The Spartan Way

Some radical ideas:

First, beyond purchasing food, paying rent, gasoline or electricity for your car, perhaps a really insanely innovative idea we could do is the radical opposite of what capitalistic society tries to get us to do:

NOT spend money

I think this is a pretty big idea because all of this is centered around spending money.

Only cowards spend money?

“I promise, I’m so self-conscious, you won’t see me outside with at least one of my watches” – Kanye

Certainly it is very very difficult to earn money, but spending money… is very easy.

Let us first consider the fact that the act of spending money, even a chimpanzee or a three-year-old child could do it! Seneca, ever since he was about a year or two old, already knew how to insert a credit card, chip up, or even use the iPhone with Apple Pay to purchase things? Or even simply, handing off Dollar bills to the other person?

So I think the first idea is typically, maybe the best strategy is to teach our kids, and also maybe yourself, not to spend money?

Propaganda

About a month or two ago, we stepped inside at JP Morgan Chase, opening up a checking account for my mom, and they had these little kids activity coloring books, and one of them was like a book on the idea of saving money in your piggy bank whatever.

However, the reason why this was quite bad was because it was still centered around spending money! The idea was you save up your allowance and your money in order to buy that electric scooter you want or something.

Born into consumerism

I mean let us think about it… ever since a kid is born, they are born into captivity by this capitalist consumerist market. Often society parents and people will bemoan the fact that kids are all addicted to games, video games whatever… iPhones, tablets iPad etc., but who is really at fault here? Of course the parents!

The first thing to note or to ask; if the kids are addicted to YouTube or their iPhone or the iPad or Netflix Netflix or YouTube YouTube kids or whatever… are the parents addicted to it? Yes!

Parents — quit media and your iPhone.

In fact, don’t look at the kids, look at the parents! Typically, kids are just mini versions of their parents.

We like to treat our kids the way we wish we were treated as kids

I think in fact, the parents who I really care for or trust or admire are the ones who are the most silly, and also playful with their kids! You could see it in a split second at the playground; I only admire the parents on top of structures playing with their kids! Not the disconnected parents, sitting in the shade, sitting on their butt, doing something stupid on their phones.

When you take your kid to the park, lock your iPhone in the glove compartment in the car!

The matrix

So, let us consider the analogy of the matrix. I think the analogy the matrix is very good here because honestly in fact, we are all living in a metaphorical matrix right now.

For example, think about the battery pack. The battery pack is essentially like us toiling away with our physiological energy, brain power mind power soul power etc., in order to power these batteries. And, toiling away so hard, the funny irony; we work so hard and we sacrifice so much of our health and well-being, in order to purchase things which dull away the pain, but actually in fact… these end up making us sicker and weaker?

For example, marijuana and alcohol; the two biggest depressants we got in modern day society. For an individual who is depressed, or lacking vigor or having poor health… adding more marijuana to their life, or adding more alcohol to their life is a positive detriment. Do people not know that both these substances have physiological mental, and a physical effect on the body, which actually dulls your senses? It is almost like putting a condom on your mind and soul!

Does man live to make money, or does money exist to serve man?

OK, the number one foolish mistake we all make; it seems that we live in order to make money, rather than thinking about this critically and knowing and understanding that in fact, the opposite is and should be true; money should exist in order for us to pursue our own personal needs desires and wants!

In fact, the whole cult around money has become pretty ridiculous. The notion of money has become its own godhead, its own cybernetic metaphor and impetus in life.

Minimum viable income

A very radical idea I have is towards this minimum viable income concept. The general idea is you want to reduce your expenses to the bare bare bare bare minimum, and after that you direct all of your energy power and resources towards augmenting your true life desires, your true true goals in life, rather than money for money sake, which is a slave mentality.

Just watch the movie 300; do you want to be one of those Persian slaves, or the traitor who just wanted to be showered in gold coins and penetrating all these drugged out hallucinating women? Of course not!

Drugs are bad

“Pretty girl with white toes, she like to put it in her nose!” – Playboy Carti

Something which is actually a bit shocking to me; I grew up super sober, I maybe smoked marijuana twice in my life, both instances when I was around 25 years old. I didn’t really like it.

The reason why I am so anti-marijuana is because when I was in high school, I saw all my friends who got hooked on it, and it just made them lazy, dumb, and unmotivated. Just like Elon Musk said on the Joe Rogan podcast; “Smoking marijuana is like the exact opposite of drinking a cup of coffee“. And I love coffee.

I don’t know if marijuana is pretty cheap now, or people using these vape pens or these weed pens or whatever. But, why dull your senses? Why not heighten them instead?

“I’m in love with a V dub engine, it dulls my senses” – JAY Z

“Success sucks, why? Too much stress” – JAY Z

Don’t skip leg day

A funny thought; if you want to maximize your manliness, let us consider that your member, and your testicles are connected to the lower half of your body. And also let us consider that your legs are probably at least five times stronger than your upper body. For example, easy to lift 1000 pound with your legs and your shoulders, very very difficult to lift 1000 pounds with only your arms and your upper body.

Or once again, easy to do a 1000 pound atlas lift, difficult to do 1000 pound benchpress, nay impossible?

Legs = Testosterone

So the very very funny idea I have is maybe, if you want to increase your testosterone and your manliness, every day, work out your legs!

In fact, if I could tell you that by exercising your legs every single day, you could increase your testosterone by a factor of 10 X, or become 10 times manly, more confident, stronger, less tired less petite, more cheerful… wouldn’t you do it?

A life beyond women

In fact, I think the primary mistake that men make is that they only work out their upper body because they want to somehow attract women?

My personal theory is that the primary way for a man to attract a woman is through his testosterone levels, his hormonal levels.

For example, the number one compliment I have been getting by both men and women is my tan, especially my foot, five finger tan. And there is also an ongoing theory that increased sunlight and sun exposure and testosterone manliness have a connection.

To boost your testosterone, spend more time in the direct sun!

Tall dark and handsome

For example, the notion of being tall and handsome, is really a good note here. Even other day I met this one friendly mom, and she told me that she was immediately attracted to her personal trainer, a tall dark handsome man with curly hair named Alejandro, and she ended up having a kid with him. It’s funny because the kid doesn’t look like mom at all and even the mom says I only know his kid because I birthed him!

Why do we desire to purchase certain things?

Let me give you an example: I remember when I worked my UCLA undergraduate job, in IT tech-support, and I literally felt like I just spent five hours a day scrolling through Reddit, killing time on the Internet. And I would also spend a lot of time looking at these camera review websites, gear review forms whatever, and ultimately I think the desire was to just spend more time outside making pictures!

The goal is to shoot more!

And I think this is the insidious thing about the whole camera photography complex; the idea is that we lack the freedom and the time to actually go out and make pictures, which is the desired goal… and we think, if somehow, we purchase XYZ camera or XYZ lens, or XYZ accessory… like a carbon fiber tripod or whatever… suddenly we will have more inspiration motivated and opportunity to actually go out to make photos? But is this true? No.

For example, the very very simple advice I have for any photographer is that the best camera is the maximally small compact one, the imagine like John Wick and his pistol. When shit hits the fan, he is not tooting around and automatic weapon, he just relies on his trusty pistol. Think about that one scene in which he is drifting his car door less Camaro, and picks up his pistol, and shoot the bad guys.

If we consider the Ricoh GR camera, it is like our metaphorical pistol. It is both our precision tool, and also, our general purpose tool.

You cannot hide an M-16 in your front right pocket.

Ways in which I spent a lot of time as a kid, as a teenager playing counterstrike, 1.6. The original one.

The funny thing is that video games, and gun violence doesn’t really have anything in common.

For example, to me as a kid, guns weren’t really a big deal; for example, when I was in Boy Scouts, in one of the summer camps, I got both my shotgun and rifle merit badge, the same camp, as well as my archery merit badge!

Kids aren’t dumb; I remember being shocked as maybe a freshman in high school; the Boy Scouts instructor giving a bunch of kids rifles, at the shooting range, teaching us how to use it. I was a bit shocked as a kid, because even as a kid this seemed a bit dangerous. I remember asking the instructor “…Has anyone ever turned one of these guns around and just shot somebody else?” The adult got very serious, looked at me, and told me “Never say things like that.“ So with extreme caution, we never did anything dumb, and I was actually a quite good marksman! I could hit the target from very very far away, and also I was very good at shotput, in which you use a shotgun to shoot a flying disc in the air!

Your word is your sword

I think the grand difficulty that we have in modern day life is that we no longer have any avenues for physical valor. The only thing which is commoditized is sports; but the reason why sports is bad is that it is too regimented, too constrained, and lacks any sort of real life application.

As NASSIM TALEB has commented; what some fools think is that somehow… a chess master would somehow be a master in military strategy. While this might make a good movie plot, in real life it is not true.

The reason why I am actually anti-chess, and a lot of these board games or whatever… consider how poor it is for your physiology. Sitting on your butt the whole time, stationary, using your brain. It requires no physical valor, or skin in the game. At worst if you lose the match, maybe you feel bad, but beyond this, there is really no downside to losing. This is also where video games are bad; there is no real life downside.

At least with weightlifting, powerlifting, hypelifting, one rep maxing is interesting is that there is some sort of potential physical downside. If you aren’t focused enough, yeah certainly you hurt yourself. And that is the whole point!

And this is where I found the logic to be so bizarre; when these steroided out guys would be so shocked of how much I would attempt weightlifting at the gym, when I would rack up the barbell with seven plates, eight plates, nine plates, 10 plates, 10 plates and hook another 25 on top, they would always tell me… “Be careful”.

Now that I think about this commentary in retrospect, it is really kind of a weakling cowardly side jab;

I am much bigger than you, and you look smaller than me, and also you are built more lean, and also you are Asian… and therefore I am befuddled how you are so much stronger than me, and I want to inform you how you might hurt yourself.

The best compliment

Even I have heard people talking about me at the gym on the side;

You know… there are some guys who are on steroids who don’t look like they’re on steroids (referring to me)

Anyways, what these wimps don’t realize is that they are staring at an Achilles in the flesh, a demigod; half man half god; born from a mortal father, with a goddess mother.

“I am a god”

I think one of the most radical, gutsy things ever uttered in rap music is the Kanye YEEZUS album, in what he put out the “I am a god” song and album.

Note, he did not say that I am the God, but a god (lower case). Even some random stuff that I started to do research in during Covid times is the whole Jay Electronica, the movement of black African-American guys turning to Allah, the fruit of Islam movement, in which the code word for “ALLAH” (arm, leg, leg, arm, head) the general idea in which all humans are born like gods, born in the image and the likeness of God.

“I know I’m not the most high but I’m on a close high.” KANYE, I AM A GOD, YEEZUS ALBUM

In fact, the only concert I have ever gone to my life was seeing Kanye West live at the Oakland Coliseum, for his YEEZUS Tour. It might have been one of the coolest things I’ve ever witnessed, especially when they put the fake mountain in the fake Jesus to come on stage, and also when Kanye put on the sequin covered facemask, they shot a laser on it, and reflected it all around the dome.

Ethics is the future, not technology

Ethics, worldview, philosophy, your own personal code of ethics, the way you decide to approach life, this is the future, not the loser iPhone Pro, or any of these ridiculous virtual reality headsets.

Very very simple; what we desire is real life real world engagement– we desire the embrace and the sweet smell of a woman, no no no… you don’t want to be having virtual reality sex, with your virtual reality girlfriend, or live with your virtual reality dog, driving around in your virtual reality Lamborghini, getting virtual reality head or whatever… Nobody wants a virtual reality babe.

What or which concepts are absent in the past?

In fact, when you think about ancient Greece, philosophy, the ancient Romans etc.… there is almost no focus on women. Women are absent; they are never mentioned, nor discussed or talked about. Certainly not talked about like commodities in today’s world.

The way that a lot of guys get suckered is this strange logic: if I get super super rich, and drive the Lamborghini or the Ferrari or the big truck or whatever, and I’m super super buff, and I have a six pack, suddenly I will attract all these babes, who will want to have intercourse with me, and I can live a super happy playboy lifestyle for the rest of my life, in pure bliss, without any obligations?

Spartan philosophy

The true Spartan way is almost a polar opposite; the goal is to live a maximally frugal and economical life, have kids and beget children, have at least one son to carry on the family name. And the rest of your life is just focused on military training, combat, to be ready to defend your family, your nation when shit hits the fan.

This is where once again, all this fake ass patriotism stuff annoys me; if you’re on Facebook, looking at Donald Trump memes, watch Fox News or Tucker Carlson, make fun of “libtards”, talk about the alphabet gender spaghetti, you are not a true American. Just keep your mouth shut, enroll in military duty. You have nothing to defend yourself against.

Similarly speaking, we liberals also have this bizarre notion of virtue signaling; if you are a true progressive liberal, don’t even say the “Donald Trump” name — don’t talk about the news or politics or whatever. The simplest thing is to just vote against the other party you don’t believe in, get involved in local city politics, attend some sort of city council meeting, vote on issues you care for. Also don’t use Twitter, which might be about 99.9% bots?

***

Men and women must be trained alike

Only Spartan women can birth Spartan men.

Physical training is both critical for men and women. This is also where it is so impressive that Israeli women are also serve military obligations, I think this is a great idea. Maybe also America, there was some sort of obligatory ROTC training in high school, both for men and women, maybe for junior and senior year… this might be a good idea. Good for virtue, physics, the physical element, physical training, building a sense of camaraderie or kinship between our fellow Americans.

In fact, even though I am a Democrat, I have always voted Democrat, and also I consider myself a liberal, I have had nothing but positive interactions with conservatives, Republicans, people on the right. In fact if anything… right wing people to be more friendly, fun, jovial, and happy. Liberals on the left tend to be dark, morose, and fakely-righteous? I remember accidentally walking into some sort of anti-Joe Biden rally, talked with all the friendly people, and was even offered free hotdogs and free ice cream barbecue from the people there!

The reason why social media and the internet is so toxic is that it villainizes other sides, these metaphorical human beings. But if you actually talk to people face-to-face in the flesh, person-to-person, pure to pure; we are about 90% similar, 10% dissimilar.

Quit the internet, talk to people face to face, 1 on 1, in real life.

Only purchase digital things?

A random thought, maybe the way we could curb all of this superficial consumerism is to only purchase digital things, digital goods, digital things.

Digital money: Bitcoin

Digital books, digital movies– Apple TV shop, iTunes Store, iBooks Store. I actually find that purchasing a film is much better than subscribing to a streaming platform. Why? Skin in the game. When you pay the $10 a month or the $15 a month or whatever for that streaming service, you don’t really value any of the films or TV series on it… watching media on streaming platforms is like a sedative; you watch something not because you want to watch it, or learn from it, but instead, just watch it to distract yourself.

Putting your money where your mouth is

The funny thought is the point of purchasing something isn’t to “support“ the producer, but instead, to have a sense of pride that the thing that you purchased is actually something that you believe in or care in?

For example, I have purchased with my own money all the John Wick movies, all of the matrix movies, and now both of the Dune movies. Typically when we actually purchase something with our own money, it is a sign that we actually really really believe in it.

Also, the reason why you never want to trust anybody who is sponsored by anything, is because typically when you are given free things, or sponsored by something, you don’t actually really believe in it, you just accept the advertising and the sponsorship in order to make money or to feel special.

I bought all my Ricoh and LUMIX cameras with my own real money

For example, in the context of cameras, reviews, sponsorships etc.; only trust a photographer who had actually purchased the things with their hard earned money.

For example, I have done collaborations with Fujifilm before, received free cameras in the past, free lenses etc.… And have also been paid money by then. Also I did some free consulting for them, sharing some good ideas like adding a film grain simulation effect filter to their cameras, which they did, in which now you could add green tier digital JPEG photos with the Fujifilm filter, and select either weak, normal, or strong grain.

I am proud that all the Ricoh cameras that I purchased, none were given to me by free from Ricoh. I purchased them all with my own money.

Also kind of a random thing; I think the whole blogosphere was shocked when I purchased a LUMIX G9 camera — it totally seemed like out of left field, because Panasonic Lumix was on nobody’s radar. And currently, now that all my Ricoh GR cameras are dead, my only camera is the Lumix G9 camera and the 14mm f2.5 pancake lumix lens (only $200!). And the only two cameras I think might be worth considering purchasing in the near future is the new Ricoh HDF cameras, or the new Lumix S9 camera with the pancake manual focusing lens.

Trust?

Ultimately, trust nobody, only yourself.

Also with filters; put more trust in dead people than people who are alive. Why?

The difficult thing with following people who are still alive today is that you don’t know how it all ends. With dead philosophers, artists, innovators, you do.

Also, I think the big differences in the past, there was not a profit motive. An artist or an innovator did not need money, because they had the private patronage of some wealthy family like the Medici’s, Leonardo da Vinci etc.

Independently wealthy with Bitcoin

So I’m starting to think more and more… maybe the best true way to be a true artist, visionary, thinker, innovator entrepreneur is to independently make money somewhere, and don’t have to rely on advertising or sponsorships or brands to support your lifestyle.

I would put more faith in the photographer or the weightlifter who makes his living investing in bitcoin, rather than somebody who is always spamming you with advertisements on YouTube or podcasts.

In fact, are there any podcasts which exist which don’t have any advertising? Besides my own?

ERIC KIM PODCAST >

Why bitcoin is the future

Bitcoins, satoshis– this is finally the solution to these annoying online advertisements.

Maybe the true Spartan only cares for in bitcoin and satoshis, but never spends it or touches it, but just keeps accumulating it.

Bitcoin is like our shield – our economic shield and our hedge against the uncertain future.

ARMOR UP!
ERIC

Economic theory

I always thought that economics was stupid, honestly, truth be told, I think when you look at all this fake mathematics behind economic theory, it is all fake, the new hocus-pocus witchcraft, and the number one critical thing I learned about studying statistics both in high school and in college is that statistics is fake metrics that could be gamed however you want.

Therefore, put zero faith in statistics. Better talk to a real human being, face-to-face, person to person, instead of engaging in ridiculous debates on the internet, which again is filled by 99.9% ChatGPT powered bots.

Once once again, if I waived a magic wand, and I revealed to you that in fact, all of the negative comments you read in your life on the internet, these trolls who said mean things to you, if you actually found out that they were all just artificial intelligent ChatGPT bots the whole time… how would you feel? Wouldn’t you feel better?

The next generation of comments on the internet

Several years ago, I had the wisdom to just disable all and delete all comments on my website and blog etc. and also disabling them on YouTube etc. Why? For the most part, comments are useless. Even the positive ones!

When people say nice things about you in the comments, the reason why you could be bad is that it becomes a shackle; you keep publishing stuff that gets good feedback, and as a consequence, you end up staying the same instead of being innovative.

For example, when Bob Dylan went electric; he probably polarized 90% of his fanbase– they booed him off stage (his core audience, his real fans!). Also, everyone likes the old Kanye West in the college dropout album… but I like the new Kanye, I like the new carnival, the newest version of an artist is always the best.

A funny contradiction; everyone always wants the newest iPhone, the newest Tesla, whatever… But everyone wants the older artist, the older music, the older version of a certain thinker? If we stay consistent here, shouldn’t we prefer the new philosophy or the new thoughts or the new approach of an artist or a musician or a thinker versus their old self?

For example, everyone seems to prefer the old ERIC KIM, the old EK, but this is when I was still addicted to Facebook, using an android phone, and I still had my 9 to 5 job.

Sometimes, for myself, I miss my old Vietnam self; but in fact, my best self is my now self with Seneca! Also, sometimes I miss my old ERIC KIM gym self, the HYPELIFTING self, but when I think critically about it, I am 1000 times happier with my new bitcoin self, my new off the grid self, my new walk 10,000 steps a day in the direct Los Angeles sun self.

Then I think the biggest nugget of wisdom:

Prefer the you self right now, not the past self?

Kill your old self!

ERIC

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New books, new media?

Now that everything is becoming so hyper, once again, think about the past.

The Iliad, the Matrix, the 300, John Wick, keep it simple, keep it succinct. I’m very very skeptical of anything new, whether they be new movies, new series, new films etc.

Even this past generation, the last 10 years, the only innovative film created was the John Wick series, nothing else. Even though I was also enthusiastic about the new Mandalorian series, eventually after the first season, it all goes downhill.

With Marvel movies, I think the only good ones was before Disney bought it, for example the original Iron Man, the original Captain America etc.

Why? The problem with Disney is that it is trying to maximize its profits, let us consider it is a publicly treated company, and as a result, the logic is to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Whenever anything is created for the masses, it is bad.

Once again, would you prefer to drive the McLaren, with the butterfly doors, or would you prefer to drive the Toyota Corolla?

Forward the ideas

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Always start new:

START HERE

The Spartan Way

Some radical ideas:

NOT spend money

I think this is a pretty big idea because all of this is centered around spending money.

Only cowards spend money?

“I promise, I’m so self-conscious, you won’t see me outside with at least one of my watches” – Kanye

Certainly it is very very difficult to earn money, but spending money… is very easy.

So I think the first idea is typically, maybe the best strategy is to teach our kids, and also maybe yourself, not to spend money?

Propaganda

Born into consumerism

The first thing to note or to ask; if the kids are addicted to YouTube or their iPhone or the iPad or Netflix Netflix or YouTube YouTube kids or whatever… are the parents addicted to it? Yes!

Parents — quit media and your iPhone.

In fact, don’t look at the kids, look at the parents! Typically, kids are just mini versions of their parents.

We like to treat our kids the way we wish we were treated as kids

When you take your kid to the park, lock your iPhone in the glove compartment in the car!

The matrix

So, let us consider the analogy of the matrix. I think the analogy the matrix is very good here because honestly in fact, we are all living in a metaphorical matrix right now.

Does man live to make money, or does money exist to serve man?

In fact, the whole cult around money has become pretty ridiculous. The notion of money has become its own godhead, its own cybernetic metaphor and impetus in life.

Minimum viable income

Drugs are bad

“Pretty girl with white toes, she like to put it in her nose!” – Playboy Carti

Something which is actually a bit shocking to me; I grew up super sober, I maybe smoked marijuana twice in my life, both instances when I was around 25 years old. I didn’t really like it.

I don’t know if marijuana is pretty cheap now, or people using these vape pens or these weed pens or whatever. But, why dull your senses? Why not heighten them instead?

“I’m in love with a V dub engine, it dulls my senses” – JAY Z

“Success sucks, why? Too much stress” – JAY Z

Don’t skip leg day

Or once again, easy to do a 1000 pound atlas lift, difficult to do 1000 pound benchpress, nay impossible?

Legs = Testosterone

So the very very funny idea I have is maybe, if you want to increase your testosterone and your manliness, every day, work out your legs!

A life beyond women

In fact, I think the primary mistake that men make is that they only work out their upper body because they want to somehow attract women?

My personal theory is that the primary way for a man to attract a woman is through his testosterone levels, his hormonal levels.

To boost your testosterone, spend more time in the direct sun!

Tall dark and handsome

Why do we desire to purchase certain things?

The goal is to shoot more!

If we consider the Ricoh GR camera, it is like our metaphorical pistol. It is both our precision tool, and also, our general purpose tool.

You cannot hide an M-16 in your front right pocket.

Ways in which I spent a lot of time as a kid, as a teenager playing counterstrike, 1.6. The original one.

The funny thing is that video games, and gun violence doesn’t really have anything in common.

Your word is your sword

Now that I think about this commentary in retrospect, it is really kind of a weakling cowardly side jab;

I am much bigger than you, and you look smaller than me, and also you are built more lean, and also you are Asian… and therefore I am befuddled how you are so much stronger than me, and I want to inform you how you might hurt yourself.

The best compliment

Even I have heard people talking about me at the gym on the side;

You know… there are some guys who are on steroids who don’t look like they’re on steroids (referring to me)

Anyways, what these wimps don’t realize is that they are staring at an Achilles in the flesh, a demigod; half man half god; born from a mortal father, with a goddess mother.

“I am a god”

I think one of the most radical, gutsy things ever uttered in rap music is the Kanye YEEZUS album, in what he put out the “I am a god” song and album.

“I know I’m not the most high but I’m on a close high.” KANYE, I AM A GOD, YEEZUS ALBUM

Ethics is the future, not technology

What or which concepts are absent in the past?

Spartan philosophy

***

Men and women must be trained alike

Only Spartan women can birth Spartan men.

Quit the internet, talk to people face to face, 1 on 1, in real life.

Only purchase digital things?

A random thought, maybe the way we could curb all of this superficial consumerism is to only purchase digital things, digital goods, digital things.

Digital money: Bitcoin

Putting your money where your mouth is

I bought all my Ricoh and LUMIX cameras with my own real money

For example, in the context of cameras, reviews, sponsorships etc.; only trust a photographer who had actually purchased the things with their hard earned money.

I am proud that all the Ricoh cameras that I purchased, none were given to me by free from Ricoh. I purchased them all with my own money.

Trust?

Ultimately, trust nobody, only yourself.

Also with filters; put more trust in dead people than people who are alive. Why?

The difficult thing with following people who are still alive today is that you don’t know how it all ends. With dead philosophers, artists, innovators, you do.

Independently wealthy with Bitcoin

I would put more faith in the photographer or the weightlifter who makes his living investing in bitcoin, rather than somebody who is always spamming you with advertisements on YouTube or podcasts.

In fact, are there any podcasts which exist which don’t have any advertising? Besides my own?

Why bitcoin is the future

Bitcoins, Satoshis– this is finally the solution to these annoying online advertisements.

Maybe the true Spartan only cares for in bitcoin and Satoshi, but never spends it or touches it, but just keeps accumulating it.

Bitcoin is like our shield – our economic shield and our hedge against the uncertain future.

ARMOR UP!
ERIC

Economic theory

Always thought that economics was stupid, honestly, truth be told, I think when you look at all this fake mathematics behind theory, it is all fake, the new hocus-pocus witchcraft, and the number one critical thing I learned about studying statistics both in high school and in college is that statistics is fake metrics that could be gamed however you want.

Therefore, put zero faith in statistics. Better talk to a real human being, face-to-face, person to person, instead of engaging in ridiculous debates on the Internet, which again is filled by 99.9% ChatGPT powered bots.

Once once again, if I waived a magic wand, and I revealed to you that in fact, all of the negative comments you write in your life on the Internet, these trolls who said mean things to you, if you actually found out that they were all just artificial intelligent ChatGPT bots the whole time… Wouldn’t you feel better?

The next generation of comments on the Internet

Maybe the only way we could truly verify whether somebody who is leaving a comment is a real human being or not is to institute the orange check icon, that the individual spent maybe $10 worth of bitcoin or Satoshi’s to verify their humanity. Several years ago, I had the wisdom to just disable all and delete all comments on my website and blog etc. and also disabling them on YouTube etc. Why? For the most part, comments are useless. Even the positive ones!

For example, when Bob Dylan went electric; he probably polarized 90% of his fanbase. Also, everyone likes the old Kanye West in the college dropout album… But I like the new Kanye, I like the new carnival, the newest version of an artist is always the best. A funny contradiction; everyone always wants the newest iPhone, the newest Tesla, whatever… But everyone wants the older artist, the older music, the older version of a certain thinker? If we stay consistent here, shouldn’t we prefer the new philosophy or the new thoughts or the new approach of an artist or a musician or a thinker versus their old self?

For example, everyone seems to prefer the old ERIC KIM, the old EK, but this is when I was still addicted to Facebook, using an android phone, and I still had my 95 job.

Then I think the biggest nugget of wisdom:

Prefer the you self right now, not the past self?

Kill your old self!

ERIC

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New books, new media?

Now that everything is becoming so hyper, once again, think about the past.

The Iliad, the Matrix, the 300, John Wick, Tippet simple, keep it succinct. I’m very very skeptical of anything new, whether they be new movies, new series, new films etc.

With Marvel movies, I think the only good ones was before Disney bought it, for example the original Iron Man, the original Captain America etc.

Once again, would you prefer to drive the McLaren, with the butterfly doors, or would you prefer to drive the Toyota Corolla?

The Spartan Way

Some radical ideas:

NOT spend money

I think this is a pretty big idea because all of this is centered around spending money.

Only cowards spend money?

“I promise, I’m so self-conscious, you won’t see me outside with at least one of my watches” – Kanye

Certainly it is very very difficult to earn money, but spending money… is very easy.

Let us first consider the fact that the act is spending money, even a chimpanzee or three-year-old child could do it! Seneca, ever since he was about a year or two old, already knew how to insert a credit card, chip up, or even use the iPhone with Apple Pay to purchase things? Or even simply, handing off Dollar bills to the other person?

So I think the first idea is typically, maybe the best strategy is to teach our kids, and also maybe yourself, not to spend money?

Propaganda

I mean let us think about it… Ever since a kid was born, they are born into captivity by this capitalist consumerist market. Often society parents and people will be moan the fact that kids are all addicted to presents, games, video games whatever… iPhones, tablets iPad etc., but who is really at fault here? Of course the parents!

The first thing to note or to ask; if the kids are addicted to YouTube or their iPhone or the iPad or Netflix Netflix or YouTube YouTube kids or whatever… Are the parents addicted to it? Yes!

In fact, don’t look at the kids, look at the parents! Typically, kids are just mini versions of their parents.

For example, even a funny thing that I realized, seeing my brother-in-law get my nephew Benji all these cool toys on his birthday, essentially it is interesting, my brother-in-law Khanh is buying his son toys that he wished he had as a kid. And this is where I respect my brother-in-law so much; he is essentially like a big kid! I think in fact, the parents are really care for or trust or admire are the ones who are the most silly, and also playful with their kids! You could see it in the split second at the playground; I only admire the structures playing with their kids! Not the disconnected parents, sitting in the shade, sitting on their butt, doing something stupid on their phones.

The matrix

So, let us consider the analogy of the matrix. I think the analogy the matrix is very good here because honestly in fact, we are all living in a metaphorical matrix right now.

For example, think about the battery pack. The battery pack is essentially like us toiling away with our physiological energy, brain power mind power soul power etc., in order to power these batteries. And, twirling away so hard, the funny irony; we work so hard and we sacrifice so much of our health and well-being, in order to purchase things which dull away the pain, but actually in fact… And up making us sicker and weaker?

For example, marijuana and alcohol; the two biggest depressants we got in modern day society. For an individual who is depressed, or lacking vigor or having poor health… Adding more marijuana to their life, or adding more alcohol to their life is a positive detriment. People not know that both these substances have physiological mental, and a physical effect on the body, which actually dulls your senses? It is almost like putting a condom on your mind?

Does man live to make money, or does money exist to serve man?

OK, the number one foolish mistake we all make; it seems that we live in order to make money, rather than thinking about this critically and knowing and understanding that in fact, the opposite is and should be true; money should exist in order for us to pursue our own personal needs desires and wants!

In fact, the whole cult around money has become pretty ridiculous. The notion of money has become its own godhead, its own cybernetic metaphor and impetus in life.

Minimum viable income

A very radical idea I have is towards this minimum viable income concept. The general idea is you want to reduce your expenses to the bare bare bare bare minimum, and instead, you direct all of your energy power and resources towards augmenting your true life desires, your true true goals in life, rather than money for money sake, which is a slave mentality.

Just watch the movie 300; do you want to be one of those Persian slaves, or the traitor who just wanted to be showered in gold coins and drugged out hallucinating women? Of course not!

“Pretty girl with white toes, she like to put it in her nose!” – Playboy Carti

Something which is actually a bit shocking to me; I grew up super sober, I maybe smoked marijuana twice in my life, both instances when I was around 25 years old. I didn’t really like it.

I don’t know if marijuana is pretty cheap now, or people using these vape pens or these weed pens or whatever. But, why dull your senses? Why not heighten them instead?

“I’m in love with a V dub engine, it dulls my senses” – JAY Z

“Success sucks, why? Too much stress” – JAY Z

Don’t skip leg day

A funny thought; if you want to maximize your manliness, let us consider that your member, and your testicles are connected to the lower half of your body. And also let us consider that your legs are probably at least five times stronger than your upper body. For example, easy to lift 1000 pound with your legs in your shoulders, very very difficult to lift 1000 pounds with only your arms in your upper body.

Or once again, easy to do a 1000 pound atlas lift, difficult to do 1000 pound benchpress, nay impossible?

So the very very funny idea I have is maybe, if you want to increase your testosterone and your manliness, every day, work out your legs!

In fact, I think the primary mistake that men make is that the only work out there upper body because they want to somehow attract women? My personal theory is that the primary way for a man to attract a woman is through his testosterone levels, his hormonal levels. For example, the number one complement is my tan, especially my foot, five finger… And there is also an ongoing theory that increase sunlight and sun exposure and testosterone manliness have a connection. Example, the notion of being tall and handsome, is really a good note here. Even other day I met this one friendly mom, and she told me that she was immediately attracted to her personal trainer, a tall dark handsome man with curly hair named Alejandro, and she ended up having a kid with him. It’s funny because the kid doesn’t look like mom at all and even the mom says I only know his kid because I birthed him!

Why do we desire to purchase certain things? Let me give you an example: I remember when I work my UCLA undergraduate job, and IT tech-support, and I literally felt like I just spent five hours a day scrolling through Reddit, killing time on the Internet. And I would also spend a lot of time looking at these camera review websites, gear review forms whatever, And ultimately I think the desire was to just spend more time outside making pictures! And I think this is the insidious thing about the whole camera photography complex; the idea is that we like the freedom and the time to actually quote and make pictures, which is the desired goal… And we think, if somehow, we purchase XYZ camera or XYZ lens, or XYZ accessory… Like a carbon fiber tripod or whatever… Suddenly we will have more inspiration motivated and opportunity to actually go out to make photos? But is this true? No.

For example, the very very simple advice I have for any avatar is that the best camera is the maximally small compact one, the imagine like John Wick and his pistol. When it hits the fan, he is not tooting around and automatic weapon, he just relies on his trusty pistol. Think about that one scene in which he is drifting his car door less Camaro, and picks up his pistol, and shoot the bad guys.

If we consider the Ricoh GR camera, it is like our metaphorical pistol. it is both our precision tool, and also, our general purpose tool.

You cannot hide an M-16 in your front right pocket.

Ways in which I spent a lot of time as a kid, as a teenager playing counter strike, 1.6. The original one.

The funny thing is that video games, and gun violence don’t really have anything in common. For example, to me as a kid guns weren’t really a big deal; for example, when I was in Boy Scouts, in one of the summer camps, I got both my shotgun and rifle merit badge, the same month, as well as my archery merit badge! Kids aren’t dumb; I remember being shocked as maybe a freshman in high school; instructor giving a bunch of kids rifles, at the shooting range, teaching us how to use it. A bit shocked as a kid, because even as a kid this seemed a bit dangerous. I remember asking the instructor “… Has anyone ever turned one of these guns around and just shot somebody else?” The adult got very serious, looked at me, and told me “Never say things like that.“ So with extreme caution, we never did anything dumb, and I was actually a quite good marksman! I could hit the target from very very far away, and also I was very good at shotput, in which you use a shotgun to shoot a flying disc in the air!

Your word is your sword

I think the grand difficulty that we have modern day life is that we no longer have any avenues for physical valor. The only thing which is commoditized is sports; but the reason why sports is bad is that it is too regimented, too constrained, and lacks any sort of real life application.

As NASSIM TALEB has commented; what some fools think is that somehow… A chess master would somehow be a master in military strategy. While this might make a good movie plot, in real life it is not true.

The reason why I am actually anti-chess, and a lot of these board games or whatever… Consider how poor it is for your physiology. Sitting on your butt the whole time, stationary, using your brain. It requires no physical valor, or skin in the game. Worst, you lose the match, and maybe you feel bad, but beyond this, there is really no downside to losing. This is also where video games are; There is no real life downside.

At least weightlifting, powerlifting, uplifting, one rep maxing is interesting is that there is some sort of potential physical downside. If you aren’t focused enough, yeah certainly you hurt yourself. And that is the whole point!

And this is where I found the logic to be so bizarre; when these steroid did out guys would be so shocked of how much I would attempt weightlifting at the gym, when I would wreck up the barbell with seven plates, eight plates, nine plates, 10 plates, 10 plates and hook another 25 on top, they would always tell me… “Be careful”.

Now that I think about this commentary in retrospect, it is really kind of a weakling cowardly side jab;

I am much bigger than you, and you look smaller than me, and also you are built more lean, and also you are Asian… And therefore I am befuddled how you are so much stronger than me, and I want to inform you how you might hurt yourself.

Even I have heard people talking about me at the gym on the side;

You know… there are some guys who are on steroids who don’t look like they’re on steroids (referring to me)

Anyways, what these wimps don’t realize is that they are staring at an Achilles in the flesh, a demigod; half man half God; born mortal father, with a goddess mother.

“I am a god”

I think one of the most radical, gutsy things ever uttered in rap music is the Kanye YEEZUS album, in what he put out the “I am a god” song and album.

Note, he did not say that I am the God, but a god (lower case). Even some random stuff that I started to do research in during Covid times is the whole Jay Electronica, movement of black African-American guys turning to Allah, the fruit of Islam movement, in which the code word for “ALLAH” (arm, leg, leg, arm, head) the general idea in which all humans are born like gods, born in the image and the likeness of God.

“I know I’m not the most high but I’m on a close high.” KANYE, I AM A GOD, YEEZUS ALBUM

In fact, the only concert I have ever gone to my life was seeing Kanye West live at the Oakland Coliseum, for his YEEZUS Tour. It might have been one of the coolest things I’ve ever witnessed, especially when they put the fake mountain in the fake Jesus to come on stage, and also when Kanye put on the sequin kept facemask, they shot a laser on it, and reflected it all around the dome.

Ethics is the future, not technology

Very very simple; what we desire real life real world engagement– we desire the embrace in the sweet smell of a woman, no no no… You don’t want to be having virtual reality sex, with your virtual reality girlfriend, or live with your virtual reality dog, driving around in your virtual reality Lamborghini, getting virtual reality head or whatever… Nobody wants a virtual reality babe.

In fact, do you think about ancient Greece, philosophy the Romans etc.… There’s almost no focus on women. Women are absent; they are never mentioned, nor discussed or talked about. Certainly not talked about like commodities in today’s world.

The way that a lot of guys get suckered is this strange logic: if I get super super rich, not drive the Lamborghini or the Ferrari or the big truck or whatever, and I’m super super buff, and I have a six pack, suddenly I will try all these babes, who will want to have intercourse with me, Not super happy Playboy lifestyle for the rest of my life, in pure Bliss, without any obligations?

The true Spartan way is almost a polar opposite; live a maximally frugal and economical life, have kids and beget children, have at least one son to carry on the family name. And the rest of your life is just focused on military training, combat, to be ready to defend your family, your nation when shit hits the fan.

***

Only Spartan women can birth Spartan men.

Physical training is both critical for men and women. This is also where it is so impressive that Israeli women are also serve military obligations, I think this is a great idea. Maybe also America, there was some sort of obligatory ROTC training in high school, both for men and women, maybe a junior and senior year… this might be a good idea. Good for virtue, physics, the physical element, physical training, building a sense of camaraderie or kinship between our fellow Americans.

In fact, even though I am a Democrat, I have always voted Democrat, and also I consider myself a liberal, I have had nothing but positive interactions with conservatives, Republicans, people on the right. In fact if anything… Right wing people to be more friendly, fun, jovial, and happy. I remember accidentally walking into some sort of anti-Joe Biden rally, talked with all the friendly people, and was even offered free hotdogs and free ice cream barbecue from the people there!

The reason why social media and the Internet is so toxic is that it villainizes other sides, these metaphorical human beings. But if you actually talk to people face-to-face in the flesh, person-to-person, pure to pure; we are about 90% similar, 10% dissimilar.

Only purchase digital things?

A random thought, maybe the way we could curb all of this superficial consumerism is to only purchase digital things, digital goods, digital things.

Digital money: Bitcoin

Digital books, digital movies– Apple TV shop, iTunes Store, iBooks Store. I actually find that purchasing a film is much better than subscribing to a streaming platform. Why? Skin of the game. When you pay the $10 a month or the $15 a month or whatever for that streaming service, you don’t really value any of the films or TV series on it., It is almost like a sedative; you watch something not because you want to watch it, or learn from it, but instead, just watch it to distract yourself.

Putting your money where your mouth is

The funny thought is the point of purchasing something isn’t too “support“ producer, but instead, to have a sense of pride that the thing that you purchased is actually something that you believe in or care in?

For example, I have purchased with my own money all the John Wick movies, all of the matrix movies, and now both of the Dune movies. Typically when we actually purchased something with our own money, it is a sign that we actually really really believe in it.

Also, the reason why you never want to trust anybody who is sponsored by anything, is because typically when you are given free things, or sponsor by something, you don’t actually really believe in it, you just accept the advertising and the sponsorship in order to make money or to feel special.

For example, in the context of cameras, reviews, sponsorships etc.; only trust a photographer who had actually purchased the things with their hard earned money.

For example, I have done collaborations with Fuji film before, received free cameras in the past, free lenses etc.… And have also been paid money by then. Also I did some free consulting for them, sharing some good ideas like adding a film grain simulation effect filter to their cameras, which they did, in which now you could add green tier digital JPEG photos with the Fujifilm filter, and select either weak, normal, or strong grain.

I am proud that all the Ricoh cameras that I purchased, none were given to me by free from Ricoh. I purchased them all with my own money.

Trust?

Ultimately, trust nobody, only yourself.

Also with filters; put more trust in dead people than people who are alive. Why?

The difficult thing with following people who are still alive today is that you don’t know how it all ends. With dead philosophers, artists, innovators, you do.

So I’m starting to think more and more… Maybe the best true way to be a true artist, visionary, thinker, innovator entrepreneur is to independently make money somewhere, and don’t have to rely on advertising or sponsorships or brands to support your lifestyle.

I would put more faith in the photographer or the weightlifter who makes his living investing in bitcoin, rather than somebody who is always spamming you with advertisements on YouTube or podcasts.

In fact, are there any podcasts which exist which don’t have any advertising? Besides my own?

Why bitcoin is the future

Bitcoins, Satoshis– this is finally the solution to these annoying online advertisements.

Maybe the true Spartan only cares for in bitcoin and Satoshi, but never spends it or touches it, but just keeps accumulating it.

Bitcoin is like our shield – our economic shield and our hedge against the uncertain future.

ARMOR UP!
ERIC

Economic theory

The next generation of comments on the Internet

For example, everyone seems to prefer the old ERIC KIM, the old EK, but this is when I was still addicted to Facebook, using an android phone, and I still had my 95 job.

Then I think the biggest nugget of wisdom:

Prefer the you self right now, not the past self?

Kill your old self!

ERIC

EK PHOTO SUPPLY

EK WORKSHOPS

Become a new you:

New books, new media?

Now that everything is becoming so hyper, once again, think about the past.

The Iliad, the Matrix, the 300, John Wick, Tippet simple, keep it succinct. I’m very very skeptical of anything new, whether they be new movies, new series, new films etc.

With Marvel movies, I think the only good ones was before Disney bought it, for example the original Iron Man, the original Captain America etc.

Once again, would you prefer to drive the McLaren, with the butterfly doors, or would you prefer to drive the Toyota Corolla?

Digital is The Future

Digital goods, digital products

–> proof of work digital goods which cannot be replicated?

There is currently a idea of NFTs, which stands for non-fungible tokens. The idea is creating a digital artwork or digital product which can be sold, in which an individual can prove their own ownership.

I suppose my thought, in regards to bitcoin, which isn’t entirely fascinating is that it is truly the first digital money. That cannot be replicated, you cannot fake it, because the proof of work network is so energy intensive, you cannot make something out of nothing.

I suppose the reason why proof of work is so critical here, and what a lot of these foolish pseudo environmentalist don’t understand is that if something doesn’t require energy to produce, whether human labor, material production, etc.… Then, it has no value.

For example, being born in 1988, and witnessing all of this digital rights stuff, protections against digital copying, as well as anti-digital piracy.

As a kid, growing up, obviously I have no money, because I don’t work yet… The logic never seemed to make sense to me:

if I download this video game book or movie or album which is digital… I don’t do any harm unto you.

But then the owner or the publisher or the business might say

“Well… It cost me a ton of money for me to produce this thing, and you are a morally evil and bad person because you are stealing this, because you might have paid $20 for this CD, if you did not pirate it.”

But the logic doesn’t make sense for a kid, because if you are a kid, there is no option to; because you don’t have any money, you wouldn’t have purchased it in the first place anyways! I suppose it is different as an adult once you got money… But still, I think for anybody who is in tech, IT, obviously we all have taunting software, we all know pirate bay, we all know how to turn on the VPN and cover our tracks, and download stuff etc.

I think even at this point in 2024… Truth be told pirates something is actually more cumbersome. It takes more time, you are at the risk of viruses and cyber attacks etc.… But I suppose the great convenience here you have access to the direct files.

For example, I have no problem paying $10 or $20 or whatever for you, Kendrick Lamar album, Jay Z album whatever, however, my primary annoyance is that let us say that I pay $10 on the iTunes Store or Apple Music to buy a new CD. But, I can only access it on my Apple iOS device! What if I want the files directly, to remix them, chop it up in GarageBand, or just use it as background audio for my photography slideshows? Then I am stuck.

Selling digital products

I suppose hear the issue is, you could still sell digital products, whether they be digital e-books, digital PDF files, digital zip files, digital music files, whatever. But still, the only reason people actually pay money to purchase these digital products online is because they either believe and desire to support the creator, or they want access to it, or they cannot easily google and find it free online.

So I suppose, the real question here is how can we create a digital good? In which when you purchase a digital something, it actually does really have value? That you cannot replicated, not out of an ethical thing, but a physics based approach?

For example, with digital products, is it possible to solve the double spending problem?

This is the primary phenomenal innovation of bitcoin; you cannot copy of bitcoin or replicated, like you can do as an MP3 file of Beethoven’s fifth Symphony. Or an e-book,.pub file, or PDF file of the Iliad.

I think this is why I believe in open source so much; because it seems like the ethical, rational thing to do. My philosophy has always been simple:

Do unto to others as you would like others to do onto you.

For example I like free stuff, free files, free videos, and I hate these goddamn advertisements, is annoying banner pop-up ads, and I hate having to subscribe for some sort of email newsletter in order to download something I want access to.

Therefore as a result, in all of my personal endeavors, I try to make it as easy and direct for people to access my videos, photos, files, e-books whatever with direct links either or directly from my own website blog server, Google Drive links, dropbox links etc.

Once again, how can we create a new digital good on the Internet? Which can either be purchased with US dollars, or satoshis or bitcoin?

***

Books

I’ll give you a good example with books; a book is a physical object, something you could hold in your hand. I cannot snap my fingers and then magically duplicate it into a thousand more books.

I think the reason why books, printed books have value because we know that there was work and energy and labor and materials necessary to produce the thing: the physical pages, the ink, the binding, the packaging, the genius of the writer and illustrator, etc. And also we humans we still have a passion for tangible things; I think most people would prefer owning a physical book in hardcover for drama put it on their shelf, and think that it has value, rather than paying $30 for an e-book of the same sort.

Why ebooks

With ebooks electric book, maybe we should just call them digital books… The reason why nobody likes to pay that much money for it because we are not stupid. We know that of course, it cost money and effort and time and energy for the writer to write the book, get it edited, proofread, distributed whatever… But we know that the marginal cost of having it downloaded, is practically zero. Therefore the rational human being would think to themselves: I know that it cost effort in time for the author to write the book, but if I download it as an e-book, it should be cheaper than the hardcover.

For example, let us say I want to purchase a new translation of the Iliad, for $30. but let us say that I started reading it, and I hate how heavy and cumbersome it is.

Then let us say that I just want to buy it in the iBooks store, if that is the case… I expect it to cost less than $30, because I know that I don’t have to purchase the materials for the hardcover book. I might expect it to cost like $10, $9.99 or whatever.

Fiat money is a scam?

Currently the biggest issue we have is what the US dollar, essentially the Fed can just keep printing more of it! Then in someways, this is not too different than somebody pirating MP3 files for your favorite artist. They can keep inflating the digital supply of something, there is no hard cap.

I suppose the reason why the notion of cap is critical here is that it obeys the laws of physics! For example once again, if I have a physical book, there is a law of conservation of energy, I cannot snap my fingers and reproduce it with zero cost. Of course I could use energy and resources to print and publish more books, but once again, Hard caps, gravity, friction, the law of conservation of energy applies.

Think Bitcoin

If you believe in physics, first principles, and you are not a fool, bitcoin is for you! Why? Even Fernandinho Galliani in his treatise “On Money” said that true money has a hard cap, a limited supply. He talks about why gold is money, because of its scarcity. however, he also knew that if you increase the supply of something, like when the conquistadors discovered tons and tons of gold in the New World, then he realized that the value of gold then plummets.

Because bitcoin has a hard cap of 21 million coins, and none will ever be produced ever again, for the next hundred thousand years, what that means then is it is finally, the first scarce desirable good commodity or thing on the planet or the universe.

Once again, the reason why is so valued is because most people think of it as scarce, which is true, but it is not a true scarcity in so far much as they are still mining gold today, and still discovery new gold mines across the planet, Gold mines we did not know existed in the past!

So in theory, if you put 1 million workers to work, and employed thousands of geologist, and then let’s say you magically said that 1 ounce of gold was worth now $1 million, certainly we would discover more gold and produce more gold! But also consequently, when we discover more gold and we put it on the market, then the value of gold will plummet.

Karl Menger on monopolies

What Carl Manger says in his book the principles of economics, a section that is very very fascinating, a short section is on monopolies. Even then, he knew that there were certain industries that created artificial monopolies, by creating things into an artificial scarcity, for example diamond producers, and restricting the ability or the supply of Diamonds to enter the market, artificially.

Also in luxury goods, one of my good friend Stephanie who worked in the luxury goods market, also told me that a lot of these luxury fashion houses, when they produce too much of a luxury bag, throw it in the furnace and destroy it. Why? If you have too much real Louis Vuitton and Gucci bags on the market, it will become less valuable. Therefore it becomes more profitable to just take the unsold goods, and just incinerate it in a furnace!

So what now?

Just some general thoughts on life:

First, I am so insanely grateful for all of my world travels, my world campaigning, all of my accomplishments or whatever. Yet, the accomplish of begetting Seneca is 1 million fold more than any other thing I have achieved or accomplished in my life.

Certainly the work in the labor of actually carrying the baby, and birthing the baby, and breast-feeding the baby and your child is all on the woman. So then what is the role of the man? To create structures in which your partner or wife desires to beget a child with you.

In praise of kids

A lot of these ridiculous things like desiring to purchase a Lamborghini, a Porsche, a Porsche 911, a Porsche 911 GT three RS, a Bugatti or whatever… I think these tend to be fantasies or pipe dreams for people who are childless, don’t have a kid yet, or have no intentions on having kids.

The walking dead

Now, when I see people and I meet people who are childless, and have no intention on having kids, to me they are like the walking dead.

Then, the whole impetus of their life is towards hedonism; maximization of sensory pleasures whether it be visual — such as traveling to Japan and seeing all the cool stuff, or like eating good food, omakase sushi in Japan, indulging themselves in art, travel, exploration, creating art and ideas, writing books, being “cultural”– or maybe backpacking with their dog or whatever… These people had zero interest to me. Why? They are the walking dead. They shall die and they shall have no living legacy.

Hedonism and kids?

Technically, the ultimate hedonic pleasure you can gain is actually from your kids! Your kid is the most wonderful, evolving growing, entertaining beautiful joyful thing!

For example, almost every single day, Seneca at the age of three years and four months, I am starting to see his language acquisition skills excel rate at a phenomenal rate! And I am so insanely proud because I see the things that I have taught him, and it sticks!

For example, my deep pride and joy that ever since he was born, only spoke to him in Korean, and now, he speaks almost 90% Korean fluently!

Also, when I look at his shape physique and form, the buff kid of all time, I am so insanely proud of him because he is also, the most physically dominant, tall handsome strong intelligent kid of all time.

I am also so proud because whenever I meet other parents, parents or teachers who work with kids, and they honestly remark that Seneca is tall, I feel so insanely proud! People telling me that I am such a great dad, doing a good job parenting, deep sense of joy.

Also, contrary to popular knowledge, having a child actually makes you more adventurous! For example, ever since Seneca was born, and now that he is getting older, I am being exposed to so many new wonderful activities and things, things I wouldn’t have never partook in before he was born! For example, exploring all these awesome science centers, becoming a kid again! Also, rediscovering the Lego Batman movie, other joyful things etc.

So actually the irony is if you want to maximize your hedonism in life, your happiness your joy your fun, don’t get the stupid dog, have a kid instead!

Keanu Reeves needs to have a kid

For example, there’s also this weird bias that it is cool, more macho, more manly and masculine to be a forever bachelor. No. Only degenerates think this way.

once again, think king Leonidas and his son; have at least one male heir to continue your legacy.

The digital transformation of everything

So random thing is Seneca and I have been on Los Angeles Public library tour, hitting up all the local libraries, all these great free community events etc.

Something Seneca has been really into lately, is finding and discovering DVDs, especially the LEGO movie, and the LEGO Batman movie, which I find is so insanely funny and great, we need a little bit more humor in our lives.

In fact, maybe the reason why the Lego Batman movie is so genius is that it is insanely fun, playful, irreverent, humorous, self-referential, and actually feels more realistic ironically enough?

Anyways, some new thoughts on films; don’t watch any movies that you otherwise wouldn’t be happy with your kid, and also… Maybe in fact the best movies are kids movies?

And also; maybe the best films the only the good ones are the humorous ones, the comedic ones!

For example, why hasn’t a film like Zoolander come out recently? I still remember the notion of “Fragile” (Fra-geee-lleh) or on the Simpsons — “Boo-Uurns!”.

My critique about two days mostly hyper emotional emo world is that there is no more humor. Everything needs to be dark, Marose, emo, self-flagellation.

In fact, what is the main problem of Genzie, millennials, everyone in this generation? The young youth?

The issue is that everything is hyper; hyper sensationalized, hyper media.

My simple tip for us incoming parents — some hard rules:

Never ever ever ever ever kid an iPhone or a smart phone. If you need to track them or call them or whatever… Just give them one of those Apple AirTags and attach it to them, or just buy them a phone. Yes you could just buy the phone on Amazon supercheap, and tossing in a Sim card. in fact I would even say the best dumb phone is the only one that could make phone calls only, no LCD screen. I find texting to be one of the most ineffective ways of human communication, and also hugely depersonalizing.
No electronics inside the home: I have a new rule with Seneca, if he wants to play games on the iPad, whether it be poly bridge, racing games (GRID AUTOSPORT, the paid one), pocket city, roller coaster tycoon classic, etc — I just tell him that he is only allowed to play it outside! So I toss the iPad in the backpack, we go on a walk, we go to some sort of social public space, and then I let him play there, and typically the funny thing is by the time we get to the public outside space… He doesn’t want to play the game, and instead he’ll just run around instead!
Maybe with movies films media etc. also, only let them watch it outdoors? Like if they want to watch a movie, have them only watch it at the local nature center or park, also funny thing; maybe the future will be more analog, this will be our new privilege. For example, Buy a USB-C DVD player for your MacBook laptop, as we don’t have DVD players anymore, and if your kid wants to watch a movie, just check it out from your local library? Adding some sort of friction in today’s digital world is a good idea; having Disney+ or HBO Max or Netflix or YouTube or whatever… With so much streaming movies shows and entertainment possible… It is almost like giving your kid a firehose of high fructose corn syrup laced with type two diabetes for kids. Parents will often be alone; well it is so hard… And it is true! But I think we’re having a new sense of elitism is good; let us consider that 99.99% of Americans are obese, morbidly obese, etc. Just because everyone else is shoving donuts into their mouth, and getting fat, doesn’t mean you should either.

Digital property?

Every few thousands of years, comes a major paradigm shift which changes everything.

We are so insanely to be alive right now in 2024; two massive paradigm shifts happening at the same time: artificial intelligence (open ai, ChatGPT), and Bitcoin.

Also, I think a very fascinating innovation I’ve discovered is that to rebrand something, or to reimagine something, or to re-understand something is also a huge innovation.

For example, the critical insight by Michael Saylor is thinking and considering that bitcoin is not a cryptocurrency, but digital property.

The reason why Michael Saylor’s idea of Bitcoin being digital property is such a grand insight is that in the crypto world ,,, 99% of our efforts are being wasted on the fact that everyone wants to replace the US dollar or replace the entire visa network with their own cryptocurrency or alt coin or etc.

Not going to happen.

I think for high velocity payments, like buying a cup of coffee coffee or a shot of espresso at your local coffee shop, going to Whole Foods Trader Joe’s or Costco, Amazon fresh whatever… having high velocity money like your Visa credit card, or Apple Pay on your phone is actually much more convenient. And then we barbell this; bitcoin then is our digital property, low velocity. If you think of bitcoin like owning property on the upper East side of Manhattan New York City, the ideas you keep it forever in the family, and you pass it down to your kids kids kids. And the strategy is simple;

Never sell the property.

You borrow money against it, maybe you rented out, you try your best to maintain it, upkeep it, pay the property taxes etc. But you never sell the property.

I also suppose the same idea is in line with bitcoin, if we reimagined it as digital property.

One day, you will be able to rent out your bitcoin, like imagine if you were a landlord, renting out your property to millennials.

Or, imagining that it could be like a digital hotel of the future; renting it out, hour by hour, day by day, week by week, or maybe even minute by minute, to whoever wants to be there.

Then, essentially we could become like the new digital slumlord; we just sit on our bitcoin forever, collecting rents and money, and we could just chill at the beach, chill at the pool, etc.

Now what?

If you take things further, I think really long-term etc.… ultimate goal is durability as an artist, a creative a thinker etc.

Think peer to peer

I think the problem in today’s world is because of iPhones, social media, entertainment, Netflix YouTube whatever… We engage with human beings only through media, while sitting on our butts, without any real risk.

My simple thought is always:

Better to risk a friendly social interaction and get rejected, rather than not attempted it at all.

Simple thoughts: get rid of those losers sunglasses, those dark tennis sunglasses, throw your noise canceling headphones in the trash, and when you are out and about, “raw dog it”– no sunglasses, because sunglasses are for cowards. You will not get eyeball cancer. If the sun is too bright just get a baseball cap, or some sort of visor to protect your eyeballs from the sun.

Also, no headphones. No AirPods AirPods pros, whatever.

I think the critical issue here is that when you have AirPods, noise canceling headphones, AirPods pros on in your ears, or whatever your plug like Bluetooth device, the issue is that you block out 99.99% of the positive stimulation from the environment.

For example, I believe our sense of hearing is actually more acute and more primal than our eyes. For example, if you’re driving around Los Angeles, you will hear the siren of a firetruck before you see the flashing lights.

The reason why I hate Tomkin in LA so much, and I consider it extreme bad manners is that whenever people honk, there is always a fight or flight physiological response from us. as a result, I’ve been going on a bit of a social justice rampage, whenever people honk, especially when they honk because the person did not drive immediately .1 ms after the light turns green, I give them a sharp that’s there, or I roll down my window, I stick down my hand, and I tell them to calm down. the hand jester for calm down is just put your calm down, and just motion it downwards. No need to give people the middle finger, I think some sort of shame , public shaming is a good idea.

Also, smokers. Am going to go harder now, 100 X harder. To shame people for smoking in public. I’m just going to pretend like I’m a cop, I’ll tell people not to smoke when I have my weight vest on, because I look like a undercover cop or swat team or whatever. or, moving forward I’m going to do an experiment, whenever I am at a stoplight, and I see people texting on their phone at the stop sign, I’m just going to pretend like I’m CP and then make eye contact with them and tell them to keep their eyes on the road. Nowadays in Los Angeles and beyond people shielded by their cars and their tents, and their sunglasses, and they feel like they are abated for any sort of social responsibility. Even worse, people smoking marijuana while driving. I’ve seen this twice in Los Angeles so far. Rather than complaining, I’m going to do some sort of low-key Vigilante Justice, kind of like Batman. Batman, Batman not in the dark Maroso Way, but can you imagine a playful humorous and joyful Batman? My alter ego is like the Lego Batman, the Lego Bruce Wayne.

No more compassion. I think the problem of people in Los Angeles, especially when they use their vehicles like cowards, is that they black some sort of exposure to the real world. No skin in the game.

Moving forward, I’m just gonna imagine like I am the super cop, the local city cop, CHP officer etc.

Better to preemptively serve justice and be wrong… Rather than be a bystander or don’t do anything?

When I was a kid, I wish that more blue collar job ideas were offered to me, like becoming a firefighter or a cop, CHP officer or whatever… I might have even enjoyed doing some sort of low-key form of ROTC as a highschooler?

For example, even Seneca… He loves firefighters, firetrucks, police cars, police, police SUV cars etc. And of course he loves the cyber truck, he also likes it with a matte Black wrap.

In fact, getting a cyber truck, a cyber beast with a mat black wrap, and getting the black and yellow license plate… This is your metaphorical at mobile? If you think about the Christopher Nolan mobile, essentially it is like a matte Black military vehicle tank — rather than some sort of sissy, or even muscle car.

The Batmobile in the most recent the Batman movie, with the emo Batman, was also interesting because the Batmobile was also kind of like some sort of muscle car on steroids.

Even nowadays with vehicles, are you surprising to me, I am starting to get more into trucks, even even the new Toyota Land Cruiser looks super cool?

Once again, if you think about Carl Menger and Austrian economics, one of the great ideas from Carl is that he talks about how our preferences change overtime; for example that which has utility or interest to us as a child, a mature man, or an old man is all different!

I think maybe it is cultural; I was born in 1988, born Asian American Korean American… And to have Asian pride was to drive some sort of Japanese car, lower it, pimp it out, and race it? Essentially like the early fast and the furious movies, Tokyo drift etc.

I suppose this is where media is bad; any sort of media you watch and integrate into your soul as a child, has a deep impact on you.

For example, a really stupid thing I saw as an adult the other day — week three young boys, maybe around seven years old, all playing in the sandpit together, doing some sort of fake Godzilla versus King Kong pretend fighting. Eventually one kid falls to the floor, because he is playing, and then one kid starts to kick sand in his face, the kid who was pretending to act all tough, then started to cry, and I’m just watching this from the side with Seneca, and I’m just thinking… Wow this is also bizarre. I’m glad that Seneca has no idea what King Kong or Godzilla is; a lot of these modern are superficially violent, not even in interesting ways.

I also suppose that as a man, raising the sun… Being very very critical on what not to expose them to, you don’t want your kid to the lowest common denominator, become addicted to YouTube or YouTube kids like cocaine candy.

In fact, I think I am very critical of Google Chrome books in the classroom. Why? Essentially you are getting kids hooked on advertising, and Clickbait at a very young age. I wondered… Is it possible that instead, I could send send cut to school with his own MacBook Air laptop, and not use one of these adware devices?

Let us consider this scam; teachers have their kids self teach themselves something, which they see on YouTube, and of course on the side is all this Clickbait related content that they will be tempted by. Let us also understand adults, the single best thing you could do is enable some sort of related video ad blocker on YouTube. In fact, I think the ethical thing YouTube should do is integrate some sort of toggle on YouTube the YouTube app, maybe you can make it a premium only feature, in which you could actually turn off related videos, turn off comments, and high metrics like video views subscriber numbers, number of comments etc. Why? Has the potential to teach you anything, which is good… But I’m starting to think that the trade-off is not worth it, if you support it with advertising, and Liz related content or videos on the side with all these clicky images, it is a very very dark hole.

My number one suggestion for parents: never ever ever ever ever show them YouTube in fact, uninstall it from your phone. Just think to yourself, if elite Apple CEOs and C officers, and also directors, and also Apple employees and higher-ups send them to schools without any screens or devices… Also let us remember that Steve Jobs did not permit his kid to use an iPad at home… What is the rest of us plebeians don’t understand?

Also, let us realize this bad thought; why is it that all employees would preferred to use an iPhone over a Google pixel? Similarly… Why is it that Apple employees would prefer to have a Gmail over an iCloud account?

Also, why is it that Tesla sales people don’t actually own Teslas?

Maybe there needs to be some sort of skin in the game rules here.

Digital x Physical

No no no, the future is not the meta-verse. Nobody wants to own a virtual Lamborghini, and live in your virtual house, and get virtual sunlight and virtual floor to ceiling windows, eat virtual steak, have virtual sex with your virtual babes, have virtual fans, go virtual hiking, and take virtual drugs.

I am almost 100% Berish on virtual reality. The future is not virtual reality, the future is ChatGPT, and bitcoin.

If in fact, we think about it… No amount of money could actually incentivize me to use that terrible Apple Vision Pro device. Even if you made it practically weightless, ability to use it with classes or whatever, even if you made it like glass, Nobody would really want it. The pain of having to always charge it, the additional bulk, even with my own eyeglasses, which are 100% titanium LINDBERG, Which I think I owned for almost 15 years, are practically weightless. Now that it is Los Angeles summer, and the sun is strong… I’m starting to wear a baseball cap because I’m getting sunburn on the top of my nose bridge, and my forehead, even if I lather myself with SPF 60 sunblock. Kids and adults know… We don’t actually like having things on our heads or our faces.

This is where Apple engineers, it may be also Mark Zuckerberg needs to understand… Having some sort of device that sits on our head or our eyes is not desirable. Unfortunately, the future is still some sort of smart phone like device.

In fact, my super grand idea is to create a smart phone without any screen; the true zen phone. Mybe I will call it the Seneca phone.

More digital thoughts

Very very simple things here guys;

1. Digital photo books

Publish your photos as e-books, PDF e-books, PDF files, or even share the JPEG files with people in a zip file!

One of the great things that I learned in the photo world, which is full of a bunch of loser fake art virtue signaling wimps. They are all a bunch of unhealthy, unwell artist, who seem to hate people and humanity, and when they are photographing people in the streets … they are not doing it out of a spirit of love of humans and humanity, but rather, they are seeking some sort of revenge on other people.

Digging deep; I’ll tell you all the dirty secrets.

First, Magnum is bad. Magnum photos, all bad. Eventually everyone is just petty and devious of one another, because everyone wants to be rich and famous, and adored.

And also, there’s this weird talking for position here; everyone wants to be seen as the most elite supreme and legitimate, yet everyone is broke as hell, Evyn look at these famous guitar furs constantly traveling and doing workshops, they only do it because they are broke, and need to pay their rent, They don’t do it for passion.

Maybe the best way to approach things is only take workshops or classes or do things with individuals who don’t even need the money. Maybe there is some sort of genuineness here;

Certainly everyone needs to make a living, but often when you have some sort of famous person or photographer teaching some sort of workshop or travel excursion or whatever… Being managed by some other booking company or individual … there is actually not a strong incentive for the Fatar for to do a good job or care about the well-being of their students because they are usually being paid some sort of flat rate, let us see $5000, by the booking organizing agency, so as long as they show up, and do the minimum viable amount of work, they don’t really care.

Then, maybe the filter in a more practical sense is only do workshops or workshops or whatever by photographers who host the workshops by themselves; without some sort of third-party booking agency. because they are incentivized to have the students be repeat students, and also they want good news to spread about themselves!

So if you see photographers, private individuals who host their own workshops, travel excursions, and individuals who have been doing it for a very very long time, years, maybe even decades, and they hosted themselves, they are the point person… Without some sort of assistant or third-party, typically it is a signal that they are doing something right.

Once again, durability and longevity here is key.

Any artist musician photographer producer or whatever who has been around for decades, and who are still in the game… Even then they’re 40s 50s 60s and 70s, it is a sign that they are good.

For example, Kanye still coming out with new music (CARNIVAL) even after the whole antisemitism thing and break with Adidas. And after his divorce and losing I think custody of his four children?

Also, Eminem just came out with a new album! His road rage song, respect for Eminem, saying what he really believes in, even though he might get “canceled”.

Because isn’t that the point, that you become rich successful powerful enough that you are uncancellanble?

How to be uncancelable

Very very simple, your own website, your own blog etc.

A website and a blog is the ultimate censorship proof platform. Evyn emails, email newsletters… Having to keep updating my self hosted sendy.co email newsletter platform, Gmail in Google is starting to put a new controls in which you have to add all these random tags to your email and newsletters in order for your emails to reach Gmail accounts, at this point, every intelligent human being that I know has a Gmail account. Gmail is essentially a monopoly on email.

I think at this point, maybe 90% of emails on the Internet or Gmail account? And close to 100% of Americans have some sort of Gmail, Google account?

This is where using a Gmail or a Google account for authentication behind things is so useful; I could almost guarantee that your Gmail account will be around 100 years from now, even though eventually they might fill up with all these advertisements and stuff. I’m starting to think, One day, Gmail just started to put the top three emails on top of your inbox as advertisements, but people stop using it? I certainly would stop using it, but I think 99% of other people will keep using it.

Even now, the reason why I will never ever ever buy an android phone ever again, or a Samsung or whatever is funny enough because of Apple Maps. Apple Maps is inferior to Google maps, but now, I’m being driven by all of these square pin advertising on Google maps, And even this new spamming thing that Google maps is doing one I am driving is asking me whether there are still speed traps ahead? Shame on you Google and Google programmers; I wonder if you have actually caused a handful of accidents, or maybe even accidental deaths because you put a pop-up while people are using Google maps to drive?

Simple suggestions for the Google maps and the Google team

First, a very simple one to pull in Google, just make some sort of 999 a month, add free premium membership. I would very gladly pay for this. and once you are on Google premium, there are no more annoying square advertisements on your Google maps.

Also, by default, disable that annoying pop-up about speed traps or whatever, and instead, when you first install the Google maps app, ask people as an option, whether they want it enabled or disabled. It is not a privacy thing; it is a pop-up distraction danger thing.

Also, disable that feature of the five or 10 minutes slow down ahead things; once again, another dangerous distraction while you’re driving.

Also, a very telling note; one of my millennial friends used to work on the Google maps team, quit, and now on her iPhone, she only uses Apple Maps, she doesn’t even have Google maps installed on her phone. Hmmm….

Also about photography; all of the Apple employees I know, none of them use the iPhone as their primary camera, most of them don’t even use it at all. Instead, they have Leica M cameras, the compact digital Hasselblad medium format camera, Sony a series cameras, they shoot film, a RICOH GR camera, have a like a SL camera, some sort of standalone digital camera. Also almost none of them use Fujifilm

Camera facts

The best camera brands are Lumix Ricoh Pentax.

The Leica Q is essentially a Panasonic Lumix in disguise, The only digital lighter worth owning is a Leica M camera.

Even though I like Fujifilm, and I’ve used all the cameras, still… I don’t recommend it to people. In my whole career, I have never purchased one with my own money, I have bought a ton of Ricohs with my own money, I purchased a Leica M9 by myself, sold it (thank you Todd Hata) and traded it for a film Leica MP camera (thank you Bellamy Hunt, Japan Camera Hunter), and I think maybe 2017 or 2018 purchased a LUMIX G9 camera I purchased in Japan– which after all my Ricohs died, is the camera I am currently using.

In fact, the most exciting camera that just came out is that new Pentax film camera; it is the new film Ricoh GR camera! It has an integrated flash, and also, because it is half frame, it doubles the amount of exposers you could shoot on a single roll of film, pure genius! This is a very insanely innovative, economical way to extend the joy of shooting film photos, while minimizing the cost!

Photography for kids

I’m planning on volunteering and just doing some free photography classes for kids, which has the ultimate zero barrier to entry. They could just bring their iPad, tablet, iPhone or smart phone, or stand alone digital camera if they have an option. Or even a film camera!

Kids are the ultimate photographers. They shoot with joy, no need to share the photos?

In fact, Seneca, he loves photography, just like myself. He shoots with no obstructions, no hesitations, sometimes he likes to look at the photos, sometimes he doesn’t care too. Maybe this is a more enlightened way we could approach photography?

Evyn as a fun thought experiment; if you had a film camera, or a digital camera or whatever, and you could actually not store the photos or view them later… Would you still do it? Maybe?

Free digital books

Just give it away for free! Free, as in zero cost, and also free as in freedom!

And also, don’t make people do some sort of annoying subscribing to your email newsletter or whatever to gain access; just do direct links! Hosted on your own FTP server, uploaded to your WordPress media library, share a Google Drive or a dropbox link, etc.

Make it as friction free as possible; because the truth of the matter is in today’s world, for anyone to see your photos or your artistic work, you almost have to pay people to look at your photos! Because the fact is, the world is so inundated with images now, especially now with the advent of ChatGPT and DALL-E, and these billions streaming shows… People don’t have the time to look at your photos!

In fact, I only think that the reason why people sign up for Fatar a few workshops with these famous furs, is because they simply want some sort of affirmation from the famous guitar for that their work is good, legitimate, and they want to gain some sort of confidence?

For example if Henri Cartier Bresson were alive today, would I care to sign up for workshop with him just to tell him that my photos are good? No. I think we should also consider Bresson as a failed photographer; somebody who secretly had penis envy towards all his famous painter friends. let us also remember the fact that at the end of his life, he totally gave up photography, and famously said “photography is not a legitimate art form, it is only a means and path towards painting, and drawing, which is the true art form”.

Always study an artist from the backwards from the grave to the present.

Typically, whatever an artist or a thinker or creator believes in towards the end of their life is kind of like the final testament. Because they have had enough experience, and have distilled their wisdom long enough to gain some sort of deeper insight about things.

Spartan Economics

The spartan economist:

We new Spartans, we shall inherit the earth!

TLDR; think spartan when it comes to money, economics, life.

A truly pragmatic way to think and approach life

I think my critical critique of 99.9% of economists is that all of their fake science and fake pseudo scientific mysticism on the economy whatever, none of it is really tired to practical reality.

For example, more important things; where you live, what car you drive, whether you own a single-family home or rent, what kind of groceries you buy, where, or how much, etc.

Or, where you invest your money, where you save your money, you decide not to spend money on, your own personal financial philosophy.

Spartan investing

Some thoughts on investing;

First, I’ve always been interested in passionate about investing, ever since I was in high school. I still remember my high school science math teacher, Dr. Ahmed, told me about mutual funds back in high school, and told me this unorthodox strategy that I should claim being an emancipated minor, being able to borrow some money, and essentially, use that money to invest in an aggressive mutual fund. And this was junior year of high school, I think I was 16.

Somehow I did get my hands on some money, maybe like $1000? Or $1200, or $1600? Anyways, somehow I was able to create an investing account when I was 16, my junior year, and I invested in the one thing that I knew was very important, Adobe, which made Photoshop, which I knew was very important because I pirated Photoshop as a kid, and I used it to create all of my images on my computer. I also invested some money into a mutual fund, and even the course of maybe two years, I saw the value of my stock in my mutual fund holding go up? I think I might have realized a $600 or $800 gain, and I was overjoyed!

Fast-forward a bit to college… I realized when I was in college I was able to take out some student loans, and I use some of that money to invest in the market, while I was still in school, my sophomore year. I suppose I was 19 at the time?

Anyways, very stressful; I will check market prices, on my laptop, note this was before the iPhone existed, and it was very stressful. I would see the price go up a little little bit, and I was overjoyed, full of euphoria, and then I would see the price go down, and I would feel my stomach shrink. I remember losing sleep over this.

Stoic training

Anyways, from the age of 19, I had to learn how to control my emotions, something part of my early stoic training. And also, getting into trading penny stocks my senior year, in which I accidentally misread the financials for an oil company, that when I thought they were making a profit, they were actually losing money because they would put the financials in parentheses, which I did not know at the time meant a loss. So I suppose my knowledge was good, but I misread the information, and therefore I saw my life savings of maybe $3200 go to zero. As a 20, 21 year old, this was the worst tragedy I ever experienced in my life.

Anyways, I still think I had some good intelligence. I remember during the subprime mortgage meltdown, I saw the price of Ford go almost to zero, and I saw Blockbuster about to go bankrupt. I knew that Ford was a good long-term investment because I knew that Ford would recover in the long-term, and also I knew that blockbuster would go to zero because Netflix was the future. I think the only problem at the time was at the time I didn’t have any access to, as I think I already lost all my money.

So if I had the opportunity and access to capital, I would habe bought Ford (which has gone up a lot since then) and I would have shorted Blockbuster, which as I predicted ,,, went to zero.

Skin in the game

So this is a big thing; being an armchair investor vs being a real Spartan investor, somebody with skin in the game, with their own personal money in the game.

For example, I think being a personal private investor, investing your own hard earned money is critical here; because that was your soul time energy over many hard hard years of your life. You should/can only take financial risks with your own money. If it is someone else’s money — easy to toss the money like confetti.

Money as your life soul energy

For example, I think about the decade plus in which I taught workshops, I worked hard to do much research, all the thousands of dollars I spent on photo books, writing reviews articles blog posts, videos, etc.… writing books, making presets giving it away for free etc — essentially the best way to think about money is it is your time force energy energy life soul energy imputed into some sort of concrete thing; let us say that it is solidified into a single US dollar.

However the biggest issue here is that Fiat currency, the US dollar, is like an iPhone battery. That slowly but surely, it slowly drains and loses charge and also ability to hold charge.

For example, everybody knows that if you take an iPhone or a laptop, and you just let us sit on your desk for a month without charging it, it will naturally die, even if it was turned 100% off.

Also a problem with batteries and recharging; if you permanently keep it charging all the time, I think also the battery loses the ability to retain charge, and the maximum capacity of the battery loses charges as well.

Think ahead

For example, my 2017 MacBook Pro, 13 inch touch bar space gray, which I bought for about $2000 maxed out refurbished at the time… I think the battery of it only last about five or 10 minutes now before shutting off.

I also heard the same thing with Tesla cars — if you just let it sit, and don’t charge it every single day… slowly it will lose charge. I suppose this is the upside of having a gasoline powered car, is that oil and petroleum will just sit there, and will not lose charge. Surely there are other things you still gotta worry about like the battery, but still… For the most part oil and gas is more stable than an electric battery and charge.

Funny random thought —

Manual is the future?

For example, a manual transmission car even in 2024– will probably still be functional 30 years from now? Electric cars and Teslas and even Hybrids ,,, maybe not?

Also manual focusing lenses, 100% still functional 300 years from now!

With digital cameras, you will always swap out the bodies … but the manual lenses will last forever.

For example, I am 100% confident my Leica 35mm f2 ASPH Summicron lens and my film manual and mechanical Leica MP camera will last 300 years from now … any other digital equivalent? No.

Building capital for the sake of it?

Anyways, I think the general impetus behind investing is a bit misguided. I think in the past I had he thought, and also maybe the general idea that people have is:

“I will invest this amount of money in order for me to gain a return, in order for me to purchase XYZ in the future.”

For example children are taught of a piggy bank, you save your allowance and your birthday money in it, so one day in the near future, you could buy a scooter or something.

Once again this twisted logic; you should save money in order to accumulate money, in order to have enough money and purchasing power in order to purchase this thing in the future you want, rather than thinking about saving money as a vehicle for investing, to grow your monetary power.

For example, only a moron would spend his whole life toileting and working hard, in order to save the $250,000 or so to buy the Lamborghini. This is insane; the second you buy the $250,000 Lamborghini, your bank account balance then goes to zero, and in theory you are now impoverished.

Let us say that we embrace the two Lamborghini rule; which is only about a Lamborghini if you are rich enough to afford two of them. But then again, the critical issue here becomes let us say yeah $500,000, and you buy the Lamborghini, and now your monetary power is cut in half, now you only have $250,000 in the bank. I don’t know about you, but nobody likes to see their wealth go from $500,000 to $250,000 in a split second, even if in fact you did buy the Lamborghini and own it.

actually, the only logical thing to do is to drive to the closest Lamborghini dealership in Newport Beach, show the guy you’re a bitcoin balance on your phone, and then sit in all the Lamborghinis you would like, play with the steering wheel, see how it feels to be inside the Lamborghini, touch the materials, take it on test drive, enjoy the sound of the engine, the driving experience whatever, and then decide not to buy it.

Or another option is to just rent it for a day! Whether it cost $1000 or $5000 or whatever, a much much better financial way to use your money than to blow $250,000!

even if you were a Jay-Z; you would not go out and start buying expensive cars like I’m $1 million Bugatti or whatever. If you are a true capitalist, a true investor, somebody who really does care about money… The point is you invest your money, and you keep stacking it forever, and you actually spend as little money as possible, in order to indefinitely increase your wealth!

For example, you do not buy the $1 million Bugatti — no. Rather, you buy $1 million worth of bitcoin, and then you see it become 10 million, 100 million, 1 billion, 10 billion, 100 billion. Isn’t this what somebody who really cares about money… Isn’t this how they should think?

Toys are bad

We Spartans know that toys are bad. In fact, some things I learned about toys, in raising Seneca:

Superficially legos seem like a good idea, but eventually, Legos are bad. Why? As a parent you got to clean up their mess, and also… when your kid grows up sooner or later you’ll just donate the Legos to another family. The ideal and optimal strategy then is to just play with Legos at the local library on the brick building day, and just leave it there, and go back home.
For Seneca’s entire life, I’ve only bought him two toy cars; I think two Lamborghinis, the small hot wheels style. I think we already lost them.
Almost by osmosis, kids, whether you like it or not, or gain all of these free toys by orbit. For example when they visit their grandma’s home, or play with cousins or whatever… They will pick up random toy cars here and there. Therefore, the simple ideas that you never have to purchase kids any toys, they will naturally get toys from friends and family, on their birthday holidays etc., even if you are a “anti toy household”.

Set a good precedence. 99% of things we desire to purchase as adults or just really really expensive toys.

Are toys bad?

I think so.

Essentially the purpose of a toy for the most part, is some sort of thing to distract your kids while you as a parent to do something else.

And also, the problem and issue with toys is that it doesn’t make them anymore physically strong or capable.

When it comes down to it, the best things to prioritize for your kid is their physical strength, height, muscle mass, ability to climb stuff, run around, be out in nature, go on hikes, have a nice tan for actually being in the sun, ability to pick up heavy stuff and throw them, etc. Even one of the things I’m very proud of is ever since Seneca was very young, he would be really good at throwing rocks into bodies of water!

No, whenever I see other kids, the only thing I’m ever impressed by is to see how muscular they are! Or how they are in running climbing, doing physical things.

Weapons & armor & shields

If we think about the ancient Spartans, what were their possessions? Simple: their spear and shield, even their sword was kind of more of an accessory piece.

Also, I think according to Plutarch, or some of the ancient historians, there are funny quotes like “why are spartan swords so short?” Spartan response: “So we could get close to the enemy”.

Also, one of the most critical things about being a spartan was your shield; the reason why the hunchback was not allowed to fight along the spartan army was because he could not raise his shield, and the critical thing about being a spartan was the ability to defend the man next to you.

Even when you consider the final duel or fight between Achilles and Hector, I think it comes down to throwing spears, at a distance, and having the other party defend themselves with their shield.

Helmets were also critical because there were many times in which having the right shield actually defended you from death.

Bow and arrows are for cowards

Or why guns are for pussies:

Even the ancient Spartans, when the ancient Spartans saw a castle with lots of archers on top one Spartan commented –

“Is it women who live there?”

Certainly when it comes to real military combat, typically the armies or the side with the strongest firepower wins. For example, the Roman legionnaires, I think 99% of their lethality was because they had catapults, and they were just sling massive rocks and destroyed 99% of the other side of the enemy, and then the Roman legions would then enter in phalanx form, and just tidy up the rest of the mess.

And even now, the US military, they are essentially getting rid of real pilots, and just creating drone aircraft instead. Why? Human being pilots are a liability; it is always bad PR if your pilot gets killed in combat, or gets killed by an accident. if it is a drone, certainly people alone the financial laws, but when it comes down to it… a financial loss is always superior to a human life loss.

For example let us say that it cost the US military $100 million to create a drone aircraft. And let us say that for one reason or another it gets destroyed. Or it fails, better to lose $1 million aircraft to lose the life of one single human pilot.

Armor up!

Anyways, in modern day life, the big issue that we have is all of these pussies who have guns. Or knives.

A real man, should only engage in hand-to-hand combat, and the only thing that a real man does is has body armor as a form of defense.

For example, if you’re really afraid of people shooting you up or whatever, just buy a bulletproof vest. This is what cops have. Technically as a private citizen, I think you are allowed to purchase and own and wear a bulletproof vest, if you so desire.

For example, just think of Keanu Reeves (John Wick) in his Kevlar armor suit jacket, how he used his suit jacket as a shield or armor against incoming bullets. So gangsta.

And even now, the supreme way I feel tough is wearing my 60 pound weight vest around; I think even real cops, who wear bulletproof vest, a real bulletproof might only wear 10 pounds or 20 pounds?

Now I suppose because I do my daily walks with my 60 pound weight vest, I no longer really feel it on me. This is a very good thing. Let us say I get into a high conflict situation and I just put on my weight vest, I know that nobody could fuck with me or Seneca or Cindy.

Unfuckable with

A true Spartan; only has armor, no guns, no knives. His word is his sword.

Money as a defense against slavery

“Fuck off money”– having enough money that you could just fuck off, and not have to do nothing.

So my first Spartan economic thought is that the purpose of money is more of an economic shield, barrier, buffer, or armor to prevent you from working like a slave.

The purpose of money isn’t to buy stuff, purchase a home, buy superficial things, purchase a vehicle, travel to Japan ne eat overpriced sushi…but rather, via negativa; for you not to work.

As long as you got a job, a boss, a steady paycheck… you are not free.

For example, doesn’t matter if you’re being paid $750,000 a year at Apple; as long as you have to stay inside your nice glass cube prison cage, you are not free.

Also, as long as you got a mortgage on your home, payments on your car, and any sort of debt or obligations… once again you are also not free.

Also a Spartan ethic thing;

Don’t indebt others.

What it means is never ever ever let anybody borrow money from you. Because let us say you loan $1000 to somebody and they don’t have the means to pay you back like they promised in two weeks. What do you do, beat them up, or hostage their family members? No.

Never borrow money from others, never lend money to others.

The only type of money exchange should be gifts. No obligations.

All debt is bad debt

More recently I thought I’ve been thinking through is in regards to the notion of debt; for example what some institutional investors do is take on debt to purchase things, property, bitcoin like Michael Saylor and microstrategy, in order to purchase more assets, in the promise that it will grow in the future.

I’m starting to think, maybe could work for the corporations, institutions etc.… but maybe this kind of leverage is not a good idea for us private investors, because it could cause you to lose your freedom.

So once again, never leverage debt, even “good debt” to acquire more property.

The goal

NOT have a job
NOT have debt
NOT be employed by anyone else besides you (sole, sole proprietor — number of employees is 0– you are your only employee).

Creating your own new Sparta

What is very interesting about Sparta, Kim Leonidas etc.… is that the point wasn’t to enslave millions and billions of people, rather, it was to think about committing to your own local population… for example, maybe the Spartan population was only 10,000 Spartans? And they had about 50,000 helots till the land?

A big thought: it seems that the modern day individual loves to complain critique and hate on everything, hate on global policies, politics, individuals, music, media, iPhones and social media, whatever. Whenever people talk about global warming, carbon levels, carbon footprint whatever… typically I see a lot of these people are either single, maybe they own a dog, certainly they have no children and kids.

Never trust any environmentalist who don’t have kids.

Propaganda

In fact, the lamest thought is that kids contribute most to the carbon footprint of the planet… my ongoing theory is that these people are just humanity haters; they just want to take their dog to the grave with them?

Who knows, perhaps your kid, or some other kid who is born today is going to be the one who solves pollution on the planet; who creates a solar power panel which is 1 billion times more effective, or invent some sort of nuclear power fusion fission energy generator that could fit in your back pocket?

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

Anyways, my simple thought is rather than complaining and critiquing about society whatever… more effective to just become the change in which you wish to see manifested in the world, and also a big thing; have kids! Create your own micro society, create your own cultural values, and insanely Spartan, stoic and staunch about it.

Niches are the future.

Creating new cultural norms

For example, I think giving presents and buying toys for kids on their birthday is ridiculous. I believe rather — gift experiences and time together. Therefore for my niece Amelia and Benji, I don’t think I’ve ever bought them any toys on their birthday or on any holidays. What I do instead is take them rockclimbing with me and Cindy, and also when I’m just with them… I just play with them! I leave my iPhone in my glove compartment of my car, and I just run around with them!

I remember Amelia saying a year or two ago saying “I miss Samchon ERIC,… Because he is the only one who plays with me”…

How to raise your kids

I think in today’s world of hedonism and indulgence… this is my thought on how one should aspire to raise one’s kids–

The thought is to raise, train, and breed your kid to be creators, innovators, Spartan Stoics, with maximum physical capability, a 100% carnivore diet, with extreme vigor, play and joyfulness.

For example, would you give your kid heroin? Certainly not. Then don’t shove kids in front of their face Netflix or Disney+ or bluey or whatever when you just want them to stop crying. Let them confront their own emotions, explain things to them, let them cry it out; give them a kiss on their forehead if they fell on their head, and the big thing; don’t let any other loser adults punk your kid around.

Something that randomly caught me offguard being a new first time parent, is having these miserable old female librarians telling Seneca not to cry inside the library and that “he must go outside,” or even having random people in the apartment next to us passive aggressive things like complaining that Seneca was playing with his toy cars outside?

One thing that pisses me off is society has become maximally tolerant of dogs and their misbehaviors; but, no privileges to children?

“Don’t smoke here! No smoking here!”

In fact, I’m starting to think more and more… perhaps I should become more aggressive, more of an asshole parent. For example, I’ve been on a bit of a rampage in which telling other people to not smoke in public places, when I’m with Seneca. Even though they might give me a dirty look, or even if I might feel bad about it… This is what a true Spartan would do. Essentially you take the brunt of badness, bad emotions whatever… And defend your kid, defend your wife, defend your family.

Also, never tell people sorry. Just tell them thank you.

When to attack?

Also, I think America we could learn a thing or two about Sparta; for the most part, think America should just stop meddling in the business of other nations, other nation states, even if we want to maintain some sort of world peace for the interest of America.

For example, America needs to stop waging positive war. The only good use of military is defense. America needs to be well positioned in such a way that if anyone attacks us, we could defend ourselves. But I think ethically, America should not wage preemptive attacks on other nations and other nation states, in order for us to be like Machiavelli’s prince; the idea that often to defend oneself, you have to preemptively attack. We are strong enough.

Even when a foreigner visited ancient Sparta, the foreigner asked, why are there no walls? And the Spartan said, because our men and our children defend these borders.

One day your kid is going to find your gun

I think this is also the thing that is so ridiculous about gun ownership in America, all these loser notions of “self-defense“. Everyone always wants a gun on them, because they are afraid of being shot or being attacked. And I think some people shoot another person preemptively, because they fear their life is in danger danger or whatever.

But, the law is, you are never allowed to shoot first. The only time you pull out your gun or whatever and start shooting is one the other person has already shot you, or has already shot something in the environment.

The stoic Spartan investing strategy

Live Spartan. Essentially somebody who glorifies themselves and their own human body, their own physical strength, just think about how buff your muscles, your shoulders your back and your traps are.

Your pride joy and glory is your own body and muscles, not your possessions.

I trust no man who has tattoos, has a dog, and drives some sort of entry-level German car

No dogs, no cats, no animals. Only children.

Ensure that you have at least one son to continue the family name.

Perhaps foolishness is a virtue?

I’m also starting to think, being mad, being a madman is a virtue. Anybody who focused is too much on security, safety, prudence and rationality is a wimp.

Good for your wife, do it for your family, be a true mensch.

Throw your cares and concerns into the tailwind, burn all your bridges, burn your ships behind you, don’t look back. Only forward.

What type of money would Spartans prefer?

Historically, the ancient Spartans would abolish money. Because they know that money corrupts.

I think one of the earliest Spartan legislators, Lycurgus, essentially made the law in which he converted all money into huge stones, which were essentially impossible, maybe it was made of iron etc. made accumulation of wealth so cumbersome, people eventually stopped chasing wealth for the sake of it.

Mandatory military duty?

I was always an anti-military, but now as an adult… I’m starting to see the virtues.

For example, in South Korea, all men are required to do a mandatory two year military service, even StarCraft players and BTS members are not exempt.

The good thing about this, as well as Singapore… it builds a sense of nationhood and camaraderie between men. Even one of my friends, Andrew, a professor I think he did some sort of part-time Navy officer reserve training when he was getting his PhD… and he said something like “I think if there was some sort of military duty amongst Americans, there would be a lot less divide and conflict”. I also agree.

Probably the most anti-racist training that I ever got in high school was accidentally; playing high school American football. Essentially, I was thrown in all rainbows of races; African-American, Latino, southeast Asian, east Asian, Caucasian etc. There was a strong sense of brotherhood, and everybody supported one another. And for the most part, we put aside all of our differences and our cliques.

Sports team unites

For example, I remember some of the white guys who were hefty lineman, I think they were into Cowboys and rodeos and wearing cowboy hats whatever, and African-American kids would just hang out with other African-Americans at school, and the southeast Asians were also part of their own crew etc., all my friends were Korean American, or east Asian… But when we all played football together, did practice, played games etc.… we would all sing the same ridiculous songs on the school bus, breaking windows on the bus, etc.

Sports teams eliminate race.

Jewish-Americans

Also, a very formative thing that I did was Boy Scouts; becoming an Eagle Scout, etc. Also here… all notions of race, religion whatever was erased; I remember that my scoutmaster was Jewish Jewish American, and his two sons were all in scouts with me would wear the little Hat, and I never knew what it really was, but I never really hated on it.

And also, I remember the Levee brothers; also two boisterous Jewish American kids, Ariel and Jamie, And once again, I didn’t even know what antisemitism was until I went to college?

We are all American

Anyways, my grand vision is that being American should be more of a nationality, more of a nation state thing, rather than a racial thing.

For example, the genius of Rome, was that as long as you paid taxes, you were Roman. It didn’t matter if you were from Spain, like Seneca the younger, who I named my own son after, Seneca was not a Spaniard — he was a Roman.

Also, I have more in common with Kendrick Lamar who grew up to E-40, than I ever did with any Korean person I met in South Korea.

Also some funny nuances; I have far more connections with somebody I meet up in the bay area, in the 90s, doesn’t matter if they are Latino or black or whatever…

Even Southern California, LA South Koreans; they are different from me.

As long as you grew up to underground rap, the Bay Area high E-40 hyphy movement, if you know who Keak da sneak is, if you know how to go stupid dumb and hyphy yellow bus retarded, if you over owned a pair of all white K-Swiss tennis shoes in high school, and just wore white T-shirts and dark blue denim, and never owned a pair of shorts until you’re late 20s… then you are with me.

John Wick would like bitcoin

A very interesting scene, and also in the universe of John Wick; it is a world beyond money. For example, in the universe of John Wick, money is just like these gold coins, which are used to gain access, trade favors, clean up messy dead bodies, to protect or guard things, or for people to take a hit at somebody.

For example, when John Wick wants to get into the secret club, he has to insert a single golden coin, very much like putting a coin in some sort of arcade machine.

Also, when John Wick is first seeking revenge in the first film, and he opens up his war chest… It is all guns ammo and gold coins. No US dollars, no Fiat currency.

Why bitcoin is the way

I recently sold all of my Tesla stock, and purchased micro strategy stock instead (MSTR). Why? Some convincing arguments from michael saylor:

first, product cycles. Certainly for the most part, purchasing Apple stock is a good idea, however, who knows if the iPhone 35 pro will be any good?

Also, CEO; let it say that one day, Elon Musk totally left Tesla. And no longer had any affiliations with Tesla. If this were the case, Tesla would not be worth anything.

I think the genius about bitcoin is that it is a religion. Satoshi, is essentially this metaphorical Jesus speaker, the savior, and he disappears forever. With any other crypto asset, Ethereum and Vitalik or even chainlink and Sergey; as long as you have a central spokesperson, a CEO, a president or a leader, a charismatic individual… You will not last.

For example, one of the very interesting things that I learn from my political sociology class at UCLA as an undergraduate with Mark Jepsen was that nations or nation states that are led by charismatic individuals don’t last. Once the leader dies off, there is no longer any vision.

For example the genius of America, is that even if we have a few bad apples, the whole thing will still chug along OK. Let us consider that after Mao Zedong died, after Ho Chi Minh died, both mainland China and Vietnam has slowly and surely started to delve into capitalism… The dominant world system.

In fact, that is consider that seems that 80% of the Chinese economy is still dependent on America. And essentially, the CNY, is pegged to the US dollar; because there are capital controls in order from the Chinese government, in Chinese mainland Chinese individuals cannot take their wealth out of the country, especially when they prefer to buy property and live in Vancouver Canada instead… It is a strong signal that duh , America’s on top.

Even though if you had currency is weak, America is still the strongest Fiat currency on the planet. I recently talked to a woman who just got her green card from Beirut Lebanon, and she told me that the whole lira thing is a mess; that people prefer to just hold and trade US dollars instead.

Even when I visited Cuba, even though they have the local Cuban dollar currency, still at end of the day, things are priced in US dollars.

After the US dollar, all other currencies, nobody wants them. Nobody wants the euro, too much chaos in Europe. Nobody wants the pound, Britain’s isolationist policies make it the next Japan, they will still stagger on but will slowly become irrelevant, nobody wants a Korean won — their population is dying off, and it seems that the greatest market for new Hyundai cars are actually in the states, nobody wants the Japanese yen, once again their birth rate is practically zero now. Nobody wants Chinese yuan — I don’t know any non-Chinese person who would prefer using WeChat, we pay, or a Huawei phone.

As long as rich mainland Chinese people prefer to use an iPhone Pro over a Huawei phone, America will always be on top.

Election cycle predictions

I’m voting for our Kamala Harris, because she has more aligned with my ethical beliefs, even though she will lose. I’m almost 99.99% certain that Donald Trump win.

The good news is that Donald Trump is very pro bitcoin, bitcoin mining etc.; so after Donald Trump gets elected, after the dust settles… Your bitcoin value will blossom.

Even if bitcoin and crypto goes through another bear market, which eventually it will… Still, the US economy will be stronger under Donald Trump than Kamala Harris.

If anything, of Joe Biden stepping down and having Kamala Harris rotten instead is like the final hail Mary – and I have played enough high school football to know that Hail Mary’s never work 99.999% of the time. The only time a Hail Mary will work in an American football game is almost never; you only hear about it when you watch random TV clips, or YouTube videos, but I think the chance of a Hail Mary working is practically zero.

So what is in your locus of control?

So I think the big thing to note here is that the stoic way is simple:

What is in your locus of control, what isn’t?

Politics, climate change, dual politics, etc. are not in your control.

What is in your control? Your own individual behaviors, what you write about to friends family and on the Internet, whether you decide to use social media or not, your own individual actions, and also… Your own individual non-action; what you decide not to do.

For example, it seems that the words you refrain from, what you decide not to say, is more telling than what you decide to say.

Another stoic strategy; when you hear something which is very puzzling to you, restrain responding immediately… It works 99.9% of the time.

silence is golden, speaking intelligently is silver.

Nobody wants silver.

Just focus on one thing?

Spartans only focused on one thing; freedom.

The lame thing about America is you have a bunch of these fake ass patriots, waving Trump flags, we have never done any military service. Freedom is not free, or live free or die.

The general ethos is that it is true… Freedom is not free. But what is the opposite of free? Skin and soul in the game; actually being on the front lines of something.

For example, I have a simple rule; you’re not allowed to talk about freedom or whatever or is some sort of fake ass patriot chest thumping flag waving coward, if you have never served military duty, or at least have done Boy Scouts and know how to properly fold a flag!

Also, if you really want to be conservative or Republican or whatever, the simple news is don’t watch Fox News, or any news.

Could be told, both sides are foolish. The left the right the center the moderates whatever… You gotta think like an individual. This means removing all news from your brain, all news which is run on advertising is toxic.

I have another big idea news agencies, website individual bloggers, magazines etc. except payments in bitcoin and Satoshi, no advertising.

The truth is as long as something is supported by advertising, the low-key bias will be to make it more sensationalist, less connected with reality, in order to get more eyeballs in order to make more advertising dollars.

Are there any newsies which do not run on advertising? No.

As a consequence, trust no news but yourself.

Where to get your news?

ironically enough, maybe the best place to get your news is through intentional propaganda government portals, like going to the official US military defense.gov website, because you could smell the propaganda more critically.

Propaganda, propaganda, propagate just means to spread something. The French use the word propaganda, not in the evil way as we Americans think, propaganda just means to spread something.

and once again, realize that all is toxic, all news is bad. Injecting news into your brain and soul is almost like injecting type two diabetes into a healthy individual.

News is like type two diabetes for your soul.

Spartan theory?

To sum up, the spartan way simple: live like a spartan, like the hungry wolf, invest all of your money and earnings and into bitcoin, have at least one kid, derive your pleasure enjoy another human beings, conversation, love and charity, through physical activity exercise, Risky weightlifting, being outside in nature the greet outdoors, and think exposure;

Unless you got real exposure to something, you aren’t permitted to say nothing.

ERIC

Don’t opine about something you’re not invested in

Put your money where your mouth is, or don’t put your mouth where your money is not.

***

Film club

Required watching for any aspiring Spartan Stoic is all of the John Wick movies, the movie 300, the matrix movie, maybe Blade Runner? I prefer the second one.

EK BOOK CLUB

The sayings of Spartans, just Google it. Also, all of the books have Seneca, all of his letters. Also the meditations by Marcus Aurelius, and honestly all of the stoic thinkers are good.

Nietzsche, all of his books.

NASSIM TALEB– all of his books.

Interview, podcast club

All of the interviews and podcasts in YouTube series by Michael Saylor , michael.com, or hope.com

Economic theory

All economic theory is bad. The best is to just read the Iliad, think about the ancient Greeks about their life before money was invented.

Spartan Economics

The Spartan Investor

We knew Spartans, we will inherit the earth.

Some thoughts about investing;

First, I’ve always been interested in passionate about investing, ever since I was in high school. I still remember my high school science math teacher, Dr. Ahmed, reverse told me about mutual funds back in high school, and told me this unorthodox strategy that I should claim being emancipated minor, Being able to borrow some money, in essentially, use that money to invest in an aggressive mutual fund. And this was junior year of high school, I think I was 16.

Somehow I did get my hands on some money, maybe like $1000? Or $1200, or $1600? Anyways, somehow I was able to create an investing account when I was 16, my junior year, and I invested in the one thing that I knew was very important, adobe, which made Photoshop, which I knew was very important because I pirated Photoshop as a kid, and I used it to create all of my images on my computer. I also invested some money into a mutual fund, and even the course of maybe two years, I saw the value of my stock in my mutual fund holding go up? I think I might have realized a $600 or $800 gain, and I was overjoyed!

Fast-forward a bit, into college… I realize when I was in college I was able to take out some student loans, and I use some of that money to invest in the market, while I was still in school, my sophomore year. I suppose I was 19 at the time?

Anyways, from the age of 19, I had to learn how to control my emotions, something part of my early stoic training. And also, getting into trading penny stocks my senior year, in which I accidentally misread the financials for an oil company, that when I thought they were making a profit, they were actually losing money because they would put the financials in parentheses, which I did not know at the time meant to loss. so I suppose my knowledge was good, but I miss read the information, and therefore I saw my life savings of maybe $3200 go to zero. As a 20, 21 year old, this is horrific.

Anyways, I still think I had some good intelligence. I remember during the subprime mortgage meltdown, I saw the price of Ford go almost to five dollars a share, and I saw blockbuster about to go bankrupt. I knew that Ford was a good long-term investment because I knew that Ford would recover in the long-term, and also I knew that blockbuster would go to zero because Netflix was the future. I think the only problem at the time was at the time I didn’t have any access to, as I think I already lost all my money.

Skin in the game

So this is a big thing; being an armchair investor versus being a real Spartan investor, somebody with skin in the game, with their own personal money in the game.

for example, I think being a personal private investor, investing your own harder money is critical here; because that was your soul time energy over many hard hard years of your life.

For example, I think about the decade plus in which I taught workshops, I worked hard to do much research, all the thousands of dollars I spent on Photobooks, writing reviews articles blog posts, videos, etc.… Writing books, making presets giving it away for free etc — essentially the best way to think about money is it is your time force energy energy life soul energy imputed into some sort of concrete things; let us say that it is solidified into a single US dollar.

However the biggest issue here is that Fiat currency, the US dollar, is like an iPhone battery. That slowly but surely, it slowly drains and loses charge.

For example, everybody knows that if you take an iPhone or a laptop, and you just let us sit on your desk for a month without charging it, it will naturally die, even if it was turned 100% off.

I also heard the same thing with Tesla cars — if you just let it sit, and don’t charge it every single day… Slowly it will lose charge. I suppose this is the upside of having a gasoline powered car, is that oil and petroleum will just sit there, and will not lose charge. Surely there are other things you still gotta worry about like the battery, but still… For the most part oil and gas is more stable than an electric battery and charge.

Anyways, I think the general impetus behind investing is a bit misguided. I think in the past, and also maybe the general idea that people had is “I will invest this amount of money in order for me to gain a return, in order for me to purchase XYZ in the future. For example children are taught of a peaky, you save your allowance and your birthday money in it, so one day in the near future, you could buy a scooter or something.

Butwhat if… We Spartans know that toys are bad? In fact, some things I learned about toys, in raising Seneca:

Superficially legal seem like a good idea, but eventually, Legos are bad. Why? As a parent you got to clean up their mess, and also… When the kid grows up sooner or later you’ll just donate the Legos to another family. The ideal and optimal strategy then is to just play with Legos at the local library on the brick building day, and just leave it there, and go back home.
For Seneca’s entire life, I’ve only bought him two toy cars; I think two Lamborghinis, the small hot wheels style. I think we already lost them.
Almost by osmosis, kids, whether you like it or not, or gain all of these free toys by orbit. For example when they visit their grandma’s home, or play with cousins or whatever… They will pick up random toy cars here and there. Therefore, the simple ideas that you never have to purchase kids any toys, they will naturally get toys from friends and family, on their birthday holidays etc., even if you are a “anti toy household”.

Are toys bad?

I think so.

Essentially the purpose of a toy for the most part, is some sort of thing to distract your kids while you as a parent to do something else.

And also, the problem and issue with toys is that it doesn’t make them anymore physically strong or capable.

When it comes down to it, the best things to prioritize for your kid is their physical strength, height, muscle mass, ability to climb stuff, run around, be out in nature, go on hikes, have a nice tan for actually being in the sun, Ability to pick up heavy stuff and throw them, etc. Even one of the things I’m very proud of is ever since Seneca was very young, he would be really good at throwing rocks into bodies of water!

Weapons & armor & shields

If we think about the ancient Spartans, what were their possessions? Simple: their spear and shield, even their sword was kind of more of an accessory piece.

Also, I think according to Pluto, or some of the ancient historians, there are funny quotes like “why are spartan swords so short?” Spartan response: “So we could get close to the enemy”.

Even when you consider the final duel or fight between Achilles and Hector, I think it comes down to throwing spears, at a distance, and having the other party defend themselves with their shield.

Helmets were also critical because there were many times in which having the right shield actually defended you from death.

Defense?

So my first Spartan economic thought is that the purpose of money is more of an economic shield, barrier, buffer, or armor to prevent you from working like a slave.

The purpose of money isn’t to buy stuff, purchase a home, buy super things, purchase a vehicle etc.… But rather, via negativa; for you not to work.

As long as you got a job, a boss, a steady paycheck… You are not free.

Also, as long as you got a mortgage on your home, payments on your car, and any sort of debt or obligations… Once again you are also not free.

All debt is bad debt

More recently I thought I’ve been towing with is in regards to the notion of debt; for example what some institutional investors do is take on debt to purchase things, property, bitcoin like Michael Saylor and micro strategy, in order to purchase more assets, in the promise that it will grow in the future.

I’m starting to think, maybe could work for the corporations, institutions etc.… But maybe this kind of leverage is not a good idea for us private investors, because it could cause dumb, and also cause you to lose your freedom.

The goal

NOT have a job
NOT have debt
NOT be employed by anyone else besides you (sole, sole proprietor — number of employees is 0– you are your only employee).

Creating your own new Sparta

What is very interesting about Sparta, Kim Leonidas etc.… Is that the point wasn’t to enslave millions and billions of people, rather, it was to think about committing to your own local population… For example, maybe the Spartan populations was only 10,000 Spartans? And they had about 50,000 helots till the land?

A big thought: it seems that the modern day individual loves to complain critique and hate on everything, hit on global policies, politics, individuals, music, media, iPhones and social media, whatever. Whenever people talk about global warming, carbon levels, carbon footprint whatever… Typically I see a lot of these people are either single, maybe they own a dog, certainly children and kids.

In fact, the lamest thought that kids contribute most to the carbon footprint of the planet… My ongoing theory is that these people are just humanity haters; just want to take their dog to the grave with them?

Who knows, perhaps your kid, or some other kid who is born today is going to be the one who solves pollution on the planet; who creates a solar power pan all that is 1 billion times more effective, or invent some sort of nuclear power vision Energy generator that could fit in your back pocket?

Anyways, my simple thought is rather than complaining and critiquing about society whatever… More effective to just become the change in which you wish to see manifested in the world, and also a big thing; have kids! Your own micro society, create your own cultural values, and insanely Spartan, stoic and staunch about it.

For example, I think giving presents and buying toys for kids on their birthday is ridiculous. I believe rather than experiences, tight. Therefore for my niece Amelia and Benji, I don’t think I’ve ever bought them any toys on their birthday or on any holidays. What I do instead is take them rockclimbing with me and Cindy, and also when I’m just with them… I just play with them! I leave my Phone in my glove compartment of my car, and I just run around with them!

I remember Amelia saying a year or two ago saying “I miss Samchon ERIC,… Because he is the only one who plays with me”…

How to raise your kids

I think in today’s world of hedonism and indulgence, the thought is to raise, train, and breed your kid to be craters, in invaders, Spartan Stoics, with maximum physical capability, 100% carnivore died, with extreme vigor, play and joyfulness.

For example, would you give your kid heroin? Certainly not. Then don’t shove kids in front of their face, or Disney+ or whatever when you just want them to stop crying. Let them confront their own emotions, explain things to them, let them cry it out; give them a kiss on their forehead if they fell on their head, and the big thing; don’t let any other loser adults punk your kid around.

In fact, I’m starting to think more and more… Perhaps I should become more aggressive, more of an asshole parent. For example, I’ve been on a bit of a rampage in which to not smoke in public places, when I’m with Seneca. Even though they might give me a dirty look, or even if I might feel bad about it… This is what a true Spartan would do. Essentially you take the brunt of badness, bad emotions whatever… And defend your kid, defend your wife, defend your family.

When to attack?

Also, I think America could learn a thing or two about Sparta; for the most part, think America should just stop meddling in the business of other nations, other nation states, even if we want to maintain some sort of world peace for the interest of America.

For example, America needs to stop waging positive war. The only good use of military is defense. America needs to be well positioned in such a way that if anyone attacks us, we could defend ourselves. But I think ethically, America should not wage preemptive attacks on other nations and other nation states, in order for us to be like Machiavelli’s prince; the idea that often to defend oneself, you have to preemptively attack.

I think this is also the thing that is so ridiculous about gun ownership in America, all these loser notions of “self-defense “. Everyone always wants a gun on them, because they are afraid of being shot or being attacked. And I think some people shoot another person preemptively, because they fear their life is in danger danger or whatever.

Maybe the only new ones is if that person has gunpoint to your kid or whatever… Then you headshot him in the head. But besides this, don’t be a pussy.

The stoic Spartan investing strategy

Lib Spartan. Essentially somebody who glorifies themselves under their own human body, their own physical strength, just think about how your muscles, your shoulders your back and your traps are.

No dogs, no cats, no animals. Only children.

Ensure that you have at least one son to continue the family name.

Perhaps foolishness is a virtue?

I’m also starting to think, being mad, being a madman is a virtue. Anybody who focused is too much on security, safety, prudence and rationality is a wimp.

Good for your wife, do it for your family, be a true mensch.

Throw your cares and concerns into the tailwind, burn all your bridges, burn your ships behind you, don’t look back. Only forward.

what type of money would Spartans prefer?

Historically, the ancient Spartans would abolish money. Because they know that money corrupts.

I think one of the earliest Spartan legislators, Lycurgus, essentially made the law in which he converted all money into huge stone, which were essentially impossible, maybe it was made of iron etc. made accumulation of wealth so cumbersome, people eventually stopped chasing wealth for the sake of it.

Mandatory military duty?

I was always an anti-military, but now as an adult… I’m starting to see the virtues.

For example, in South Korea, all men are required to do a mandatory two year military service, even StarCraft players and BTS members are not exempt.

The good thing about this, as well as Singapore… It built a sense of nationhood and camaraderie between men. Even one of my friends, Andrew, a professor I think he did some sort of part-time Navy officer reserve training when he was getting his PhD… And he said something like “I think if there was some sort of military duty amongst Americans, there would be a lot less divide and conflict”. I also agree.

For example, I remember some of the white guys who are hefty lineman, I think they were into Cowboys and rodeos and wearing cowboy hats whatever, and African-American kids would just hang out with other African-Americans at school, and the southeast Asians were also part of their own crew etc., all my friends were Korean American, or east Asian… But when we all played football together, did practice, play games etc.… We would all sing the same ridiculous songs on the school bus, breaking Windows, etc.

Also, a very formative thing that I did was Boy Scouts; becoming an Eagle Scout, etc. Also here… All notions of race, religion whatever was erased; I remember that my scoutmaster was Jewish Jewish American, and his two sons were all in scouts with me would wear the little Hat, and I never knew what it really was, but I never really hated on it.

And also, I remember the Levee brothers; also two boisterous Jewish American kids, Ariel and Jamie, And once again, I didn’t even even know what antisemitism was until I went to college?

Anyways, my grand vision is that being American should be more of a nationality, more of a nation state thing, rather than a racial thing.

Also, I have more in common with Kendrick Lamar grew up to E-40, then I ever did with any Korean person I met in South Korea.

Also some funny nuances; I have far more connections with somebody I meet up in the bay area, in the 90s, doesn’t matter if there are Latino or black or whatever…

Even Southern California, LA South Koreans; they are different from me.

As long as you grew up to underground rap, the Bay Area high E-40 movement, if you know who Keak da sneak is, if you know how to go stupid dumb and hyphy yellow bus retarded, if you over owned a pair of all white case Swiss tennis shoes in high school, and just wore white T-shirts and dark blue denim, and never owned a pair of shorts until you’re late 20s… Then you are with me.

John Wick would like bitcoin

For example, when John Wick wants to get into the secret club, he has to insert a single golden coin, very much like putting a coin in some sort of arcade machine.

Also, when John Wick is first seeking revenge in the first film, and he opens up his war chest… It is all guns ammo and gold coins. No US dollars, no Fiat currency.

Why bitcoin is the way

I recently sold all of my Tesla stock, and purchased micro strategy stock instead (MSTR). Why? Some convincing arguments from michael saylor:

first, product cycles. Certainly for the most part, purchasing Apple stock is a good idea, however, who knows if the iPhone 35 pro will be any good?

Also, CEO; let it say that one day, Elon Musk totally left Tesla. And no longer had any affiliations with Tesla. If this were the case, Tesla would not be worth anything.

Even when I visited Cuba, even though they have the local Cuban dollar currency, still at end of the day, things are priced in US dollars.

As long as rich mainland Chinese people prefer to use an iPhone Pro over a Huawei phone, America will always be on top.

Election cycle predictions

I’m voting for our Kamala Harris, because she has more aligned with my ethical beliefs, even though she will lose. I’m almost 99.99% certain that Donald Trump win.

The good news is that Donald Trump is very pro bitcoin, bitcoin mining etc.; so after Donald Trump gets elected, after the dust settles… Your bitcoin value will blossom.

Even if bitcoin and crypto goes through another bear market, which eventually it will… Still, the US economy will be stronger under Donald Trump than Kamala Harris.

So what is in your locus of control?

So I think the big thing to note here is that the stoic way is simple:

What is in your locus of control, what isn’t?

Politics, climate change, dual politics, etc. are not in your control.

For example, it seems that the words you refrain from, what you decide not to say, is more telling than what you decide to say.

Another stoic strategy; when you hear something which is very puzzling to you, restrain responding immediately… It works 99.9% of the time.

silence is golden, speaking intelligently is silver.

Nobody wants silver.

Just focus on one thing?

Spartans only focused on one thing; freedom.

The lame thing about America is you have a bunch of these fake ass patriots, waving Trump flags, we have never done any military service. Freedom is not free, or live free or die.

The general ethos is that it is true… Freedom is not free. But what is the opposite of free? Skin and soul in the game; actually being on the front lines of something.

Also, if you really want to be conservative or Republican or whatever, the simple news is don’t watch Fox News, or any news.

I have another big idea news agencies, website individual bloggers, magazines etc. except payments in bitcoin and Satoshi, no advertising.

Are there any newsies which do not run on advertising? No.

As a consequence, trust no news but yourself.

Where to get your news?

Propaganda, propaganda, propagate just means to spread something. The French use the word propaganda, not in the evil way as we Americans think, propaganda just means to spread something.

and once again, realize that all is toxic, all news is bad. Injecting news into your brain and soul is almost like injecting type two diabetes into a healthy individual.

News is like type two diabetes for your soul.

Spartan theory?

Unless you got real exposure to something, you aren’t permitted to say nothing.

ERIC

Don’t opine about something you’re not invested in

Put your money where your mouth is, or don’t put your mouth where your money is not.

***

Film club

Required watching for any aspiring Spartan Stoic is all of the John Wick movies, the movie 300, the matrix movie, maybe Blade Runner? I prefer the second one.

EK BOOK CLUB

The sayings of Spartans, just Google it. Also, all of the books have Seneca, all of his letters. Also the meditations by Marcus Aurelius, and honestly all of the stoic thinkers are good.

Nietzsche, all of his books.

NASSIM TALEB– all of his books.

Interview, podcast club

All of the interviews and podcasts in YouTube series by Michael Saylor , michael.com, or hope.com

Economic theory

All economic theory is bad. The best is to just read the Iliad, think about the ancient Greeks about their life before money was invented.

The Stoic Investor

How to deal with the high price of living:

Some quick thoughts:

First, it seems that everyone loves to complain about the high cost-of-living. When they talk about this… What do they really mean to say?

First, there are certain nonnegotiables you must do, like feed yourself. No matter how rich intelligent or wise you are, if you don’t feed yourself yourself you will die.

However the nuance; playing defense, and also realizing that a lot of things are negotiable.

Your options

For example, you must eat, but it is not an imperative that you must eat out at a restaurant or order takeout.

Or another thing — it is illegal to be naked out in public, but the funny nuance is as a man, legally you are not forced to wear a shirt in public, that is technically optional. You only gotta put on a shirt when you go inside a private business or restaurant or establishment. But if you are out in public, then, shirts are optional.

Big deal, because the funny thing about clothing is that it could be essentially free, people seem to like to give away free clothes, or it could be insanely expensive, in fashion and fashion it is not uncommon to purchase a $300 white T-shirt.

2010 Prius is the way

Second, your vehicle. If you live in LA, I suppose you don’t really need a car; actually, you could probably get by by just using Uber, walking, public transportation, the bus, the metro. However it is true that if you want to improve the quality of your life, having a car is superior, because you could do stuff like go hiking, go to nature, drive to other public libraries, science centers etc.

However the nuance with cars is that once again, it could be however cheap or expensive you want it to be.

For example, if you live in LA, by far the most intelligent option is to own a Prius, a hybrid vehicle, etc. Why?

The funny realization; the other day I just went to Arco and filled up my 2010 Prius from zero to the max, maybe it only cost me $38. And I looked at my odometer thing, and it said that a full tank I guess would be 410 miles of range! This struck me as very funny, as that is technically 10 miles more range even than the Tesla model S!
So wait … let us do the math:

I inherited the 2010 Prius from Cindy‘s family for free, put $2800 to purchase a new catalytic converter, $2000 for a new automatic braking system … essentially a “brand new” car for only $4800! And what is insanely great is that the Prius was purchased brand new by Cindy‘s older sister in 2010, maybe when it comes around $30,000 or something, and so because it kept itself in the family, we know that it was not used and abused, and the maintenance was super spot on, always maintained properly, never used and abused. Also, we actually had the Prius for about two years when Cindy and I lived in Berkeley, I think we actually ended up finishing off the finance payments on it as well.

Not only that, but due to a recall, Cindy‘s younger sister actually got the whole Prius repainted with brand new blizzard pearl, sparkly tri tone white paint! Cindy recently got a quick detailing Maguire spray from the Facebook buy nothing group, and after putting it on, the paint on it is insanely beautiful, especially when the bright sun is out!

I think this is where I still like beautiful paint on a car, rather than the current modern trendy approach with matte black, matte black vinyl 3M wraps, or even these boring concrete gray colored cars; really beautiful paint on a car after you wax it is insanely beautiful!

For example my neighbor has a brand new Porsche 718 cayman in the concrete grey color, which I find very boring as a color. In direct light, the blizzard pearl on the Prius looks 1 million times more beautiful! Why? When you look closely… You could see the tiny speckles of purple pink and blue inside the white blizzard pearl;

Beautiful paint jobs

Also, when I am on the road, I think actually the most beautiful paint I have seen on cars is probably on Lexus vehicles, for example Lexus has this really beautiful silver atomic color that they put on some of their vehicles, and even the brand new Lexus RX in silver looks insanely beautiful! Similarly speaking, the darker silver color looks great on the IS 250 cars.

Even though I love Tesla and Elon Musk to death, in terms of supreme and the most high quality, Lexus is the way. For example, what is the most important part of a car, in terms of the design? I say it is the back of the car, which you always look at, as well as the driver side door, whenever you enter and exit your vehicle.

For example, on the Lexus LS cars, the detailing the side mirror trim, the door side trim, the door handles on the Lexus LS series is so well crafted, and beautiful. Even though I love the Tesla cars, honestly if you look really really carefully at Tesla cars, look closely, The trim actually looks very very cheap. And feels cheap.

Even on the Tesla model Y, something I was so shocked about when test driving Cindy’s dad’s Tesla model Y, was the rear passenger door window thing; it is literally wiggling so hard that it looks like it will fall off!

I then suppose there is a contradiction of quality here;

There are certain things which we think is very very high-quality in terms of branding, our minds, etc.… Then there tends to be a little bit more objective reality at play, which you cannot really understand until you have seen and touched it yourself in real life.

Expenses?

So back to the whole issue of the cost-of-living;

First, delete all subscriptions. Unsubscribe from everything.

Delete and unsubscribe from all of your music and TV and show and film streaming services, and also depending on your situation… Cancel your gym membership. I think the gym membership is good if you go there every single day, it is not too trafficky to get there, and you can get in and out quick, and also you don’t have to wait for equipment. Otherwise, it seems wise to start investing in building your own home gym; why? Time. I have probably recovered at least 2 to 3 hours a day by not going to my local gym, as I could skip all of the lines by simply working out on myself, in my ghetto backyard, parking lot gym.

Also a funny thing that I have discovered is that ever since I have been working out at home, I think I have become a little bit more honest. What does that mean? Now that I no longer have anybody to impress, literally for myself, nobody else. So all the exercises I do is truly for myself.

Suckered by “quality”?

Also a very big issue here; I think we often think about this abstract notion of “quality”, but what does that really mean?

First, it seems that the most objective measure here is durability. What does durability mean? That’s something will last a long time!

Typically durability has to deal with hardness, but I think hardness is simply means of something to last a long time.

For example, durability, duration; all the same thing.

I haven’t come up with a good definition of “quality” yet, but it seems that this notion of quality needs to be re-examined.

Amazon, Amazon prime, Amazon fresh?

How long until you could purchase a home on Amazon prime? Or purchase a car through Amazon prime?

A recent discovery that Cindy and I found is Amazon fresh. Interestingly enough, I think it is actually cheaper and more convenient and time saving than Costco!

I’ll get example; for some reason whenever we go to Costco, it is easy that we drop 500 or $600 on a bunch of random stuff. But Amazon, Amazon fresh is much more targeted, almost like a precision laser strike; you only select items you want from the Amazon app, and then you pick it up, either curbside, or you just go in store and just ask the friendly people there that you’re picking up. Or, you could subscribe to the Amazon fresh thing, which is only $10 a month, and you could just have it delivered straight to your door!

Jeff Bezos said something interesting, which was essentially “We want to make it so that by not having Amazon prime, you are doing something financially irresponsible”.

Also with clothing, my younger sister Annette Kim has recently been buying all of her clothes on Amazon, and I am shocked; it all looks great, and it is like 10% the price of buying stuff at a traditional retailer or a Lululemon etc.

I think what is so interesting about Amazon Amazon prime is that effectively, the goods are all produced by some anonymous factory somewhere in mainland China, and you cut out the middleman which is the publicly listed corporation which is inflating prices to make a profit, let us not forget that Lululemon is a publicly traded corporation, as a result… Cutting out the middleman seems like a good idea.

Certainly Lululemon does a lot of investing in innovating and creating new types of fabrics, which is probably in fact superior to that which you buy on Amazon, but, I suppose the question is if you are purchasing the products just for fashion, then just buying it on Amazon directly makes more sense.

Or I’ll give you another example, a month ago we got invited to a wedding and I realize that I have forgotten where I put my nice dress shoes. So I just went on Amazon, and I ordered these all black, “L run” minimalist zero drop shoes, which only cost me maybe $28! And boom delivered to my door in a day, instead of having to sift through all of these tedious dress shoe brands, which can easily cost you about $200.

When in doubt, first order it on Amazon prime.

Even with Seneca and his shoes, Cindy just orders the “L Run” kids water shoes ,,, the minimalist essentially slippers for kids… each is only like $10! And when he outgrows it, or gets a hole in it, you could just throw it in the trash.

Cut out the middleman

Has there been a good film on Stoicism yet?

I think the best we got so far is John Wick; John Wick is probably the uber-stoic.

And then we have the movie 300, also, insanely great.

My ideal film or concept would be if John Wick and 300 had a baby; essentially my only critique about John Wick and Keanu Reeves is that he is too muscularly wimpy; why doesn’t John Wick have a six pack and is insanely buff like king Leonidas and Gerald Butler in the movie 300? Or at least look like something like ERIC KIM?

Very very simple ways that Hollywood producers and directors you could beef up your actors, without shooting their butt holes full of steroids;

100% carnivore diet — feed them nothing but the finest bone marrow, beef liver, ribeye steak, beef ribs
Have them quit all sugars starches, fruits vegetables, etc. The only non-meat item to eat is arugula or kale or dark leafy bitter greens
Have them fast; no breakfast no lunch, only a 4 pound carnivore dinner. This will also be good because it could be productive throughout the whole day, they don’t need breakfast or a lunch break.
Extremely heavy one repetition maximum style lifting — “If the bar ain’t bendin, you pretending” – Hugh Jackman, Wolverine

In fact, how much productivity is lost because people have to buy a mediocre $25 salad and sandwich, and waste an hour or 45 minutes or 20 minutes eating lunch? For them to maybe instead, just going on a walk around the block, get a quick pump lift some weights, drink some water, or maybe even take a nap instead.

Think 30 years ahead

Far seeing:

A big thought I currently have is the notion of trying to think at least 30 years ahead.

Why?

First, if you think 30 years ahead, you gain a lot of clarity to and behind things.

I suppose one of the greatest blessings of having Seneca, having a kid is now finally… I have a reason, or have an impetus or approach to think long-term ahead.

For example, trying to think about my strength physique and health 30 years from now, as well as the health of Cindy, my mom, Seneca, the whole family empire.

A very very simple idea is keep stacking those bitcoins. I have about 100% certainty that 30 years from now, bitcoin will be a raging win.

I think the hard thing with a lot of people is that they cannot stomach the volatility. However, what I find so fascinating about bitcoin is that it is insanely volatile, but actually not very risky. In fact, I believe bit bitcoin to be the only crypto asset Which actually has zero risk. After bitcoin, all of the other crypto‘s have huge risk and downsides; for example I think Ethereum is a lame duck, the only other crypto worth mentioning is chainlink, but the biggest issue here is that they are to heavily on marketing and PR, which is always a bad sign. Even getting Sergey Nazarov the founder to wear a suit and tie, bad idea. Just let him walk around in his classic blue flannel!

Building something which will last 30 years from now?

There are certain things that you built today which will exist 30 years from now, in certain things… Will no longer be around 30 years from now.

For example, very unlikely that your neighbor will live live in the same apartment building for the next 30 years.

Also, very unlikely that Instagram or TikTok will be around 30 years from now. I think Facebook will still be around 30 years from now, as it is essentially the core product for Facebook and the medical corporation, but beyond that, maybe no.

Apple will still be around 30 years from now, people will still be using iPhones.

Google will still be around 30 years from now.

Amazon will most definitely be around 30 years from now. Same goes with Microsoft.

Websites and blogs will still be around, with the classic HTTPS: and www. and .com domains. I think most apps won’t be around 30 years from now.

Apps will come and go, websites will stay.

Building your own empire for the next 30 years

Nothing that you buy today, will probably have any utility 30 years from now.

For example, there is no car vehicle thing or truck that will still be trendy or sought after 30 years from now, without dealing with extreme maintenance costs.

Also, I am still not 100% certain about investing in property or real estate; the maintenance cost are too high, as well as vacancy rates, having to rent and manage your property, maintain and paint and fix things, hire staff, pay for taxes and property taxes etc.

Even right right now, currently I am living in LA, but will I be in LA 30 years from now? Probably not.

So what is ultimately portable you could always take your wealth with you? Bitcoin!

Also let us think about the US dollar and inflation; what will be the price of 30 years from now? A lot. Let us assume that you have $100, and you save it in a safe somewhere, what will be its purchasing power 30 years from now? Maybe 30 years from now, $100 will buy you a burger and a soda?

What does it mean to be a stoic investor?

I think thinking 30 years ahead is the great filter.

For example, all these degenerate millennials, hedonists, and their dogs will all die off, the only people left standing and thriving will be people with kids and families.

First, have kids. At least one, ideally two, also, desirable to have at least one male heir if you are a man.

Second, just think to yourself when it comes to financial economic or just like decisions… “What would king Leonidas do, say, or think?”

For example, if I had a King Leonidas ChatGPT bot, just ask him, in regards to any purchasing decisions… should I do it, should I not do it? You already know what he will say!

–> “King Leonidas… Should I buy that Tesla, that cybertruck, that Tesla model 3 performance, the Tesla model S plaid, the Porsche, the Porsche 911, the Porsche 911 GT 3 RS?”

King Leonidas would say:

“Only women drive vehicles”– a true man would only engage in hand-to-hand combat, no chariots, no horses, no vehicles.

Actually this is really really fascinating, if you think about it, go back to the Iliad, Achilles versus Hector. Essentially when it comes down to it, Achilles is just chasing around Hector, ready to kill him, no chariot.

And also, if you think about the Iliad, and also the Spartan 300s; they don’t even use horses!

Subtraction?

Typically the entire economy thrives on addition. For example you positively add, produce things goods product services etc.… And people positively purchase, and add it to their homes their wardrobes etc.

For example, let us consider and think about the closet of the average American or individual; just count it out… How many shirts, pants, socks, jackets, shoes do you own?

And also… What other random stuff have you screenshot it on your phone that you might like to buy in the near future?

Or let us stay with cars and vehicles… If you became a billionaire, cars would you like to purchase and add to your garage?

Or if you are a homeowner, what new appliances would you like to purchase or upgrade in your home, or how would you like to renovate your home?

This issue here is it is all additive; we always try to add something, rather than thinking about subtraction.

Why isn’t subtraction in vogue?

The issue is that first, I think people lack the experience the wisdom or the critical thinking in regards to subtraction.

Also, my personal theory is whenever you purchase something, there is a small power rush. When you purchase something or add something to your store house, it makes you feel more powerful.

For example, why is it that king Priam had 1000 oxen, and wanted 10,000 more, even though he could never eat or consume all of that oxen? Because with wealth and power … Typically speaking… More is better.

Put in today’s world, more is worse. The more stuff you buy, the more stuff you have to maintain manage, organize etc.

For example, even if you have more than one vehicle, you have to think about maintaining more than one vehicle, a massive pain in the ass.

For example, I often see my brother-in-law he has a Toyota 4 runner and Toyota sienna hybrid, and I often see him have to charge the battery of his 4 runner, because having to maintain two vehicles is a lot of work.

Also, clothes; the more clothes you purchase, the more you have to manage it. For example I do have certain articles of clothing which I prefer, but I always have to rummage through my random shelf randomly scattered clothing in order to find it.

Or let us say that you own a lot of electronics, or phones or laptops or iPads devices whatever; more crap you have to charge and maintain.

Even properties; imagine that you have property in the south of France, and also a French bank account; and you get locked out of your French bank account, and you have to pay taxes on your property. A big pain in the ass.

True wealth is subtracting duties, obligations, work

Negotium means “neg+otium”– negative leisure or otium.

The ancient Romans and Latin were wise; they knew that any sort of business was bad. They knew that it were required more maintenance, more work, and it was seen as a bad thing to do business, even the word for business is “negotium” which literally means “negative otium”– anytime spent away from you being able to enjoy your leisure.

The problem is in today’s world and cult of capitalism, work in productivity, we have essentially defied this slave-like notion of work productivity, hard work is a virtue, being busy as a virtue etc.

The ancient Spartans had the helots (peasant slaves) do the dirty work of tilling the lands, maintaining stuff, etc. Apparently they would even use the helots for target practice.

That, the wise thing to do is to unlearn or to disconnect yourself from this slave-like mentality of work, busyness, duty, responsiveness, responsibility, following up and following through etc.

The only true freeman is only somebody who does not have email installed on their phone. Better yet doesn’t even own a phone. As long as you have to attend to email, you are not free.

If anything, the killer app would just be a ChatGPT email but which automatically answered all your emails for you! Which knew your preferences, etc. And would just do all the work for you!

Even as a risky experiment, would you trust ChatGPT and your inbox? Maybe.

Big ideas for Apple

Maybe even the next step for Apple intelligence is for Siri or your phone or whatever to automatically respond to your text messages or your iMessages or your emails. This would be the real killer feature.

I think the average worker be maybe spends four hours a day just attending to email. If AI could just do that all for you, and you could save yourself four hours of stress and mental cognitive load day, isn’t this ideal?

Subtraction

What is the best way to “upgrade” your home? Not by buying new furniture or whatever… Very simple, just get rid of stuff! Throw old furniture in the trash or put it on the curb or give it away, and subtract dust grime; Vacuum the floors wipe the floors, clean the bathroom and the toilet and the bathtub etc.

Also, a simple thought about clothes; the best clothing is subtractive.

Instead of buying a new outfit, just take the clothes that you already have, and just cut it with scissors! Cut off the sleeves of your T-shirts and make it into a tanktop, or even take your shirts and cut it into a crop top.

Apparently it is even popular for jean shorts now — just take an old pair of jeans and cut off the legs!

Do people not know that you could just take scissors and cut up your own clothes?

Cameras

Also in the realm of cameras, the best upgrade you could do is actually to reduce file sizes; just shoot JPEG, small or extra small JPEG, and in terms of your lens, the most supreme light compact cheap and pancake lens possible.

Weight is a nonnegotiable.

The only real upgrade is reducing size weight

For example, if you want to upgrade your camera, or your camera set up or whatever… The only really empirical thing that you could do is subtract the weight, subtract the size, also subtract the overall footprint of it.

For example, even your automobile car, technically the real upgrade especially when living in Los Angeles or a city is to actually spend money to reduce the size of it?

For example, let us say that you have a Tesla model S plaid, or cybertruck or a Tesla model X, the real upgrade here is to reduce the size of it, in order for it to be a smaller to fit in more parking spots.

If this is the case, then the Tesla model 3 is the perfect car for LA.

If you want to stick to hybrid for maximum convenience, Prius is the way.

Stoic training

If you want to become more stoic, first you must train your body, the mind will follow.

For example, assuming that you’re sleeping insanely good, 10 hours a night, and you could lift 1000 pounds… Certainly there will be nothing which will be able to stir you.

Or, when I’m walking around town and my 60 pound weight vest, I feel like a beast, a boss, kind of like one of those Pacific Rim robots, armored core, a Titan, Titanic, a giant mech robot, a gundam on steroids?

In terms of overall physique, and strength and power and mass… I am more Ronnie Coleman than Arnold Schwarzenegger. Granted that Ronnie Coleman juiced out his eyeballs and essentially is now permanently crippled. Not worth it.

> Lift heavy, eat a shitload of meat, sleep like a god

This is my simple formula; first the sleep aspect. I’ve been experimenting a little bit with my sleep set up, now it is summer. The last two nights I slept insanely poorly, which made me feel absolutely horrible for about two days. But finally last night, I slept with the air conditioner on a little bit cooler, I slept like a god.

Without 8 to 10 hours of sleep, you cannot do anything godlike.

In fact, the only three things I care for Seneca is also, that he sleeps 12 hours a night, finishes a whole Angus beef burger patty, and that he has maximum physical activity and exercise and climbing outside. All this stuff on education and learning or whatever… That will come naturally.

You are the special!

Recently from the LA public library in Chinatown… Seneca found the Lego Batman movie, and also the Lego movie, and we watched a little bit of a together, and I think those two films might be on my new list of must watch films.

Why? A little bit of parody and humor and turning things into Legos… Makes you think a lot more big picture.

For example, the Lego movie fun at the matrix, Neo, “the one”– or “the special”. Also, it does a very very good job of critiquing mainstream culture, capitalism, corporations, even better than how fight club did it.

The humorous stoic

Typically when we think about stoicism, we think about dark morose EMO people. But my notion of stoicism is actually much more lighthearted, happy and fun. A stoic with a grand sense of humor, and a belly-full laughter! Dionysian joy.

Takeaway points

Think 30 years ahead as a filter
Poor is sexy — go for a reverse flex; the richer you become, live a more “poor” lifestyle.
Just first buy it on Amazon prime
Try out Amazon Fresh for groceries
The most gangsta car has the maximum MPG’s!
Save money and keep stacking those bitcoins

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How to deal with the high price of living

Some quick thoughts:

First, it seems that everyone loves to complain about the high cost-of-living. When they talk about this… What did they really mean to say?

First, there are certain nonnegotiable you must do, like feed yourself. No matter how rich intelligent or wise you are, if you don’t feed yourself yourself you will die.

However the nuance; playing defense, and also realizing that a lot of things are negotiable.

For example, you must eat, but it is not an imperative that you must eat out at a restaurant or order takeout.

Or another thing — search and Lee it is illegal to be naked out in public, but the funny nuance is as a man, legally you are not forced to wear a shirt in public, that is technically optional. You only gotta put on his shirt when you go inside a private business or restaurant or establishment. But if you are out in public, then, shirts are optional.

Second, your vehicle. If you live in LA, I suppose you don’t really need a car; actually, you could probably get by by just using Uber, walking, public transportation, the bus, the metro. However it is true that if you want to improve the quality of your life, having a car is Superior, because you could do stuff like go hiking, go to nature, drive to other public libraries, science centers etc.

However the nuance with cars is that once again, it could be however cheap or expensive you want it to be.

For example, if you live in LA, by far the most intelligent option is to own a Prius, a hybrid vehicle, etc. Why?

So wait … let us do the math:

I inherited the 2010 Prius from Cindy‘s family for free, put $2800 to purchase a new catalytic converter, $2000 for a new automatic braking system … essentially a “brand new” car for only $4800! And what is insanely great is that the Prius was purchased brand new by Cindy‘s older sister in 2010, maybe when it comes around $30,000 or something, and so because it kept itself in the family, we know that it was not used and abused, and The maintenance was super spot on, always maintained properly, never used and abused. Also, we actually had the Prius for about two years when Cindy and I lived in Berkeley, I think we actually ended up finishing off the finance payments on it as well.

I think this is where I still like beautiful paint on a car, rather than the current modern trendy approach with Matt Black, Matt Black vinyl 3M wraps, or even these boring concrete gray colored cars; really beautiful paint on a car after you wax it is insanely beautiful!

For example my neighbor has a brand new Porsche 718 cayman in the concrete grey color, which I find very boring as a color, and indirect light, the blizzard pearl on the Prius looks 1 million times more beautiful! Why? When you look closely… You could see the tiny speckles of purple pink and blue inside the white blizzard pearl;

Also, when you were on the road, I think actually the most beautiful paint I have seen on cars is probably on Lexus vehicles, for example Lexus has this really beautiful silver atomic color that they put on some of their vehicles, and even the brand new Lexus RX in silver looks insanely beautiful! Similarly speaking, the darker silver color looks great on the IS 250 cars.

Even though I love Tesla and Elon musk to death, in terms of supreme and the most high quality, Lexus is the way. For example, what is the most important part of a car, in terms of the design? I say it is the back of the car, which you always look at, as well as the driver side door, whenever you enter and exit your vehicle.

I then suppose there is a contradiction of quality here;

There are certain things which we think is very very high-quality in terms of branding, our minds, etc.… Then there tends to be a little bit more objective reality at play, which you cannot really understand until you have seen and touched it yourself in real life.

Expenses?

So back to the whole issue of the cost-of-living;

First, delete all subscriptions. Unsubscribe from everything.

Delete and unsubscribe from all of your music and TV and show and film streaming services, and also depending on your situation… Cancel your gym membership. I think the gym membership is good if you go there every single day, it is not too traffic to get there, and you can get in and out quick, and also you don’t have to wait for equipment. Otherwise, it seems wise to Start investing in building your own home gym; why? Time. I have probably recovered at least 2 to 3 hours a day by not going to my local gym, as I could skip all of the lines by simply working out on myself, in my ghetto backyard, parking lot gym.

Suckered by “quality”?

Also a very big issue here; I think we often think about this abstract notion of “quality”, but what does that really mean?

First, it seems that the most objective measure here is durability. What does durability mean? That’s something will last a long time!

Typically durability has to deal with hardness, but I think hardness is simply means of something to last a long time.

For example, durability, duration; all the same thing.

I haven’t come up with a good definition of “quality” yet, but it seems that this notion of quality needs to be re-examined.

Amazon, Amazon prime, Amazon fresh?

How long until you could purchase a home on Amazon prime? Or purchase a car through Amazon prime?

A recent discovery that Cindy and I found is Amazon fresh. Interestingly enough, I think it is actually cheaper and more convenient and time saving than Costco!

I’ll get example; for some reason whenever we go to Costco, it is easy that we drop 500 or $600 on a bunch of random stuff. But Amazon, Amazon fresh is much more targeted, almost like a precision laser strike; you only select items you want From the Amazon app, and then you pick it up, either curbside, or you just go in store and just ask the friendly people there that you’re picking up. Or, you could subscribe to the Amazon fresh thing, which is only $10 a month, and you could just have it delivered straight to your door!

Jeff Bezos said something interesting, which was essentially “We want to make it so that by not having Amazon prime, you are doing something financially irresponsible”.

When in doubt, first order it on Amazon prime.

Cut out the middleman

Has there been a good film on Stoicism yet?

I think the best we got so far is John Wick; John Wick is probably the uber-stoic.

And then we have the movie 300, also, insanely great.

Very very simple ways that Hollywood producers and directors you could beef up your actors, without shooting their butt holes full of steroids;

100% carnivore diet — feed them nothing but the finest bone marrow, beef liver, ribeye steak, beef ribs
Have them quit all sugars starches, fruits vegetables, etc. The only non-meat item to eat is arugula or kale or dark leafy bitter greens
Have them fast; no breakfast no lunch, only a 4 pound carnivore dinner. This will also be good because it could be productive throughout the whole day, they don’t need breakfast or a lunch break.
Extremely heavy one repetition maximum style lifting — “If the bar ain’t bendin, you pretending” – Hugh Jackman, Wolverine

Think 30 years ahead

Far seeing:

A big thought I currently have is the notion of trying to think at least 30 years ahead.

Why?

First, if you think 30 years ahead, you gain a lot of clarity to and behind things.

I suppose one of the greatest blessings of having Seneca, having a kid is now finally… I have a reason, or have an impetus or approach to think long-term ahead.

For example, trying to think about my strength figure and health 30 years from now, as well as the health of Cindy, my mom, Seneca, the whole family Empire.

A very very simple idea is keep stacking those bitcoins. I have about 100% certainty that 30 years from now, bitcoin will be a raging win.

I think the hard thing with a lot of people is that they cannot stomach the volatility. However, what I find so fascinated about bitcoin is that it is insanely volatile, but actually not very risky. In fact, I believe bit bitcoin to be the only crypto acid Which actually has zero risk. After a bitcoin, all of the other crypto‘s have huge risk and downsides; for example I think Ethereum is a lame duck, the only other crypto worth mentioning is chain-link, but the biggest issue here is that they are to heavily on marketing NPR, which is always a bad sign. Even getting Sergey Nazarov the founder to wear a suit and tie, bad idea. Just let him walk around in his classic blue flannel!

Building something which will last 30 years from now?

There are certain things that you built today which will exist 30 years from now, in certain things… Will no longer be around 30 years from now.

For example, very unlikely that your neighbor will live live in the same apartment building for the next 30 years.

Apple will still be around 30 years from now, people will still be using iPhones.

Google will still be around 30 years from now.

Amazon will most definitely be around 30 years from now. Same goes with Microsoft.

Building your own empire for the next 30 years

No thing that you buy today, will probably have any utility 30 years from now.

For example, there is no car vehicle thing or truck that will still be trendy or sought after 30 years from now, without dealing with extreme maintenance costs.

Also, I am still not 100% certain about investing in property or real estate; the maintenance cost are too high, as well as vacancy rates, having to rent and manage your property, maintain and painted and fix things, hire staff, pay for taxes and property taxes etc.

Even right right now, currently I am living in LA, but will I be in LA 30 years from now? Probably not.

So what is ultimately portable you could always take your wealth with you? Bitcoin!

What does it mean to be a stoic investor?

I think thinking 30 years ahead is the great filter.

For example, all these degenerate millennials, hedonist, and their dogs will all die off, the only people left standing and thriving will be people with kids and families.

First, have kids. At least one, ideally two, also, desirable to have at least one male heir if you are a man.

Second, just think to yourself when it comes to financial economic or just like decisions… “What would king Leonidas do, say, or think?”

For example, if I had a King Leonidas ChatGPT bot, just ask him, in regards to any purchasing decisions… should I do it, should I not do it? You already know what he will say!

–> “King Leonidas… Should I buy that Tesla, that cyber truck, that Tesla model 3 performance, the Tesla model S plaid, the Porsche, the Porsche 911, the Porsche 911 GT 3 RS?”

King Leonidas would say:

“Only women drive vehicles”– a true man would only engage in hand-to-hand combat, no chariots, no horses, no vehicles.

And also, if you think about the Iliad, and also the Spartan 300s; they don’t even use horses!

Subtraction?

For example, let us consider and think about the closet of the average American or individual; just count it out… How many shirts, pants, socks, jackets, shoes do you own?

And also… What other random stuff have you screenshot it on your phone that you might like to buy in the near future?

Or let us stay with cars and vehicles… If you became a billionaire, cars would you like to purchase and add to your garage?

Or if you are a homeowner, what new appliances would you like to purchase or upgrade in your home, or how would you like to renovate your home?

This issue here is it is all additive; we always try to add something, rather than thinking about subtraction.

The issue is that first, I think people lack the experience the wisdom or the critical thinking in regards to subtraction.

also, my personal theory is whenever you purchase something, there is a small power rush. When you purchase some thing or add something to your store house, it makes you feel more powerful.

Put in today’s world, more is worse. The more stuff you buy, the more stuff you have to maintain manage, organize etc.

For example, even if you have more than one vehicle, you have to think about maintaining more than one vehicle, a massive pain in the ass.

Or let us say that you own a lot of electronics, or phones or laptops or iPads devices whatever; more crap you have to charge and maintain.

True wealth is subtracting duties, obligations, work

Negotium means “neg+otium”– negative leisure or otium.

The ancient Romans and Latin were wise; they knew that any sort of business was bad. They knew that it were required more maintenance, more work, and it was seen as a bad thing to do business, even the word for business is “negotium” which literally means “negative otium”– anytime spent away from you being able to enjoy your leisure.

The problem is in today’s world and cult of capitalism, work in productivity, we have essentially defied this slave like notion of work productivity, hard work is a virtue, being busy as a virtue etc.

The ancient Spartans had the helots (peasant slaves) do the dirty work of tilling the lands, maintaining stuff, etc. apparently they would even use the helots for target practice.

That, the wise thing to do is to unlearn or to disconnect yourself from this slave like mentality of work, busyness, duty, responsiveness, responsibility, following up and following through etc.

The only true freeman is only somebody who does not have email installed on their phone. Better yet doesn’t even own a phone. As long as you have to attend to email, you are not free.

If anything, the killer app would just be a ChatGPT email but which automatically answered all your emails for you! Which knew your preferences, etc. And would just do all the work for you!

Even as a risky experiment, would you trust ChatGPT and your inbox? Maybe.

I think the average worker be maybe spends four hours a day just attending to email. If I could just do that all for you, and you could save yourself four hours of stress and mental cognitive load day, isn’t this ideal?

Subtraction

What is the best way to “upgrade” your home? Not by buying your furniture or whatever… Very simple, just get rid of stuff! Throw old furniture in the trash or put it on the curb or give it away, and subtract dust grime; Vacuum the floors wipe the floors, clean the bathroom and the toilet and the bathtub etc.

Also, a simple thought about clothes; the best clothing is subtractive.

Instead of buying a new outfit, just take the clothes that you already have, and just cut it with scissors! Cut off the sleeves of your T-shirts and make it into a tank top, or even take your shirts and cut it into a crop top.

Apparently it is even popular for jean shorts now — just take an old pair of jeans and cut off the legs!

Do people not know that you could just take scissors and cut up your own clothes?

Cameras

Weight is a nonnegotiable.

The only real upgrade is reducing size weight

For example, even your automobile car, technically the real upgrade especially when living in Los Angeles or a city is to actually spend money to reduce the size of it?

For example, let us say that you have a Tesla model as plaid, or cyber truck or a Tesla model X, the real upgrade here is to reduce the size of it, in order for it to be a smaller to fit in more parking spots.

If this is the case, then the Tesla model 3 is the perfect car for LA.

If you want to stick to hybrid for maximum convenience, Prius is the way.

Stoic training

If you want to become more stoic, first you must train your body, the mind will follow.

For example, assuming that you’re sleeping insanely good, 10 hours a night, and you could lift 1000 pounds… Certainly there will be nothing which will be able to stir you.

> Lift heavy, eat a shitload of meat, sleep like a god

This is my simple formula; first the sleep aspect. I’ve been experimenting a little bit with my sleep set up, now it is summer. The last two nights I slept insanely poorly, which made me feel absolutely horrible for about two days. But finally last night, I slept with the air conditioner on a little bit cooler, I slept like a god.

Without 8 to 10 hours of sleep, you cannot do anything godlike.

You are the special!

Why? A little bit of parody and humor and turning things into Legos… Makes you think a lot more big picture.

The humorous stoic

Think Cyberspace

Something interesting I thought from Michael Saylor; before we think about space, thinking cyberspace, that is the ultimate friction free, digital Internet-based, waitlist world and concept:

Space

Honestly anyone who criticizes or critiques Elon Musk is simply envious or jealous of him. Don’t hate Elon because you are no match for him!

If you think about crazy innovators, engineer artist, it is probably only Elon Musk, Kanye West who is of note.

What is a ingredient for a truly great person? You need a bit of the Dionysian, the crazy. For example, all of the bad sides of Steve Jobs is actually what made him great, and what made apple great. Now, no crazy people left at Apple, only suits.

In fact, if you think about Nietzsche’s Dionysian vs Apollonian concept — Steve Jobs was the Dionysian, and Steve Wozniak was the Apollonian. Or Steve Jobs was the Dionysian, Jony Ive was the Apollonian.

Even if I think about myself, perhaps Cindy is my Apollonian, the God and goddess of wisdom, clarity, prudence, rationality, logic, levelheadedness, pure white.

The Dionysian; the irrational, not connected to reality, harnessing some sort of frenzy like craziness.

“Name one genius that ain’t crazy!” – Ye

“With every great genius is a hint of madness” – Aristotle

Why is it that in modern daytimes, the dietitian is no longer permitted? We are not allowed to be loud, boisterous, full of anger and irrational, violence aggression etc.

Now, all of these Dionysian things are now imputed into sports, UFCMMA fighting, TV shows media and films and movies and comic book characters, never in real life. There’s a separation between media and every day reality.

I’ll give you an example; I’m probably the funniest most comedic, unpredictable person that I know in real life. People seem uncomfortable by me, and sometimes feel insecure whether they should laugh or not. But, I see them in their apartments watching these trashy or these Lame comedy TV shows on HBOHBO Max or Netflix… In private, without any exposure to real life.

Cowardly vs Courageous?

Now, for men, no longer characterize people as good or bad, whatever… Rather, what separates the Eagles from the lambs is this:

Are you courageous or cowardly?

For example, I only rate anybody who is courageous who attempts to lift over eight plates, nine plates, or 10 plates on the squat rack. To even touch or attempt or look at it, is something to wonder.

Even more recently in my open air garage gym, some of my neighbors an apartment made saw me racking up the rack with six plates on each side, which was technically only my warm-up, their jaws dropped. Apparently I’ve been starting to be noted as having a “sleeper frame” or “sleeper body”– somebody who is inanely strong but doesn’t necessarily look that strong.

For example, an ex power lifter told me that he did 20 repetitions of a 4 plate, 405 pound deadlift, and he was amazed by my ability to lift 1000 pounds off the rack, because he said that the typical bodybuilder weight lift or power lift or who that strong typically has 19 inch or 20 inch arms. I’m not even sure what that looks like.

Anyways, my general thought behind things is that with enough insane desire, anything is possible, as long as you obey the laws of physics.

You cannot fake true desire

Or in other words, you cannot fake hate.

The internet?

It looks like there is currently another big shake up happening in the world of social media, the Internet etc. Even now apparently people are starting to flee Instagram, which only just a few years ago seemed unstoppable. Now apparently TikTok is destroying or gobbling up the massive market share of Instagram, TikTok is usurping Instagram.

How did TikTok become so dominant? Let us not forget that TikTok is effectively owned by a super mega mainland Chinese company, Tencent — my general theory is that essentially mainland China perfected TikTok back home in mainland China, and then once it was unleashed in the states like a virus, it’s spread like wildfire. Even my friend Todd Hata had the foresight and the wisdom to get on TikTok pretty early, becoming an early TikTok foodie influencer restaurant review in Mexico City and beyond.

But with enough sight, you all know when we all know that TikTok will eventually get banded America, perhaps maybe when Donald Trump gets elected into office. Remember when Trump was an office, he saw TikTok and was threatened by it and saw that he didn’t trust a super mega mainly Chinese corporation, taking over the App Store? Initially I think he tried to shut it down, or have it blend with an American company?

Let us consider the asymmetry here; mainland China doesn’t allow America to use any American tech companies mainland China which include Google Facebook Amazon YouTube, Gmail you name it. Yet… America we allow mainland Chinese corporation apps to be used in America? Seems to be a bit of an asymmetry here.

What is the big problem here? I think the number one critical issue here is advertising. Don’t forget when the first election cycle happened, the whole Putin Russia, influencing the US politic election cycle, I think Russia was able to inject only maybe $1 million worth of advertising into the Facebook platform, Creating a huge title shift of a opinion in American politics? I think Mark Zuckerberg testified in Congress, saying that Facebook was not at fault and just saying that “Facebook is an advertising platform.”

I think all of the ills of society maybe could be tracked back to advertising. When you offer a service a product or utility for free, what is the easiest way in the 2000s to monetize it? Advertising, display advertising, pre-roll advertising etc.

But now, in the year 2020 and beyond.. what will be the path forward in terms of monetizing in Cypress space in the Internet? I native Internet currency, a native money, Satoshis and bitcoin.

Follow Jack

Jack Dorsey might be one of the most underrated entrepreneurs out there, which must mainstream people don’t really know about it. He is the genius behind Twitter, square and now the cash app.

Jack is very very bullish on the lightning network, Satoshi‘s and bitcoin. If Jack Dorsey and Jay Z supports it, block.xyz — it is easy to see that the lightning wallet, bitcoin and Satoshi‘s are the way forward.

In fact, almost the last decade or so, I’ve been thinking very very hard about this very question:

How do you monetize on the internet without advertising?

I think I got the answer: the lightning wallet, the lightning network, Satoshis and bitcoin.

Why?

In the traditional economy, the traditional marketplace, before media was invented, was money. Or barter and exchange, peer to peer.

I’m currently reading Karl Menger’s principles of economics, and I’m currently in the section which he is building up the idea or the concept of how and why money makes sense.

Essentially Menger Is building up a case in the limits of barter and exchange, let us say that I have horses and you need a horse, and you have cattle, and you need a horse.

The big problem here is there’s a certain part that I cannot cut up my horse and divide my horse up anymore. There is a certain limit in which trading and exchanging or selling and buying horses and cattle as means of exchange in trade and economy no longer is productive. I think what Menger is then building up to Is that essentially the invention and innovation of money, which is economic value divided subdivided into infinitely smaller parts simply a way to increase productivity of exchange, value, etc.

For example, if I have a horse, let us say that I could take it to market and then I could sell it for $100,000. Then, this becomes very useful because instead of just trading it for 10 heads of cattle, I can now Subdivide my money to procure other useful valuable things to me, taking out the tedious exchange cycle.

Increasing Productivity

Very interesting in Singapore, what they do to try to discourage traffic is first, they charge a very very high tax on cars, to discourage people from purchasing automobiles. Second, even if you have a car, if you want to have the privilege to drive it on the freeway, Especially at certain peak times, you gotta pay money for it with the transponder on your car.

I think South Korea also has a similar model; you could drive your car on certain days of the week, but on other days you cannot.

If you wanted to fix the whole 405 traffic issue, in Los Angeles, very very simple; essentially you would have to pay a nominal sum of money to use their freeway at certain times, or in general.

It doesn’t even have to be that much, let us say that you would only charge a dollar for you to use the 405 to the 10 intersection, or, at peak rush-hour, you might have to pay two dollars or something.

Essentially it is a very very small fee, very very small, not enough to impoverish somebody, but, to give people a little bit of skin in the game, adding a little bit of friction or financial economic friction in order to simply generally slow down or reduce the number of cars on the road.

Maybe even the first venue we could do this for commercial truckers, who seem to be paid anyways by corporations, so maybe they could pay the fee first.

How to fix email

So now with ChatGPT, we are currently facing a huge problem: anybody, even a robot or a robot can spin up a very very intriguing and intelligent email, which command your attention, or which depletes your energy.

However a big problem that I personally faced my own life is the more famous and popular I got, the more my email inbox started to balloon. The same thing went with text messages I would get, messages on all the social media platforms, etc. And I am only just one human being.

First I would try to create some filters; I stopped putting my private or personal email on my website and blog, and instead direct them to my manager to filter the emails and the opportunities. But also in this issue here is that I still need to figure out how to respond to my manager‘s messages, which also is another thing I must attend to.

Thus, this becomes an interesting thought experiment, seems that everybody wants to just get super super rich, by your mansion, just have a bunch of people maintain your property for you, maybe buy or get a house manager or property manager whatever… But eventually, you still have to manage the manager. Which is more work for you.

I read from NASSIM TALEB that one piece of advice that he got from another successful guy he met was this: don’t have a personal assistant. Why? Even if you had the world‘s best personal assistant, they might be really really good at organizing your schedule, slotting in appointments for you or meetings or whatever, but still the big downside here is I think if you have a personal assistant, eventually you will end up creating more work for you; Let us assume that you work eight hours a day, and you have 850 minute timeslots. An assistant might help you perfectly slot in all eight individuals to meet you on the given day.

However, the true desired path and outcome is to not have any meetings at all; so having a personal assistant might sucker you into doing these boring and waste of time meetings, which could otherwise be better spent just hanging out and playing with your kid instead!

Real men have children

Are you watching the movie 300, there is a scene in which King Leonidas is about to march off with his valiant 300, and before he marches them off to battle, essentially foreshadowing their death, he made sure that each of them had at least one son to carry on the lineage and the families name.

This is interesting because the general thought of bloodline;

It doesn’t matter if I die, as long as I have a son to carry on the family bloodline and lineage, it is OK!

I suppose this is why it is such a big deal for families to have at least one male heir; or the strong desire for a man or a father to get at least one son.

I’ve always wanted two kids as a kid, an older son, a younger sister. Very similar to how I have a younger sister who is two years younger than me.

If you’re man, and you get a child, and your first child is a man, a boy or a son… Consider yourself infinitely blessed. After this, life is all upside no downside.

Then after this, certainly you could choose to have more kids, if you desire. If you desire not have any more kids, it’s still seems that you are solid, assuming that your kid does not tragically get hit by an intoxicated driver — either drunk or high while driving. Or running red lights or speeding like crazy.

In fact, spending more more time living in Los Angeles, and seeing some of these insane drivers, I’m almost tempted to get a job, a part-time job as California highway police, in order to deliver justice to these insane drivers. Why? One crazy driver could mean the potential death of your child.

Maybe time for me to become vigilante justice warrior– Batman style!

Smoking?

A random unrelated note, in the context of smoking.

First, I have zero respect for anyone who smoke cigarettes. I have an insanely strong aversion to cigarettes smoke and smoking, because my father was a chronic and horrific smoker, I hate the smell smell like the devil.

Now special with Seneca, when we are out walking in public, the problem is if somebody is smoking on some sort of street corner, and they happen to be upwind or downwind or whatever… Even if that person is 50 m away, that horrific cigarettes smoke will blow down to you and your kid.

One recent proud thing that I stood up was when I was in Santa Monica, Ocean Park, playing at a beachfront playground with Seneca, and there was a random asshole maybe 100 m away smoking a cigarette. I could instantly smell the smoke, and even though he was far away, the smoke was directly blowing into me and Seneca in the playground, and technically we are trapped.

I then yelled at the guy, for him to smoke somewhere else. He then looked at me disgruntled, slowly walked away, and then started to me mugged me, I stared at him back, waiting until he moved very very far away. True balls.

Another case when I was in Vietnam with Seneca and Cindy, and this is one Seneca was super small, and we were all stuck under a canopy when a random downpour started hitting us. And then suddenly there was a random middle-age guy who randomly lit up a cigarette and started smoking, giving secondhand smoke to all 40 of us trapped inside the canopy. I then said in Vietnamese for him to please not smoke because my kid was there. He was shocked, put out the cigarette, and looked back curiously at me… I was the hero of the day.

Now, even when I’m walking on the street with Seneca, and there is a random person smoking on the street corner… In a public or a semi-public space, I almost wonder if I’m going to start being the asshole and telling people to not smoke there. Or to not smoke in public.

“No smoking in public!”

“Don’t smoke in public!”

I’m just gonna pretend like I’m an undercover cop, or some sort of law enforcement individual.

I was randomly studying the laws of smoking in public, and it seems to be grey. Here, maybe studying laws not useful; but rather, some sort of bottom up ethics.

if you want to smoke cigarettes, smoke yourself in an enclosed home or space or car, give yourself lung cancer, don’t pollute my air.

Other thoughts

I think irregardless of what your opinion is about space, look at the space camp, the star ship SpaceX camp they have in Texas, a whole thriving micro economy in space within that tiny plot of land. Very inspirational!

Now what?

The other day I did a lot of driving, it totally sapped my energy.

Let us not be fools– our energy, our lifeforce energy and physiological energy is limited. Every 20 minutes or 30 minutes you spend driving on the road is draining your metaphorical life force energy battery. Maybe we should start getting “energy anxiety“ about potential things which can drain our life force energy battery.

My simple thought about living the best possible life in LA:

Never drive more than five minutes a day!

Range anxiety

Let us say that you have a Tesla, or some sort of electric vehicle, and you start off the day with only a limited amount of battery in your car, and let us say that the rule is during the middle of the day you cannot recharge your car at a supercharger or whatever. if that were the case, wouldn’t you more conserve your life force energy?

They taking that analogy to your physiological energy. You start off the day with 100% battery energy charge, but as you proceeded through the days activities, drive or sitting in a car, it depletes your life force energy.

Then, the goal is to only direct your energy towards things you truly care for, and whenever you do decide to do something, realize that you’re sacrificing a zero sum energy source to accomplish your certain tasks or goals in a certain day.

Now what?

First thought is then I think the way we should think about money is that money is essentially Lifeforce energy.

Let us consider, earning money, earning income, building up money, accumulating money is very very difficult. Essentially it comes down to your own labor life force; in whether you do physically demanding physical labor, or mentally intensive labor. It is all labor, and typically, any sort of labor in which you get paid, a paycheck, a salary or whatever… You are essentially trading your own physiological Lifeforce energy into obtaining income money.

Let it say you sacrifice 10 years of your life working really really hard, traveling the world, dealing with Jetlag, putting a lot of great energy effort to provide some sort of service or something. And then you accumulate $1 million.

I think for anybody who has ever had to really really work really really hard for their own money, you will not squander your money. Why? Because you know how hard it was to earn it! This is typically why when people gain an inheritance, or win the lottery or somehow get free money, the typically below it foolishly Because they don’t know how hard it was to earn that money.

Also this is why trust fund kids become so degenerate because they never had to work hard for the money, the trust fund etc.

So what should you do instead?

first, you don’t have a trust fund and you don’t promise a trust fund to your kid. Irregardless of how rich you are.

Rather, you are directly involved in the life of your old kid, and if your kid grows up and has some sort of entrepreneurial business idea, then you use intelligence to use your hard earned money to invest in that thing.

For example, something that I learned from taking out a student loan, I think what else I used to say undergraduate, I took out a five or a $10,000 loan, and it was insane how quickly I blew through the money. I was shocked. And I was only maybe 20 years old?

Truth be told, I think I only really became lies about money once I had a kid. So if I were to leave my inheritance to Seneca, the role is he only could unlock that inheritance once he has a kid?

so what is the purpose of money?

I think a very very simple one it’s too essentially have a war chest, to give yourself buffer, in order not to work.

For example, the proper use of money is to have enough money that you don’t have to work, and spend maximum time with your kid.

For example, let us say that you are a billionaire, the fullest strategy is to pay somebody else might need to take care of your kid, while you go off and you try to earn more money, which is a foolish trade. What do you do instead it is just chill with your billion dollars, and just direct 100% of your life force energy to your kid!

True success?

True success I think is being able to take your kid to the public library in the middle of a workday! Other day I was so blessed that I was able to take Seneca to the Chinatown Public library at 10 AM, for him to watch a Korean drumming event, I looked around the room, no dads, maybe a handful of moms. Just me.

no shame

AMAP (As Minimal as Possible)

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

Hoarding?

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

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

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

New unlimited ethics

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

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

“Respect” for the past?

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

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

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

Climate change

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

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

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

Economic Principles

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

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

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

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

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

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

But my simple thought:

Any sort of “crossover” is bad.

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

Length

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

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

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

Maximum utility?

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

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

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

Pick up truck or nothing

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

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

911 or nothing

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

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

The aesthetics and the ethos is supreme.

No loser 718

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

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

Stick or nothing

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

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

Some skill?

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

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

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

Why do we want it to do all the things?

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

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

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

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

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

A peer to peer future

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

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

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

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

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

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

Craigslist is now bitcoin and crypto friendly

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

So here, peer to peer is great.

Buying homes with bitcoin

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

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

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

And then also… maybe same thing with bitcoin.

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

***

Just in time economics

Do you need it right now or not?

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

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

Prius until I die

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

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

“Nice to have” vs critical

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

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

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

Extreme Economy

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

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

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

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

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

Don’t be tied to past numbers

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

Arbitrary goals?

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

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

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

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

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

Future economics?

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

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

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

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

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

Charge money for human things

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

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

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

“Please watch my show or film!”

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

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

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

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

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

Now what?

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

ERIC

Only cowards spend money?

Propaganda

Born into consumerism

We like to treat our kids the way we wish we were treated as kids

The matrix

Does man live to make money, or does money exist to serve man?

Minimum viable income

Drugs are bad

Don’t skip leg day

Legs = Testosterone

A life beyond women

Tall dark and handsome

Why do we desire to purchase certain things?

The goal is to shoot more!

You cannot hide an M-16 in your front right pocket.

Your word is your sword ￼￼

The best compliment

“I am a god”

Ethics is the future, not technology

What or which concepts are absent in the past?

Spartan philosophy

Men and women must be trained alike

Only purchase digital things? ￼

Putting your money where your mouth is ￼

I bought all my Ricoh and LUMIX cameras with my own real money

Trust?

Independently wealthy with Bitcoin

Why bitcoin is the future

Economic theory

The next generation of comments on the internet

EK PHOTO SUPPLY

EK WORKSHOPS

New books, new media?

Forward the ideas

Only cowards spend money?

Propaganda

Born into consumerism

We like to treat our kids the way we wish we were treated as kids

The matrix

Does man live to make money, or does money exist to serve man?

Minimum viable income

Drugs are bad

Don’t skip leg day

Legs = Testosterone

A life beyond women

Tall dark and handsome

Why do we desire to purchase certain things?

The goal is to shoot more!

You cannot hide an M-16 in your front right pocket.

Your word is your sword ￼￼

The best compliment

“I am a god”

Ethics is the future, not technology

What or which concepts are absent in the past?

Spartan philosophy

Men and women must be trained alike

Only purchase digital things? ￼

Putting your money where your mouth is ￼

I bought all my Ricoh and LUMIX cameras with my own real money

Trust?

Independently wealthy with Bitcoin

Why bitcoin is the future

Economic theory

The next generation of comments on the Internet

EK PHOTO SUPPLY

EK WORKSHOPS

New books, new media?

Only cowards spend money?

Propaganda

The matrix

Does man live to make money, or does money exist to serve man?

Minimum viable income

Don’t skip leg day

You cannot hide an M-16 in your front right pocket.

Your word is your sword ￼￼

“I am a god”

Ethics is the future, not technology

Only purchase digital things? ￼

Putting your money where your mouth is ￼

Trust?

Your word is your sword

Only purchase digital things?

Putting your money where your mouth is

Your word is your sword

Only purchase digital things?

Putting your money where your mouth is

Your word is your sword

Only purchase digital things?

Putting your money where your mouth is

Digital property?

Now what?

Think peer to peer

More digital thoughts

Simple suggestions for the Google maps and the Google team

Propaganda

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

Creating new cultural norms

One day your kid is going to find your gun

I trust no man who has tattoos, has a dog, and drives some sort of entry-level German car