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

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

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

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

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

Nuances

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

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

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

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

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

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

Double your money and make it stack!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Why do we seek dominance?

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

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

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

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

The opposite of death

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

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

How I lost faith in fiat currency 

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

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

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Numbers vs health?

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

so what should we do about this?

I think this is where philosophy becomes interesting —

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

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

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

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

The modern day Arena

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

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

New ways of thinking of the world

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

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

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

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Your “net worth”?

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

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

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

“Success”?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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The best schedule?

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

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

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

Laser eyes!

My new motto is laser eyes, from Michael Saylor.

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

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

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

Time with your kids 

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

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

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

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

***

Attention

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

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

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Now what?

Nihil admirari (admire no man)

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

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

Time and money

It is not just time and money but health.

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

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

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Be humble?

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

ERIC

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Think physics:

Some real world thoughts:

First, I still believe infinitely… the best possible place to live is a place where you love to walk! When you pound your morning espresso, hungry and voracious for the adventure of embodied reality.

The problem

I think the sad tragedy here is that truth be told… 99.9% of reality sucks. Especially if you live in America… you’re just stuck in a car 99.9% of your day. Or inside an office building, or inside a crappy school room, University class etc.

In fact, we knew modern day humans, with the new zoo animals. In fact, maybe zoo animals have it better than us; at least they have a little bit more physical space, and also room to spare.

First

I believe the first optimization, at least living in America is deciding which Geo location or space to live. Currently speaking I believe Culver City, downtown Culver City, the Culver City arts district to be the best. The best place to immediately pop out of your apartment, and immediately start walking! 

Or, if you have the option, living in some sort of city in Southeast Asia, Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Hanoi, Saigon etc.

The reason why I believe it to be so intelligent to live in Southeast Asia is economic leverage. For example even trolling homes here on Zillow, it is insane; $2.2 million for these half-assed remodeled homes? Things which comes standard in Vietnam or Southeast Asia?

Hardcore economics

I recently re-watched the movie 300 again, some thoughts:

First, I think the best way to live is through extreme economy. What that means is no matter how high or low your income… to hardcore leverage your money seems like a good idea.

For example, it seems human nature that we will typically meet match or perhaps supersede our income. What that means is when it comes to “lifestyle creep”, or “hedonic adaptation”– most people do the foolish thing— when anybody touches any money, the very foolish thing they first do is buy a car, some expensive clothes, jewelry, etc.

What they should do instead is buy bitcoin. And live like a low-key poor person.

Spartan economics

Ever since I was a teenager, and a kid, I’ve always really been into fashion, clothes etc. However, the enlightening thing about watching the movie 300, first, the Spartans are essentially bare chested, no shirt on, and just wearing cod pieces–speedos. The only thing to note is their crimson cape which goes to the floor, and during battle, their bronze Spartan helmets, with the frightening horse hair on top, their spears, swords, battle greaves, forearm armor, shield, … that seems to be about it.

Certainly there are some clothes and accessories which do improve your life. But assuming you’re a man… unless you’re going indoors, a shirt is optional. I say go shirtless as much as humanly possible.

Khalil Gibran on Clothing

At the LA public library, Cindy just picked up paperback of Khalil Gibran the prophet, the classic. I think Cindy and I read it back in college.

What was very interesting was his thoughts on modesty and clothing; essentially back in the day, modesty was just another word to describe hiding the ugliness of your body.

I see today; all these guys who wear trucker hats, fully tinted sunglasses, have beards and lots of facial hair and maybe mustaches … , flannel and trucker jackets, bunch of tattoos, body hair, fat, and drinking beer? Essentially it is to hide the ugliness of their bodies. I still find it very very bizarre that somehow having a strong opinion about craft beer is what makes one manly? 

I find tattoos to be the most ridiculous proposition; it is expensive, takes a long time, and it actually positively makes your body uglier. Even Nietzsche wrote that the trend for people to get bodily tattoos was a march towards barbarism.

I say instead of getting body tattoos, just build bodily muscle. Just buy your own weightlifting equipment – Titan.fitness and workout at home.

Real men have muscle!

Property

I’m currently reading the father of Austrian economics, Karl Menger — and his principles on economics. It is a bit of a dry read, but I enjoy it and so far much as it is simple, clean, and direct, and just like Aristotle, lays the foundation of first principles in economics, talking about goods, needs, human economizing, stock etc.

One of it is property, property accumulation, and connections with human desire to accumulate obtain and hold property.

Karl Menger talks about property almost a bit of a metaphorical sense, it doesn’t have to be physical property, the property in the minds of men?

I think when you go back to first principles thinking for philosophy humans economics etc., things become very interesting.

The first thought I had is maybe the intelligence of buying your own weightlifting or gym equipment is that in technicality, you are accumulating property, weightlifting property, weight property, plates etc.

Also the good thing is that weightlifting will never go out this style, because it is the most OG, original gangster way of getting stronger. A simple barbell and weight plates is all you need. If you want cheap ones, just get some cast-iron plates, in the 45 pound range. Also for a cheap weightlifting squat rack, the Titan.fitness T3 independent squat stand, apparently it could withstand up to 1000 pounds… I’ve already loaded it up with 775 pounds and it seems fine.

I think the problem with going to the gym, is that you’re pissing away your money, especially in Los Angeles where a gym membership could be in the $150 a month to $200 a month range. If you’re on a budget, you could buy a cheap barbell for me about 100 bucks, and two weight plates will only set you back around 150 bucks. If you do the math, within the year, you can invest at least $1000 into weightlifting equipment, which will stay with you forever.

For very very cheap options, just buy sandbags; you could purchase 50 pounds of playground sand for only about three dollars! 

Stainless steel

What is the apex metal? Stainless steel. Stainless steel is what allows us to create 100 story skyscrapers, and also, which creates your beloved Cybertruck. The more I think about cybertruck, the greater it is. At least in terms of material and form, it might last you at least 100 years. Maybe 300 years if you take good care of it.

Also, I think the cybertruck is actually positively bulletproof; just watch the videos with it. If John Wick was alive today, he might drive a cybertruck?  Or some sort of baby sports car muscle car stainless steel cyber truck, imagine if you took a Camaro or a Dodge charger and just outfitted it with stainless steel? 

Make your body like stainless steel

I had the epiphany and the realization that this is why they call Superman the Man of steel; at the time, when Superman was invented, steel, stainless steel was a big deal.

Also, public restrooms and bathrooms etc.… It seems that stainless steel is the way. The easiest to keep clean, maintain etc. Stainless steel toilets, hand washing stations etc.

Also, at Cindy‘s family’s house, Cindy‘s mom has a stainless steel kitchen sink, which I think she’s been using for over 20 years with no problems!

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The future

First principal is thinking; what is the purpose of saving? For the future.

I think the very clarifying and positive thing is once you have a kid, future becomes a more concrete notion. Your building property and betterment for your child, and their child, and their kids kids kids.

But why? I think a lot of modern day thinking is too focused on the individual; what makes more sense is focusing on beyond the individual– the clan, the tribe, the collective. 

Leaders and followers?

“See there’s leaders and there’s followers but I’d rather be a dick than a swallower”– Ye

Even NASSIM Taleb talks about how there are individuals or academic, intellectual “swallowers“. 

What should be the purpose of education? Critical thinking. To challenge convention, to think first principles etc.

In fact, I think the best thing that Aristotle does when fleshing out some ideas is he first starts off by first principles, by defining things – to challenge things, why they are important, why they are critical etc.

The reason why I find this to be so important is that we spend our whole lives working, and living… but yet we never challenge why we do it, why is important, why is significant etc.

For example, let us say that you are a modern day tech worker, or a banker, and what you’re trying to do is accumulate as much US dollars, currency, the highest salary possible. But towards what ends? Buying a certain car you want, a single-family home, etc.? Having the freedom in the power to travel the world? Before you sacrifice 30 years of your life, maybe a deep critical introspection is needed; thus the Why App?

The upside of sociology 

The more I think about the benefit of studying sociology was simply to challenge all social norms. In fact, the other day we were inside a public library, and Seneca was upset that we had to return the books, in which I cleverly stated and said, no, we are not “returning” the books, we are recirculating them.

Anyways, certainly Seneca was upset, because if you think about it… the notion of checking out a book, and then having to return it is not natural and it doesn’t really make much sense. As a consequence he was crying loud, and this pretentious librarian tell me that “he has to go”, or “he has to go (outside)”.

Like a true mensch, of course I did not forcibly make him exit the library. I calmly stood there, while he was still crying, explaining to him the notion of recirculating over returning the books.

Anyways, the librarian was confused, because I think in the past, whenever the library tells a parent that their kid is being too loud, a parent somehow feels bad, or embarrassed or something and forcibly removes the kid from the library. No. I stood there, taking my sweet time, and explaining to Seneca, and the library being confused came up to me to approach me a second time.

Anyways, thinking back first principles… Why is it that a library should be quiet? Why not loud?

The first line of thinking is that the purpose of a library is for a quiet contemplation. Why not loud contemplation?

Anyways, that loser library and library will no longer get my patronage. Onto the next one.

Society?

Also, even modern day society in today’s world, the law is “thou shall not make eye contact with strangers, engage in small talk, be friendly etc.”

Also, modern day society says that we shall be, antisocial, introspective, cowardly, quietly consume our fake ass plant-based food, and try to minimize our “carbon imprint”, on the planet. 

Says who?

Fuck that!

Seeing humans in the flesh?

Now I have a new rule; before I’m about to read any book, listen to a new podcast or whatever… I want to kind of get a full body glimpse of said individual.

For example, this seems cruel, but I don’t really care for the opinion of anybody who is overfat, skinny fat, physically weak, doesn’t have muscle, doesn’t have strong legs.

The problem in today’s world is that there is a hijacking of knowledge, legitimacy and information towards the nerds, the Shorty guys, the Shorty fat skinny old bald guys, etc.

Only trust thinkers who are also weightlifters. 

So far, modern day times … maybe only NASSIM TALEB? But now he is even too old, and still kind of a fatty guy (his history).

Who else?

They not like us!

Creating your own tribe? All you need is 300?

Let us even think about King Leonidas… Certainly would have been impossible for him to fight back millions of Persians himself. However, him being able to leverage the train, the hot gates and the choke point… Assuming he was not betrayed… He would have probably been able to hold the hot gates, With his Spartan 300. 

Create for yourself

My simple line of thinking is create things, design things as if you were the only end user.

Also, follow your own personal curiosity irregardless of how irrational or impractical or uneconomical it may seem. 

True innovation happens out of pure self curiosity, things which at the time seem very very impractical… But, can create insane value for society and others.

The camera as a self defense weapon?

Looking at cops, one of the interesting things is that they always have some sort of chest mounted video camera that is always recording. I wonder if this is also a good accessory for ourselves. A simple thing is having a GoPro chest mount, and a GoPro mini. 

Also, if you became swat, swat team… How would you look and how would you train?

First, armor. I think my joy of having my 60 pound weight vest on all the time is that is like real world training. If you had a bulletproof, 60 pounds is good.

Also, a bulletproof body.

SWAT TRAINING?

If you are swat team… How do you train?

Once again, 60 pound vest, and also some sort of notion of hunger. And fearlessness.

Also a cool visual I have is from John Wick 4, the all black samurai kabuki guys at the Osaka hotel, trying to kill John Wick.

The ideal form of training would be caring heavy stuff, for relatively short distances. Also if fearlessness. And pure power. Imagine if you were a swat door kicker. 

Unkillable

I think what is so awesome about John Wick is that he is practically invincible, unkillable. All four movies, everyone tries to kill him, and even at the very very end… he allows himself to get killed, in order to get the final sweet sweet revenge on his arch nemesis.

In fact, John Wick is fascinating because he is almost like the modern Achilles; it is his lust for revenge which drives him.

Thought– somebody should reboot the movie Troy, or a film centered around Achilles? 

New ethics and morality


Also, this is where things become interesting to me; for us to think carte blanche, to create new morals and ethics for ourselves. All is permitted, said the famous assassins. This is the real assassin’s Creed.

All is legitimate, all is permitted — as long as it does not disobey the laws of physics.

ERIC

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Think physics

Ultimately if you want to think about growth, life, things in general… Think physics!

Weight lifting also a fun physics game and experiment?

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Travel and physics

If you think about reality from a physics or space approach, the logic and the rationale is that when you’re moving your human body across time and space, geo location and climate… having a novel environment changes you.

For example, even a simple weekend getaway to San Diego, the beachfront, the ocean, looking into the infinite sea, and having a different change of climate from LA, it changed my thinking, or allowed the genesis of new and unique thoughts.

I think this upside of traveling to Southeast Asia, ironically enough I think best when it is hot and humid? For myself, I find it very difficult to think well when it is cold and humid and wet. I hate the winter. Even the Los Angeles the winter is not super nice. I wish I could live in Southeast Asia forever.

You know yourself the best

Everybody has different preferences. I find it insanely annoying when people try to “educate” you that somehow your preferences are illegitimate? And they try to tyranny their own preferences upon you?

Fuck that! Become more stoic and staunch in your approach.

so where do you want to travel to?

1. SF BAY AREA, THE MISSION SF —
2. Downtown LA
3. CAMBODIA, ANGKOR WAT Experience the planet with EK > ERIC KIM EXPERIENCES

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Photo assignments

If you want infinite inspiration and motivation to make photos, just have a kid!

If you already have a kid, cross pollinate your passion for street photography photographing your kid!

Also, undefine photography; all photography is legitimate!

Also, delete Instagram, irregardless of how many followers you have. It is like I’m telling you that you had terminal cancer, but, you would be able to magically cure yourself if you justdeleted Instagram. Wouldn’t you do it?

Instagram is cancer for the mind and the soul. 

In fact, the only people I trust in the ERIC KIM clan is those without an Instagram. Also if I had to create an initiation ceremony, the first step for STREET CLUB would be deleting your Instagram. 

Keep stacking those Bitcoin not those followers. 

“You got 1 billion streams, I got $1 billion!” – JAY Z

You got 1 million followers? I got 1 million bitcoin!

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The ocean is infinite– infinite energy, power, waves… forever into the distance:

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Only Slaves Use Phones

Creating the most sublime human body?

A turbo thought about phones —

Only slaves use phones?

---

Vietnam experiences

Probably the big takeaway point I got from Vietnam, living in Vietnam without a phone, only iPad is this: 

You don’t need a phone.

In fact, let us consider… If you’re walking around in the real world, looking at how big it is, it is such a great tragedy that so much of our human existence is centered around a tiny 4.5 inch screen.

Also, the problem with phones, you can’t be that productive with phones. Most people text with their thumbs, which is maybe 40 words per minute at best. Very slow. On the laptop I can type close to 140 words per minute, and now using iPad Pro with voice dictation, maybe 200 words per minute. 

I think perhaps what is exciting about the new Apple intelligence and AI in the future, is actually ironically not the AI generating text, or giving me information, but the simple thing, which is actually centered more around accurately representing the words I actually want to voice dictate.

For example, often when I’m doing voice dictation with the iPad Pro, the built-in keyboard, the little microphone button… the big issue I have here is that a lot of the typos certain words in the English language which sound like something else, but are not.

Consequence, perhaps the greatest upside of artificial intelligence would be quickly scanning the nuance of the whole sentence, while I am actively voice dictating, and through this process, discover what I am really trying to say. 

AI & photo curation

Another interesting use case for artificial intelligence is simply being able to help me curate my images, help me go through them quicker.

For example, I have lots of visions for image curation; the big issue we are having in todays world is we shoot too many images, too quickly, and we haven’t the time the techniques or the skills to view them quickly enough. 

For example, currently I average 1000 to 2000 photos a day. I think this is generally a good thing, because it signals that I am living a grand life. However the downside is that I seem to have a difficult time finding the opportunity or the time or the chance to review these many photos a day.

The basic person might say, “Shoot less“; but I find this to be too flaccid of a solution. What we need instead is more effective image creation tools, devices, or things.

More convenient film developing, processing etc?

Also as a random nuance, now that Pentax just put out that new film camera, wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was either a free or practically free solution to image processing, etc.?

Or, the upside of film without the downside; perhaps this is the main upside or the intrigue with the new Ricoh HDF camera ? The idea that your digital photos could look like film photos without the hassle of developing film photos? 

Why film?

For example, there is no doubt that film photos, especially color film photos, are far more aesthetically beautiful than the often too perfect digital photos. Yet, at the end of day, the inconvenience of shooting film is what makes it the loser. Sooner or later, no matter how dedicated of a film photographer you are, it still seems that the tide eventually makes its way back into digital. 

Some nuances:

First, if you perhaps live in Vietnam or some sort of developing country, where labor costs are cheap in which you could just give somebody else your film photos, and have them cheaply develop process and scan it for you. However it seems that now in America with the $20 an hour minimum wage at McDonald’s, labor costs in America are too prohibitive.

As an example I remember when living in Hanoi, there were some scrappy kids who would develop a rule of film, and also scan it for you for only five dollars a roll! In America this is almost $20-$30 a roll. 

Convenience is key

Even if you’re stupid rich, millionaire or billionaire level, then once again, the inconvenience is what makes it bad. For example, I still have about 50 rolls of Kodak PORTRA 400, and Kodak Trix which I shot maybe three or four years ago, which I still haven’t yet had the impetus to send it off to go process it, even though I could easily afford it. I just got too many other things on my plate at the moment.

Therefore a consequence, the realization is once you’re very wealthy, costs no longer become a problem, it is more of a time energy mental space, time space thing. 

Elon?

For example, if you’re Elon Musk, do you have the time convenience or the leisure to simply stroll into a Costco, browse the products, and spend about three or four hours checking out? No.

I think this is where Amazon and Amazon prime is so great for people both rich and poor alike; rich people still use Amazon prime because it is so convenient. Once you’re rich, a lot of people don’t have time to go places or to physically purchase the products. They would prefer to order it in just a few seconds from their phone. And then poor people like Amazon prime because they get prices; and end up “saving” money.

Visions for the future

Some simple visions:

First, a phone free future. I think one thing that really annoys me about a lot of these new modern cars is that you somehow need a phone in order to unlock it, to open the door of your car, access it, etc. I think with Tesla cars, as long as you have your Tesla phone in your pocket, you could access your car, but also you could access it if you have the Tesla valet key thing.

Funny enough, one of the upsides of my glorious 2010 Prius is that it still has the key fob; which means when I go to the park with Seneca, I could just lock up my phone inside my glove compartment, just take my keys and Prius car with me, and lock up my car. 

New productivity?

I have some radical new ideas for productivity:

First, it seems like a very very very simple one is ironically “via negativa” approaches and technology. 

For example, ironically one of the best ways you could be more productive is by not having a Wi-Fi enabled device. For example, maybe if you’d like the smaller form factor of an iPhone, just have two phones; one with Internet cellular data, the other as a Wi-Fi only device. Maybe this would be a good idea for who just prefer shooting photos using an iPhone, but don’t like getting interrupted by text messages.

I think the reason why this is such a good idea in Asia, and a lot of the world… many people have multiple devices with them at once. For example my friend Chu Viet Ha, because he is often testing out so many new phones and phone cameras, often has five or six phones with him.

The hybrid approach

In fact, if you really wanted to be the ultimately productive person, having the best world of both android and iPhone iOS is a good idea. 

For example, my friend Darren Wong — impressed me when he had both a Google pixel and an iPhone in each of his front two pockets. Truth be told, almost every single iPhone user I know has a Gmail account. And Gmail works for better on android in Google pixel then on iOS. As a consequence, using a Google pixel, which is the ultimate expression of android, should be optimal for doing Google related things; Google calendar, Gmail etc. Even Google maps.

What is iPhone, iOS good for? FaceTime, iMessage, Apple photos, iA Writer, etc.

Road trip down to San Diego

This weekend had a quick trip to San Diego, and something that was so impressive to me was the upside of having a Prius and a hybrid car:

First, driving from LA to San Diego, only consumed about 3 ticks of gasoline. And the other day we spent all day driving around, going to Torrey Pines and the beach, seeing the ocean and the waves etc.… and in total we have only consumed about 40 to 50% of gas. We’re going to head out later today, and technically I still have half tank of gas and I could make it all the way back to LA if I wanted to.

However if I had a Tesla or a long range Tesla or electric vehicle, maybe even a cyber truck, I would probably have to stop by a supercharger somewhere along the line, or find a supercharger back home in LA… given that my apartment doesn’t have an electric charging port station, so the moral the story is simple:

If you truly do want to live a more adventurous life, Prius and Hybrid is the way. 

Autopilot is the killer app

The only thing I really wished on the drive down is having some sort of auto pilot or at least lane keeping assist distance being; some sort of super basic self driving thing. The future which allows you or allows your car to cruise control itself, but also maintaining the distance with a car in front of it, and also staying within the lane. And the optimal strategy is just having your car drive itself down from LA to San Diego, while staying in the second to left lane. 

I don’t know yet… but certainly there must be gasoline or hybrid cars that already allow this? 

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The upside of movement

So I’m about eight months in living in Los Angeles, kind of figuring out how to live there. But still not 100% settled yet.

Hitting the road again, just going on a road trip down to San Diego has been great; walking along the downtown San Diego waterfront, going to Torrey Pines State Beach and dipping my legs in the water with Seneca, and staring into the deep ocean, having the waves crashed directly towards me, has been extremely inspiring.

Also even checking out some parts of old San Diego has been super inspirational because it taught me and show me that there is still so much of the world left to explore.

I think this is where I am inspired by my friend Tim Flanagan — he is still traveling the world, nomadically, South America, Asia and beyond; did the wise and brave thing of taking an early retirement. People often tell him that “I wish I could do that, but I cannot because XYZ”. Tim is a good example, because he already has two grown sons, a handful of grandchildren, and some obligations back here in the states, but still… is doing the courageous and wise thing of traveling the globe.

I also think a lot of people often say is that I need more money in order to do that. But Tim, choosing an early retirement certainly does not have a fat pension like a lot of other teachers or administrators; but still… perhaps the best way to travel the world in the globe is through this intelligent frugality time and money leveraging; the wise, hard spartan approach.

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Capital thoughts 

I think one of the hardest things that people have to do is to think about cyberspace because it is so intangible.

For example, I’m currently 36 years old, and I think most of my technological beliefs have been embedded into me ever since I was 18 years old, maybe 21 years old. So assuming that I graduated from college around 15 years ago, I’m almost 2 decades in the game.

First, maybe this is where I am such a wise bitcoin investor. I know how to think in terms of bitcoin and digital and cyber things, because technically I started all of my capital in my website, which is a cyber digital commodity. Or cyber real estate.

Also, conservation of time energy space and power.

Life leverage

I didn’t the reason why I quit email is because it doesn’t scale well.

For example, now that I am such a notable and famous entity… I simply do not have enough time units in a day or a lifetime to respond or continue any sort of conversations of anything that comes in my inbox.

I also suppose this issue is with generative AI… It is kind of impossible to know whether the email you are receiving is from a real human being or not.

Maybe this could be a great filter in brave new digital world; some sort of “orange check” from a given email address, to prove humanity. A simple thing or more radical thing… Have an email address verified by a certain bitcoin wallet or balance, some sort of cyber digital ation, which could prove that is a human being, and how much worth they have. 

Public bitcoin balances?

Imagine this cyber future world in which you could meet people glance at people, or maybe even ask… making it socially acceptable to ask people how many bitcoins they own. And from this information you could tell how wealthy they really are.

For example, the shortcut we have about this is maybe the car people drive, where they live, their clothes accessories etc. But technically this is not a very good indicator, because every dime you spend on material things is actually capital and money you have invested in something else, or more bitcoins.

For example if I had any financial advice to young rappers, is for them not to buy any car just Uber around everywhere… And all that money they would blow at the strip club or on cars, just buy bitcoin.

Also, instead of them blowing all that money on jewelry, buying bitcoin instead. I wonder if in the near future, instead of wearing diamond chains and necklaces… Young rappers will simply have bitcoin icons tattooed into their body?

Bitcoin on wheels?

For example, whenever you some see somebody pull up in a cybertruck, a Lamborghini Ferrari or Porsche or whatever… Let us say the car is worth $200,000 — irregardless of how rich you are,  assuming you could have 10x’d, 100x’d or even 1,000x’d that money …. anybody who invests money into things which will not accrue and value over time is a fool.

For example, that $200,000 car could be a $2 million investment vehicle, a $20 million investment vehicle, or $200 million investment vehicle. Something that appreciates in time forever!


The true investor and capitalist is actually very frugal and economical?

Once again, if I told you with 100 precision today that any money you put into bitcoin would multiply itself by a factor of 1000… wouldn’t this change your purchasing behaviors today?

Of course! Even if you time-discount things, if you knew your money would 10 X, 100 X, 500 X  within a year, two years, five years, 10 years or 20 years… the most rational or wise people would just put all of that money US dollars or fiat currency into bitcoin. 

For example, if you knew that your $1000 invested in that thing you purchased today might be worth $100,000 10 years from now… then make that decision–

“Is it really that worth it to you?”

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Now what?

I still believe Zack Snyder‘s magnum opus thus far has been the movie 300. This is when he was still a young scrappy director, still with a limited budget, and made one of the best films of all time. I think in terms of courage, manliness, and overall valor, this film has not yet been reached by any other film. Not even the steroid infused Rock comes close. 

Re-watching the film, now as a 36 year-old adult with a 3 1/2 year-old son,  similar to the fictitious age of King Leonidas, and the movie… some interesting observations: 

1. One of the greatest blessings of man is to beget a son. If you have birth your first born child as a son, consider yourself infinitely blessed. The greatest blessing that reality could bestow you with. For the most part, I think the more kids, the jollier the better. In fact, nowadays whenever I see families with 3 kids, 4 kids, 5 kids… I think “Wow… that family is grand”. Then what that signals is not that the family is “rich“ in the traditional sense, but has their priority in their future generations, and cares more about begetting children than their “career”.
2. The best clothing is no or minimal clothing. The whole film, all of the actors and the Spartan hoplites and King Leonidas are simply wearing loincloths, or reinforced speedo’s. Therefore, the best pants are short shorts. And the best shirt or top is bare chested, no shirt. I suppose the nuance is back then, they wore a cape– a crimson cape. Is there such thing as a modern day cape?
3. Ultimately, it comes down to physical valor and courage. Note, in movie 300… all the Spartan hoplites what they had — their muscles, their courage, their helmets, their sword spear and shield. No vehicles.

The Spartan way

I then suppose if you want to become a true Spartan, have at least one son, to carry on your name. In the movie 300, king Leonidas confirms with all of his 300 Spartan hoplites whether they had at least one son to carry on their name, because they all essentially knew that it would die in combat.

So it seems to me that the logical strategy in life is to beget at least one son, and then direct all your money resources time and power to raise that son with the greatest of benefits. 

Before I had a son, before I had Seneca… I would look at all these guys who looked super rich and drove all these expensive cars as being some sort of “competition” with me. But now, they are all invisible to me. Why? a lot of them are single bachelors not even married, no kids. When they die, their whole lineage is dead. So to me I look at them like the walking (to be) dead.

Then I look at more older richer “successful“ looking parents in LA; and then I look at their kids, and I weigh Seneca against them; Seneca is much stronger, bigger, taller, more handsome, more muscular, more physically adept then them. The Spartan warrior boy who eats picanha at Fogo de Chão, with a carnivorous diet, versus all of these emaciated feeble looking children who are fed on grain and Cheerios.

So now, the only comparisons I do is looking at young boys around Seneca’s age, and looking at Seneca. Everything and everyone else is invisible to me.

The role of a father?

I think the simple role of a father is to simply raise, train, and battle ready your child. 

Simply put, I think the best strategy of raising your son is maximum time outdoors, in the direct elements, maximum time with physical activity exercise and the great outdoors, climbing, being in the water, throwing rocks in the water, eating meat etc. All this nonsense about “education” is overrated.

Just ask yourself:

What would king Leonidas do?

Howard King Leonidas raise his son?

“Education”?

If your kid is born in America, and has two educated parents… certainly whether you like it or not, they will learn how to be fluent in English, learn the English language, without even trying.

In fact, the ultimate education and learning happens in the real world.

I have the ultimate pride in Seneca, from a via negativa perspective:

1. Since he was born, he has never watched any YouTube, Disney+, YouTube kids, Netflix etc.
2. Since he was born he has never been put into preschool, daycare, “Montessori” school etc.
3. He has never eaten candy, ice cream, desserts or cake, etc.
4. He has never been exposed to movies films TV shows Marvel etc.

Then the irony is to privilege your kid, it isn’t about “adding“ activities or extracurricular activities for them; but rather what not to give them or what not to allow them to do.

Life?

I think the ideal life is not being employed, being self-employed and being a sole proprietor. If you see people who have to make zoom calls for a living, go to any office, or send emails for a living… they are not free. Freedom is the goal, not wealth. 

During the day, the ideal is to just be outside all day. If you are worried about the sun, just wear a lot of sunblock, wear a hat, baseball cap, or one of those funny wide brimmed hiking hats. I used to think that they were really lame, those hats which are really really big and long in the front, and really really long in the back to protect your neck. But now, I understand the rationale. And if you want to protect your body just wear long pants and long sleeves. 

An epiphany I also had about weather; even the most glorious of weather, not that the sun is in full blast in Los Angeles, the big issue is now the sun is almost too strong — even wearing SPF 60 sunblock, the UV rays of the sun feels like pins and needles on my shoulders and on top of my forehead. And also watching the Dune movie, all of the fighters of Arrakis essentially look like Middle Eastern people, all covered up, besides the eyes – Paul Atriedes at the very end, full battle gear, head and face covered besides the blue spice-infused eyes.

Then what that also means is when it is cold or the winter… Dress intelligently. Lots of layers. If you get too hot just take off layers. Just like when it is too hot, just keep taking clothes off until there are no more clothes to takeoff. 

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What else?

If you have the privilege, hit the beach! Just go barefoot in the sand and the water, just dip your feet and your legs and your body into the ocean. And then just stare into the deep ocean, with the waves crashing directly into and at you.

The big epiphany I had about the ocean is this:

Infinite power and horizons, never ending … forever.

I even thought, maybe the best bitcoin mining rig would just be a mega computer in the middle of the ocean, harnessing the forever power of the ocean, gravity and the solar system.

Now what?

If you want a simple trip that is not too difficult, just go on a hike in nature, or just hit the beach! I think there is a grand connection between man his environment and nature; he spent too much time in a cramped city, I think your horizon narrows. Even the simple action of staring into the sea… You know that your future is infinite. 

ERIC

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INCOMING!

Conquer the planet and beyond at upcoming ERIC KIM WORKSHOP:

1. SF: Conquer your fears, October 26, 2024
2. DOWNTOWN LA– the OG: Conquer your fears in street photography and beyond November 16, 2024

For the insanely bold–

CAMBODIA 2025 ANGKOR WORKSHOP EXPERIENCE

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Now what?

Never stop shooting!

ERIC

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Start here, Books, News

Also for fun —

Upload your best photos to arsbeta.com

Upload Your Photos Here >

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The more you shoot, the happier you will be!

ERIC KIM BLOG

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Untameable

What is the role and task of modern day society? To tame the individual, to tame the beast-man. 

For example, if you think about almost all K-12 education, even at the college University level… What does it aim towards? Obedience, ability to sedate children to sit down, be quiet, listen to the teacher etc.

For example, even when I think about traditional elementary school, it seems mostly disturbing that kids only get about 30 minutes or an hour of free play, outside today? There’s too much focus on “education”– this amorphus concept of “education.”

Most books are bad?

Recently, I’ve been taking Seneca a lot to these public libraries. We typically think the following:

More books, more reading … “more” better.

For example, we think about it in simple vector arithmetic forms. The more books you add to your brain, the more words and pages and books you consume, the “more” smart, virtuous, noble, and superior you will become. 

But the issue here, going to the library, honestly 99.99% of these books are bad.

For example, a lot of these books which are made for children are either dumb, or, they encourage strange morality. A lot of these books return for kids now are snarky And mostly written for the shits and giggles for parents.

Weird kids at the park?

Another hesitance and reticence of puddings Seneca in school; most kids at the park or actually really strange? With strange parents?

For example, a lot of these kids who are obviously older than Seneca, because they talk really well and in full sentences etc.… They have strange morality, and also, strange ethics. Strange playground and workflows.

Then you look at the parents… Look a little bit disturbed, all out on their phones, checking dumb Instagram and watching YouTube videos, while their kids are playing at the park, vying for their attention?

iPhones are the new dumbing down tool. 

I have a very simple idea for  parents, children, and adults alike:

Lock up your iPhones in the glove compartment of your car, or just leave it at home when you go out.

It is almost like a metaphorical analogy of tying yourself to the mast a la Odysseus.

For example, if you really really want to be 100%, 1000% present with your child when you’re at the park with them, very very simple, turn off your phone, put inside the glove compartment, close it, then play with your kid at the park!

Another funny workflow or hacks; if your kid wants to play on the iPad, make it a rule that you are not allowed to watch or do anything on the iPad at home, only at the park, or the downtown area.

I even have an idea for adults; perhaps the rule should be you are not allowed to use your phone, laptop, iPad at home endorse; only outside, in the direct sun!

The sun

We checked out this new super space book from the library the other day, and Cindy was reading it to Seneca before sleeping, and an interesting fact:

One second, of the power of the sun could power the entire earth for 27,000 years.

This is insane.

It looks like now, summer is upon us, literally about four days ago, the sun came out in full force! Personally for me, this is my utopia in Paradise being in Los Angeles, but even yesterday… The sun almost became too strong for me. Even with SPF 60 sunblock on, The sunrays on my skin started to feel like pins and needles on my forehead, my forearms, the back of my neck, etc.  it is so strong that I am contemplating on starting to wear a baseball cap more frequently, and also, wearing long sleeved button up, popping the color to protect my neck.

Anyways essentially, I think the new man is the man who best embraces in channels and harnesses and utilizes the environment to his benefit.

Air conditioning weakens you

I think the only legitimate time to use air-conditioning is if you live in a very very hot and humid place, turning it on for sleep. But besides this, air-conditioning I think is positively bad for you. Especially when you pair it with being indoors, and also with the air conditioning on.

For example even being at the public library, which is indoors, dark and air condition… Being outside and being indoors is literally night and day.

When I am outside, either in the shade or the sun, I immediately feel more energy, power, more zest for life. The second that I go indoors, it is dark and cramped, with air conditioning on… It immediately lulls me to sleep,  and also, shuts down my physiology? 

And then I think, essentially the big issue here is adults, maybe even children now have been conditioned to prefer being indoors, like domesticated cattle, or tamed bulls?

The raging bull

Essentially, what is cattle? A male cow? Or whatever? A castrated cow.

For men and for us men… it is obvious that our power comes from our balls. Our testicles. 

A very very simple observation: the genetic difference between men and woman is situated in the issue of testicles or no testicles.

It doesn’t even matter what your sexual orientation is, or your self-professed gender. The better question:

Do you got balls or no balls?

Honestly, all of this debate and politicking  about sex, gender, sexual orientation etc.… It seems here the issue is that people somehow want to deny the scientific laws of physiology?

For example, testes. Or ovaries. If you are a woman with ovaries, or if you experience a sort of menstrual cycle, certainly when you are experiencing hormonal shifts during your menstrual cycle, you will feel act and behaved differently than if you don’t have one. And this is independent whatever your sexual preferences are.

But… I think that women will never understand about men, is that men we have testosterone. How does testosterone manifest itself? Simple: it gives us power and force when we need it, for example, if you want to lift 1000 pounds … you will certainly want to harness and channel your testosterone to your benefit. It seems very foolish too rub one out really quick before lifting 1000 pounds.

Or, I am very dubious that Hafthor rubbed one out really quickly before dead lifting his infamous 502 kg dead lift.

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These body parts aren’t free

“This dick ain’t free”– Drake

Another funny gendered truism:

More often than not, it seems that the goal is for men to seduce women in order to bed them, and will often spend largest sums of money directly or indirectly to do this… But never never the other way around? 

For example, assuming that man is the world to power, and man desires more power, in theory the optimal strategy is to never release your seminal fluid. Apparently this is called “semen retention”. And also the funny new pseudo masculine walk strategy is to see how long you could retain your semen, before in naturally emissions itself in your sleep.

I think the superstition that boxers should not have sex the night before the big fight is a good one.

Also, ancient Chinese notions of Yang and Yang; apparently one man ejects his semen, it is considered that he is losing his Yang, a bad thing. Therefore as a consequence, the theory for life for a Chinese Emperor was for him to bed as many women virgins as possible, but he was not allowed to ejaculate? Blue balling yourself for immortality.

Science?

Certainly much of science, the scientific method of inquiry is a good one. Cause and effect, experimentation. 

However, often we fall victim to something called “scientism“– the basic ideas that it sounds like signs, but in fact, it is hocus-pocus, uncritical.

For example, this nonsensical notion of “calories“,” burning“ calories. 

The insane idea is that somehow, the average human being “burns” 2000 calories a day, and in order to not get fat, you must “burn” 2000 calories a day. 

My personal theory is that this pseudoscience is promoted by the Coca-Cola corporation, who wants you to “balance“ what you eat consume and how you move. 

For example, the reason why this is so pernicious is that somehow, let us see I drink that mini Coca-Cola can, which has “only” 1000 calories — then the ideas that if I worked out and I’m fit or whatever, or I don’t “consume“ that many calories in a day, I somehow will not get fat and get diabetes.

Then as a consequence, one ends up drinking juice, quinoa salads, and still continues to consume Coca-Cola, and that person ends up getting fat, poor blood sugar levels, and the individuals confused on why this is the case.

Any level of sugar, high fructose corn syrup, Splenda, real or fake sweeteners is toxic.

Or another words, trust no human being who drinks “0 cal“ sweetened beverages, soda or Coca-Cola, even in “moderation”. Also, trust no thinker who smokes marijuana, consumes marijuana, CBD, or alcohol.

Have you ever met a 100% sober academic?

Or–

Have you ever met a vegetarian or vegan who did not drink beer, wine, alcohol or spirits, or partook in marijuana?

I think if alcohol was not vegetarian or vegan, you would see a lot fewer vegetarians and vegans. 

Untaming yourself 

If you are a bull, and let us say that you are a fighting bull, is it a good idea to castrate yourself if your objective is to fight? No.

I think a modern day society, man is metaphorically castrating himself. And also, denying his beast like attributes, as well as lowering his testosterone?

For example, marijuana, alcohol lowers your testosterone. Also, sugar and starches lower your testosterone.

I cannot speak from the female perspective because I am not a woman, but, thinking critically about male things is a good idea. 

So what should I do?

In the realm of photography and street photography, I think one of the critical concerns that people got is photographing children now that I am a parent, and I have a young child, the calculus is simple:

I have zero problems if a photographer or street photographer wants to photograph Seneca. I would just prefer they don’t do it with a telephoto lens hiding behind a bush.

Creepiness is proportional to focal length. 

What that means is this; if you don’t want to look creepy, don’t use a telephoto lens. Only use wide-angle prime lenses. 

And also, no need to be hidden stealth and candid all the time; even Henri Cartier-Breason used to shoot street photography with a handkerchief tied around his Leica camera, and would pretend to sneeze when shooting pictures. I find this a bit creepy. 

“How would you feel if somebody photographed you without your permission“?

I wouldn’t mind. In fact, I would feel flattered.

This is where ethics becomes so interesting;

My ethics don’t need to be proportional to your ethics in order for me to be legitimate.

Now what?

My simple line of ethics is to do things, 100% naked and transparent, which means, never do anything in secret public or private that you wouldn’t be comfortable having your wife or kid know.

For example —  I would not encourage a man or a father to look at certain images or videos that he would not be comfortable having his son know that his father is doing in secret or in Google incognito, with bay browser, with a VPN, or with any sort of “privacy”, preserving tools. Also the issue with privacy is I wonder… how much of this fake privacy stuff has to deal with people watching strange pornography on the Internet?

Don’t watch porn that you would not feel comfortable having your kid know that you’re watching.

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How to live a virtuous life?

Virtue is what we seek. I think even with our children, the goal is to raise virtuous kids? Even my best man Justin told me in regards to child rearing; he just doesn’t want to raise a degenerate kid.

I wonder if the first thing:

Perhaps good parenting is “via negativa”– what don’t you want your kids to become to grow up.

For example, I don’t want Seneca to become a degenerate, drug consumer, smoke weed etc.

In fact, I recently discovered that a lot of these really rich families, and issue with the children; they get addicted to methamphetamine, partying with women on yachts, blowing through the family wealth.

What I want to teach Seneca to become a Spartan voice; simple, stoic and hard.

What that means is imputing my ethics and morality into him, which is centered around virtue, simplicity, courage and strength. Also, physical valor.

First, seek to become your own ideal

I was talking to a dad the other day about who the greatest basketball player was of all time, and it is either Michael Jordan, LeBron James, or Kobe Bryant. Why? Their will to win.

On one hand, the notion of winning were losing as a bad one because in real life, this notion does not exist, only in games, or sports.

I suppose in ancient Greek times, if you think about the Iliad, the simple calculus was who kills who? 

For example, as long as nobody could kill Achilles in combat, he is the victor. And also, Lee it doesn’t matter your philosophy or worldview, if somebody else kills you in battle, you are the loser.

Don’t get killed

Then perhaps the first notion of success is not getting killed.

Then, if you are babysitting your nieces or nephews for the weekend, the best way to return them to their parents is “alive and intact”.

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Don’t let your kid die 

Living here in Los Angeles, it seems that the biggest issue here is that  it seems there is actually a very high likelihood of dying in a car accident, getting hit by cars, have your kid die in a car accident, we’re having your kid get killed by a car that runs a red, either by accident or intentionally.

Some thoughts:

1. First, if your child is still young, and you’re living in the city, the rule is they are not allowed to cross the street. It doesn’t matter if your kid is the most intelligent kid in the world. Even a car driving at 15 mph hour or 25 mph could be lethal, especially to a small and young 3 1/2-year-old child.
2. Non-distracted driving? Certainly the change begins with yourself. I made it a rule along time ago to never listen to any music or podcasts when I am driving in my car. I only use my phone for GPS and Google maps, everything else is off. In fact, the critical issue here was that I was listening to a podcast, while in Berkeley, and there was some sort of annoying pre-roll advertisement I think on Tim Farris’s audio podcast, and I was trying to skip it, and while trying to skip it on my smart phone, I almost got into a car accident.

Laser eyes?

Laser eyes are the future. You don’t want to enslave your eyeballs to a foreign screen or device.

For example, when I think about the real world, when I think about embodied reality, the world is like one mega jumbo screen, four dimensions, infinite.

Then I think that people enslaved their eyeballs to a tiny 5 inch screen, this is bad.

Simple thoughts:

1. Get rid of those iPhone Pro’s. Honestly, Apple coming up with the iPhone Pro, a shameless cash grab. If Steve Jobs were still alive I don’t think he would ever let it fly. Also — Jony Ive. I have a theory that even Joni I was reluctant to design and produce the iPhone pro, because he knew that it violated the design ethics of Steve Jobs and Apple.
2. Get outside! Am I the only person on the planet who walks around town, with his iPad Pro, and voice dictates everything?

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Building the future 

Stop buying those iPhones buy those bitcoins!

Recently my neighbor just bought a brand new Porsche 718 S, and I thought to myself:

Wow, that $80,000 would be a lot better invested into bitcoin.

Assuming that bitcoin 10 X’s, 100 x’s, or even 1000x’s from here…  that means $80,000 will turn into $800,000, turns into $8 million, turns into $80 million.

If your automobile, that money you sink into it would be worth $80 million even 10 years from now… Would you do that trade? No.

Even cybertruck; which I consider the best vehicle created of all time; I would love to have one, but I think the more intelligent strategy is to transform your body into a cybertruck, and just put your moneys into bitcoin instead. 

Why? The simple math is even from a conservative perspective, bitcoin has been going up at least 50 to 55% year over year. What that then means is if you just do a simple calculation or graph using ChatGPT pro , your $1 million in bitcoin today will be worth $57,000,000 10 years from now, $57 million, or $3 billion dollars years from now. 
And in 30 years, your bitcoin will be worth $191 Billion dollars.

Or other maths:

1. 6 years until you hit $10M
2. 12 years until you hit $100M
3. 18 years until you hit $1B– which is not that long that is when Seneca turns 21.

Do you remember when Google first IPOd, when Facebook first IPOd, when Amazon first IPOd and everyone thought that it was stupid? 

Or, do you remember when the first iPhone two came out, and everyone thought it was insane that it had no physical keyboard like a blackberry?

Or, do you remember when Steve Jobs first announce the iPad, and people were angry that it didn’t have any USB ports?

Everyone will always ridicule something until they get one. 

For example, the joke with the iPad is they called it an “I tampon”.

How many people who were die hard blackberry users, now use an iPhone?  And thinking about the future, how many foolish people with a Ford F150, or even worse, an F150 raptor will eventually trade in all their cars just buy a Cybertruck truck? 

Or, all of these early adopters of the Rivian truck, how much of them are secretly jealous or envious or desired that they had a cyber truck instead?

Even myself, I was a diehard user of android phones for a very very long time, even having the original android HTC Evo — but even myself eventually I figured out that iPhone and iOS was 1 trillion times better, and eventually I even switched.

Same thing goes with computers, I was always anti-apple, but once I got my first 11 inch MacBook Air, realized I was a fool for using windows all along.

I wonder if the line of thinking will be for bitcoin; when people finally do get bitcoin, they will think:

Why didn’t I buy bitcoin earlier?

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Financial thinking

I think the simplest way to become more frugal is assume that the $1,000 you spend today will multiplied by a factor of 10, 100, or 1000 just a few years from now. If this is the case, how would your spending behaviors change? 

The $1000 iPhone Pro you purchase will become 10,000, 100,000, $1 million in 10 years. Then the optimal strategy maximally frugal; the true capitalist just uses an iPhone SE.

Technology x Capitalism

We are the new capitalists. Bitcoin is the way.

ERIC

***

What is my ultimate goal? To help improve the lives or the meaning of life of others or for others?

I think one of the greatest privileges of having everything, becoming everything, and also the privilege of buffer. Is that once you have everything you want, everything you need and desire, and also you have great clarity on life and things, then the simple question is What do you want out of your life, for your life, from your life?

The first very basic thing is that I think, after all of this, the ultimate goal is to help empower the lives of others.

I think this is where is so fascinating and critical to me because ultimately, everything comes down to a philosophical question.

For example, I look at all of these, unmarried, men, working hard at their tech jobs, working hard from home, etc.… All for the sake of what?

I think it’s all society. It seems that the real carrot and the cure is capitalism and consumerism in general.

For example, it seems the obvious answer here is children, be getting children, having children etc. Yet it seems like the critical flaw here is that people no longer want to have kids, it is a not a desired thing.

People would prefer to have dogs, they would prefer to go out and drink alcohol and go to festivals and do strange drugs, smoke or consume marijuana, or buy some sort of expensive car, to feel superior and dominant?

Or, to purchase clothes, all for the sake of what? 

Problems?

I think the first obvious corporate here is Instagram, now I suppose TikTok, maybe also YouTube.

YouTube is a little bit less at fault because most real life individuals don’t actually have their own YouTube channels; I think people approach YouTube as entertainment, whereas everyone has their own individual Instagram account, maybe even a few having a TikTok account? 

Instagram issues

I saw on the other day at the public library, a Wall Street Journal headline showing that effectively, the algorithm of Instagram or whatever promotes sexual behaviors activities and exhibitions.

I think this is true and also very concerning. For example, I think Mark Zuckerberg has to make a critical decision here; now that he is a father. Effectively, what is Instagram? I think it is promoting young girl child pedophilia; let us think, if you are young girl, what things will get the most likes? Things tend to be pseudo sexual and nature, showing off your body parts etc.

Even a lot of these 20 year olds, 20-year-old female women, the reason they become influencers is that there are lots of photos of them looking sexy and beautiful and bathing suits at the pool, living a glamorous life etc.

Also problematic for men and boys etc., strange images of men with beards, sunglasses, facial hair, with guns, and a bunch of babes around them?

Regardless, I think my simple parenting idea will be this:

I will never purchase or give Seneca his own phone iPhone smart phone etc.

In fact, no social media.

Allowing your kitties social media, or getting on it, or giving them their own phone is almost like a smoking parent, who is already addicted to nicotine, offering their kids to smoke.

If anything, social media, phones, Instagram, etc. might actually be 1000 times worse for kids than smoking, as social media now leads to depression, or strange dopamine hits to be programmed in a strange way.

My first suggestion is for parents, all parents, to just delete their Instagram, and also delete YouTube from their phones. And also unsubscribe from all of these silly subscription services, Spotify, Disney, Disney plus, Netflix whatever.

The new matrix?

What a lot of fools don’t understand is that technology improvements only happen when you get rid of stuff.

For example, I’ll step in the right direction is one Apple promoted the fact that you could use the Apple Watch to make phone calls, or send messages while just leaving your phone at home. Any technology which could allow you to leave your iPhone in your car or at home is a good thing.

And yes, let us stop calling it a smart phone, just call it an iPhone. In America, Essentially 99.9% of people use iPhones. The only people who don’t use iPhones are either poor people, working class people, or a few stragglers who still use Google Pixel.

Even internationally, any rich person will either desire or use an iPhone Pro; any influencer who is using a Samsung phone or maybe even a Google pixel phone is either being sponsored or paid. I don’t know any human being who would actually spend over $500 to purchase either an android phone or Google pixel or a Samsung. Spent any money. My working theory is that almost everybody who has a smart phone made by Samsung either got it for free by signing up for some sort of cell phone plan.

New worlds

What is happiness in human flourishing? Simple, moving around, being dynamic, being outside.

For example, any sort of activity which encourages dynamic movement in the elements is good. This includes hiking at a nature preserve,  walking around the neighborhood, going to the beach, riding the subway, essentially anything which is not indoors or inside a car. 

The privilege of fitness

Fitness and exercise is the new modern day privilege. If you have the privilege to work out, exercise, ideally outside… You are the new top 01%.

For example, my new intervention realizing that actually, working out outside, in the direct on topless, is 1 trillion times more enjoyable than working out inside an enclosed stuffy gym.

In fact, I’ve been seeing a lot more people working out outside either in parking lots, at the beach etc.

Unsubscribe

Cancel your memberships and your subscription plans. 

I think migrate pride is that I don’t have any subscription services. I am not subscribed to Netflix, Spotify, Disney Disney+ whatever.

Also, I think for the most part if you have a close by gym that you like, and you go every day this is good. But, if you’re in a position in which it is too cumbersome to go to the gym, and you don’t go, just cancel your gym membership and work out from home.

Titan.fitness is a godsend — you can get the independent squat rack trees for only 300 bucks! And it can handle about 1000 pounds. Just purchase some cast-iron weight plates to save money.

The more I think about it, simply put, the best thing you could use money on is to buy weightlifting equipment, whether it be a barbell, a squat rack, weight plates etc.

Why? A big issue here in Los Angeles is that gyms will cost you an arm and a leg. On average even the ghetto LA fitness will cost you maybe around $70 bucks a month.  multiply that by a year; you’re almost paying $1000 a year for your gym membership. Invest instead to just buy $1000 worth of weightlifting equipment, and in theory assuming use every single day for the next 10 years, you will actually save a lot of money. 

Food

For beverages all you need is top water or filtered water from home. Actually do you think about it and do the math, if you are one of those fools who consume “alkaline water“; it costs more money per gallon than gasoline. 

Anyone who drinks alkaline water or promotes it, is patently a fool. If anything, real men drink tap water. 

Probably one of the most useful nuggets I’ve learned from the Walter Isaacson biography on Elon Musk is that Elon Musk drink tapwater. If the world’s most genius richest man drinks tap water, so should you. 

For coffee, fine robusta is the way. Either get some ERIC KIM Omakase coffee, or, my friends sisters coffee and tea Company CLEO– fine robusta is the way. 

For example, my preferred way to consume coffee is espresso. I find that for myself, two shots of fine robusta coffee from Vietnam gives me an insanely good buzz, three shots for god-level buzz … whereas it might take me nine or 10 shots of light roast arabica Ethiopia yirgafheffe to get me in the same mood. 

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Build things which you wish to see manifested in the world

Currently, my primary moneymaking profession is through crypto cryptocurrency and bitcoin. And also, when I think about all my great innovations that I came up with while living in Vietnam, for only $300 a month, all the things that I came up with, and created or things that I genuinely believe that the human race would benefit from.

For example arsbeta.com — essentially my first stab at replacing Instagram. A double blind experiment photo sharing platform, without the need of intermediaries.

My next vision for RSV; if you want to “like a photo, essentially what you have to do is you zap them with a Satoshi – the smallest fraction of a bitcoin. And the great thing is that a single Satoshi is infinitely small, but ultimately does have some real monetary value. I think a single Satoshi is only worth 100th of a penny– but in fact, if I really created this new economy, this would be world changing.

The problem right now with likes on social media is that it doesn’t cost anything. You can mindlessly scroll in like 1 trillion things. But, if it actually cost you a single Satoshi to like a photo, then there is true skin in the game.

Another way to fix email; make it a required thing for people to pay a single Satoshi before sending an email.

Anyways, if you want to build the future email me at eric@erickim.com — ideally I am looking for bitcoin developers, who could essentially build this thing. Very very simple thing, it would look like Instagram, be connected with a bitcoin lightning wallet, either the cash app or the Coinbase app, and users can make their own account whatever– and the core functionality is that the idea to like a photo will be instead a lightning bolt (⚡️) or a 🔥, in which you have to pay a single Satoshi either “like” a photo of somebody.

And, building up on the concept of ours; if you want a famous photographer to give you feedback on your photos, there will be a messaging app, and a request critique function in which you asked there is a bid functionality of how many Satoshi‘s you will charge and accept for a critique on a certain photo.

***

Spread wealth and prosperity

The general promise of capitalism is to spread prosperity, happiness, joy, freedom, liberty and justice for the greatest number of people across the planet.

People like to critique and criticize America and capitalism, but, even the Chinese, the Chinese yuan, the CNY is effectively pegged to the US dollar. In fact, all of the global currencies are pegged to the US dollar. 

The troubling thing is even the worlds strongest currency of the US dollar is losing 7 to 10% of its value, year over year. And the money supply is expanding at an alarming rate.

As a consequence, the whole world economy is not doing too hot, but, it’s still seems that the refuge is America. You’ve been in Korean, the word for America is “mi-gook” which means beautiful country. (Mi — beauty, good – country).

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So now what?

Simply put, devote dedicate an investor time energy and resources in doing and building things you actually care for. Assuming that you’re a bitcoin billionaire, and you no longer have any money needs — just build it!

ERIC

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Ideas

1. Make your own website or blog. Ionos.com and install WordPress.org
2. Start an email newsletter; sendy.com
3. Delete your Instagram, we all congratulate people for quitting heroin or cocaine or smoking cigarettes; shouldn’t the same attitude be done or addressed in the context of Instagram? And let us not call it social media; call a spade a spade. Instagram is the real bad guy here, not social media.

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Photo ideas

Pentax just put out the new film camera which is really cool. And has a flash! It is essentially the new Ricoh GR for the next generation.  and it is genius! Because it has a half frame concept, which means that you could shoot twice the number of photos on a single roll of film, 72 pictures instead of the typical 36.

And it does seem that even in today’s world with iPhones, kids young kids highschoolers etc. still prefer to shoot film! My working theory is that people still prefer to have standalone cameras, they actually want to spend less time on their phones.

Also what is very interesting about generation Z is that they are actually the most self-aware generation; they know that phones and social media and Instagram is bad they also know that alcohol is bad and causes cancer, and also marijuana is also bad for you, Z is a good generation because they prefer sobriety and being sober.

A fun question I like to ask people:

Has anybody ever enjoyed burning man, going to a festival, going to an EDM rave that was 100% sober? No drugs, no alcohol?

And even though Elon Musk is definitely the greatest entrepreneur of all time; the issue here is that he still drinks Coca-Cola, Red Bull, and alcohol. 

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Other ideas

Another new camera which got released recently is the new Ricoh GR highlight diffusion filter — I think the ideas genius; essentially emulating the film aesthetic and look but the convenience of shooting digital.

28mm

Now that Seneca is getting older, the age of three years, three months… Having a 28 mm lens in focal length is very good here, because he is getting really into climbing, climbing at the parked rock climbing etc.… A 28 mm lens is great at exaggerating Ingles, perspectives, epic action.

Think 28mm.

Travel!

Some incoming workshops include my next year insanely epic Angkor Wat Cambodia travel photography workshop experience,  in some upcoming workshops both in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

You know that Covid is over, I think it is a great thing that we are all hungry to travel again. Yet we are still stuck in a bog in Malays; because there was so much friction that got us stuck during Covid, now is your chance to travel!

Also some good places to travel include Japan, where you could essentially get a transit pasmo card, directly on your Apple iPhone wallet! Insanely easy, and also because the Japanese yen is collapsing because of the population decline, that means that our US dollars have stronger purchasing power there.

Also, Istanbul and Turkey might be good because the Turkish lira is also collapsing, which is good for you if you are paid in US dollars.

Also good times to go to Korea, Vietnam, anywhere in the world. For example just booked my mom ticket round-trip from South Korea to LAX, round-trip, only $500 USD!

To find cheap flights just use kayak or Google flights.  

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Now what?

The two fields which are developing extremely quickly in an exciting rate is both cryptocurrency, bitcoin, and artificial intelligence.

If you want to be the future, ensure that you have the paid ChatGPT app subscription, and also, ensure that you have some bitcoin. Even my friend Natalie told me a few years ago, “every intelligent person I know in the Bay Area has at least some bitcoin!”

I think the simplest thing to do is just buy some bitcoin with the Coinbase app; my simple thought is there’s no reason why bitcoin will not 10 X, hundred X, or even thousand X in our lifetime. That means the thousand dollars you spend on an iPhone Pro might become $10,000, $100,000, or maybe even $1 million!

As a consequence, I have been becoming even more frugal with my money, and continuing to buy bitcoin with any dime I could lay my hands on! 

People still think bitcoin is too expensive, but 20 years from now, one bitcoin is $10 million a coin… Won’t you wish that you bought it right now at a discount?

I think the best way to learn about bitcoin is just binge watch and listen to all the Michael Saylor interviews and podcasts– Michael.com and hope.com

Currently, I am self studying some Austrian economics from Carl Menger — Principles of Economics PDF on my iPad Pro.

Also , if you do not currently own an iPad, or just have a really really old one that doesn’t work that well, definitely get the new M4 iPad Pro the small one; The only Apple device currently worth purchasing! Good job Apple team here.

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What else?

For shoes, Vibram 5 finger shoes (Vibram.com) and if you have access, go to the beach! Beach people tend to be happier.

Currently Ocean Park in Santa Monica is my new favorite joint!

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What else? 

Think fun, not fitness. Even go to the local park, breathing some air from the fresh trees, and have fun!

ERIC

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Why Economics is So Fascinating to Me 

Economics, money, the sociological and the philosophical aspects of it are endlessly fascinating to me. 

The cost of living

Certainly there are certain things which undoubtably make life better. For example, having money and purchasing power to buy good coffee, good meets, having some sort of basic car that could take you from point A to point B.  Also, having enough money and economic power and may be freedom of time to have children, and also raise them yourselves.

Also there are certain things which indubitably make life better, for example having economic power dictating where, when, and how long to live somewhere.

For example, certainly far superior to live in Los Angeles during the summertime, rather than to live in Siberia during the winter time.

The use of money?

Also certain things which are useful, like having a fast Internet connection, being able to pay for fiber Internet or whatever, and also having certain devices which make photography possible.

For example, money to purchase your digital camera, having some sort of iPad or laptop to download and upload your photos from, and also being able to pay for your website and server bill.

But beyond this, what is the use of money?

Health and fitness

Another thing that money is good for is paying for your gym membership, your yoga membership, or having money to just purchase your own weightlifting equipment.