realize for myself, is that the whole time, I think I’ve had extremely poor posture. Always kind of hunched over, you see this happened to a lot of tech workers. My result is from too much time on the laptop, too much time standing or sitting, etc. Even if you have a standing desk or treadmill desk, for your posture. Why? The axis and the plane is only single directional — we tend to hunch forward, or if you think about a treadmill desk, you only walk forward.

The ideal, which I’ve been experimenting and doing myself, is simple: 


1. Don’t use an iPhone, all iPhones are bad
2. Use an iPad Pro, the 11 inch, without a loser keyboard case or pencil
3. For jotting down thoughts, walking around, in the direct sun, using the voice dictation built into the iOS, the little microphone button in the bottom left corner
4. Just walking around town

Why this could be so revolutionary

“Trust no thought that doesn’t come to you while you are walking outside in the great outdoors!” – Nietzsche 

 I think one of my new modern day adaptations which is good is that whenever I sit, even for five minutes, my back and my lower back immediately starts to feel pain. As a consequence, I must stand up, walk around, be mobile. 

All of these fools, what they try to do instead is to just figure out a better table or desk or chair setup; in order to cause them to not have any sort of back pain. But the real idea should be

1. Get rid of the table, don’t use any tables, no desk, no sitting desk, no standing desk, no treadmill desks
2. Get rid of the chairs, no chairs. Chairs are for slaves

Anti chairs

What is the most unnatural position for a human being to be in? To sit.

Technically, a human being should be standing, or walking around, or, if a human being is tired, a human being should be lying on their back, sleeping or taking a nap.  

Either stand and walk around, or lie down on your back.

And this is where I’m starting to think… All chairs are bad. Being a pilot of a fighter jet, you’re still sitting on your butt on a chair. Or if you’re in the Lamborghini or McLaren… You’re just in a chair.

Wheel – chair?

The greatest tragedy, for a man, is to be beholden to a wheelchair, simply to navigate. 

Also, I think the reason why people want you to sit down, take a seat, is typically, when you have other sit down, you are putting people in a more submissive person than you. 

For example, even when you go to church or mass… And there is part of mass or church in which everyone has to sit down, the priest stands up and then give their speech. You never see a priest giving a homily while sitting.

Chairs?

Even a simple thing, when I am eating food, I prefer to stand! In fact, one of my ongoing theories is if you’re a competitive eater or whatever, or if you want to digest better, it is better to eat while standing, rather than sitting. Why? When you’re standing, I think technically your intestines or your digestion is in better physiological form.

Jobs which allow you to be outside, walk around, stand all day?

Apparently, meeting some guys at the local Toyota dealership, very impressive, one of the guys showed me their step counter on their phone, and showed me that on average, he walked about 20,000 steps a day! Very impressive.

Also, my old friend Jimmy the mailman, USPS worker, told me that on average he walked at least 40,000 steps a day?

Also, apparently a job that I never considered was being a park ranger, in which technically you’re almost like a police officer, you have a gun, but your job is to create some sort of security at the national parks?

I was thinking about it, even a military duty… I feel bad for all the Navy officers and this men who had to just be stuck in aircraft carrier, or in these cramped indoor domiciles all day? 

Or even astronauts, I think the number one issue that most astronauts face is not having the freedom to move around, being stuck in the same old place?

This is aware visions of future astronaut is interesting when it has to deal with gravity, water, swimming in a pool etc.

If you were an astronaut, or stuck in a spaceship, assuming you could produce some sort of artificial gravity, being able to lift weights, swim in the water seems like a good idea! And also, artificial sunlight.

Innovate for the sake of what?

Michael Saylor has a good idea; that is simple life goal or a path is to upgrade the human race. I like this.

Because sooner or later… After years of studying philosophy, going off the grid, etc.… I think her philosopher innovator simply wants to serve human kind, benefit humankind, etc.

And I think this is the nice thing about humanity, the false commentary we get is that humans are naturally selfish, I don’t think so. I think naturally humans are actually very selfless, we think about the collective, the clan, and I think there is natural altruism within ourselves!

 why? A single human being by himself is useless. There is no human being that could collectively hunt cook procure resources, and do everything by himself, or herself. We all need each other.

Even for myself, I am so grateful for society, I’m glad that I don’t have to grow my own cattle, produce my own firewood, Produce my own petroleum for my car, we have to figure out advanced technologies to create my own Internet.

The best way to scale yourself

It seems that a simple strategy is to embrace websites, blogs, the web, digital, cyberspace, maybe having a podcast, a video podcast, a YouTube channel, a self hosted email newsletter, your own self hosted blog etc.

Why? Because in theory, let us say that you publish a free PDF e-book on something… A single individual could downloaded 1000 times, send it to 1000 of their friends, and 1000 of their friends could send it to another thousand of their friends.

Or, in theory, a single blog post could be read 1 billion times,, shared saved and downloaded etc.

Plain text

I’ve been having this annoying issue where I can no longer upload videos to my video press.com, wordpress.org blog. I’m not 100% sure what’s the issue, but I don’t want to put forth the effort to fix it. I’m just like “fuck it”– no more videos.

I think also the biggest issue with videos is that it is not easily transportable, the file sizes are far too large, even assuming that you have a gigabit fiber Internet connection. And unfortunately 99.99% of the planet is running on some sort of super rudimentary, super slow, super low and bandwidth Internet. 

And as a consequence, the reason why I really like text, markdown, simple blog post with text is that it is the ultimate portable thing. You could just copy and paste the whole thing into ChatGPT, or to Google translate, whatever.

Even now, whenever I send out an email newsletter, I always make it a point to export all the text as a simple text based PDF, and I attach it, because if anyone wants to download it and read it later, share it with friends or family or whatever, it is so easy!

And in fact, the reason why I really like the idea of a PDF is that it is a digital book. Technically, a book only needs to have at least two pages, for it to be book. 

Don’t put any faith in all these oversensitive emo book nerds, who gave fellatio to the hardcover, printed book. 

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The future of books?

The truth is 99.99% of books could just be really long blog posts.

 But, why do they overinflate these boring ass books? Simple: make money! Difficult to monetize a single blog post, easy to take a 300 page book, hardcover it, and sell it for 40 bucks.

And the truth is, 99.99% of modern day books published within the last 10 years are not worth reading. 

The only modern day books that have read, which has had any consequence on me the last 10 years published was books by NASSIM TALEB, Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, zero to one by Peter Thiel. That is pretty much it. 

As a consequence, this is where using the Internet archive, project Gutenberg for books is so wise; typically if a book is out of copyright, at least it has the test of time which might mean that it has a higher likelihood of being good.

For example economies, to study ancient books and economies, rather than any modern day ones.

For example, economics by Aristotle, or on money by Fernandinho Galliani.

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Ancient media?

Maybe only watch movies which are at least 10 years old, or 20 years old, or 30 years old? Or even older than that?

And also the wisdom of reading ancient literature, anything by homer, the Iliad the Odyssey – even Virgil is no good. Virgil is too modern, the Aeneid was really boring. 

Think Greek

Even in ancient Greek times, the commentary was that the Greeks were already in a position of decline. For example, even homer in the Iliad talks about how the modern day Greeks of his time were already degenerate. Or weak and effeminate. 

The reason why I like reading ancient literature is that it is so simple, so blunt, so great, yet so poetic and elegant. For example when you read the Eliott, thinking about “the dark beaked ships” does 1 billion times more for your creative imagination than any modern day boring book, and also do not trust the French writers, like Balzac they were all a bunch of degenerates addicted to drugs, smoking, narcotics etc.

Only trust sober artists.

Even Nietzsche was very anti alcohol, meth, and “uppers”– opiates of his time, etc.

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The Spartan Street photographer

My new idea.

ERIC

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The Multi modal approach?

A simple approach is when you create things and ideas, do a multimodal approach; audio, visual, text… Do it all! 

Creative ways to lower expenses? 

My new pursuit is via negativia– my Spartan economic approach.

First, don’t waste money at a car wash, which can get pretty expensive… Just hose it down and wash it yourself!

Second, unsubscribe from everything which has a recurring expense. This means all streaming services, all music platforms, etc.

Get rid of Disney+, Netflix, Spotify, HBO Max etc.

Also, if you’re clever enough, cancel or get rid of your gym membership. On killing multiple birds with one stone: 

1. No more reoccurring expenses, which in theory, last indefinitely
2. Opportunity cost, time saved not having to commute.
3. Also, time saved in regards to not having to find parking, waiting for the squat rack etc.
4. I also have an ongoing period that exercising in the great outdoors is far beneficial for your health, outside, even when it is very cold… Is better for your physiology than doing it indoors, which is just a breeding ground for Covid!

Anti COVID lifestyle?

How quickly we forget about Covid… Even now, there is currently a spike in Covid, which has me very nervous and anxious; I cannot afford to get sick, or catch Covid.

I’ve been taking Seneca to these great free events… But even playing with some of these kids, camp, brick building etc.… All these activities are indoors! With no windows open or no ventilation on!

Maybe I’m going to recenter myself, and avoid all indoor places like the plague, as much as humanly possible.

Even another pragmatic reason to stop going to the gym or cancel your gym membership, even a one percent chance of getting sick, or catching Covid from some sort of anti-VAXxer?

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Your kid?

Maybe I’ll start my own Montessori?

Issues:

1. If, your kid is forced to be inside a classroom all day… With all these other sick coughing kids, maybe none of it is worth it?
2. Also, these modern day kids, with all these weird media preferences, are a bad influence?

Certainly you cannot shield your kids forever, but if I think about it… Only good thing I got out of school K-12 is socialization skills, my friends etc. But still… Now is a 36-year-old adult, I only truly care for two of my childhood friends, Grace and Justin, and also my college roommate Kevin. Besides this, I don’t really consider anyone else my friend.

When somebody calls you “my friend “… you’re not. 

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Only invest in the best

The best or nothing!

ERIC

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“Imma let you finish”

“Role models”?

All role models are flawed. Besides you.

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To the fools who say that cosmetics and vanity doesn’t matter; they are fools. Why? Let us consider; almost everything is cosmetics and vanity when it comes down to it.

For example, our clothes, our cars, our lifestyles, our aesthetics cosmetics etc.

such as

For example, aesthetics are an ethos. What that means is we pride ourselves in the way which something looks, feels, etc.

I’ll give you a simple example; colors. And finishes. 

For example, think about the color of your clothes, your shoes, your pants your shirts, your rims, your hat, your house, your car, etc. This is very important; Because you look at it every single day!

It is my personal belief that there is a strong connection between colors and emotions. Then what that means is be very very critical and very very anal about when you choose the color of something, assuming that you’re going to have to stick with it forever.

The more durable color?

So far, for the most part, I consider black the most durable color. At least with clothing. What is interesting with black as a color option is that black clothing never goes out of style. Assuming that you wear all black to wedding, all black to a formalware, or all black  as your daily outfit, you’re not really going to falter here.  And also a funny new ones I’ve discovered is black clothes, even when it fades to a funny purple color, in my mind is actually quite stylish! 

And also, the great upside of black in regards to clothes and shoes etc. is that it is most resistant to dirt, getting and being dirty. For example I remember as a kid, having all white case with tennis shoes… How much of a pain in the butt it was to keep them clean, and every once in a while I would reapply white Cream paint to it, to repaint it, to make it look new again.

“My vans all back so they don’t get dirty” – The Pack, VANS SONG

With cars, it seems that white is your best bet. In terms of physics, especially living in Los Angeles Southern California and beyond; whether you like it or not, even practically by osmosis, your car is going to attract dirt. Even if you have an enclosed garage or an awning or a covering… simply driving around, all this dirt and pollution the air, is going to stick to your car like a magnet. 

I think once again, the only reason why black has become popular as a car color option is through media. Everyone wants to be John Wick, or Batman, or name your favorite superhero or your favorite action movie star. Or like Vin Diesel with his muscle cars etc.

But the problem here, this is where I think it is wise to get rid of media, TV shows, movies films fantasy from your diet and your soul is that none of it is steeped in reality!

For example, I don’t think that there is any films that glorify children, especially if the main action protagonist is a man!  The only closest example I see or saw was in the movie 300, the scene in which king Leonidas is sparring with his son and practicing,  or the scene in which king Leonidas is with his 300, about to march to their likely death at the hot gates, and the final farewell that he gives his wife and his son. And also, the scene between his commander general and his son, the commander seeing the head of his first born son cut off. And also king Leonidas, before taking his 300 to battle, ensuring that they all had at least one son to leave the family heir.

Maybe this is what makes Zack Snyder such a good Director; I think I actually in the early scenes when you see King Leonidas beating up and punching the other kids, I think the actor the child actor was actually his own blood son?

When you watch films, just observe… Does the Director have children, have a son as well? 

Son club

It is a desire of every single man to birth will have at least one son. I think the ideal is to have your first born child as a son, if not, typically what you see is that a family will keep trying, ad infinitum, until they have at least one son. This is why you often see so many families with two girls, three girls, sometimes even 4 girls. Or the funny bit in I love Lucy, with the expecting father in the waiting room with Ricky Ricardo with six girls? And then him finding out, that his wife just delivered twin girls? 

This is why, if you see families in which the older first child is a boy, and then family decides to have a second kid, it is typically a signal that they just really love kids and children, and wanted to have more. However if the oldest kid is a girl, And then they try for a second, not 100% certain to see whether they’re trying to have a boy or not.

Anyways, I’m only going to talk from the male perspective, and honestly this is something you just throw to the fates, and just be grateful for whatever child you bear. Even if you are a father, with only one girl, two girls or three girls… fret not, hopefully one day that your daughters will have kids, and then one of their kids will be a son. 

And once again, this is where it is wise to subtract mainstream media from your mind your brain and your soul. You do not want to be the childless or the sonless billionaire playboy – traveling the world in your yachts, banging all these beautiful babes etc. Don’t be a fool; the purpose of wanting to have intercourse with any beautiful women to produce beautiful children; the ultimate goal.

Having one son is worth all the wealth in the world multiplied by infinity.

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The new manliness

Currently there is all this rhetoric, and all this cultural pressure, which seeks to demasculate men, to castrate them. Whatever that is all fine; but don’t let them F with you.

Walk around with your top off, proud, smile big talk big, be friendly, don’t be one of those emo antisocial losers; walking there adopted rescue dog or whatever.

Also, I am very very distrustful of men who almost become too focused about these progressive women issues; how much of this is virtue signaling versus the real deal what they really believe in? For example, ultimately what it comes down to is whether the man watches porn in private or not, with his VPN on, or in Google incognito, or brave browser, or brave browser with his privacy mode enabled. 

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Tattoos?

Another thing that I am very anti-is tattoos. I think in the past, maybe tattoos was only for drug dealers and mafia members. Why? If you have all this illegal money, you can’t just nicely deposited into your bank account, so what do you do with all these hundred dollar bills, being like Pablo Escobar and burning it as firewood to just keep you warm?

 First, I think what a lot of them used to do was too simply get tattoos, because they really had nothing else they could do with their money. You could just hand your local tattoo guy stack $100 bills, and maybe the purpose of a tattoo was to signal your wealth on your body; if you have a full body tattoo, full tattoo body armor, maybe there is a signal that you dropped at least $100,000, $200,000 on tattoo work to your body. I suppose it is almost like covering your body with gold chains or a Rolex etc.

But, you can’t just extract the tattoos off your skin, and traded for any other desirable assets. Wealth and body tattoos is not liquid, you cannot convert it into anything, and when your family is facing dire poverty, you cannot just magically liquidate the tattoos from your body, and then use it to pay for rent. 

The aesthetics & ethics of Bitcoin

If you are apolitical, like myself, perhaps buying and investing in bitcoin may be the most ethical thing that you do. Why?

First, it is not controversial from a political stance. If you purchase American desirable property, in Los Angeles New York etc.… Sooner or later, assuming you’re not a fool, you’re going to have to become involved in politics, because the zoning restrictions will actually affect how you do business, your property values, etc.

So I think the truth of the matter is that the secret to getting really wealthy and real estate, you must be political, you must become involved in politics, etc.

But, if you don’t care for politics, real estate commercial real estate, even family home real estate — not worth it.

Energy efficient

Once again, anybody who says bitcoin is bad for the planet, they are fools. Typically I often hear a lot of women say this, I’m also distressful of men who are too much about climate change, environment, etc., they tend to be a bunch of skinny fat losers with man ponytails, ugly facial hair, Lam sunglasses, they might drive a Subaru, they may have a Hitler mustache, they might adopt dogs, watch porn in private etc.

Technically, bitcoin may be the most energy efficient thing on the planet. Why? You produce something, that has a half-life of forever.

Name anything on the planet in which you put energy to create something, it last forever. Nothing.

You make grass fed pasture raised quinoa, You’re going to have to consume it, and also package it and all this stuff which is bad for the planet.

Technically if you really really wanted to be the super hippie, you would have your own farm, your own pasture, your own cows, grow your own chickens and breed your own eggs, you would subsist on firewood, no electricity, no Internet no Wi-Fi etc. No iPhone, no Facebook, no Al Jazeera news, etc.

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Ethics

Once again, ethics ethos, This matters.

First, treat everybody with love and respect, don’t be an antisocial loser or coward. If you may contact with somebody, throw them to peace sign, acknowledge them be friendly! Also, in regards to kids always acknowledge! I think the greatest tragedy of world is the average American just ignore kids. I say, you don’t have to acknowledge the parents, just acknowledge the kids! 

Also, at the age of three years, four months old… Even Seneca knows what bitcoin is. He saw a guy at the local pickle ball court with Boston Red Sox hat, which has B, and he said, bitcoin!

Get your kids to buy bitcoin with you on Coinbase app on your iPhone, and invest in the bitcoin right now, and have them see the value go up until they go and turn 18 years old, or 21 years old.

I have a fond memory in  elementary school, a PS 169 in Bayside Queens New York, in which one of our computer classes, we learned about stocks and investing, and for about a semester or so, there was this fake stock market game, in which all the kids started off with the same amount of fake money, and they had the option of choosing thoughts, and they would see that who would win by the end of the semester. There was some kids who were really smart, who just put 100% of their money into Apple stock, and they won. Note, this was in the mid 90s.

Teaching your kids economics

Teaching your kids economics, first starts with the parents. If you’re bad with money, or if you’re foolish with money, so will your kids.

Ever since Seneca was young, I would let him use my credit card, and check out at Whole Foods etc., teaching him how to grab my credit card and dip the credit card ship forward the correct way. I also then would give him paper money, to put into the automatic self checkout machine, and he would get so excited to get the coins back.

No, a new thing that I do with him is trying to teach him basic arithmetic, like a Trader Joe’s his favorite coat milk is $3.99, and I will hand him a five dollar bill, and then explain to him that he will get about a dollar a penny in change.  Even though he is quite young, three years old and four months… I think the best thing I’ve learned thus far is assume like your kid understands with 100% precision everything.  for example,  ever since he was born, I would just talk to him, more like being cute and whatever, not really seriously considering that he actually understood what I said. Now that he is fully cognizant, and that actually surprisingly, he is more or less fully fluent in Korean, and also English, and also Vietnamese… And also he knows his full alphabet in Spanish, he understands everything! He is his own person and being; and in my mind, I’m going to treat him like he’s a 12-year-old. Why? Of course he is not 12 years old, and certainly there will be a few things which goes beyond his comprehension, but my thought is always treat your child with free to expectations and goals etc., and they will rise to the occasion.

Think culture, not race 

For example , the good thing about Asian culture, is that getting straight A’s is a baseline expectation, not a big deal. Whereas the typical American, the thought is getting an A is an extraordinary feat. In Asian culture, to get an A is not a big deal.

The reason why Asians, Asian Americans excel in school is not that we are naturally good at math or whatever, the simple truth is different cultural expectations.

For example, an Asian Confucian culture, education knowledge reigns supreme. As a consequence, everything in Asian society is optimized and streamlined to being the best in terms of education knowledge etc.

Whereas in America, education is seen as a good thing, but not the most supreme thing. 

I always thought to myself, the best way that America could thrive was if they took all the money they spent on the military, and just put it into schools and education, it would solve a lot of the poverty issues in America. Even 10% of the military budget was done this way, I think this is a good idea.

10% of the military budget into schools; not enough to hurt the military defense budget, but substantive enough to at least reduce the teacher to student ratio sizes in schools. 

And also a simple thought about the 10% ratio; a good incentive to give your employees is a 10% share of the profit; enough that it motivates them to earn more money for you and your business, but not enough to hurt you financially, especially if you already live a frugal life.

Spartan economics

If you consider the economics of Sparta, it was very simple; keep the population small and tight, no need to extend your borders or boundaries, let the helots and the slaves do the dirty work, and the ethos of the Spartan men is to focus instead on more virtuous military training and combat instead.

In fact, I almost wonder if 99% of the focus of being a spartan, a Spartan hop light was in fact to just focus on military combat training, your whole life, and also for the life of your kids etc.

Modern day battle?

Personally speaking, I believe modern day American football to be the most virtuous and manly of all of the American sports. Why? The way it is structured, is like military combat. And it is the only physical sport which allows for physical tackling, which at least in the high school level, injuries are pretty rare. I think only the major injuries happen when you join the collegiate or the NFL, when all these guys are high on cocaine and steroids, and painkillers. 

How to make your kids anti-racist

I think it is obvious that racism is a bad thing. Everyone will agree with this, even the conservatives, Republicans or whatever. I think the main discourse is more about issues of affirmative action etc. But for the most part, being anti-racist is not controversial.

It starts with the father. If you’re a man, and you have a son… The first way you become anti-racist is to start with yourself. You treat everybody with equal respect, regardless of their pigmentation or facial morphology. The children will always mimic the parents.

For example, if the kids end up being racist, almost certainly the parents are racist.

Also one of the best ways to promote anti-racist thinking is to just get your kid into American football! Why? Here, a true sense of brotherhood. Playing football, we had the full rainbow crew; Every ethnicity race etc., almost evenly distributed. And when you are all on the same team, all racial differences evaporate. 

The problem with a lot of sports is that it is class based; for example, on our tennis team, the team was almost 90% Asian, and that the ongoing joke was average GPA of our tennis team was at least 4.2. Why? The truth of the matter is Tennis is a very elite sport because if you really really want to get good at it, at the elite or varsity level, you essentially need a private coach,  because tennis is not natural, and to get really really good at it, you need hours and hours, years and years of practice with a private coach.

And also, typically, tennis courts only exist in neighborhoods. Very rarely will you see tennis courts in the hood.

I think the reason why soccer is probably the ultimate global sport is that it is the most egalitarian. All you need is a ball; or something to kick around! No other equipment necessary.

Even basketball, in America there are basketball courts everywhere, which means even if you’re in the hood, at least you could get really good at basketball! By yourself!

But once again,  I think the primary thing to consider here is if you really want your kid to not be racist, put them into sports with mixed races, all across-the-board!

And also, if you consider yourself a progressive or a liberal and you see that the world is all bad, the solution is simple, don’t bitch and moan on social media, or virtue signal in the real world with bumper stickers. Have kids, and train your kid to be the change which you wish to see manifested in the world. 

And once again, my thought, typically wars unite people. For example, if one day we did go to war with China or whatever… I don’t know maybe we Americans would put aside our petty differences, and all become part of the same team. 

 And this is where I really enjoyed all of these films about aliens invading the planet etc. because all the human race comes together, to fight off the aliens. This is where I like Pacific Rim, also funny note, I think in the second Pacific Rim movie, which was financed by Shanghai mainland Chinese production company, the mainland Chinese in a good way. And once again, if aliens did, all nations, America Russia China etc., we would all sign a peace treaty, and just devote 100% resources to fight off the aliens. 

Did the Spartans see “race”?

If you think about Sparta, ancient Sparta… I think, there was no real notion of race; you were either a Spartan or a foreigner.

America is such a bizarre and funny case because here, obviously people look different. We have different morphological features, our faces our bodies look different, our hair is different, etc. 

But ultimately, if you live here, if you pay your taxes you are American! Simple as that. Even if you immigrated here illegally or whatever, as long as you pay your taxes, respect the old red white and blue. 

And technically, let us consider the first Americans who came here, they were the first rebels, who did “illegal“ things against the British, their original British overlords. 

Changing the world

Here, I encourage everyone to have kids. Even here, a really bad thing I see is it is considered bad manners to ask people whether they have kids or not, when you intend to marry, when you intend to have children, etc. 

For example in Vietnam, one of the first things you ask somebody is whether you have kids or not. In America, people almost feel indignant about it. 

You could have kids — it doesn’t matter what your gender or your sexual orientation is, I think everyone should have kids! 

Assuming you’re not addicted to meth, assuming that you’re rational human being, I think you would be a great parent! Your kids would be awesome! Doesn’t matter if they are your biological kids, foster or adopted whatever… in my eyes, all children are beautiful. 

If you had a traumatic childhood, like I did, the logic is to have a kid, and you raise them how you wish you were raised, not the opposite in which you desire not to have kids, because you don’t want to have another human being experience the same misery you did. 

Also, a sexual difference here; I find a lot of women, who had traumatic childhood, desire to bear children, because they don’t want to bring another human being into the planet which will face misery.

But with men… if you had a traumatic childhood or whatever… very very simple; you create a new society, without the badness you experienced!

The path forward

 I think some level were order of discipline, military discipline is a good idea. For example, it seems the best for raising kids is have them be spare, sports, frugal, Spartan.

Don’t buy them silly toys and diversions, rather, use that time to be 100% engage with them, run around with them, play with them, spar with them, take them to the park, leave your phone in the car at home etc.

Take your kid to the nearby nature center, nature preserve, have them run around in nature, or procure a football and throw around the old pigskin! 

Physical first.

ERIC

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Some more Spartan economic thoughts: 

1. Perhaps the only “property” worth having her owning his property in regards to strengthening, physical valor? For example, only your own weightlifting equipment, your own squat rack or power rack, your own barbell, etc.
2. more time spent in nature, in the elements: let us think about the movie 300, the Hardy Spartan men, once again, wearing nothing but there Spartan bikinis, and a single leather cape, bear chested in the cold, the winter, the snow, the elements etc. back in ancient Greece or ancient Sparta, did the notion of “indoors” even exist?
3. Radical simplicity: Simple thoughts, simple ethics, simple valor. Don’t be a coward, via true man, stand up for justice and what is right. Kind of like being a modern day Batman. Without all the emotional baggage; just watch the Lego Batman movie.

Money as a self-defense war chest

For a Spartan, to accumulate money while etc., was simply a means to having the means to defend oneself, when shit hit the fan. 

For example, note when King Leonidas goes to see the Ephors, he has a sack full of gold!  Certainly the Spartans would not stack those gold coins in order to buy blue Vuitton handbags from Persia, would rather, as a tool to gain military favor when they needed it. 

War chest?

The real big thing with Fiat currency, assuming that your anti-war, is that field currency is in theory bad when it comes to conflicts. Why? If America wanted to go to war, or if Germany wanted to go to war, and kill innocent people, what is the government do? They start printing out more money, issuing more bonds, seizing property from innocent people like the Japanese during World War II,  and also seasoning gold from private citizens, to create tanks, aircraft carriers, and ammunition and bombs.

Therefore, the simple thought of money is to just accumulated, create a war chest in order to retire and be left alone.

And the ideal is to retire into the maximally frugal, spare and sparse lifestyle, not to retire with $100 million in the bank, in order for you to live expensive lifestyle, indefinitely.

For example, better to retire now and get paid $4000 a month, forever, rather than to retire in 30 years, and get paid $20,000 forever.

Why? Once again opportunity cost.

By the time you’re actually old enough to retire, by the time you are 60 years old 65 years old,  66 years old whatever… You might be so sick, bad, unhealthy, your type two diabetes would have weaken your body and your soul and your spine, you no longer will be able to walk, and so all that money you are making… won’t be able to “fix” your poor health.

Type 2 diabetes and gait

Even now, I see people in their early 40s, making a big salary, $2000 a year, or a $500,000 year combined house salary… The husband the wife, so fat and so sick, essentially they just waddle around, or because they are so Overfat,  they must sit down regularly, and just tell their kids to run around and play instead, and they don’t have enough strength and vigor or health to run around with their kids! 

I was even doing some research, apparently having type two diabetes, which is essentially caused by over consumption of sugar, starches changes your gait — how you walk! It also might cause some sort of nerve damage, damage in your spine, which ruins the way that you walk.

Once again, doesn’t matter if you’re a billionaire, if you’re crippled, you cannot walk, without the assistance of a wheelchair… Nothing is worth it. Not all the beautiful babes on the planet, all the Lamborghinis Ferraris etc., all the trips to Italy etc.… Nobody wants to be a cripple inside a yacht.

Health is the ultimate signal of wealth

A modern day reverse wealth thing; if you’re a man with a full body tan, typically the signal is that you’re so wealthy and self owned, that you have the privilege and the freedom to just be out all day, at the beach, etc. And the more pale you are is typically a sign of servitude; you are forced to be stuck inside Apple Amazon office all day… Or inside your fully tinted Porsche 911 with air conditioning all day etc. In fact, I find the modern day captivity to modern day slavery, in which which you are forced to do boring zoom calls all day, indoors, without being able to go outside. 

Certainly everyone has a different living situation, but, the goal isn’t wealth, the goal is freedom!

ERIC

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Lately I have been instituting this new rule I have for myself which is to not use any devices while I am at home. For example, first thing in the morning, rather than just opening on my iPad and scrolling around websites etc.… I just tried to put in my bag, my backpack, stay focused, Start pounding my espresso, and starting to think. And getting ready to head out of the apartment, to go on my ceremonious morning walk with my 60 pound weight vest.

Also more recently, almost naturally… I actually don’t really like to use the phone, or be on the phone. Using the tiny tiny screen on the iPhone, I’m starting to feel more headaches, or feeling dizzy, or just feeling unpleasant using it.

Even the same thing when I am using my iPad at the house, I feel a bit dizzy, unfocused, the overall feeling is unpleasant.

Now I think the critical issue that most people do is that they are always waiting to upgrade their iPhone, waiting for the newest iPhone Pro etc. But what if in fact, the proper approach to things was actually to think:

Perhaps the best upgrade is to just stop using your phone phone and your iPhone altogether?

In fact, if you were a really really successful person, like myself, my ideal would be to just not to have a phone at all; the only reason I have to use the phone nowadays is Google maps and navigation, two factor authentication to log into my financial accounts, and also, to FaceTime and contact Cindy. Besides this… I think the iPhone might be the ultimate productivity killer? Which means,

> Productivity is via negativa.

Which means, if you want to be more productive, throw your iPhone into the trash!  or if you really really want to be present, when you go to a family event, turn off your phone and lock it up in the glove compartment, when you take your kids to the park also put in the glove compartment, or if you go on a dinner date with your partner also just leave it in the car or at home!

Stunned?

I suppose the critical issue here is that I think, if I think of it critically, even when I am on my iPad, scrolling through websites and stuff… It makes me static, not move, too focused that’s staring at something on the screen. 

Also if you think about kids, the natural state of things is to always be moving, to always be dynamic, exploring the world, playing around things etc.

In fact, one of the most disturbing things I discover is that with kids, when they turn on some sort of television program or something, it immediately pacifies them, it becomes so static. I find it insanely disturbing.

Also, if you think about “success” in America… Why does it have to deal with becoming static, sitting on your butt, or being delivered entertainment, pleasure etc. All while sitting on your butt?

For example, watching a show, whether it be a theater performance, a musical performance, etc.

Or, fine dining or a buffet in Vegas; once again you’re just shoving your face with food, sitting on your butt.

Dynamics

The other day I took Seneca to the Koreatown Picco branch Public library, they have a really cool new maker space there, and there was some sort of computer 3-D paper cutting class, with insects and bugs on paper, in which you sat down with a pair of scissors, and what cut out Shapes and glue them together etc. Arts and crafts.

But once again the issue here is why was it done all done while sitting, sitting down? Why are there not arts, arts and crafts in which you’re standing, moving around, running around? 

Also as a sidenote, Seneca actually had the most fun playing in the corner with this marble kinetic set; in which you could create these ramps and these slides and you just put marble on top and let gravity do the work, it seems that Seneca loves most dynamic kinetics and movement!


Life

The most dynamic life, the most standing and moving around life outside is the best life.

Also, prioritizing your sleep, leaving a party early, to make sure you go home and sleep early seems to be optimal.

Anyways, now that forever LA summer is here, and the sun is out, and it is glorious… I feel really bad for people who have to be indoors all day, especially kids are forced to stay indoors all day. 

For example, air conditioning; air conditioning is insanely bad for your physiology. It is far better to be not indoors, outside, hanging out in the shade, rather than being stuck in some sort of claustrophobic indoor space, with the air conditioner blasting. I hate air conditioning in the way it makes me feel, in fact even the days when it is really really hot outside and the sun is really strong, being indoors with the air-conditioning blasting, in the dark, is actually very uncomfortable.

Sports

Seneca at the age of three years four months… Looks like I’m going to be become a sports dad! Gonna sign him up for tee-ball, which is the early version of baseball. 

Anyways, we went to the local park, and we found a football, and it brought back all these wonderful memories from high school in which I played football my sophomore and junior year; outside linebacker, then sideline Becker my junior year; both years being a starter.

Around “the old pigskin“, was sent Kelly was so much fun! Especially with American football, because it is oblong, when it hits the floor, the movement is fun and unpredictable! Seneca loves it! And also I suppose the good thing with the American football is that it is actually really easy for a kid to throw and catch, and hold carry and handle, as the football is soft, and quite big, compared with a baseball which is very small and very hard.

Anyways, when I was at the park I just left my phone in the glove compartment, and was 100% focused on throwing around the football with Seneca, and I legitimately had so much fun! I think the problem with having an iPhone on you is that you’re literally being distracted every other second, which never means that you could really really focus on anything or enjoy anything; for example, Letting your mind go follow, and just noticing the trees in the distance blowing. 

Come on, let us consider it; we are already photographers — we don’t need a loser iPhone or a loser iPhone Pro. We already have our own standalone digital cameras! Which means once again you could just leave your iPhone in the car, and when you are out and about with your kid or doing something or watching fireworks whatever… You could just bring your standalone digital camera instead!

“Downgrade”?

It seems that in life, we are always trying to upgrade things. We are trying to upgrade our lifestyle, upgrade our lives, upgrade our happiness joy and whatever, etc. But I suppose the issue here is that what constitutes a “upgrade”, versus “downgrade”?

Certainly materials matter. Far better to have linen or merino wool than cotton which sucks. The best innovation that I’ve done was designing and creating my own linen tank top shirts, I forget that I’m wearing anything at all! And it is so breezy and light. The second I put on a cotton shirt, just to try it out… Immediately it captures all the sweat, cotton sucks. 

Also, maybe the quality of components and furnishings. For example the reason why I am so happy grateful and joyful about my new apartment here in Culver City is it is literally the nicest apartment I’ve ever lived in my life! All nice Kohler components, and this matters.  For example, recently revisiting Cindy‘s family house, and the components they use at the house! Superficially they look nice, but they are all plastic handles, they feel cheap and flimsy.

Also suppose here, this is why Lexus cars are superior to Tesla cars; certainly a Tesla is the superior car, and also much sexier, but if you actually critically handle and feel the materials, feel the overall handling and the performance, the rigidity and the ride quality of a car… a Lexus is probably 10 times better. Why? Electric cars are expensive. So is the battery pack and all the technology behind it. Therefore, in order to keep the price point tenable, certainly Tesla cannot use the finest materials inside the car for the steering wheel, the seats, the doorhandles, the side trim etc.

God is in the details

For example, looking at the side trim of a car, the most critical part of a car to be insanely discerning about is when you’re about to enter the car from the driver side door, make sure there is no cheap plasticky looking components. Once again on a Lexus LS car, side trimmings, none of them is a cheap black plastic, they are all this nice lovely graphite shiny looking thing. Even my main critique on the Tesla model X, and Y… What’s up with that trim around the wheel wells?

Simple idea for Tesla —

Paint the wheelwells as well!

Even the new Lexus RX cars, it looks like they woke up and finally started to also color match and color paint the wheel wells, which makes the car look 1 million times more elegant!

What to upgrade what to downgrade

OK, in the context of clothing, less is better. For example, less material.

For example, assuming you have to wear a shirt in public, or you’re about to enter a private place, and you must wear a shirt, ideally it is a tank top; a 100% linen tank top, or a merino wool tank top. Scissors are your best via negativa Zen tool.

For example, if you have a black merino wool T-shirt at home, just take a pair of heavy duty scissors and cut out the sleeves!  I also recently did it with one of my old tank tops, in which I made it more like a crop top, because the bottom of the shirt was dragging too low, and I did not like the fit; very simple, cut out the parts you don’t like!

I was also randomly thinking about cars… For example when you expand your family, let me assume that I have one or two more kids, let us assume that I have three kids. If this were the case, I wouldn’t “upgrade” my Prius, even my friend Kevin who has a Tesla model three, has this “doona” slim car seats, in which he could fit two car seats in the back, and his nine-year-old kid could also sit in the back? Certainly it is a bit tight for the nine-year-old daughter, but come on… Growing up, at least me being Asian Asian American, it is not uncommon to shove more kids in the backseat!

Obesity, type two diabetes is the issue here?

How do you cure type two diabetes, fix obesity, prevent it etc.? Pretty simple. 

1. Never allow any bad things in moderation, 0% know. Hard rules.

For example Santa is currently three years four months, and he is aware of cookies and ice cream now, because he sees it in books, in real life, it is part of modern mainstream media in American culture. But here, here is where being a food Nazi is a good idea; once you expose it to your kid, there’s no going back. It is like giving your kid a cigarette and getting them addicted to nicotine at the age of 11 or 12… Which I witnessed myself in middle school with some of my friends or some of the kids at school. Why would you do this? 

For example, I think the number one thing I learned about sociology, social life etc.… Is essentially not to curb to peer pressure, social norms etc. And I think my whole life, maybe the reason I’ve become so successful is because in fact, the fact that I am more so than the average person able to resist social norms, or go opposite.

Even a more recent example, maybe seven or eight years ago etc. is me just quitting to drinking alcohol, not because of any more realistic reason I think it’s fine I just didn’t like the way you made me feel, and I would always get terrible hangovers, and also I just cannot sleep at night even after just one beer or one alcoholic beverage.

Also strange notions of a “balanced diet“. I’m starting to think that this is just propaganda from the Coca-Cola corporation, which tells you that if you exercise, right, you could have a Coca-Cola beverage here and there, because it is “only “120 cal, which will not cause you to get fat, assuming the calories in calories out there that the average human being as long as you maintain under 2000 cal a day, you will not get bad, which means if you eat 1800 cal of quinoa and beans a day, and have one Coca-Cola beverage which is 100 cal, but 38 g of sugar, you will not get fat.   but is this true? No.

Why is nobody strict anymore?

It seems that the critical issue in today’s world is that being strict has gone out of fashion. For example when I see modern day parents let their kids loose with candy, ice cream, desserts, drinking sweetened beverages, watching these stupefying shows on YouTube Disney+ or whatever… It seems that is that modern society, especially in America, there is no more rigger, no more discipline and I don’t think of discipline as some sort of moralistic or ethical imperative; rather, maybe having the wisdom to stick to your guts, to stick to your guns, and to not budge.

I’ll give you example — in intermittent fasting, I think the primary issue against intermittent fasting isn’t that it is “hard”, the more difficult thing I think for the average person is the fact that they succumb to social pressure.

For example, I don’t eat breakfast or lunch, and I haven’t done this for almost 7 years. So anybody who says it is not “sustainable”, I think this is wrong. The question is —

Will you succumb to social pressure or peer pressure or not? 

For example, I think stubbornness is a virtue. Especially in regards to things you care for and believe in.

For example, the modern day society we are taught and socialized and conditions that stubbornness is bad. That you have to be open-minded and yielding. However, I am grateful that I am so hardheaded, stubborn, and wise… In high school when all my friends started smoking, cigarettes and marijuana etc.… It was very easy for me to say no. And I never succumbed to social pressure in order to feel “cool”. 

In fact, the funny thing with pure pressure and smoking and marijuana in middle school and high school isn’t actually pure pressure, for example, let us say that you have a friend who smokes cigarettes, or weed, and they say “do you want to take a hit or try it?” Typically your friends won’t really put a gun to your head and force you to do it… Rather, they will offer it up to you, as an option, and as a kid you have the option to say yes or no.

And typically the kids get into smoking, smoking cigarettes or marijuana, why suppose nowadays vaping… The greater issue here is they just want to feel cool and included.

So, if you no longer care to be cool or included or whatever… isn’t this an insanely revolutionary idea?

Social pressure and food and beverages

In the UK for example, or in London, to drink a beer with your “mates“ is almost akin to brushing your teeth or wiping your butt after you use the bathroom. To not drink beer as a man in the UK… is almost like being a lady with a beard? 

And then the critical issue here becomes British guys trying to pressure you into drinking a beer, by calling you a pussy or whatever.

I actually remember one of the best self-defense mechanisms as a kid, or as a teenager… when your friends would tell you to not be a pussy, or “don’t be gay”… the best response was to say — “I love the cock!” No response from the other party. 

So perhaps the best self-defense mechanism in life modern day life… Is if somebody tries to bully you, the best response is to simply, and give them the answer that they don’t want.

Almost wonder if in silly feces tossing competitions, AK politics… When people try to insult you with some sort of silly argument, Don’t fight back, just roll with it but say the more comedic response.

For example, when I tell people that I’m in Todd quit investing, the first thing a lot of people say, especially women, is “but isn’t that super bad for the environment?” Maybe instead of trying to convince them why it is not bad for the environment, the best response is to just say “yeah, it is terrible for the environment… But it will make you super rich ha ha!” Or — “Fuck the environment, I love money more!” (Will you ever hear a real capitalist say this?)

Even when I would be at the gym, and I would load up the rack with nine plates and beyond, and when people’s jaws would literally hit the floor, a lot of guys would come up to me, even the really really strong buff steroided out guys, and they would ask —

“… Excuse me… Can you explain me what that is for?”

And then I would joke, and say:

For my ego!

And I would laugh it off, because I know that is what the other party is thinking, that “I am cheating“ in order to just boost my ego, apparently the notion of “ego lifting“ is a bad thing… But I think the wiser path is to acknowledge that yet, we all care to augment our ego, and actually this is a virtuous good thing! Example, everyone tries to augment their ego in different ways, one person by becoming some sort of environmentalist, another one by writing their bicycle, another one by to adopt a stray dog instead of having children, or another by deciding to go vegan or whatever.

Ego is good. In fact, I think the better path ahead is for us to be and become more honest and wise —

1. The ego is virtuous, the best thing ever
2. Rather than trying to kill our ego, or to diminish our ego… better instead to try to augment it?

Upgrade your body, diminish your possessions

Visiting the family house in Orange County in the suburbs after a while… Some thoughts:

1. Leg power … 1000 horsepower leg power?

Everyone tries to upgrade their vehicle in terms of horsepower, torque and horsepower, 0 to 60 speeds, or the height of their vehicle, getting a truck, lifting their vehicle, getting into Overlanding, etc. Or adding some sort of superficial aerodynamic modifications to their car, carbon fiber, lowering their vehicle… Whatever. 

But, the primary thing what we should try to actually be doing is upgrading our legs! For example, when you put your pedal to the metal, you’re sitting on your butt, etc.… What are you really trying to do here? I think, to push, push with your legs, to feel instantaneous torque, a sense of elevated power … isn’t it far superior instead, for you to increase the horsepower muscles and torque of your legs, in order to do the same thing? 

For example, everyone wants to brag about their Bugatti, their McLaren, their Porsche 911, 911 GT 3 RS, their Lamborghini, now cyber truck or whatever,  but, everyone wants to brag about how their car has 1000 hp, like having a dodge hellcat or whatever… But isn’t it far superior instead to upgrade your legs?

Then, the ideal and the desired outcome is for your legs to have 1000 hp! Or better yet… For your legs to have 2000 horsepower?

Or, sprinting? 

OK, I first find the whole notion of running at a medium high intensity to be absolutely ridiculous. Perhaps a better path forward is instead, to do sprints instead?

For example if you look at any ultramarathoner, they look like sick gazelles. Nothing but stick and bone. I saw a dude who look like an ultra marathon, running on the trails, no shirt on, and he looked like a sick antelope.

I think in regards to running, people mostly do it as some sort of weird moralistic ethical imperative… In order “exercise”, or maybe, to feel included as part of of some sort of community?

I would say instead, if you’re into running, get into sprints instead! For example, it seems the primary metric for any car is the 0 to 60 speed, even the new Bugatti has a 0 to 60 of 1.99 seconds, I think same as the Tesla model S plaid. 

For example, for the most part, nobody cares about how far the range of your car is. The ultimately care about how much horsepower it has, or the 0 to 60 speed, or the quarter-mile speed. It seems that we humans, we have a preference for maximum performance in short durations, rather than “endurance”.

For example, nobody cares that you do 1 million repetitions of curling a 1 pound dumbbell. Much more impressive to lift 1000 pounds, once, for half a second rather than tedious repetitions. 

Putting on a good show

Also, another truism; in regards to putting on a good show… Lifting over 1000 pounds on the squat rack is 1 billion times more impressive and interesting, then the buff guy at the gym doing strange pulley cable exercises. There is always a low-key crowd whenever you see a guy about two bench press three or four plates, or somebody about to lift over six or seven plates, There is always a massive crowd when I was at the gym, when I maxed out the barbell.

To show off, is seen as a vice; but truth be told, how many people say that showing off as a vice simply because they are cowardly? 

In fact, if I think more critically about it… All of the strange modern day ethics we have is instituted by Christian monks, Quaker protestant Victorian era individuals, and ethical philosophers like Socrates.

Ethics is the future

I’m starting to think about this more and more; perhaps to study ethics, to think ethics, to philosophize about ethics, is the future and the path forward. I doing the iPhone 35 Pro will be any good, and also, I think the reason why investing in the technology company is so difficult is the laws of physics, pressure for sales etc. For example, I am actually still quite bullish on Tesla, but still… To respond to the market pressures of always having to produce and sell more vehicles across the planet, seems like a lot of friction in the physical world.

I think the reason why Tesla is such a difficult business and proposition —  and the reason why Google is such a good business, is that Google is not predicated on physical products, physical sales, physical time and space. Google has to do all with the immaterial world; information, going through cyberspace… Which is weightless, travels faster than light speed, and cost-effectively nothing to move information.

Even the difficulty that Apple has is to produce phones and products, in the real physical world, and have to keep enticing customers to keep buying the newest iPhone, to keep upgrading. But I’m sure there’s gonna be a certain point in which people have iPhone pro upgrade fatigue, or they just don’t think it’s worth it anymore. Even, I’m one of the biggest apple and Steve Jobs fan boys that I know, and even now for me, the newest iPhone and iPhone Pro has zero appeal to me.  

Draining your physiological life battery

Don’t drain your battery, especially if you don’t have a recharging element. 

Don’t drive.

I’ll give you an example;  I think the reason why driving is so draining is multifaceted:

1. First, sitting on your butt, even for a minute, I think has a physiological effect of depressing your body, both mentally and physically. For example, I know in the real world, I hate sitting, anywhere. Even the thought of visiting a theater, and having to sit for an hour and a half, to watch flashing lights on the screen and audio visual stimulation seems like a bad idea to me. I think that the proper way to watch a film or any video thing is to download it off-line on your iPad Pro, the small one, and then, to watch it while walking around town or maybe in nature?
2. Opportunity cost: I think this is where economics and economic thinking is very very useful… Let us say you want to go to the nearest casino or entertainment hub, which is an hour and a half drive there, hour and a half drive back. Three hours in total. I think it is 1 trillion times better for your physiology health and overall happiness and mood and life mind expansion by using that three hours to just walk around town, go hiking etc. Even more recently, been enjoying taking the metro Seneca, but even the problem with taking the metro is that it is about 30 minutes you have to be static, and you are enclosed indoors; no exposure to the elements, the real world etc.
3. therefore, I’m starting to think that instead, maybe the Spartan approaches the best. With the Spartans pull up in there chariots and horses, and go right off into the nearby town for entertainment shits and giggles?! They would just hang out in Sparta, train and battle, hang out, be outside topless all day, and chill.

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The other day, I was with Seneca, and went on a big adventure. We stopped by the central library in downtown LA, quite magnificent! Pro tip; if you drive to downtown LA, just park at the central public library, and as long as you have a valid Los Angeles public library card, it only costs one dollar with validation at the information desk for about two or three hours!

Anyways, what we ended up doing was exploring downtown LA a bit, visiting the Apple theater (great public bathrooms in the Apple building, in the Apple Store on the bottom level), walking by my old stomping grounds far before Seneca was born, a bit on Hope Street and on Broadway in front of ilcafe — tried to carry him and take him to santee alley in the fashion district, but it was a bit too hot, and there was another event happening at the library, so we decided to go next time. 

Anyways, I ended up shooting a street photo that I was quite proud of; why? A dude covered in tattoos, smoking a cigarette hanging out by the curb in front of a muscle car, very cool scene! I put down Seneca for a second, grabbed my camera, picked up Seneca, looped around in front to get a better angle, shoot a few photos, And continued on.

Also, walking along Broadway, actually saw about four or five street furs all hanging out and shooting together! On Fujifilm X 100 cameras, and I think I saw a guy with the film Hasselblad X panoramic camera, and actually think he shot a photo of me and Seneca walking by! I thought to myself; he will be shocked, when he develops the film, to see that he shot a street photo of ERIC KIM and his kid in the wild! (I had a very very low brim on baseball cap covering my face).

Anyways, it was a very happy sight, seeing street photography alive great and well! And also made me quite happy and proud of the seeds that I planted for a lot of street photographers of today. Certainly not every single practicing street photographer of today will not know exactly who I am; but I’m sure that the influential street photographers who are spreading the gospel of street photography today, have probably encountered my blog my work my YouTube videos, or my e-books one way or another. 

The death of Slim Shady

I was talking to a guy, who is also into rap and hip-hop music like me, and he told me that Eminem just put out a new album! I was quite shocked; and also very impressed because after all these years, ever since even I was a kid; I recall when I was a kid was by far the most popular musician, Eminem is still alive and well and making new music and albums! The best way to write who the greatest rapper is, the greatest of all time, the goat is simple;

The greatest of all time is the most durable of all time, who will last the longest. Or whose name will live on the longest.

After all is said and done, what remains? Names. First names and last names, or maybe even the last name.

Even quite funny, I took Seneca to public library event, close to the Otis school of design, and I met a mom and her two kids, and Elsa her husband who is also there… I told them that Seneca’s name was Seneca,  and the man lit up and said, “the Roman stoic philosopher?” I was shocked that he knew exactly who Seneca was, and we started chatting, and I later found out that he was actually a professor of ethics at Loyola Marymount University — names last!

Make a good name for your kid 

And I think this is where names are so critical for your kid; a name signals a lot. 

I think the simple strategy is to consider an individual of the past, or maybe still alive, preferably dead, who has had a major impact on your life. And as a consequence, name your kid in honor of that individual.

For example, if and when I have a second kid, I like Marcus Aurelius after Seneca, but there is too many Marcus, so maybe I’ll just name the second kid Aurelius; weather boy or girl.

“If you know you know!” – PUSHA T

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The path forward 

I think to perpetually and always restart, fresh slate, carte blanche is the way. What this means is never let your past self dominate or tyranny over your present self, or even your potential future self.

What that means is let us say in the context of photography, and life in general… Don’t be constrained to an old style, don’t just be trying to slap the same old horse to do the same old tricks, do something new.

For example, when I see certain, simply imitating their own style, for their entire career… It becomes a bit boring.

For example, whenever I look at the work search photographers, and that their technique approach hasn’t evolved at all in over 30 years, I find it pretty boring.

Much more interesting for artists who have allowed themselves to change and evolve.

For example, do you want to be a Charmander for your entire life? No! Ideally you want to evolve, find the fire stone, become the Charmeleon, then the Charizard!

Or do you want to be a magic car for your whole life? You want to evolve and become the Gyrados! And a random stoic thought; when others engage in annoying behavior, think of it like they are a Magikarp with splash; “It had no effect!” And you are a Golem.

random Pokémon thoughts

If you’re born in 1988, plus or -15 years, you’re probably played Pokémon or watch the show at least once in your life. I am impressed; even today… Kids of two days still know what and who Pokémon is!

Maybe the best strategy is to think of yourself as the level 255 Snorlax; with the missing no hack — your HP is 100,000, and when these annoying digits, try to attack you, they do damage, but it is only like 10 damage or something. Don’t make a big deal out of it. 

And also, whenever I meet people who look kind of my age, maybe a little bit older or younger, what I like to do is to ask him “who is your favorite Pokémon? Or who is your spirit Pokémon?”

Funny enough, this shows you a lot about somebody’s personality their character, and their ethos.

For example, I’ll never forget this moment; Ryan from backyard brew in Palo Alto asking me what my favorite animal was? And I responded “does it have to be real or not?” he then said no. And I told him Gyrados.  and he knew exactly what that was, and then printed me a free bag of coffee beans with Gyarados on front! He will forever have my favor. And I also am quite certain that he is the person who actually coined and invented the notion of minimum viable product, MVP. I think one of his customers might’ve stole the idea from him.

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Anyways, let us take it back to economics, economic theory, business, capitalism in general.

being the number one person in your niche on the planet

This is something I believe in the past; best to become number one in a small niche, a very specific niche, then even to be number two or three in a more general field.

For example, in photography, the sea is too big. I remember once, in the past, when I was living in East Lansing Michigan, and I just wanted to meet some random guitar, I attended a random photography meet up maybe somewhere in Lansing or Detroit or something, And there was about 15 photographers, and it was a very unpleasant experience. The guys were just into HDR, and we just talk about gear and processing and all this boring stuff that I was not interested in. I’ve had the realization that having my personal interest in street photography specific… Even though we are off our first, we are like different beasts.

For example, even for car enthusiast, there is a lot of difference between somebody who is into trucks versus somebody who is into Lamborghinis. Or probably a huge difference between somebody who is into over landing somebody who is into drifting.

the planet is big enough

The reason why I think thinking about niches is interesting is that honestly now that we have over 8 billion people on the planet, what that means is even for a small niche. It is quite a huge impact.

For example, if you think, about the whole pie… The whole field of photography is actually still quite small. Certainly everybody has an iPhone now, which means that everybody’s interested in photography, but the field of people with standalone cameras or standalone digital cameras or standalone film cameras or whatever is still quite small. Does it matter? Not really. 

For example, most people do not own a Lamborghini or a McLaren or even a cyber truck. But, being part of a small exclusive club, isn’t this what people desire?

For example, whenever I meet people who are really into or film or whatever… And they don’t know that I’m actually a photographer, or they don’t know that I’m ERIC KIM… And I hear them opine about all this random films stuff, and they don’t know that I have a black paint film like MP… I feel like I have a secret weapon or a secret power. It is almost like if you were talking to a car enthusiast, and they had no idea that you secretly had Lamborghini in your garage. Or if you need to Tesla dealership and the workers there had no idea that you already had a cyber truck. Or if you own $10 million worth of Tesla stock, or if you were on the board of directors at Tesla or whatever.

Maybe I’m starting to think; best to just lie. The next time I step into a Tesla dealership, I’m just going to fly beneath the radar, and pretend like I am secretly on the board of directors, or a major partner etc. Same thing when going to an Apple Store.

Pick a fight

Do you remember that one scene in fight club, in which Tyler Durden gives assignments, and one of them is actually to pick a fight with a random person? Maybe I’ll start doing this more.

I think the thing that is insanely annoying is that people always try to punk on you, bully you, or have some sort of weird power trip complex, and they try to make you feel small.

Perhaps moving forward, I’m ain’t Finna let nobody ever bully me or my kid ever again, and even if I have a .01% inkling that the person is trying to bully me, troll me, or push me around… I’m going to react Like a bad bull. 

I think this is the annoying thing about service; that I suppose that end the day, I desire or I expect to be treated with great respect, maybe it is a result of my massive ego or whatever, and also I do fine… Because I am such a friendly jovial happy person, also because I am Asian American… People often treat me with less respect, when compared with others?

Throw out the race card or the sexiest card 

If you were Elon Musk, but maybe you had on a mask or you had on the disguise, and you stepped into a Tesla dealership, and let us say that your kid X was playing around on the Tesla cars, shoes on, touching stuff making a mess etc.… do you think that the employee would have the nerve to tell Elon to have his kids stop that?

Or, let us say that in fact, you built a library, or at least, you put $100 million grant to find the library renovation, and then some bad employee comes up to you, and tell you that you and your kid “must go” because he is crying?

A simple way of dealing with bad actors; I think it is a good idea to make a big fuss! Even if you are the bully, the bad guy, whatever.

I actually find a really really in raging, especially when I am inside a store and some minimum wage worker tries to size me up, like at the Lululemon store, not treating me with proper respect because I pull up dressed like a poor person?

I will still never forget when I pulled up to a Lululemon, complaining about one of my products which got ruined my shorts, and I was just wearing some sort of random military Campbell jacket, etc.… And the lady working there treated me with disrespect, assuming that I was the scammer or something because I didn’t pull up looking like a rich person?

Perhaps then, the best response is to speak up, knee-jerk response, loud, take up space, make a big fuss, even if you’re in the wrong.

When in doubt, make a big fuss, even if you’re wrong.

Why?

America is very bizarre; we are a bunch of passive aggressive wimps. For example, everyone always likes to complain about bad behavior, etc.… Yeah what will you all do is to complain about it in private, and we will never stand up for ourselves.

I think this is what people don’t understand; people like to point the finger at “white people”, peoples XYZ whatever… But, truth be told, everyone is low-key insecure somewhere, and actually in fact, everyone is being bullied somewhere!

no more complaining victim mentality 

For example, whenever I visit a new public library, and I have a good experience, I’d like to give it a five star review. For example the town public library is fantastic, they have a brand new maker space, and also a massive Epson printer, and you could print one huge 20 x 30 poster print once a week?

Anyways, I read a random review that one patron, suspected racism because the person had a Jewish American last name?

And then I thought to myself; truth be told… I think the average American doesn’t really know what a “Jewish” last name is. But, it was only once I became 34 years old that I started to learn that certain last names were Jewish?

.

Vanity objects

Even though  I have not touched my film Leica MP camera for about five years, it is still a great vanity option that I’m so happy that I have, which I’ll own forever, and pass down to Seneca, and have Seneca pass it down to his son, as infinitum. The film let go will be like the new family Rolex.

I said this in the past, but my personal thought is the only camera I could ever imagine lasting 300 years might be a film Leica mechanical camera. Either the film Leica MP, or even the film Leica MA, which has no mechanical things at all. 

Should you buy a digital Leica? Probably not. In the year 2024; it is more of a vanity object rather than a practical one. Better to get the new Lumix S9 with the pancake lens, and just put your money into bitcoin. 

Hats off to Ricoh Pentax for making that new film camera! Even in the year 2024!

***

Bitcoin & street photography 

Everyone wants to make money, make money from their art their Fatar you whatever… But the old method of selling prints or whatever, is a very 19th-century idea. We live in the year 2024; shouldn’t we think about the 22nd century and beyond?

The first thought, maybe the best way to just make money is just to put into bitcoin! One bitcoin hits $1.3 million a coin, what that means is that your minimum wage job of today, will at least 10 X or 100 X from now. 

Therefore from a simple monetary perspective, the very simple idea is just make money from bitcoin! And in terms of your photography and screw photography, just do it free; giveaway your photos for free as full resolution JPEG images, give away your information your e-books and your ideas for free, no need to monetize it!

I think monetization is simply a means of people who desire some sort of legitimacy from doing something, rather than thinking critically about their own self-worth?

For example, we tend to have this very very silly notion that somehow if you make money from something, and make a lot of money from something, you could essentially metricate your self-worth. 

And it is true; the simplest way to judge somebody else is how many ones and zeros they got behind them.

But this becomes funny because how much of that is actually real money versus this fake notion of “net worth”?

For example, let us say that you meet the guy in the Lamborghini with the scissor doors, or the guy in the McLaren, or whatever hyper sports car of your dream etc.… What if that person is $10 million in debt? Then his net value and his net worth is -$10 million… Which means he is $10 million poorer than you. 

I fucking love this city!

Almost a year in living in Culver City, I fucking love this city!  best city of all time, certainly within the context of Los Angeles.

There is no second best city after Culver City

Beverly Hills sucks, Holby Hills sucks, 99.9% of LA sucks.

City is the only walkable city in LA, maybe even the whole West Coast? Even better than New York, because you don’t have to take the subway everywhere.

Culver City is the best city in America?

Best weather, best people, best services, massively growing tech and entertainment industry, the future.

Building your name

Your best asset is your first and last name. Make people remember it. Just be like James Bond.

Bond, James Bond.

Kim, ERIC KIM.

---

Time is the ultimate instructor, and reveals all things.

For example, do you know who your true friends are, based on time. If you have been friends with somebody, or have kept in contact with somebody for over a decade, or two… It is a signal that you truly care for them.

Also, durability, things which last, people which last. Artist, Art and ideas which last.

And also, often it takes a really long time to just figure things out. For example, I truly believe that it takes one at least two years upon moving to a new place that you figure out how to truly live there well. 

For example, I think the optimal duration to live somewhere is at least two years, before you decide to Lillypad and lily frog off onto somewhere else.

For example, it took at least two years while living in Providence Rhode Island, to figure out how to live their virtuously, making new friends, knowing where to go, building a sense of community etc.

Also, living with Cindy‘s family, her mom‘s house, the family house in the suburbs of Orange County. Took us a while experimenting with a bunch of stuff before we figure it out exercise and fitness related and living related things; for example Cindy discovering hot yoga there, And rediscovering my local gym, buying my Texas power squat bar etc.

I’m close to almost a year and living in Culver City, here in LA, and I’m starting to think and feel that I am actually starting to kind of figure things out. For example, I’m starting to understand a little bit better traffic patterns in Los Angeles, essentially you never want to leave your house after 3 PM, you never want to be in a car Ideally after 2 PM.

I think this is why the Geo location in which you live is so critical, especially in the desirable city like Los Angeles. Why? It seems like the optimal strategy in life is to optimize things in such a way that in theory, you never want to be in a car for more than five minutes a day.

I’m so lucky here in Culver City; I Culver City, especially the arts district in the downtown area, at least 100% or 100 out of 100 in terms of walkability. And also the great thing, if you just want to go on a local hike, go to the mountains, go to higher elevation it is only a three minute drive or so. 

Anti cars

First and foremost, I love cars, so does Seneca. We love the design, the concepts, and more recently, at the age of three years, four months old, he has started to understand that race cars uses stick shift,  And he is interested in it, even the civic type R which has a stick shift.

The other day, super funny kind and random, met a guy named Jason who owns a 720 S McLaren, I think his job is being a car hunter, His vanity license plate says “CARHUNTER” I think — but anyways, chatted with him a bit, and he said “Does your kid want to sit inside my car? And I said of course!” so Jason pulls up the butterfly doors in his $350,000 car, and Seneca hops in, sits inside the cool bucket seats, with the orange stitching and seat belts, plays with the steering wheel – so cool!

But the funny thing, later that day I asked him whether he liked the McLaren, and he said no. I asked him why? He then told me that he didn’t like it because it only had buttons! That it was not a stick shift! Mind blown:

If a race car or a sports car doesn’t have a stick shift, it is not a race car or a sports car, or at least it is not interesting? 

The thing which is actually really funny is that people will just tell you that there is really no more reason left for stick shift, because technically paddle shifting or automatic transmissions are actually superior faster etc. But then again, the argument could also be said about butterfly doors, scissor doors, suicide doors, billionaire doors etc.; there’s really no functional use for it anymore.

The Lamborghini Countach,  the reason why it had scissor doors or the reason why it was invented was because the way it was designed, it was too difficult to see behind you while reversing, so before denting your $500,000 car, the driver would actually pull up the scissor doors, look behind them, while slowly reversing.

Now that all the cars have reversing cameras, there is really no reason to have Lamborghini doors anymore. It is all for show!

And that is OK, but shouldn’t we also make the same analysis that similarly speaking, a manual transmission is also foreshow? And that is OK?

Show boat

In America, we have this very very bizarre and strange notion; on one hand, we idolize money wealth, people who make a lot of money etc. Essentially people who make a lot of money are more powerful than you, more successful than you, and also, superior to you.

From moralistic perspective we know this is not true. And also it is not always a desired thing. 

For example, some of these jobs, like being an extreme plumber, the smell is so horrendous when cleaning out sewage, even being 10 feet away from a really really bad smelling sewer pipe, I almost feel like throwing up. I would not take that job for being paid $100 million a year.

Also, I think this is a good logical case against prostitution; whether you prostitute your mind your body your soul, your butt hole whatever;

No amount of money is worth it. 

---

“Everyone has to make a living”

This is obvious. There are certain non-negotiables in life like paying the rent, find groceries etc. However, much in life is optional. And I think this is where wisdom knowledge experience, or thinking unorthodox is wise.

For example, I think the number one critical foolish mistake people make is cars, their automobile, etc.

If you want to be a rational human being, it really really seems that the optimal car here is a used Toyota Prius. I recommend the 2010 model up to the 2015 model, which in my mind, has the best design, the most “JDM” (Japanese domestic market, tuner); design, and also, the car has just been on the road forever. The generation before that, the first generation Prius I think looks too bubbly, I hate the design. But I think the 2010 model, has it spot on. 

Even another funny nuance, something I never really thought about; trunk space. I think the new new Prius looks super cool, if you see it from the back it looks like a Porsche 911 with the horizontal blade tail light. However,  the trunk on it is tiny! My sister-in-law Jennifer bought a brand new one, and when I opened up the trunk, I was shocked! It looks like at least 40% smaller in terms of trunk space compared with the 2010 Prius? I suppose this is the trade off that you make in trying to make it more like a fastback coupe design. 

iPhone Pro is only for poor people

How do you know whether somebody is successful or not? Simple– real successful people only use the cheapest iPhones; for example, iPhone SE, or iPhone mini.

It is insane, I see a lot of these working class families, poor working class families, the parents have iPhone pros, often the kids have it too. And the big problem here is that not 100% sure, but I assume that most people don’t buy the iPhone Pro all in cash, they either finance it, or maybe get suckered into some sort of expensive Contract, or something… In those people perpetually stay in poverty.

What is the best way to stay in poverty?

1. Have a car payment or a lease payment for the rest of your life
2. Always buy the newest iPhone pro for the rest of your life
3. Drink alcohol, smoke weed, do drugs, go out, go to the club, go to Vegas, go to festivals
4. Stay subscribe to all of these streaming services, which is also bleeding you dry!

How did George Washington die?

George Washington was essentially bled to death by his physicians. And let us note, that his personal doctors of the time we’re like imagine having the most reputable Harvard or Stanford doctors, treating you.

During that time, when there was a pseudo scientific notion of humor, blood blood leading, bad blood or whatever… The idea was you have to open up a vein or an artery or something, skillfully let out a portion of “bad blood”, and that your ailment would go away… Even for a long time Koreans believe the same thing, if you were sick, You would use a needle a sterilize needle to pin prick your finger, let out a little bit of “bad blood “, and then, your sickness will go away. We all know this is not true, and because of this pseudoscience, George Washington died.

Also other things; my best friends Steve Jobs. I think in the early stages of his cancer, I think he had liver cancer or pancreatic cancer, he was into all these strange fruitarian, nonsense, in which the general idea was you could somehow starve away the cancer cells by consuming nothing but fruit juice? If they just zapped him with the chemo earlier, he might have actually lived!

Anyways, the first thing you want to do is stop the bleeding. Stop the energy loss!

I’ll give you another example, heating and insulation. For example, during the Los Angeles winter, it actually gets surprisingly cold. And the best way that we were able to stay warm inside the house was to just put up the wind draft insulation thing! We discovered that there was a bad draft coming into the home, from the front door. So even though the house was nice and toasty, it would eventually become really really cold because All the hot air would leave the front door, and all this cold air would come rushing in.

So instead of just blasting the heat 24/7, we did the more effective thing of buying the wind blocker thing on Amazon, installing the heat retention gap insulation stuff on the front door, and then magically, passively, our place retained about at least 40% more heat!

Retain the heat!

I remember the kid when I discovered how jackets worked, I was a bit shocked. I remember as a kid, I always believed that when you put on a jacket, the jacket added heat to your body. But then what I realized was in fact, all the jacket does is retain the heat that your body already has! Mind blown.

 And also, now that is getting really really hot, another funny thing I discovered; actually, when it is very very hot, the easiest way to stay cool is actually to just take off your shirt, and wear minimal clothing! Why? The human body is actually very very well adapted; the hair follicles on our skin do an excellent job of dissipating heat. so when it is really really hot, assuming you have sunblock on or whatever… Optimal strategy to stay cool is just takeoff your shirt! This is what they do in Vietnam all the time and it is not a big deal.

Shorts, and your shirt off!

In America, we still have this bizarre Victorian relationship with our body. The reason why it is so hypocritical is that first, American media glorifies the human body. We all want to look like a marvel superhero, with a six pack, huge bulging biceps with veins and all etc.

The women all want to look like the Baywatch babes; happy, Sunkissed skin, happy smiling, juicy cleavage, firm yet plump butt etc.

But the problem is, I’m starting to realize more and more, I can’t believe I only discovered this at the age of 36 is that most of these people are all artificial!

For example, being here in LA, I’m starting to understand or spot better when women get plastic surgery done to their face! And the workflow is simple; if people have done to their face, it is not uncommon for them to have done their chest or their butt.

For women, first look at the face! Then judge everything afterwards.

And also for men, I’m also starting to see… If you see a guy who looks buff, maybe he has tribal tattoos or something, but is also really really red, like unnaturally red, it is typically a signal that they are on steroids or some sort of weird testosterone and boosting thing, because apparently Steroids overheats your body, and as a result your body turns really red. And also you lose hair. This is why whenever you see a guy who is bald, but with a really really long beard, and is super buff, maybe into CrossFit… Perhaps a signal that they are on steroids.

So then what do you do? You ignore all that! Just focus on yourself, it is impossible to know with 100% certain whether other people take steroids or not; yet, it is easy to know 100% certainty whether you takes steroids or not. And also what plastic surgery you did or didn’t do.

Seeking beauty?

Currently I think we are going through a strange time, I called the uglificarion movement. There is now a new cult of ugly. Ugly clothes, ugly hair, ugly bodies, ugly facial hair etc.

It is prevalent both in men and women.

For men, this seems to be the ironic stereotype — even Seneca gets confused by one of our neighbors. 

For men, it is too either get some sort of ugly facial hair beard thing, or to be a clean cut and have an ugly Hitler mustache? And then somehow cover up your eyeballs wearing really really dark tennis sunglasses, and some sort of hat or trucker hat?

“Unrealistic”?

 the new learned helplessness:

The idea is, learned helplessness?

I think they did some sort of social logical experiment in the past in which they were just keep zapping a poor dog with electrical impulses, and the dog would keep shouting back, yelping back in pain. But after repeat exposures, no the dog would no longer react, Just slide down there helpless. I think they also did a similar experiment with prison inmates or as a torture device; that they would take these prisoners, and just keep electrocuting them, or torturing them for information or whatever, and the torturers would have a kick out of torturing the prisoners, because obviously when you torture somebody, they rile back in pain. But after a while if you do it long enough, the prisoner will no longer react. They will just curl up in a ball, and even though you keep zapping them, it no longer becomes fun for the prison guard. And even after a certain point, the prison guard feels kind of bad about it, and then eventually just goes away.

What is the number one culprit? Everyone thinks it is social media, but actually I think it’s just the news in general. A combination of the iPhone always connected to the Internet, and the ideas that you are constantly injecting your soul with high fructose corn syrup and type two diabetes for the soul, which is news.

All news is toxic. And social media, let us Facebook, is also very toxic because think about how insidious this is; monetize human suffering.

For example, I found out the other day, that somebody we knew in college, very loosely, has three kids, is about my age 36 years old, and is apparently in the last stage of stomach cancer and is going to indefinitely die in the next three months? if you read that, of course this is going to mess up your heartstrings! And affect you for the rest of the day, certainly for long period of time. And then consider, after you read that news, in your newsfeed you see some sort of advertisement for a superficial something?

Evyn apparently now, the millennials the zillenials the generation Z is starting to fight back against Instagram, if you look at the Instagram app in the App Store, read all the negative reviews. They are even trying to do this thing like creating private stories, just for your close friends and family? But as long as they put advertisements anywhere in the Instagram app, it is bad. 

Maybe there is something unethical about monetizing human relationships, social relationships, human emotions, and also our sense of well-being? 

Even my radical things; for the most part, just disable all the notifications on your phone, besides FaceTime. Stop using text messaging. It is bad.

Also a nuance; on the iPhone go to the settings in the phone app, and disable or silence phone calls from unknown callers, a good way to avoid spam.

Then make FaceTime your ultimate filters; if somebody decides to FaceTime you, it is a sign and the signal that  they are your real friend.

In fact, I consider FaceTime to be the most underrated app of all time. It is pure magic!

If I told you as a kid, that you would one day be able to use your phone, and do a video teleconference phone call, with a phone that fits in your front pocket, wouldn’t you think that was magic?

It seems that we have devolved backwards; even though we have the ability for FaceTime, we prefer to text messages instead? What is this the 90s?

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The path forward

Distill

I think NASSIM TALEB quotes some sort of aphorism or saying, which goes something like “The ruthless jaws of time shall devour and only leave behind the strong”.

Even when you think about some of these amazing structures of the past, the buildings and the monuments and the architecture which have remained is typically a signal that the architecture of the thing is strong; if the shape of a pyramid lasted thousands of years,  time tested it, and shows in fact that a pyramid is a strong and robust design.

This is why even studying art and design, studying the past is a good idea. Why? Really really really great art of the past, this will last. I think 99.99% of the modern art of today, which has to be “explained” to you by some sort of constipated skinny fat loser with Thick spectacles, has less merit.

Even in the bitcoin standard, which is surprisingly 95% a book about the history of money and economics, the author saif critiques modern art,“ somebody who says that effectively all modern art is based on irony, and some sort of bad joke?

Also I would comment the same thing about modern day photography; it is all far too emo, disconnected,  ugly, ironic, and boring. Even my teacher Constantine Manos said “big and boring. “ Like printing out a really really big photograph or painting or artwork, and framing it really really big. “But ultimately if it is boring, just making a bigger doesn’t make it more beautiful.

The return to joy, happiness, gayness

Better to be a gay monster than a sentimental bore; Fernando Galliani. 

What is the best personality? I say this; be loud, gay, boisterous, outspoken, ratchet, with a booming voice. Don’t talk quiet, don’t be soft, don’t be cautious; this is just social slavery. Let us consider, why is it that the rule in libraries is to be quiet, submissive, “serious“? This is the way that you enslave and control a population. Just look at 99.9% of Japanese society; this is how the emperor was able to get the Japanese people to suicide and, for the sake of the emperor or the Japanese empire? Not rational.

So what now?

You don’t have to do anything, you don’t have to positively do anything or act. Do the opposite, disreact, don’t react. 

Also, what is the exact opposite of spending money on something? Don’t spend money. A simple rule; before buying something, wait at least three months before deciding to buy something. Or better yet, even if you have half a second, half a millisecond hesitation before purchasing something, don’t buy it. Buy it. Why? Obvious decisions are obvious obvious, critical decisions are done in a split section without thinking.

In fact, maybe the modern day is that we think that positively thinking is superior than gut action and gut reactions?

All or nothing

Once again — barbell it! 100% or nothing.

With weightlifting, one repetition maximum. Better to just one time, attempt or lift the heaviest way you possibly can, once, rather than doing tedious repetitions. 

Also, maybe the same thing with clothing, maybe in your day today, daily living circumstance,  dress naked or like a barbarian, and when you go to a wedding, ensure that you are by far the most stylish, and the most dressed up person. Also. When you go to church, suit up! Wear your dress shirts, your blazer jacket.

Also now, now that the sun is becoming super strong in LA, and I’d like to be topless all day, but even for me, the sun is almost becoming a little too strong. When it is too too strong, best to just wear a long sleeve, just put on a long sleeve cover up your arms and your neck etc. Maybe even get some long pants?

The irony —

In the summertime, now that is super hot… and the sun is super strong, I’m gravitating towards covering up, long sleeves and long pants, whereas in the winter time, I’m actually trying to do the exact opposite, and get maximum sun exposure?

I suppose this is where some sort of intelligence or adaptation or being in tune with your environment habitat and climate is critical; your body knows best!

For example, nobody, even if they had 100 SPF sunblock, would want to be in Abu Dhabi, in the deserts, being 100% naked. Look at the outfits of the fremen in the Dune movies; if you live in some sort of desert spot, or in the desert, like Los Angeles… The logic is simple; armor up!

Even in the second Dune movie, when Paul Atriedes goes maximum beast mode, he is 100% covered up, the only thing you could see is his eyeballs. Full face mask on, head covering and everything!

Sun power

Some simple thoughts:

1. No sunglasses. You don’t need it.
2. If the sun is super super strong, if you live in Arizona or Las Vegas or whatever, then the logic is to maximally cover up with a really really wide brimmed hat, covering your face and the back of your neck, really really long sleeved shirts and pants.
3. Don’t be a moron with an all black car in Los Angeles. You are not Batman. White is best. White girl white!
4. Better to be outdoors, in a public park or at a public square, chilling in the shade, than being stuck indoors! The big thing I’m starting to discover is that when I am inside the house, at home, it’s slowly zaps away all of my energy. Physiologically I’m not sure why this happens, but I hate it. Honestly speaking, my only passion and desire in life, and always be hyper hyper in terms of energy. All else is fine.

What zaps away your energy?

I just ran a quick errand, driving to Westwood the other day, and there wasn’t that much traffic on the 405, maybe only about 20 minutes there, 20 minutes back, and while I think it was fine, because in my mind I think I like driving or I’m a good driver or whatever, the biggest issue here is Any time spent in the car is a positively bad one!

Now, I’m starting to look at the 405 like the Armageddon. Or “carmaggedon”.  when we watch post apocalyptic dystopic films like mad Max or whatever, that is the 405 freeway, it is even horrendous in medium traffic. It is my personal hell.

Even a day or two after braving the 405, I still feel some sort of PTSD.

I’m starting to think even more and more… Opportunity cost. Driving anywhere for 20 minutes, even for a very very good event, it just might not be worth it. Why? Maybe you gain more intelligence wisdom and experience simply walking around for 20 minutes, And 20 minutes back, 40 minutes is 1 trillion times better than being stuck in a car for 40 minutes.

And I think this is the true wisdom of living a grand life in Los Angeles; once again, the deal is to never drive. After that, never drive more than five minutes a day.  Trust me, your body mind and soul will thank me.

Then, why does this become such a radical notion? Simple; if you’re true desired I’ll come is to never spend any time in a car, whether you’re driving or whatever… Then, I just saved you $1 million. Why? Don’t be the old fat Type two diabetes man driving the Bugatti, or the balding man driving the Porsche 911; be a real man, drive a Prius. 

Hybrid is the way

Hybrid kids, mixed race kids are better, more genetic diversity stronger, more attractive. Seneca being half Korean half Vietnamese. The funny thing, Koreans are super racist, especially towards mixed race kids; yet they all know, Seneca is super handsome! And they all look at Cindy and they all comment on how beautiful she is!

Even my friend Josh White, he has a kid, half Canadian half Korean, she is so beautiful! Much more beautiful than these inbred Korean kids.

Thoughts for Korea and Japan

Super simple; if you don’t want your population to die off, if you want to be around for another 300 years, open up your borders! Come on and think about it… Lisa from BLACKPINK is 100% Thai from Thailand! And everybody knows that she is the best member, the prettiest, most stylish, and the most skilled!  And the funny thing; nobody ever doubts her Korean. What that means is Korean, is starting to become more of a nationality rather than a race thing. 

For example, let us say that you are 100% Vietnamese, but your family is from the north or in Hanoi, which is closer to China, which means you look more east Asian Chinese rather than southern Vietnam, which shares more borders with Cambodia Laos and Thailand.  let us assume that you were born and raised in Korea, and you are 100% fluent in Korean the cultural mannerisms etc.… I don’t think anyone would ever doubt your Koreanness.

At least the good thing with Korea, Koreans are very open-minded. The Japanese are very very close minded, and will be unto their detriment. Why? With the current birth rate being at least close to zero in Japan, in 300 years, when you got no more Japanese human beings left, what will happen to Japan?

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Some radical ideas:

First, beyond purchasing food, paying rent, gasoline or electricity for your car, perhaps a really insanely innovative idea we could do is the radical opposite of what capitalistic society tries to get us to do:

NOT spend money

I think this is a pretty big idea because all of this is centered around spending money.

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Only cowards spend money?

“I promise, I’m so self-conscious, you won’t see me outside with at least one of my watches” – Kanye

Certainly it is very very difficult to earn money, but spending money… is very easy.

Let us first consider the fact that the act of spending money, even a chimpanzee or a three-year-old child could do it! Seneca, ever since he was about a year or two old, already knew how to insert a credit card, chip up, or even use the iPhone with Apple Pay to purchase things? Or even simply, handing off Dollar bills to the other person?

So I think the first idea is typically, maybe the best strategy is to teach our kids, and also maybe yourself, not to spend money? 

Propaganda

About a month or two ago, we stepped inside at JP Morgan Chase, opening up a checking account for my mom, and they had these little kids activity coloring books, and one of them was like a book on the idea of saving money in your piggy bank whatever.

However, the reason why this was quite bad was because it was still centered around spending money! The idea was you save up your allowance and your money in order to buy that electric scooter you want or something.

Born into consumerism

I mean let us think about it… ever since a kid is born, they are born into captivity by this capitalist consumerist market. Often society parents and people will bemoan the fact that kids are all addicted to games, video games whatever… iPhones, tablets iPad etc., but who is really at fault here? Of course the parents!

The first thing to note or to ask; if the kids are addicted to YouTube or their iPhone or the iPad or Netflix Netflix or YouTube YouTube kids or whatever… are the parents addicted to it? Yes!

Parents — quit media and your iPhone.

In fact, don’t look at the kids, look at the parents! Typically, kids are just mini versions of their parents.

We like to treat our kids the way we wish we were treated as kids

For example, even a funny thing that I realized, seeing my brother-in-law get my nephew Benji all these cool toys on his birthday, essentially it is interesting, my brother-in-law is buying his son toys that he wished he had as a kid. And this is where I respect my brother-in-law so much; he is essentially like a big kid!

I think in fact, the parents who I really care for or trust or admire are the ones who are the most silly, and also playful with their kids! You could see it in a split second at the playground; I only admire the parents on top of structures playing with their kids! Not the disconnected parents, sitting in the shade, sitting on their butt, doing something stupid on their phones.

When you take your kid to the park, lock your iPhone in the glove compartment in the car!

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The matrix

So, let us consider the analogy of the matrix. I think the analogy the matrix is very good here because honestly in fact, we are all living in a metaphorical matrix right now.

For example, think about the battery pack. The battery pack is essentially like us toiling away with our physiological energy, brain power mind power soul power etc., in order to power these batteries. And, toiling away so hard, the funny irony; we work so hard and we sacrifice so much of our health and well-being, in order to purchase things which dull away the pain, but actually in fact… these end up making us sicker and weaker?

For example, marijuana and alcohol; the two biggest depressants we got in modern day society. For an individual who is depressed, or lacking vigor or having poor health… adding more marijuana to their life, or adding more alcohol to their life is a positive detriment. Do people not know that both these substances have physiological mental, and a physical effect on the body, which actually dulls your senses? It is almost like putting a condom on your mind and soul!

Does man live to make money, or does money exist to serve man?

OK, the number one foolish mistake we all make; it seems that we live in order to make money, rather than thinking about this critically and knowing and understanding that in fact, the opposite is and should be true; money should exist in order for us to pursue our own personal needs desires and wants!

In fact, the whole cult around money has become pretty ridiculous. The notion of money has become its own godhead, its own cybernetic metaphor and impetus in life.

Minimum viable income

A very radical idea I have is towards this minimum viable income concept. The general idea is you want to reduce your expenses to the bare bare bare bare minimum, and after that you direct all of your energy power and resources towards augmenting your true life desires, your true true goals in life, rather than money for money sake, which is a slave mentality.

Just watch the movie 300; do you want to be one of those Persian slaves, or the traitor who just wanted to be showered in gold coins and penetrating all these drugged out hallucinating women? Of course not!

Drugs are bad

“Pretty girl with white toes, she like to put it in her nose!” – Playboy Carti

Something which is actually a bit shocking to me; I grew up super sober, I maybe smoked marijuana twice in my life, both instances when I was around 25 years old. I didn’t really like it.

The reason why I am so anti-marijuana is because when I was in high school, I saw all my friends who got hooked on it, and it just made them lazy, dumb, and unmotivated. Just like Elon Musk said on the Joe Rogan podcast; “Smoking marijuana is like the exact opposite of drinking a cup of coffee“. And I love coffee. 

I don’t know if marijuana is pretty cheap now, or people using these vape pens or these weed pens or whatever. But, why dull your senses? Why not heighten them instead?

“I’m in love with a V dub engine, it dulls my senses” – JAY Z

“Success sucks, why? Too much stress” – JAY Z

Don’t skip leg day

A funny thought; if you want to maximize your manliness, let us consider that your member, and your testicles are connected to the lower half of your body. And also let us consider that your legs are probably at least five times stronger than your upper body. For example, easy to lift 1000 pound with your legs and your shoulders, very very difficult to lift 1000 pounds with only your arms and your upper body.

Or once again, easy to do a 1000 pound atlas lift, difficult to do 1000 pound benchpress, nay impossible?

Legs = Testosterone

So the very very funny idea I have is maybe, if you want to increase your testosterone and your manliness, every day, work out your legs!

In fact, if I could tell you that by exercising your legs every single day, you could increase your testosterone by a factor of 10 X, or become 10 times manly, more confident, stronger, less tired less petite, more cheerful… wouldn’t you do it?

A life beyond women

In fact, I think the primary mistake that men make is that they only work out their upper body because they want to somehow attract women?

My personal theory is that the primary way for a man to attract a woman is through his testosterone levels, his hormonal levels.

For example, the number one compliment I have been getting by both men and women is my tan, especially my foot, five finger tan. And there is also an ongoing theory that increased sunlight and sun exposure and testosterone manliness have a connection.

To boost your testosterone, spend more time in the direct sun!

Tall dark and handsome

For example, the notion of being tall and handsome, is really a good note here. Even other day I met this one friendly mom, and she told me that she was immediately attracted to her personal trainer, a tall dark handsome man with curly hair named Alejandro, and she ended up having a kid with him. It’s funny because the kid doesn’t look like mom at all and even the mom says I only know his kid because I birthed him!

Why do we desire to purchase certain things?

Let me give you an example: I remember when I worked my UCLA undergraduate job, in IT tech-support, and I literally felt like I just spent five hours a day scrolling through Reddit, killing time on the Internet. And I would also spend a lot of time looking at these camera review websites, gear review forms whatever, and ultimately I think the desire was to just spend more time outside making pictures!

The goal is to shoot more!

And I think this is the insidious thing about the whole camera photography complex; the idea is that we lack the freedom and the time to actually go out and make pictures, which is the desired goal… and we think, if somehow, we purchase XYZ camera or XYZ lens, or XYZ accessory… like a carbon fiber tripod or whatever… suddenly we will have more inspiration motivated and opportunity to actually go out to make photos? But is this true? No.

For example, the very very simple advice I have for any photographer is that the best camera is the maximally small compact one, the imagine like John Wick and his pistol. When shit hits the fan, he is not tooting around and automatic weapon, he just relies on his trusty pistol. Think about that one scene in which he is drifting his car door less Camaro, and picks up his pistol, and shoot the bad guys.

If we consider the Ricoh GR camera, it is like our metaphorical pistol. It is both our precision tool, and also, our general purpose tool.

You cannot hide an M-16 in your front right pocket.

Ways in which I spent a lot of time as a kid, as a teenager playing counterstrike, 1.6. The original one. 

The funny thing is that video games, and gun violence doesn’t really have anything in common.

For example, to me as a kid, guns weren’t really a big deal; for example, when I was in Boy Scouts, in one of the summer camps, I got both my shotgun and rifle merit badge, the same camp, as well as my archery merit badge!

Kids aren’t dumb; I remember being shocked as maybe a freshman in high school; the Boy Scouts instructor giving a bunch of kids rifles, at the shooting range, teaching us how to use it. I was a bit shocked as a kid, because even as a kid this seemed a bit dangerous. I remember asking the instructor “…Has anyone ever turned one of these guns around and just shot somebody else?” The adult got very serious, looked at me, and told me “Never say things like that.“ So with extreme caution, we never did anything dumb, and I was actually a quite good marksman! I could hit the target from very very far away, and also I was very good at shotput, in which you use a shotgun to shoot a flying disc in the air!

---

Your word is your sword 

I think the grand difficulty that we have in modern day life is that we no longer have any avenues for physical valor. The only thing which is commoditized is sports; but the reason why sports is bad is that it is too regimented, too constrained, and lacks any sort of real life application.

As NASSIM TALEB has commented; what some fools think is that somehow… a chess master would somehow be a master in military strategy. While this might make a good movie plot, in real life it is not true.

The reason why I am actually anti-chess, and a lot of these board games or whatever… consider how poor it is for your physiology. Sitting on your butt the whole time, stationary, using your brain. It requires no physical valor, or skin in the game. At worst if you lose the match, maybe you feel bad, but beyond this, there is really no downside to losing. This is also where video games are bad; there is no real life downside.

At least with weightlifting, powerlifting, hypelifting, one rep maxing is interesting is that there is some sort of potential physical downside. If you aren’t focused enough, yeah certainly you hurt yourself. And that is the whole point!

And this is where I found the logic to be so bizarre; when these steroided out guys would be so shocked of how much I would attempt weightlifting at the gym, when I would rack up the barbell with seven plates, eight plates, nine plates, 10 plates, 10 plates and hook another 25 on top, they would always tell me… “Be careful”. 

Now that I think about this commentary in retrospect, it is really kind of a weakling cowardly side jab;

I am much bigger than you, and you look smaller than me, and also you are built more lean, and also you are Asian… and therefore I am befuddled how you are so much stronger than me, and I want to inform you how you might hurt yourself.

The best compliment

Even I have heard people talking about me at the gym on the side; 

You know… there are some guys who are on steroids who don’t look like they’re on steroids (referring to me)

Anyways, what these wimps don’t realize is that they are staring at an Achilles in the flesh, a demigod; half man half god; born from a mortal father, with a goddess mother. 

“I am a god”

I think one of the most radical, gutsy things ever uttered in rap music is the Kanye YEEZUS album, in what he put out the “I am a god” song and album.

Note, he did not say that I am the God, but a god (lower case). Even some random stuff that I started to do research in during Covid times is the whole Jay Electronica, the movement of black African-American guys turning to Allah, the fruit of Islam movement, in which the code word for “ALLAH” (arm, leg, leg, arm, head) the general idea in which all humans are born like gods, born in the image and the likeness of God.

“I know I’m not the most high but I’m on a close high.” KANYE, I AM A GOD, YEEZUS ALBUM

In fact, the only concert I have ever gone to my life was seeing Kanye West live at the Oakland Coliseum, for his YEEZUS Tour. It might have been one of the coolest things I’ve ever witnessed, especially when they put the fake mountain in the fake Jesus to come on stage, and also when Kanye put on the sequin covered facemask, they shot a laser on it, and reflected it all around the dome.

Ethics is the future, not technology

Ethics, worldview, philosophy, your own personal code of ethics, the way you decide to approach life, this is the future, not the loser iPhone Pro, or any of these ridiculous virtual reality headsets.

Very very simple; what we desire is real life real world engagement– we desire the embrace and the sweet smell of a woman, no no no… you don’t want to be having virtual reality sex, with your virtual reality girlfriend, or live with your virtual reality dog, driving around in your virtual reality Lamborghini, getting virtual reality head or whatever… Nobody wants a virtual reality babe.

What or which concepts are absent in the past?

In fact, when you think about ancient Greece, philosophy, the ancient Romans etc.… there is almost no focus on women. Women are absent; they are never mentioned, nor discussed or talked about. Certainly not talked about like commodities in today’s world. 

The way that a lot of guys get suckered is this strange logic: if I get super super rich, and drive the Lamborghini or the Ferrari or the big truck or whatever, and I’m super super buff, and I have a six pack, suddenly I will attract all these babes, who will want to have intercourse with me, and I can live a super happy playboy lifestyle for the rest of my life, in pure bliss, without any obligations?

Spartan philosophy

The true Spartan way is almost a polar opposite; the goal is to live a maximally frugal and economical life, have kids and beget children, have at least one son to carry on the family name. And the rest of your life is just focused on military training, combat, to be ready to defend your family, your nation when shit hits the fan.

This is where once again, all this fake ass patriotism stuff annoys me; if you’re on Facebook, looking at Donald Trump memes, watch Fox News or Tucker Carlson, make fun of “libtards”, talk about the alphabet gender spaghetti, you are not a true American. Just keep your mouth shut, enroll in military duty. You have nothing to defend yourself against.

Similarly speaking, we liberals also have this bizarre notion of virtue signaling; if you are a true progressive liberal, don’t even say the “Donald Trump” name — don’t talk about the news or politics or whatever. The simplest thing is to just vote against the other party you don’t believe in, get involved in local city politics, attend some sort of city council meeting, vote on issues you care for. Also don’t use Twitter, which might be about 99.9% bots? 

***

Men and women must be trained alike

Only Spartan women can birth Spartan men.

Physical training is both critical for men and women. This is also where it is so impressive that Israeli women are also serve military obligations, I think this is a great idea. Maybe also America, there was some sort of obligatory ROTC training in high school, both for men and women, maybe for junior and senior year… this might be a good idea. Good for virtue, physics, the physical element, physical training, building a sense of camaraderie or kinship between our fellow Americans.

In fact, even though I am a Democrat, I have always voted Democrat, and also I consider myself a liberal, I have had nothing but positive interactions with conservatives, Republicans, people on the right. In fact if anything… right wing people to be more friendly, fun, jovial, and happy. Liberals on the left tend to be dark, morose, and fakely-righteous? I remember accidentally walking into some sort of anti-Joe Biden rally, talked with all the friendly people, and was even offered free hotdogs and free ice cream barbecue from the people there! 

The reason why social media and the internet is so toxic is that it villainizes other sides, these metaphorical human beings. But if you actually talk to people face-to-face in the flesh, person-to-person, pure to pure; we are about 90% similar, 10% dissimilar.

Quit the internet, talk to people face to face, 1 on 1, in real life.

---

Only purchase digital things? 

A random thought, maybe the way we could curb all of this superficial consumerism is to only purchase digital things, digital goods, digital things.

Digital money: Bitcoin

Digital books, digital movies– Apple TV shop, iTunes Store, iBooks Store. I actually find that purchasing a film is much better than subscribing to a streaming platform. Why? Skin in the game. When you pay the $10 a month or the $15 a month or whatever for that streaming service, you don’t really value any of the films or TV series on it… watching media on streaming platforms is like a sedative; you watch something not because you want to watch it, or learn from it, but instead, just watch it to distract yourself.

Putting your money where your mouth is 

The funny thought is the point of purchasing something isn’t to “support“ the producer, but instead, to have a sense of pride that the thing that you purchased is actually something that you believe in or care in?

For example, I have purchased with my own money all the John Wick movies, all of the matrix movies, and now both of the Dune movies. Typically when we actually purchase something with our own money, it is a sign that we actually really really believe in it.

Also, the reason why you never want to trust anybody who is sponsored by anything, is because typically when you are given free things, or sponsored by something, you don’t actually really believe in it, you just accept the advertising and the sponsorship in order to make money or to feel special.

I bought all my Ricoh and LUMIX cameras with my own real money

For example, in the context of cameras, reviews, sponsorships etc.; only trust a photographer who had actually purchased the things with their hard earned money. 

For example, I have done collaborations with Fujifilm before, received free cameras in the past, free lenses etc.… And have also been paid money by then. Also I did some free consulting for them, sharing some good ideas like adding a film grain simulation effect filter to their cameras, which they did, in which now you could add green tier digital JPEG photos with the Fujifilm filter, and select either weak, normal, or strong grain. 

I am proud that all the Ricoh cameras that I purchased, none were given to me by free from Ricoh. I purchased them all with my own money. 

Also kind of a random thing; I think the whole blogosphere was shocked when I purchased a LUMIX G9 camera — it totally seemed like out of left field, because Panasonic Lumix was on nobody’s radar. And currently, now that all my Ricoh GR cameras are dead, my only camera is the Lumix G9 camera and the 14mm f2.5 pancake lumix lens (only $200!). And the only two cameras I think might be worth considering purchasing in the near future is the new Ricoh HDF cameras, or the new Lumix S9 camera with the pancake manual focusing lens. 

Trust?

Ultimately, trust nobody, only yourself.

Also with filters; put more trust in dead people than people who are alive. Why?

The difficult thing with following people who are still alive today is that you don’t know how it all ends. With dead philosophers, artists, innovators, you do. 

Also, I think the big differences in the past, there was not a profit motive. An artist or an innovator did not need money, because they had the private patronage of some wealthy family like the Medici’s, Leonardo da Vinci etc.

Independently wealthy with Bitcoin

So I’m starting to think more and more… maybe the best true way to be a true artist, visionary, thinker, innovator entrepreneur is to independently make money somewhere, and don’t have to rely on advertising or sponsorships or brands to support your lifestyle.

I would put more faith in the photographer or the weightlifter who makes his living investing in bitcoin,  rather than somebody who is always spamming you with advertisements on YouTube or podcasts.

In fact, are there any podcasts which exist which don’t have any advertising? Besides my own?

ERIC KIM PODCAST >

---

Why bitcoin is the future

Bitcoins, satoshis– this is finally the solution to these annoying online advertisements. 

Maybe the true Spartan only cares for in bitcoin and satoshis, but never spends it or touches it, but just keeps accumulating it.

Bitcoin is like our shield – our economic shield and our hedge against the uncertain future.

ARMOR UP!
ERIC

---

Economic theory

I always thought that economics was stupid, honestly, truth be told, I think when you look at all this fake mathematics behind economic theory, it is all fake, the new hocus-pocus witchcraft, and the number one critical thing I learned about studying statistics both in high school and in college is that statistics is fake metrics that could be gamed however you want. 

Therefore, put zero faith in statistics. Better talk to a real human being, face-to-face, person to person, instead of engaging in ridiculous debates on the internet, which again is filled by 99.9% ChatGPT powered bots.

Once once again, if I waived a magic wand, and I revealed to you that in fact, all of the negative comments you read in your life on the internet, these trolls who said mean things to you, if you actually found out that they were all just artificial intelligent ChatGPT bots the whole time… how would you feel? Wouldn’t you feel better?

The next generation of comments on the internet

Maybe the only way we could truly verify whether somebody who is leaving a comment is a real human being or not is to institute the orange check icon, that the individual spent maybe $10 worth of bitcoin or Satoshi’s to verify their humanity.

Several years ago, I had the wisdom to just disable all and delete all comments on my website and blog etc. and also disabling them on YouTube etc. Why? For the most part, comments are useless. Even the positive ones!

When people say nice things about you in the comments, the reason why you could be bad is that it becomes a shackle; you keep publishing stuff that gets good feedback, and as a consequence, you end up staying the same instead of being innovative.

For example, when Bob Dylan went electric; he probably polarized 90% of his fanbase– they booed him off stage (his core audience, his real fans!). Also, everyone likes the old Kanye West in the college dropout album… but I like the new Kanye, I like the new carnival, the newest version of an artist is always the best.

A funny contradiction; everyone always wants the newest iPhone, the newest Tesla, whatever… But everyone wants the older artist, the older music, the older version of a certain thinker? If we stay consistent here, shouldn’t we prefer the new philosophy or the new thoughts or the new approach of an artist or a musician or a thinker versus their old self?

For example, everyone seems to prefer the old ERIC KIM, the old EK, but this is when I was still addicted to Facebook, using an android phone, and I still had my 9 to 5 job.

Sometimes, for myself, I miss my old Vietnam self; but in fact, my best self is my now self with Seneca! Also, sometimes I miss my old ERIC KIM gym self, the HYPELIFTING self, but when I think critically about it, I am 1000 times happier with my new bitcoin self, my new off the grid self, my new walk 10,000 steps a day in the direct Los Angeles sun self. 

Then I think the biggest nugget of wisdom:

Prefer the you self right now, not the past self?

Kill your old self!

ERIC

---

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New books, new media?

Now that everything is becoming so hyper, once again, think about the past.

The Iliad, the Matrix, the 300, John Wick, keep it simple, keep it succinct. I’m very very skeptical of anything new, whether they be new movies, new series, new films etc.

Even this past generation, the last 10 years, the only innovative film created was the John Wick series, nothing else. Even though I was also enthusiastic about the new Mandalorian series, eventually after the first season, it all goes downhill.

With Marvel movies, I think the only good ones was before Disney bought it, for example the original Iron Man, the original Captain America etc. 

Why? The problem with Disney is that it is trying to maximize its profits, let us consider it is a publicly treated company, and as a result, the logic is to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Whenever anything is created for the masses, it is bad.

Once again, would you prefer to drive the McLaren, with the butterfly doors, or would you prefer to drive the Toyota Corolla?

---

Forward the ideas

EK MIND SUPPLY >

---

Always start new:

START HERE

---

Some radical ideas:

First, beyond purchasing food, paying rent, gasoline or electricity for your car, perhaps a really insanely innovative idea we could do is the radical opposite of what capitalistic society tries to get us to do:

NOT spend money

I think this is a pretty big idea because all of this is centered around spending money.

Only cowards spend money?

“I promise, I’m so self-conscious, you won’t see me outside with at least one of my watches” – Kanye

Certainly it is very very difficult to earn money, but spending money… is very easy.

Let us first consider the fact that the act is spending money, even a chimpanzee or three-year-old child could do it! Seneca, ever since he was about a year or two old, already knew how to insert a credit card, chip up, or even use the iPhone with Apple Pay to purchase things? Or even simply, handing off Dollar bills to the other person?

So I think the first idea is typically, maybe the best strategy is to teach our kids, and also maybe yourself, not to spend money? 

Propaganda

About a month or two ago, we stepped inside at JP Morgan Chase, opening up a checking account for my mom, and they had these little kids activity coloring books, and one of them was like a book on the idea of saving money in your piggy bank whatever.

However, the reason why this was quite bad was because it was still centered around spending money! The idea was you save up your allowance and your money in order to buy that electric scooter you want or something.

I mean let us think about it… Ever since a kid was born, they are born into captivity by this capitalist consumerist market.  Often society parents and people will be moan the fact that kids are all addicted to presents, games, video games whatever… iPhones, tablets iPad etc., but who is really at fault here? Of course the parents!

The first thing to note or to ask; if the kids are addicted to YouTube or their iPhone or the iPad or Netflix Netflix or YouTube YouTube kids or whatever… Are the parents addicted to it? Yes!

In fact, don’t look at the kids, look at the parents! Typically, kids are just mini versions of their parents.

For example, even a funny thing that I realized, seeing my brother-in-law get my nephew Benji all these cool toys on his birthday, essentially it is interesting, my brother-in-law Khanh is buying his son toys that he wished he had as a kid. And this is where I respect my brother-in-law so much; he is essentially like a big kid! I think in fact, the parents are really care for or trust or admire are the ones who are the most silly, and also playful with their kids! You could see it in the split second at the playground; I only admire the structures playing with their kids! Not the disconnected parents, sitting in the shade, sitting on their butt, doing something stupid on their phones.

The matrix

So, let us consider the analogy of the matrix. I think the analogy the matrix is very good here because honestly in fact, we are all living in a metaphorical matrix right now.

For example, think about the battery pack. The battery pack is essentially like us toiling away with our physiological energy, brain power mind power soul power etc., in order to power these batteries. And, twirling away so hard, the funny irony; we work so hard and we sacrifice so much of our health and well-being, in order to purchase things which dull away the pain, but actually in fact… And up making us sicker and weaker?

For example, marijuana and alcohol; the two biggest depressants we got in modern day society. For an individual who is depressed, or lacking vigor or having poor health… Adding more marijuana to their life, or adding more alcohol to their life is a positive detriment. People not know that both these substances have physiological mental, and a physical effect on the body, which actually dulls your senses? It is almost like putting a condom on your mind?

Does man live to make money, or does money exist to serve man?

OK, the number one foolish mistake we all make; it seems that we live in order to make money, rather than thinking about this critically and knowing and understanding that in fact, the opposite is and should be true; money should exist in order for us to pursue our own personal needs desires and wants!

In fact, the whole cult around money has become pretty ridiculous. The notion of money has become its own godhead, its own cybernetic metaphor and impetus in life.

Minimum viable income

A very radical idea I have is towards this minimum viable income concept. The general idea is you want to reduce your expenses to the bare bare bare bare minimum, and instead, you direct all of your energy power and resources towards augmenting your true life desires, your true true goals in life, rather than money for money sake, which is a slave mentality.

Just watch the movie 300; do you want to be one of those Persian slaves, or the traitor who just wanted to be showered in gold coins and drugged out hallucinating women? Of course not!

“Pretty girl with white toes, she like to put it in her nose!” – Playboy Carti

Something which is actually a bit shocking to me; I grew up super sober, I maybe smoked marijuana twice in my life, both instances when I was around 25 years old. I didn’t really like it.

The reason why I am so anti-marijuana is because when I was in high school, I saw all my friends who got hooked on it, and it just made them lazy, dumb, and unmotivated.  Just like Elon Musk said on the Joe Rogan podcast; “Smoking marijuana is like the exact opposite of drinking a cup of coffee“. And I love coffee. 

I don’t know if marijuana is pretty cheap now, or people using these vape pens or these weed pens or whatever. But, why dull your senses? Why not heighten them instead?

“I’m in love with a V dub engine, it dulls my senses” – JAY Z

“Success sucks, why? Too much stress” – JAY Z

Don’t skip leg day

A funny thought; if you want to maximize your manliness, let us consider that your member, and your testicles are connected to the lower half of your body. And also let us consider that your legs are probably at least five times stronger than your upper body. For example, easy to lift 1000 pound with your legs in your shoulders, very very difficult to lift 1000 pounds with only your arms in your upper body.

Or once again, easy to do a 1000 pound atlas lift, difficult to do 1000 pound benchpress, nay impossible? 

So the very very funny idea I have is maybe, if you want to increase your testosterone and your manliness, every day, work out your legs!

In fact, if I could tell you that by exercising your legs every single day, you could increase your testosterone by a factor of 10 X, or become 10 times manly, more confident, stronger, less tired less petite, more cheerful… Won’t you do it?

In fact, I think the primary mistake that men make is that the only work out there upper body because they want to somehow attract women? My personal theory is that the primary way for a man to attract a woman is through his testosterone levels, his hormonal levels. For example, the number one complement is my tan, especially my foot, five finger… And there is also an ongoing theory that increase sunlight and sun exposure and testosterone manliness have a connection. Example, the notion of being tall and handsome, is really a good note here. Even other day I met this one friendly mom, and she told me that she was immediately attracted to her personal trainer, a tall dark handsome man with curly hair named Alejandro, and she ended up having a kid with him. It’s funny because the kid doesn’t look like mom at all and even the mom says I only know his kid because I birthed him!

Why do we desire to purchase certain things? Let me give you an example: I remember when I work my UCLA undergraduate job, and IT tech-support, and I literally felt like I just spent five hours a day scrolling through Reddit, killing time on the Internet. And I would also spend a lot of time looking at these camera review websites, gear review forms whatever, And ultimately I think the desire was to just spend more time outside making pictures! And I think this is the insidious thing about the whole camera photography complex; the idea is that we like the freedom and the time to actually quote and make pictures, which is the desired goal… And we think, if somehow, we purchase XYZ camera or XYZ lens, or XYZ accessory… Like a carbon fiber tripod or whatever… Suddenly we will have more inspiration motivated and opportunity to actually go out to make photos? But is this true? No.

For example, the very very simple advice I have for any avatar is that the best camera is the maximally small compact one, the imagine like John Wick and his pistol. When it hits the fan, he is not tooting around and automatic weapon, he just relies on his trusty pistol. Think about that one scene in which he is drifting his car door less Camaro, and picks up his pistol, and shoot the bad guys.

If we consider the Ricoh GR camera, it is like our metaphorical pistol.  it is both our precision tool, and also, our general purpose tool.

You cannot hide an M-16 in your front right pocket.

Ways in which I spent a lot of time as a kid, as a teenager playing counter strike, 1.6. The original one. 

The funny thing is that video games, and gun violence don’t really have anything in common. For example, to me as a kid guns weren’t really a big deal;  for example, when I was in Boy Scouts, in one of the summer camps, I got both my shotgun and rifle merit badge, the same month, as well as my archery merit badge! Kids aren’t dumb; I remember being shocked as maybe a freshman in high school; instructor giving a bunch of kids rifles, at the shooting range, teaching us how to use it. A bit shocked as a kid, because even as a kid this seemed a bit dangerous. I remember asking the instructor “… Has anyone ever turned one of these guns around and just shot somebody else?” The adult got very serious, looked at me, and told me “Never say things like that.“ So with extreme caution, we never did anything dumb, and I was actually a quite good marksman! I could hit the target from very very far away, and also I was very good at shotput, in which you use a shotgun to shoot a flying disc in the air!

---

Your word is your sword 

I think the grand difficulty that we have modern day life is that we no longer have any avenues for physical valor. The only thing which is commoditized is sports; but the reason why sports is bad is that it is too regimented, too constrained, and lacks any sort of real life application.

As NASSIM TALEB has commented;  what some fools think is that somehow… A chess master would somehow be a master in military strategy. While this might make a good movie plot, in real life it is not true.

The reason why I am actually anti-chess, and a lot of these board games or whatever… Consider how poor it is for your physiology. Sitting on your butt the whole time, stationary, using your brain. It requires no physical valor, or skin in the game. Worst, you lose the match, and maybe you feel bad, but beyond this, there is really no downside to losing. This is also where video games are; There is no real life downside.

At least weightlifting, powerlifting, uplifting, one rep maxing is interesting is that there is some sort of potential physical downside. If you aren’t focused enough, yeah certainly you hurt yourself. And that is the whole point!

And this is where I found the logic to be so bizarre; when these steroid did out guys would be so shocked of how much I would attempt weightlifting at the gym, when I would wreck up the barbell with seven plates, eight plates, nine plates, 10 plates, 10 plates and hook another 25 on top, they would always tell me… “Be careful”. 

Now that I think about this commentary in retrospect, it is really kind of a weakling cowardly side jab;

I am much bigger than you, and you look smaller than me, and also you are built more lean, and also you are Asian… And therefore I am befuddled how you are so much stronger than me, and I want to inform you how you might hurt yourself.

Even I have heard people talking about me at the gym on the side; 

You know… there are some guys who are on steroids who don’t look like they’re on steroids (referring to me)

Anyways, what these wimps don’t realize is that they are staring at an Achilles in the flesh, a demigod; half man half God; born mortal father, with a goddess mother. 

“I am a god”

I think one of the most radical, gutsy things ever uttered in rap music is the Kanye YEEZUS album, in what he put out the “I am a god” song and album.

Note, he did not say that I am the God, but a god (lower case). Even some random stuff that I started to do research in during Covid times is the whole Jay Electronica, movement of black African-American guys turning to Allah, the fruit of Islam movement, in which the code word for “ALLAH” (arm, leg, leg, arm, head) the general idea in which all humans are born like gods, born in the image and the likeness of God.

“I know I’m not the most high but I’m on a close high.” KANYE, I AM A GOD, YEEZUS ALBUM

In fact, the only concert I have ever gone to my life was seeing Kanye West live at the Oakland Coliseum, for his YEEZUS Tour. It might have been one of the coolest things I’ve ever witnessed, especially when they put the fake mountain in the fake Jesus to come on stage, and also when Kanye put on the sequin kept facemask, they shot a laser on it, and reflected it all around the dome.

Ethics is the future, not technology

Ethics, worldview, philosophy, your own personal code of ethics, the way you decide to approach life, this is the future, not the loser iPhone Pro, or any of these ridiculous virtual reality headsets.

Very very simple; what we desire real life real world engagement– we desire the embrace in the sweet smell of a woman, no no no… You don’t want to be having virtual reality sex, with your virtual reality girlfriend, or live with your virtual reality dog, driving around in your virtual reality Lamborghini, getting virtual reality head or whatever… Nobody wants a virtual reality babe.

In fact, do you think about ancient Greece, philosophy the Romans etc.… There’s almost no focus on women. Women are absent; they are never mentioned, nor discussed or talked about. Certainly not talked about like commodities in today’s world. 

The way that a lot of guys get suckered is this strange logic: if I get super super rich, not drive the Lamborghini or the Ferrari or the big truck or whatever, and I’m super super buff, and I have a six pack, suddenly I will try all these babes, who will want to have intercourse with me, Not super happy Playboy lifestyle for the rest of my life, in pure Bliss, without any obligations?

The true Spartan way is almost a polar opposite; live a maximally frugal and economical life, have kids and beget children, have at least one son to carry on the family name. And the rest of your life is just focused on military training, combat, to be ready to defend your family, your nation when shit hits the fan.

This is where once again, all this fake ass patriotism stuff annoys me; if you’re on Facebook, looking at Donald Trump memes, watch Fox News or Tucker Carlson, make fun of “libtards”, talk about the alphabet gender spaghetti, you are not a true American. Just keep your mouth shut, enroll in military duty. You have nothing to defend yourself against.

Similarly speaking, we liberals also have this bizarre notion of virtue signaling; if you are a true progressive liberal, don’t even say the “Donald Trump” name — don’t talk about the news or politics or whatever. The simplest thing is to just vote against the other party you don’t believe in, get involved in local city politics, attend some sort of city council meeting, vote on issues you care for. Also don’t use Twitter, which might be about 99.9% bots? 

***

Only Spartan women can birth Spartan men.

Physical training is both critical for men and women. This is also where it is so impressive that Israeli women are also serve military obligations, I think this is a great idea. Maybe also America, there was some sort of obligatory ROTC training in high school, both for men and women, maybe a junior and senior year… this might be a good idea. Good for virtue, physics, the physical element, physical training, building a sense of camaraderie or kinship between our fellow Americans.

In fact, even though I am a Democrat, I have always voted Democrat, and also I consider myself a liberal, I have had nothing but positive interactions with conservatives, Republicans, people on the right. In fact if anything… Right wing people to be more friendly, fun, jovial, and happy. I remember accidentally walking into some sort of anti-Joe Biden rally, talked with all the friendly people, and was even offered free hotdogs and free ice cream barbecue from the people there! 

The reason why social media and the Internet is so toxic is that it villainizes other sides, these metaphorical human beings. But if you actually talk to people face-to-face in the flesh, person-to-person, pure to pure; we are about 90% similar, 10% dissimilar.

Only purchase digital things? 

A random thought, maybe the way we could curb all of this superficial consumerism is to only purchase digital things, digital goods, digital things.

Digital money: Bitcoin

Digital books, digital movies– Apple TV shop, iTunes Store, iBooks Store. I actually find that purchasing a film is much better than subscribing to a streaming platform. Why? Skin of the game. When you pay the $10 a month or the $15 a month or whatever for that streaming service, you don’t really value any of the films or TV series on it., It is almost like a sedative; you watch something not because you want to watch it, or learn from it, but instead, just watch it to distract yourself.

Putting your money where your mouth is 

The funny thought is the point of purchasing something isn’t too “support“ producer, but instead, to have a sense of pride that the thing that you purchased is actually something that you believe in or care in?

For example, I have purchased with my own money all the John Wick movies, all of the matrix movies, and now both of the Dune movies. Typically when we actually purchased something with our own money, it is a sign that we actually really really believe in it.

Also, the reason why you never want to trust anybody who is sponsored by anything, is because typically when you are given free things, or sponsor by something, you don’t actually really believe in it, you just accept the advertising and the sponsorship in order to make money or to feel special.

For example, in the context of cameras, reviews, sponsorships etc.; only trust a photographer who had actually purchased the things with their hard earned money. 

For example, I have done collaborations with Fuji film before, received free cameras in the past, free lenses etc.… And have also been paid money by then. Also I did some free consulting for them, sharing some good ideas like adding a film grain simulation effect filter to their cameras, which they did, in which now you could add green tier digital JPEG photos with the Fujifilm filter, and select either weak, normal, or strong grain. 

I am proud that all the Ricoh cameras that I purchased, none were given to me by free from Ricoh. I purchased them all with my own money. 

Also kind of a random thing; I think the whole blogosphere was shocked when I purchased a LUMIX G9 camera — it totally seemed like out of left field, because Panasonic Lumix was on nobody’s radar. And currently, now that all my Ricoh GR cameras are dead,  my only camera is the Lumix G9 camera and the 14mm f2.5 pancake lumix lens (only $200!). And the only two cameras I think might be worth considering purchasing in the near future is the new Ricoh HDF cameras, or the new Lumix S9 camera with the pancake manual focusing lens. 

Trust?

Ultimately, trust nobody, only yourself.

Also with filters; put more trust in dead people than people who are alive. Why?

The difficult thing with following people who are still alive today is that you don’t know how it all ends. With dead philosophers, artists, innovators, you do. 

Also, I think the big differences in the past, there was not a profit motive. An artist or an innovator did not need money, because they had the private patronage of some wealthy family like the Medici’s, Leonardo da Vinci etc.

So I’m starting to think more and more… Maybe the best true way to be a true artist, visionary, thinker, innovator entrepreneur is to independently make money somewhere, and don’t have to rely on advertising or sponsorships or brands to support your lifestyle.

I would put more faith in the photographer or the weightlifter who makes his living investing in bitcoin,  rather than somebody who is always spamming you with advertisements on YouTube or podcasts.

In fact, are there any podcasts which exist which don’t have any advertising? Besides my own?

---

Why bitcoin is the future

Bitcoins, Satoshis– this is finally the solution to these annoying online advertisements. 

Maybe the true Spartan only cares for in bitcoin and Satoshi, but never spends it or touches it, but just keeps accumulating it.

Bitcoin is like our shield – our economic shield and our hedge against the uncertain future.

ARMOR UP!
ERIC

---

Economic theory

Always thought that economics was stupid, honestly, truth be told, I think when you look at all this fake mathematics behind theory, it is all fake, the new hocus-pocus witchcraft, and the number one critical thing I learned about studying statistics both in high school and in college is that statistics is fake metrics that could be gamed however you want. 

Therefore, put zero faith in statistics. Better talk to a real human being, face-to-face, person to person, instead of engaging in ridiculous debates on the Internet, which again is filled by 99.9% ChatGPT powered bots.

Once once again, if I waived a magic wand, and I revealed to you that in fact, all of the negative comments you write in your life on the Internet, these trolls who said mean things to you, if you actually found out that they were all just artificial intelligent ChatGPT bots the whole time… Wouldn’t you feel better?

The next generation of comments on the Internet

Maybe the only way we could truly verify whether somebody who is leaving a comment is a real human being or not is to institute the orange check icon, that the individual spent maybe $10 worth of bitcoin or Satoshi’s to verify their humanity. Several years ago, I had the wisdom to just disable all and delete all comments on my website and blog etc. and also disabling them on YouTube etc. Why? For the most part, comments are useless. Even the positive ones!

When people say nice things about you in the comments, the reason why you could be bad is that it becomes a shackle; you keep publishing stuff that gets good feedback, and as a consequence, you end up staying the same instead of being innovative.

For example, when Bob Dylan went electric; he probably polarized 90% of his fanbase. Also, everyone likes the old Kanye West in the college dropout album… But I like the new Kanye, I like the new carnival, the newest version of an artist is always the best. A funny contradiction; everyone always wants the newest iPhone, the newest Tesla, whatever… But everyone wants the older artist, the older music, the older version of a certain thinker? If we stay consistent here, shouldn’t we prefer the new philosophy or the new thoughts or the new approach of an artist or a musician or a thinker versus their old self?

For example, everyone seems to prefer the old ERIC KIM, the old EK, but this is when I was still addicted to Facebook, using an android phone, and I still had my 95 job.

Sometimes, for myself, I miss my old Vietnam self; but in fact, my best self is my now self with Seneca! Also, sometimes I miss my old ERIC KIM gym self, the HYPELIFTING self, but when I think critically about it, I am 1000 times happier with my new bitcoin self, my new off the grid self, my new walk 10,000 steps a day in the direct Los Angeles sun self. 

Then I think the biggest nugget of wisdom:

Prefer the you self right now, not the past self?

Kill your old self!

ERIC

---

EK PHOTO SUPPLY

EK WORKSHOPS

Become a new you:

New books, new media?

Now that everything is becoming so hyper, once again, think about the past.

The Iliad, the Matrix, the 300, John Wick, Tippet simple, keep it succinct.  I’m very very skeptical of anything new, whether they be new movies, new series, new films etc.

Even this past generation, the last 10 years, the only innovative film created was the John Wick series, nothing else. Even though I was also enthusiastic about the new Mandalorian series, eventually after the first season, it all goes downhill.

With Marvel movies, I think the only good ones was before Disney bought it, for example the original Iron Man, the original Captain America etc. 

Why? The problem with Disney is that it is trying to maximize its profits, let us consider it is a publicly treated company, and as a result, the logic is to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Whenever anything is created for the masses, it is bad.

Once again, would you prefer to drive the McLaren, with the butterfly doors, or would you prefer to drive the Toyota Corolla?

---

Digital goods, digital products

–> proof of work digital goods which cannot be replicated?

There is currently a idea of NFTs, which stands for non-fungible tokens. The idea is creating a digital artwork or digital product which can be sold, in which an individual can prove their own ownership.

I suppose my thought, in regards to bitcoin, which isn’t entirely fascinating is that it is truly the first digital money. That cannot be replicated, you cannot fake it, because the proof of work network is so energy intensive, you cannot make something out of nothing.

I suppose the reason why proof of work is so critical here, and what a lot of these foolish pseudo environmentalist don’t understand is that if something doesn’t require energy to produce, whether human labor, material production, etc.… Then, it has no value.

For example, being born in 1988, and witnessing all of this digital rights stuff, protections against digital copying, as well as anti-digital piracy. 

As a kid, growing up, obviously I have no money, because I don’t work yet… The logic never seemed to make sense to me: 

if I download this video game book or movie or album which is digital… I don’t do any harm unto you.

But then the owner or the publisher or the business might say

“Well… It cost me a ton of money for me to produce this thing, and you are a morally evil and bad person because you are stealing this, because you might have paid $20 for this CD, if you did not pirate it.”

But the logic doesn’t make sense for a kid, because if you are a kid, there is no option to; because you don’t have any money, you wouldn’t have purchased it in the first place anyways! I suppose it is different as an adult once you got money… But still, I think for anybody who is in tech, IT, obviously we all have taunting software, we all know pirate bay, we all know how to turn on the VPN and cover our tracks, and download stuff etc.

I think even at this point in 2024… Truth be told pirates something is actually more cumbersome. It takes more time, you are at the risk of viruses and cyber attacks etc.… But I suppose the great convenience here you have access to the direct files.

For example, I have no problem paying $10 or $20 or whatever for you, Kendrick Lamar album, Jay Z album whatever, however, my primary annoyance is that let us say that I pay $10 on the iTunes Store or Apple Music to buy a new CD. But, I can only access it on my Apple iOS device! What if I want the files directly, to remix them, chop it up in GarageBand, or just use it as background audio for my photography slideshows? Then I am stuck. 

Selling digital products

I suppose hear the issue is, you could still sell digital products, whether they be digital e-books, digital PDF files, digital zip files, digital music files, whatever. But still, the only reason people actually pay money to purchase these digital products online is because they either believe and desire to support the creator, or they want access to it, or they cannot easily google and find it free online.

So I suppose, the real question here is how can we create a digital good? In which when you purchase a digital something, it actually does really have value? That you cannot replicated, not out of an ethical thing, but a physics based approach? 

For example, with digital products, is it possible to solve the double spending problem?

This is the primary phenomenal innovation of bitcoin; you cannot copy of bitcoin or replicated, like you can do as an MP3 file of Beethoven’s fifth Symphony. Or an e-book,.pub file, or PDF file of the Iliad. 

I think this is why I believe in open source so much; because it seems like the ethical, rational thing to do. My philosophy has always been simple:

Do unto to others as you would like others to do onto you.

For example I like free stuff, free files, free videos, and I hate these goddamn advertisements, is annoying banner pop-up ads, and I hate having to subscribe for some sort of email newsletter in order to download something I want access to.

Therefore as a result, in all of my personal endeavors, I try to make it as easy and direct for people to access my videos, photos, files, e-books whatever with direct links either or directly from my own website blog server, Google Drive links, dropbox links etc.

Once again, how can we create a new digital good on the Internet? Which can either be purchased with US dollars, or satoshis or bitcoin?

***

Books

I’ll give you a good example with books; a book is a physical object, something you could hold in your hand. I cannot snap my fingers and then magically duplicate it into a thousand more books. 

I think the reason why books, printed books have value because we know that there was work and energy and labor and materials necessary to produce the thing: the physical pages, the ink, the binding, the packaging, the genius of the writer and illustrator, etc. And also we humans we still have a passion for tangible things; I think most people would prefer owning a physical book in hardcover for drama put it on their shelf, and think that it has value, rather than paying $30 for an e-book of the same sort.

Why ebooks

With ebooks electric book, maybe we should just call them digital books…  The reason why nobody likes to pay that much money for it because we are not stupid. We know that of course, it cost money and effort and time and energy for the writer to write the book, get it edited, proofread, distributed whatever… But we know that the marginal cost of having it downloaded, is practically zero. Therefore the rational human being would think to themselves: I know that it cost effort in time for the author to write the book, but if I download it as an e-book, it should be cheaper than the hardcover.

For example, let us say I want to purchase a new translation of the Iliad, for $30.  but let us say that I started reading it, and I hate how heavy and cumbersome it is.

Then let us say that I just want to buy it in the iBooks store, if that is the case… I expect it to cost less than $30, because I know that I don’t have to purchase the materials for the hardcover book. I might expect it to cost like $10, $9.99 or whatever.

Fiat money is a scam?

Currently the biggest issue we have is what the US dollar, essentially the Fed can just keep printing more of it! Then in someways, this is not too different than somebody pirating MP3 files for your favorite artist. They can keep inflating the digital supply of something, there is no hard cap.

I suppose the reason why the notion of cap is critical here is that it obeys the laws of physics! For example once again, if I have a physical book, there is a law of conservation of energy, I cannot snap my fingers and reproduce it with zero cost. Of course I could use energy and resources to print and publish more books, but once again, Hard caps, gravity, friction, the law of conservation of energy applies.

Think Bitcoin

If you believe in physics, first principles, and you are not a fool, bitcoin is for you! Why? Even Fernandinho Galliani in his treatise “On Money” said that true money has a hard cap, a limited supply. He talks about why gold is money, because of its scarcity.  however, he also knew that if you increase the supply of something, like when the conquistadors discovered tons and tons of gold in the New World, then he realized that the value of gold then plummets.

Because bitcoin has a hard cap of 21 million coins, and none will ever be produced ever again, for the next hundred thousand years, what that means then is  it is finally, the first scarce desirable good commodity or thing on the planet or the universe.

Once again, the reason why is so valued is because most people think of it as scarce, which is true, but it is not a true scarcity in so far much as they are still mining gold today, and still discovery new gold mines across the planet, Gold mines we did not know existed in the past!

So in theory, if you put 1 million workers to work, and employed thousands of geologist, and then let’s say you magically said that 1 ounce of gold was worth now $1 million, certainly we would discover more gold and produce more gold! But also consequently, when we discover more gold and we put it on the market, then the value of gold will plummet.

Karl Menger on monopolies

What Carl Manger says in his book the principles of economics, a section that is very very fascinating, a short section is on monopolies. Even then, he knew that there were certain industries that created artificial monopolies, by creating things into an artificial scarcity, for example diamond producers, and restricting the ability or the supply of Diamonds to enter the market, artificially.

Also in luxury goods, one of my good friend Stephanie who worked in the luxury goods market, also told me that a lot of these luxury fashion houses, when they produce too much of a luxury bag, throw it in the furnace and destroy it. Why? If you have too much real Louis Vuitton and Gucci bags on the market, it will become less valuable. Therefore it becomes more profitable to just take the unsold goods, and just incinerate it in a furnace! 

---

So what now?

Just some general thoughts on life:

First, I am so insanely grateful for all of my world travels, my world campaigning, all of my accomplishments or whatever. Yet, the accomplish of begetting Seneca is 1 million fold more than any other thing I have achieved or accomplished in my life.

Certainly the work in the labor of actually carrying the baby, and birthing the baby, and breast-feeding the baby and your child is all on the woman. So then what is the role of the man? To create structures in which your partner or wife desires to beget a child with you.

In praise of kids

A lot of these ridiculous things like desiring to purchase a Lamborghini, a Porsche, a Porsche 911, a Porsche 911 GT three RS, a Bugatti or whatever… I think these tend to be fantasies or pipe dreams for people who are childless, don’t have a kid yet, or have no intentions on having kids. 

The walking dead

Now, when I see people and I meet people who are childless, and have no intention on having kids, to me they are like the walking dead.

Then, the whole impetus of their life is towards hedonism; maximization of sensory pleasures whether it be visual — such as traveling to Japan and seeing all the cool stuff, or like eating good food, omakase sushi in Japan, indulging themselves in art, travel, exploration, creating art and ideas, writing books, being “cultural”– or maybe backpacking with their dog or whatever… These people had zero interest to me. Why? They are the walking dead. They shall die and they shall have no living legacy.

Hedonism and kids?

Technically, the ultimate hedonic pleasure you can gain is actually from your kids! Your kid is the most wonderful, evolving growing, entertaining beautiful joyful thing!

For example, almost every single day, Seneca at the age of three years and four months, I am starting to see his language acquisition skills excel rate at a phenomenal rate! And I am so insanely proud because I see the things that I have taught him, and it sticks!

For example, my deep pride and joy that ever since he was born, only spoke to him in Korean, and now, he speaks almost 90% Korean fluently!

Also, when I look at his shape physique and form, the buff kid of all time, I am so insanely proud of him because he is also, the most physically dominant, tall handsome strong intelligent kid of all time.

I am also so proud because whenever I meet other parents, parents or teachers who work with kids, and they honestly remark that Seneca is tall, I feel so insanely proud! People telling me that I am such a great dad, doing a good job parenting, deep sense of joy.

Also, contrary to popular knowledge, having a child actually makes you more adventurous! For example, ever since Seneca was born, and now that he is getting older, I am being exposed to so many new wonderful activities and things, things I wouldn’t have never partook in before he was born! For example, exploring all these awesome science centers, becoming a kid again! Also, rediscovering the Lego Batman movie, other joyful things etc.

So actually the irony is if you want to maximize your hedonism in life, your happiness your joy your fun, don’t get the stupid dog, have a kid instead! 

Keanu Reeves needs to have a kid

For example, there’s also this weird bias that it is cool, more macho, more manly and masculine to be a forever bachelor. No. Only degenerates think this way.

once again, think king Leonidas and his son; have at least one male heir to continue your legacy. 

---

The digital transformation of everything

So random thing is Seneca and I have been on Los Angeles Public library tour, hitting up all the local libraries, all these great free community events etc.

Something Seneca has been really into lately, is finding and discovering DVDs, especially the LEGO movie, and the LEGO Batman movie, which I find is so insanely funny and great, we need a little bit more humor in our lives. 

In fact, maybe the reason why the Lego Batman movie is so genius is that it is insanely fun, playful, irreverent,  humorous, self-referential, and actually feels more realistic ironically enough?

Anyways, some new thoughts on films; don’t watch any movies that you otherwise wouldn’t be happy with your kid, and also… Maybe in fact the best movies are kids movies?

And also; maybe the best films the only the good ones are the humorous ones, the comedic ones!

For example, why hasn’t a film like Zoolander come out recently? I still remember the notion of “Fragile” (Fra-geee-lleh) or on the Simpsons — “Boo-Uurns!”.

My critique about two days mostly hyper emotional emo world is that there is no more humor. Everything needs to be dark, Marose, emo, self-flagellation.

In fact, what is the main problem of Genzie, millennials, everyone in this generation? The young youth?

The issue is that everything is hyper; hyper sensationalized, hyper media. 

My simple tip for us incoming parents — some hard rules:

1. Never ever ever ever ever kid an iPhone or a smart phone. If you need to track them or call them or whatever… Just give them one of those Apple AirTags and attach it to them, or just buy them a phone. Yes you could just buy the phone on Amazon supercheap, and tossing in a Sim card. in fact I would even say the best dumb phone is the only one that could make phone calls only, no LCD screen. I find texting to be one of the most ineffective ways of human communication, and also hugely depersonalizing.
2. No electronics inside the home: I have a new rule with Seneca, if he wants to play games on the iPad, whether it be poly bridge, racing games (GRID AUTOSPORT, the paid one), pocket city, roller coaster tycoon classic, etc — I just tell him that he is only allowed to play it outside! So I toss the iPad in the backpack, we go on a walk, we go to some sort of social public space, and then I let him play there, and typically the funny thing is by the time we get to the public outside space… He doesn’t want to play the game, and instead he’ll just run around instead!
3. Maybe with movies films media etc. also, only let them watch it outdoors? Like if they want to watch a movie, have them only watch it at the local nature center or park, also funny thing; maybe the future will be more analog, this will be our new privilege. For example, Buy a USB-C DVD player for your MacBook laptop, as we don’t have DVD players anymore, and if your kid wants to watch a movie, just check it out from your local library? Adding some sort of friction in today’s digital world is a good idea; having Disney+ or HBO Max or Netflix or YouTube or whatever… With so much streaming movies shows and entertainment possible… It is almost like giving your kid a firehose of high fructose corn syrup laced with type two diabetes for kids. Parents will often be alone; well it is so hard… And it is true! But I think we’re having a new sense of elitism is good; let us consider that 99.99% of Americans are obese, morbidly obese, etc. Just because everyone else is shoving donuts into their mouth, and getting fat, doesn’t mean you should either.

---

Digital property?

Every few thousands of years, comes a major paradigm shift which changes everything.

We are so insanely to be alive right now in 2024; two massive paradigm shifts happening at the same time: artificial intelligence (open ai, ChatGPT), and Bitcoin.

Also, I think a very fascinating innovation I’ve discovered is that to rebrand something, or to reimagine something, or to re-understand something is also a huge innovation.

For example, the critical insight by Michael Saylor is thinking and considering that bitcoin is not a cryptocurrency, but digital property.

The reason why Michael Saylor’s idea of Bitcoin being digital property is such a grand insight is that in the crypto world ,,, 99% of our efforts are being wasted on the fact that everyone wants to replace the US dollar or replace the entire visa network with their own cryptocurrency or alt coin or etc. 

Not going to happen.

I think for high velocity payments, like buying a cup of coffee coffee or a shot of espresso at your local coffee shop, going to Whole Foods Trader Joe’s or Costco, Amazon fresh whatever…  having high velocity money like your Visa credit card, or Apple Pay on your phone is actually much more convenient. And then we barbell this; bitcoin then is our digital property, low velocity. If you think of bitcoin like owning property on the upper East side of Manhattan New York City, the ideas you keep it forever in the family, and you pass it down to your kids kids kids. And the strategy is simple;

Never sell the property. 

You borrow money against it, maybe you rented out, you try your best to maintain it, upkeep it, pay the property taxes etc. But you never sell the property. 

I also suppose the same idea is in line with bitcoin, if we reimagined it as digital property.

One day, you will be able to rent out your bitcoin, like imagine if you were a landlord, renting out your property to millennials.

Or, imagining that it could be like a digital hotel of the future; renting it out, hour by hour, day by day, week by week, or maybe even minute by minute, to whoever wants to be there. 

Then, essentially we could become like the new digital slumlord; we just sit on our bitcoin forever, collecting rents and money, and we could just chill at the beach, chill at the pool, etc.

---

Now what?

If you take things further, I think really long-term etc.… ultimate goal is durability as an artist, a creative a thinker etc.

Think peer to peer 


I think the problem in today’s world is because of iPhones, social media, entertainment, Netflix YouTube whatever… We engage with human beings only through media, while sitting on our butts, without any real risk.

My simple thought is always:

Better to risk a friendly social interaction and get rejected, rather than not attempted it at all. 

Simple thoughts: get rid of those losers sunglasses, those dark tennis sunglasses, throw your noise canceling headphones in the trash, and when you are out and about, “raw dog it”– no sunglasses, because sunglasses are for cowards. You will not get eyeball cancer. If the sun is too bright just get a baseball cap, or some sort of visor to protect your eyeballs from the sun.

Also, no headphones. No AirPods AirPods pros, whatever.

I think the critical issue here is that when you have AirPods, noise canceling headphones, AirPods pros on in your ears, or whatever your plug like Bluetooth device, the issue is that you block out 99.99% of the positive stimulation from the environment.

For example, I believe our sense of hearing is actually more acute and more primal than our eyes. For example, if you’re driving around Los Angeles, you will hear the siren of a firetruck before you see the flashing lights.

The reason why I hate Tomkin in LA so much, and I consider it extreme bad manners is that whenever people honk, there is always a fight or flight physiological response from us.  as a result, I’ve been going on a bit of a social justice rampage, whenever people honk, especially when they honk because the person did not drive immediately .1 ms after the light turns green, I give them a sharp that’s there, or I roll down my window, I stick down my hand, and I tell them to calm down. the hand jester for calm down is just put your calm down, and just motion it downwards. No need to give people the middle finger, I think some sort of shame , public shaming is a good idea. 

Also, smokers. Am going to go harder now, 100 X harder. To shame people for smoking in public. I’m just going to pretend like I’m a cop, I’ll tell people not to smoke when I have my weight vest on, because I look like a undercover cop or swat team or whatever. or, moving forward I’m going to do an experiment, whenever I am at a stoplight, and I see people texting on their phone at the stop sign, I’m just going to pretend like I’m CP and then make eye contact with them and tell them to keep their eyes on the road. Nowadays in Los Angeles and beyond people shielded by their cars and their tents, and their sunglasses, and they feel like they are abated for any sort of social responsibility. Even worse, people smoking marijuana while driving. I’ve seen this twice in Los Angeles so far. Rather than complaining, I’m going to do some sort of low-key Vigilante Justice, kind of like Batman. Batman, Batman not in the dark Maroso Way, but can you imagine a playful humorous and joyful Batman? My alter ego is like the Lego Batman, the Lego Bruce Wayne. 

No more compassion. I think the problem of people in Los Angeles, especially when they use their vehicles like cowards, is that they black some sort of exposure to the real world. No skin in the game.

Moving forward, I’m just gonna imagine like I am the super cop, the local city cop, CHP officer etc. 

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Better to preemptively serve justice and be wrong… Rather than be a bystander or don’t do anything?

When I was a kid, I wish that more blue collar job ideas were offered to me, like becoming a firefighter or a cop, CHP officer or whatever… I might have even enjoyed doing some sort of low-key form of ROTC as a highschooler?

For example, even Seneca… He loves firefighters, firetrucks, police cars, police, police SUV cars etc. And of course he loves the cyber truck, he also likes it with a matte Black wrap. 

In fact, getting a cyber truck, a cyber beast with a mat black wrap, and getting the black and yellow license plate… This is your metaphorical at mobile? If you think about the Christopher Nolan mobile, essentially it is like a matte Black military vehicle tank —  rather than some sort of sissy, or even muscle car.

The Batmobile in the most recent the Batman movie, with the emo Batman, was also interesting because the Batmobile was also kind of like some sort of muscle car on steroids. 

Even nowadays with vehicles, are you surprising to me, I am starting to get more into trucks, even even the new Toyota Land Cruiser looks super cool?

Once again, if you think about Carl Menger and Austrian economics,  one of the great ideas from Carl is that he talks about how our preferences change overtime; for example that which has utility or interest to us as a child, a mature man, or an old man is all different!

I think maybe it is cultural; I was born in 1988, born Asian American Korean American… And to have Asian pride was to drive some sort of Japanese car, lower it, pimp it out, and race it? Essentially like the early fast and the furious movies, Tokyo drift etc. 

I suppose this is where media is bad; any sort of media you watch and integrate into your soul as a child, has a deep impact on you.

For example, a really stupid thing I saw as an adult the other day — week three young boys, maybe around seven years old, all playing in the sandpit together, doing some sort of fake Godzilla versus King Kong pretend fighting. Eventually one kid falls to the floor, because he is playing, and then one kid starts to kick sand in his face, the kid who was pretending to act all tough, then started to cry, and I’m just watching this from the side with Seneca, and I’m just thinking… Wow this is also bizarre. I’m glad that Seneca has no idea what King Kong or Godzilla is; a lot of these modern are superficially violent, not even in interesting ways.

I also suppose that as a man, raising the sun… Being very very critical on what not to expose them to, you don’t want your kid to the lowest common denominator, become addicted to YouTube or YouTube kids like cocaine candy. 

In fact, I think I am very critical of Google Chrome books in the classroom. Why? Essentially you are getting kids hooked on advertising, and Clickbait at a very young age. I wondered… Is it possible that instead, I could send send cut to school with his own MacBook Air laptop, and not use one of these adware devices?

Let us consider this scam; teachers have their kids self teach themselves something, which they see on YouTube, and of course on the side is all this Clickbait related content that they will be tempted by. Let us also understand adults, the single best thing you could do is enable some sort of related video ad blocker on YouTube. In fact, I think the ethical thing YouTube should do is integrate some sort of toggle on YouTube the YouTube app, maybe you can make it a premium only feature, in which you could actually turn off related videos, turn off comments, and high metrics like video views subscriber numbers, number of comments etc. Why? Has the potential to teach you anything, which is good… But I’m starting to think that the trade-off is not worth it, if you support it with advertising, and Liz related content or videos on the side with all these clicky images, it is a very very dark hole.

My number one suggestion for parents: never ever ever ever ever show them YouTube in fact, uninstall it from your phone. Just think to yourself, if elite Apple CEOs and C officers, and also directors,  and also Apple employees and higher-ups send them to schools without any screens or devices… Also let us remember that Steve Jobs did not permit his kid to use an iPad at home… What is the rest of us plebeians don’t understand?

Also, let us realize this bad thought; why is it that all employees would preferred to use an iPhone over a Google pixel? Similarly… Why is it that Apple employees would prefer to have a Gmail over an iCloud account?

Also, why is it that Tesla sales people don’t actually own Teslas?

Maybe there needs to be some sort of skin in the game rules here.

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Digital x Physical

No no no, the future is not the meta-verse. Nobody wants to own a virtual Lamborghini, and live in your virtual house, and get virtual sunlight and virtual floor to ceiling windows, eat virtual steak, have virtual sex with your virtual babes, have virtual fans, go virtual hiking, and take virtual drugs. 

I am almost 100% Berish on virtual reality. The future is not virtual reality, the future is ChatGPT, and bitcoin. 

If in fact, we think about it… No amount of money could actually incentivize me to use that terrible Apple Vision Pro device. Even if you made it practically weightless, ability to use it with classes or whatever, even if you made it like glass, Nobody would really want it. The pain of having to always charge it, the additional bulk, even with my own eyeglasses, which are 100% titanium LINDBERG, Which I think I owned for almost 15 years,  are practically weightless. Now that it is Los Angeles summer, and the sun is strong… I’m starting to wear a baseball cap because I’m getting sunburn on the top of my nose bridge, and my forehead, even if I lather myself with SPF 60 sunblock. Kids and adults know… We don’t actually like having things on our heads or our faces. 

This is where Apple engineers, it may be also Mark Zuckerberg needs to understand… Having some sort of device that sits on our head or our eyes is not desirable. Unfortunately, the future is still some sort of smart phone like device.

In fact, my super grand idea is to create a smart phone without any screen; the true zen phone. Mybe I will call it the Seneca phone. 

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More digital thoughts 

Very very simple things here guys;

1. Digital photo books

Publish your photos as e-books, PDF e-books, PDF files, or even share the JPEG files with people in a zip file! 

One of the great things that I learned in the photo world, which is full of a bunch of loser fake art virtue signaling wimps. They are all a bunch of unhealthy, unwell artist, who seem to hate people and humanity, and when they are photographing people in the streets … they are not doing it out of a spirit of love of humans and humanity, but rather, they are seeking some sort of revenge on other people.

Digging deep; I’ll tell you all the dirty secrets.

First, Magnum is bad. Magnum photos, all bad. Eventually everyone is just petty and devious of one another, because everyone wants to be rich and famous, and adored.

And also, there’s this weird talking for position here; everyone wants to be seen as the most elite supreme and legitimate, yet everyone is broke as hell, Evyn look at these famous guitar furs constantly traveling and doing workshops, they only do it because they are broke, and need to pay their rent, They don’t do it for passion.

Maybe the best way to approach things is only take workshops or classes or do things with individuals who don’t even need the money. Maybe there is some sort of genuineness here;

Certainly everyone needs to make a living, but often when you have some sort of famous person or photographer teaching some sort of workshop or travel excursion or whatever… Being managed by some other booking company or individual … there is actually not a strong incentive for the Fatar for to do a good job or care about the well-being of their students because they are usually being paid some sort of flat rate, let us see $5000, by the booking organizing agency, so as long as they show up, and do the minimum viable amount of work, they don’t really care.

Then, maybe the filter in a more practical sense is only do workshops or workshops or whatever by photographers who host the workshops by themselves; without some sort of third-party booking agency.  because they are incentivized to have the students be repeat students, and also they want good news to spread about themselves!

So if you see photographers, private individuals who host their own workshops, travel excursions,  and individuals who have been doing it for a very very long time, years, maybe even decades, and they hosted themselves, they are the point person… Without some sort of assistant or third-party, typically it is a signal that they are doing something right.

Once again, durability and longevity here is key. 

Any artist musician photographer producer or whatever who has been around for decades, and who are still in the game… Even then they’re 40s 50s 60s and 70s, it is a sign that they are good.

For example, Kanye still coming out with new music (CARNIVAL) even after the whole antisemitism thing and break with Adidas. And after his divorce and losing I think custody of his four children?

Also, Eminem just came out with a new album! His road rage song, respect for Eminem, saying what he really believes in, even though he might get “canceled”.

Because isn’t that the point, that you become rich successful powerful enough that you are uncancellanble? 

How to be uncancelable

Very very simple, your own website, your own blog etc.

A website and a blog is the ultimate censorship proof platform. Evyn emails, email newsletters… Having to keep updating my self hosted sendy.co email newsletter platform, Gmail in Google is starting to put a new controls in which you have to add all these random tags to your email and newsletters in order for your emails to reach Gmail accounts, at this point, every intelligent human being that I know has a Gmail account. Gmail is essentially a monopoly on email.

I think at this point, maybe 90% of emails on the Internet or Gmail account? And close to 100% of Americans have some sort of Gmail, Google account?

This is where using a Gmail or a Google account for authentication behind things is so useful; I could almost guarantee that your Gmail account will be around 100 years from now, even though eventually they might fill up with all these advertisements and stuff. I’m starting to think, One day, Gmail just started to put the top three emails on top of your inbox as advertisements, but people stop using it? I certainly would stop using it, but I think 99% of other people will keep using it.

Even now, the reason why I will never ever ever buy an android phone ever again, or a Samsung or whatever is funny enough because of Apple Maps. Apple Maps is inferior to Google maps, but now, I’m being driven by all of these square pin advertising on Google maps, And even this new spamming thing that Google maps is doing one I am driving is asking me whether there are still speed traps ahead? Shame on you Google and Google programmers; I wonder if  you have actually caused a handful of accidents, or maybe even accidental deaths because you put a pop-up while people are using Google maps to drive?

Simple suggestions for the Google maps and the Google team

First, a very simple one to pull in Google, just make some sort of 999 a month, add free premium membership. I would very gladly pay for this.  and once you are on Google premium, there are no more annoying square advertisements on your Google maps.

Also, by default, disable that annoying pop-up about speed traps or whatever, and instead, when you first install the Google maps app, ask people as an option, whether they want it enabled or disabled. It is not a privacy thing; it is a pop-up distraction danger thing. 

Also, disable that feature of the five or 10 minutes slow down ahead things; once again, another dangerous distraction while you’re driving.

Also, a very telling note; one of my millennial friends used to work on the Google maps team, quit, and now on her iPhone, she only uses Apple Maps, she doesn’t even have Google maps installed on her phone. Hmmm….

Also about photography; all of the Apple employees I know, none of them use the iPhone as their primary camera, most of them don’t even use it at all. Instead, they have Leica M cameras,  the compact digital Hasselblad medium format camera, Sony a series cameras, they shoot film, a RICOH GR camera, have a like a SL camera, some sort of standalone digital camera. Also almost none of them use Fujifilm

Camera facts

The best camera brands are Lumix Ricoh Pentax. 

The Leica Q is essentially a Panasonic Lumix in disguise,  The only digital lighter worth owning is a Leica M camera.

Even though I like Fujifilm, and I’ve used all the cameras, still… I don’t recommend it to people. In my whole career, I have never purchased one with my own money, I have bought a ton of Ricohs with my own money,  I purchased a Leica M9 by myself, sold it (thank you Todd Hata) and traded it for a film Leica MP camera (thank you Bellamy Hunt, Japan Camera Hunter), and I think maybe 2017 or 2018 purchased a LUMIX G9 camera I purchased in Japan– which after all my Ricohs died, is the camera I am currently using.

In fact, the most exciting camera that just came out is that new Pentax film camera; it is the new film Ricoh GR camera! It has an integrated flash, and also, because it is half frame, it doubles the amount of exposers you could shoot on a single roll of film, pure genius! This is a very insanely innovative, economical way to extend the joy of shooting film photos, while minimizing the cost! 

Photography for kids

I’m planning on volunteering and just doing some free photography classes for kids, which has the ultimate zero barrier to entry. They could just bring their iPad, tablet, iPhone or smart phone, or stand alone digital camera if they have an option. Or even a film camera! 

Kids are the ultimate photographers. They shoot with joy, no need to share the photos? 

In fact, Seneca, he loves photography, just like myself. He shoots with no obstructions, no hesitations, sometimes he likes to look at the photos, sometimes he doesn’t care too. Maybe this is a more enlightened way we could approach photography?

Evyn as a fun thought experiment; if you had a film camera, or a digital camera or whatever, and you could actually not store the photos or view them later… Would you still do it? Maybe? 

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Free digital books

Just give it away for free! Free, as in zero cost, and also free as in freedom!

And also, don’t make people do some sort of annoying subscribing to your email newsletter or whatever to gain access; just do direct links! Hosted on your own FTP server, uploaded to your WordPress media library, share a Google Drive or a dropbox link, etc.

Make it as friction free as possible; because the truth of the matter is in today’s world, for anyone to see your photos or your artistic work, you almost have to pay people to look at your photos! Because the fact is, the world is so inundated with images now, especially now with the advent of ChatGPT and DALL-E, and these billions streaming shows… People don’t have the time to look at your photos! 

In fact, I only think that the reason why people sign up for Fatar a few workshops with these famous furs, is because they simply want some sort of affirmation from the famous guitar for that their work is good, legitimate, and they want to gain some sort of confidence?

For example if Henri Cartier Bresson were alive today,  would I care to sign up for workshop with him just to tell him that my photos are good? No. I think we should also consider Bresson as a failed photographer; somebody who secretly had penis envy towards all his famous painter friends.  let us also remember the fact that at the end of his life, he totally gave up photography, and famously said “photography is not a legitimate art form, it is only a means and path towards painting, and drawing, which is the true art form”.

Always study an artist from the backwards from the grave to the present.

Typically, whatever an artist or a thinker or creator believes in towards the end of their life is kind of like the final testament. Because they have had enough experience, and have distilled their wisdom long enough to gain some sort of deeper insight about things.

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The spartan economist:

We new Spartans, we shall inherit the earth!

TLDR; think spartan when it comes to money, economics, life.

A truly pragmatic way to think and approach life

I think my critical critique of 99.9% of economists is that all of their fake science and fake pseudo scientific mysticism on the economy whatever, none of it is really tired to practical reality.

For example, more important things; where you live, what car you drive, whether you own a single-family home or rent, what kind of groceries you buy, where, or how much, etc.

Or, where you invest your money, where you save your money, you decide not to spend money on, your own personal financial philosophy.

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Spartan investing

Some thoughts on investing;

First, I’ve always been interested in passionate about investing, ever since I was in high school. I still remember my high school science math teacher, Dr. Ahmed, told me about mutual funds back in high school, and told me this unorthodox strategy that I should claim being an emancipated minor, being able to borrow some money, and essentially, use that money to invest in an aggressive mutual fund. And this was junior year of high school, I think I was 16. 

Somehow I did get my hands on some money, maybe like $1000? Or $1200, or $1600? Anyways, somehow I was able to create an investing account when I was 16, my junior year, and I invested in the one thing that I knew was very important, Adobe, which made Photoshop, which I knew was very important because I pirated Photoshop as a kid, and I used it to create all of my images on my computer. I also invested some money into a mutual fund, and even the course of maybe two years, I saw the value of my stock in my mutual fund holding go up? I think I might have realized a $600 or $800 gain, and I was overjoyed!

Fast-forward a bit to college… I realized when I was in college I was able to take out some student loans, and I use some of that money to invest in the market, while I was still in school, my sophomore year. I suppose I was 19 at the time?

Anyways, very stressful; I will check market prices, on my laptop, note this was before the iPhone existed, and it was very stressful. I would see the price go up a little little bit, and I was overjoyed, full of euphoria, and then I would see the price go down, and I would feel my stomach shrink. I remember losing sleep over this.

Stoic training

Anyways, from the age of 19, I had to learn how to control my emotions, something part of my early stoic training. And also, getting into trading penny stocks my senior year, in which I accidentally misread the financials for an oil company, that when I thought they were making a profit, they were actually losing money because they would put the financials in parentheses, which I did not know at the time meant a loss. So I suppose my knowledge was good, but I misread the information, and therefore I saw my life savings of maybe $3200 go to zero. As a 20, 21 year old, this was the worst tragedy I ever experienced in my life.

Anyways, I still think I had some good intelligence. I remember during the subprime mortgage meltdown, I saw the price of Ford go almost to zero, and I saw Blockbuster about to go bankrupt. I knew that Ford was a good long-term investment because I knew that Ford would recover in the long-term, and also I knew that blockbuster would go to zero because Netflix was the future. I think the only problem at the time was at the time I didn’t have any access to, as I think I already lost all my money.

So if I had the opportunity and access to capital, I would habe bought Ford (which has gone up a lot since then) and I would have shorted Blockbuster, which as I predicted ,,, went to zero.

Skin in the game

So this is a big thing; being an armchair investor vs being a real Spartan investor, somebody with skin in the game, with their own personal money in the game.

For example, I think being a personal private investor, investing your own hard earned money is critical here; because that was your soul time energy over many hard hard years of your life. You should/can only take financial risks with your own money. If it is someone else’s money — easy to toss the money like confetti.

Money as your life soul energy

For example, I think about the decade plus in which I taught workshops, I worked hard to do much research, all the thousands of dollars I spent on photo books, writing reviews articles blog posts, videos, etc.… writing books, making presets giving it away for free etc — essentially the best way to think about money is it is your time force energy energy life soul energy imputed into some sort of concrete thing; let us say that it is solidified into a single US dollar.

However the biggest issue here is that Fiat currency, the US dollar, is like an iPhone battery. That slowly but surely, it slowly drains and loses charge and also ability to hold charge.

For example, everybody knows that if you take an iPhone or a laptop, and you just let us sit on your desk for a month without charging it, it will naturally die, even if it was turned 100% off.

Also a problem with batteries and recharging; if you permanently keep it charging all the time, I think also the battery loses the ability to retain charge, and the maximum capacity of the battery loses charges as well.

Think ahead

For example, my 2017 MacBook Pro, 13 inch touch bar space gray, which I bought for about $2000 maxed out refurbished at the time… I think the battery of it only last about five or 10 minutes now before shutting off.

I also heard the same thing with Tesla cars — if you just let it sit, and don’t charge it every single day… slowly it will lose charge. I suppose this is the upside of having a gasoline powered car, is that oil and petroleum will just sit there, and will not lose charge. Surely there are other things you still gotta worry about like the battery, but still… For the most part oil and gas is more stable than an electric battery and charge.

Funny random thought —

Manual is the future?

For example, a manual transmission car even in 2024– will probably still be functional 30 years from now? Electric cars and Teslas and even Hybrids ,,, maybe not?

Also manual focusing lenses, 100% still functional 300 years from now!

With digital cameras, you will always swap out the bodies … but the manual lenses will last forever.

For example, I am 100% confident my Leica 35mm f2 ASPH Summicron lens and my film manual and mechanical Leica MP camera will last 300 years from now … any other digital equivalent? No.

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Building capital for the sake of it?

Anyways, I think the general impetus behind investing is a bit misguided. I think in the past I had he thought, and also maybe the general idea that people have is:

“I will invest this amount of money in order for me to gain a return, in order for me to purchase XYZ in the future.”

For example children are taught of a piggy bank, you save your allowance and your birthday money in it, so one day in the near future, you could buy a scooter or something.

Once again this twisted logic; you should save money in order to accumulate money, in order to have enough money and purchasing power in order to purchase this thing in the future you want, rather than thinking about saving money as a vehicle for investing, to grow your monetary power. 

For example, only a moron would spend his whole life toileting and working hard, in order to save the $250,000 or so to buy the Lamborghini. This is insane; the second you buy the $250,000 Lamborghini, your bank account balance then goes to zero, and in theory you are now impoverished.

Let us say that we embrace the two Lamborghini rule;  which is only about a Lamborghini if you are rich enough to afford two of them. But then again, the critical issue here becomes let us say yeah $500,000, and you buy the Lamborghini, and now your monetary power is cut in half, now you only have $250,000 in the bank. I don’t know about you, but nobody likes to see their wealth go from $500,000 to $250,000 in a split second, even if in fact you did buy the Lamborghini and own it.

 actually, the only logical thing to do is to drive to the closest  Lamborghini dealership in Newport Beach, show the guy you’re a bitcoin balance on your phone, and then sit in all the Lamborghinis you would like, play with the steering wheel, see how it feels to be inside the Lamborghini, touch the materials, take it on test drive, enjoy the sound of the engine, the driving experience whatever, and then decide not to buy it. 

Or another option is to just rent it for a day! Whether it cost $1000 or $5000 or whatever, a much much better financial way to use your money than to blow $250,000!

 even if you were a Jay-Z; you would not go out and start buying expensive cars like I’m $1 million Bugatti or whatever. If you are a true capitalist, a true investor, somebody who really does care about money… The point is you invest your money, and you keep stacking it forever, and you actually spend as little money as possible, in order to indefinitely increase your wealth!

For example, you do not buy the $1 million Bugatti — no. Rather, you buy $1 million worth of bitcoin, and then you see it become 10 million, 100 million, 1 billion, 10 billion, 100 billion. Isn’t this what somebody who really cares about money… Isn’t this how they should think? 

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Toys are bad

We Spartans know that toys are bad. In fact, some things I learned about toys, in raising Seneca: 

1. Superficially legos seem like a good idea, but eventually, Legos are bad. Why? As a parent you got to clean up their mess, and also… when your kid grows up sooner or later you’ll just donate the Legos to another family. The ideal and optimal strategy then is to just play with Legos at the local library on the brick building day, and just leave it there, and go back home.
2. For Seneca’s entire life, I’ve only bought him two toy cars; I think two Lamborghinis, the small hot wheels style. I think we already lost them.
3. Almost by osmosis, kids, whether you like it or not, or gain all of these free toys by orbit. For example when they visit their grandma’s home, or play with cousins or whatever… They will pick up random toy cars here and there. Therefore, the simple ideas that you never have to purchase kids any toys, they will naturally get toys from friends and family, on their birthday holidays etc., even if you are a “anti toy household”.

Set a good precedence. 99% of things we desire to purchase as adults or just really really expensive toys. 

Are toys bad?

I think so.

Essentially the purpose of a toy for the most part, is some sort of thing to distract your kids while you as a parent to do something else.

And also, the problem and issue with toys is that it doesn’t make them anymore physically strong or capable.

When it comes down to it, the best things to prioritize for your kid is their physical strength, height, muscle mass, ability to climb stuff, run around, be out in nature, go on hikes, have a nice tan for actually being in the sun, ability to pick up heavy stuff and throw them, etc. Even one of the things I’m very proud of is ever since Seneca was very young, he would be really good at throwing rocks into bodies of water!

No, whenever I see other kids, the only thing I’m ever impressed by is to see how muscular they are! Or how they are in running climbing, doing physical things. 

Weapons & armor & shields

If we think about the ancient Spartans, what were their possessions? Simple: their spear and shield, even their sword was kind of more of an accessory piece.

Also, I think according to Plutarch, or some of the ancient historians, there are funny quotes like “why are spartan swords so short?” Spartan response: “So we could get close to the enemy”.

Also, one of the most critical things about being a spartan was your shield; the reason why the hunchback was not allowed to fight along the spartan army was because he could not raise his shield, and the critical thing about being a spartan was the ability to defend the man next to you.

Even when you consider the final duel or fight between Achilles and Hector, I think it comes down to throwing spears, at a distance, and having the other party defend themselves with their shield.

Helmets were also critical because there were many times in which having the right shield actually defended you from death.

Bow and arrows are for cowards

Or why guns are for pussies:

Even the ancient Spartans, when the ancient Spartans saw a castle with lots of archers on top one Spartan commented –

“Is it women who live there?”

Certainly when it comes to real military combat, typically the armies or the side with the strongest firepower wins. For example, the Roman legionnaires, I think 99% of their lethality was because they had catapults, and they were just sling massive rocks and destroyed 99% of the other side of the enemy, and then the Roman legions would then enter in phalanx form, and just tidy up the rest of the mess. 

And even now, the US military, they are essentially getting rid of real pilots, and just creating drone aircraft instead. Why? Human being pilots are a liability; it is always bad PR if your pilot gets killed in combat, or gets killed by an accident. if it is a drone, certainly people alone the financial laws, but when it comes down to it… a financial loss is always superior to a human life loss. 

For example let us say that it cost the US military $100 million to create a drone aircraft. And let us say that for one reason or another it gets destroyed. Or it fails, better to lose $1 million aircraft to lose the life of one single human pilot.

Armor up!

Anyways, in modern day life, the big issue that we have is all of these pussies who have guns. Or knives.

A real man, should only engage in hand-to-hand combat, and the only thing that a real man does is has body armor as a form of defense.

For example, if you’re really afraid of people shooting you up or whatever, just buy a bulletproof vest. This is what cops have. Technically as a private citizen, I think you are allowed to purchase and own and wear a bulletproof vest, if you so desire. 

For example, just think of Keanu Reeves (John Wick) in his Kevlar armor suit jacket, how he used his suit jacket as a shield or armor against incoming bullets. So gangsta.

And even now, the supreme way I feel tough is wearing my 60 pound weight vest around; I think even real cops, who wear bulletproof vest, a real bulletproof might only wear 10 pounds or 20 pounds?

Now I suppose because I do my daily walks with my 60 pound weight vest, I no longer really feel it on me. This is a very good thing. Let us say I get into a high conflict situation and I just put on my weight vest, I know that nobody could fuck with me or Seneca or Cindy.

Unfuckable with

A true Spartan; only has armor, no guns, no knives. His word is his sword.

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Money as a defense against slavery

“Fuck off money”– having enough money that you could just fuck off, and not have to do nothing. 

So my first Spartan economic thought is that the purpose of money is more of an economic shield, barrier, buffer, or armor to prevent you from working like a slave.

The purpose of money isn’t to buy stuff, purchase a home, buy superficial things, purchase a vehicle, travel to Japan ne eat overpriced sushi…but rather, via negativa; for you not to work.

As long as you got a job, a boss, a steady paycheck… you are not free. 

For example, doesn’t matter if you’re being paid $750,000 a year at Apple; as long as you have to stay inside your nice glass cube prison cage, you are not free. 

Also, as long as you got a mortgage on your home, payments on your car, and any sort of debt or obligations… once again you are also not free.

Also a Spartan ethic thing;

Don’t indebt others.

What it means is never ever ever let anybody borrow money from you. Because let us say you loan $1000 to somebody and they don’t have the means to pay you back like they promised in two weeks. What do you do, beat them up, or hostage their family members? No.

Never borrow money from others, never lend money to others.

The only type of money exchange should be gifts. No obligations. 

All debt is bad debt

More recently I thought I’ve been thinking through is in regards to the notion of debt; for example what some institutional investors do is take on debt to purchase things, property, bitcoin like Michael Saylor and microstrategy, in order to purchase more assets, in the promise that it will grow in the future.

I’m starting to think, maybe could work for the corporations, institutions etc.… but maybe this kind of leverage is not a good idea for us private investors, because it could cause you to lose your freedom.

So once again, never leverage debt, even “good debt” to acquire more property. 

The goal

1. NOT have a job
2. NOT have debt
3. NOT be employed by anyone else besides you (sole, sole proprietor — number of employees is 0– you are your only employee).

---

Creating your own new Sparta

What is very interesting about Sparta, Kim Leonidas etc.… is that the point wasn’t to enslave millions and billions of people, rather, it was to think about committing to your own local population… for example, maybe the Spartan population was only 10,000 Spartans? And they had about 50,000 helots till the land?

A big thought: it seems that the modern day individual loves to complain critique and hate on everything, hate on global policies, politics, individuals, music, media, iPhones and social media, whatever. Whenever people talk about global warming, carbon levels, carbon footprint whatever… typically I see a lot of these people are either single, maybe they own a dog, certainly they have no children and kids.

Never trust any environmentalist who don’t have kids.

Propaganda 

In fact, the lamest thought is that kids contribute most to the carbon footprint of the planet… my ongoing theory is that these people are just humanity haters; they just want to take their dog to the grave with them?

Who knows, perhaps your kid, or some other kid who is born today is going to be the one who solves pollution on the planet; who creates a solar power panel which is 1 billion times more effective, or invent some sort of nuclear power fusion fission energy generator that could fit in your back pocket?

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Become the change in which you wish to see manifested in the world

Anyways, my simple thought is rather than complaining and critiquing about society whatever… more effective to just become the change in which you wish to see manifested in the world, and also a big thing; have kids! Create your own micro society, create your own cultural values, and insanely Spartan, stoic and staunch about it.

Niches are the future.

Creating new cultural norms

For example, I think giving presents and buying toys for kids on their birthday is ridiculous. I believe rather — gift experiences and time together. Therefore for my niece Amelia and Benji, I don’t think I’ve ever bought them any toys on their birthday or on any holidays. What I do instead is take them rockclimbing with me and Cindy, and also when I’m just with them… I just play with them! I leave my iPhone in my glove compartment of my car, and I just run around with them!

I remember Amelia saying a year or two ago saying “I miss Samchon ERIC,… Because he is the only one who plays with me”…

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How to raise your kids

I think in today’s world of hedonism and indulgence… this is my thought on how one should aspire to raise one’s kids–

The thought is to raise, train, and breed your kid to be creators, innovators, Spartan Stoics, with maximum physical capability, a 100% carnivore diet, with extreme vigor, play and joyfulness.

For example, would you give your kid heroin? Certainly not. Then don’t shove kids in front of their face Netflix or Disney+ or bluey or whatever when you just want them to stop crying. Let them confront their own emotions, explain things to them, let them cry it out; give them a kiss on their forehead if they fell on their head, and the big thing; don’t let any other loser adults punk your kid around.

Something that randomly caught me offguard being a new first time parent, is having these miserable old female librarians telling Seneca not to cry inside the library and that “he must go outside,” or even having random people in the apartment next to us passive aggressive things like complaining that Seneca was playing with his toy cars outside?

One thing that pisses me off is society has become maximally tolerant of dogs and their misbehaviors; but, no privileges to children? 

“Don’t smoke here! No smoking here!”

In fact, I’m starting to think more and more… perhaps I should become more aggressive, more of an asshole parent. For example, I’ve been on a bit of a rampage in which telling other people to not smoke in public places, when I’m with Seneca. Even though they might give me a dirty look, or even if I might feel bad about it… This is what a true Spartan would do. Essentially you take the brunt of badness, bad emotions whatever… And defend your kid, defend your wife, defend your family.

Also, never tell people sorry. Just tell them thank you. 

When to attack?

Also, I think America we could learn a thing or two about Sparta; for the most part, think America should just stop meddling in the business of other nations, other nation states, even if we want to maintain some sort of world peace for the interest of America.

For example, America needs to stop waging positive war. The only good use of military is defense. America needs to be well positioned in such a way that if anyone attacks us, we could defend ourselves. But I think ethically, America should not wage preemptive attacks on other nations and other nation states, in order for us to be like Machiavelli’s prince; the idea that often to defend oneself, you have to preemptively attack. We are strong enough.

Even when a foreigner visited ancient Sparta, the foreigner asked, why are there no walls? And the Spartan said, because our men and our children defend these borders.

One day your kid is going to find your gun 

I think this is also the thing that is so ridiculous about gun ownership in America, all these loser notions of “self-defense“. Everyone always wants a gun on them, because they are afraid of being shot or being attacked. And I think some people shoot another person preemptively, because they fear their life is in danger danger or whatever.

But, the law is, you are never allowed to shoot first. The only time you pull out your gun or whatever and start shooting is one the other person has already shot you, or has already shot something in the environment.

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The stoic Spartan investing strategy

Live Spartan. Essentially somebody who glorifies themselves and their own human body, their own physical strength, just think about how buff your muscles, your shoulders your back and your traps are.

Your pride joy and glory is your own body and muscles, not your possessions.

I trust no man who has tattoos, has a dog, and drives some sort of entry-level German car 

No dogs, no cats, no animals. Only children.

Ensure that you have at least one son to continue the family name. 

Perhaps foolishness is a virtue?

I’m also starting to think, being mad, being a madman is a virtue. Anybody who focused is too much on security, safety, prudence and rationality is a wimp.

Good for your wife, do it for your family, be a true mensch.

Throw your cares and concerns into the tailwind, burn all your bridges, burn your ships behind you, don’t look back. Only forward.

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What type of money would Spartans prefer?

Historically, the ancient Spartans would abolish money. Because they know that money corrupts.

I think one of the earliest Spartan legislators, Lycurgus, essentially made the law in which he converted all money into huge stones, which were essentially impossible, maybe it was made of iron etc. made accumulation of wealth so cumbersome, people eventually stopped chasing wealth for the sake of it.

Mandatory military duty?

I was always an anti-military, but now as an adult… I’m starting to see the virtues.

For example, in South Korea, all men are required to do a mandatory two year military service, even StarCraft players and BTS members are not exempt.

The good thing about this, as well as Singapore… it builds a sense of nationhood and camaraderie between men. Even one of my friends, Andrew, a professor I think he did some sort of part-time Navy officer reserve training when he was getting his PhD… and he said something like “I think if there was some sort of military duty amongst Americans, there would be a lot less divide and conflict”. I also agree.

Probably the most anti-racist training that I ever got in high school was accidentally; playing high school American football. Essentially, I was thrown in all rainbows of races; African-American, Latino, southeast Asian, east Asian, Caucasian etc. There was a strong sense of brotherhood, and everybody supported one another. And for the most part, we put aside all of our differences and our cliques.

Sports team unites

For example, I remember some of the white guys who were hefty lineman, I think they were into Cowboys and rodeos and wearing cowboy hats whatever, and African-American kids would just hang out with other African-Americans at school, and the southeast Asians were also part of their own crew etc., all my friends were Korean American, or east Asian… But when we all played football together, did practice, played games etc.… we would all sing the same ridiculous songs on the school bus, breaking windows on the bus, etc.

Sports teams eliminate race.

Jewish-Americans

Also, a very formative thing that I did was Boy Scouts; becoming an Eagle Scout, etc. Also here… all notions of race, religion whatever was erased; I remember that my scoutmaster was Jewish Jewish American, and his two sons were all in scouts with me would wear the little Hat, and I never knew what it really was, but I never really hated on it.

And also, I remember the Levee brothers; also two boisterous Jewish American kids, Ariel and Jamie, And once again, I didn’t even know what antisemitism was until I went to college?

We are all American

Anyways, my grand vision is that being American should be more of a nationality, more of a nation state thing, rather than a racial thing.

For example, the genius of Rome, was that as long as you paid taxes, you were Roman. It didn’t matter if you were from Spain, like Seneca the younger, who I named my own son after, Seneca was not a Spaniard — he was a Roman. 

Also, I have more in common with Kendrick Lamar who grew up to E-40, than I ever did with any Korean person I met in South Korea.

Also some funny nuances; I have far more connections with somebody I meet up in the bay area, in the 90s, doesn’t matter if they are Latino or black or whatever…

Even Southern California, LA South Koreans; they are different from me. 

As long as you grew up to underground rap, the Bay Area high E-40 hyphy movement, if you know who Keak da sneak is, if you know how to go stupid dumb and hyphy yellow bus retarded, if you over owned a pair of all white K-Swiss tennis shoes in high school, and just wore white T-shirts and dark blue denim, and never owned a pair of shorts until you’re late 20s… then you are with me.

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John Wick would like bitcoin

A very interesting scene, and also in the universe of John Wick; it is a world beyond money. For example, in the universe of John Wick, money is just like these gold coins, which are used to gain access, trade favors, clean up messy dead bodies, to protect or guard things, or for people to take a hit at somebody.

For example, when John Wick wants to get into the secret club, he has to insert a single golden coin, very much like putting a coin in some sort of arcade machine.

Also, when John Wick is first seeking revenge in the first film, and he opens up his war chest… It is all guns ammo and gold coins. No US dollars, no Fiat currency.

Why bitcoin is the way

I recently sold all of my Tesla stock, and purchased micro strategy stock instead (MSTR). Why? Some convincing arguments from michael saylor:

 first, product cycles. Certainly for the most part, purchasing Apple stock is a good idea, however, who knows if the iPhone 35 pro will be any good?

Also, CEO; let it say that one day, Elon Musk totally left Tesla. And no longer had any affiliations with Tesla. If this were the case, Tesla would not be worth anything.

I think the genius about bitcoin is that it is a religion. Satoshi, is essentially this metaphorical Jesus speaker, the savior, and he disappears forever. With any other crypto asset, Ethereum and Vitalik or even chainlink and Sergey; as long as you have a central spokesperson, a CEO, a president or a leader, a charismatic individual… You will not last.

For example, one of the very interesting things that I learn from my political sociology class at UCLA as an undergraduate with Mark Jepsen was that nations or nation states that are led by charismatic individuals don’t last. Once the leader dies off, there is no longer any vision.

For example the genius of America, is that even if we have a few bad apples, the whole thing will still chug along OK. Let us consider that after Mao Zedong died, after Ho Chi Minh died, both mainland China and Vietnam has slowly and surely started to delve into capitalism… The dominant world system.

In fact, that is consider that seems that 80% of the Chinese economy is still dependent on America. And essentially, the CNY, is pegged to the US dollar; because there are capital controls in order from the Chinese government, in Chinese mainland Chinese individuals cannot take their wealth out of the country, especially when they prefer to buy property and live in Vancouver Canada instead… It is a strong signal that duh , America’s on top.

Even though if you had currency is weak, America is still the strongest Fiat currency on the planet. I recently talked to a woman who just got her green card from Beirut Lebanon, and she told me that the whole lira thing is a mess;  that people prefer to just hold and trade US dollars instead.

Even when I visited Cuba, even though they have the local Cuban dollar currency, still at end of the day, things are priced in US dollars.

After the US dollar, all other currencies, nobody wants them. Nobody wants the euro, too much chaos in Europe. Nobody wants the pound, Britain’s isolationist policies make it the next Japan, they will still stagger on but will slowly become irrelevant, nobody wants a Korean won — their population is dying off, and it seems that the greatest market for new Hyundai cars are actually in the states, nobody wants the Japanese yen, once again their birth rate is practically zero now. Nobody wants Chinese yuan — I don’t know any non-Chinese person who would prefer using WeChat, we pay, or a Huawei phone.

As long as rich mainland Chinese people prefer to use an iPhone Pro over a Huawei phone, America will always be on top. 

Election cycle predictions 

I’m voting for our Kamala Harris, because she has more aligned with my ethical beliefs, even though she will lose. I’m almost 99.99% certain that Donald Trump win.

The good news is that Donald Trump is very pro bitcoin, bitcoin mining etc.; so after Donald Trump gets elected, after the dust settles… Your bitcoin value will blossom.

Even if bitcoin and crypto goes through another bear market, which eventually it will… Still, the US economy will be stronger under Donald Trump than Kamala Harris.

If anything, of Joe Biden stepping down and having Kamala Harris rotten instead is like the final hail Mary – and I have played enough high school football to know that Hail Mary’s never work 99.999% of the time. The only time a Hail Mary will work in an American football game is almost never; you only hear about it when you watch random TV clips, or YouTube videos, but I think the chance of a Hail Mary working is practically zero. 

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So what is in your locus of control?

So I think the big thing to note here is that the stoic way is simple:

What is in your locus of control, what isn’t?

Politics, climate change, dual politics, etc. are not in your control.

What is in your control? Your own individual behaviors, what you write about to friends family and on the Internet, whether you decide to use social media or not, your own individual actions, and also… Your own individual non-action; what you decide not to do. 

For example, it seems that the words you refrain from, what you decide not to say, is more telling than what you decide to say.

Another stoic strategy; when you hear something which is very puzzling to you, restrain responding immediately… It works 99.9% of the time.

silence is golden, speaking intelligently is silver.

Nobody wants silver.

Just focus on one thing?

Spartans only focused on one thing; freedom. 

The lame thing about America is you have a bunch of these fake ass patriots, waving Trump flags, we have never done any military service. Freedom is not free, or live free or die.

The general ethos is that it is true… Freedom is not free. But what is the opposite of free? Skin and soul in the game; actually being on the front lines of something.

For example, I have a simple rule; you’re not allowed to talk about freedom or whatever or is some sort of fake ass patriot chest thumping flag waving coward, if you have never served military duty, or at least have done Boy Scouts and know how to properly fold a flag!

Also, if you really want to be conservative or Republican or whatever, the simple news is don’t watch Fox News, or any news.

Could be told, both sides are foolish. The left the right the center the moderates whatever… You gotta think like an individual. This means removing all news from your brain, all news which is run on advertising is toxic.

I have another big idea news agencies, website individual bloggers, magazines etc. except payments in bitcoin and Satoshi, no advertising.

The truth is as long as something is supported by advertising, the low-key bias will be to make it more sensationalist, less connected with reality, in order to get more eyeballs in order to make more advertising dollars.

Are there any newsies which do not run on advertising? No.

As a consequence, trust no news but yourself.

Where to get your news? 

ironically enough, maybe the best place to get your news is through intentional propaganda government portals, like going to the official US military defense.gov website, because you could smell the propaganda more critically.

Propaganda, propaganda, propagate just means to spread something. The French use the word propaganda, not in the evil way as we Americans think, propaganda just means to spread something.

and once again, realize that all is toxic, all news is bad. Injecting news into your brain and soul is almost like injecting type two diabetes into a healthy individual.

News is like type two diabetes for your soul.

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Spartan theory?

To sum up, the spartan way simple: live like a spartan, like the hungry wolf, invest all of your money and earnings and into bitcoin, have at least one kid, derive your pleasure enjoy another human beings, conversation, love and charity, through physical activity exercise, Risky weightlifting, being outside in nature the greet outdoors, and think exposure;

Unless you got real exposure to something, you aren’t permitted to say nothing.

ERIC

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Don’t opine about something you’re not invested in 

Put your money where your mouth is, or don’t put your mouth where your money is not.

***

Film club

Required watching for any aspiring Spartan Stoic is all of the John Wick movies, the movie 300, the matrix movie, maybe Blade Runner? I prefer the second one. 

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EK BOOK CLUB

The sayings of Spartans, just Google it. Also, all of the books have Seneca, all of his letters. Also the meditations by Marcus Aurelius, and honestly all of the stoic thinkers are good.

Nietzsche, all of his books.

NASSIM TALEB– all of his books.  

Interview, podcast club

All of the interviews and podcasts in YouTube series by Michael Saylor , michael.com, or hope.com 

Economic theory

All economic theory is bad. The best is to just read the Iliad, think about the ancient Greeks about their life before money was invented. 

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The Spartan Investor

We knew Spartans, we will inherit the earth.

Some thoughts about investing;

First, I’ve always been interested in passionate about investing, ever since I was in high school. I still remember my high school science math teacher, Dr. Ahmed, reverse told me about mutual funds back in high school, and told me this unorthodox strategy that I should claim being emancipated minor, Being able to borrow some money, in essentially, use that money to invest in an aggressive mutual fund. And this was junior year of high school, I think I was 16. 

Somehow I did get my hands on some money, maybe like $1000? Or $1200, or $1600? Anyways, somehow I was able to create an investing account when I was 16, my junior year, and I invested in the one thing that I knew was very important, adobe, which made Photoshop, which I knew was very important because I pirated Photoshop as a kid, and I used it to create all of my images on my computer. I also invested some money into a mutual fund, and even the course of maybe two years, I saw the value of my stock in my mutual fund holding go up? I think I might have realized a $600 or $800 gain, and I was overjoyed!

Fast-forward a bit, into college… I realize when I was in college I was able to take out some student loans, and I use some of that money to invest in the market, while I was still in school, my sophomore year. I suppose I was 19 at the time?

Anyways, very stressful; I will check market prices, on my laptop, note this was before the iPhone existed, and it was very stressful. I would see the price go up a little little bit, and I was overjoyed, full of euphoria, and then I would see the price go down, and I would feel my stomach shrink.

Anyways, from the age of 19, I had to learn how to control my emotions, something part of my early stoic training. And also, getting into trading penny stocks my senior year, in which I accidentally misread the financials for an oil company, that when I thought they were making a profit, they were actually losing money because they would put the financials in parentheses, which I did not know at the time meant to loss. so I suppose my knowledge was good, but I miss read the information, and therefore I saw my life savings of maybe $3200 go to zero. As a 20, 21 year old, this is horrific.

Anyways, I still think I had some good intelligence. I remember during the subprime mortgage meltdown, I saw the price of Ford go almost to five dollars a share,  and I saw blockbuster about to go bankrupt. I knew that Ford was a good long-term investment because I knew that Ford would recover in the long-term, and also I knew that blockbuster would go to zero because Netflix was the future. I think the only problem at the time was at the time I didn’t have any access to, as I think I already lost all my money.

Skin in the game

So this is a big thing; being an armchair investor versus being a real Spartan investor, somebody with skin in the game, with their own personal money in the game.

 for example, I think being a personal private investor, investing your own harder money is critical here; because that was your soul time energy over many hard hard years of your life.

For example, I think about the decade plus in which I taught workshops, I worked hard to do much research, all the thousands of dollars I spent on Photobooks, writing reviews articles blog posts, videos, etc.… Writing books, making presets giving it away for free etc — essentially the best way to think about money is it is your time force energy energy life soul energy imputed into some sort of concrete things; let us say that it is solidified into a single US dollar.

However the biggest issue here is that Fiat currency, the US dollar, is like an iPhone battery. That slowly but surely, it slowly drains and loses charge. 

For example, everybody knows that if you take an iPhone or a laptop, and you just let us sit on your desk for a month without charging it, it will naturally die, even if it was turned 100% off.

Also a problem with batteries and recharging; if you permanently keep it charging all the time, I think also the battery loses the ability to retain charge, and the maximum capacity of the battery loses charges as well.

For example, my 2017 MacBook Pro, 13 inch touch bar space gray, which I bought for about $2000 maxed out refurbished at the time… I think the battery of it only last about five or 10 minutes now before shutting off.

I also heard the same thing with Tesla cars — if you just let it sit, and don’t charge it every single day… Slowly it will lose charge. I suppose this is the upside of having a gasoline powered car, is that oil and petroleum will just sit there, and will not lose charge. Surely there are other things you still gotta worry about like the battery, but still… For the most part oil and gas is more stable than an electric battery and charge.

Anyways, I think the general impetus behind investing is a bit misguided. I think in the past, and also maybe the general idea that people had is “I will invest this amount of money in order for me to gain a return, in order for me to purchase XYZ in the future. For example children are taught of a peaky, you save your allowance and your birthday money in it, so one day in the near future, you could buy a scooter or something.

Butwhat if… We Spartans know that toys are bad? In fact, some things I learned about toys, in raising Seneca: 

1. Superficially legal seem like a good idea, but eventually, Legos are bad. Why? As a parent you got to clean up their mess, and also… When the kid grows up sooner or later you’ll just donate the Legos to another family. The ideal and optimal strategy then is to just play with Legos at the local library on the brick building day, and just leave it there, and go back home.
2. For Seneca’s entire life, I’ve only bought him two toy cars; I think two Lamborghinis, the small hot wheels style. I think we already lost them.
3. Almost by osmosis, kids, whether you like it or not, or gain all of these free toys by orbit. For example when they visit their grandma’s home, or play with cousins or whatever… They will pick up random toy cars here and there. Therefore, the simple ideas that you never have to purchase kids any toys, they will naturally get toys from friends and family, on their birthday holidays etc., even if you are a “anti toy household”.

Are toys bad?

I think so.

Essentially the purpose of a toy for the most part, is some sort of thing to distract your kids while you as a parent to do something else.

And also, the problem and issue with toys is that it doesn’t make them anymore physically strong or capable.

When it comes down to it, the best things to prioritize for your kid is their physical strength, height, muscle mass, ability to climb stuff, run around, be out in nature, go on hikes, have a nice tan for actually being in the sun, Ability to pick up heavy stuff and throw them, etc. Even one of the things I’m very proud of is ever since Seneca was very young, he would be really good at throwing rocks into bodies of water!

Weapons & armor & shields

If we think about the ancient Spartans,  what were their possessions? Simple: their spear and shield, even their sword was kind of more of an accessory piece.

Also, I think according to Pluto, or some of the ancient historians, there are funny quotes like “why are spartan swords so short?” Spartan response: “So we could get close to the enemy”.

Also, one of the most critical things about being a spartan was your shield; the reason why the hunchback was not allowed to fight along the spartan army was because he could not raise his shield, and the critical thing about being a spartan was the ability to defend the man next to you.

Even when you consider the final duel or fight between Achilles and Hector, I think it comes down to throwing spears, at a distance, and having the other party defend themselves with their shield.

Helmets were also critical because there were many times in which having the right shield actually defended you from death.

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Defense?

So my first Spartan economic thought is that the purpose of money is more of an economic shield, barrier, buffer, or armor to prevent you from working like a slave.

The purpose of money isn’t to buy stuff, purchase a home, buy super things, purchase a vehicle etc.… But rather, via negativa; for you not to work.

As long as you got a job, a boss, a steady paycheck… You are not free. 

Also, as long as you got a mortgage on your home, payments on your car, and any sort of debt or obligations… Once again you are also not free.

All debt is bad debt

More recently I thought I’ve been towing with is in regards to the notion of debt; for example what some institutional investors do is take on debt to purchase things, property, bitcoin like Michael Saylor and micro strategy, in order to purchase more assets, in the promise that it will grow in the future.

I’m starting to think, maybe could work for the corporations, institutions etc.… But maybe this kind of leverage is not a good idea for us private investors, because it could cause dumb, and also cause you to lose your freedom.

The goal

1. NOT have a job
2. NOT have debt
3. NOT be employed by anyone else besides you (sole, sole proprietor — number of employees is 0– you are your only employee).

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Creating your own new Sparta

What is very interesting about Sparta, Kim Leonidas etc.… Is that the point wasn’t to enslave millions and billions of people, rather, it was to think about committing to your own local population… For example, maybe the Spartan populations was only 10,000 Spartans? And they had about 50,000 helots till the land?

A big thought: it seems that the modern day individual loves to complain critique and hate on everything, hit on global policies, politics, individuals, music, media, iPhones and social media, whatever. Whenever people talk about global warming, carbon levels, carbon footprint whatever… Typically I see a lot of these people are either single, maybe they own a dog, certainly children and kids.

In fact, the lamest thought that kids contribute most to the carbon footprint of the planet… My ongoing theory is that these people are just humanity haters; just want to take their dog to the grave with them?

Who knows, perhaps your kid, or some other kid who is born today is going to be the one who solves pollution on the planet; who creates a solar power pan all that is 1 billion times more effective, or invent some sort of nuclear power vision Energy generator that could fit in your back pocket?

---

Anyways, my simple thought is rather than complaining and critiquing about society whatever… More effective to just become the change in which you wish to see manifested in the world, and also a big thing; have kids! Your own micro society, create your own cultural values, and insanely Spartan, stoic and staunch about it.

For example, I think giving presents and buying toys for kids on their birthday is ridiculous. I believe rather than experiences, tight. Therefore for my niece Amelia and Benji, I don’t think I’ve ever bought them any toys on their birthday or on any holidays. What I do instead is take them rockclimbing with me and Cindy, and also when I’m just with them… I just play with them! I leave my Phone in my glove compartment of my car, and I just run around with them!

I remember Amelia saying a year or two ago saying “I miss Samchon ERIC,… Because he is the only one who plays with me”…

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How to raise your kids

I think in today’s world of hedonism and indulgence, the thought is to raise, train, and breed your kid to be craters, in invaders, Spartan Stoics, with maximum physical capability, 100% carnivore died, with extreme vigor, play and joyfulness.

For example, would you give your kid heroin? Certainly not. Then don’t shove kids in front of their face, or Disney+ or whatever when you just want them to stop crying. Let them confront their own emotions, explain things to them, let them cry it out; give them a kiss on their forehead if they fell on their head, and the big thing; don’t let any other loser adults punk your kid around.

In fact, I’m starting to think more and more… Perhaps I should become more aggressive, more of an asshole parent. For example, I’ve been on a bit of a rampage in which to not smoke in public places, when I’m with Seneca. Even though they might give me a dirty look, or even if I might feel bad about it… This is what a true Spartan would do. Essentially you take the brunt of badness, bad emotions whatever… And defend your kid, defend your wife, defend your family.

When to attack?

Also, I think America could learn a thing or two about Sparta; for the most part, think America should just stop meddling in the business of other nations, other nation states, even if we want to maintain some sort of world peace for the interest of America.

For example, America needs to stop waging positive war. The only good use of military is defense. America needs to be well positioned in such a way that if anyone attacks us, we could defend ourselves. But I think ethically, America should not wage preemptive attacks on other nations and other nation states, in order for us to be like Machiavelli’s prince; the idea that often to defend oneself, you have to preemptively attack.

I think this is also the thing that is so ridiculous about gun ownership in America, all these loser notions of “self-defense “. Everyone always wants a gun on them, because they are afraid of being shot or being attacked. And I think some people shoot another person preemptively, because they fear their life is in danger danger or whatever.

But, the law is, you are never allowed to shoot first. The only time you pull out your gun or whatever and start shooting is one the other person has already shot you, or has already shot something in the environment.

Maybe the only new ones is if that person has gunpoint to your kid or whatever… Then you headshot him in the head. But besides this, don’t be a pussy.

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The stoic Spartan investing strategy

Lib Spartan. Essentially somebody who glorifies themselves under their own human body, their own physical strength, just think about how your muscles, your shoulders your back and your traps are.

No dogs, no cats, no animals. Only children.

Ensure that you have at least one son to continue the family name. 

Perhaps foolishness is a virtue?

I’m also starting to think, being mad, being a madman is a virtue. Anybody who focused is too much on security, safety, prudence and rationality is a wimp.

Good for your wife, do it for your family, be a true mensch.

Throw your cares and concerns into the tailwind, burn all your bridges, burn your ships behind you, don’t look back. Only forward.

what type of money would Spartans prefer?

Historically, the ancient Spartans would abolish money. Because they know that money corrupts.

I think one of the earliest Spartan legislators, Lycurgus, essentially made the law in which he converted all money into huge stone, which were essentially impossible, maybe it was made of iron etc. made accumulation of wealth so cumbersome, people eventually stopped chasing wealth for the sake of it. 

Mandatory military duty?

I was always an anti-military, but now as an adult… I’m starting to see the virtues.

For example, in South Korea, all men are required to do a mandatory two year military service, even StarCraft players and BTS members are not exempt.

The good thing about this, as well as Singapore… It built a sense of nationhood and camaraderie between men. Even one of my friends, Andrew, a professor I think he did some sort of part-time Navy officer reserve training when he was getting his PhD… And he said something like “I think if there was some sort of military duty amongst Americans, there would be a lot less divide and conflict”. I also agree.

Probably the most anti-racist training that I ever got in high school was accidentally; playing high school American football. Essentially, I was thrown in all rainbows of races; African-American, Latino, southeast Asian, east Asian, Caucasian etc. There was a strong sense of brotherhood, and everybody supported one another. And for the most part, we put aside all of our differences and our cliques.

For example, I remember some of the white guys who are hefty lineman, I think they were into Cowboys and rodeos and wearing cowboy hats whatever, and African-American kids would just hang out with other African-Americans at school, and the southeast Asians were also part of their own crew etc., all my friends were Korean American, or east Asian… But when we all played football together, did practice, play games etc.… We would all sing the same ridiculous songs on the school bus, breaking Windows, etc. 

Also, a very formative thing that I did was Boy Scouts; becoming an Eagle Scout, etc. Also here… All notions of race, religion whatever was erased; I remember that my scoutmaster was Jewish Jewish American, and his two sons were all in scouts with me would wear the little Hat, and I never knew what it really was, but I never really hated on it.

And also, I remember the Levee brothers; also two boisterous Jewish American kids, Ariel and Jamie, And once again, I didn’t even even know what antisemitism was until I went to college?

Anyways, my grand vision is that being American should be more of a nationality, more of a nation state thing, rather than a racial thing.

For example, the genius of Rome, was that as long as you paid taxes, you were Roman. It didn’t matter if you were from Spain, like Seneca the younger, who I named my own son after, Seneca was not a Spaniard — he was a Roman. 

Also, I have more in common with Kendrick Lamar grew up to E-40, then I ever did with any Korean person I met in South Korea.

Also some funny nuances; I have far more connections with somebody I meet up in the bay area, in the 90s, doesn’t matter if there are Latino or black or whatever…

Even Southern California, LA South Koreans; they are different from me. 

As long as you grew up to underground rap, the Bay Area high E-40 movement, if you know who Keak da sneak is, if you know how to go stupid dumb and hyphy yellow bus retarded, if you over owned a pair of all white case Swiss tennis shoes in high school, and just wore white T-shirts and dark blue denim, and never owned a pair of shorts until you’re late 20s… Then you are with me.

John Wick would like bitcoin

A very interesting scene, and also in the universe of John Wick; it is a world beyond money. For example, in the universe of John Wick, money is just like these gold coins, which are used to gain access, trade favors, clean up messy dead bodies, to protect or guard things, or for people to take a hit at somebody.

For example, when John Wick wants to get into the secret club, he has to insert a single golden coin, very much like putting a coin in some sort of arcade machine.

Also, when John Wick is first seeking revenge in the first film, and he opens up his war chest… It is all guns ammo and gold coins. No US dollars, no Fiat currency.

Why bitcoin is the way

I recently sold all of my Tesla stock, and purchased micro strategy stock instead (MSTR). Why? Some convincing arguments from michael saylor:

 first, product cycles. Certainly for the most part, purchasing Apple stock is a good idea, however, who knows if the iPhone 35 pro will be any good?

Also, CEO; let it say that one day, Elon Musk totally left Tesla. And no longer had any affiliations with Tesla. If this were the case, Tesla would not be worth anything.

I think the genius about bitcoin is that it is a religion. Satoshi, is essentially this metaphorical Jesus speaker, the savior, and he disappears forever. With any other crypto asset, Ethereum and Vitalik or even chainlink and Sergey; as long as you have a central spokesperson, a CEO, a president or a leader, a charismatic individual… You will not last.

For example, one of the very interesting things that I learn from my political sociology class at UCLA as an undergraduate with Mark Jepsen was that nations or nation states that are led by charismatic individuals don’t last. Once the leader dies off, there is no longer any vision.

For example the genius of America, is that even if we have a few bad apples, the whole thing will still chug along OK. Let us consider that after Mao Zedong died, after Ho Chi Minh died, both mainland China and Vietnam has slowly and surely started to delve into capitalism… The dominant world system.

In fact, that is consider that seems that 80% of the Chinese economy is still dependent on America. And essentially, the CNY, is pegged to the US dollar; because there are capital controls in order from the Chinese government, in Chinese mainland Chinese individuals cannot take their wealth out of the country, especially when they prefer to buy property and live in Vancouver Canada instead… It is a strong signal that duh , America’s on top.

Even though if you had currency is weak, America is still the strongest Fiat currency on the planet. I recently talked to a woman who just got her green card from Beirut Lebanon, and she told me that the whole lira thing is a mess;  that people prefer to just hold and trade US dollars instead.

Even when I visited Cuba, even though they have the local Cuban dollar currency, still at end of the day, things are priced in US dollars.

After the US dollar, all other currencies, nobody wants them. Nobody wants the euro, too much chaos in Europe. Nobody wants the pound, Britain’s isolationist policies make it the next Japan, they will still stagger on but will slowly become irrelevant, nobody wants a Korean won — their population is dying off, and it seems that the greatest market for new Hyundai cars are actually in the states, nobody wants the Japanese yen, once again their birth rate is practically zero now. Nobody wants Chinese yuan — I don’t know any non-Chinese person who would prefer using WeChat, we pay, or a Huawei phone.

As long as rich mainland Chinese people prefer to use an iPhone Pro over a Huawei phone, America will always be on top. 

Election cycle predictions 

I’m voting for our Kamala Harris, because she has more aligned with my ethical beliefs, even though she will lose. I’m almost 99.99% certain that Donald Trump win.

The good news is that Donald Trump is very pro bitcoin, bitcoin mining etc.; so after Donald Trump gets elected, after the dust settles… Your bitcoin value will blossom.

Even if bitcoin and crypto goes through another bear market, which eventually it will… Still, the US economy will be stronger under Donald Trump than Kamala Harris.

If anything, of Joe Biden stepping down and having Kamala Harris rotten instead is like the final hail Mary – and I have played enough high school football to know that Hail Mary’s never work 99.999% of the time. The only time a Hail Mary will work in an American football game is almost never; you only hear about it when you watch random TV clips, or YouTube videos, but I think the chance of a Hail Mary working is practically zero. 

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So what is in your locus of control?

So I think the big thing to note here is that the stoic way is simple:

What is in your locus of control, what isn’t?

Politics, climate change, dual politics, etc. are not in your control.

What is in your control? Your own individual behaviors, what you write about to friends family and on the Internet, whether you decide to use social media or not, your own individual actions, and also… Your own individual non-action; what you decide not to do. 

For example, it seems that the words you refrain from, what you decide not to say, is more telling than what you decide to say.

Another stoic strategy; when you hear something which is very puzzling to you, restrain responding immediately… It works 99.9% of the time.

silence is golden, speaking intelligently is silver.

Nobody wants silver.

Just focus on one thing?

Spartans only focused on one thing; freedom. 

The lame thing about America is you have a bunch of these fake ass patriots, waving Trump flags, we have never done any military service. Freedom is not free, or live free or die.

The general ethos is that it is true… Freedom is not free. But what is the opposite of free? Skin and soul in the game; actually being on the front lines of something.

For example, I have a simple rule; you’re not allowed to talk about freedom or whatever or is some sort of fake ass patriot chest thumping flag waving coward, if you have never served military duty, or at least have done Boy Scouts and know how to properly fold a flag!

Also, if you really want to be conservative or Republican or whatever, the simple news is don’t watch Fox News, or any news.

Could be told, both sides are foolish. The left the right the center the moderates whatever… You gotta think like an individual. This means removing all news from your brain, all news which is run on advertising is toxic.

I have another big idea news agencies, website individual bloggers, magazines etc. except payments in bitcoin and Satoshi, no advertising.

The truth is as long as something is supported by advertising, the low-key bias will be to make it more sensationalist, less connected with reality, in order to get more eyeballs in order to make more advertising dollars.

Are there any newsies which do not run on advertising? No.

As a consequence, trust no news but yourself.

Where to get your news? 

ironically enough, maybe the best place to get your news is through intentional propaganda government portals, like going to the official US military defense.gov website, because you could smell the propaganda more critically.

Propaganda, propaganda, propagate just means to spread something. The French use the word propaganda, not in the evil way as we Americans think, propaganda just means to spread something.

and once again, realize that all is toxic, all news is bad. Injecting news into your brain and soul is almost like injecting type two diabetes into a healthy individual.

News is like type two diabetes for your soul.

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Spartan theory?

To sum up, the spartan way simple: live like a spartan, like the hungry wolf, invest all of your money and earnings and into bitcoin, have at least one kid, derive your pleasure enjoy another human beings, conversation, love and charity, through physical activity exercise, Risky weightlifting, being outside in nature the greet outdoors, and think exposure;

Unless you got real exposure to something, you aren’t permitted to say nothing.

ERIC

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Don’t opine about something you’re not invested in 

Put your money where your mouth is, or don’t put your mouth where your money is not.

***

Film club

Required watching for any aspiring Spartan Stoic is all of the John Wick movies, the movie 300, the matrix movie, maybe Blade Runner? I prefer the second one. 

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EK BOOK CLUB

The sayings of Spartans, just Google it. Also, all of the books have Seneca, all of his letters. Also the meditations by Marcus Aurelius, and honestly all of the stoic thinkers are good.

Nietzsche, all of his books.

NASSIM TALEB– all of his books.  

Interview, podcast club

All of the interviews and podcasts in YouTube series by Michael Saylor , michael.com, or hope.com 

Economic theory

All economic theory is bad. The best is to just read the Iliad, think about the ancient Greeks about their life before money was invented. 

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How to deal with the high price of living:

Some quick thoughts:

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First, it seems that everyone loves to complain about the high cost-of-living. When they talk about this… What do they really mean to say?

First, there are certain nonnegotiables you must do, like feed yourself. No matter how rich intelligent or wise you are, if you don’t feed yourself yourself you will die.

However the nuance; playing defense, and also realizing that a lot of things are negotiable.

Your options

For example, you must eat, but it is not an imperative that you must eat out at a restaurant or order takeout.

Or another thing — it is illegal to be naked out in public, but the funny nuance is as a man, legally you are not forced to wear a shirt in public, that is technically optional. You only gotta put on a shirt when you go inside a private business or restaurant or establishment. But if you are out in public, then, shirts are optional.

Big deal, because the funny thing about clothing is that it could be essentially free, people seem to like to give away free clothes, or it could be insanely expensive, in fashion and fashion it is not uncommon to purchase a $300 white T-shirt.

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2010 Prius is the way

Second, your vehicle. If you live in LA, I suppose you don’t really need a car; actually, you could probably get by by just using Uber, walking, public transportation, the bus, the metro. However it is true that if you want to improve the quality of your life, having a car is superior, because you could do stuff like go hiking, go to nature, drive to other public libraries, science centers etc.

However the nuance with cars is that once again, it could be however cheap or expensive you want it to be. 

For example, if you live in LA, by far the most intelligent option is to own a Prius, a hybrid vehicle, etc. Why?

The funny realization; the other day I just went to Arco and filled up my 2010 Prius from zero to the max, maybe it only cost me $38. And I looked at my odometer thing, and it said that a full tank I guess would be 410 miles of range! This struck me as very funny, as that is technically 10 miles more range even than the Tesla model S! 
So wait … let us do the math:

I inherited the 2010 Prius from Cindy‘s family for free, put $2800 to purchase a new catalytic converter, $2000 for a new automatic braking system … essentially a “brand new” car for only $4800! And what is insanely great is that the Prius was purchased brand new by Cindy‘s older sister in 2010, maybe when it comes around $30,000 or something, and so because it kept itself in the family, we know that it was not used and abused, and the maintenance was super spot on, always maintained properly, never used and abused. Also, we actually had the Prius for about two years when Cindy and I lived in Berkeley, I think we actually ended up finishing off the finance payments on it as well.

Not only that, but due to a recall, Cindy‘s younger sister actually got the whole Prius repainted with brand new blizzard pearl, sparkly tri tone white paint! Cindy recently got a quick detailing Maguire spray from the Facebook buy nothing group, and after putting it on, the paint on it is insanely beautiful, especially when the bright sun is out! 

I think this is where I still like beautiful paint on a car, rather than the current modern trendy approach with matte black, matte black vinyl 3M wraps, or even these boring concrete gray colored cars; really beautiful paint on a car after you wax it is insanely beautiful!

For example my neighbor has a brand new Porsche 718 cayman in the concrete grey color, which I find very boring as a color. In direct light, the blizzard pearl on the Prius looks 1 million times more beautiful! Why? When you look closely… You could see the tiny speckles of purple pink and blue inside the white blizzard pearl;

Beautiful paint jobs

Also, when I am on the road, I think actually the most beautiful paint I have seen on cars is probably on Lexus vehicles, for example Lexus has this really beautiful silver atomic color that they put on some of their vehicles, and even the brand new Lexus RX in silver looks insanely beautiful! Similarly speaking, the darker silver color looks great on the IS 250 cars. 

Even though I love Tesla and Elon Musk to death, in terms of supreme and the most high quality, Lexus is the way. For example, what is the most important part of a car, in terms of the design? I say it is the back of the car, which you always look at, as well as the driver side door, whenever you enter and exit your vehicle. 

For example, on the Lexus LS cars, the detailing the side mirror trim, the door side trim, the door handles on the Lexus LS series is so well crafted, and beautiful. Even though I love the Tesla cars, honestly if you look really really carefully at Tesla cars, look closely, The trim actually looks very very cheap. And feels cheap.

Even on the Tesla model Y, something I was so shocked about when test driving Cindy’s dad’s Tesla model Y, was the rear passenger door window thing; it is literally wiggling so hard that it looks like it will fall off!

I then suppose there is a contradiction of quality here;

There are certain things which we think is very very high-quality in terms of branding, our minds, etc.… Then there tends to be a little bit more objective reality at play, which you cannot really understand until you have seen and touched it yourself in real life. 

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Expenses?

So back to the whole issue of the cost-of-living;

First, delete all subscriptions. Unsubscribe from everything.

Delete and unsubscribe from all of your music and TV and show and film streaming services, and also depending on your situation… Cancel your gym membership. I think the gym membership is good if you go there every single day, it is not too trafficky to get there, and you can get in and out quick, and also you don’t have to wait for equipment. Otherwise, it seems wise to start investing in building your own home gym; why? Time. I have probably recovered at least 2 to 3 hours a day by not going to my local gym, as I could skip all of the lines by simply working out on myself, in my ghetto backyard, parking lot gym.

Also a funny thing that I have discovered is that ever since I have been working out at home, I think I have become a little bit more honest. What does that mean? Now that I no longer have anybody to impress, literally for myself, nobody else. So all the exercises I do is truly for myself.

Suckered by “quality”?

Also a very big issue here; I think we often think about this abstract notion of “quality”, but what does that really mean?

First, it seems that the most objective measure here is durability. What does durability mean? That’s something will last a long time!

Typically durability has to deal with hardness, but I think hardness is simply means of something to last a long time.

For example, durability, duration; all the same thing.

I haven’t come up with a good definition of “quality” yet, but it seems that this notion of quality needs to be re-examined.

Amazon, Amazon prime, Amazon fresh?

How long until you could purchase a home on Amazon prime? Or purchase a car through Amazon prime? 

A recent discovery that Cindy and I found is Amazon fresh. Interestingly enough, I think it is actually cheaper and more convenient and time saving than Costco!

I’ll get example; for some reason whenever we go to Costco, it is easy that we drop 500 or $600 on a bunch of random stuff. But Amazon, Amazon fresh is much more targeted, almost like a precision laser strike; you only select items you want from the Amazon app, and then you pick it up, either curbside, or you just go in store and just ask the friendly people there that you’re picking up. Or, you could subscribe to the Amazon fresh thing, which is only $10 a month, and you could just have it delivered straight to your door!

Jeff Bezos said something interesting, which was essentially “We want to make it so that by not having Amazon prime, you are doing something financially irresponsible”.

Also with clothing, my younger sister Annette Kim has recently been buying all of her clothes on Amazon, and I am shocked; it all looks great, and it is like 10% the price of buying stuff at a traditional retailer or a Lululemon etc.

I think what is so interesting about Amazon Amazon prime is that effectively, the goods are all produced by some anonymous factory somewhere in mainland China, and you cut out the middleman which is the publicly listed corporation which is inflating prices to make a profit, let us not forget that Lululemon is a publicly traded corporation, as a result… Cutting out the middleman seems like a good idea.

Certainly Lululemon does a lot of investing in innovating and creating new types of fabrics, which is probably in fact superior to that which you buy on Amazon, but, I suppose the question is if you are purchasing the products just for fashion, then just buying it on Amazon directly makes more sense.

Or I’ll give you another example, a month ago we got invited to a wedding and I realize that I have forgotten where I put my nice dress shoes. So I just went on Amazon, and I ordered these all black, “L run” minimalist zero drop shoes, which only cost me maybe $28! And boom delivered to my door in a day, instead of having to sift through all of these tedious dress shoe brands, which can easily cost you about $200. 

When in doubt, first order it on Amazon prime.

Even with Seneca and his shoes, Cindy just orders the “L Run” kids water shoes ,,, the minimalist essentially slippers for kids… each is only like $10! And when he outgrows it, or gets a hole in it, you could just throw it in the trash. 

Cut out the middleman

Has there been a good film on Stoicism yet?

I think the best we got so far is John Wick; John Wick is probably the uber-stoic.

And then we have the movie 300, also, insanely great.

My ideal film or concept would be if John Wick and 300 had a baby; essentially my only critique about John Wick and Keanu Reeves is that he is too muscularly wimpy; why doesn’t John Wick have a six pack and is insanely buff like king Leonidas and Gerald Butler in the movie 300? Or at least look like something like ERIC KIM? 

Very very simple ways that Hollywood producers and directors you could beef up your actors, without shooting their butt holes full of steroids; 

1. 100% carnivore diet — feed them nothing but the finest bone marrow, beef liver, ribeye steak, beef ribs
2. Have them quit all sugars starches, fruits vegetables, etc. The only non-meat item to eat is arugula or kale or dark leafy bitter greens
3. Have them fast; no breakfast no lunch, only a 4 pound carnivore dinner. This will also be good because it could be productive throughout the whole day, they don’t need breakfast or a lunch break.
4. Extremely heavy one repetition maximum style lifting — “If the bar ain’t bendin, you pretending” – Hugh Jackman, Wolverine

In fact, how much productivity is lost because people have to buy a mediocre $25 salad and sandwich, and waste an hour or 45 minutes or 20 minutes eating lunch? For them to maybe instead, just going on a walk around the block, get a quick pump lift some weights, drink some water, or maybe even take a nap instead.

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Think 30 years ahead

Far seeing:

A big thought I currently have is the notion of trying to think at least 30 years ahead.

Why?

First, if you think 30 years ahead, you gain a lot of clarity to and behind things. 

I suppose one of the greatest blessings of having Seneca, having a kid is now finally… I have a reason, or have an impetus or approach to think long-term ahead.

For example, trying to think about my strength physique and health 30 years from now, as well as the health of Cindy, my mom, Seneca, the whole family empire.

A very very simple idea is keep stacking those bitcoins. I have about 100% certainty that 30 years from now, bitcoin will be a raging win.

I think the hard thing with a lot of people is that they cannot stomach the volatility. However, what I find so fascinating about bitcoin is that it is insanely volatile, but actually not very risky. In fact, I believe bit bitcoin to be the only crypto asset Which actually has zero risk. After bitcoin, all of the other crypto‘s have huge risk and downsides; for example I think Ethereum is a lame duck, the only other crypto worth mentioning is chainlink, but the biggest issue here is that they are to heavily on marketing and PR, which is always a bad sign. Even getting Sergey Nazarov the founder to wear a suit and tie, bad idea. Just let him walk around in his classic blue flannel!

Building something which will last 30 years from now?

There are certain things that you built today which will exist 30 years from now, in certain things… Will no longer be around 30 years from now.

For example, very unlikely that your neighbor will live live in the same apartment building for the next 30 years.

Also, very unlikely that Instagram or TikTok will be around 30 years from now. I think Facebook will still be around 30 years from now, as it is essentially the core product for Facebook and the medical corporation, but beyond that, maybe no.

Apple will still be around 30 years from now, people will still be using iPhones.

Google will still be around 30 years from now.

Amazon will most definitely be around 30 years from now. Same goes with Microsoft.

Websites and blogs will still be around, with the classic HTTPS: and www. and .com domains. I think most apps won’t be around 30 years from now.

Apps will come and go, websites will stay.

Building your own empire for the next 30 years 

Nothing that you buy today, will probably have any utility 30 years from now.

For example, there is no car vehicle thing or truck that will still be trendy or sought after 30 years from now, without dealing with extreme maintenance costs.

Also, I am still not 100% certain about investing in property or real estate; the maintenance cost are too high, as well as vacancy rates, having to rent and manage your property, maintain and paint and fix things, hire staff, pay for taxes and property taxes etc. 

Even right right now, currently I am living in LA, but will I be in LA 30 years from now? Probably not.

So what is ultimately portable you could always take your wealth with you? Bitcoin!

Also let us think about the US dollar and inflation; what will be the price of 30 years from now? A lot. Let us assume that you have $100, and you save it in a safe somewhere,  what will be its purchasing power 30 years from now? Maybe 30 years from now, $100 will buy you a burger and a soda?

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What does it mean to be a stoic investor? 

I think thinking 30 years ahead is the great filter.

For example, all these degenerate millennials, hedonists, and their dogs will all die off, the only people left standing and thriving will be people with kids and families.

First, have kids. At least one, ideally two, also, desirable to have at least one male heir if you are a man.

Second, just think to yourself when it comes to financial economic or just like decisions… “What would king Leonidas do, say, or think?”

For example, if I had a King Leonidas ChatGPT bot, just ask him, in regards to any purchasing decisions… should I do it, should I not do it? You already know what he will say! 

–> “King Leonidas… Should I buy that Tesla, that cybertruck, that Tesla model 3 performance, the Tesla model S plaid, the Porsche, the Porsche 911, the Porsche 911 GT 3 RS?”

King Leonidas would say:

“Only women drive vehicles”– a true man would only engage in hand-to-hand combat, no chariots, no horses, no vehicles. 

Actually this is really really fascinating, if you think about it, go back to the Iliad, Achilles versus Hector. Essentially when it comes down to it, Achilles is just chasing around Hector, ready to kill him, no chariot.

And also, if you think about the Iliad, and also the Spartan 300s; they don’t even use horses! 

Subtraction?

Typically the entire economy thrives on addition. For example you positively add, produce things goods product services etc.… And people positively purchase, and add it to their homes their wardrobes etc. 

For example, let us consider and think about the closet of the average American or individual; just count it out… How many shirts, pants, socks, jackets, shoes do you own?

And also… What other random stuff have you screenshot it on your phone that you might like to buy in the near future?

Or let us stay with cars and vehicles… If you became a billionaire, cars would you like to purchase and add to your garage?

Or if you are a homeowner, what new appliances would you like to purchase or upgrade in your home, or how would you like to renovate your home?

This issue here is it is all additive; we always try to add something, rather than thinking about subtraction.

Why isn’t subtraction in vogue?

The issue is that first, I think people lack the experience the wisdom or the critical thinking in regards to subtraction.

Also, my personal theory is whenever you purchase something, there is a small power rush. When you purchase something or add something to your store house, it makes you feel more powerful.

For example, why is it that king Priam had 1000 oxen, and wanted 10,000 more, even though he could never eat or consume all of that oxen? Because with wealth and power … Typically speaking… More is better.

Put in today’s world, more is worse. The more stuff you buy, the more stuff you have to maintain manage, organize etc.

For example, even if you have more than one vehicle, you have to think about maintaining more than one vehicle, a massive pain in the ass.

For example, I often see my brother-in-law he has a Toyota 4 runner and Toyota sienna hybrid, and I often see him have to charge the battery of his 4 runner, because having to maintain two vehicles is a lot of work. 

Also, clothes; the more clothes you purchase, the more you have to manage it. For example I do have certain articles of clothing which I prefer, but I always have to rummage through my random shelf randomly scattered clothing in order to find it.

Or let us say that you own a lot of electronics, or phones or laptops or iPads devices whatever; more crap you have to charge and maintain.

Even properties; imagine that you have property in the south of France, and also a French bank account; and you get locked out of your French bank account, and you have to pay taxes on your property. A big pain in the ass.

True wealth is subtracting duties, obligations, work

Negotium means “neg+otium”– negative leisure or otium.

The ancient Romans and Latin were wise; they knew that any sort of business was bad. They knew that it were required more maintenance, more work, and it was seen as a bad thing to do business, even the word for business is “negotium” which literally means “negative otium”–  anytime spent away from you being able to enjoy your leisure.

The problem is in today’s world and cult of capitalism, work in productivity, we have essentially defied this slave-like notion of work productivity, hard work is a virtue, being busy as a virtue etc.

The ancient Spartans had the helots (peasant slaves) do the dirty work of tilling the lands, maintaining stuff, etc.  Apparently they would even use the helots for target practice.

That, the wise thing to do is to unlearn or to disconnect yourself from this slave-like mentality of work, busyness, duty, responsiveness, responsibility, following up and following through etc.

The only true freeman is only somebody who does not have email installed on their phone. Better yet doesn’t even own a phone. As long as you have to attend to email, you are not free.

If anything, the killer app would just be a ChatGPT email but which automatically answered all your emails for you! Which knew your preferences, etc. And would just do all the work for you!

Even as a risky experiment, would you trust ChatGPT and your inbox? Maybe. 

Big ideas for Apple

Maybe even the next step for Apple intelligence is for Siri or your phone or whatever to automatically respond to your text messages or your iMessages or your emails. This would be the real killer feature.

I think the average worker be maybe spends four hours a day just attending to email. If AI could just do that all for you, and you could save yourself four hours of stress and mental cognitive load day, isn’t this ideal?

---

Subtraction

What is the best way to “upgrade” your home? Not by buying new furniture or whatever… Very simple, just get rid of stuff! Throw old furniture in the trash or put it on the curb or give it away, and subtract dust grime; Vacuum the floors wipe the floors, clean the bathroom and the toilet and the bathtub etc.

Also, a simple thought about clothes; the best clothing is subtractive.

Instead of buying a new outfit, just take the clothes that you already have, and just cut it with scissors! Cut off the sleeves of your T-shirts and make it into a tanktop, or even take your shirts and cut it into a crop top.

Apparently it is even popular for jean shorts now — just take an old pair of jeans and cut off the legs! 

Do people not know that you could just take scissors and cut up your own clothes?

Cameras

Also in the realm of cameras, the best upgrade you could do is actually to reduce file sizes; just shoot JPEG, small or extra small JPEG, and in terms of your lens, the most supreme light compact cheap and pancake lens possible.

Weight is a nonnegotiable.

---

The only real upgrade is reducing size weight

For example, if you want to upgrade your camera, or your camera set up or whatever… The only really empirical thing that you could do is subtract the weight, subtract the size, also subtract the overall footprint of it.

For example, even your automobile car, technically the real upgrade especially when living in Los Angeles or a city is to actually spend money to reduce the size of it?

For example, let us say that you have a Tesla model S plaid, or cybertruck or a Tesla model X, the real upgrade here is to reduce the size of it, in order for it to be a smaller to fit in more parking spots.

If this is the case, then the Tesla model 3 is the perfect car for LA. 

If you want to stick to hybrid for maximum convenience, Prius is the way.

Stoic training

If you want to become more stoic, first you must train your body, the mind will follow.

For example, assuming that you’re sleeping insanely good, 10 hours a night, and you could lift 1000 pounds… Certainly there will be nothing which will be able to stir you.

Or, when I’m walking around town and my 60 pound weight vest, I feel like a beast, a boss, kind of like one of those Pacific Rim robots, armored core, a Titan, Titanic, a giant mech robot, a gundam on steroids? 

In terms of overall physique, and strength and power and mass… I am more Ronnie Coleman than Arnold Schwarzenegger. Granted that Ronnie Coleman juiced out his eyeballs and essentially is now permanently crippled. Not worth it.

> Lift heavy, eat a shitload of meat, sleep like a god

This is my simple formula; first the sleep aspect. I’ve been experimenting a little bit with my sleep set up, now it is summer. The last two nights I slept insanely poorly, which made me feel absolutely horrible for about two days. But finally last night, I slept with the air conditioner on a little bit cooler, I slept like a god.

Without 8 to 10 hours of sleep, you cannot do anything godlike.

In fact, the only three things I care for Seneca is also, that he sleeps 12 hours a night, finishes a whole Angus beef burger patty, and that he has maximum physical activity and exercise and climbing outside. All this stuff on education and learning or whatever… That will come naturally.

You are the special!

Recently from the LA public library in Chinatown… Seneca found the Lego Batman movie, and also the Lego movie, and we watched a little bit of a together, and I think those two films might be on my new list of must watch films.

Why? A little bit of parody and humor and turning things into Legos… Makes you think a lot more big picture.

For example, the Lego movie fun at the matrix, Neo, “the one”– or “the special”. Also, it does a very very good job of critiquing mainstream culture, capitalism, corporations, even better than how fight club did it.

The humorous stoic

Typically when we think about stoicism, we think about dark morose EMO people. But my notion of stoicism is actually much more lighthearted, happy and fun. A stoic with a grand sense of humor, and a belly-full laughter! Dionysian joy. 

---

Takeaway points

1. Think 30 years ahead as a filter
2. Poor is sexy — go for a reverse flex; the richer you become, live a more “poor” lifestyle.
3. Just first buy it on Amazon prime
4. Try out Amazon Fresh for groceries
5. The most gangsta car has the maximum MPG’s!
6. Save money and keep stacking those bitcoins

ERIC

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How to deal with the high price of living

Some quick thoughts:

First, it seems that everyone loves to complain about the high cost-of-living. When they talk about this… What did they really mean to say?

First, there are certain nonnegotiable you must do, like feed yourself. No matter how rich intelligent or wise you are, if you don’t feed yourself yourself you will die.

However the nuance; playing defense, and also realizing that a lot of things are negotiable.

For example, you must eat, but it is not an imperative that you must eat out at a restaurant or order takeout.

Or another thing — search and Lee it is illegal to be naked out in public, but the funny nuance is as a man, legally you are not forced to wear a shirt in public, that is technically optional. You only gotta put on his shirt when you go inside a private business or restaurant or establishment. But if you are out in public, then, shirts are optional.

Big deal, because the funny thing about clothing is that it could be essentially free, people seem to like to give away free clothes, or it could be insanely expensive, in fashion and fashion it is not uncommon to purchase a $300 white T-shirt.

Second, your vehicle. If you live in LA, I suppose you don’t really need a car; actually, you could probably get by by just using Uber, walking, public transportation, the bus, the metro. However it is true that if you want to improve the quality of your life, having a car is Superior, because you could do stuff like go hiking, go to nature, drive to other public libraries, science centers etc.

However the nuance with cars is that once again, it could be however cheap or expensive you want it to be. 

For example, if you live in LA, by far the most intelligent option is to own a Prius, a hybrid vehicle, etc. Why?

The funny realization; the other day I just went to Arco and filled up my 2010 Prius from zero to the max, maybe it only cost me $38. And I looked at my odometer thing, and it said that a full tank I guess would be 410 miles of range! This struck me as very funny, as that is technically 10 miles more range even than the Tesla model S! 

So wait … let us do the math:

I inherited the 2010 Prius from Cindy‘s family for free, put $2800 to purchase a new catalytic converter, $2000 for a new automatic braking system … essentially a “brand new” car for only $4800! And what is insanely great is that the Prius was purchased brand new by Cindy‘s older sister in 2010, maybe when it comes around $30,000 or something, and so because it kept itself in the family, we know that it was not used and abused, and The maintenance was super spot on, always maintained properly, never used and abused. Also, we actually had the Prius for about two years when Cindy and I lived in Berkeley, I think we actually ended up finishing off the finance payments on it as well.

Not only that, but due to a recall, Cindy‘s younger sister actually got the whole Prius repainted with brand new blizzard pearl, sparkly tri tone white paint! Cindy recently got a quick detailing Maguire spray from the Facebook buy nothing group, and after putting it on, the paint on it is insanely beautiful, especially when the bright sun is out! 

I think this is where I still like beautiful paint on a car, rather than the current modern trendy approach with Matt Black, Matt Black vinyl 3M wraps, or even these boring concrete gray colored cars; really beautiful paint on a car after you wax it is insanely beautiful!

For example my neighbor has a brand new Porsche 718 cayman in the concrete grey color, which I find very boring as a color, and indirect light, the blizzard pearl on the Prius looks 1 million times more beautiful! Why? When you look closely… You could see the tiny speckles of purple pink and blue inside the white blizzard pearl;

Also, when you were on the road, I think actually the most beautiful paint I have seen on cars is probably on Lexus vehicles, for example Lexus has this really beautiful silver atomic color that they put on some of their vehicles, and even the brand new Lexus RX in silver looks insanely beautiful! Similarly speaking, the darker silver color looks great on the IS 250 cars. 

Even though I love Tesla and Elon musk to death, in terms of supreme and the most high quality, Lexus is the way. For example, what is the most important part of a car, in terms of the design? I say it is the back of the car, which you always look at, as well as the driver side door, whenever you enter and exit your vehicle. 

For example, on the Lexus LS cars, the detailing the side mirror trim, the door side trim, the door handles on the Lexus LS series is so well crafted, and beautiful. Even though I love the Tesla cars, honestly if you look really really carefully at Tesla cars, look closely, The trim actually looks very very cheap. And feels cheap.

Even on the Tesla model Y, something I was so shocked about when test driving Cindy’s dad’s Tesla model Y, was the rear passenger door window thing; it is literally wiggling so hard that it looks like it will fall off!

I then suppose there is a contradiction of quality here;

There are certain things which we think is very very high-quality in terms of branding, our minds, etc.… Then there tends to be a little bit more objective reality at play, which you cannot really understand until you have seen and touched it yourself in real life. 

---

Expenses?

So back to the whole issue of the cost-of-living;

First, delete all subscriptions. Unsubscribe from everything.

Delete and unsubscribe from all of your music and TV and show and film streaming services, and also depending on your situation… Cancel your gym membership. I think the gym membership is good if you go there every single day, it is not too traffic to get there, and you can get in and out quick, and also you don’t have to wait for equipment. Otherwise, it seems wise to Start investing in building your own home gym; why? Time. I have probably recovered at least 2 to 3 hours a day by not going to my local gym, as I could skip all of the lines by simply working out on myself, in my ghetto backyard, parking lot gym.

Also a funny thing that I have discovered is that ever since I have been working out at home, I think I have become a little bit more honest. What does that mean? Now that I no longer have anybody to impress, literally for myself, nobody else.

Suckered by “quality”?

Also a very big issue here; I think we often think about this abstract notion of “quality”, but what does that really mean?

First, it seems that the most objective measure here is durability. What does durability mean? That’s something will last a long time!

Typically durability has to deal with hardness, but I think hardness is simply means of something to last a long time.

For example, durability, duration; all the same thing.

I haven’t come up with a good definition of “quality” yet, but it seems that this notion of quality needs to be re-examined.

Amazon, Amazon prime, Amazon fresh?

How long until you could purchase a home on Amazon prime? Or purchase a car through Amazon prime? 

A recent discovery that Cindy and I found is Amazon fresh. Interestingly enough, I think it is actually cheaper and more convenient and time saving than Costco!

I’ll get example; for some reason whenever we go to Costco, it is easy that we drop 500 or $600 on a bunch of random stuff. But Amazon, Amazon fresh is much more targeted, almost like a precision laser strike; you only select items you want From the Amazon app, and then you pick it up, either curbside, or you just go in store and just ask the friendly people there that you’re picking up. Or, you could subscribe to the Amazon fresh thing, which is only $10 a month, and you could just have it delivered straight to your door!

Jeff Bezos said something interesting, which was essentially “We want to make it so that by not having Amazon prime, you are doing something financially irresponsible”.

Also with clothing, my younger sister Annette Kim has recently been buying all of her clothes on Amazon, and I am shocked; it all looks great, and it is like 10% the price of buying stuff at a traditional retailer or a Lululemon etc.

I think what is so interesting about Amazon Amazon prime is that effectively, the goods are all produced by some anonymous factory somewhere in mainland China, and you cut out the middleman which is the publicly listed corporation which is inflating prices to make a profit, let us not forget that Lululemon is a publicly traded corporation, as a result… Cutting out the middleman seems like a good idea.

Certainly Lululemon does a lot of investing in innovating and creating new types of fabrics, which is probably in fact superior to that which you buy on Amazon, but, I suppose the question is if you are purchasing the products just for fashion, then just buying it on Amazon directly makes more sense.

Or I’ll give you another example, a month ago we got invited to a wedding and I realize that I have forgotten where I put my nice dress shoes. So I just went on Amazon, and I ordered these all black, “L run” minimalist zero drop shoes, which only cost me maybe $28! And boom delivered to my door in a day, instead of having to sift through all of these tedious dress shoe brands, which can easily cost you about $200. 

When in doubt, first order it on Amazon prime.

Even with Seneca and his shoes, Cindy just orders the “L Run” kids water shoes ,,, the minimalist essentially slippers for kids… each is only like $10! And when he outgrows it, or gets a hole in it, you could just throw it in the trash. 

Cut out the middleman

Has there been a good film on Stoicism yet?

I think the best we got so far is John Wick; John Wick is probably the uber-stoic.

And then we have the movie 300, also, insanely great.

My ideal film or concept would be if John Wick and 300 had a baby; essentially my only critique about John Wick and Keanu Reeves is that he is too muscularly wimpy; why doesn’t John Wick have a six pack and is insanely buff like king Leonidas and Gerald Butler in the movie 300? Or at least look like something like ERIC KIM? 

Very very simple ways that Hollywood producers and directors you could beef up your actors, without shooting their butt holes full of steroids; 

1. 100% carnivore diet — feed them nothing but the finest bone marrow, beef liver, ribeye steak, beef ribs
2. Have them quit all sugars starches, fruits vegetables, etc. The only non-meat item to eat is arugula or kale or dark leafy bitter greens
3. Have them fast; no breakfast no lunch, only a 4 pound carnivore dinner. This will also be good because it could be productive throughout the whole day, they don’t need breakfast or a lunch break.
4. Extremely heavy one repetition maximum style lifting — “If the bar ain’t bendin, you pretending” – Hugh Jackman, Wolverine

In fact, how much productivity is lost because people have to buy a mediocre $25 salad and sandwich, and waste an hour or 45 minutes or 20 minutes eating lunch? For them to maybe instead, just going on a walk around the block, get a quick pump lift some weights, drink some water, or maybe even take a nap instead.

---

Think 30 years ahead

Far seeing:

A big thought I currently have is the notion of trying to think at least 30 years ahead.

Why?

First, if you think 30 years ahead, you gain a lot of clarity to and behind things. 

I suppose one of the greatest blessings of having Seneca, having a kid is now finally… I have a reason, or have an impetus or approach to think long-term ahead.

For example, trying to think about my strength figure and health 30 years from now, as well as the health of Cindy, my mom, Seneca, the whole family Empire.

A very very simple idea is keep stacking those bitcoins. I have about 100% certainty that 30 years from now, bitcoin will be a raging win.

I think the hard thing with a lot of people is that they cannot stomach the volatility. However, what I find so fascinated about bitcoin is that it is insanely volatile, but actually not very risky. In fact, I believe bit bitcoin to be the only crypto acid Which actually has zero risk. After a bitcoin, all of the other crypto‘s have huge risk and downsides; for example I think Ethereum is a lame duck, the only other crypto worth mentioning is chain-link, but the biggest issue here is that they are to heavily on marketing NPR, which is always a bad sign. Even getting Sergey Nazarov the founder to wear a suit and tie, bad idea. Just let him walk around in his classic blue flannel!

Building something which will last 30 years from now?

There are certain things that you built today which will exist 30 years from now, in certain things… Will no longer be around 30 years from now.

For example, very unlikely that your neighbor will live live in the same apartment building for the next 30 years.

Also, very unlikely that Instagram or TikTok will be around 30 years from now. I think Facebook will still be around 30 years from now, as it is essentially the core product for Facebook and the medical corporation, but beyond that, maybe no.

Apple will still be around 30 years from now, people will still be using iPhones.

Google will still be around 30 years from now.

Amazon will most definitely be around 30 years from now. Same goes with Microsoft.

Building your own empire for the next 30 years 

No thing that you buy today, will probably have any utility 30 years from now.

For example, there is no car vehicle thing or truck that will still be trendy or sought after 30 years from now, without dealing with extreme maintenance costs.

Also, I am still not 100% certain about investing in property or real estate; the maintenance cost are too high, as well as vacancy rates, having to rent and manage your property, maintain and painted and fix things, hire staff, pay for taxes and property taxes etc. 

Even right right now, currently I am living in LA, but will I be in LA 30 years from now? Probably not.

So what is ultimately portable you could always take your wealth with you? Bitcoin!

Also let us think about the US dollar and inflation; what will be the price of 30 years from now? A lot. Let us assume that you have $100, and you save it in a safe somewhere,  what will be its purchasing power 30 years from now? Maybe 30 years from now, $100 will buy you a burger and a soda?

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What does it mean to be a stoic investor? 

I think thinking 30 years ahead is the great filter.

For example, all these degenerate millennials, hedonist, and their dogs will all die off, the only people left standing and thriving will be people with kids and families.

First, have kids. At least one, ideally two, also, desirable to have at least one male heir if you are a man.

Second, just think to yourself when it comes to financial economic or just like decisions… “What would king Leonidas do, say, or think?”

For example, if I had a King Leonidas ChatGPT bot, just ask him, in regards to any purchasing decisions… should I do it, should I not do it? You already know what he will say! 

–> “King Leonidas… Should I buy that Tesla, that cyber truck, that Tesla model 3 performance, the Tesla model S plaid, the Porsche, the Porsche 911, the Porsche 911 GT 3 RS?”

King Leonidas would say:

“Only women drive vehicles”– a true man would only engage in hand-to-hand combat, no chariots, no horses, no vehicles. 

Actually this is really really fascinating, if you think about it, go back to the Iliad, Achilles versus Hector. Essentially when it comes down to it, Achilles is just chasing around Hector, ready to kill him, no chariot.

And also, if you think about the Iliad, and also the Spartan 300s; they don’t even use horses! 

Subtraction?

Typically the entire economy thrives on addition. For example you positively add, produce things goods product services etc.… And people positively purchase, and add it to their homes their wardrobes etc. 

For example, let us consider and think about the closet of the average American or individual; just count it out… How many shirts, pants, socks, jackets, shoes do you own?

And also… What other random stuff have you screenshot it on your phone that you might like to buy in the near future?

Or let us stay with cars and vehicles… If you became a billionaire, cars would you like to purchase and add to your garage?

Or if you are a homeowner, what new appliances would you like to purchase or upgrade in your home, or how would you like to renovate your home?

This issue here is it is all additive; we always try to add something, rather than thinking about subtraction.

The issue is that first, I think people lack the experience the wisdom or the critical thinking in regards to subtraction.

 also, my personal theory is whenever you purchase something, there is a small power rush. When you purchase some thing or add something to your store house, it makes you feel more powerful.

For example, why is it that king Priam had 1000 oxen, and wanted 10,000 more, even though he could never eat or consume all of that oxen? Because with wealth and power … Typically speaking… More is better.

Put in today’s world, more is worse. The more stuff you buy, the more stuff you have to maintain manage, organize etc.

For example, even if you have more than one vehicle, you have to think about maintaining more than one vehicle, a massive pain in the ass.

For example, I often see my brother-in-law he has a Toyota 4 runner and Toyota sienna hybrid, and I often see him have to charge the battery of his 4 runner, because having to maintain two vehicles is a lot of work. 

Also, clothes; the more clothes you purchase, the more you have to manage it. For example I do have certain articles of clothing which I prefer, but I always have to rummage through my random shelf randomly scattered clothing in order to find it.

Or let us say that you own a lot of electronics, or phones or laptops or iPads devices whatever; more crap you have to charge and maintain.

Even properties; imagine that you have property in the south of France, and also a French bank account; and you get locked out of your French bank account, and you have to pay taxes on your property. A big pain in the ass.

True wealth is subtracting duties, obligations, work

Negotium means “neg+otium”– negative leisure or otium.

The ancient Romans and Latin were wise; they knew that any sort of business was bad. They knew that it were required more maintenance, more work, and it was seen as a bad thing to do business, even the word for business is “negotium” which literally means “negative otium”–  anytime spent away from you being able to enjoy your leisure.

The problem is in today’s world and cult of capitalism, work in productivity, we have essentially defied this slave like notion of work productivity, hard work is a virtue, being busy as a virtue etc.

The ancient Spartans had the helots (peasant slaves) do the dirty work of tilling the lands, maintaining stuff, etc.  apparently they would even use the helots for target practice.

That, the wise thing to do is to unlearn or to disconnect yourself from this slave like mentality of work, busyness, duty, responsiveness, responsibility, following up and following through etc.

The only true freeman is only somebody who does not have email installed on their phone. Better yet doesn’t even own a phone. As long as you have to attend to email, you are not free.

If anything, the killer app would just be a ChatGPT email but which automatically answered all your emails for you! Which knew your preferences, etc. And would just do all the work for you!

Even as a risky experiment, would you trust ChatGPT and your inbox? Maybe. 

 Maybe even the next step for Apple intelligence is for Siri or your phone or whatever to automatically respond to your text messages or your iMessages or your emails. This would be the real killer feature.

I think the average worker be maybe spends four hours a day just attending to email. If I could just do that all for you, and you could save yourself four hours of stress and mental cognitive load day, isn’t this ideal?

---

Subtraction

 What is the best way to “upgrade” your home? Not by buying your furniture or whatever… Very simple, just get rid of stuff! Throw old furniture in the trash or put it on the curb or give it away, and subtract dust grime; Vacuum the floors wipe the floors, clean the bathroom and the toilet and the bathtub etc.

Also, a simple thought about clothes; the best clothing is subtractive.

Instead of buying a new outfit, just take the clothes that you already have, and just cut it with scissors! Cut off the sleeves of your T-shirts and make it into a tank top, or even take your shirts and cut it into a crop top.

Apparently it is even popular for jean shorts now — just take an old pair of jeans and cut off the legs! 

Do people not know that you could just take scissors and cut up your own clothes?

Cameras

Also in the realm of cameras, the best upgrade you could do is actually to reduce file sizes; just shoot JPEG, small or extra small JPEG, and in terms of your lens, the most supreme light compact cheap and pancake lens possible.

Weight is a nonnegotiable.

---

The only real upgrade is reducing size weight

For example, if you want to upgrade your camera, or your camera set up or whatever… The only really empirical thing that you could do is subtract the weight, subtract the size, also subtract the overall footprint of it.

For example, even your automobile car, technically the real upgrade especially when living in Los Angeles or a city is to actually spend money to reduce the size of it?

For example, let us say that you have a Tesla model as plaid, or cyber truck or a Tesla model X, the real upgrade here is to reduce the size of it, in order for it to be a smaller to fit in more parking spots.

If this is the case, then the Tesla model 3 is the perfect car for LA. 

If you want to stick to hybrid for maximum convenience, Prius is the way.

Stoic training

If you want to become more stoic, first you must train your body, the mind will follow.

For example, assuming that you’re sleeping insanely good, 10 hours a night, and you could lift 1000 pounds… Certainly there will be nothing which will be able to stir you.

Or, when I’m walking around town and my 60 pound weight vest, I feel like a beast, a boss, kind of like one of those Pacific Rim robots, armored core, a Titan, Titanic, a giant mech robot, a gundam on steroids? 

In terms of overall physique, and strength and power and mass… I am more Ronnie Coleman than Arnold Schwarzenegger. Granted that Ronnie Coleman juiced out his eyeballs and essentially is now permanently crippled. Not worth it.

> Lift heavy, eat a shitload of meat, sleep like a god

This is my simple formula; first the sleep aspect. I’ve been experimenting a little bit with my sleep set up, now it is summer. The last two nights I slept insanely poorly, which made me feel absolutely horrible for about two days. But finally last night, I slept with the air conditioner on a little bit cooler, I slept like a god.

Without 8 to 10 hours of sleep, you cannot do anything godlike.

In fact, the only three things I care for Seneca is also, that he sleeps 12 hours a night, finishes a whole Angus beef burger patty, and that he has maximum physical activity and exercise and climbing outside. All this stuff on education and learning or whatever… That will come naturally.

You are the special!

Recently from the LA public library in Chinatown… Seneca found the Lego Batman movie, and also the Lego movie, and we watched a little bit of a together, and I think those two films might be on my new list of must watch films.

Why? A little bit of parody and humor and turning things into Legos… Makes you think a lot more big picture.

For example, the Lego movie fun at the matrix, Neo, “the one”– or “the special”. Also, it does a very very good job of critiquing mainstream culture, capitalism, corporations, even better than how fight club did it.

The humorous stoic

Typically when we think about stoicism, we think about dark morose EMO people. But my notion of stoicism is actually much more lighthearted, happy and fun. A stoic with a grand sense of humor, and a belly-full laughter! Dionysian joy. 

Something interesting I thought from Michael Saylor; before we think about space, thinking cyberspace, that is the ultimate friction free, digital Internet-based, waitlist world and concept:

Space

Honestly anyone who criticizes or critiques Elon Musk is simply envious or jealous of him. Don’t hate Elon because you are no match for him!

If you think about crazy innovators, engineer artist, it is probably only Elon Musk, Kanye West who is of note.

What is a ingredient for a truly great person? You need a bit of the Dionysian, the crazy. For example, all of the bad sides of Steve Jobs is actually what made him great, and what made apple great. Now, no crazy people left at Apple, only suits.

In fact, if you think about Nietzsche’s Dionysian vs Apollonian concept — Steve Jobs was the Dionysian, and Steve Wozniak was the Apollonian. Or Steve Jobs was the Dionysian, Jony Ive was the Apollonian.

Even if I think about myself, perhaps Cindy is my Apollonian, the God and goddess of wisdom, clarity, prudence, rationality, logic, levelheadedness, pure white.

The Dionysian; the irrational, not connected to reality, harnessing some sort of frenzy like craziness.

“Name one genius that ain’t crazy!” – Ye

“With every great genius is a hint of madness” – Aristotle

Why is it that in modern daytimes, the dietitian is no longer permitted? We are not allowed to be loud, boisterous, full of anger and irrational, violence aggression etc.

Now, all of these Dionysian things are now imputed into sports, UFCMMA fighting, TV shows media and films and movies and comic book characters, never in real life. There’s a separation between media and every day reality.

I’ll give you an example; I’m probably the funniest most comedic, unpredictable person that I know in real life. People seem uncomfortable by me, and sometimes feel insecure whether they should laugh or not. But, I see them in their apartments watching these trashy or these Lame comedy TV shows on HBOHBO Max or Netflix… In private, without any exposure to real life.

Cowardly vs Courageous?

Now, for men,  no longer characterize people as good or bad, whatever… Rather, what separates the Eagles from the lambs is this:

Are you courageous or cowardly?

For example, I only rate anybody who is courageous who attempts to lift over eight plates, nine plates, or 10 plates on the squat rack. To even touch or attempt or look at it, is something to wonder.

Even more recently in my open air garage gym, some of my neighbors an apartment made saw me racking up the rack with six plates on each side, which was technically only my warm-up, their jaws dropped. Apparently I’ve been starting to be noted as having a “sleeper frame” or “sleeper body”– somebody who is inanely strong but doesn’t necessarily look that strong. 

For example, an ex power lifter told me that he did 20 repetitions of a 4 plate, 405 pound deadlift, and he was amazed by my ability to lift 1000 pounds off the rack, because he said that the typical bodybuilder weight lift or power lift or who that strong typically has 19 inch or 20 inch arms. I’m not even sure what that looks like.

Anyways, my general thought behind things is that with enough insane desire, anything is possible, as long as you obey the laws of physics.

You cannot fake true desire

Or in other words, you cannot fake hate. 

---

The internet?

It looks like there is currently another big shake up happening in the world of social media, the Internet etc. Even now apparently people are starting to flee Instagram, which only just a few years ago seemed unstoppable. Now apparently TikTok is destroying or gobbling up the massive market share of Instagram, TikTok is usurping Instagram.

How did TikTok become so dominant? Let us not forget that TikTok is effectively owned by a super mega mainland Chinese company, Tencent — my general theory is that essentially mainland China perfected TikTok back home in mainland China, and then once it was unleashed in the states like a virus, it’s spread like wildfire. Even my friend Todd Hata had the foresight and the wisdom to get on TikTok pretty early, becoming an early TikTok foodie influencer restaurant review in Mexico City and beyond.

But with enough sight, you all know when we all know that TikTok will eventually get banded America, perhaps maybe when Donald Trump gets elected into office. Remember when Trump was an office, he saw TikTok and was threatened by it and saw that he didn’t trust a super mega mainly Chinese corporation, taking over the App Store? Initially I think he tried to shut it down, or have it blend with an American company? 

Let us consider the asymmetry here; mainland China doesn’t allow America to use any American tech companies mainland China which include Google Facebook Amazon YouTube, Gmail you name it. Yet… America we allow mainland Chinese corporation apps to be used in America? Seems to be a bit of an asymmetry here. 

What is the big problem here? I think the number one critical issue here is advertising. Don’t forget when the first election cycle happened, the whole Putin Russia, influencing the US politic election cycle, I think Russia was able to inject only maybe $1 million worth of advertising into the Facebook platform, Creating a huge title shift of a opinion in American politics? I think Mark Zuckerberg testified in Congress, saying that Facebook was not at fault and just saying that “Facebook is an advertising platform.”

I think all of the ills of society maybe could be tracked back to advertising.  When you offer a service a product or utility for free, what is the easiest way in the 2000s to monetize it? Advertising, display advertising, pre-roll advertising etc.

But now, in the year 2020 and beyond.. what will be the path forward in terms of monetizing in Cypress space in the Internet? I native Internet currency, a native money, Satoshis and bitcoin. 

Follow Jack

Jack Dorsey might be one of the most underrated entrepreneurs out there, which must mainstream people don’t really know about it. He is the genius behind Twitter, square and now the cash app.

Jack is very very bullish on the lightning network, Satoshi‘s and bitcoin. If Jack Dorsey and Jay Z supports it, block.xyz — it is easy to see that the lightning wallet, bitcoin and Satoshi‘s are the way forward.

In fact, almost the last decade or so,  I’ve been thinking very very hard about this very question:

How do you monetize on the internet without advertising? 

I think I got the answer: the lightning wallet, the lightning network, Satoshis and bitcoin.

Why?

In the traditional economy, the traditional marketplace, before media was invented, was money. Or barter and exchange, peer to peer.

I’m currently reading Karl Menger’s principles of economics, and I’m currently in the section which he is building up the idea or the concept of how and why money makes sense.

Essentially Menger Is building up a case in the limits of barter and exchange, let us say that I have horses and you need a horse, and you have cattle, and you need a horse. 

The big problem here is there’s a certain part that I cannot cut up my horse and divide my horse up anymore. There is a certain limit  in which trading and exchanging or selling and buying horses and cattle as means of exchange in trade and economy no longer is productive. I think what Menger is then building up to Is that essentially the invention and innovation of money, which is economic value divided subdivided into infinitely smaller parts simply a way to increase productivity of exchange, value, etc.

For example, if I have a horse, let us say that I could take it to market and then I could sell it for $100,000. Then, this becomes very useful because instead of just trading it for 10 heads of cattle, I can now Subdivide my money to procure other useful valuable things to me, taking out the tedious exchange cycle. 

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Increasing Productivity

Very interesting in Singapore, what they do to try to discourage traffic is first, they charge a very very high tax on cars, to discourage people from purchasing automobiles. Second, even if you have a car, if you want to have the privilege to drive it on the freeway, Especially at certain peak times, you gotta pay money for it with the transponder on your car. 

I think South Korea also has a similar model; you could drive your car on certain days of the week, but on other days you cannot. 

If you wanted to fix the whole 405 traffic issue, in Los Angeles, very very simple; essentially you would have to pay a nominal sum of money to use their freeway at certain times, or in general.

It doesn’t even have to be that much, let us say that you would only charge a dollar for you to use the 405 to the 10 intersection, or, at peak rush-hour, you might have to pay two dollars or something.

Essentially it is a very very small fee, very very small, not enough to impoverish somebody, but, to give people a little bit of skin in the game, adding a little bit of friction or financial economic friction in order to simply generally slow down or reduce the number of cars on the road.

Maybe even the first venue we could do this for commercial truckers, who seem to be paid anyways by corporations, so maybe they could pay the fee first.

How to fix email

So now with ChatGPT, we are currently facing a huge problem: anybody, even a robot or a robot can spin up a very very intriguing and intelligent email, which command your attention, or which depletes your energy.

However a big problem that I personally faced my own life is the more famous and popular I got, the more my email inbox started to balloon. The same thing went with text messages I would get, messages on all the social media platforms, etc. And I am only just one human being.

First I would try to create some filters; I stopped putting my private or personal email on my website and blog, and instead direct them to my manager to filter the emails and the opportunities. But also in this issue here is that I still need to figure out how to respond to my manager‘s messages, which also is another thing I must attend to.

Thus, this becomes an interesting thought experiment, seems that everybody wants to just get super super rich, by your mansion, just have a bunch of people maintain your property for you, maybe buy or get a house manager or property manager whatever… But eventually, you still have to manage the manager. Which is more work for you.

I read from NASSIM TALEB that one piece of advice that he got from another successful guy he met was this: don’t have a personal assistant. Why? Even if you had the world‘s best personal assistant, they might be really really good at organizing your schedule, slotting in appointments for you or meetings or whatever, but still the big downside here is I think if you have a personal assistant, eventually you will end up creating more work for you; Let us assume that you work eight hours a day, and you have 850 minute timeslots. An assistant might help you perfectly slot in all eight individuals to meet you on the given day.

However, the true desired path and outcome is to not have any meetings at all; so having a personal assistant might sucker you into doing these boring and waste of time meetings, which could otherwise be better spent just hanging out and playing with your kid instead!

Real men have children

Are you watching the movie 300, there is a scene in which King Leonidas is about to march off with his valiant 300, and before he marches them off to battle, essentially foreshadowing their death, he made sure that each of them had at least one son to carry on the lineage and the families name.

This is interesting because the general thought of bloodline;

It doesn’t matter if I die, as long as I have a son to carry on the family bloodline and lineage, it is OK! 

I suppose this is why it is such a big deal for families to have at least one male heir;  or the strong desire for a man or a father to get at least one son.

I’ve always wanted two kids as a kid, an older son, a younger sister. Very similar to how I have a younger sister who is two years younger than me.

If you’re man,  and you get a child, and your first child is a man, a boy or a son… Consider yourself infinitely blessed. After this, life is all upside no downside.

Then after this, certainly you could choose to have more kids, if you desire. If you desire not have any more kids, it’s still seems that you are solid, assuming that your kid does not tragically get hit by an intoxicated driver — either drunk or high while driving. Or running red lights or speeding like crazy.

In fact, spending more more time living in Los Angeles, and seeing some of these insane drivers, I’m almost tempted to get a job, a part-time job as California highway police, in order to deliver justice to these insane drivers. Why? One crazy driver could mean the potential death of your child.

Maybe time for me to become vigilante justice warrior– Batman style!

Smoking?

A random unrelated note, in the context of smoking.

First, I have zero respect for anyone who smoke cigarettes. I have an insanely strong aversion to cigarettes smoke and smoking, because my father was a chronic and horrific smoker, I hate the smell smell like the devil.

Now special with Seneca, when we are out walking in public, the problem is if somebody is smoking on some sort of street corner, and they happen to be upwind or downwind or whatever… Even if that person is 50 m away, that horrific cigarettes smoke will blow down to you and your kid.

One recent proud thing that I stood up was when I was in Santa Monica, Ocean Park, playing at a beachfront playground with Seneca, and there was a random asshole maybe 100 m away smoking a cigarette. I could instantly smell the smoke, and even though he was far away, the smoke was directly blowing into me and Seneca in the playground, and technically we are trapped.

I then yelled at the guy, for him to smoke somewhere else. He then looked at me disgruntled, slowly walked away, and then started to me mugged me, I stared at him back, waiting until he moved very very far away. True balls.

Another case when I was in Vietnam with Seneca and Cindy, and this is one Seneca was super small, and we were all stuck under a canopy when  a random downpour started hitting us. And then suddenly there was a random middle-age guy who randomly lit up a cigarette and started smoking, giving secondhand smoke to all 40 of us trapped inside the canopy. I then said in Vietnamese for him to please not smoke because my kid was there. He was shocked, put out the cigarette, and looked back curiously at me… I was the hero of the day.

Now, even when I’m walking on the street with Seneca, and there is a random person smoking on the street corner… In a public or a semi-public space, I almost wonder if I’m going to start being the asshole and telling people to not smoke there. Or to not smoke in public.

“No smoking in public!”

Or

“Don’t smoke in public!”

I’m just gonna pretend like I’m an undercover cop, or some sort of law enforcement individual. 

I was randomly studying the laws of smoking in public, and it seems to be grey. Here, maybe studying laws not useful; but rather, some sort of bottom up ethics. 

if you want to smoke cigarettes, smoke yourself in an enclosed home or space or car, give yourself lung cancer, don’t pollute my air.

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Other thoughts

 I think irregardless of what your opinion is about space, look at the space camp, the star ship SpaceX camp they have in Texas, a whole thriving micro economy in space within that tiny plot of land. Very inspirational!

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Now what?

The other day I did a lot of driving, it totally sapped my energy.

Let us not be fools– our energy, our lifeforce energy and physiological energy is limited. Every 20 minutes or 30 minutes you spend driving on the road is draining your metaphorical life force energy battery. Maybe we should start getting “energy anxiety“ about potential things which can drain our life force energy battery.

My simple thought about living the best possible life in LA:

Never drive more than five minutes a day!

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Range anxiety

Let us say that you have a Tesla, or some sort of electric vehicle, and you start off the day with only a limited amount of battery in your car, and let us say that the rule is during the middle of the day you cannot recharge your car at a supercharger or whatever. if that were the case, wouldn’t you more conserve your life force energy?

They taking that analogy to your physiological energy. You start off the day with 100% battery energy charge, but as you proceeded through the days activities, drive or sitting in a car, it depletes your life force energy.

Then, the goal is to only direct your energy towards things you truly care for, and whenever you do decide to do something, realize that you’re sacrificing a zero sum energy source to accomplish your certain tasks or goals in a certain day.

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Now what?

First thought is then I think the way we should think about money is that money is essentially Lifeforce energy.

Let us consider, earning money, earning income, building up money, accumulating money is very very difficult. Essentially it comes down to your own labor life force; in whether you do physically demanding physical labor, or mentally intensive labor. It is all labor, and typically, any sort of labor in which you get paid, a paycheck, a salary or whatever… You are essentially trading your own physiological Lifeforce energy into obtaining income money.

Let it say you sacrifice 10 years of your life working really really hard, traveling the world, dealing with Jetlag, putting a lot of great energy effort to provide some sort of service or something. And then you accumulate $1 million.

I think for anybody who has ever had to really really work really really hard for their own money, you will not squander your money. Why? Because you know how hard it was to earn it! This is typically why when people gain an inheritance, or win the lottery or somehow get free money, the typically below it foolishly Because they don’t know how hard it was to earn that money.

Also this is why trust fund kids become so degenerate because they never had to work hard for the money, the trust fund etc.

So what should you do instead?

 first, you don’t have a trust fund and you don’t promise a trust fund to your kid. Irregardless of how rich you are.

Rather, you are directly involved in the life of your old kid, and if your kid grows up and has some sort of entrepreneurial business idea, then you use intelligence to use your hard earned money to invest in that thing.

For example, something that I learned from taking out a student loan, I think what else I used to say undergraduate, I took out a five or a $10,000 loan, and it was insane how quickly I blew through the money. I was shocked. And I was only maybe 20 years old?

Truth be told, I think I only really became lies about money once I had a kid. So if I were to leave my inheritance to Seneca, the role is he only could unlock that inheritance once he has a kid?

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so what is the purpose of money?

I think a very very simple one it’s too essentially have a war chest, to give yourself buffer, in order not to work. 

For example, the proper use of money is to have enough money that you don’t have to work, and spend maximum time with your kid.

For example, let us say that you are a billionaire, the fullest strategy is to pay somebody else might need to take care of your kid, while you go off and you try to earn more money, which is a foolish trade. What do you do instead it is just chill with your billion dollars, and just direct 100% of your life force energy to your kid!

True success?

True success I think is being able to take your kid to the public library in the middle of a workday! Other day I was so blessed that I was able to take Seneca to the Chinatown Public library at 10 AM, for him to watch a Korean drumming event, I looked around the room, no dads, maybe a handful of moms. Just me.

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no shame

Your Legs Run the World

LEG GOALS:

Leg Thoughts

Perhaps the true sign or signal as somebody’s wealth and or health is in their legs?

Also, with weightlifters, bodybuilders, etc.… both men and women in general, the number one and only thing to do is look at their legs!

Strong legs, strong soul?

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“Check out the legs on that one!”

It’s interesting because I think when it comes down to it… one of the great ways that men rate the attractiveness of a woman is based on her legs. How long they are, how healthy it looks like their skin is, their overall gait and shape etc.

Also, when it comes to age, people getting into older age etc.… as long as people have strong sturdy tree trunk like legs, full of muscle strength and vigor, they will be fine. Even my mom who is now 69 years old, she has very strong legs, and is still doing a lot of world traveling hiking backpacking mountaineering with her friends etc.

First look at their legs, then look at everything else.

Also, posture. I wonder if this is somehow connected to the strength of your legs? 

Looking at their legs

You could tell easily; if you look at somebody’s bare legs, assuming that they’re wearing shorts, short shorts, a bikini, whatever… you could look at their legs and judge their health. 

I think the big issue with leggings is that it is difficult to ascertain the health as somebody’s legs, their skin quality.

For example, if you look at women, just their legs, you could actually tell how old they are. Younger women, their skin and their youth in their legs has a different tone than a woman in her 60s, however fit she may be. 

Also with men — short shorts are the future!

Leg shaming?

I think a lot of capitalism and consumerism, selling clothes and overpriced clothing is centered around making people feel shameful about their naked bodies.

For example, men, it seems the de facto fashion is for men to wear long pants, to cover up their legs. Even when men wear shorts, very rarely do they wear short shorts. Or speedos!

In fact, I’ve been spending a lot of time going to the beach, Santa Monica, etc.… And I don’t recall the last time I’ve ever seen a man in America wear a speedo? Only Europe?

Also, the funny thing with men that somehow nowadays, it is seen as embarrassing or shameful for man to show his crotch, or his crotch bulge?

This is where the whole fitness transformant emerged, wearing leggings and simple athletic shorts over your leggings to not show off your crotch bulge?

However one great innovation that I’ve done is just wear tights by itself, show the crotch bulge it is fine! I find it very bizarre that there is this weird double standards; a woman can show all her body parts, butt, butt cheeks, breasts, crotch etc.… but for men you have to hide it and cover it up? 

Chicken legs

Also a funny trend is that honestly speaking… it is actually very rare rare that I see men with strong looking legs? Even in the weightlifting bodybuilding community?

For example, the only every time I see people or men with really really strong formidable looking legs is at the gym with powerlifters, but a lot of these powerlifting men tend to either be short and squat or average size but more on the fat side? 

For example, very rarely do I ever see men who are muscular and lean like myself, with really really insanely buff muscular legs? 

Takeaway point: every day train your legs! No legs, no future.

Your legs are the most important asset as a parent

If you want to raise your child to become the greatest grandest individual here she could become… The parent, a.k.a. you require the strongest, the best legs possible.

Even as a thought experiment, as you train your legs, you will also train your upper body.

For example, I’ve actually discovered when doing my atlas lift, or even squat walks, when I rack up the barbell with lots of heavyweights, seven or eight plates, I feel a really really a big workout in my shoulders, shoulder stabilizer joints, upper body etc.?

Also even as a simple thoughts; if you are a man with enough power and strength in your body to lift 1000 pounds off the squat rack, certainly one must still have great upper body strength to do it.

Or let me give you another example… Let us say that you trained to the point that you could lift 2000 pounds off of the squad rack, and you literally only ever do that exercise, you never do any upper body exercise. Certainly you will build upper body strength as well!

Lower body strength and leg strength also includes upper body strength?

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Why only focus on the upper body?

If you were a spartan, engaging in hand hand combat, nobody’s going to care how much you could bench. In fact, if you have your spear, sword, shield or whatever… certainly much of the power will actually come from your legs, leg drive.

Actually in fact even some of the top weightlifters who could bench six or seven plates or whatever… apparently the secret is actually leg drive?

Even the number 1 thing I learned in tennis is that if you want to hit the ball really really hard, it is actually not your arms and shoulders and bicep strength or whatever, it is about 99% hip and leg drive? 

I think the only reason why there is such an obsession with upper body, upper body strength and muscles has to do with film cinema, cameras, video and film, social media etc. For example if you’re doing a film, if you’re using some sort of close-up lens, maybe you could show the actors midsection up, rather than a full body shot.

Also, if you’re doing a selfie on your iPhone, typically it will only show your upper body.  Also, media at being at the pool or whatever… It is typically a full frontal shot, your abdominal muscles, your six pack, your chest etc. It is difficult to display your legs on camera!

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Yoga leggings vs biking shorts?

A new trend I saw for a minute, especially in Orange County was that a lot of women were trading in their yoga leggings, their Lululemon leggings for what looks like these biker shorts, or booty shorts? Kind of like a very very short short tight for women, or imagine like a woman wearing very short boxer briefs?

In fact, when it comes to yoga, I’m not 100% sure why people wear leggings in general. Maybe to give them more friction when it comes to doing certain yoga poses? Because actually in fact, if you’re doing hot yoga or if you’re in a heated room, having leggings are bad because it gets really really insanely hot. The ideal outfit is to just do hot yoga wearing a speedo, whether you are a woman or a man.

Make speedos cool again!

The happiest people are the ones doing beach volleyball?

Now that it is forever summer here in LA, I’ve been having a natural propensity to hit the beach! I think when the weather is good, there’s nothing better than the beach.

Looking at all the people, it seems that the happiest people are the ones who are playing beach volleyball! They all have the best hands, or having the most fun, and I have some theories:

1. First, the social element! Beach volleyball is in the great outdoors, at the beach, with the beautiful water, the lovely sand inbetween your toes, and I think it is one of the few sports in which the de facto thing is to do it barefoot? I don’t think there is even any Olympians who have special beach volleyball shoes?
2. Second, the fund of just running around and jumping around, and being physically active.
3. Third, sun exposure, the joy and delight of the sun! It looks like professional beach volleyball players, even kids, actually saw some kids doing some sort of beach volleyball camp in front of the Annenberg Beach House in Santa Monica, they all have a great tan! I think typically speaking, when you see people with a nice tan, it is a very good sign of their health!
4. Very rarely do you see somebody with a great tan being in a depressed mood, and typically speaking you when you are at the beach, everyone is an insanely phenomenal mood!
5. Theory and idea — let us see that you do email or computer stuff for a living, or zoom calls whatever… Why not just take your iPhone Pro and AirPods Pro’s to the beach? To just have Verizon, the best 5G connection, and just be happy at the beach? And do work there?
6. I think the only reason you would not do work at the beach in a gay happy and jolly mood is because your coworkers might feel envious or jealous of you? But this is where it is good to be a bad person. Imagine how terrible of a life it would be if you just lived your whole life in such a manner which prevented others from being jealous or envious of you? Typically my advice for any individual working for any company, or a person or whatever… just do the minimum amount of work necessary to not get fired.

Economy car

Currently reading Carl Menger’s the principles of economics, the father of the school of Austrian economics. 

It’s funny because in today’s world, economics, or if you talk about the economy in general, is seen as the apex field of study. Why? To study business and or economics, as soon as the ultimate pragmatic major introduce world to make money.

Making money, conserving money, and growing it; the trifecta.

Some people are very good at making money, but terrible at conserving it or investing it! For example, MC Hammer, 99.99% of rappers etc.

Growing your money

Double your money and make it stack! – JAY Z

I think this is still the strange hypocrisy in money economics wealth etc.;

In theory, the ideal is to take 99% of the money you earn or make, and invested into something like bitcoin, and see your numbers forever go up.

However what most people want to do is to earn $1M and to spend that $1M on something. People think:

“What’s the point of earning a million dollars if you can’t spend it?”

For example, the poor mistake that a lot of young rappers do is that they get their first check for $1 million, $10 million whatever… and instantly the first thing they will do is buy a Rolls-Royce ghost or Phantom or Bentley… but it would actually be better to have use that money to just buy bitcoin, Which is essentially wealth on wheels, and just smile to see the numbers keep going up!

Don’t blow your load 


One of my friends who used to be at Ferrari collector, told me that after collecting all these Ferraris, rare cars and exotics etc.… essentially he just got fed up with all of it, sold them all, and just now just drives around in a Lexus RX in Minnesota. And also, very very interesting advice that I’ve got from really really truly rich people that I know is to just buy a Lexus. Why? 

First, if you are really really rich, actually ideally… you don’t want people to know that you’re rich! You don’t want to be held by hostage, or for ransom etc. I’m starting to also discover, being low-key poor, when in fact you’re really rich is very very good, the second that people know that you’re really rich, you actually start to concern yourself a little bit with security.  The second people,,, like even your handyman maintenance guy asks you to borrow money… bad sign. I’m happy with my 2010 Prius — if someone asks me to borrow money I just tell them I’m poor and unemployed and point at my beater Prius! Imagine doing that if you had the Pink Rolls Royce.

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The best car or the most interesting car?

Real rich people drive Lexus’s

Nowadays Lexus cars are so common place, it doesn’t really mean much in terms of prestige. However, if you want the ultimate in terms of comfort, the Apex quality of materials inside the car, and the ultimate and drive comfort, and also the highest in reliability (a Lexus is a Toyota after all), and also other benefits like having a hybrid engine which means that you don’t have to fill up the tank as often… All very good things.

Even when I went to Alexis experience center at fashion Island, I jumped into one of the new Lexus cars, I was shocked how high-quality the materials were, compared to Tesla cars, which feel very cheap.

I think at the end of the day, certainly Tesla is the more sexy and interesting car, but in fact if you think about real real real real quality and the best… Lexus is better.

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Work from home or work from beach?

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Legs

Leg Leverage

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?

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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.

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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?

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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?

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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?

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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 peace 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

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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 in the car with Seneca, 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 text based. For example, the famous Lex Fridman Michael Saylor 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.

Read or watch things or listen to things while you are walking?

With iPad Pro.

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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!
5. Maybe instead of obsessing over cars vehicles etc.… maybe let us fetishize instead weightlifting equipment?

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 the intelligence, he has a standing walking bike, the one without pedals… 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?

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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?

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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?

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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.

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Now what?

Ge 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

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Some thoughts–

Don’t drain your energy

 Assuming we think about the law of conservation of energy… What that means is this;

Energy is matter, matter is energy. Matter cannot be created nor destroyed, that means that energy cannot be created nor destroyed.

In the context of people, the social world etc.; I think also our human physiological energy is also similar. I think of it like a battery; you start off the day with 100% charge, and the more you engage in certain things, you slowly deplete your battery. And I suppose the catch is you cannot recharge your battery during the middle of day, besides maybe taking a nap or working out?

The problem with coffee caffeine and stimulants is the way it works it tricks your brain into thinking it is not, it synapses, and also… Produces a short term adrenaline response. We get addicted to this adrenaline response, this is why we love HYPELIFTING, powerlifting, extreme sports etc.  I met this theater guy the other day, Abel Horowitz in LA — and I asked him why he loved theater so much and he told me that it was the closest thing that he got to drugs. And it makes sense; when you’re on stage in front of a bunch of people, it is the ultimate drug!

Social energy, money and monetary energy

Different people have different personality types; I think the closest analogy we got right now is that an introvert is somebody when they spend time with other people their energy gets depleted, where is extroverts, we are almost like Social vampires; we suck the energy out of others and become more powerful and strong.

For example, for myself… When I around other people talking to them engaging with them socializing having fun whatever… It adds energy to me. I get stronger, happier, more robust, more excited, more energetic etc. This is also why I think when doing extreme weightlifting, I get the most hype when I am at the gym, the new modern day arena.

I think it is true when you have an audience or other humans around you, you actually gain more energy and hype.

Conserve your energy, or be careful how you direct your energy

I think the point is to never use your energy; then certainly we must also use energy. But I suppose it is a filter thing; to whom do you want to direct your energy towards, when do you want to direct your energy, how much energy do you want to direct, How long do you want to direct the energy?

If you think about life in general, what is the definition of life? Life is also energy; whether you like it or not, we all will die and must die; and so if you think about our lives… How we direct our energy and towards what, is how we live our lives.

Curating your energy

 I suppose the intelligence of life is to figure out how to intelligently direct and curate your energy. 

It comes down to a simple filter:

Do you really care for this person or not? 

It is impossible to care for every single human on the planet. You simply do not have enough energy, or power. 

As a simple analogy, let us see that in a single day, you only got “100 care points”. Whenever you care about something, or direct your care toward something… Your care points either get depleted or added.

Something which is very interesting as a new parent, Seneca being three years, four months old… Is that it positively ADDS and I gain more joy energy power and care.

However, there are certain people who are like energy black holes – they complain, moan, about everything in their lives… And the whole thing is draining; also, positively depressing!

I think people truly lack criticality here; there is this Vietnamese (perhaps Chinese Confucian) proverb that if you brush shoulders with somebody who is dyed with black ink, you will also become black. This is also where obesity can also be seen as a social pandemic; if you’re 10 best friends all love to drink alcohol laced with sugar, smoke weed and eat McDonald’s late at night, eat ice cream, buy oversized chip bags at Costco, like to watch Netflix etc.… Certainly you will also become fatter on average.  Why? Let us say you want to socialize with them, you will probably drink some sort of alcoholic beverage with them and go out, drink a beer or a cocktail with sugar in it, eat ice cream and desserts cakes etc.… Or you buy brunch with them and eating a bunch of $20 croissants etc.

Therefore, what is the solution? Simple; cut Social ties you don’t care for, and promote the ones you do care for!

Money is solidified care energy

 Let me say that I spend $100 for a gift for a present for a friend; what am I really doing here? Essentially, money is solidified care energy; what that means is if I’m willing to sacrifice $100, for present for my friend… It is signaling true care for that person.

This is also why in Asian cultures, it is common to just give people cash presents, cash money in envelope, or even gold or gold rings, because typically speaking, the more money you give us a gift, the more you are signaling that you actually care for them.

For example, one of my best friends Kevin, almost on the clock every single year, for my birthday/Christmas always purchases me an outlier.NYC black merino wool T-shirt, which is like over $100 now. Truth be told, it is a very generous present, especially for a T-shirt!

I think he’s done this for almost 5 years now; I think I have about at least five black Merino wool outlier.nyc shirts from him ,,, almost all of which have been torn to shreds.

Even my best man Justin, seeing that I was in lack of shirts clothing, Also purchased me a three pack of Outlier.nyc shirts — over $300 just as a present! True skin in the game!

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How time is more valuable of a present than money

I think the reason why carving out time to spend time with people is the ultimate gift and present is with money, you could always print more of it, or earn more of it.

For example, it is easy to earn 100 bucks, impossible to “add” another year to your life.

This is why honestly speaking… Time life and energy is the ultimate scarce, nonrenewable good.

For example, even if you were a trillionaire with access to the best fitness lifestyle, weight lifting equipment, pasture raised grass fed food beef meat etc.… No matter how rich you are you cannot live to be 2000 years old. I think the world record for a man living is 122 years.

Certainly there are simple things that you could do to live close to the biological maximum which includes intermittent fasting, no breakfast no lunch only dinner… Quitting alcohol which is toxic in Nidos, not smoking marijuana, quitting sugar starches and carbohydrates, not taking any medication, etc. Mostly a via negativa thing.

But certainly there are some potency issues here; for example, no matter how intelligent wise are rich I am, very dubious that I will be lifting 1000 pounds on my shoulders at the age of 110. Or producing more children at the age of 100. 

Monetary energy

A lot of people make the simple trade of trading time and life for money. But the second you go out and buy the Porsche 911, the cyber truck, the new Toyota truck or SUV, the new Lexus whatever… You are immediately depleting your life energy and force!

For example, it is insane… I look at the prices for these new trucks, I am befuddled; Toyota tundra or Tacoma truck can cost up to $80,000?  the second that you buy that $80,000 vehicle… You immediately deplete $80,000 worth of your Lifeforce energy.

Or, another thought– this is where I am starting to become a great investor thinker; even though I could afford to buy 10 cyber beasts, I look at the cyber truck, let it say that it cost around $100,000, that is otherwise energy and money Lifeforce you could put it into bitcoin, which will easily double, 10 X, 100 X, or even 1000 X 13 years from now.

I like to think by the time Seneca turns 15 years old; when he will have a drivers permit, and be able to drive. This is only a few years from now.

Your time horizon?

I think the reason why a lot of middle-aged or older guys go out and buy the Porsche 911 convertible or whatever or the Porsche GT three, GT three RS, whatever… Is it is a signal and assign that they are about to die, or the end is coming close.

For example, if you’re in your late 60s, early 70s, I think the way that most people think is that they have another 20 years of living, I think most people think that they’re going to die maybe in the 80s or 90s. Therefore people think “why the hell not?”

However, I think when it comes down to it what we see is economic immortality. Through your children, and through the energy wealth and power you transferred to them, and hopefully you want to keep growing the chest for three or five or 10 generations from now.

“We off the grid grid grid this for my kid kids kids — for when my kids kids kids have kids“ – Ye

Still today, I think people have a hard time thinking about generational wealth, or think about future generations.

Why? I think it is focused too much about individualistic hedonism; for example buying the Lamborghini with a scissor doors is almost like the ultimate hedonistic ejaculation? But what we all know is after a big massive blowing your load… What is the next step? You take a very big nap or deep sleep.

But what if you don’t want to nap or sleep? What if you want to conserve all of your Lifeforce energy, to the maximum? And then you conserve your Lifeforce energy! Don’t do energy suicide.

Let us examine the first principles for balls, testicles, semen, sexual intercourse etc.; it is not for pleasure, it is for impersonating a woman and begetting children! Are people fools and overlook this? 

Better to be the beast in the Prius, rather than be the weakling in a cyber beast

I think I am perhaps the most manly, masculine, alpha male type presenting individual that I know who drives a Prius!

This is why I call a reverse flex; the best way to exert your dominance and wealth and riches is not by presenting how expensive or rare or powerful or muscular or allowed your car… But rather, your body your muscles your whole persona.

When you are at a wedding, who is loudest, most boisterous, the most socially dominant person is certainly the alpha. At a wedding nobody knows or cares about what car you drive; same when you go to the mall or the gym, your hiking, or in any social circumstance.

***

Check me out!

If you are a man and you want to be checked out, either by other men or by women… Just buy a 60 pound weight vest and walk around town!

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Perhaps the true sign or signal as somebody’s health is in their legs?

Also, with weightlifters, bodybuilders, etc.… both men and women in general, the number one and only thing to do is look at their legs.

Strong legs, strong soul?

---

“Check out the legs on that one!”

It’s interesting because I think when it comes down to it… one of the great ways that men rate the attractiveness of a woman is based on her legs. How long they are, how healthy it looks like their skin is, their overall gait and shape etc.

Also, when it comes to age, people getting into older age etc.… as long as people have strong sturdy tree trunk like legs, full of muscle strength and vigor, they will be fine. Even my mom who is now 69 years old, she has very strong legs, and is still doing a lot of world traveling hiking backpacking mountaineering with her friends etc.

Looking at their legs

You could tell easily; if you look at somebody’s bare legs, assuming that they’re wearing shorts, short shorts, a bikini, whatever… you could look at their legs and judge their legs. 

I think the big issue with leggings is that it is difficult to ascertain the health as somebody’s legs, their skin quality.

For example, if you look at women, just their legs, you could actually tell how old they are. Younger women, their skin and their youth in their legs has a different tone than a woman in her 60s, however fit she may be. 

Yoga leggings vs biking shorts?

A new trend I saw for a minute, especially in Orange County was that a lot of women were trading in their yoga leggings, their Lululemon leggings for what looks like these biker shorts, or booty shorts? Kind of like a very very shortcut tight for women, or imagine like a woman wearing very short boxer briefs?

In fact, why don’t you come to yoga, I’m not 100% sure why people wear leggings in general. Maybe to give them more friction when it comes to doing certain yoga poses? Because actually in fact, if you’re doing hot yoga or if you’re in a heated room, Having leggings are bad because it gets really really insanely hot. The ideal outfit is to just do hot yoga wearing a speedo, whether you are a woman or a man.

The happiest people are the ones doing beach volleyball?

Now that it is forever summer here in LA, I’ve been having a natural propensity to hit the beach! I think when the weather is good, there’s nothing better than the beach.

Looking at all the people, it seems that the happiest people are the ones who are playing beach volleyball! They all have the best hands, or having the most fun, and I have some theories:

1. First, the social element! Beach volleyball is in the great outdoors, at the beach, with the beautiful water, the lovely sanded between your toes, and I think it is one of the few sports in which the de facto thing is to do it barefoot? I don’t think there is even any Olympians who have special beach volleyball shoes?
2. Second, the fund of just running around and jumping around, and being physically active.
3. Third, sun exposure, the joy and delight of the sun! it looks like professional beach volleyball players, even kids, actually saw some kids doing some sort of beach volleyball camp in front of the Annenberg Beach House in Santa Monica, they all have a great tan! I think typically speaking, when you see people with a nice tan, it is a very good sign of their health! Very rarely do you see somebody with a gray tan being in a depressed mood, and typically speak you when you are at the beach, everyone is an insanely phenomenal mood! Theory and idea — let us see that you do email or computer stuff for a living, or zoom calls whatever… Why not just take your iPhone Pro and AirPods Pro’s to the beach? to just have Verizon, the best 5G connection, and just be happy at the beach? And do work there? I think the only reason you would not do this is because your coworkers might feel envious or jealous of you? This is where it is good to be a bad person. Imagine how terrible of a life it would be if you just lived your whole life in such a manner which prevented others from being jealous or envious of you? Typically my advice for any individual working for any company, or a person or whatever… just do the minimum amount of work necessary to not get fired.

Economy car

Currently reading Carl Menger’s the principles of economics, the father of the school of Austrian economics. 

It’s funny because in today’s world, their condiments, or you talk about the economy in general, is seen as the Apex field of study. Why? To study business and or economics, as soon as the ultimate pragmatic major introduce world to make money.

Making money, conserving money, and growing it; the trifecta.

Some people are very good at making money, but terrible at conserving it or investing it! For example, MC Hammer, 99.99% of rappers etc.

Growing your money

Double your money and make it stack!

I think this is still the strange aided in money economics wealth etc.;

In theory, the ideals to take 99% of the money you earn or make, and invested into something like bitcoin, and see your numbers forever go up. 

For example, the poor my mistake that a lot of young rappers do is that they get their first check for $1 million, $10 million whatever… And instantly the first thing they will do is buy a Rolls-Royce ghost or Phantom or Bentley… But it would actually be better to have use that money to just buy bitcoin, Which is essentially wealth on wheels, and just smile to see the numbers keep going up!

Don’t blow your load 


One of my friends who used to be at Ferrari collector, told me that after collecting all these Ferraris, rare cars and exotics etc.… Essentially he just got fed up with all of it, sold them all, and just now just drives around in a Lexus RX in Minnesota.  And also, very very interesting advice that I’ve got from really really truly rich people that I know is to just buy a Lexus. Why? 

First, if you are really really rich, actually ideally… You don’t want people to know that you’re rich! You don’t want to be held by hostage, or for ransom etc. I’m starting to also discover, being low-key poor, when in fact you’re really rich is very very good, the second that people know that you’re really rich, you actually start to concern yourself a little bit with security.  

Nowadays Lexus cars are so common place, it doesn’t really mean much in terms of prestige. However, if you want the ultimate in terms of comfort, the Apex quality of materials inside the car, and the ultimate and drive comfort, and also the highest in reliability (a Lexus is a Toyota after all), and also other benefits like having a hybrid engine which means that you don’t have to fill up the tank as often… All very good things.

Even when I went to Alexis experience center at fashion Island, I jumped into one of the new Lexus cars, I was shocked how high-quality the materials were, compared to Tesla cars, which feel very cheap.

I think at the end of the day, certainly Tesla is the more sexy and interesting car, but in fact if you think about real real real real quality and the best… Lexus is better.

***

Work from home or work from beach?

***

Legs

Leg Leverage

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

---

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

---

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.

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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.

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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! 

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