So this is a simple idea that I have…

Let us say that your life savings is all in gold, that you just had a bunch of gold bars gold coins whatever, and let us say that these little pieces of gold were divisible into very very small bits, so you could use some of this gold to buy digital services, your Netflix subscription a Starbucks latte, or some takeout Indian food. Or a car or a Tesla etc.

If this is the case… I think the funny observation that I’ve made is we are very very happy and easy to just spend currency like US dollars in our bank account, or cash currency… But we are actually very very reluctant to spend gold because we know that it has long-term value.

I think the number one critical issue here is that, and I’m just discovering this for the first time, something as simple as getting your roof replaced, requires you to talk to so many building regulators, LADBS, inspectors, pre-inspection final inspection etc.? Just one wrong tick, causes you many wasted moments.

People think it is easy to just like buying an old house and flip it, but the truth is, because of inspections in getting permits, it is totally not worth it. 

So the other day, I was on the phone with a car insurance agent, and was joking around with him… He asked me what car I had… and I said two Lamborghinis in the garage.  and at first, it took him off of guard, and surprised him. Why? 

First, I thought it was just economically irresponsible… But obviously it was a joke, but actually I thought about it… A little bit deeper on a more profound level… Now that I could actually afford to Lamborghinis or multiple Lamborghinis… The truth is, it’s like reverse wealth. 

100 years of prosperity

So it kind of doesn’t really matter …. all this silly short-term stuff. Why? What truly matters is, thinking about the long-term. 

For example, I actually find it very useful to find and research these short term documentaries about rich people in the past because you see how their vehicles… really don’t age well overtime.

For example, if you watch a documentary on the 70s 80s 90s 2000s, 2010… All these fancy sports cars Mercedes Lamborghinis, even Bugatti‘s… Look lame in the long run. 

And only that but, once again, assuming that like wealth is like bodybuilding muscle, and strength and power and also… Indefinitely increasing your one repetition maximum on your weightlifting… The exact opposite of that is to  blow it away on something that is reverse.

Energy leaks

Another thought, in terms of energy energy leaks etc.

So now that I am a new homeowner, proud owner of a glorious 7000 square-foot lot, single-family home… I’m starting to learn about living stuff.

For example, even something as simple as a leaking water faucet. Or leaking showerhead, or water leaks in general. If you think about it… Even if you have like a .1% leak, some more critical… Over the course of a day hour or weeks or months or years… That will probably equate to like millions of gallons of water lost.

Or imagine… You have a tiny leak somewhere in your main house… And you leave for vacation. Even a week or a few days, or let us say six months. Imagine how insane it will be six months from now, coming back home to see your whole house flooded.

So I think we’re also with economics it’s kind of the same. Typically we could easily identify energy leaks, or economic energy leaks.

For example, superfluous subscriptions which bill you ad infinitium, which bill you forever.

If anything, one of the most simple things you can do is just unsubscribe from everything. Unsubscribe from everything, all at once, and then a month or two or three from now later… If you find it insanely critical, and then you could always resubscribe to it.

every day unsubscribe from one thing

Let us say you have an inbox which is out of control. Assuming you have Gmail, literally the easiest thing you do is select all, archive all, and begin with a clean slate.

There is also this service called unroll.me ,,, and once again, mass unsubscribe from everything.

Cars

The number one most obvious thing that is a major energy leak for people is their vehicle.

For example, even something as simple as gasoline, assuming that you have to use premium gas, and your vehicle consumes much premium gas, that is like literally the worst energy leak that you got. It is almost like, if you’re trying to climb a very very steep hill or mountain, and you literally have like 1,000,000,000,000 tons on your back. Or something that is dragging you down or weighing you down.

I’ll give you another good example, a big issue that I had for a really really long time, finally got it resolved , was that my back bicycle tire was out of alignment, which caused my rear brake pad, to perpetually clamp my rear brakes at like 30% intensity, so when I’m like biking around town or uphill or whatever, it’s like the brakes are perpetually engaged. You don’t know how insanely annoying this is.

Finally got it resolved in my life is like 1 trillion times better.

Prius

I’m still pretty convinced that at least in America, also even in Phnom Penh Cambodia,,, maybe everywhere on the planet… A Prius, a 2010 Prius may be the best bet.

First, it all just literally comes down to MPG‘s.

I also think that a Prius prime plug-in seems also interesting… But, it reduces the MPG? I suppose if you have those electric chargers or visit malls which have the plug-in thingy… A Prius prime plug-in is a good idea, but, my long-term suspicion… Typically the more components that your vehicle or house or whatever has… The more points in which it could break. So assuming that a Prius plug-in prime has more components than just a typical Prius hybrid… I think in the long-term like 10, 20 or 30 years… there are probably more components that will break?

And also… I think the built-in battery pack is paltry at best. What like 30 miles or 50 miles? And then once again the way that people are suckered by marketing is they are like thinking wild they could totally live off the grid or whatever but once again… You’re only saving a few dollars here and there?

All electric or not?

 I’m a super mega fan of Elon Musk, Tesla etc.… But once again, my suspicion or my honest thought is, it seems like an economically unintelligent idea.

First, no matter how good your Tesla or electric vehicle or whatever is… The number one critical issue is that, no matter what, within one or two cycles your car will look obsolete? In two or three years?

If we cross pollinate this idea to photography… Or even to iPhones, even if you buy the newest iPhone Pro right now, imagine like you spend $100,000 on a iPhone Pro, with wheels… No matter how good it is, it will always become obsolete very very quickly.

Another good example, a camera which befuddles me… the Leica Q camera… which is essentially a Panasonic Lumix camera with a body kit, no matter how good one you get, once again in a few years the value of it will drop like what 50%?

Cameras

So some honest things I have come to believe:

First, it does seem that modular makes more sense. Even something as simple as a desktop computer, because it is modular, and also because you could swap out the parts in and out, it is a very good idea.

For example, even as a child, or a teenager, when I was like 15 years old, or even my freshman sophomore year in high school, I will never forget that my older mentor and friend ERIC Moon taught me how to build a computer. Choosing the processor of the ram the hard drive… Graphics card, the case, and whenever anything got outdated,.. you could either swap out that part or upgrade that specific piece?

Os of the future

One analogy I heard about ChatGPT and AI at least for highschoolers in university students is that it is like almost the new operating system. Which means,  instead of just googling stuff, they essentially live in ChatGPT, ChatGPT almost becomes like their new macOS?

So assuming that you have a ChatGPT subscription, in some ways it actually becomes quite optimistic because instead of paying for overpriced $1500 iPhone pros for the rest of your life, in theory you could just use an operate a cheap smartphone device or computer or desktop or laptop or iPad tablet whatever, as long as you have access to ChatGPT… Which is the only AI, … you’re good.

Minimum viable AI

I have another big idea, after playing with ChatGPT pro the $200 a month version, which honestly I think is awesome but, even the $20 a month version, is pretty great.

So for example, I’m starting to think this like iCloud storage and even now Google Drive storage, even dropbox storage, all of this is kind of a scam. Maybe my next project is I will slowly migrate everything off of the cloud. 

---

The world reserve currency 

Shock absorber 

… long term store of value 

Store your value! ***

Money coin 

Digital money account 

Insanely huge vision 

Digital money ***

Capital —> credit 

Strip risk & volatility 

Hydra—> can’t shut it down!

Mono maniiacal

…

Investor 

I like money 

.

30% monopoly next 20 years,,. Integration risk free **—> nothing can be better than that! ***

Equity investor, think 20 years at least

Nothing is better than Bitcoin ***

.

Pride is good 

Don’t diversify metals that make aluminum wing

Don’t diversify ,,, Nvidia data chip center 

.

Hurdle rate 

90 times 

STRC

10% dividend  yield tax efficient. 

$100T …

.

Credit investor 

.

Diversification  distraction 

.

Distraction 

1 year to close deal

Liabilities ,,, 9 months later 

…

No employee lease, supply chain … mangers

Bitcoin is so obvious!!! It’s perfect for me!

Bitcoin is divine

Infinite downside risk ,,, … downside ?

Roll up ,,, dilutive acquisition 

.

$30T in 10 years idea …

…

$1 B building a day,,, vs year

Dilutive ,,, distraction 

.

Do you really need another idea?

…

Journey of discovery 

Digital rails 

.

Don’t ,,, optimize a part that cannot … should get removed 

.

Keyboard should NOT be there 

Pride of authorship .

AI THEORY

.

Religious ,,, … cultural thing 

Science advances one funeral at a time 

Death is good 

.

Trees … are like a natural roof?

Deflationary 

.

Price is going to go up 

quantum leap 

.

JPEGs on Bitcoin network?

Hyper hyper conservative with any change in protocol ***

Global consensus 

Lack of rapid mutation 

.

Digital freedom 

Economic … 

Digital individualism 

Eric Kim draws on the Greek idea of askēsis – literally “exercise, training, practice” – to describe a disciplined, self-improvement lifestyle.  He equates asceticism with positive self-training.  For example, he notes that the word ascetic comes from askēsis and defines living ascetically as “to train yourself to become stronger, to need less, and to become less dependent on fate and external things” .  In his view, askesis means choosing voluntary challenges (refusing distractions and excess) in order to grow stronger and more self-reliant .

• Definition/Origin: In ancient Greek, askēsis meant “exercise” or “training,” originally referring to athletic or craft practice . Kim emphasizes this etymology to reframe asceticism: it is not self-punishment but empowered self-training .
• Asceticism = Strength: He stresses that ascetic discipline builds strength.  “Self-training to become stronger…is to refuse things which distract you,” making you “stronger, bigger, and more magnanimous” .
• Minimal Needs: Fewer possessions grant freedom.  As he puts it, “if you own fewer possessions, fewer things own you,” giving more control over life .

Askesis in Photography and Street Photography

Eric Kim applies askesis as a discipline in photography, especially street work.  He treats photography itself as a form of training and mindfulness:

• Photography as Zen Training: Kim urges seeing photography as an active Zen practice.  He writes “Photography is zen training” and emphasizes being fully present: notice your surroundings, silence distractions, and cultivate “supreme focus” while shooting .
• Mindfulness: He recommends turning off phones and music when shooting to build visual awareness .  This aligns with Zen’s emphasis on mindfulness and focused attention in the moment.
• Street Shooting as Practice: Kim likens street photography to a stoic training ground.  He “fuses Stoicism with street photography,” advising shooters to focus on effort, imagine worst-case outcomes, and “stay calm in the chaos of the street” .  In his words, street shoots are “daily reps in that gym” for conquering fear .  This frames each outing as a disciplined exercise in courage and composure.
• Minimalist Gear: Embracing ascetic minimalism, he favors the lightest cameras so he’s always ready to shoot.  “True to his minimalist philosophy,” he uses a small Ricoh GR or even a phone, noting “the lighter the gear, the more he has it in hand.”   This constraint forces creativity: as he writes, opting for cheaper or “shittier” equipment is a creative constraint that makes one “be more creative…rather than having the ‘best’ expensive tool” .
• Continuous Practice: By shooting every day (often in simple environments), he treats photography as a habitual discipline, turning even mundane scenes into creative challenges (e.g. finding beauty in the ugly ).

Askesis in Physical Training

Physical fitness is a central arena for Kim’s askesis.  He follows extreme training regimens and views workouts as extensions of his philosophical practice:

• Extreme Self-Training: Kim embraces rigorous regimes.  His “workout plan” involves intermittent fasting and maximal lifts: “I might be the only one who lifts insanely heavy weights at the gym, without having consumed anything before” .  He even coaxes himself into heavier “nano reps” (partial-range lifts) to push limits .
• Training When Tired: He notes that when one is tired, it’s precisely “the best time to exercise in order to GAIN energy.” In that spirit he simply advises: “Think askesis, training.” .  This reflects the Stoic idea of doing tasks when challenged.
• Discipline & Austerity: His approach is Spartan.  Kim extols discipline as a path to joy: “[H]appiness, joy and freedom…something you could start cultivating now through ‘askesis’ – training.” .  He practices ascetic habits like fasting, cold showers (Stoic exercises), and no supplements, treating hardship as fuel for growth.
• Fitness as Philosophy: He argues that physical training is integral to his creative practice.  For Kim, “physical fitness is critical to any stoic,” linking strength work directly to his philosophy .  Strongman-style challenges (heavy carries, calisthenics) and outdoor workouts are seen as part of living Stoically.
• Mini “Rep” Breaks: Even when writing or traveling, he breaks routines with exercise – doing push-ups or squats by his desk or table .  These micro-reps keep discipline high throughout the day.

Askesis in Writing and Daily Habits

Kim extends the training mindset to his work habits.  He organizes his life to minimize friction and maximize focus:

• Morning Writing Routine: He typically writes in the morning after coffee and shower.  He says he launches his editor with Wi-Fi off in “focus mode” and writes uninterrupted for 1–3 hours .  This removes excuses and forces consistent output.
• Remove Distractions: During writing sessions he turns off email, social media, and internet to stay fully engaged .  He describes this as a “techno-zen” approach: minimal apps, offline drafting, airplane mode.
• Scheduled Consistency: Early in his career he blogged on a fixed schedule (e.g. 3×/week) and adhered to it strictly.  He admits he even felt anxious if he missed a post, but he kept the routine for consistent growth and audience trust .  This enforced schedule is a form of askesis – training his creative output.
• Routine Triggers: He uses simple habits to kickstart focus: brewing coffee immediately to jumpstart energy, reviewing notes first thing, etc .  These small rituals remove decision fatigue.
• Minimalist Gear & Routine: His minimalism carries over: always carrying a compact camera so he “never misses” creative opportunities .  Likewise, limiting possessions and sticking to simple tools (basic laptop, focus app) ensure his daily routine is streamlined.

Philosophical Influences (Stoicism, Zen, Asceticism)

Kim openly credits Stoicism, Zen Buddhism, and ancient ascetic thought as inspirations that shape his askesis:

• Stoicism: He has produced numerous Stoic-themed essays and talks.  Kim’s take on Stoicism is action-oriented (“full‑contact, creative, and physical practice”) . He emphasizes traditional Stoic practices (premeditatio malorum, memento mori) as “field drills” during street photography .  Stoic ideas of controlling fear and focusing on effort are central: for Kim, fear-conquering is the core of the practice, and everyday tasks are like Stoic drills .  He even coined terms like “Extreme Stoicism” and views physical hardship (e.g. cold exposure) as Stoic training.
• Zen Mindfulness: Zen influences appear especially in his photography.  He describes Zen philosophy in photography as noticing the impermanent, being fully present, and embracing simplicity .  His podcast “Zen Photographer” (and blog posts on Zen photography) explicitly link mindful awareness to shooting (e.g. finding calm focus among urban chaos) .
• Ancient Askesis: Kim refers to ancient ascetics (Greek athletes, Stoic hermits, martial traditions) as models of discipline.  He notes the original Greek askēsis was about athletic discipline and craftsmanship – not deprivation .  The imagery of “new Spartans” and military ethos runs through his writing; for instance, he likens modern men’s struggles to lacking outlets for valor, implying that athletic/spartan training is our battle training.
• Broad Synthesis: His approach is eclectic.  He treats askesis as an open toolkit – mixing Stoic, Zen, Buddhist and even modern self-help ideas.  For example, he cites authors like Nassim Taleb as sparking his interest in Stoicism, but repackages it with pop culture (nicknames like “Hyper Stoicism”) and physical exercises.  The constant theme is: ancient concepts of self-discipline (prosōkhē, askesis, meletē) applied to modern life and photography.

Impact on Creativity, Discipline, and Personal Growth

Overall, askesis underpins Kim’s creative philosophy, emphasizing constraint, discipline, and active growth:

• Creative Constraints: He views limitations as creative fuel.  By insisting on cheaper or simpler tools, he forces ingenuity: “Even though you can afford more expensive things, by opting to take the cheaper option is a ‘creative constraint’.” This mindset encourages making “more with less” .  Similarly, limiting shooting subjects or gear (e.g. using one camera) is seen as an opportunity, not a handicap.
• Minimalism: The ascetic ideal means wanting less.  Kim argues that owning fewer things leads to freedom (fewer things own you) .  In practice this means lightweight gear, a simple home, and avoiding consumerist temptation – all to keep focus on essentials (writing, shooting, training).  His “Zen Photographer” advice even mocks complex film setups as burdensome compared to digital simplicity .
• Uncompromising Discipline: Askesis translates to daily habits.  Consistency (daily shooting, scheduled writing, relentless workouts) is a core discipline. He literally cultivates a training mindset: he “makes [street shooting and life] daily reps” , and finds opportunity in adversity (his mantra is life’s “all upside, no downside” ).
• Self-Improvement: The goal of askesis for Kim is constant growth.  He measures success by internal standards (skills gained, projects completed) rather than external approval.  He counsels readers to create their own values and ignore others’ opinions .  By treating creativity, physical fitness and writing as continuous training, he keeps improving skills and resilience over time.
• Producer Mindset: Consistent with askesis, Kim emphasizes producing content and art rather than consuming.  He calls this “producerism,” arguing we’re happiest when we’re creating, not just buying things .  This reflects personal growth – building something every day strengthens confidence and ability.

Sources: Eric Kim’s own blog, essays, and podcast are the primary sources for these ideas. Quotations above are drawn from his published articles and interviews , which illustrate how he applies the concept of askesis to photography, fitness, writing, and philosophy. Each citation links to the relevant blog post or resource for further reading.

So now that the colder months are upon us, winter is here… I think about the world the planet life etc.… What is the meaning of it all and what is the path forward?

So apparently… I was randomly trolling IMDb… And I was very very surprised to see Christopher Nolan putting out a new Odyssey film? This is going to be epic.

So first, my first general thought on the military is I am not for violence or killing people or whatever… Ever since I was a kid, I was a pacifist. I actually remember recalling this very vividly as a kid… Very clearly as even a 12-year-old… If the American government spent even half of their budget on defense and military endeavors, and put it into education… Paying teachers better, attracting better talent or whatever… Then if that were the case, certainly kids would be far better off. For example, even funding after school programs, keeping kids off the street etc.

But anyways a random thought about colors, a new high-gloss military green vehicle wrap caught my eye, it is a very interesting color because it wasn’t really on my radar. I was more about the eye popping colors like extremely insanely high visibility orange, full fluorescent green, insanely hot pink and the like.

Green is fastening because ultimately it is the color of life. Everyone wants to see green grass, green Vista, see you there stock portfolio, their investments go green etc. It’s one of those funny things that a lot of people think that certain other things are better like red, everyone wants a red Ferrari… But nobody wants to see their investments go red?

Anyways, it’s interesting when it comes to vehicles… Living here in LA… It seems that also… Everyone wants their vehicle to look like some sort of military vehicle? If you think about the raised trucks SUVs… They essentially look like armored vehicles on the road. Even if you think about a cyber truck… It’s kind of like an affordable urban tank? Especially since it is bulletproof.

If you think about a military lifestyle, it should be all about austerity. For example, assuming that the summit of military discipline and lifestyle was the ancient Spartans, you don’t have a bunch of Spartans prancing around in purple Lamborghinis, or pink Rolls-Royce‘s,. Rather, they pride themselves on their military discipline their military valor, being outside all day, training for battle, in fact… lusting after battle.

In fact, I have an interesting theory… I think modern day man, the reason why modern day man is so depressed is because he doesn’t have any avenues to express his physical courage and valor? Like, when in modern day life will you ever suit up, get a sword and spear, put on your hub light helmet with the horse crest on top, roar, and go head to head in battle? Never.

I think the closest thing we have in modern day times is either like sports or the gym? Like football… Maybe rugby, something that actually requires some sort of physical courage.

I’ll give you an example I played football in high school, outside linebacker and inside linebacker my sophomore and junior year, starting, and the number one act of courage that you gotta do is go ahead to head with other highly adapt guys, all essentially suited up in their battle armor. To literally do a kickoff, run full speed to another dude, who grabs the ball and lowers his helmet and his body to accost you,,, it’s like one of the most unnatural things that a human being has to override his brain and doing. It’s practically 100% physical courage.

Football is interesting because certainly there’s a lot of skill involved, but I would say it’s like 99% physicality and courage.

There is a lot of other sports which takes physical string stamina, and skill… But not much physical courage?

What is physical courage anyways? Physical courage is like putting your skeleton your bones your muscles your brain on the line, and if you act in such a way that is cowardly, you inflict physical damage on yourself. 

Courage

Also when it comes to investing, there needs to be some sort of exposure. Like you cannot be a fake