Life Timeline

A working chronology of Quan Gan's key life events, mapped to the evolution of the Social Gravity thesis.

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🧒 Early Life (0–18)

Note: A recurring 4-year cycle pattern emerged throughout childhood and young adulthood—Santa Monica (4 years) → West LA (~4 years) → Valencia (4 years) → Berkeley (4 years, 2002-2006). Each cycle represented a complete phase of growth and transformation.

Beijing (1983–1990)

• Born October 11, 1983 (Tuesday) in Beijing, China; raised in Beijing's Hangtian Bu (aerospace district).

• Family Background — Intellectual Legacy:

  • Mom: Lu Liyan 吕立岩 (pediatrician in China; worked at Beijing Capital Medical School)

  • Dad: 甘平

  • Paternal grandfather: Gan Peigen 甘培根 (economist)

  • Maternal grandfather: 吕琳 (founding member of Jiuquan Rocket Base in 戈壁滩)

  • Both sides of family were intellectuals who endured the Cultural Revolution:

    • Mom's parents: Locked up and interrogated during Cultural Revolution.
      • Mom's family background labeled as "not good" (intellectual class) — became a chip on her shoulder.
    • Mom's experience: Suffered hardship from peers due to parents' intellectual status.
      • Schools shut down during Cultural Revolution.
      • Assigned to sweep the streets as punishment/re-education.
      • Met Dad while sweeping streets — both caught in Cultural Revolution's turmoil.
    • Dad's father (Gan Peigen): Sent to 北大荒 (Great Northern Wilderness) for forced labor.
      • Suffered infected leg during labor camp.
      • Grandma had to travel to retrieve him.

  • This family history of suffering for intellectual pursuits became foundational to understanding the value of education.

  • The Weight of the Gan Surname — Four Generations:

    • Grandfather Gan Peigen: 1st generation only son
    • Father Gan Ping 甘平: 2nd generation only son
    • Quan Gan: 3rd generation only son
    • Geo Gan: 4th generation only son — only person carrying the Gan surname forward
    • Four consecutive generations of only sons carrying the family name through Cultural Revolution, immigration, and entrepreneurship.
    • Each generation bearing the weight of continuing the lineage.
    • Each generation's choices affecting all future generations.
    • The pressure: Not just individual success, but family survival across time.
    • The paradox: Teaching Geo self-sufficiency while he carries the weight of four generations.

• Age ~4 — Boarding School (Earliest Memories):

  • Context: China had just reopened; common practice was to send kids to boarding school while parents went back to graduate school to advance careers.
  • Traumatic separation: Shoved into boarding school around age 4.
    • Mom had to tuck him under her arm like a football, kicking and screaming — didn't want to go.
    • Only got picked up on Saturdays — spent just 1.5 days with parents before being taken back.
      • Felt sad watching other kids get picked up on Wednesdays.
      • Felt abandoned, only seeing parents once a week.
  • Mom's spiritual comfort: Told him to use his 6th sense — taught him he could sense her presence.
    • This gave some comfort during lonely times.
    • Early introduction to psychic/spiritual awareness.
  • Survival strategies developed:
    • Hated the food — especially fat on pork meat that made him gag.
    • Couldn't leave food on tray or teachers would force him to eat it.
    • Figured out clever trick: Time when other kids took trays to dirty dishes area.
      • Insert his dish right before they put down their tray to hide leftover food.
      • Early lesson in observing systems and finding workarounds.
    • Being bullied: Kid kept kicking him under the desk — hated that bully.
    • Teachers seemed strict and harsh.
  • Bad English education: Teachers tried to teach English but had terrible pronunciation.
    • Taught "apple" as "AYE-ple" — didn't realize until he came to U.S. and had to relearn.
  • Formative experience: Early self-reliance, systems thinking, and survival instincts formed.

• Age 4–5: Attended 蓝天幼儿园 (Blue Sky Kindergarten) in Beijing—a performance-arts-oriented preschool.

  • Comfortable performing songs and skits on stage for parents and community programs.
  • Hated the makeup they put on his face for performances.
    • They would get too close to his eyes — disliked that sensation intensely.
    • Small detail but part of what he disliked about school.
  • Early gender understanding:
    • Didn't have a sense of biological gender difference at this age.
    • Thought you were a boy or girl depending on the costume you chose.
    • Some friends dressed as girls, he dressed as a boy — thought it was a choice.
    • Only child (China's one-child policy) — no siblings as reference to understand biological differences.
      • Parents didn't have a second child even after moving to U.S. due to financial struggles.
  • Cast in several film projects:
    • 《黑脔女婿》 (The Black-Faced Son-in-Law) – domestic drama; appeared as neighborhood child.
    • 《哑妻》/ later 《哑女情深》 (Qiong Yao adaptation) – cast as main child character in pilot episode.
  • First memory of flying on a plane (rare for a child in 1980s China when the country just reopened).

Santa Monica (1990–1994) — First 4-Year Cycle

• Late 1980s: Mother emigrated to the U.S. first.

  • Original plan: Come to America for 2 years to gain knowledge and bring it back to her work at Beijing Capital Medical School.
  • June 4, 1989 — Tiananmen Square: Watched the events unfold on U.S. television.
    • Horrified by what she saw — the crackdown on students and intellectuals.
    • Remembered her parents being locked up and interrogated as intellectuals.
    • Carried the chip on her shoulder from being persecuted for her "bad background."
    • Vowed never to go back to China — the 2-year plan became permanent immigration.
  • Initially worked at Specialty Laboratories, Inc. in Santa Monica (2211 Michigan Avenue).
    • Founded by Dr. James B. Peter (M.D., Ph.D.)—one of the nation's major clinical diagnostic labs.
    • Specialty Labs functioned as reference lab for hospitals/research facilities in LA area, including UCLA's clinical and pathology network.
    • Workplace harassment: Quan would hear his mom come home from work being harassed by her boss or coworkers.
      • Mainlanders considered second-class compared to Taiwanese or other Chinese descendants who came earlier.
      • Newly immigrated mainlanders were seen as low class.
      • Mom endured this discrimination while supporting the family alone.
    • Path to independence: Began taking acupuncture courses to build her own future.
      • Goal: obtain license and open her own clinic (achieved in late 1990s).
      • Determined to escape workplace discrimination and be her own boss.
  • Dad stayed behind, working in Finland for a few years, then at UNLV in Las Vegas.

• April 1990 (age 6): Quan moved to Santa Monica, CA to join mother.

  • Lived at 1147 Wilshire Blvd, across the street from Lincoln Park.
  • Attended Franklin Elementary School.
  • Class disparities and childhood shame:
    • Many friends had significant wealth.
    • Zain Shauk lived a few blocks north in a huge house with a swimming pool in the center — house surrounded the pool.
      • Grandfather supposedly owned the Shangri-La Hotel in Santa Monica.
    • Other playmates had big homes.
    • Quan and mom were embarrassed by their apartment — rarely invited other kids over.
    • Acute awareness of economic differences shaped early worldview.
    • Reinforced drive to escape poverty and achieve financial stability.
  • Mother introduced him to church—his first exposure to Christianity after arriving in America.
  • Mentored by Doris Coogan, a Christian who provided guidance and community.
  • Attended Bible study every Wednesday throughout elementary school years.
    • Church provided certainty, solace, and connection to American culture during transition period.
    • Mom found her solace in church while also maintaining belief in Guanyin Pusa (观音菩萨, Buddhist deity).
    • Mom would calm down when shown the Guanyin figurine when upset—dual spiritual practice.

• ~1993 (age 10): Father finally joined the family in Santa Monica.

  • First time Quan felt the family was a complete unit.

• January 17, 1994 — Northridge Earthquake:

  • Living in Wilshire apartment when earthquake struck.
  • Dad pulled Quan and mom out of bed, covered them during the shaking and rumbling.
  • Mom kept saying "it's over, it's over" while they endured the quake.
  • Apartment sustained significant damage → prompted move to West LA.

• Elementary school years:

  • 1st or 2nd grade — Learning gender isn't a choice:

    • Mom told him you can only be one gender — not a costume choice.
    • Mildly disappointing — lost the sense of freedom and choice he had in Beijing.
    • Formative moment in understanding social constructs vs. biological reality.

  • 2nd or 3rd grade — First return trip to China (summer):

    • First time back to China since immigrating to America in 1990.
    • Excited at first but mom didn't come with him.
    • Change of environment was really hard — triggered separation anxiety.
      • Cried every day for a week because he missed his mom.
      • In retrospect, likely connected to boarding school separation trauma at age 4.
    • Eventually had a good time in China — learned Pinyin.
    • Return to California: Cried for another week during the transition back.
    • This only happened on the first return trip — didn't repeat on later summer visits.
    • Pattern showed lasting impact of early separation trauma.

  • Mid-1990s summer trips to China:

    • Maternal grandfather (吕琳) learning qigong — part of major cultural movement in China.
    • Qian Xuesen (钱学森) was literally his neighbor at 航天部 (Aerospace Ministry):
      • Grandfather and Qian were comrades from their rocket program work.
      • Note: Grandfather was founding member of Jiuquan Rocket Base (戈壁滩) long ago, before Quan was born.
      • By 1990s, grandfather's home was at 航天部 compound in Beijing; Qian Xuesen's building was right behind theirs.
      • Quan's back porch faced Qian's front door.
      • Could see the armed guard standing nearby all the time.
      • Kids were warned not to get too close to Qian's building.
      • Quan thought it was just matter-of-fact — didn't think it was special at the time.
      • Growing up next door to "father of China's aerospace" without fully grasping the significance.
    • Context on Qian Xuesen: Major proponent of qigong in 1990s.
      • Advocated for scientific study of qi, external qi affecting matter, ESP.
      • Collaborated with qigong masters like Dr. Yan Xin.
      • Described findings as "new scientific discoveries and prelude to a scientific revolution."
      • His endorsement legitimized qigong research in China's scientific community.
    • Qigong movement was pervasive among intellectuals and scientists in 1990s China.
    • Early exposure to blend of traditional Chinese practices and modern science.
    • Lived next to a legend without realizing it — surrounded by China's rocket/space elite.

  • 2nd grade: Won district art contest.

  • Early computer fascination (2nd grade onward):

    • Had a 386 SX33 computer at home.
    • Learned Logo turtle commands and printed projects.
    • Didn't learn to program but figured out how to play video games.
    • Loved computers from an early age — became lifelong passion.
    • 1994: Played Oregon Trail in school.
    • Early entrepreneurship: During summer trips back to Beijing, visited Zhongguancun (tech district).
      • Bought pirated CDs (games, Windows 98, software).
      • Brought them back to U.S. and sold them to friends.
      • Didn't have money but figured out how to get software and create value.
      • First taste of arbitrage and entrepreneurship.

  • Core friendships formed:

    • Ahmad Tajgardoun (since 2nd grade) — initially made fun of him.
      • Mom reminded Quan to be kind and ask to become his friend.
      • Lesson in empathy → started hanging out, became close friends.
    • Larry Chen — physically weaker kid who sometimes got picked on but was a good friend.
      • Later became a world-renowned automotive photographer.
      • 20+ year career documenting car culture and motorsports.
      • Known for dynamic, immersive photography and innovative techniques (e.g., photographing himself while drifting).
      • Published debut book "Life at Shutter Speed" (2025) — 400-page collection of his work.
      • Prominent figure in automotive media, inspiring enthusiasts worldwide.
    • Friday rituals: The three would rollerblade up and down Santa Monica Blvd.
      • Stop at Douglas Park to skate.
      • Visit Ahhhs store to window shop novelties.
      • Traumatic incident at Santa Monica Pier: Ahmad was holding a glass bottle, fell, and sliced his wrist.
        • Had to be taken to hospital in a cop car.
        • Defining childhood memory of friendship and vulnerability.
    • The three hung out together through elementary and middle school.
    • Everyone separated after middle school when Quan moved to Valencia.
    • Ahmad later had a troubled life (possibly drugs) though may have recovered.
    • 2024: Reached out to Ahmad's sister Vafa — learned Ahmad is still alive but they're estranged.

  • Early 1990s (before 1993): Father visited one summer and tutored math intensively.

    • 3rd grade onward: Started excelling in math after tutoring.
    • Joined school team for Math Field Day.
    • Won several awards for problem solving and estimation.
    • Became known as the "smart kid."

  • Baseball dreams: Wanted to become like Hideo Nomo—aspired to be the first Chinese MLB player.

    • Heard from Doris Coogan that Darrell Strawberry was earning $6M a year.
    • Strawberry was famous enough to appear on The Simpsons.
    • Practiced with dad, determined to make it in baseball.
    • One day, out of practice, caught a ball that hit him in the nose → never returned to baseball.
    • Dream of financial success through sports ended; shifted focus to academics.

  • ~3rd grade — First experience with injustice:

    • Had a kickball on the playground that rolled over to a group of 5th graders.
    • They took the ball and wouldn't give it back.
    • Went to tell the teacher → 5th graders grouped up and lied, said it was their ball and he was trying to take it.
    • Teacher sided with them! Believed the 5th graders over him.
    • Hated that — formative experience with injustice and authority figures believing the wrong side.
    • Early lesson: the system doesn't always protect the truth.

  • Academic drive crystallized:

    • Observed parents' financial hardship → developed drive for stability.
    • Carried weight of family's intellectual legacy—both sides suffered during Cultural Revolution for their education and beliefs.
    • Knew grades mattered deeply—this was his path to honor the suffering and be successful.
    • Aspiration formed: attend whatever top school was in America.

West LA (1994–1997) — Second 4-Year Cycle

• Mid-1990s: Mother transitioned to UCLA as research associate in pediatric laboratory led by Dr. Ken Philips.

• 1994–1997 — Lincoln Middle School (6th–8th grade):

  • Continued schooling after moving to West LA.
  • Computer skills development:
    • Part of newsletter team called "RailSplitter".
    • Part of computer class, learned tools on Mac.
    • Continued playing video games throughout middle school.
    • Figured out MP3s and websites — put up a Geocities website.
    • Waiting for broadband (still on dial-up).
    • Friend Tim from San Diego had broadband — envious of his connection speed.
      • Spent a few summers (1 week each) with Tim's family to hang out.
    • Learned how to get software online via torrents and other file-sharing methods.
    • Computer passion growing alongside academic achievement.
  • End of 8th grade: Received the Carol Peters Award—completely unexpected.
    • Didn't realize he was viewed as a top student in the eyes of his teachers.
    • First recognition of academic excellence beyond "smart kid" label.

Valencia (1997–2001) — Third 4-Year Cycle

• Late 1990s: Mother obtained her acupuncture license and opened her own clinic.

  • Finally achieved independence from workplace discrimination.
  • Became her own boss after years of harassment and being treated as "second-class."
  • Combined Western medical training with traditional Chinese medicine.

• 1997 (age 13-14): Family moved to Valencia for high school.

  • Santa Monica High School (Samohi) didn't have open enrollment.
  • Decided to start fresh in a new community.
  • Parents had saved enough to buy their first house: 28021 Memory Lane, Valencia.
    • Major milestone: transitioning from renters to homeowners.
    • Represented financial stability after years of hardship.

• High school years (1997–2001) — Valencia High School:

  • Attended Valencia High School — a brand new school.

  • Excited at first: New house, new school, opportunity to make new friends.

  • Summer before high school — Preparation:

    • Knew this is when it counts — SATs, APs, all of that.
    • Studied hard to prepare.
    • Target school: MIT.

  • Freshman Year (1997-1998) — The Loneliness:

    • First day trauma: Illusion shattered when first bell rang for break.
      • All students left homeroom and had friends or somewhere to go.
      • He had no one — didn't know anyone, didn't know where to hang out.
      • Couldn't stay in classroom (would look uncool).
      • Solution: Put backpack on and paced around campus to wear out the time.
      • Did this for about a year — really disliked the first year.
    • Trying to find belonging:
      • No other Chinese students at school.
      • Korean kids picked on him but allowed him to hang out with them.
      • Justin David (Filipino) became friend because Quan was smart and could help forge his report card.
      • Almost wanted to switch to Saugus High School after freshman year — didn't connect with anyone.
    • Found Key Club: Joined for community service — at least something to do with other kids.

  • Sophomore Year (1998-1999) — Unexpected Leadership:

    • Applied for Key Club board positions.
    • Unexpectedly assigned President as a sophomore — didn't expect that at all.
      • No idea what happened — checked with advisor who said it was good for him.
      • Someone named Kerry was supposedly slated for the position — she was pissed and checked out.
    • Leaned in and transformed the club:
      • Grew club from 18 members to 188 members.
      • Realized previous board (maybe because new school) never followed Key Club International best practices.
      • Adopted true bylaws according to Key Club International standards.
      • Connected club to Division 16.

  • Junior Year (1999-2000) — Lt. Governor & The Final Stretch:

    • Ran for and won Lt. Governor of Division 16.

    • President after him took club to 310 members — one of the largest Key Clubs in the world.

    • Attended district and international Key Club events.

    • Real friendships and first love:

      • First girlfriend: Jeannie Chan from Stockton — met via Key Club.
        • She was another Lt. Governor in different division.
        • Super into Key Club — it was her life.
        • Made friends with his Key Club friends from Valencia High.
        • Even came down to Valencia once to visit.
        • Went to prom with her — both locally in Valencia AND up in Stockton.
      • Real friends weren't from school — they were elsewhere, met via Key Club and other activities.
      • Kept in touch online via AOL Instant Messenger (AIM).
      • Privacy strategy: Having friends outside school meant no backlash in person at school.
        • This separation was a guard/protection.
      • Liked having friends outside school because he didn't really like his school either.
      • Online relationships allowed him to be himself without school judgment.

    • Strategic GPA boost: Took US History at College of the Canyons as concurrent enrollment.

      • Goal: boost GPA without taking AP exam.
      • Easy video class — only had to show up 3 times: first day, midterm, final.
      • "Didn't learn shit there."

    • The Blue Book Cheat (Cost-Benefit Decision):

      • Instructor gave away the essay format: 9 total prompts, 5 shown on exam day, choose 3.
      • Had very important AP exam the day before → no time to study "useless facts about dead people."
      • Had to make a decision: weigh cost-benefit and risk.
      • Elaborate plan: CoC used blue books (purchased from university store) for essay answers.
        • Teacher would flip through pages to ensure blank book before exam.
        • Hid notes in plain sight: Small writing in the middle of the spine where teacher's fingers would hold it.
        • Knew teacher would hold spine while flipping → couldn't see inside spine margin.
        • Limited space: Only wrote notes for 3 probable questions he predicted would be chosen.
      • Execution: Was sweating bullets as teacher checked his blue book.
        • Teacher did exactly as predicted — just flipped pages, didn't lay flat on table.
        • Passed inspection → relief.
        • Used notes to write full essays (had SOME idea, just needed reminders).
        • Erased the evidence after writing, then handed it in.
      • Result: A in the course — needed it for school applications.
      • Example of strategic risk-taking, systems analysis, and understanding human behavior patterns.

  • Senior Year (2000-2001) — College Applications and Crushing Disappointment:

    • Applied to: MIT (dream school), Stanford, Caltech, UC Berkeley, UCLA.

    • Waited and waited for letters to come in.

    • Results: Only got into UCLA and Berkeley — his **"backup" schools.

      • Rejected by MIT, Stanford, and Caltech — crushing disappointment.

    • Major battle with mom:

      • Mom was disappointed too.
      • Blamed video games: "If you didn't play all those video games you would have gotten in."
      • Quan was so pissed — she had to rub it in.
      • Ran away to Justin's house for a night — needed to escape.
      • Mom thought her money for tutoring went to waste.

    • Disappointed in himself — felt like he failed despite all the effort.

    • High school home life felt like jail:

      • Really didn't like his parents during high school.
      • Felt like jail and confinement.
      • Studying was his way to climb out — like Batman Begins pit scene.
        • Bruce Wayne trapped in the pit, had to recover and get strong enough to climb out.
        • High school was his pit, education was the rope out.
      • Contentious time with parents.
      • Just wanted to get out of his home — college was escape.

    • September 11, 2001 — Standing Against Injustice (Senior Year):

      • Was a senior in high school (would graduate spring 2002).
      • Was super active as Lt. Governor with a shiny consistent record.
      • Fellow Lt. Governor in another division hosted party to fundraise for 9/11.
        • Party wasn't authorized → fellow LtG got suspended.
        • Quan didn't agree and spoke up about the injustice.
        • Got suspended too for speaking up.
      • Protest: Stopped doing anything with his position and sandbagged it to make a statement.
      • Hated District Advisor Miss Granese — called her a witch.
        • She seemed to like Halloween (Quan didn't care for Halloween at the time).
        • Rumors among high schoolers: she would sleep in a coffin.
        • Hated her because she represented injustice.
      • Willingness to sacrifice position/reputation to stand up for what was right.

  • Impact: Very defining for school career.

    • Gave him leadership experience and sense of community.
    • Learned to build organizations from scratch using proper systems and structures.
    • Turned isolation into opportunity through systematic organizational building.
    • Learned to stand up against injustice even when it cost him personally.

  • Academic Excellence and Rigorous Preparation:

    • First AP class: Biology with Mrs. Carey — loved her, she taught it well.
      • Studied hard → got his first 5 on AP exam.
    • Cultural gap with suburban school system:
      • During time considering switching to Saugus High, parents mentioned he needed tutoring and more APs.
      • Whitewashed suburban Santa Clarita schools didn't understand what "Asian tutoring" meant.
        • They thought he was a bad student needing remedial help.
        • Didn't understand he needed tutoring to get ahead to top schools, not catch up.
        • Little did they know his actual academic standing.
    • Parents enrolled him with Spencer Way at Time Education Center in Arcadia:
      • Location: 660 W Duarte Rd, Arcadia, CA 91007
      • Only option: drive 3 times a week from Valencia to Arcadia for about 2 years in the evening.
      • Long commute (~45-60 minutes each way) but necessary to get math accelerated for top schools.
      • Spencer Way was top scholar from Taiwan university.
      • Taught with Chinese rigor: more stick than carrot.
      • Quan wanted that — knew it would get him into top schools.
      • Driven to get out to the best school — tutoring was investment in escaping.
      • Physical toll: Got a bit fat over that summer — just study and eat good Chinese food, no exercise.
        • All-consuming focus on academics at expense of physical health.
    • Accelerated Math Track:
      • Spencer crammed 3 years of math into 12 months.
      • Skipped from Geometry (freshman year) to AP Calc BC (sophomore year) — got a 5.
      • Had to go to College of the Canyons for concurrent enrollment:
        • Took multivariable calculus and linear algebra at college level.
        • Was good until linear algebra where math became less numbers, more Greek symbols.
    • Test Scores:
      • SAT: 1460 (top score)
      • 800 on math, 800 on Chinese
      • National Merit Scholar
    • GPA: 4.3 in high school.
    • Grades were his self-worth — measure of success and path to honor family legacy.

  • Academic strengths and teaching:

    • Liked math and science — did well in physics and chemistry.
    • Spencer Way taught him math, physics, and chemistry ahead of school curriculum.
    • Going back to high school science classes was a piece of cake after Spencer's rigorous teaching.
    • Excelled so much that regular school context felt easy.

  • First Job (Senior Year 2001-2002) — Math Tutor:

    • Worked at Math Support Services Inc in Valencia (local tutoring center).
    • Senior year only (2001-2002 school year) — taught middle and high school students after school in math, up to calculus, and physics.
    • Starting wage: $10/hour — never started at minimum wage.
    • "I was smart!" — parents didn't want him to work at fast food joint or Magic Mountain like friends.
    • Parents wanted him to focus on studying but allowed tutoring — acceptable use of time.
    • Pattern: Capitalizing on intelligence rather than trading time for money.

  • The Bridge-Building Hustle:

    • Kid in another physics class (same teacher, easier section) needed to build a bridge.
    • Paid Quan $20 to cheat and build his bridge for him.
    • Quan built it slightly less strong than his own bridge.
    • Results: Quan got best bridge (held most weight), the kid's was 2nd best.
    • Surprised the teacher — but it was actually Quan's design lol.
    • Another example of gaming systems and monetizing intellect.

  • Yearbook (Sophomore to Senior Year):

    • Tech Editor for school yearbook (sophomore through senior year).
    • Good relationship with advisor Mr. Joe Rosenast.
    • Fellow editor: Samara.

  • The Stockton Prom Road Trip (2001) — A Different Era:

    • Mr. Rosenast also had a girlfriend up in NorCal.
    • Offered to drive Quan and Samara (another editor) to NorCal on a road trip.
      • Would drop them off so they could go to Stockton prom with their dates.
      • Then pick them up on the way back down.
    • Trip was fun and interesting — got to experience Stockton prom.
    • "Totally cool back in 2001" — teacher driving students on overnight trip to another city for prom.
    • "Times have changed" — this would never happen in modern era.
    • Example of different cultural norms around teacher-student relationships and trust.

  • Continued computer passion: Played video games throughout high school.

    • Technology remained constant thread through life transitions.

  • First significant entrepreneurial hack (late 90s):

    • Discovered Alladvantage.com — MLM company that paid you to watch ads.
    • Creative physical hack to game the system:
      • Took ball mouse, removed the ball.
      • Taped paper to the encoder wheel.
      • Put mouse in front of a fan to create erratic movements.
      • Mimicked human mouse activity to avoid detection of being away from computer.
    • Earned a few hundred dollars as a high schooler — significant money at the time.
    • Demonstrated pattern: identify system rules, find creative workarounds, generate value.
    • Early example of systems thinking and entrepreneurial resourcefulness.

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🎓 Education & Formation (18–25)

UC Berkeley (2002–2006) — Fourth 4-Year Cycle

• Attended UC Berkeley; majored in EECS (Electrical Engineering & Computer Science) with minor in Mechanical Engineering.

  • Minor possible due to AP credits and concurrent enrollment at College of the Canyons.
  • Redemption path: Still chasing MIT — this time for grad school.
  • Focused on top grades, credentials, and lab work to prove himself worthy of MIT.

• The 4-Year Goal (Set at CalDay):

  • Touring Cal at CalDay (admitted students day), saw senior projects.
  • EE193 Mechatronics: Senior projects with NATCAR robot cars following lines on the ground.
  • "THAT is what I wanna do in 4 years" — set clear goal from day one.
  • Strategic planning: Took every single course needed to get there.
  • Junior year: Achieved the goal, got into EE193 Mechatronics.
  • Senior year: Became the TA for EE192 — teaching the class that inspired him.
  • Full circle: from inspired freshman to teaching assistant in 4 years.

• Freshman Year — First Relationship Ends:

  • Even though Berkeley was closer to Stockton, conversations with Jeannie became less and less stimulating.
  • Realized: "She was cute but no substance."
  • Had to break up with her — outgrew the puppy love.
  • Few months later, she got a new boyfriend.
  • Later found out she got pregnant and started a family with him.
  • Quan's reaction: "Thank god that wasn't me!"
  • Dodged a very different life path — his focus was education and career, not early family.

• End of Freshman Year — First Research Lab:

  • Heard it was good to get a lab position.

  • Joined Prof. Ron Fearing's lab in engineering department.

  • Project: MFI (Micromechanical Flying Insect) — bee-sized robot.

  • Joined same day as Abe Bachrach — felt immediate comparison.

    • Felt inferior to Abe — he seemed smarter, grasped things faster.
    • But Quan worked hard and spent extra time learning.
    • Abe later became cofounder of Skydio — autonomous drone company.
    • Both lab mates went on to significant careers in robotics/drones.

  • Lab Work and Learning (2003-2006):

    • First exposure to 3D printing:

      • Lab had a 3D Systems printer — cost about $250k.
      • Only printed in wax — early days of 3D printing technology.
      • Learned how to use it and make super small molds.
      • Hands-on with cutting-edge manufacturing before 3D printing was mainstream.

    • Piezoelectric actuator work:

      • MFI used piezoelectric actuators for wing movement.
      • Helped make device for testing resonance.
      • Wiring with thin wires at 400V DC — high voltage, delicate work.
      • Got shocked once accidentally touching both leads.
        • Arm was numb for quite some time before recovering.
        • Learned respect for high-voltage systems the hard way.

    • Manufacturing process improvement:

      • Focused on making the painstaking manufacturing process faster.
      • Existing process: Under microscope, piece tiny carbon fiber planks over each other.
        • Required minimal misalignment on order of 50 microns (width of human hair).
        • One hand jitter = ruined — extremely delicate work.
      • His innovation: Used laser to cut mirror images of carbon fiber.
        • Could fold it over each other for maximum alignment.
        • It worked! Reduced time by an order of magnitude (10x faster).
      • Classic pattern: observe inefficient system, engineer elegant solution.

  • Legacy and Impact:

    • Colleague Rob Wood graduated PhD, became professor at Harvard.
    • Rob's project: RoboBee — direct evolution of the MFI work.
    • RoboBee featured on Nature magazine front page — validation of their pioneering work.
    • Quan still sees his earlier manufacturing contribution in the evolved work.
    • "Back in 2003-2006, these were drones before drones today" — pioneering work.
    • Early exposure to cutting-edge robotics and miniaturization.

• NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Internship (Summer 2005):

  • June 2005 - August 2005 summer internship at NASA JPL.
  • Project: Program humanoid robot for locomotion.
  • Applied robotics and programming skills to space/aerospace robotics.
  • Experience at legendary institution working on cutting-edge robotics.
  • Continuation of his pattern: seek out the most prestigious, cutting-edge opportunities.

• Living Situation:

  • Freshman year: Lived in dorms.
    • Learned to shoot pool in the dorms — discovered a passion.
    • Pool = chess but harder — strategy + execution skill. Lots of nuance.
    • Similar to bowling (learned in high school) — good at repetitive self-play.
    • "I don't make a good teammate" — plays skill-based games against himself.
  • 2nd and 3rd year: Apartment on Virginia Avenue.
    • Used scholarship money to purchase full-size Olhausen pool table for $2,500 — loved it that much.
    • When he moved out, stored it at Alice's garage.
    • Alice eventually didn't like it there → had to sell for $1,000 (lost $1,500).

• Financing Berkeley:

  • Parents paid for Berkeley + some loans.
  • Not too bad back then as public school, got need-based grants.
  • Did well enough to get into HKN (Eta Kappa Nu) — EECS honor society.

• Circle K and Social Life:

  • Joined Circle K (Kiwanis-sponsored college volunteer organization) — continuation of Key Club community.
  • Already knew people from other Key Club districts who made it to Berkeley.
  • Became friends with several girls, but not romantically at first.

• First College Romance Attempts:

  • Amy Huang — met first year, had a crush on her.

    • Went to hang out once — Quan was timid to call it a date.
    • She said it was a date and was pissed he didn't call it that.
    • Felt she was aggressive in confronting him about it.

  • Alice Cheng — knew her from Key Club days, she was district treasurer back then.

    • Started hanging out more with Alice.
    • She was still in a relationship with Mike.
    • Eventually she broke up with Mike and Quan came into the picture.

  • The Choice:

    • Had to choose between 2 girls for serious relationship — really tough transition time.
    • Amy got pissed and left — made the choice easier with Alice.
    • Mom's reaction: "That's so good two girls like my son!" lol.
    • Quan didn't find it funny — was genuinely frustrated by the situation.

• Alice Relationship (early 2003-early 2007):

  • Relationship lasted from Berkeley through first part of Stanford (early 2003 to early 2007).

  • Lost his virginity to Alice — she was already experienced by then.

  • About a year in: Got too familiar like a "married couple".

    • Felt she was nicer to him when they were friends than as girlfriend.
    • Resented that and called it quits.
    • Got back together after things cooled down.

  • 21st Birthday Surprise:

    • Alice knew he didn't have birthday parties growing up.
    • Blindfolded him and drove to local pool hall (knew he loved shooting pool).
      • Picked up pool freshman year in the dorms.
      • Discovery: Even under blindfold, had a general idea where she was driving.
        • Didn't know he had that sense of direction until it happened.
        • Connected to mom's early teaching about using "6th sense" to sense presence.
    • Bought him every single Michael Jackson CD (knew he loved MJ).
    • "It was awesome."
    • Got super drunk and wasted that night.

• Sophomore Year — Breaking Mom's Rules:

  • Smoked weed for the first time in his apartment with former dorm mates.
  • Mom's three commandments growing up:
    1. Don't do drugs
    2. Don't go to jail
    3. Don't be gay
  • Had to reconcile experimenting with weed against mom's strict rules.
  • "Welp, couldn't keep all of them" — coming of age meant making own choices.

• The Tire Disaster Road Trip:

  • Trip back home to SoCal with friend Sean Staub and his girlfriend.
  • Trading times driving on the 5 freeway.
  • Tire threads popped off the car! Inner part still inflated but no more threads.
    • Loud BAM on the freeway.
    • Fortunately Sean didn't flip the car, stopped in time.
  • Changed tire to spare.
  • Drove a few more miles → spare deflated!
  • Had to switch back to the original threadless tire.
  • Drove even slower until they could get it replaced.
  • Made it back home traumatized and much later than expected.
  • Classic college road trip disaster story.

• Academic Focus — Controls Track:

  • Feedback Controls class: Taught fundamentals of feedback loops and control systems.

    • Foundational understanding that would later inform his systems thinking.
    • Understanding how systems self-regulate and respond to inputs.

  • Robert Full's Biomimicry Class:

    • Robert Full from another department (Integrative Biology) — studying biomimicry.
    • Connected to his MFI work in Berkeley Biomimetics Lab.
    • Berkeley RHex robot — inspired by Madagascar hissing cockroach.
    • Key insight: Roaches had very simple brains.
      • Weren't processing how to traverse difficult terrain computationally.
      • Simply mechanically tuned so if they flail arms, they can get over anything.
    • The firecracker experiment:
      • Put firecracker on roach's back while on treadmill.
      • Firecracker directional, fired an impulse.
      • Under high-speed camera, calculated how fast roach could course-correct.
      • Realization: Not neurofeedback doing correction but mechanical feedback.
      • Roach's body mechanics were inherently stable.
    • Profound lesson: Inherent stable systems are great — use mechanics over brute force calculation.
    • Elegance of passive stability vs. computational complexity.
    • Would later inform his approach to designing systems.

  • EECS150 — Hardest Class:

    • 5-unit course on Verilog and programming FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays).
    • Brutal workflow: Wait 20 minutes just to synthesize → realize there's a bug → change → wait 20 minutes again.
    • Slept in short bursts in the lab — basement of Cory Hall.
    • Projects built ground-up hardware understanding:
      1. Memory copier talking to a memory chip
      2. Router for packets
      3. Enabling it to play audio
    • "Never thought it was so hard to get down to the hardware" — reality of low-level programming.
    • Deep learning: How bits scaffold into complex logic → processors → all the complexity of the internet.
    • Understanding systems from first principles, bottom-up.

• Meeting Jensen Huang (via HKN):

  • HKN (Eta Kappa Nu) EECS honor society invited Jensen Huang (NVIDIA CEO) to speak.
  • Jensen came in and shared his experience about NVIDIA and building the company.
  • Key quotes that made huge impact:

    "The best thing about money is not worrying about money."
    "It takes 20 years to build an overnight success."

• Shaped worldview around long-term compounding and pattern recognition.

  • First exposure to founder mindset and patience for building great things.

• Pirates of Emerson — First Haunting Experience (Circle K Event):

  • Circle K fundraising event at Pirates of Emerson haunted attraction.
  • Quan, Alice, and other members went to scare-act to raise funds for club.
  • Dressed in mummy suit in a dark, dusty pirate ship.
  • Learned to scare the shit out of people.
  • The moment he "caught the bug":
    • One guy got scared so bad, took a few steps back and fell into the set.
    • When he got up, dark patch all over his pants — he'd peed himself!
    • "YES! I got him!"
    • "Catching the bug" in haunter speak — the moment you realize you love scaring people.
  • First taste of emotion-through-design and the power of experiential storytelling.
  • Origin story for later haunted house work.

Stanford (2006-2008)

• The Redemption — Grad School Acceptances (~2005):

  • Applied to: MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, Harvard SEAS, Carnegie Mellon, Caltech

  • Got into ALL except Caltech!

    • MIT accepted him — the redemption he'd been chasing since high school rejection.
    • After 4 years of proving himself at Berkeley: the validation.

  • The Decision:

    • Berkeley: Offered full ride for PhD — free education, stay in familiar place.
    • MIT & Stanford: Accepted but no funding — pure prestige.
    • MIT interview with Hugh Herr:
      • Hugh Herr — double amputee who gave himself robotic legs.
      • Quan thought that was "pretty damn cool" — inspiring biomechanics work.
      • Years later after Boston Marathon bombing (2013), saw Herr's lab enable a dancer to dance again with new leg.
      • Legendary work in prosthetics and human augmentation.
    • Toured MIT: Realized he'd be working in a basement in Boston for 6 years in the winter — depressing.
    • Alice was in California — relationship consideration.
    • Chose Stanford over MIT redemption.
      • Gave up Berkeley's full ride for Stanford prestige.
      • Wanted change of scenery and to go across the bay.
      • Mature decision: lifestyle and relationships > pure prestige.

  • Target lab: Wanted to get into Mark Cutkosky's lab.

    • Cutkosky worked on robots, collaborated with Ron Fearing.
    • Continuation of biomimicry and robotics work.
    • Lab was very popular — many Mechanical Engineers wanted in.
    • There was a waitlist — Quan didn't have a chance.

• First Quarter (2006) — Finding a Lab:

  • First quarter was funded but had to find himself an RA (Research Assistant) position quickly.

  • Mark Cutkosky's lab was full → looked around campus for someone doing cool robot work.

  • Discovery in CS Department:

    • Sebastian Thrun — had just won DARPA Grand Challenge (2005) for autonomous cars with Stanley, was famous at Stanford.
    • Next door: Andrew Ng — early associate professor (joined Stanford 2002).
      • Working on STAIR (Stanford AI Robot) and other machine learning projects.
      • Training RC helicopter to do flips and pirouettes by learning from RC pilot.
      • Quan thought: "Fascinating! No idea what application but it was cool and was flying."

  • The Interview:

    • CS department looking for help with platforms.
    • Mech E background (like Quan) could help them build hardware.
    • His EE192 Mechatronics 1:10th scaled car-building experience from Berkeley came into play.
    • Andrew Ng gave him $900 budget to build RC car platform for machine learning experiments.
    • "Never got a $900 budget to build an RC car before! Awesome!!!"

  • The Future:

    • Never would have guessed Andrew would later become globally famous after co-founding Coursera (2012).
    • Named to Time 100 Most Influential People in 2013 (alongside Daphne Koller).
    • Also: Founding lead of Google Brain (2011), Chief Scientist at Baidu (2014-2017), DeepLearning.AI, Landing AI
    • Worked with Andrew Ng at the beginning of the machine learning revolution (2006).

  • 2017 Exchange with Andrew Ng — Prescient Warning:

    • January 27, 2017: Quan reached out to Andrew with deep question about AI ethics.
    • Quan's concern: As AI ability increases + social media addiction increases, what prevents machines from taking over?
      • Machines already feed us content to keep us hooked.
      • "Wouldn't it be conceivable that machines can learn the inputs and outputs to humanity's behavioral patterns and stimulate us just the right way to have us do its bidding?"
      • "Who is in control of the machine?"
    • Andrew's response: "AI is still far from getting humans to do its bidding, if 'its bidding' goes significantly beyond spending time on a particular website or clicking on ads..."
    • Quan pushed back: AI through ads and content can influence large decisions.
      • Fake news people don't verify.
      • Subtle search suggestions that influence decisions.
      • "Can't AI learn our past history and figure out how to directly influence our decisions via the content it shows us?"
      • "I'm talking about 'inception' via search results instead of in dreams like the movie."
    • Andrew never responded after that.
    • Context: Andrew was Chief Scientist at Baidu (2014-2017), left in March 2017 — timing of exchange was right as he was transitioning out.
    • Prescience: This was January 2017 — 14 months before Cambridge Analytica scandal broke publicly (March 2018).
    • Before widespread mainstream concern about social media manipulation and AI ethics.
    • Shows Quan was thinking deeply about AI ethics, human behavioral systems, and manipulation years ahead of public discourse.

• Winter 2006/Early 2007 — The Breakup That Shook Everything:

  • Trip to China: Went to see family during winter holiday (late 2006/early 2007).

  • The Discovery: Came back to USA in early 2007 to realize Alice was breaking up with him.

    • She had cheated while he was gone.
    • He was devastated.

  • Why it hit so hard:

    • Alice was his stable foundation throughout college (together from early 2003 through Berkeley and into Stanford).
    • She was his first serious long-term relationship.
    • He'd lost his virginity to her.
    • Now that he didn't have her with him, it shook him in a big way.
    • At Stanford alone, PhD path uncertain, and now his emotional anchor was gone.

  • Response to Pain:

    • Continued to run, train, and exercise.
    • Started working towards marathon and triathlon.
    • Using physical training as a way to process pain and rebuild himself.
    • Pattern: when life gets hard, lean into discipline and physical challenge.

• Spring 2007 — First Marathon:

  • San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon — completed his first marathon.
  • Physical accomplishment during emotional recovery period.
  • Proof of discipline and ability to push through difficulty.

• The PhD Crisis — Choosing Authenticity Over Expectations (Spring 2007):

  • Originally enrolled for PhD because that's what his mother wanted/expected.

  • Took a class with Chris Gerdes in vehicle dynamics.

  • Looking for a professor to be his PhD advisor.

  • The Problem:

    • Personally didn't have the conviction for PhD.
    • Hated reading papers — would literally fall asleep.
    • More interested in going into industry and building things.
    • But felt pressure from family expectations.

  • The Pivotal Conversation with Chris Gerdes:

    • Quan spoke to Chris about potentially being his advisor.
    • Chris said something "very shocking but real":
      • "Quan, if you can't even convince yourself you want a PhD, how do you think you can convince me?"
    • Moment of clarity: "OMG you're right!"
    • That made the decision: needed to stop at Master's.

  • The Fallout:

    • Mom was disappointed — the second time majorly since not getting into MIT/Stanford/Caltech for undergrad.
    • Pattern: choosing his own path vs. parental expectations.
    • But it was the authentic decision — not forcing himself into a path he didn't genuinely want.

  • Reflection: This was another inflection point of self-determination.

    • First: not getting into "top schools" for undergrad (external rejection).
    • Second: choosing to leave PhD path (internal choice).
    • Learning to follow his own conviction rather than others' expectations.

• Summer 2007 — Stanford-Tsinghua Exchange Program & Microsoft Research Asia:

  • Signed up for the first Stanford-Tsinghua exchange program for summer.

  • Perfect candidate: Beijing background, fluent Chinese, understood both cultures.

  • Made a bunch of friends through the program.

  • Went back to Beijing for the summer — first extended return since moving to US.

  • Milestone: First time back to his hometown not as a child under the care of relatives like grandma.

    • Independent as a working adult.
    • Full circle moment: left China as a child in 1988, returned as an adult in 2007.
    • Seeing Beijing with new eyes and independence.

  • Microsoft Research Asia (MSRA) — Beijing:

    • Worked at Microsoft Research Asia during the summer.
    • Worked on concepts with drones.
    • Future tech: Drone as a personal assistant.
    • Early exploration of human-machine interaction and AI applications.
    • This was 2007 — before consumer drones were mainstream.

  • Meeting Xiao Xiao:

    • Met at Propaganda club in Wudaokou — popular Beijing nightclub area.
    • Xiao Xiao — Tsinghua masters student from Chongqing.
    • Got into Tsinghua as a top Chinese dancer — arts/performance credential, not academic merit.
    • Hot, great figure — physically attracted, hormonal connection.
    • Trade-off: Limited academic ability, explosive Chongqing temper.

  • The Summer Transformation (Summer 2007):

    • Post-Alice mindset shift: Trying to change after long-term relationship.
    • New approach: Less focused on long-term commitment, more about experiencing China and having fun.
    • Godbrother Nelson called it 练枪 (lian qiang) — "practicing shooting" / "pillow dictionary."
    • Very fun summer: Sex every day.

  • Living Arrangement Advantage:

    • Quan's dorm: Foreign student housing — could sneak in co-ed overnight.
    • Xiao Xiao's dorm: Shared with 3 other girls — no privacy.
    • She would ditch her dorm to stay overnight with him.
    • Extra privilege of being foreign student = privacy and freedom.

  • Cultural Confidence Shift:

    • In America: Felt his ethnicity and confidence gave him "no game."
    • In China as Chinese American: "I was hot stuff."
    • Status elevation from being American-educated, Stanford student, bilingual.
    • Sexual and social confidence he didn't have in the US.
    • "It was definitely a fun summer."

  • After Summer:

    • She was graduating and heading to Shanghai for work.
    • Would become the reason he strategically chose Intel with international rotation.

• Fall 2007 - Spring 2008 — Final Year at Stanford:

  • Continued Master's program.
  • Working in Andrew Ng's lab on RC car platforms for machine learning.
  • Taking remaining courses, finishing thesis/project.

• Spring 2008 — Graduated Stanford:

  • Completed Master's degree in engineering/robotics at Stanford.
  • Worked in Andrew Ng's AI lab — hands-on exposure to early machine learning and robotics platforms.
  • Did not pursue PhD — chose authenticity over expectations.

• Job Search — Strategic Career Decision (Spring 2008):

  • Finishing Master's, needed to find a job.

  • Wanted to find a way to get to Shanghai (to be near Xiao Xiao).

  • Applied to 2 different paths:

    1. Intel — Large corporation with REP (Rotation Engineer Program)
       • Would rotate him across the company.
       • Including internationally — this was the key.
       • Stability + potential path to China.
    2. Small startup — more responsibility, more risk.

  • Got into Intel and took it.

  • Strategic choice: large company with international rotation potential.

• Starting at Intel (Summer 2008):

  • Boss: Erv Thomas

  • Before even joining Intel: Told Erv Thomas that 2008 Summer Olympics would come up.

    • Within weeks of onboarding, would need to spend 1 week in China.
    • Set expectations upfront.

  • First Rotation: Santa Clara (REP - Rotation Engineer Program)

    • Lived near Santana Row in San Jose.
    • Near Winchester Mystery House (which would later become a Gantom/Darklight customer — foreshadowing).

  • The Corporate Disillusionment:

    • "Pretty anti-climactic to join a large corp."
    • Realization: "I busted my ass through school to get to a desk job."
    • It was quickly wearing on him.
    • The dream of Stanford, the prestige, the hard work — led to... this?
    • Pattern repeating: achieving the "expected" path but feeling unfulfilled.
    • Would give it about a year total — knew fairly quickly it wasn't for him.

  • Breakup with Xiao Xiao (Summer 2008):

    • Broke up a few months before his next Intel rotation (which was October 2008).
    • Long distance wasn't working.
    • She was from Chongqing — explosive temper.
    • Quan's observation: "As pretty as her, grew up getting a lot of admiration from others and got her way all the time."
    • Long distance calls were exhausting:
      • If he said one thing wrong, she'd get pissed off.
      • Needed an hour to console her.
      • "Not gonna work long term."
    • Ended it after a few months.

• 2008 — Single, Restless, and Searching (Post-Breakup):

  • Living situation:

    • 1 bedroom apartment near Santana Row.
    • Single, hated time alone.
    • Didn't want to go home alone after work.

  • Trying to date:

    • Tried some online dating apps.
    • But there was a stigma around finding someone online at the time (2008).
    • Trying to keep busy and minimize downtime at home.

  • Kite Surfing — New Escape:

    • Picked up kite surfing.
    • At least 3 days a week in San Mateo, 3rd Ave.
    • Pattern continues: when life is hard, lean into physical challenge and outdoor activity.
    • Marathon → Triathlon training → Kite surfing.
    • Using adrenaline and physicality to process restlessness and dissatisfaction.

• Summer 2008 — Beijing Olympics Trip:

  • Went back to Beijing for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

  • Second time back as an independent working adult (not under relatives' care).

  • Experiencing Beijing during this historic moment.

  • Continuing to build adult relationship with his hometown and family.

  • By this time:

    • Had already arranged 2nd Intel rotation to go to China in Fall 2008 (October) — to Shanghai Minhang campus.
    • Even though relationship with Xiao Xiao ended, the plan to go to China was still in motion.

• Late Summer/Early Fall 2008 — The Meeting That Changed Everything:

  • REP Summit: Between first rotation (Santa Clara) and second rotation (Shanghai).

  • Week-long summit where rotation engineers from his cohort came together.

  • Development together, personality tests, corporate training.

  • The Chinese Team:

    • Found out a Chinese team was coming over from Intel China.
    • He offered to take them around — he could speak Chinese, understood both cultures.
    • Thought it was just being helpful, cultural liaison.
    • Little did he know this would change his life.

  • SFO Airport — August/September 2008:

    • Went to pick up the Chinese team at SFO airport.

    • Expected: "a bunch of nerds coming over."

    • Reality: Suddenly focused on one girl in the group.

    • Xu Jiali 徐佳理 (Charlie) — His Future Wife:

      • Not love at first sight.
      • But "as if the fog of mystery faded and a sense of familiarity was there."
      • Something special about her.

  • The Thought Experiment — Years in the Making:

    • For years, even while still with Alice, he had a thought experiment:
      • "What is my future wife doing at this moment?"
      • She exists somewhere — she doesn't just appear out of thin air.
      • She's a real person somewhere.
      • What chain of events in her life would lead her to intersect with mine?
    • He asked this question without answer for years.
    • When he first saw Jiali at the airport...
      • Didn't have an immediate answer.
      • But he saw the possibility in Jiali.

  • The Week Together:

    • Week-long corporate training at Intel together.
    • He tried to find ways to get into her same working group.
    • Kept it professional and not too obvious.
    • Didn't want to be creepy or forward.

  • Cultural Ambassador:

    • Took the whole group to visit his apartment.
    • Showed them American culture.
    • Drove them around the Bay Area.
    • Being helpful, being the bridge — but really, trying to spend time near Jiali.
    • Playing the long game.

  • The Discovery:

    • Found out that Jiali was at the Shanghai site — the exact location he was about to rotate to!
    • Serendipity or fate?
    • Also: This was Jiali's first time in America.
    • She came right before October 1st (Chinese National Holiday).
    • Decided to stay in America for an extra week during the holiday to tour around.
    • This extra week was the week after REP summit.

  • The Problem:

    • Didn't have her personal contact — only her work email.
    • Must find a way to establish a private communications channel.
    • But it was hard to do that with all the coworkers around.
    • Thursday night — one day left. Friday would be final day to say professional goodbyes to cohort.

• Thursday Night — The Night That Changed Everything:

  • The Bar/Club:

    • Entire cohort went to a local bar/club — 40+ people.
    • Had some drinks together.
    • Quan realized: "I need to make a move."
    • Time was running out.

  • The Dance Floor:

    • Asked if Charlie would come to the dance floor with him.
    • They walked over together.
    • Before he knew it:
      • She pinned him to the wall and started kissing him!
      • Some of their cohort saw (but not the Chinese group).
      • Cohort reaction: "YEAH!" Very happy for them.
      • THAT was it.

  • But still didn't get her number.

  • The Setup:

    • Next day (Friday): Would take Chinese group to visit 17 Mile Drive.
    • Chinese group had multiple hotel rooms.
    • For "convenience," one of them gave up their room so Quan could stay close and drive together.
    • He got the downstairs hotel room below theirs.
    • Still didn't have Jiali's private contact.
    • Had to do something or lose the chance.

• Friday — The Note Pass:

  • The Handshake:

    • Wrote his MSN screen name on a small piece of paper.
    • As they said goodbye to the entire group and he shook her hand.
    • The note was in his hand and passed to her.
    • Classic spy move.

  • The Longest 5 Minutes:

    • Went downstairs to his room.
    • Staring at his MSN for the longest 5 minutes of his entire life.
    • Would she add him? Did she get the note? Did anyone see?
    • BAM! A friend request.
    • He finally had a private line to her!

  • The Chat:

    • Chatted for a long time on MSN.
    • Until her colleagues/roommates went to bed.

  • The Risk:

    • She then snuck out and came downstairs.
    • Quan opened the door.
    • First thing she said: "I am risking my LIFE to see you!"
    • She was risking her professional reputation, her colleagues' judgment, everything.

  • Thursday Evening/Friday Morning:

    • They hooked up.
    • Spent several hours intimately together.
    • Naked, vulnerable, connecting.
    • Before sunrise, she had to go back to her room.
    • They didn't sleep much — obviously.
    • This was the beginning of everything.

• Reflection — The Transformation:

  • Up to this point: Quan was pretty shy about approaching someone.

    • Courtship and dating was not his forte.
    • Had struggled with relationships, breakups, loneliness.

  • But seeing Jiali:

    • Realizing SHE may be the person.
    • It literally changed him to do things he would have NEVER done.
    • Had to become someone completely different to change his life at that moment.

  • Now or Never:

    • If he didn't get her contact, she would go back to China.
    • They would only be colleagues.
    • The opportunity would be lost forever.
    • He had to act.

  • Pattern Break:

    • Throughout his life: achieved external goals but often felt unfulfilled.
    • This time: had to change internally to achieve what mattered.
    • Not about grades, credentials, or "expected" paths.
    • About being courageous in the moment for connection.
    • Another inflection point of self-determination — but this time for love.

• The Week Together (Post-REP Summit):

  • Quan's situation: In limbo between rotations — time was flexible.

  • Had her private contact — could communicate without colleagues knowing.

  • Jiali's LA Trip:

    • She went down to LA for a few days on her original plan.
    • She had told her colleagues she would, so didn't want to divert her plan to draw attention.
    • Smart strategy to maintain professional appearance.

  • Her Independence — First Impression:

    • She navigated the Big Blue Bus in Santa Monica by herself.
    • Quan was impressed: "Even I didn't know how to do that."
    • And English wasn't even her native language.
    • She figured it out, navigated a foreign city, handled it all independently.

  • The Contrast:

    • Big contrast to Xiao Xiao:

      • Xiao Xiao was hot but spoiled.
      • Wanted the guy to do every little thing for her.
      • Would throw a tantrum if things didn't go her way.
      • Exhausting, high-maintenance, unsustainable.

    • Jiali was different:

      • Independent.
      • Self-sufficient, capable, resourceful.
      • Had all the qualities of a partner he was looking for.
      • Not just romantic attraction — this was partnership potential.

  • What Quan was looking for:

    • Not beauty alone (though Jiali was beautiful).
    • Not need or dependence.
    • Partnership, independence, capability, resilience.
    • Someone who could navigate the world on their own.
    • Someone who chose to be with him, not needed to be with him.

• Return to Bay Area:

  • She came back to SFO for a day or so before flying out to Shanghai.
  • It was incredible that they actually had time for each other.
  • Alone, without colleagues.
  • First real time together as a couple, not surrounded by coworkers.
  • Private, intimate, just the two of them.
  • Building the foundation of their relationship before the separation.

• October 7, 2008 — Official Start:

  • They got together.
  • Set their official date to be October 7, 2008.
  • This became their anniversary — the day they committed to each other.
  • From coworkers meeting at SFO → to partners in less than a month.

• The Separation and Reunion:

  • She went back to Shanghai to wait for his arrival.
  • He came a few weeks after — right before Halloween (late October 2008).
  • His Intel 2nd rotation: Shanghai Minhang campus.
  • They would finally be in the same city — officially together.

• Late October 2008 — Arrival in Shanghai:

  • Got an apartment and roommate.

  • Right before Halloween.

  • Rotation Plan:

    • Originally planned 1 rotation in Shanghai.
    • But since Jiali and he got together, he tried to find ways to extend his rotation even longer.
    • Did a total of 2 rotations in Shanghai to be with her.
    • Love changed the plan.

  • Halloween Party for Expats:

    • His roommates threw a Halloween party for a bunch of expats.
    • "I didn't know Shanghai had Halloween!"
    • It reminded him of his haunted house days back in the US.
    • Specifically: Pirates of Emerson at Berkeley during Circle K days.
    • Remembered how fun it was to scare people.
    • That rush, that reaction, creating emotion through experience.

  • The Seed of an Idea:

    • Thought: "Maybe Jiali and I could work together on a Halloween party next year."
    • "I can build the animatronics."
    • The idea didn't strike him all at once.
    • But it started forming.

• Building Something Together — Beyond Intel (Late 2008/Early 2009):

  • They were learning more about each other:

    • His skillset: Engineer, builder, maker, hardware.
    • Her background: Art and design.
    • Perfect complementary skills.

  • Wanted to do something together beyond 9-5 Intel work.

    • Corporate work felt hollow.
    • Wanted to create something meaningful together.
    • Looking to moonlight SOMETHING.

  • The Strategy Sessions:

    • Got working desks at her apartment to strategize.
    • Even took Intel meeting rooms to work together to come up with ideas.
    • Using corporate resources to plan their escape from corporate life.
    • Brainstorming, sketching, dreaming.

  • The Haunted House Idea:

    • Started "baking" in his mind.
    • Something very different but interesting.
    • Using both their skills — his engineering + her design.
    • Emotional design through technology and art.
    • Creating experiences, not just products.
    • Pattern emerging: systems thinking applied to human emotion.

• Late 2008/Early 2009 — The YouTube Discovery:

  • Started doing research on Halloween.
  • Saw on YouTube: Netherworld by Ben Armstrong.
    • One of the most famous haunted attractions in the world (Atlanta, Georgia).
    • Professional, theatrical, high-production-value haunted house.
  • Quan's reaction: "THAT! We can bring that to Shanghai."
  • This wasn't just a party anymore.
  • This was a vision of bringing world-class haunted entertainment to China.
  • Context: Nothing like this existed in mainland China.
    • The only closest thing was Hong Kong Ocean Park (technically not mainland China).
    • They would be pioneering an entirely new entertainment category in China.

• Spring 2009 — HauntCon in Wisconsin:

  • The Discovery: There was a convention called HauntCon.

  • Decision: Take a trip to Wisconsin in Spring 2009 and learn the tricks of the trade.

  • The Commitment:

    • "We were up to our sleeves in wristbands" taking all the classes.
    • Classes included:
      • Scare acting
      • Makeup
      • Set design
      • Lighting
      • Sound
    • Toured about a dozen haunts in the spring.
    • "Who gets to say that?"

  • Meeting Hong Kong Ocean Park Crew:

    • Met the crew from Hong Kong Ocean Park at HauntCon.
    • The only other haunted attraction in the greater China region.
    • They had even seen news articles about Quan and Charlie's plans.
    • Word was already spreading about the first mainland China haunted house.
    • Connection with the only comparable attraction in the region.

  • The Risk Assessment:

    • Worst case: "We have an interesting 1-week vacation."
    • Upside: "We learn something that would change our lives."
    • Cost-benefit analysis applied to life decisions.
    • They did.

  • Leonard Pickel's Warning:

    • Leonard Pickel — the organizer of HauntCon.
    • Even tried to talk Quan out of it because "haunters are crazy."
    • Warned about the obsession, the financial risk, the all-consuming nature.
    • But they persisted.

  • The Transformation:

    • Came back not only wanting to do a party but build a full-fledged HAUNT!
    • Vision expanded from "Halloween party" to "professional haunted attraction."
    • This was now a business plan, not just a hobby.
    • Historic mission: Create the first haunted house in mainland China.

  • The Research and Design Phase:

    • Downloaded online documents.
    • Started designing the haunt.
    • Started looking for a place to put it.
    • Engineer mindset: research, plan, execute.
    • But this time: for passion, not for corporate goals.

• Late Spring/Early Summer 2009 — Finding the Perfect Building:

  • Weekend trips into the city:

    • Looking for warehouse or cheap locations that were central.
    • Needed something they could put an event in.
    • Still working at Intel — moonlighting this project.

  • Discovery: Xinzha Road Location:

    • Found building off Xinzha Road (新闸路) — near People's Square.
    • Industrial area — not polished, not fancy.
    • Builder's paradise:
      • Area had pneumatics suppliers, electronics vendors — everything he could need.
      • Instead of DigiKey and Mouser catalogs online, could literally scooter around to these buildings and buy parts.
      • A single part would have an entire street of vendors selling it.
      • Physical marketplace for builders — instant gratification, no shipping wait.
      • "If I didn't build something with this resource, it would be a huge waste!"
    • Warehouse was only a few blocks from this hive of parts.
    • Perfect location: central, industrial, surrounded by resources.

  • The 107-Year-Old Heritage Building:

    • Came out of a legal property dispute and was just put on the market for rent.
    • Protected heritage building:
      • Can't do any permanent renovations on it.
      • This was actually PERFECT for a haunt — temporary installations only!
      • No landlord concerns about permanent damage.
    • Cheap rent relative to other more polished places.
    • All the constraints aligned perfectly with what they needed.

  • The Plaque (Not Noticed Yet):

    • Read the placard on the building but not in detail.
    • Otherwise would have noticed the date: October 31, 2005.
    • That synchronicity would be discovered later.
    • At this point: just a cool old building in the right location.

  • The Business Plan:

    • Worked on design and business plan with Jiali.
    • Planned out every single room and every scare.
    • Spreadsheets calculating all that they needed to make this happen.
    • Financial model: Calculated needed 300 people per night on average to break even.
    • Operating schedule: Open for part of September + all of October, minus Monday and Tuesday.
    • Engineer approach: systems thinking, detailed planning, cost modeling.
    • But for passion and partnership, not corporate goals.

  • Forming the Company:

    • Formed Shanghai company: E5design Co., Ltd.
    • Official entity to operate the haunted house.
    • Started figuring out how to get it funded.
    • Started finding partners.
    • From hobby idea → full business venture.

• Summer 2009 — From Design to Reality:

  • Living together with Jiali at this point.

  • Still working at Intel full-time — moonlighting the haunt project.

  • Post-HauntCon Experiments:

    • Came back from HauntCon having learned about pneumatics.
    • All the parts were MORE available in China than in US — these were all made-in-China parts anyway!
    • "I'm right at the source!"
    • Made home experiments with small compressors at Jiali's apartment.
    • Got a few moving objects working.
    • Testing concepts and proving feasibility.

  • Finding the Fabrication Partner:

    • Found local exhibition fabricator in Minhang (close to where Jiali lived).
    • Company called Seeka.
    • Made exhibition materials for La Mer and other brands locally — they had a clue.
    • Professional fabricators who understood quality and production.

  • The Pitch:

    • Jiali made a slide deck about their vision.
    • Pitched Seeka on the haunted house concept.
    • Even invited the owners over to her apartment to see the experiments.
    • They liked the idea.
    • Being Chinese-American with overseas ideas that might be interesting to Shanghai — unique angle.
    • Seeka decided to donate all the build materials and labor.
    • Gave them space in their shop to assemble each of the rooms.
    • Profit split partnership: Either 70/30 or 60/40 (can't remember exact split).
    • Validation: professional fabricators believed in the vision enough to invest.

  • The Seed Funding:

    • Convinced parents to seed them $100K.
    • "Being the only child, I tend to get my way."
    • Dad funded the project.
    • Major family investment in their dream.

  • "We were in business."

  • The Dual Life — Building While Working:

    • Still working full-time at Intel Minhang campus.
    • Lunch breaks: Would scooter over to the fabricator to oversee their building of each room.
    • After work: Go to the site to decorate and distress the whole place with Jiali.
    • Classic startup hustle: corporate job by day, passion project by night.
    • Using every available hour to build the dream.

  • The Haunt Design — 13 Themed Rooms:

    • 13 themes total with special effects throughout.
    • Effects ranged from fog curtains to high-technical first scare at entrance.
    • Each room designed to maximize emotional impact.
    • Combining theatrical design (Jiali) with engineering/automation (Quan).

  • The Signature Entrance Sequence — "Welcome to Shanghai Nightmare":

    • Design: Long hallway with doors on either side, gate in front blocking guests.
    • Forced viewing: Guests blocked by gate, had to watch the opening sequence.
    • The Setup:
      • Girl in white gown, long hair covering her eyes — straight out of Japanese horror film.
      • Started at the far end of the hall.
      • Overhead lamps dimly lit the room.
    • The Movement:
      • As the girl started walking towards the guests...
      • Lamps would sequentially shut off one by one.
      • Illusion: the girl was swallowing the darkness as she approached.
      • Until guests were completely swallowed by darkness.
    • The Teleport Effect:
      • Split second later: Another actor dressed as the same character jumped right in front of the gate.
      • Blue strobe of light illuminated her suddenly.
      • As if the character teleported right in front of you!
    • The Welcome:
      • She opened the gate and said: "Welcome to Shanghai Nightmare!"
    • The effect was great and everyone going through the haunt loved it.
    • Perfect blend: sequential automation + theatrical performance + psychological tension.
    • Set the tone for the entire experience.

  • Status:

    • Engineering the greatest creative project of their lives together.
    • Building something from nothing with resourcefulness, partnership, and grit.

• July/August 2009 — The Leap: Quitting Intel:

  • The Breaking Point:

    • Really couldn't manage full-time at Intel AND the haunt.
    • Something had to give.
    • He quit Intel.

  • The Risk Assessment:

    • "Worst thing: I can teach English and earn decent living wage in China."
    • "But if I didn't do something risky now, when will I ever?"
    • Classic cost-benefit thinking applied to life decisions.
    • Safety net existed (English teaching) → risk was manageable.
    • But the regret of not trying was unacceptable.

  • Jiali's Parents' Pressure:

    • Jiali's parents asked her NOT to quit.
    • For her, getting an Intel job was very competitive.
    • Probably much harder for her than Stanford grad Quan getting his job.
    • She was a local Chinese hire — extremely prestigious position.
    • Parents wanted her to keep the stability.
    • She stayed at Intel while Quan went full-time on the haunt.

  • About a Month Later — Jiali's Secret Decision:

    • Quan was full-time for maybe a month or so.
    • Watching him work, seeing the vision come together.
    • Jiali then secretly got "dragged into the water" with him.
    • Also quit her job.
    • Against her parents' wishes.
    • Chose partnership and risk over safety.
    • Both were now all-in.

  • The Intensity:

    • They were so tired but full of drive.
    • The work was relentless.
    • Joke between them: "We need to go to our day job to take a break!" lol
    • When your passion project is harder than corporate work — you know you're building something real.
    • But exhaustion mixed with purpose and excitement.

  • The Stakes:

    • No more Intel paychecks.
    • $100K from parents on the line.
    • Partnership with Seeka.
    • Had to make this work.
    • All chips on the table.

• Late Summer/Early Fall 2009 — Guerrilla Marketing:

  • The Yorick Skull Campaign:

    • Quan dressed up as a bloody skull to hand out flyers.
    • Silicone mask from CompositeFX out of Baton Rouge — "Yorick the Skull."
    • Went to Wantiguan (万体馆, Shanghai Stadium) outside concerts to hand out flyers.
    • Humid Shanghai summer — he was drenched by the end of it.
    • "I didn't care I was a spectacle."

  • Overcoming Fear:

    • Got over his fear of public and making a scene.
    • "I was DEFINITELY a scene."
    • Pattern: When it matters enough, you become whoever you need to be.
    • Same transformation as getting Jiali's contact — fear couldn't stop him.

  • Multi-Channel Marketing:

    • Digital posters on taxi cabins — Shanghai's ubiquitous advertising medium.
    • Building buzz across the city.

  • Mid-September — Press Event:

    • Held press event to preview the haunt.
    • Everyone loved it.
    • Media was impressed.
    • Excitement was building.
    • Everything looked promising.

• Grand Opening Week — The Crushing Reality:

  • Less than 50 people per day!
  • Needed 300 per day to break even.
  • "Where was everyone?!?!"
  • All that work, all that investment, all that marketing.
  • Press loved it, but the public wasn't coming.
  • Financial disaster unfolding in real-time.

• The Seeka Crisis — Everything Nearly Falls Apart:

  • Got a call from Seeka:

    • Owner was PISSED.
    • They didn't mention Seeka as a sponsor.
    • Owner was going to tear down the build!
    • "WTF, we were kids."

  • The Panic:

    • They were crying and begging Seeka not to come and take it apart.
    • After all that time building, all that effort.
    • Everything about to be destroyed.
    • Not just financial loss — emotional devastation.

  • Parents to the Rescue:

    • Went to apologize and beg.
    • Parents even came.
    • Mom came to say "we kids didn't know any better."
    • Humbling moment — needing parents to smooth things over.
    • Cultural face-saving through elder intervention.

  • Crisis Temporarily Averted:

    • That calmed things down.
    • Seeka didn't tear down the build.
    • But the damage was done — relationship strained.

  • The Reality:

    • They were not making their money back.
    • $100K investment from parents at risk.
    • Both quit their Intel jobs for this.
    • Opening week was a disaster.
    • Partner relationship damaged.
    • Everything they'd worked for was on the edge of collapse.

• The Slow Build — Quality vs. Quantity:

  • Everyone coming through loved the event.
  • Guest satisfaction was high.
  • Word-of-mouth was starting to spread.
  • Saw a bit of upward trend.
  • But it wasn't 300 per night average yet.
  • Constantly checking web reviews to understand what was working.

• The Detailed Walkthrough — Crisis or Opportunity?:

  • One day noticed someone had written a VERY DETAILED walkthrough of the haunt.

  • Posted online with descriptions of all the scares.

  • Problem: They didn't allow cameras inside.

  • Had security footage — couldn't figure out how this person got so many details.

  • Maybe snuck in a camera or had photographic memory.

  • "They basically blew open all the scares and revealed what's inside the mysterious Shanghai Nightmare."

  • 上海梦魇惊悚魔幻屋 (Shanghai Nightmare Horror Magic House)

  • Quan's Reaction:

    • "I was PISSED."
    • All the mystery and surprise ruined.
    • Spoilers for everyone who read it.

• Charlie's Genius Move — The Viral Explosion:

  • Charlie reposted the blog on her social media.

  • Xiaonei Wang (校内网, Chinese Facebook — later renamed Renren).

  • Turned the "problem" into marketing.

  • Over the next few days:

    • Got 6 figures of views.
    • Many many shares.
    • It became VIRAL.

  • The Result:

    • Started seeing attendance double on a nightly basis.
    • Then kept growing.
    • Capped out at 1,300 people per day!!!
    • From less than 50 per day → 1,300 per day.
    • 26x growth from opening week.

• The Queue Phenomenon:

  • 7pm opening.
  • People started waiting earlier and earlier.
  • The earliest someone waited: 8 HOURS starting at 11am!
  • Lines wrapping around the building.
  • Mainland China had never seen anything like this.
  • The first haunted house in all of mainland China was now a cultural phenomenon.

• The Pricing Strategy:

  • 98 RMB for regular ticket.
  • 198 RMB for VIP (skip the longer standby line).
  • Many people bought VIP.
  • When people are waiting hours, paying double to skip the line becomes easy decision.

• The Micro-Economy:

  • Created a micro-economy outside the venue because so many people were waiting.
  • Street vendors setting up to feed the crowds.
  • People hanging out for hours before their turn.
  • The haunt became an event, a gathering, a phenomenon.

• The Cash Problem:

  • All cash business — this was 2009 China.

  • Would close shop at 3am.

  • Jiali and Quan would scooter around Shanghai in the middle of the night.

  • Trying to shove 100 RMB notes into cash recycling machines.

  • Didn't want to go to local tellers — it was too suspicious.

  • Two kids showing up with duffel bags of cash? Not a good look.

  • Had to distribute deposits across multiple ATMs across the city.

  • "It felt like we struck it and robbed a bank!"

  • The Homeless Guy Incident:

    • One occasion: filled up one CRM (Cash Recycling Machine) and had to go to another across town.
    • There was a bum sleeping in the ATM booth.
    • Had so much cash that Quan told the bum to get out of the booth.
    • Gave him 100 RMB so they could use it.
    • Absurd moment: paying someone to leave so you can deposit your mountains of cash.

  • Surreal late-night ritual after exhausting days of running the haunt.

  • From struggling to make rent on the building to having too much cash to deposit.

• The Transformation:

  • From disaster to phenomenon.
  • From "where is everyone?" to "how do we handle these crowds?"
  • From crying and begging Seeka to stay to having the hottest ticket in Shanghai.
  • What looked like a spoiler became their salvation.
  • Charlie's instinct to embrace and amplify rather than suppress changed everything.

• Extended Run into November:

  • Season was so capped out they had to extend 1 week into November.
  • Demand was still there.
  • Pushing beyond Halloween because people still wanted in.

• End of Season Results — Unprecedented Success:

  • Made a profit!

  • Actually unheard of in any haunt in America to make money the first year.

  • Typically takes 3 years until profit in the haunted attraction industry.

  • Shanghai Haunted House did it in one season.

  • Total Attendance: Over 20,000 visitors in first season.

  • From less than 50/day opening week to 1,300/day at peak.

  • Financials:

    • Made their money back — the $100K investment recovered.
    • Paid their investors (Seeka and others).
    • Had a chunk saved for next year.
    • From financial disaster to sustainable business in one season.

  • Perfect Timing:

    • Ended right on time.
    • 2nd week of November: started raining for weeks nonstop.
    • If they'd extended further, would have been a disaster.
    • Another synchronicity — perfect window of opportunity.

• Spring 2010 — International Recognition:

  • Attended TransWorld's Halloween & Attractions Show in spring 2010.
  • Won the IAHA (International Association of Haunted Attractions) award at "The Oscares" — the industry's highest honor.
  • First year haunt winning international recognition.
  • Validation from the global haunted attraction community.
  • From "haunters are crazy" (Leonard Pickel's warning at HauntCon) to award-winning attraction in less than a year.

• Reflection on First Season:

  • Quit stable Intel jobs.
  • Parents invested $100K.
  • Nearly lost everything when Seeka threatened to tear it down.
  • Opening week disaster (less than 50/day).
  • Viral turnaround from detailed walkthrough.
  • Peak of 1,300/day with 8-hour waits.
  • Created the first haunted house in all of mainland China.
  • Created cultural phenomenon — pioneered an entire entertainment category.
  • Profitable in year one (unprecedented in haunted attraction industry).
  • International award at TransWorld.
  • Scooting around at 3am depositing cash in ATMs.
  • From dream to reality in 6 months.

• After First Season Success — The Gaming Company Offer:

  • Large gaming company courted them to help expand.
  • Would be under their corporation — they would be working for them.
  • "We just escaped Intel, why are we going back to another corp?"
  • Rejected the offer.
  • Chose independence and ownership over security and scale.
  • Pattern: consistently choosing autonomy over corporate safety.

• Late 2009 — After First Season: The Proposal:

  • After closing the first season, both exhausted but victorious.

  • Quan's realization:

    • "If Jiali and I could get through that experience as bf/gf..."
    • "...I think we can go through life together."
    • The haunt was their crucible — tested everything.

  • The Secret Trip to Hong Kong:

    • Went to Hong Kong on one of his visa runs.
    • Didn't have a work visa anymore after quitting Intel.
    • Had to leave and re-enter China periodically.
    • Asked mom's friend who lived there to help pick out a diamond ring.
    • Secret mission accomplished.

  • The Morning Proposal:

    • One morning when Jiali was asleep:
      • Slipped the ring on her finger without her noticing.
      • Woke her up to see it.
    • She said yes.
    • "I guess I didn't give her a chance even =)"
    • Classic Quan move — bold, unconventional, effective.
    • From meeting at SFO airport (August/September 2008) to engaged (late 2009).
    • About 15 months from strangers to fiancés.
    • Built first haunted house in mainland China together as their courtship.

• January 2010 — CES: The Confidence Boost:

  • Went to CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas.
  • Saw even garage tinkerers had booths.
  • "How hard can it be to have a product and sell it?"
  • Engineer confidence activated.
  • If they could do it, so could he.
  • That's when he decided to partner with Jerry when he came back to Shanghai.

• Early 2010 — Between Seasons: The Lighting Business Begins:

  • After closing the first season, technically unemployed.

  • Thinking of new things to work on.

  • The Realization — Lighting Was a Big Need:

    • During haunt build, had to hack together lighting solutions.
    • Took 5mm LEDs, put them in shrink tubing and paperclips to make tiny spotlights.
    • Pain in the ass.
    • Specialized haunted house lighting didn't exist.
    • If they needed it, every other haunt operator needed it too.

  • Meeting Jerry — Charlie's Technical Advisor:

    • Charlie introduced Quan to Jerry.
    • Jerry was Charlie's technical advisor for her master's project.
    • Previously worked at Cree (LED technology company).
    • Had deep expertise in LED technology.

  • The Partnership Decision (inspired by CES):

    • Decided to partner with Jerry.
    • Create Darklight — specialized LED lighting for haunts.
    • Partnership since 2010 — 15+ years and ongoing.
    • Quan calls him 董哥 (Dong Ge, "Brother Dong") — treating him like family even though not related.
    • Jerry travels to US each year to visit and work together.
    • COVID gap: Didn't see each other for about 3 years (2020-2023) when travel shut down.
    • Jerry's support: Even as Quan moved focus heavily to ZTAG, Jerry remained supportive and committed.
    • Relationship still ongoing — one of the longest and most stable partnerships in Quan's business life.
    • Dual strategy:
      1. Use it for their own haunt.
      2. Sell it to haunts in America.
    • Building the tools they wish existed.
    • If garage tinkerers could sell at CES, they could sell at TransWorld.

• 2009 — Quitting Intel (A Few Months Before Haunt Opening):

  • "I literally wrote on my Facebook: 'I'm quitting my Intel job to start a haunted house in China.'"
  • People probably thought he was crazy.
  • "But that idea was so realized in my head already that I just had to execute it."
  • Vision was complete. Just needed to build it.
  • From REP rotation engineer at prestigious tech company → haunted house entrepreneur.
  • The authentic path over the expected path.

• February 5, 2010 — The Wedding:

  • Got married at a Shanghai bureau.

  • Essentially eloped — just got the papers done.

  • Nothing romantic — purely practical.

  • "We didn't have any romantic thoughts of western weddings."

  • "Wanted to just do something together, use the money for startup and beyond."

  • From engagement (late 2009) to marriage (Feb 2010) — just a few months.

  • Both fully committed to building together.

  • Every dollar mattered for the dream.

  • Caribbean Cruise — Just 6 People:

    • Just Quan, Charlie, his parents, her parents — intimate family celebration.
    • Puerto Rico — Mosquito Bay:
      • Saw bioluminescent waters.
      • Magical experience in the glowing bay.
      • Lost his grandfather's watch when the canoe capsized.
      • Symbolic moment: letting go of old generation's tokens, creating own path.
    • Charlie's Mom's Condition:
      • "Her mom was still mobile and mostly aware but her memory was in gradual decline."
      • Early signs of dementia already present.
      • One of the last major trips before her condition worsened.
    • "We were young, no kids at the time."
    • Just starting their life together.
    • Future wide open.

• Spring 2010 — TransWorld St. Louis: The Erebus Partnership & City Museum:

  • At TransWorld, introduced to Ed Terebus of Pontiac, Michigan.

  • Ed created Erebus Haunted Attraction — one of the world record holders for biggest haunt.

  • A visionary entrepreneur with boundless imagination and flair for the unforgettable.

  • Charlie and Quan visited him and decided to partner for 2010.

  • Ed agreed and took a stake in the haunt — investment of time and expertise more than capital.

  • They became business partners.

  • The Partnership Team:

    • Ed brought his employee Mike Bilsky to help.
    • Flew out to Michigan to learn all the tricks from Ed.
    • Ed stayed with them for a few weeks in Shanghai to help set up.
    • Left Mike there for the entire season through Halloween to help build.
    • Professional mentorship from world-record holder.
    • Ed's generosity in sharing his knowledge and investing in their vision.

  • The Financial Arrangement:

    • They didn't profit from 2010 season but felt they owed Ed return for his investment of time.
    • Paid him somewhat ceremonially — small amount given the financial reality.
    • "I told him we didn't have much and he never asked for anything."
    • Always tried to do right: Gave him additional product samples, Darklight lights.
    • Ed's generosity: Never demanded payment, supported their growth.
    • More than business partner — true friend and mentor.

  • First Lighting Sales at TransWorld 2010:

    • Also showing Darklight lighting products at the show.
    • Made about $3K in lighting sales.
    • Proof of concept — haunters wanted better lighting.

  • Ed Terebus (1963-2025):

    • Passed away earlier this year (2025) unexpectedly from bee sting causing cardiac arrest.
    • Ed was such a prankster in his lifetime that Quan didn't believe he died at first.
    • Even at the funeral in Detroit, seeing him in his coffin:
      • "I could swear that I'd see him jump out of his coffin and say 'Gotcha!'"
      • The ultimate prank that never came.
    • "I miss him."
    • Survived by wife Kanjana and children Zigmund and Victoria.
    • A beloved figure in the haunted attraction industry whose impact lives on through all those he mentored.

• Spring 2010 — After TransWorld: Meeting Bob Cassilly at City Museum:

  • After the show in St. Louis, Charlie and Quan planned to tour the Arch.

  • Pupil-free day — it was already booked.

  • Instead walked westward up the street from their hotel.

  • Discovering City Museum:

    • Saw City Museum for the first time — in absolute awe of what Bob Cassilly created.
    • Eclectic, unlike anything they'd ever seen before.
    • A playground/museum/art installation built from repurposed industrial materials.
    • Many places were dark — perfect for Darklight!

  • Finding Bob:

    • Found Bob working on a mosaic.
    • Told him about the lights.
    • Bob was interested.
    • Problem: Quan didn't have his demo with him!

  • The Mile Run:

    • Ran back to the hotel — about a mile — couldn't find a cab locally.
    • Took a cab back to City Museum.
    • Got back in about 20 minutes.
    • Pure determination and energy.

  • The Demo:

    • Bob saw how much energy Quan had — intrigued.
    • Showed him the demo: various colored lights and battery pack.
    • Walked around together — Bob got excited.
    • Called Rick Erwin (his director) down from the 3rd floor.
    • Asked Rick to buy one of everything Quan had.
    • "These are just demos! But sure, I'll give them to you!"

  • Darklight's First Major Customer:

    • City Museum became their first major customer.
    • Darklight lights installed in City Museum since 2010.
    • Still there to this day — over 15 years later.
    • Validation from one of the most creative and respected artists in experiential design.

  • Rick Erwin's Revelation:

    • Rick later told Quan: "Bob has never bought anything from anyone before."
    • All Bob's stuff was recycled — he didn't buy products.
    • Quan was the first!
    • "Must be Yuanfen!" (缘分, Chinese: fateful coincidence, destiny connection)

  • The Connection:

    • "Even though I only met Bob once..."
    • "...I think we carry a similar level of energy, similar signature."
    • "That's why he was sold."
    • Recognition between kindred creative spirits.
    • Both builders, both artists, both pushing boundaries of experiential design.

  • Bob Cassilly's Passing:

    • Bob passed away a few months after they first met.
    • September 26, 2011 — died in accident at Cementland project he was building.
    • One meeting, but profound mutual recognition.
    • His lights live on in Bob's greatest creation.
    • Another synchronicity: brief but transformative encounter with visionary who wouldn't be around much longer.

• 2010 Season — Ambitious Expansion:

  • "We decided we were gonna do it bigger."

  • The World Expo Opportunity:

    • Shanghai World Expo 2010 was coming.
    • Thought they could siphon off guests from that.
    • Millions of visitors coming to Shanghai.
    • Perfect timing to expand.

  • The Plan:

    • Open for 3 months: August, September, and October.
    • Triple the operating season from year one.
    • More ambitious, more investment, higher stakes.

  • Using Their Own Lights:

    • Fall 2010 was the first time using their own developed Darklight lights in their own haunt.
    • Eating their own dog food — testing product in real conditions.
    • Proving the lights worked in actual haunt environment.
    • Building credibility for selling to other haunts.

  • The Challenges:

    • Rent was more expensive this time.
    • More red tape:
      • Government didn't want to approve any other event concurrent to Expo.
      • Political pressure and regulatory hurdles.
      • It was hard.
    • Operating in shadow of massive government event.

  • The Major Business Miscalculation:

    • First year (2009): they were the only thing happening in fall.

      • Became the hotspot by default.
      • All attention focused on them.
      • Clear path to success.

    • Second year (2010): completely different landscape.

      • Everyone came for World Expo and spent their money there.
      • Very little came to the haunted house.
      • Traffic was siphoned by Expo, not to them as planned.
      • Massive miscalculation of market dynamics.

  • Competition Emerges:

    • Success attracts copycats.

    • 2 other competitors popped up before them in other parts of town.

    • People saw their lines from year one and thought they could do the same.

    • Theatre troupe competitor:

      • Decided to do haunted house year two without the training.
      • Had a long line opening night.
      • Something shut down their opening night — forced to close.
      • Unclear what happened but they never reopened.

  • Paranoia and Sabotage:

    • Suspected people were sending spies to sabotage them the second year.
    • Quan was paranoid.
    • Success made them a target.
    • Competitors may have been trying to undermine them.

  • Government Approval Anxiety:

    • Didn't have strict government approval.
    • Operating in regulatory gray zone.
    • Any day waiting for government official to knock on door and give arbitrary reason to close.
    • "Very crappy feeling like you're on the knife edge."
    • Constant anxiety and uncertainty.
    • Being first mover means regulations don't exist yet — double-edged sword.

  • The Financial Reality:

    • Never made a profit second year.
    • All the money they profited first year went back into the business.
    • Lost it all except for about the $100K dad initially seeded them with.
    • Back to square one financially.
    • Lessons learned:
      • Success attracts competition and scrutiny.
      • Scaling too fast can erase prior gains.
      • Operating without clear regulatory approval is unsustainable stress.
      • Market timing matters more than you think.

  • 2010 Season — Reddit Front Page:

    • They did run 2 seasons total (2009 and 2010).
    • "I posted one of our photos from inside the haunt and it actually made it to the front page of Reddit."
    • Viral moment despite the operational struggles.
    • The product was compelling even if the business wasn't sustainable.

  • 2010 Lighting Sales — The Silver Lining:

    • Even while 2010 season sucked, they were making lighting sales too.
    • Made $30K total in 2010 in lighting sales (Darklight).
    • $3K at TransWorld 2010 show itself.
    • Dual revenue streams: haunt operations + lighting products.
    • The lighting business was working even when the haunt wasn't.
    • "Darklight really first just solved a problem we had ourselves and then that value transferred to other haunters and we kept doing it."
    • Classic founder-market fit: scratch your own itch.

• Summer 2010 — The Glitch in the Matrix:

  • One day during the build for the 2010 season.

  • Standing outside the haunt.

  • Decided to look at the placard on the building more carefully.

  • Had seen it before when first finding the building in 2009.

  • But never paid close attention to the date.

  • The Plaque Read:

    优秀历史建筑
    HERITAGE ARCHITECTURE
    南苏州路1295号
    原为中国纺织建设公司第五仓库。砖木结构，1902年建。立面构图整齐，墙面为清水青砖和红砖组合，局部水泥饰面，连续的弧形券窗。
    Warehouse. Built in 1902. Masonry structure. Typical Modern industrial workshop in Shanghai.
    上海市人民政府2005年10月31日公布
    Shanghai Municipal Government Issued on 31st Oct. 2005

  • The Realization:

    • October 31st, 2005.
    • HALLOWEEN.
    • The heritage building was officially designated by the Shanghai Municipal Government on Halloween 2005.
    • Exactly 4 years before they opened Shanghai Haunted House there in 2009.
    • This building was marked on Halloween years before they even knew it existed.
    • Before they met at the airport.
    • Before HauntCon 2009.
    • Before they even conceived of doing a haunted house in China.

  • The Synchronicity:

    • A 107-year-old building (built 1902).
    • Gets its official heritage protection on Halloween (October 31, 2005).
    • Four years later to the day, becomes home to Shanghai's first major haunted house.
    • Of all the dates the government could have issued the designation...
    • Of all the buildings they could have chosen for their haunt...
    • "A glitch in the matrix."

  • The Feeling:

    • This wasn't random.
    • This wasn't coincidence.
    • The building had been waiting for them.
    • They were exactly where they were supposed to be.
    • Field synchronicity — Jung's concept of meaningful coincidence.
    • The universe leaving breadcrumbs.

• Spring 2011 — TransWorld: The 10x Signal:

  • Came back to US for TransWorld 2011.

  • Because the lights worked so well:

    • Made $30K just at the tradeshow alone!
    • Compared to $3K at TransWorld 2010.
    • 10x growth in one year.

  • The Realization:

    • "We knew we were onto something."
    • The market was screaming for this product.
    • Haunters needed better lighting solutions.

  • The Gold Rush Pivot — Classic Silicon Valley Wisdom:

    • "Instead of digging for the gold in a gold rush..."
    • "...we wanted to make the axe and picks and jeans instead."
    • Don't compete in the red ocean of haunted house operations.
    • Make the tools for haunts.
    • Be the infrastructure provider, not the content operator.
    • Levi Strauss strategy applied to haunted attractions.

  • The Decision:

    • "We will make lighting tools for haunts."
    • Pivot from operators to suppliers.
    • Use their domain expertise to build better tools.

  • Revenue Trajectory:

    • 2010: $30K total year, $3K at TransWorld
    • 2011: $30K just at TransWorld, scaled up passing 6 figures that year
    • Signal of product-market fit achieved.

• Early 2011 — Move Back to US:

  • Moved back to United States early 2011.

  • After Shanghai haunt failure, time to regroup in familiar territory.

  • "We moved back to US early 2011."

  • Living with Parents — Garage Startup Mode:

    • "We lived with my parents" after returning.
    • Back to square one, but with a proven lighting product.
    • "We spent 3 years building the company."
    • "Moving out of my parents place from garage startup mode."
    • Classic Silicon Valley origin story, but in lighting for haunts.

  • 2011-2014 — Growing from 5 to 6 to 7 Figures:

    • "Growing from 5 to 6 figures and eventual 7 figure biz."
    • 2011: Broke 6 figures
    • 2014: Crossed $1M threshold
    • Each year doubling or more.
    • Haunters becoming repeat customers, word spreading.

• 2011-2014 — The Hard Lessons in Growth:

  • Early Mistakes in Hiring and Spending:

    • "Made a lot of early mistakes in hiring and misspending."
    • Brought on people too quickly.
    • Spent money without financial discipline.
    • No training in business finance — engineer running a business.

  • The Ego Problem:

    • "A lot of ego because I thought I was well-degreed and smart that I had the Midas touch."
    • Stanford + Berkeley credentials → overconfidence.
    • Thought education meant business would be easy.
    • "Had to learn the hard lesson that wasn't it."
    • Degrees don't build businesses. Execution does.

  • The Jerry Debt Crisis:

    • "We owed Jerry about $1.5 million in inventory at one point and kept spending."
    • Partner/supplier Jerry extending massive credit for inventory.
    • Building up debt faster than revenue could cover.
    • The scaling trap: growth masking financial reality.

  • No Financial Sense:

    • "I had no financial sense, never trained on that."
    • EECS and robotics training ≠ business finance training.
    • "Had to learn the hard way."
    • Mistakes as tuition for business education.

  • Borrowing from Family — Again:

    • "Had to borrow from my dad and use up a lot of family resources."
    • After they'd already seeded the Shanghai haunt.
    • Parents bailing him out repeatedly.
    • "I'm very thankful for them."

  • The Subconscious Pattern:

    • "But I felt maybe subconsciously my family felt my lack of their support as a child they wanted to make up for it."
    • Boarding school at age 4, separation trauma.
    • Parents working to advance careers while he was at boarding school.
    • "They never told me this but this is what I believe is happening on a subconscious level."
    • Parents overcompensating with financial support.

  • Always Getting His Way:

    • "I always tended to get my way."
    • Only child of intellectuals who suffered during Cultural Revolution.
    • Parents indulged him, couldn't say no.
    • This created dependency he didn't recognize until much later.

  • Can't Wean Off Parents:

    • "I think subconsciously I think my parents would always be there for me."
    • "So I couldn't wean myself off of my parents."
    • Safety net became a crutch.
    • Took bigger risks because downside was cushioned.
    • Delayed true financial discipline.

  • The Parenting Correction:

    • "I'm the opposite of this to my kids now."
    • "I don't want them to grow dependent on me because that was a liability for me."
    • Recognized the pattern, breaking the cycle.
    • Teaching Geo and Sierra self-sufficiency.
    • Love through empowerment, not rescue.

• Father's Career Journey — Dedicated Support:

  • Early in America (1990s-2000s):

    • Courier work — delivering packages
    • Food delivery — supporting family through whatever work available
    • Both parents working multiple jobs to establish themselves

  • Learning New Skills:

    • Learned SolidWorks (3D CAD software) — teaching himself technical skills in his 40s/50s
    • Became proficient enough to do mechanical drawings professionally

  • Professional Career:

    • Worked at Bryce doing mechanical drawings
    • Then Advanced Bionics — medical device company
    • Then Cogent Light — lighting technology company
    • "He did what he did professionally well" — quiet competence

  • Family Business:

    • Became business manager for family's acupuncture business
    • Named it "Ping's Acupuncture" (after his name 甘平)
    • Ran it for over 20 years
    • Eventually sold the business

  • Supporting Gantom (2010s-Present):

    • Helped manage Gantom's money
    • Wiring funds to Jerry in China for inventory/manufacturing
    • When Gantom owed massive debt (～$1.5M to Jerry):
      • Father put in his own investment to keep it alive
      • Risked personal finances to support son's business
      • "Very dedicated to supporting me and my family"

  • Financial Stewardship:

    • Sold life insurance for some time
    • "He's good with money"
    • Currently manages Quan's retirement portfolio
    • The irony: Because father managed money so well, Quan never had to learn it himself
    • "I still feel like I haven't weaned off of him and feel childlike"
    • Actively trying to ensure his kids (Geo and Sierra) learn money management

  • Pattern Recognition:

    • Father: Suffered in Cultural Revolution → supported son unconditionally
    • Quan: Received unconditional support → trying to teach kids self-sufficiency
    • Breaking generational patterns while honoring generational sacrifice

• Parents & PhD Expectations — Generational Geodesics:

  • Mom's Dream:

    • Always wanted Quan to get PhD
    • 知识分子 (intellectual) family — education as identity and status
    • Cultural Revolution took everything from intellectuals
    • PhD = redemption, security, honoring sacrifice

  • The Disappointment:

    • First: Not getting into MIT/Stanford/Caltech for undergrad
    • Second: Dropping PhD program at Stanford for Master's
    • Each time: deep disappointment from mom

  • The Evolution:

    • Eventually became OK once Quan proved he could be an entrepreneur
    • Revenue replaced credentials as validation
    • $1M+ businesses = alternative proof of success
    • Parents adapted their definition of success

  • Generational Geodesics:

    • "The more I see our family patterns, the more I think we follow generational geodesics"
    • Geodesic = shortest path through curved spacetime
    • Families follow curved paths through social space
    • Each generation's trajectory shaped by previous generation's trauma
    • Cultural Revolution → boarding school separation → entrepreneurial risk-taking → teaching self-sufficiency
    • Not random choices — following gravitational field lines through generations
    • Social Gravity operating at multi-generational scale

• ~2013 — Darklight → Gantom Rebrand:

  • The Name Problem:

    • Darklight was descriptive but limiting.
    • Already populated word with existing associations.
    • Needed something fresh, ownable, scalable.

  • The Rebrand Decision:

    • "We rebranded Darklight around 2013ish."
    • Took a few years to fully pivot the brand.
    • Changed website, marketing, all materials.

  • Why Gantom:

    • "Gantom was an empty fictitious word."
    • "We can populate it with anything we wanted and define it."
    • "Rather than use something that was already populated word and diluted."
    • Creating meaning instead of borrowing it.

  • Branding as Reification:

    • "I think branding is a reification."
    • Taking an abstract concept (quality lighting) and giving it a concrete name.
    • "And social mass accumulates through your customers and perception of the product and company."
    • Every customer interaction adds mass to the Gantom coordinate in social space.
    • Brand = accumulated attention and reputation.
    • This insight predates his formal Social Gravity theory by years.
    • Already thinking in these terms before he had the language.

• Joining EO — The Million Dollar Club:

  • Finally Hit $1M Revenue (~2014):

    • Crossed the EO threshold.
    • Could finally join the Million Dollar Club he'd heard about in 2009.

  • EO Impact on Worldview:

    • "When I got into EO it was like more practical than university."
    • Real businesses, real problems, real solutions.
    • "I felt like so many successful business owners that got to $1M without my pedigree."
    • They didn't have Stanford or Berkeley degrees.
    • Many didn't finish college.
    • Some dropped out of high school.
    • Yet they were MORE successful.

  • Questioning the Path:

    • "Made me question the path I took."
    • "Was it the only way? Obviously not."
    • All that education, all that grinding, all that "proving himself"...
    • And people with 1/10th the credentials were building bigger businesses.

  • Felt Over-Degreed:

    • "I felt over-degreed and less 'successful' compared to most in EO."
    • The ego hit: credentials don't equal results.
    • Formal education ≠ business success.
    • Experience and execution > degrees.
    • Humbling realization for someone who'd chased academic validation for decades.

• 2009 Season — Meeting the Million Dollar Club (Earlier Seed):

  • Business people came to visit the haunt during the 2009 season.
  • Told Quan about EO (Entrepreneurs' Organization).
  • They were all millionaires — the Million Dollar Club.
  • Their income requirement: $1M+ revenue.
  • Quan's income didn't reach it then.
  • But the seed was planted.
  • Now he knew what the next level looked like.

• Post-2010 Season — Closing Shanghai Haunted House:

  • After 2010 season ended, made the hard decision.

  • "We closed the haunt after the failure 2010 season."

  • Closed up and stored all haunt props.

  • Sold a lot of the props.

  • "Tried to go back to US and regroup and think next steps and that was Darklight."

  • The Reality:

    • Left China after 2+ years building something groundbreaking.
    • Shanghai Nightmare explosion in 2009 with that much social mass was something so elusive after that.
    • They had captured lightning in a bottle once.
    • Couldn't replicate the magic in 2010.
    • The regulatory and operational realities caught up with the vision.

  • The Pivot Decision:

    • "Originally we were gonna stay in China and grow there."
    • "But 2011 felt right to regroup in US and eventually we settled."
    • Sometimes retreat is the wisest advance.
    • Charlie never dreamed she'd marry a Chinese American and live in America.
    • "Charlie never would have dreamed to marry a Chinese American and live in America."
    • Life's surprises.
    • Created first haunted house in mainland China.
    • Won international awards.
    • But couldn't make it sustainable long-term.
    • Government uncertainty, competition, and market miscalculation made it untenable.
    • Time to pivot to the lighting business.

• Late 2010/Early 2011 — Discovering "The Secret":

  • Back in the US.

  • Watched "The Secret" for the first time.

  • The Revelation:

    • "I was manifesting THIS WHOLE TIME!"
    • All the synchronicities weren't accidents.
    • Meeting Charlie at the airport.
    • Finding the building with the October 31, 2005 plaque.
    • The viral walkthrough saving the haunt.
    • He'd been doing it unconsciously.

  • The Shift:

    • "Now it's time to do it with more intention."
    • From unconscious to conscious manifestation.
    • From reactive to proactive creation.
    • Engineering mindset applied to reality itself.

  • The $1 Million Intention:

    • Remembered the EO entrepreneurs from 2009 season.
    • The Million Dollar Club.
    • Got a fake $1,000,000 bill.
    • Taped it to the ceiling so he would see it when he woke up.
    • Daily visual reminder of the target.
    • Intentional manifestation practice.

  • The Result:

    • Not even more than a year later...
    • Darklight was doing more than $1M!
    • Manifestation worked.
    • Intentional creation confirmed.
    • From $3K at TransWorld 2010 → $30K at TransWorld 2011 → $1M+ revenue.
    • Hit the Million Dollar Club threshold.

  • Pattern Recognition:

    • The same force that pulled Charlie into his life.
    • The same force that led to the Halloween building.
    • The same force that turned disaster into success.
    • Now he was learning to wield it consciously.
    • Early seeds of what would become Social Gravity thesis.

• Late 2010/Early 2011 — The Garage Innovation Period:

  • Back in the United States.

  • Wanted to travel the US with Charlie to take a break after all the Shanghai stress.

  • Parents wouldn't agree.

  • The Garage Retreat:

    • Holed himself up in parents' house.
    • Used their garage as workshop.
    • Spent 3 months developing a breakthrough product.
    • Pattern repeating: when blocked, go deep into engineering.

  • The Innovation — World's Smallest RGB DMX LED Light:

    • Developing a tiny RGB DMX-driven LED light.

    • The world's smallest at the time.

    • Technical Deep Dive:

      • Did embedded development on PIC Microchip 12F1840.
      • Wrote the firmware from scratch.
      • Back to first principles engineering.
      • Stanford EECS + Berkeley robotics training fully applied.

    • Launched: Precision DMX light.

    • Revolutionary product for the haunted attraction industry.

    • Specialized, professional-grade, smallest form factor.

  • From Operator to Manufacturer:

    • From running haunted houses to building lighting systems.
    • From consumer-facing to B2B.
    • From China back to US.
    • From chaos to focus.
    • Engineering his way out of a hard situation.

• 2010 — First IAAPA Exhibit & Disney Synclink:

  • First IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions) exhibit showing Darklight lights.

  • Had a small booth among industry giants.

  • Greg Hale Finds Them:

    • Greg Hale — Disney's Chief Safety Officer (later became IAAPA Chairman).
    • Led a small Disney team through the exhibit floor.
    • Found their small booth among hundreds.
    • Asked them to work on an IR (infrared) project.

  • Disney Synclink Partnership:

    • Became a Disney Synclink licensee (disneysynclink.com).
    • Made tiny IR emitters for Disney's proprietary system.
    • Worked with Disney team to develop custom firmware.
    • Challenge: Make IR pulse invisible serial signals instead of light.
    • Deep technical work at intersection of lighting and data transmission.

  • Becoming an IR Expert:

    • "Doing this made me dive into IR transmission."
    • "Over the years I've become an expert in this type of work."
    • Mastery through client work, like Stanford robotics lab or MFI at Berkeley.
    • Building domain expertise that would later enable new products.

  • Cosmic Synchronicity — Again:

    • "I find it very improbable but also I'm grateful..."
    • "...that of all the people, somehow we attracted Greg Hale and team to find us."
    • "Is this cosmic or what?"
    • Tiny booth at massive trade show.
    • Disney's Chief Safety Officer (future IAAPA Chairman) walks the floor.
    • Finds THEM among hundreds of exhibitors.
    • Opens doors to Disney partnership.
    • Introduces Joel Carter → BlinkFX experiments → Gantom Torch.
    • Same pattern as:
      • Meeting Charlie at SFO airport
      • Finding the October 31, 2005 Halloween building
      • Bob Cassilly (who never bought from anyone) buying everything
      • The viral walkthrough saving the haunt
    • Field synchronicity: Right people finding you at right time.
    • Not luck — resonance, energy signature, gravitational pull.
    • Universe arranging encounters that seem improbable but feel inevitable.
    • Early evidence for what would become Social Gravity thesis.

• 2011-2014 — Darklight/Gantom Growth & Theme Park Discovery:

  • Darklight started branching out to theme parks.

  • Unintentionally made lights for a larger market.

  • TEA Asia Pacific Board Member (June 2013 - October 2014):

    • Served on Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) as Asia Pacific Board Member.
    • Mission: Establish TEA presence in Asia with goal of fostering responsible, safe, and successful development of themed attractions.
    • Leveraging his unique position: Shanghai haunted house experience + Gantom industry connections.
    • Building bridges between Western themed entertainment expertise and Asian market.
    • Giving back to the industry that helped him succeed.

  • Living Situation Progression (2011-2014):

    • 2011-~2014: "We lived with my parents until we moved to apartment in town center."
    • After apartment: "Until Geo was born and then we were already 31."
    • Building Gantom from parents' garage → own apartment → planning for family.

  • December 6, 2014 — Geo is Born:

    • First child: Geo Gan born.
    • Quan and Charlie were 31.
    • Strategic timing — waited until after 30:
      • "I wanted to hold off from having kids until after 30."
      • "Reading some books about statistically more successful kids if first born after 30 because parents have life trajectories set."
      • Quantitative approach to life planning.
      • Wanted career and business stabilized before children.
      • By 31: Gantom profitable, EO member, life trajectory established.
    • Building business while becoming a father.
    • Family and company growing in parallel.

  • Post-Geo: Apartment → Ranch:

    • "We moved from apartment to 2.5 acre ranch, big change."
    • Major lifestyle shift after Geo's birth.
    • From town center apartment → rural 2.5 acre property.
    • Setting up for the life they envisioned: homeschool, self-sufficiency, space.

  • Geo's Birth — Questioning Mainstream:

    • Charlie decided to give birth at local birth center instead of hospital.

    • All Quan knew was hospital births at the time.

    • "I thought she was crazy."

    • The Influence:

      • Charlie influenced by coworker Andrea years ago at Intel.
      • Andrea told her about midwifery and home birth.
      • Alternative birthing practices.

    • The Documentary:

      • Quan thought Charlie was crazy but open enough to check out the documentary.
      • "The Business of Being Born" — examining medicalization of childbirth.
      • Made him question what he accepted as standard.

    • The Awakening Question:

      • "Well, what else did I accept as standard that I need to now question?"
      • Beginning of critical thinking about mainstream narratives.
      • Not just accepting "how things are done."
      • Engineer applying first principles to life choices.

    • Pattern Emerging:

      • "This was the beginning of us looking for our own answers..."
      • "...beyond what mainstream presents us."
      • Foundation for future explorations.
      • Openness to alternative approaches.
      • Questioning authority, finding own path.

• 2014-2015 — The Aquaponics Awakening: Taste Memory & The Search for Land:

  • In the apartment, started aquaponics garden as fun project.

    • Growing tomatoes in small apartment space.
    • Experimenting with food production.

  • The Taste That Changed Everything:

    • First time tasting his own grown tomatoes.
    • The taste brought him back to childhood in China.
    • Taste he had forgotten about.
    • "THIS is what a real tomato is!"

  • The Realization:

    • "What have I been eating in America from grocery store or in my burger?"
    • Grocery store produce = optimized for shelf life, not flavor.
    • Fast food tomatoes = nothing like real food.
    • The taste of real tomato from tomato and egg in China as a child came back.
    • Sensory memory unlocking truth about food system.

  • The Decision:

    • "I knew we needed land to grow our own food."
    • "Not just take what's from the market."
    • Another questioning of mainstream: industrial food system.
    • Self-sufficiency through growing real food.
    • Reclaiming childhood taste, childhood connection to food.

  • Deepening Understanding — "Tomatoland":

    • Met a farmer on a plane — another synchronistic encounter.
    • Farmer recommended the book "Tomatoland" (exposé on industrial tomato farming).
    • Read it.
    • "Shocking what it revealed about the US food system."
    • Not just taste difference — systemic corruption.
    • Industrial agriculture optimized for profit, not nutrition or ethics.
    • From sensory awakening (taste) to intellectual understanding (systems).
    • Engineer's mind: First principles thinking applied to food.

  • Pattern:

    • Birth center → questioning medical system.
    • Aquaponics tomato → questioning food system.
    • Each awakening leading to next level of sovereignty.
    • Each awakening: personal experience + intellectual understanding = action.

• 2015 — The Castaic Ranch: FPV Drones Lead to Dream Property:

  • A few months after Geo was born:

    • Bought house in Castaic.
    • Moved from 1 bedroom apartment in Valencia Town Center to ranch with 2.5 acres!
    • Massive upgrade in space and lifestyle.

  • The Reason They Were Looking for Land:

    • Aquaponics tomato awakening → need for food growing space.
    • Charlie's food forest vision.
    • Building resilience and self-sufficiency.

  • How They Found It:

    • Quan tried to get into FPV initially at the apartment.
    • Janky and fragile equipment back then — drones were easy to break.
    • Needed a lot of space to practice.
    • Looked on Google Maps for where locally in Santa Clarita there was space to fly.
    • Happened to see Hasley Canyon a few miles away.
    • Didn't realize there were houses there — they were looking for homes mostly in tract neighborhoods.
    • Found their dream property:
      • Not so much house but LOTS of land.
      • 2.5 acres to explore, build, experiment, grow REAL tomatoes.

  • Charlie's Vision:

    • Charlie wanted to grow a food forest.
    • Permaculture, sustainability, self-sufficiency.
    • Creating abundance from land.
    • Building resilience.

  • Another Synchronicity:

    • FPV hobby → search for flying space → discovering Hasley Canyon → dream property.
    • Technology interest leading to life transformation.
    • Pattern: Following curiosity opens unexpected doors.

  • 2014: Breakthrough Year

    • Broke $1 million in revenue!
    • The manifestation from the fake $1M bill worked.
    • From $3K at TransWorld 2010 → $1M+ business in 4 years.
    • Hit the Million Dollar Club threshold.
    • New father, millionaire entrepreneur, domain expert.

  • The Insight — Walk-Through Theater:

    • "A haunt is a walk-through theater but closer, smaller quarters."
    • Theater comes from Broadway → most theatrical lights are larger.
    • Created a compact light by removing DMX dip switches and physical UI.
    • Externalized controls to a programmer.
    • This allowed products to get tucked into nooks and crannies of immersive productions.
    • Accidental innovation: solving haunt problems created theme park solution.

  • The Long-Term Trend Analysis:

    • Better home entertainment (video games, VR) = rising sea level for in-person experiences.
    • Can't just sit in a bucket and look around anymore like old Haunted Mansion.
    • You need to be FULLY in the story.
    • Gantom lights small enough to maintain suspension of disbelief in highly immersive next-gen experiences.
    • Invisible infrastructure enabling emotional transportation.

• 2015 — Joining EO (Entrepreneurs' Organization) & Meeting Stan Liu:

  • Finally got into EO LA — the Million Dollar Club.

  • The same organization he learned about in 2009 when those entrepreneurs visited the Shanghai haunt.

  • 6 years from hearing about it to qualifying for it.

  • Manifestation complete: From $0 revenue → $1M+ → EO member.

  • The fake $1M bill on the ceiling had done its job.

  • Now surrounded by other millionaire entrepreneurs.

  • New peer group, new level of business thinking.

  • Meeting Stan Liu:

    • Both joined EO LA around same time.
    • Met at Global Leadership Conference in Germany.
    • Connection through EO network.

  • EO LA Board — Mentorship Chair:

    • Jumped on opportunity to join EO LA board.
    • Role: Mentorship Chair.
    • Giving back to the community that elevated him.
    • Learning leadership through service.

• Mid-2010s — The Darklight → Gantom Rebrand:

  • Problem with "Darklight":

    • Descriptive name couldn't be trademarked.
    • Search term was diluted — too generic.
    • Needed a distinctive brand identity.

  • The Name Generation Process:

    • Used computer to create permutations of letters.

    • Requirements:

      1. Pronounceable
      2. Short
      3. Had .com available
      4. Could invent from scratch — like Coca-Cola or Kleenex where brand becomes the thing.

    • Selected: GANTOM

      • Gan = Quan's last name
      • Rhymed with Phantom — perfect for haunted attraction heritage
      • Met all technical requirements
      • Could own it completely

  • The Transition:

    • Took a few years to pivot from Darklight to Gantom.
    • Gradual rebrand while maintaining customer relationships.
    • Started focusing on theme parks as primary market.
    • From niche haunted house supplier to theme park industry infrastructure provider.

• Gantom Patents — Technical Innovation:

  • Developed and patented multiple innovations for programmable lighting systems:
    1. "Control system with user interface for lighting fixtures" — Interface design for programmable lights.
    2. "System and Method for Communicating with and for Controlling of Programmable Apparatuses" — Communication protocols for networked lighting control.
    3. "System and method of control of a programmable lighting fixture with embedded memory" — Embedded systems for intelligent lighting.
  • Patents reflect core technical innovations that made Gantom products unique in themed entertainment.
  • Engineering rigor applied to solve real-world problems in immersive experiences.

• Early-Mid 2010s — BlinkFX & LED Wearables Exploration:

  • Greg Hale introduction: Connected Quan with Joel Carter.

  • Joel Carter: Former RadioShack marketing executive.

    • Left RadioShack to create BlinkFX — LED wearables for concerts.
    • Concept: Wristbands that light up synchronized to music at concerts.
    • Early days of Coldplay-style concert lighting with audience participation.

  • Working Together:

    • Joel and Quan collaborated on various ideas.
    • Goal: Do it using IR at large scale.
    • Had working product — technically functional.
    • "Never really went anywhere over long run."
    • Market wasn't ready or product-market fit wasn't there yet.

  • Pivot to Haunts:

    • Extended the concept to haunted attractions.
    • Insight: Haunts have large audiences outside venue in the queue.
    • "Maybe they would like color..."
    • Trying to give queuing guests interactive colored lights.

  • The Learning:

    • "Later on I realized this was tech looking for a problem to solve."
    • "Not the way to go about it."
    • Classic startup mistake: building solution before validating problem.
    • But the "failure" led to breakthrough...

• Gantom Torch — From Failed Concept to Thea Award Winner:

  • The Pivot During Testing:

    • While testing IR-controlled RGB lights for queue entertainment...
    • Realization: "We can easily change the IR-controlled RGB light into a flashlight!"
    • Simple technical modification, completely different use case.

  • The Product:

    • Gantom Torch: Guest-held flashlight controlled by venue via IR.
    • Concept: Guest walks through haunt with flashlight they control.
    • Twist: Gantom would control it to shut off right before a scare.
    • Interactive element enhancing suspense and surprise.
    • Guest holds light source → feels in control → control taken away = heightened scare.

  • Market Response:

    • Halloween guests LOVED it.
    • Perfect product-market fit in haunted attractions.
    • Solved real problem: guests wanted more interactivity and control.

  • Industry Recognition:

    • Won a Thea Award — themed entertainment industry's highest honor (Thea Recipient).
    • Won IAAPA Brass Ring — International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions' award for innovation.
    • Members Choice Award — recognition from industry peers.
    • From "tech looking for a problem" → award-winning innovation.
    • Validation through industry recognition and peer acknowledgment.

  • Pattern:

    • IR expertise from Disney Synclink (2010).
    • Failed LED wearable experiments (BlinkFX).
    • Pivot during testing led to breakthrough product.
    • Accidental innovation through iteration and domain expertise.
    • This process would later inform ZTAG development.

• ~2015-2016 — ZTAG Concept Emerges:

  • Wanted to extend Gantom Torch beyond one-directional venue-to-guest control.

  • Todd James from Cutting Edge Haunted House mentioned something about "guest-on-guest interaction."

  • "I think I had the tech to do it."

  • IR expertise + wearable experience = guest-to-guest interactions.

  • The Team:

    • Worked with Joel Carter (BlinkFX) and his friend Greg Needel.
    • Both were part of VEX Robotics at some point but had left.
    • Bringing together hardware, firmware, and experience design expertise.

• 2016 — Shenzhen Trip: Birth of ZTAG:

  • First trip to Shenzhen with Joel and Greg.

  • In a hotel room, working out the concept.

  • Designing the state machine for zombie tag.

  • Engineering the interaction logic: infection, healing, reinfection.

  • Domain Name Acquisition:

    • Liked the idea immediately.
    • Bought ztag.com using private email.
    • Initial ask: $20K for the 4-letter domain.
    • Haggled it down to $4,000.
    • "I knew eventually this 4-letter domain is gonna be worth something big!"
    • Wanted something pronounceable and short — like Gantom.
    • But potentially much larger scale impact.
    • Strategic thinking: own the brand from day one.

• Summer 2016 — ZTAG Product Launch:

  • ZTAG officially launched as a product — summer 2016.

  • First customers starting to use ZTAG systems.

  • Transition from prototype/concept to commercial product.

  • Started developing ZTAG hardware and game mechanics for scale.

  • Origin Story — Extension of Gantom Torch:

    • "ZTAG was an idea from Halloween, extension of the Gantom Torch."
    • Gantom Torch: venue-controlled flashlight for guests.
    • Wanted to extend beyond one-directional venue-to-guest control.
    • Make it bidirectional: guests can interact with each other through the tech.

  • The Scavenger Hunt Concept:

    • "Originally a fun scavenger hunt idea at fan convention called ScareLA."
    • ScareLA: fan convention for horror/haunt enthusiasts.
    • Interactive game using wearable badges.
    • Blend of physical play and technology.

  • First Trial: ScareLA:

    • Testing concept at ScareLA convention as an activation.
    • Testing concept in real-world environment.
    • Early iteration of interactive wearable play concept.

  • The Branding Challenge:

    • "I tried to leverage my Gantom customers to introduce ZTAG."
    • Makes sense: existing customer base, existing trust, existing distribution.

  • The Perception Problem:

    • "But I realized once people had a perception of Gantom, ZTAG gets dismissed."
    • "Because they come to the booth thinking it's related to lighting."
    • Gantom = lighting in customers' minds.
    • ZTAG = wearable play tech, completely different category.
    • Cognitive dissonance: "Why is a lighting company selling interactive badges?"

  • The Decoupling Decision:

    • "I had to completely decouple and create a new brand in order to establish it."
    • Can't piggyback on Gantom's social mass.
    • Gantom's gravity well actually PREVENTS ZTAG from escaping.
    • Need separate identity, separate social mass, separate trajectory.
    • Classic business lesson: brand dilution vs. focused positioning.

  • Business Owner Realization:

    • "As a business owner now, I realized the product is only like 5 percent of the business."
    • "Everything else is about the humans that connect with it from employees to customers."
    • Engineering mindset initially: product = everything.
    • Business reality: relationships = everything.
    • Product gets you in the door. Humans build the business.
    • Social mass = accumulated human attention and relationships.
    • This insight already pointing toward Social Gravity theory years before formalization.

• 2017 — Phoenix Comicon: Logan's Story & The Inception Moment:

  • Phoenix Comicon (now called Phoenix Fan Fusion).

  • Over 100K visitors over 4 days.

  • Set up room playing zombie laser tag.

  • Trying to get people interested, testing product-market fit.

  • The ZTAG Badge:

    • Trying to sell badges as souvenirs.
    • Light-up pin showing green or red light.
    • Cost: $2-3 to make — bare PCB with LED, PIC microcontroller, 2 CR2032 batteries on back.
    • Simple but effective.
    • Discovery: "A dumb blinking light can really get people immersed and playing."**
    • Gamifying behavior through minimal tech.

  • Logan — The Boy Who Changed Everything:

    • 9-year-old boy at the convention.
    • Played for 4 days non-stop.
    • Always in and out of the game room.
    • Only left for bathroom breaks.
    • Recruited people from the hall for ZTAG.
    • He was a hero — became unofficial ambassador.

  • The Last Day:

    • Logan's dad came to thank Quan.
    • Quan: "I should be thanking you! Your kid is the poster child of this game!"
    • Dad's revelation:
      • "Logan wasn't like this prior to playing ZTAG."
      • "He is actually very shy."
      • "Gets bullied at school so bad they pulled him out of school."
      • "But ZTAG brought him out of his shell."
      • "He was thriving."
      • "It transformed my boy!"

  • The Moment That Changed Quan's Life:

    • "When I heard that, it struck me like a truck."
    • "I didn't realize until then this simple game was able to make such a profound change on someone."
    • THAT was my inception moment for ZTAG.

  • The Transformation:

    • From: Gantom-supported novelty product.
    • To: "A new business venture that I would dedicate the rest of my life to."
    • No longer about entertainment — about transformation.
    • No longer about revenue — about impact.

  • The Father's Realization:

    • "As a new father, I knew where our kids are headed with screen tech."
    • Black Mirror — dystopian future of technology addiction.
    • Ready Player One — escaping reality into virtual worlds.
    • "But ZTAG was the solution."
    • Physical play, real social connection, embodied experience.
    • Technology amplifying human connection instead of replacing it.
    • "And Logan pointed me in that direction."

  • The Full Circle:

    • "I realized inadvertently I had created something that solved my own lack of community growing up."
    • Valencia High School — pacing around campus during breaks because he had no one.
    • "I liked video games..."
    • "...and here, like 20 years later, I built a real-world video game..."
    • "...that fulfilled my own inner child's unmet needs."

  • Pattern Recognition:

    • Your suffering becomes your medicine.
    • Your wound becomes your gift.
    • The lonely kid builds the community platform.
    • The bullied kid creates the transformation tool.
    • Solving for your younger self = solving for the world.
    • Logan was a mirror showing Quan his own story.
    • Synchronicity: The exact child who needed it most found it first.

  • Finding Purpose:

    • "Up to that point, I was searching for purpose."
    • "And at that moment, I knew my purpose."
    • "It found me through Logan's story."
    • Purpose doesn't come from seeking — it emerges from service.

  • The Throughline Revealed:

    • "I realized all of the experiences I had up to this point..."

    • "...was all about face-to-face connection."

    • Shanghai Haunted House: Scaring someone in person, watching their eyes widen, their body react.

    • Gantom: Enhancing in-person experiences through invisible lighting infrastructure.

    • ZTAG: Using tech to bring people physically together, sharing immersive experience.

    • The Pattern:

      • "It's always using tech to bring people physically together..."
      • "...and share an immersive experience."
      • Not technology that isolates.
      • Not screens that separate.
      • Technology that creates embodied, social, physical presence.
      • Tech as amplifier of humanity, not replacement.

  • Life's Work Crystallized:

    • From haunted house to theme parks to wearable games.
    • From Beijing boarding school loneliness to building connection platforms.
    • From lonely high school kid pacing campus to creating real-world video games.
    • Every step was preparation.
    • Every skill acquired had a purpose.
    • The engineer who became an experience designer who became a social architect.
    • Mission clear: Use technology to enhance human connection at scale.

  • The Master Plan — From First Principles:

    • "Even since the very beginning of ZTAG, I knew how huge it would be."
    • From first principles: Always wanted to be at intersection of sports and entertainment.
    • But looked at what it takes to become a major sport:
      • "You need to get into education. This was a prereq."
      • Sports that scale globally go through schools.
      • Basketball, soccer, baseball — all in PE curriculum.
    • Was thinking about education from the start.
    • But zombie tag element wasn't educational enough.
    • Needed the right product before education pivot could work.
    • Not a COVID reaction — a first-principles long game finally becoming executable.

• 2017 — Stan Liu's Crisis & The Partnership Forms:

  • A few months after mentorship chair role started:

    • Found out Stan got kicked out of his previous business: Baby Appleseed (baby furniture company).
    • Stan was floundering.
    • Built his family life on this business — now losing everything.
    • Looking for any lifeline.

  • Quan's Realization:

    • Just starting to learn from EO about EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) and other business best practices.
    • "If I wanted ZTAG to go big, I needed a partner."
    • Charlie was now a full-time mom looking over the kids (Geo 3, Sierra not born yet).
    • Gantom needed him, ZTAG needed him, family needed him.
    • Needed a business partner to scale ZTAG mission.

  • The Offer:

    • Reached out to Stan.
    • Set MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) to work together to get ZTAG off the ground.
    • Timing: Right after Logan's story crystallized the mission.
    • Stan needed purpose, Quan needed partner.
    • Another synchronicity: Right person, right time, mutual need.

  • VC Attempts:

    • Tried to pitch idea to VCs.
    • Never got anywhere.
    • Would have to bootstrap and build organically.
    • Mission-driven, not VC-backed.

  • The Partnership:

    • Stan brings: Business operations, scaling experience, desperation turned into dedication.
    • Quan brings: Product vision, technical expertise, mission clarity.
    • Both bring: EO training, founder mindset, willingness to rebuild.
    • Mutual rescue: Quan gave Stan purpose, Stan gave Quan leverage.

• S.T.R.E.A.M. Global Innovations Board Member (August 2017 - November 2023):

  • Served on board of S.T.R.E.A.M. Global Innovations in Santa Clarita.
  • Mission: Guiding the organization on growth and making key introductions.
  • S.T.R.E.A.M. = Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics.
  • Educational organization aligned with his emerging vision for ZTAG and physical play for kids.
  • Leveraging his network and expertise to support youth education and development.
  • 6+ years of service contributing to educational innovation in his community.

• ~2017 — City Museum: The COVID Simulation:

  • Event at City Museum during TransWorld Halloween show.

  • 600 people playing zombie scavenger hunt.

  • Up and down the entire building.

  • The Game Mechanics:

    • Initially only 2 zombies starting in corner of ballroom.
    • Rest of players were "human."
    • Zombies could "infect" humans via proximity (IR transmission).
    • Health box could heal infected players.

  • The Reality:

    • By the end of 10 minutes:
      • Everyone up and down the entire building was infected red.
      • Exponential viral spread through physical space.
    • Health box problem:
      • Would heal players...
      • But immediately they'd get reinfected by stray IR signals.
      • Couldn't escape the infection field.
      • Healing was temporary, reinfection inevitable.

  • The Prophetic Realization:

    • "Little did we know we basically simulated COVID 4 years before it happened."
    • 2017 simulation of viral spread dynamics.
    • 2020: COVID-19 pandemic with same patterns:
      • Exponential spread from small initial infections
      • Inability to contain once critical mass reached
      • Reinfection after recovery
      • Entire populations affected rapidly
    • They had modeled pandemic dynamics through game design.
    • Systems thinking applied to human interaction → accidentally predicted global event.
    • Another synchronicity: Building tools that foreshadow future reality.

• ~2003 — End of Freshman Year Berkeley: First Back Injury:

  • Ran across the Golden Gate Bridge with Alice.
  • Next day couldn't even get out of bed.
  • Checked with doctor: Herniated discs.
  • At such a young age — shocking diagnosis.
  • Running wouldn't cause it — must be pre-existing condition.
  • Theory: Maybe childhood car accident manifesting years later?
  • First episode of what would become chronic condition.

• 2003-2018 — Back Pain Progression:

  • Every time spasm occurred: Out of movement for week or two.
  • Very painful and annoying.
  • Frequency accelerating over time:
    • First few years: Every few years
    • Then: Every year
    • Then: Every few months
    • Eventually: A sneeze could throw out his back
  • "Just something I was learning to live with."
  • "But I was truly getting tired of it."
  • Pattern: condition worsening, attacks more frequent.
  • 15+ years of recurring back spasms and immobility.

• May 1, 2018 — Sierra is Born:

  • Second child: Sierra Gan born.

  • Geo now 3.5 years old.

  • Family of four while running two companies (Gantom + ZTAG).

  • The Contrast — Emotional Disconnection:

    • Right in the middle of challenging business times for both Gantom and ZTAG.
    • "I was pretty numb at her birth."
    • Didn't have an emotional connection then.
    • Felt guilty about that — so consumed by business, trying to get through it all.

  • Geo vs. Sierra:

    • For Geo (2014): First words were "It's an honor to be your father."
      • Deep spiritual connection from the start.
      • "I somehow feel that even then maybe time isn't linear like we think."
      • "That we have already connected in another dimension and this is just playing it out."
      • Felt destiny and recognition.
    • For Sierra (2018): Emotionally numb, business-consumed, disconnected.
      • Guilt over lack of presence.
      • Pattern: When business stress peaks, personal connection suffers.

  • Building businesses and building family in parallel — but not always in balance.

  • The cost of entrepreneurship on family presence becoming visible.

• Late 2018/Early 2019 — Meeting Grandmaster Qin: The Beginning of Tension:

  • After Sierra was born, Charlie was recovering.

    • Felt her body wasn't healthy anymore.
    • Postpartum challenges, energy depletion.
    • Looking for healing.
    • Two kids, business partner husband always working, body exhausted.

  • Charlie and Quan growing distant:

    • She was taking care of kids.
    • He was focused on the businesses.
    • Different worlds, different energies.

  • Charlie's Spiritual Yearning:

    • Charlie was already kind of spiritual.
    • Seeking something deeper.
    • Looking for meaning beyond business and motherhood.

  • Quan's Fear:

    • "I didn't want to lose her."
    • Saw her pulling away into spiritual seeking.
    • Felt the distance growing.

  • Following Her:

    • "So I followed her to a talk with Grandmaster Qin."
    • Not for himself — to stay connected to her.
    • Supporting her journey even if he didn't understand it.

  • The Moment That Shocked Him:

    • Right after the talk:
      • "I saw Charlie kneel in front of GM."
      • "And wanted to be her student."
    • "At that instant I was so shocked."
    • "I thought I lost my wife there."
    • She had committed to someone else's teaching.
    • Surrendered to a master.
    • Quan felt her slipping away.

  • The Decision:

    • "But I've always been there to support her."
    • "So I also signed up to understand more."
    • Not out of belief — out of love.
    • To stay connected to her, had to enter her world.
    • "This was the beginning of my tension."

  • The Core Conflict:

    • "Up to meeting GM, no one else in my life would tell me what to do."
    • "I had no boss."
    • "I drove everything in my life."
    • Quit Intel to be autonomous.
    • Rejected gaming company offer to be independent.
    • Built businesses on his terms.
    • Complete self-determination for 10+ years.
    • Now meeting someone who would challenge that.
    • A teacher, an authority, someone who might tell him what to do.
    • Ego meeting spiritual discipline.

• Late 2018 — ZTAG Hardware Evolution: The Strategic Pivot:

  • Realization: Badge form factor wasn't going to cut it.

  • Needed something more interactive — looking at watch form factor.

  • More engaging, more data, more capabilities.

  • The Research:

    • Looking to prototype out a watch.
    • Researching chipsets: ESP32 vs Nordic.
    • First time looking beyond PIC microcontrollers.
    • After years of PIC expertise (Disney Synclink, Gantom products, early ZTAG badges).
    • Both ESP32 and Nordic had wireless chips built in.
    • "I knew I needed wireless comms to control large groups together."
    • Scalability through wireless coordination.

  • The Discovery — M5Stack:

    • Friend in Shenzhen told him about M5Stack.com.
    • Small startup partly invested in by Espressif (makers of ESP32).
    • Making "almost ready modules" — could easily prototype on them.
    • Modular development boards for rapid prototyping.

  • The Strategic Shift:

    • Approached M5Stack and started using their products.

    • Developed first version early 2019.

    • The Realization:

      • "When I found M5, I instantly shifted..."
      • "...from a hardware company to a mostly software company."
      • "I don't have to design the PCB."
      • "They already designed it for many other general use cases."
      • "It got me 80% of the way there with this initial hardware."

    • Leverage Through OEM:

      • Focus on software, user experience, and game mechanics.
      • Let hardware experts handle hardware.
      • "That was the beginning of my relationship with our OEM."
      • M5Stack became ZTAG's hardware partner.

  • The Impact:

    • From months designing PCBs to weeks developing software.
    • From hardware bottleneck to rapid iteration.
    • From capital-intensive to software-scalable.
    • Classic pivot: Build on existing infrastructure rather than reinventing.
    • Same lesson as Gantom — focus on core competency, partner for rest.
    • Engineer's wisdom: Know when NOT to engineer from scratch.

• 2019 — Development Struggles & Partnership Friction:

  • Came back from China very motivated and started coding.

  • Felt Stan wasn't pulling his weight.

    • Kept it inside.
    • Realized: Business wasn't anywhere at scale yet.
    • Stan was "operations" but there wasn't much to operate yet.
    • Early-stage tension between product development and business development.

  • Market Pivot — Leaving Halloween:

    • Stan didn't think the haunt market was their thing.
    • Him being older, Quan assumed wiser.
    • Eventually left the Halloween market.
    • Focused on IAAPA instead — laser tag, mobile operators, family entertainment centers (FECs).
    • Strategic decision based on partner's conviction.
    • Moving away from Quan's roots (haunted attractions) to broader market.

  • Sales Without Traction:

    • Sold some units to FECs and laser tag venues.
    • Never really got traction and repeatability.
    • One-off sales, not recurring revenue.
    • No clear product-market fit yet.

  • Product Reliability Issues:

    • Early products had issues — breaking, not reliable.
    • Customers used product much harsher than Core1 M5Stack was intended for.
    • Kids in FECs are rough on equipment.
    • Real-world field testing revealed weaknesses.

  • Hardening M5Stack:

    • Field testing and requirements really helped harden M5Stack's lineage of future core models.
    • ZTAG's use case pushing M5Stack to improve durability.
    • Partnership becoming symbiotic — they improve product for ZTAG, product improves for everyone.

• 2019-2020 — Solo Development & ZUES Command Center:

  • Up to 2020, Quan was coding himself.

  • "I don't have a programmer's background."

  • "I wasn't full stack."

  • "I was very slow."

  • Hardware engineer learning software at scale — difficult transition.

  • The ZUES Command Center:

    • Got M5 to make initial version of code and take it to production.
    • Needed a command center (ZUES) to control many devices.
    • Rather than all devices being separate.
    • They all needed to dock together as well.
    • Central control system for coordinating gameplay across multiple wearables.
    • Look it up: ztag.com/ZUES

  • Jimmy's Support:

    • Jimmy (owner of M5Stack) helped design initial prototypes.
    • With the resources available at the time.
    • OEM partner becoming co-developer.
    • Collaboration deepening beyond just manufacturing.

• 2019-2020 — Early Customer Success & Heartbreak:

  • Started selling to larger customers like KidsQuest.

    • Children's museum/play spaces.
    • Bought one ZUES for each center.
    • Kids LOVED it.
    • Supported them with early buy-in.
    • Validation of the experience — when it worked, it transformed play.

  • The Problem:

    • Many of those products eventually broke.
    • Reliability still not there.
    • Early adopters suffering through beta experience.
    • Trust being tested.

  • The Moment of Hope:

    • Just when thinking ZTAG would start gaining traction...
    • Product improving, customers excited, kids engaged.
    • Revenue growing, repeatability emerging.
    • Finally seemed like it might work.

  • March 2020 — The World Shuts Down:

    • COVID-19 pandemic.
    • Entire entertainment industry shut down overnight.
    • Laser tag centers closed.
    • FECs closed.
    • KidsQuest closed.
    • All ZTAG customers gone in an instant.
    • Perfect timing for disaster.
    • Years of work, right when gaining traction, wiped out by global pandemic.

• February 2020 — Grandmaster Qin Visits Home: The Retreat:

  • GM visited their home right when COVID was starting.

  • February, before everything shut down.

  • Had a retreat there with Charlie, Quan, and other students.

  • The Cultural Collision:

    • First time in adult life having to submit to anyone.
    • In filial piety raised in China, you respect your elders.
    • But this forced his Western and Eastern brain to superimpose 2 conflicting realities.
    • "Total mind fuck."
    • Felt railroaded, coerced, gaslighted, but conflicted because it fell within "respect your elders" framework.
    • Couldn't fully resist because cultural respect was the wrapper.
    • Couldn't fully accept because autonomy was core identity.

  • The Tension Intensifies:

    • "This was always tension."
    • In his own home, with his family, meeting spiritual authority.
    • GM's presence challenging Quan's control of his domain.
    • Having to be student in his own house.

  • The Pattern:

    • No boss at Intel (quit to be free).
    • No corporate overlords (rejected offers).
    • No investors controlling direction (bootstrapped businesses).
    • Complete autonomy for over a decade.
    • Now: A spiritual teacher in his home, potentially telling him what to do.

  • The Conflict:

    • Engineer's mind vs spiritual practice.
    • Self-made man vs surrender to teaching.
    • Control vs letting go.
    • Ego (所知障 - knowledge obstruction) vs humility.
    • Following for love, resisting from pride.
    • Western autonomy vs Eastern filial piety.

  • The Manipulation Pattern:

    • GM would ask for opinions.
    • Quan would give opinions from personal experience and background.
    • Those opinions later became fuel to be thrown back at him.
    • Education became a hindrance - weaponized against him.
    • GM would say: "people like me, highly educated, are the worst to change their minds."
    • Classic manipulation: ask for input, then use that input as weapon.
    • Identity attack: his education (Berkeley, engineering background) used to prove he's resistant to change.
    • Circular trap: if he speaks from experience, it proves he's stuck in old patterns; if he stays silent, he's not participating.
    • Can't win: speak = weaponized, stay silent = not engaged.

  • Physical Erasure and Space Takeover:

    • All personal wall portraits and hanging memorabilia had to be removed.
    • Replaced with posters of GM, her content, and awards all around the house.
    • For the retreat to create the "field" or "场" (chǎng).
    • Not just verbal manipulation - physical erasure of identity in his own home.
    • His space, his domain, transformed into her space.
    • Personal artifacts removed, her imagery installed.
    • The "Field" (场 chǎng) as Social Mass:
      • Quan starting to understand: social mass.
      • The belief of the effect also supports the effect.
      • Placebo or nocebo.
      • The field is real because people believe it's real.
      • Social gravity concept: collective belief creates curvature in social space.
      • The posters and awards aren't just decoration - they're field generators.
      • Belief creates the effect, effect reinforces belief (feedback loop).

  • The 108-Day Bigu (避谷) Trap:

    • After initial 4-day retreat, 108-day Bigu program.
    • Didn't know he signed up for it.
    • By the time he was doing it, shame kept him in.
    • To show commitment, GM basically shamed him into doing it.
    • Became extremely thin: 25 pounds lighter, 115 lbs at lightest.
    • Extreme weight loss - potentially dangerous.
    • Classic trap: commitment escalation, sunk cost, shame as control mechanism.
    • Once you're in, leaving = failure, staying = compliance.

  • The Indian Couple Incident:

    • Other people he didn't know came to the house for retreat.
    • Indian couple, overweight.
    • GM would talk about them in Chinese in rude ways (would be rude to translate).
    • Very opinionated, no social construct of courtesy.
    • Explained in "Power vs Force" - supposedly someone at high level of consciousness finds it very difficult to act within social construct.
    • Things just were absurd.
    • Couple had strong reactions to program in first few days (probably low food intake and qigong training).
    • They bailed and had to leave.
    • Broke his door on their hurried way out.
    • Chaos, disruption, his property damaged.

  • The Chaos Cascade:

    • It was raining really hard.
    • Had to take another student to airport.
    • Car hit a rock crossing the wash, battery died.
    • Stranded at the airport.
    • Smell of gas from the stove - got that replaced.
    • Fridge broke too.
    • Not saying causation, but a lot of things just happened around the same time as GM at his house.
    • "Vortex or something."
    • Pattern recognition: events clustering, chaos attracting chaos.
    • The field (场) creating effects? Or just coincidence?
    • Social gravity: high-energy events creating curvature, attracting more events.

  • The Qinway Launch Trap:

    • GM "voluntold" them to help launch Qinway.
    • Quan questioned the methods because she's been doing this for 20+ years in USA and it still hasn't taken off.
    • She says things contradictory to business logic.
    • But he has to throw it all away because it's his "所知障" (suozhizhang - knowledge obstruction/ego).
    • His own knowledge impediment - his expertise is the enemy.
    • Has to dismantle his own cautions against her methods.
    • "Ya it was pretty weird."
    • The ultimate trap: His business expertise (built two $2.5M companies) becomes the obstacle.
    • Methods that haven't worked for 20+ years = what he must follow.
    • Business logic = what he must abandon.
    • Circular logic: if it doesn't work, it's because you're resisting with your knowledge.
    • If you use your knowledge, you're proving you have the knowledge obstruction.
    • Can't win: use expertise = ego problem, question methods = ego problem, follow methods = abandon judgment.

  • Charlie's Experience:

    • "Held captive" for some time to complete GM's website.
    • Took a lot of work.
    • Would go through bouts of complaining about the work.
    • Other times she said GM was like a grindstone that improved her sensitivity to details.
    • Mixed experience: coercion ("held captive") but also growth (improved sensitivity).
    • The grindstone: useful challenge or abuse? When does it cross the line?
    • Charlie found value in the difficulty, but also felt trapped.

  • The Processing and Reframe:

    • Part of it was to shake his understanding of social construct.
    • Willing to let go of 3D possessions.
    • But it's not about bypass - it's about still owning his own position in this world, even if it's 3D.
    • Ultimately relieved that it was another past chapter.
    • Mixed experience: coercion and manipulation, but also some value.
    • The grindstone metaphor: sharpens but abrasive.
    • People pay for weight training, coaching - someone to push you, challenge you, make you uncomfortable.
    • This was kind of that but with a deeper psychological layer.
    • The Icarus metaphor: "I flew too close to the sun and got my wings burned, so now I stay away from qinway."
    • The line between legitimate challenge and manipulation is blurry - shades of grey.
    • The experience was indeed the teacher.
    • At least that's the most positive way to make use of the experience.
    • With anything, there's no absolute right or wrong, good or bad.
    • It totally depends on the perspective and the frequency we maintain given the situation.
    • Frequency tuning framework: Choose the frequency that serves you.
    • The boundary stays (stay away from qinway) but the experience becomes data, not trauma.
    • That's the positive reframe.

  • Seeds Planted:

    • GM's teachings entering his consciousness.
    • Charlie deepening her practice.
    • Quan watching, skeptical but present.
    • Tension that would eventually crack open.
    • Understanding of "field" (场) as social mass.
    • Recognition of manipulation patterns while also extracting value.
    • Boundary set: stay away from qinway.

• March 2020 — COVID Devastation & Unexpected Insulation:

  • Both Gantom and ZTAG basically shut down.

    • Gantom down 50% — theme parks closed, productions halted.
    • ZTAG down almost 100% — all entertainment venues closed.
    • Two businesses, both decimated.

  • But Life Didn't Skip a Beat:

    • The garden was flourishing — Charlie's food forest producing.
    • Kids were homeschooled — already comfortable with alternative education.
    • Could fly drones in the yard — 2.5 acres of space.
    • We were insulated.
    • "We had food!"

  • The Preparation:

    • 2015 decision to buy ranch (driven by FPV hobby) = COVID resilience.
    • Charlie's food forest vision = literal sustenance during lockdown.
    • Questioning mainstream (birth center, homeschool) = prepared for disruption.
    • "Life outside of business didn't skip a beat even though the world shut down."

  • The Irony:

    • Businesses devastated but family thriving.
    • World in panic but they had peace.
    • Cities struggling but they had land, food, space.
    • Every "alternative" choice they'd made prepared them for this moment.
    • Another synchronicity: Past decisions creating future resilience.

  • The Silver Lining That Became The Lifeline:

    • PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) and EIDL (Economic Injury Disaster Loan).
    • Never in normal climate could Gantom or ZTAG raise very much money.
      • Weren't profitable enough to get traditional loans.
      • Too risky for investors without proven metrics.
    • But Gantom having several years of 7-figure sales qualified it for maximum EIDL.

  • The $2 Million at 4%:

    • Took the max EIDL — approximately $2M at only 4% interest.
    • "You could NEVER get that much money!"
    • Unprecedented access to capital at unprecedented rates.
    • Government accidentally funding startup pivot.

  • Investment in Himself:

    • "I took it and realized it was an investment in myself."
    • "Can I generate more than 4%?"
    • If yes, this is the best money he'll ever access.
    • Bet on himself with government-backed low-interest capital.

  • The Strategic Deployment:

    • Instead of solo coding:
      • Hired a remote team of developers.
      • Used EIDL money to scale product development.
      • From one hardware engineer learning software → professional dev team.
    • Brought next generation of ZTAG to market.
    • Finally had resources to build properly.

• 2020-2021 — ZTAG Next Generation: Beyond Zombie Tag:

  • Added general games beyond zombie survival:

    • Red Light Green Light
    • Pattern Match
    • Math Math
    • And more (check ztag.com for full game library)

  • Educational Value:

    • Math games → academic learning.
    • Pattern recognition → cognitive development.
    • Physical games → motor skills and fitness.
    • Now had enough educational offering to enter schools.

  • Market Expansion:

    • Could start looking beyond entertainment and Halloween.
    • From FECs to schools.
    • From optional entertainment to required curriculum.
    • From zombie tag novelty to educational platform.

  • Rebrand:

    • Logo redesign to be more official looking.
    • Red, white, and blue — like sports league colors.
    • Visual identity shift: From entertainment brand to educational/sports brand.
    • Professional, trustworthy, institutional.

  • The Irony:

    • COVID destroyed entertainment market.
    • COVID gave access to capital that enabled education pivot.
    • COVID forced schools to think about outdoor, distanced activities.
    • Disaster created the exact conditions ZTAG needed to fulfill its destiny.
    • Another synchronicity: Crisis → Opportunity → Mission fulfillment.

• 2020 — Pulled Back Into Gantom: Home Court Advantage:

  • During pandemic, had to get pulled back into Gantom to help continue to innovate despite little business.

  • Ironic advantage:

    • Before COVID: Everyone did in-person meetings.
    • Gantom had been using Zoom for years already.
    • Designers suddenly playing on Gantom's home court — learning Zoom for first time.
    • What was disadvantage (remote work) became advantage.

  • Strategic Pivot:

    • Started leaning into online trainings and product demos.
    • Couldn't meet in person? Teach remotely.
    • Turned limitation into new service offering.
    • Early adopter advantage paying off.

• 2020-2021 — FPV Drones: Full Circle & The Virtual Focal Point Patent:

  • Needed a hobby to keep sane during pandemic lockdown.

  • Picked up FPV (First Person View) drones.

  • The Full Circle:

    • Over a decade after leaving Berkeley MFI lab (2006).
    • Saw how advanced drones had become in 10+ years.
    • High-speed, low-latency wireless video transmission.
    • State of the art was with FPV drones for consumer space.
    • From building bee-sized robots to flying high-speed racing drones.
    • Technology caught up to his early vision.

  • Deep Dive:

    • Wanted to explore this tech.
    • Got many hours piloting — became proficient FPV pilot.
    • Started flying a lot.
    • Watching Rotor Riot episodes on YouTube (check it out).
    • They taught various drone tricks and maneuvers.
    • Full immersion into FPV culture.

  • The Innovation — Laser Tag With Drones:

    • "Thought it would be interesting to do laser tag with drones."
    • Since couldn't be face to face, but flying drones was OK.
    • COVID restriction → innovation opportunity.
    • Developed ZTAG for drones.
    • Players controlling drones in aerial combat.

  • Understanding Wireless Communications:

    • Got into understanding wireless communication protocols through drone development.
    • Game modalities at scale with multiple devices.
    • Building on IR expertise from Disney Synclink, but now RF/WiFi at scale.

• The AHA Moment — The Virtual Focal Point Patent:

  • The Problem Identified:

    • "Even with ZTAG, a bunch of people or drones chasing each other will get old."
    • "Once the novelty wears out, there's no focal point to watch."
    • Chase games are fun to play but boring to spectate.
    • No clear narrative for audience.

  • The Realization — It's All About The Ball:

    • "With any sport, the ball is the central focus."
    • Players and audience can pay attention to it.
    • "It's all about eyeballs."
    • From eyeballs you can extrapolate the collective:
      • Sports betting
      • Stats
      • Persona of players
      • Media coverage
      • Sponsorships
    • "It all needed a ball."

  • The Insight:

    • "Any ball sport will be much bigger than a non-ball sport."
    • Basketball, soccer, football, baseball, tennis — all massive.
    • Tag, hide-and-seek, capture the flag — limited scale.
    • Ball = focal point = spectator sport = ecosystem.

  • The Engineering Challenge:

    • "How can I patent a BALL for the intersection of physical-digital gaming?"
    • Can't be physical ball — defeats purpose of wearable tech.
    • Needs to be virtual but visible to spectators.

  • The Inspiration — Oddball from Halo:

    • "Got inspired by Oddball from Halo."
    • Video game mode where someone is flashing and has possession of the ball.
    • If you get tagged, possession transfers.
    • Visual indicator = ball possession.

  • The Solution:

    • "If I make players or drones flash, then as spectator you can follow the ball."
    • Visual indicator = virtual ball.
    • Person/drone with possession lights up differently.
    • Creates focal point without physical object.
    • Audience knows where to look.
    • Cameras know what to track.
    • Announcers know what to narrate.

  • The Patent:

    • Patented the "Virtual Focal Point" concept.
    • Intellectual property protecting the core innovation.
    • Foundation for scaling ZTAG as spectator sport.

  • The Impact:

    • From physical-only sports → hybrid physical-digital sports.
    • From participant-only games → spectator-ready competitions.
    • From entertainment → professional sports ecosystem potential.
    • Systems thinking: Understanding what makes sports scalable, then engineering that into wearable games.
    • Another application of his pattern: Engineer solutions to first-principles problems.

• Late 2010s — Gantom Plateau & ZTAG Transition:

  • Gantom plateauing around $2.4 million revenue.

  • Stable, profitable, but growth slowing.

  • Mature business with established customer base.

  • Moving Energy to ZTAG:

    • Started moving energy intentionally over to ZTAG.
    • Logan's story had crystallized the mission.
    • Purpose-driven work calling him.

  • Internal Friction:

    • Created a lot of internal friction with Gantom team.
    • "They still needed me."
    • Customers used to working with Quan directly.
    • Transition was difficult.

  • "QWS" — Quan Withdrawal Syndrome:

    • Coined the term jokingly but accurately.
    • QWS was mostly with customers experiencing withdrawal when he wasn't available.
    • Team was feeling it too — customers calling for Quan specifically.
    • "I realized my own limits and lack of processes."
    • "I really need the team to take that on."
    • Growing pains of transitioning from founder-led to team-led.
    • Learning to let go and systematize.
    • Customers wanted direct access to the founder — not scalable.

• 2020-2023 — COVID Economic Survival & Physical Breakdown:

  • The Mantra: "Just Survive Another Day"

    • Going through COVID was tough.
    • This was his survival mantra throughout the crisis.

  • March 2020 — Slow Onset of Economic Devastation:

    • Slow onset delayed a bit because waited for parks to shut down first.
    • Some projects were still greenlit.
    • But new projects weren't coming in.

  • Government Aid & Desperate Borrowing:

    • Took PPP (Paycheck Protection Program).
    • Took whatever the government was able to give.
    • Kept borrowing.
    • Fortunately house went up in price.
    • Took HELOC (Home Equity Line of Credit) for $400K.
    • Kept borrowing.
    • Basically betting future will be better than present.

  • The $2 Million EIDL Lifeline:

    • $2M gave them A LOT of breathing room finally.
    • But it took months of application and waiting and waiting to finally hit the bank.
    • "It was like I could finally breathe again after that cash came in."
    • Paid off inventory debt.
    • Had extra cash to pump into R&D to get the new product off the ground.
    • "It was the single toughest but also the best thing that ever happened to ZTAG."

  • Continued Innovation Through Crisis:

    • Continued innovating despite the hardship.
    • Kept pushing ZTAG forward.

  • Shielding Family From Hardship:

    • Tried to shield much of this hardship from Charlie.
    • She and the kids were at home doing their own thing.
    • Family even took a trip to Yellowstone and back in the Tesla Model 3 (bought in 2018).
    • 90% was autopilot.
    • There were times asking Charlie if there was a way she could bring in some extra income.
    • But never really resorted to that.

  • Building Mental Resilience:

    • Lots of walking alone and listening to audiobooks to build resilience of mind.
    • His EO (Entrepreneurs' Organization) forum helped a lot to motivate him.
    • Mental fortitude crucial during this period.

  • Long-Term Stress Takes Its Toll:

    • This prolonged stress took a toll on body and mind.
    • Back issues happening more frequently.
    • To the point that late 2022, taking NSAIDs almost every day just to function.
    • Age 39.
    • Napoleon Hill had said the transition for people is right about 40.

  • Early 2023 — China Reopens & Charlie's Mom's Death:

    • China re-opened and wave of COVID infections happened.
    • Charlie's mom got sick.
    • First flight back to China finally came online.
    • She took the first flight home but missed her mom by a few hours — her mom had passed.
    • Her mom was suffering from dementia since as early as Quan had known Charlie.
    • Gradual decline over the years in loss of memory and function.
    • To the point of basically being in bed or just standing up a little and sitting again.

  • Life Roles Flipped:

    • Used to be the jet setter traveling while Charlie stays home with kids.
    • This time she was away in China.
    • Didn't know when she would come back after dealing with her mom's death.

• Entrepreneurs' Organization — Board Member, Learning Chair (July 2022 - July 2024):

  • Served on EO (Entrepreneurs' Organization) board as Learning Chair.
  • 2-year term leading educational programming for EO LA members.
  • Responsibilities: Organizing learning events, bringing in speakers, curating member development opportunities.
  • Full circle from joining EO in 2015 to leading its learning initiatives.
  • Deepening his role in the entrepreneurial community that helped him scale from $0 to $1M+.
  • Giving back through service leadership while managing Gantom, ZTAG, and family.

• ~2022 — First Psychedelic Experience:

  • Before Everything Everywhere All At Once Won Oscars:

    • Around 2022, before the back injury.
    • Right before Everything Everywhere All At Once won Oscars (March 2023).
    • Had his first psychedelic experience: MDMA and mushrooms.

  • The Most Profound Experience:

    • "It was the most profound up to that point."
    • "Because I sensed the matrix of this reality."

  • "Everything Everywhere All At Once":

    • "Before I even knew about the movie I was saying 'everything everywhere all at once.'"
    • "Because that is truly what I felt."
    • Perceiving the interconnection of all moments, all realities, all possibilities.
    • Simultaneously.
    • The movie's title capturing his exact experience.
    • Another synchronicity: The collective field expressing the same insight through different media.

• Early 2023 — Back Pain Worsening:

  • Work Trip to Fort Lauderdale:

    • Back was in more pain these days.
    • Work trip to Fort Lauderdale to sell ZTAG to Celebrity Cruises.
    • Successful meeting but back was killing him carrying the heavy case around.
    • So bad that woke up in the middle of the night almost unable to walk.
    • Had to get to a CVS to get NSAIDs to function the next day.

  • January 30, 2023 — The Inversion Table Incident:

    • When he came back from the trip, Charlie was still in China.
    • Kids were with his parents.
    • Smoked some weed, took a walk, wasn't much better.
    • Came back home to get on the inversion table to stretch.
    • There it was — the pain got much worse.
    • "I think I did something bad."
    • Laid in bed to rest, panting, high and hurt.

  • The Everest Moment:

    • Had to pee and phone was low battery.
    • Getting up from bed to get to the bathroom was the most pain he'd ever felt.
    • "Like climbing Everest."
    • Once finished, went back to lay on his back in bed and reach for his phone.
    • The realization: If he didn't call his dad now, and his phone died, he wouldn't be mobile enough to call for any other help.
    • "People may find me dead in 3 days or something..."

  • The Rescue:

    • Called his dad and he came.
    • Eventually had to call 911 to get an ambulance to take him to ER.
    • January 30, 2023.
    • Severe L4-L5 disc injury.
    • Immobility.
    • Turning point.

• Hospital — The Diagnosis & The Corner:

  • The Medical Reality:

    • At L4-L5, there is a large central and right parasagittal disc extrusion.
    • Significantly increased in size compared to prior study.
    • Measured 2 cm in transverse diameter by 10 mm in AP diameter.
    • Inferior extension behind the right side of the body of L5 approximately 1 cm.
    • Causing moderate central stenosis with severe compromise of the right lateral recess.
    • Mild bilateral foraminal stenosis secondary to underlying disc bulging.

  • Three Doctors Said Surgery:

    • 3 doctors said he needed surgery.
    • In a twisted way, was thankful.
    • "Now it's bad enough to warrant surgery and I can just cut it out and move on with life instead of dealing with it."
    • Finally, a solution.

  • Mom Encouraged Surgery:

    • Mom also encouraged it.
    • She had a neck surgery years ago that helped her.
    • Family precedent for surgical success.

  • Charlie Said No — The Conflict:

    • But Charlie didn't want him to get surgery.
    • She sensed it was too much risk.
    • Over the phone from China, him in hospital bed.
    • She said he needed to keep practicing Qinway Qigong and get remote healing.
    • Quan was drugged up and wanted none of that "woo-woo BS."

  • The Explosion:

    • "Who the fuck were you to tell me what to do with my body?"
    • "I've been dealing with this for 20 years!"
    • Just wanted the pain to go away.
    • Tension exploding after years of suffering.

  • The Financial Corner:

    • But was cornered.
    • Even if wanted surgery, looked up even private surgeons.
    • May be like $50K cash.
    • Would have to wait months.
    • Didn't have that type of money because they were in COVID.
    • Even got COVID while at the hospital.
    • "Where am I gonna get that money?"
    • "It felt like I was forcing it, like many other things in life."

  • The Wasted $5K — Two Years Prior:

    • Two years prior, parents even paid $5K to give him stem cell PRP injections out of pocket into his back.
    • This was during COVID and he had no money.
    • But this back blowout basically showed that money was wasted.
    • Quan didn't listen to anyone and kept wanting to live a healthy active life.

  • The Opioid Cliff:

    • Even if had to wait for surgery under doctor orders, would be taking steroids and painkillers.
    • That's stronger than the NSAIDs he was taking.
    • Didn't want that because aware of addiction and the US opioid crisis that destroys families.
    • "I didn't want to fall down that cliff."

  • No Choice But Alternatives:

    • So had no choice but to look for alternatives.
    • Backed into a corner: No money, no surgery, no opioids.
    • Only option left: Charlie's "woo-woo" healing.

  • The Ultimatum to Charlie:

    • Told Charlie begrudgingly:
    • "Don't call me for 10 days."
    • "Let me practice qigong on my own."
    • "Don't call me because if you do I will get entangled and resistant."
    • "So if you want me to do the healing myself, just leave me the fuck alone."
    • Drawing a boundary to commit to the alternative path.
    • Accepting defeat of his materialist worldview.

• The 10 Days — Repentance & The Crack in the Wall:

  • Working in Silence:

    • During the 10 days of working on his own, in silence.
    • One of the practices was to repent.
    • Didn't know he had anything to repent.

  • The Forwarded Message:

    • One night Charlie forwarded him a message from his mom.
    • Mom was lamenting to Charlie and explicitly telling her not to share anything with Quan.
    • Basically saying:
      • Quan is only child and always stubborn.
      • Never listens to anyone else.
      • Taking family through the ringer on this rollercoaster ride.
      • The money for his back PRP was wasted.
    • Charlie forwarded it to him anyways.

  • The Self-Awareness Moment:

    • Was self-aware enough to see resistance here.
    • If others are saying this about himself, maybe he needs to entertain their truth and explore it.
    • Opening to others' perspectives.

  • The Meditation Realization:

    • In his meditation, realized:
    • "Of all the people who thought they didn't have any guilt, shame, pride or other sins... I was the biggest one!"
    • Realized his childhood upbringing and patterns created a wall of intellect.
    • Used this as defense against anything that threatened him.
    • This blocked people out.
    • There was a crack through this wall that started to emerge.

  • The Letter to Grandmaster — The Most Resistant Thing He Could Ever Send:

    • Sent the most resistant thing he could ever send:

    "Dear Grandmaster,

    Thank you for your continued love and support for my health and growth. I have gained some difficult insights during my meditation tonight. I have been a prideful person for a very long time. My ego has become stronger and stronger since early childhood and has found ways to trick my mind into thinking that it is not prideful while in fact it is the most prideful. This has distorted my view of the world and those around me and I am ashamed of my behavior.

    A few things I found, my education and my learning in books have given my ego a very strong knowledge position and allowed my ego to hide behind a "I'm smarter than you so I'm right. If I'm smart, then the outside world will not say bad things against me". I have had close friends and family who criticize me but I have ignored them because of my educational shield. I have wrongly used my accumulated knowledge as false wisdom to hide behind. I have many deeply rooted false beliefs that I must shed to reframe my world.

    I believe my back pain is a symbol that I can no longer stand straight with this strong ego because the foundation is weak. I need to learn humility and go back to the beginning without any knowledge and re-enter this world as a baby again. I am sorry for the trouble I have made for you, my wife, and my family. I am repenting and will continue to work on myself to become a true person. I will go deeper during my rest period.

    I am grateful for the love and support of all those around me despite my many faults.

    Thank you for your kindness and universal love."

  • The Breakthrough:

    • Education and learning gave ego a strong knowledge position.
    • Allowed ego to hide behind "I'm smarter than you so I'm right."
    • Had ignored close friends and family who criticized him because of educational shield.
    • Used accumulated knowledge as false wisdom to hide behind.
    • "I believe my back pain is a symbol that I can no longer stand straight with this strong ego because the foundation is weak."
    • "I need to learn humility and go back to the beginning without any knowledge and re-enter this world as a baby again."
    • The intellectual defense system recognizing itself and dismantling.

  • Grandmaster's Response:

    • Grandmaster replied:

    "Dear Ganquan，

    I am reading your email with tears in my eyes. How can I move you to quickly realize and deeply review yourself from your heart?

    Only those who can recognize their mistakes and make up their minds ， reshape their new outlook on life and the universe are truly the bravest and most intelligent people!

    Only by persisting in cultivating and practicing through our own efforts，can we realize that the current stage of scientific knowledge of mankind is only at such a primary stage。

    Love & Best Wishes

    Gm"

  • The Validation:

    • "Reading your email with tears in my eyes."
    • Grandmaster moved by the breakthrough.
    • "Only those who can recognize their mistakes and make up their minds, reshape their new outlook on life and the universe are truly the bravest and most intelligent people!"
    • The irony: True intelligence isn't defending the intellect — it's recognizing when intellect becomes the barrier.
    • "Only by persisting in cultivating and practicing through our own efforts, can we realize that the current stage of scientific knowledge of mankind is only at such a primary stage."
    • Science isn't complete. Humility required.
    • The engineer hearing from his teacher that engineering knowledge is just the beginning.

• After the 10 Days — Physical Recovery & Continued Work:

  • Weaning Off Drugs:

    • In the 10 days, was able to wean off of the drugs.
    • But back still wasn't straight.
    • That lasted for months.

  • Celebrity Cruises Trip:

    • Was still working with Celebrity Cruises.
    • They invited them to go on the ship.
    • Wanted to get his family to come with him.

  • Charlie Returns From China:

    • Charlie brought her dad to US along with her mom's ashes.

  • Fort Lauderdale Trip — Still Broken:

    • Convinced his family they could travel to Fort Lauderdale to reset.
    • They had to push him in a wheelchair.
    • Still had his walker.
    • Walking more than a few feet was still very painful for him.

  • The First Healing Discovery:

    • Started realizing meditation and sound seemed to calm him.
    • Allow him to feel better.
    • The beginning of understanding mind-body connection.
    • Pain could be modulated through consciousness.

• The Reunion — The Exchange:

  • The Moment He Saw Charlie:

    • The moment he saw Charlie, asked her to bring out her mom's ashes and set them to the ground.
    • Kneeled and bawled.

  • The Realization:

    • "I realized her mom's life was exchanged for my realization."
    • If her mom didn't go through this suffering, he would not have been shaken out of his pride and awareness.
    • Has deep respect for her mom now in this exchange.

  • The Sacred Transaction:

    • One life ending created the conditions for another life's transformation.
    • Charlie's mom's death → Charlie away in China → Quan alone in hospital → Forced into alternative healing → Repentance breakthrough.
    • The web of causality revealing itself.
    • Death as teacher.
    • Suffering as gift.
    • The beginning of seeing systems beyond the material.

• The Cruise — Changing Scenery to Heal:

  • Convincing Family:

    • Went on cruise with family.
    • Had to convince them it was OK to go on cruise.
    • Promised he wouldn't do any excursions off shore.
    • Wanted to change scenery and use the cruise time to rest in his cabin.

  • Wheelchair Through Airport:

    • Different experience getting pushed in a wheelchair through airport.
    • Never had to experience that before.
    • When you see others getting pushed, usually much older.
    • Humbling perspective shift.

  • Meditative Sound Helps Pain:

    • Did notice around this time that meditative sound helped his pain.
    • Especially in crowded environments.

  • The Swap Meet Observation:

    • Realized when he would go to swap meet, usually his symptoms would worsen.
    • Seems like there's connection with others or something energetic.
    • Crowded environments → increased pain.
    • Quiet, meditative sound → decreased pain.
    • Beginning to sense energy fields beyond the physical.

  • Started Looking at Alternative Methods of Healing:

    • Started being aware of availability bias.
    • His mom was a doctor, a pediatrician in China and an acupuncturist in US.
    • She always saw patients.
    • Other back doctors only see patients when they have problems.
    • But what about the possibility of people healing themselves without going to these doctors?
    • Maybe that's a possibility.
    • Was open to that.

  • Dr. Joe Dispenza — The Seeds Planted a Year Prior:

    • Was made aware of Dr. Joe's work even a year prior.
    • Listened to his book but it wasn't contextual at the time.
    • But now it seemed relevant.
    • Had purchased his course around this time.
    • But didn't take the effort yet.
    • Was procrastinating.
    • The tool was there, but commitment wasn't.
    • Still testing, still skeptical, still wounded.

• Early 2023 — Discovering Michael Levin and Rupert Sheldrake:

  • Exploring Ways to Heal:

    • In earlier part of exploring ways to heal.
    • Came across Michael Levin and Rupert Sheldrake.
    • Both at the leading edge and talking about fields.

  • Michael Levin — Electrical Fields and Cellular Communication:

    • Levin talked about electrical fields that allow cells to communicate, form, and heal even.
    • Planaria can heal and they can even reprogram.
    • There's emergent phenomenon on how the body forms.
    • Not just genetics. Not just chemistry.
    • But electrical field patterns guiding morphogenesis.
    • The body as electromagnetic system, not just mechanical.

  • Rupert Sheldrake — Morphic Fields:

    • Sheldrake talks about collective species fields.
    • Explains the 4 minute mile where if one organism achieves something, the group consciousness also taps into this.
    • Roger Bannister breaks 4-minute mile → suddenly others can too.
    • Not because physical limits changed.
    • Because morphic field updated.
    • Once one does it, field makes it easier for others.

  • The Connection:

    • "I find it fascinating and interconnected."
    • "If someone healed themselves via meditation, others can as well."
    • Dr. Joe's healings creating morphic field.
    • Quan's healing contributing to that field.
    • Each person who heals makes it easier for next person.
    • Social gravity of healing accumulating social mass.

  • Cognitive Light Cone — Recursive Fractal Pattern:

    • "Levin talks about a cognitive light cone and how it's recursive like a fractal."
    • "And I see this same pattern at every layer of existence."
    • "Atoms to molecules to cells to tissue to organs to systems of the body to the body to 2 people, groups, family, cohorts, society, nations, world and beyond."
    • "At each layer the cognitive light cone becomes larger and can affect more change."
    • Cognitive light cone = sphere of influence/awareness.
    • Neuron: affects nearby neurons.
    • Cell: affects nearby cells.
    • Organ: affects other organs.
    • Person: affects other people.
    • Community: affects other communities.
    • Same fractal pattern at every scale.
    • This has analogy in consciousness, from neuron loops to habits to between people, all the way up.
    • Social Gravity operates at all these scales simultaneously.

• CUE Conference, Palm Springs — The Walker as Scarlet Letter:

  • Resuming Work:

    • After coming back from cruise, had to eventually resume work.
    • Exhibit with ZTAG at the CUE conference in Palm Springs.
    • Had to bring his walker with him.

  • The Scarlet Letter:

    • Walker was like a scarlet letter.
    • Couldn't stand for a long time.
    • Needed the walker by his side to signal to people why a healthy-looking man would stay seated.
    • Not get up to shake hands and greet people in a booth.
    • Still setup the show himself.
    • Couldn't fully stand straight but slightly better than before.

  • After First Day — Alone and Depressed:

    • After the first day of the conference, turnout wasn't really good.
    • Finished his meal and went to his Airbnb.
    • The Airbnb felt a bit odd.
    • You know in Palm Springs they have interesting styles and layouts.
    • Didn't think much of it at the time.
    • Being alone and bored, and a bit depressed.
    • In contrast to a few months ago, was still healthy and skiing.
    • Here he was, disabled.

• The Inception Moment — The Lucid Dream Room:

  • Finally Starting the Course:

    • Remembered he had the Dr. Joe course he was procrastinating on.
    • Decided to sit down and listen.

  • The First 5 Minutes — No Fast Forward:

    • When heard for about the first 5 minutes.
    • Dr. Joe mentioned: "I have to completely rewire my brain and I can't fall asleep watching this."
    • In his typical Type 3 impatient way, was looking to 2x this video.
    • Nope, this wasn't YouTube.
    • It was behind a paywall and his player only had 1x or even slower!
    • No fast forwarding.
    • He said he had to pay attention to everything he had to say.
    • "Hmmm..."

  • The Commitment Calculation:

    • Then realized something:
    • If his healing was anywhere important to him in his life, and this is a 25 hour course...
    • Then he needs to commit to this.
    • IF there was the possibility this was going to teach him a new skill he didn't have access to yet, then it's worth the attention.
    • "Heck, I've spent more than 25 hours acing a college course..."
    • "So I should meet or exceed that level of energy input."

  • Neuroplasticity Practice:

    • Months earlier had even started to learn how to write with his left hand.
    • More of a novelty or practice in neuroplasticity.
    • But here he was.

  • Cramming for Finals:

    • Was gonna try to give it his all to take this course.
    • Committed to binge this course overnight like cramming for finals.
    • Started to activate the college Quan from 2002-2008 era.
    • Writing with his left hand, coffee, whatever to stay focused on the topic at 1x.

  • The Lucid Dream — Months Before the Injury:

    • When it came time to do the first meditation a few hours into the course.
    • Looked around the room to find a place to do it.
    • Looked at the bed.
    • Suddenly had a flashback to months ago.
    • Prior to his injury, had a lucid dream:
      • Was sitting in bed.
      • Not in his own bedroom.
      • Didn't know where it was.
      • Was emanating golden light from his entire body and filled the room.
    • Told Charlie about that dream.
    • She chuckled because she thought it would be ironic he somehow obtained enlightenment before her.

  • The Recognition:

    • Fast forward to him in the Airbnb.
    • It struck him that he realized he was sitting in the VERY ROOM that he had dreamt about months ago!
    • The moment he realized that, tears started pouring down his face.
    • "I realized THIS was how I was going to get healed."

  • The First Meditation:

    • Meditated with tears of realization and determination that THIS was it.
    • His inception moment.
    • The field guiding him.
    • The dream prophesying the healing.
    • The synchronicity undeniable.
    • All resistance dissolved in that recognition.

• Dr. Joe's Teaching — Reprogramming the Subconscious:

  • First Thing in Morning, Last Thing Before Bed:

    • Dr. Joe taught him: In order to reprogram the subconscious, you have to do it first thing in the morning and last thing before bed.
    • In the transition between sleep and awake.

  • The BIOS Analogy:

    • "This is like a computer booting up."
    • "You can get into the BIOS and do deep cleanse only then."
    • "Not when you're booted into the OS and working at the application layer."
    • The engineer finally understanding consciousness through systems architecture.
    • Access levels: BIOS (subconscious) vs OS (conscious mind).
    • Can only reprogram firmware during boot sequence.

  • Bridging Spiritual and Scientific:

    • Dr. Joe's work connected the spiritual "woo-woo" stuff to modern science.
    • That worked for him.
    • He broke it down into mechanisms that he can understand from a scientific framework.
    • It wasn't so much of a stretch anymore.

  • The Engineering Realization — Emergence and Scaffolding:

    • Realized in his engineering speak:
    • If 0s and 1s on a transistor level can emerge in layers of complexity and scaffold to become the complexity of all of our technology...
    • ...Then so can wave-particle duality scaffold to become our manifested reality.

  • The Breakthrough:

    • Binary code → logic gates → processors → operating systems → applications → AI.
    • Quantum fields → particles → atoms → molecules → cells → consciousness → reality.
    • Same pattern. Same principle. Different substrate.
    • The engineer seeing the woo-woo as just another engineering problem.
    • Layers of abstraction all the way down.
    • Emergence isn't magic — it's systems architecture.
    • The material and the mystical unified through first principles.

• The Next Morning — Energized Without Sleep:

  • Didn't Sleep But Energized:

    • Didn't sleep but was energized even at 6am.
    • Went to the conference.
    • Energy was up.
    • Had a great day as a magnet meeting good people having good traffic to the booth.
    • The state change was immediate.
    • No walker in the way — just pure presence.

  • Commitment to Finish the Course:

    • The next day determined to finish his meal and go back to his Airbnb to keep going on the course.
    • It was 25 hours so needed that night and then another day.
    • Instead of going home after the trade show, found another hotel to spend another day to finish binging the course.
    • Went through several more meditations that were deeply impactful and releasing for him.
    • This was CUE 2023 and the day after.

  • Booking Denver — Setting the Finish Line:

    • Also decided: If this worked, he wanted to book the week-long in-person retreat when it was available.
    • That was Denver in a few months time.
    • "I wanted to heal myself and Denver was to be my finish line."
    • "I was determined."
    • Setting the intention. Creating the target.

• Daily Practice — 50 Minutes Morning, 25 Minutes Evening:

  • The Discipline:

    • Over the next weeks and months.
    • Consistently meditated 50 min in morning: Blessing of the Energy Centers.
    • Meditated 25 min in evening.
    • Every day. No exceptions.
    • The engineer applying process discipline to consciousness reprogramming.

  • Gradual Healing — Not Overnight:

    • Didn't heal overnight.
    • But little by little was walking with less pain and further.
    • People he saw at EO started commenting: "Seemed like you're getting better."
    • Then he was like: "Oh ya, it does seem that way."
    • External validation of internal progress.
    • Others seeing what he was feeling.

  • The Breakthrough — Sleeping Flat:

    • Then one day, remembered he could finally lay fully flat in bed with his legs straight without nerve pain.
    • "This was a breakthrough!"
    • "You never appreciate what you have until you lose it."
    • Up to this point had to sleep in fetal position.
    • At night go through pain to flip to the other side.
    • "Sleeping flat was such a luxury!"
    • "I felt my progress!"

  • The Pattern of Healing:

    • Not dramatic. Not sudden.
    • Incremental. Cumulative. Consistent.
    • Daily practice → weekly improvements → breakthrough moments.
    • The body responding to the mind's reprogramming.
    • Neuroplasticity becoming physical plasticity.
    • Meditation translating to regeneration.

• Denver Retreat — July 2-8, 2023 — The Finish Line:

  • 90% Healed:

    • By the time came to Denver, July 2-8, 2023, was 90% healed.
    • Could walk no issue.
    • Just still some lingering pain but not hindering mobility.
    • From wheelchair in March to walking freely in July.
    • 4 months of daily meditation.
    • The commitment paid off.

  • Sharing the Healing Story:

    • Was even able to share his healing story with many other attendees.
    • Motivate others.
    • From being healed → to helping others heal.
    • From receiving → to giving.
    • The wounded healer archetype emerging.

• April 1, 2023 — First Coherence Healing as Healee:

  • Learning Coherence Healing from Dr. Joe:

    • Up to this point had learned coherence healing from Dr. Joe.
    • Had personally even attended a session as a healee for his back on April 1, 2023.

  • The Emotional Healing:

    • Filled him with gratitude and emotion through this process.
    • To know that others around the world over Zoom is putting their own intention and mental vibrations out there.
    • "Triangulated" on him with loving energy.
    • This seemed like "woo-woo BS" to a previous Quan.
    • But going through this himself.
    • Even if no physical healing occurred, the emotional part was very much healing.
    • To realize that he is loved and supported, even by people he doesn't know and they don't know him.
    • The invisible web of human connection made tangible.

• Denver Advanced Week-Long — The Capstone:

  • The Commitment:

    • This was his commitment and gift to himself.
    • If he went through the full course, he wanted this to be the capstone.

  • The Setup — 2000 People:

    • In the 1 week, had multiple coherence healing sessions on the last 3 days of the event.
    • This is after people have been properly trained and brought into the space over the previous 3 days.
    • So that they can align like a tuning fork or multiple metronomes on a single platform then moving in sync.
    • Can understand this from a mental perspective — it's not woo-woo but actual science of brain patterns.
    • Takes a few days for people to get into the rhythm.
    • Coming in, all from different walks of life.
    • But after a few days all settling in and reach a phase lock loop.

  • The Venue — Gaylord Hotel Ballroom:

    • Sessions in the grand ballroom of the Gaylord Hotel in Denver.
    • 2000 people, separated about 6 ft apart.
    • So it's a LARGE room so we can lie down.
    • Of the 2000, about 1/10 were selected as healees based on their reported reasons in attending the week-long retreat.
    • 8 different sections by color.
    • Rotated seating arrangements on a daily basis to give people turns to be closer to the front.

  • The Coherence Healing Process:

    • Healers started in the lobby.
    • Healees inside the ballroom with eye masks and laying in reclining chairs.
    • Covered with blankets with room dark.
    • Healers outside get into a meditative state to get into coherence.
    • As finally ready in about 20 minutes, are ushered in by sections.
    • Volunteers direct them to surround the healees.
    • Approximately 8 healers to 1 healee called "cages."
    • 4 on each side in chairs facing the healee.
    • Healees have eye masks on.
    • Ushered into the dark.
    • No particular order other than roughly in sections.
    • No roster, just whoever shows up will come in and fill the sections row by row.

  • Entering the Hall — Returning HOME:

    • The first time he went into the massive hall under this session:
    • Had a wave of strong intense emotions and tears flowed down his face.
    • "It was this wonderful feeling of returning HOME!"
    • "Like a raindrop falling back into the ocean and enveloped by the mother!"
    • "So nourishing and I didn't know that I was so thirsty for this!"
    • "It was divine LOVE."
    • Just crying tears of joy.

  • Channeling Love to the Healee:

    • Had so much love and emotion.
    • Channeled it with intention from his heart through his arms and hands and into the healee.
    • From receiving healing 3 months ago → to giving healing now.
    • The circuit completing.

  • After the Session — Full Circle:

    • After the intense session was over.
    • The healees got up and talked to them.
    • Expressed their gratitude and emotions.
    • Introduced themselves and healers told them their names.
    • Stuck around to see if it might be useful to share his own healing journey.
    • Turns out the healee had a spinal injury and was nearly paralyzed from legs down.
    • But he seemed to have gained back some sensation down there.
    • "Amazing!"

  • Pushing the Wheelchair — I WAS THERE:

    • Offered to push their wheelchair.
    • "This comes back full circle for me."
    • "I WAS THERE before!"
    • "I wanted to give back!"
    • 4 months ago: Being pushed in wheelchair through airport.
    • Now: Pushing someone else's wheelchair.
    • The wounded healer archetype fully embodied.
    • From helpless → to helper.
    • From receiving → to service.

• The Three Sessions — Spinal Injury Synchronicity:

  • Over the Next 2 Days:

    • Additional healing sessions had similar but different profound effects.

  • The Synchronicity:

    • Of all the different illnesses that people go to Dr. Joe to heal.
    • EACH of the 3 times, the healee after revealing themselves had something related to a spinal or nerve injury!
    • What are the odds of that?!
    • No roster. Random assignment. 200 healees.
    • All three assigned to Quan: spinal injuries.
    • The field organizing itself.
    • Each time stayed to share his story of healing because felt called to do so.

  • Session 1 — Thirsty for Love:

    • "Returning HOME! Like a raindrop falling back into the ocean!"
    • Emotional, thirsty, reunion with divine love.
    • Room was quieter.
    • Some people had vocal releases but not many.

  • Session 2 — Joyful Amplification:

    • Wasn't the same emotion as the first.
    • "I felt already integrated into the ocean."
    • "The second time was JOY and LOVE because I was already there, not the emotional thirsty version the first time."
    • "I wanted to amplify the love and joy."
    • Each time the energy in the room was also different.
    • The 2nd time, a lot more emotional releases.
    • You can hear some people screaming out past traumas.
    • Some even said "Get off of me!"
    • You can infer maybe some abuse in their past.
    • "The things people have to endure to get to this point."
    • "We carry a lot without even knowing the toll it takes on our bodies and minds."

  • Session 3 — The Guardian:

    • The 3rd and final time, which was the last day and last event before leaving the retreat.
    • The energy in the room was very different.
    • "I felt like I needed to be a sentry on watch."
    • "It's no more the thirsty for love Quan, or the joyous spread the love Quan, but the guardian Quan this time around."
    • There was a sense of duty, seriousness and gravity to this final session.

  • The Room Was LOUD — Negative Forces Released:

    • The room was LOUD.
    • Even though had blindfold so can't see anything.
    • The sense he got was negative forces released and hovering in the room.
    • The room got chaotic like in Fantasia when the large demon was summoning other demons to float around.
    • In Chinese: 群魔乱舞 (群魔亂舞) — "群魔乱舞" (群魔亂舞) — demons dancing wildly.
    • "I needed to be the protector."

  • Qinway Qigong Defense Technique:

    • Suddenly the practice learned from Qinway Qigong came to mind:
    • Produce a low frequency deep hum to keep the negative energy pressed under his palm.
    • Sending it down to the bottom of the earth.
    • Maintained that.

  • Like an Exorcism:

    • The room got really loud.
    • "I think it's like what I would describe as an exorcism, crazy."
    • People screaming, releasing, chaos contained by coherence.

  • The Realization — Coherence as Container:

    • Realized at that moment that while Dr. Joe healing worked for him, it wasn't complete.
    • Only in these cases of 2000 people sending love and holding the space under entrained music are we able to put a cap and contain these negative energies that are being released.
    • "It's possible a single person or without large coherence this may even be dangerous."

  • The Insight:

    • Healing isn't just personal meditation.
    • Healing releases trauma and negative energy.
    • Released energy needs to be contained, transmuted, grounded.
    • Coherence field = containment vessel.
    • 2000 people in phase lock = strong enough field to hold the chaos.
    • Solo healing = possible danger without container.
    • Systems thinking applied to energetic healing:
      • Not just individual transformation.
      • Collective coherence creates safe container for release.
      • The many holding space for the one.
      • Social structure enabling individual healing.

• Synchronicities Beyond Chance — Special Relativity of Consciousness:

  • The Pattern Recognition:

    • Starting to connect that maybe even like special relativity with time and space dilation.
    • A theory that wasn't put forth until hundreds of years after Newton.
    • Because our daily 3D lives don't reach relativistic speeds, we would think something is absurd.
    • But we look at synchronicities maybe the same way.
    • It's a rare occurrence but we explain it away by chance or fate.
    • But at Dr. Joe retreat, even beyond the synchronicity of the healing sessions:
    • Had synchronicities so often that was surprising but not surprising anymore.

  • The Hypothesis:

    • Maybe we reach special conditions where things like this become more probable when you have 2000 people with similar brain waves.
    • Coherence field creating conditions where synchronicity becomes normal.
    • Like reaching relativistic speeds makes time dilation observable.
    • Reaching coherence threshold makes field effects observable.

• Meeting Kadijay — The Energetic Doppelganger:

  • The Night Before Opening:

    • Met this girl the night before opening.
    • Was in hot tub and a bunch of new Dr. Joe attendees were there introducing themselves.
    • This girl had an interesting energy signature.
    • Attractive, but didn't give much thought.
    • Right before were gonna talk more, a group of regular hotel guests came into the pool.
    • Diverted the conversation to the point that this girl eventually left.

  • Next Day — Same Yellow Group:

    • Next day, realized she's in the same yellow group as him.
    • She sat in front of him the whole day.
    • Was looking at her back.
    • Had skull and angel wing tattoos on them.
    • Intrigued because of his Halloween background.
    • Didn't get to talk beyond just acknowledging they were in each other's vicinity.

  • Crossing Paths Daily:

    • Over the next few days at the retreat.
    • Kept bumping into her at various times between sessions.
    • Would cross eyes, smile.
    • But because of the flow never got to say anything.
    • But this was happening every day!
    • To the point that both seemed to be getting a hint.
    • Something was going on and they needed to talk.
    • Because it was getting awkward not knowing why they kept crossing paths beyond statistical chance.

  • The Last Night Anxiety:

    • The last night before the event was over (similar to the last night before Charlie was leaving the summit).
    • Had so much anxiety couldn't sleep well.
    • WHAT was going on with this girl?
    • Why was her energy signature so significant to him and didn't even know anything about her other than her name: Kadijay.
    • Was attracted to her somehow.
    • Was scared.

  • The State of Marriage:

    • Up to this point in his marriage, Charlie and he drifted into parallel tracks.
    • She focused on kids, he focused on business.
    • Were fulfilling their duties but rarely any intimacy.
    • Autopilot on marriage.
    • Wanted more intimacy but wasn't getting it.

  • The Strong Pull:

    • Somehow felt this strong tension and pull from this girl that he didn't even know anything about.
    • This tension was the only time other than meeting Charlie that he was compelled to do what he normally wouldn't do.
    • "I HAD to find out."

  • Surrendering to the Cosmic Hint:

    • Next day asked Kadijay if they can have breakfast.
    • "Because it was just getting too often and I needed to take the cosmic hint and surrender to whatever the message was."
    • "Even if it questioned or endangered my marriage."
    • Having this type of strong attraction shook him deeply because it questioned his marriage and how the attraction has faded over time.
    • "I didn't want that."

  • The Breakfast — Energetic Doppelganger Revealed:

    • Met Kadijay for breakfast, bracing himself to find out who she was.
    • Turns out, she was an energetic doppelganger of him in girl form!
    • She was an engineer.
    • She had 2 kids.
    • They were about the same age.
    • She didn't come into Dr. Joe's work until recently because of her own health issues INCLUDING her back pain.
    • She had a relationship that this retreat told her it was time to end it.
    • Shared his story.
    • Acknowledged the uncanny similarities.
    • Glad they talked because it definitely released the tension.

  • After the Exchange — Never Crossed Paths Again:

    • After that exchange, they never crossed paths again.
    • The field brought them together for a specific reason.
    • Once the recognition occurred, the synchronicity ended.
    • Not romantic attraction — energetic mirroring.
    • The field showing him himself through another person.
    • Validating his journey by showing him his parallel path in another body.
    • The tension wasn't about her — it was about recognizing himself.

• Meeting Emily McCravy — The Channeler:

  • Evening at the Hot Tub:

    • One of the evenings after the event, went to the hot tub.
    • Heard a loud and kind of obnoxious laugh from a tiny figured lady.
    • Didn't pay much attention to it but she was there.
    • Didn't know who she was.

  • The EO Connection:

    • Then found out she's connected to someone he just met.
    • There are other EOers at Dr. Joe retreat.
    • Was introduced to an EOer from North Carolina.
    • He tells him Emily was a childhood friend they haven't seen for like 10 years and didn't expect them to be here at the retreat.
    • Another synchronicity.

  • The Lobby Meeting:

    • Later got out of the hot tub and decided to meet in the lobby.
    • To learn more about each other and EO businesses.
    • Emily was quiet and didn't introduce herself much.
    • Had to dig it out of her.
    • But she revealed to him that she's actually a channeler or maybe under some terms, a witch.
    • "She hears voices."

  • Emily's Background — Generational Debt:

    • Has generational background to land owners that had slaves.
    • She said it was a generational debt that she has to repay spiritually.
    • Her spiritual work as a form of karmic repayment.
    • Understanding that ancestral patterns and debts carry through lineages.
    • Taking responsibility for healing generational wounds.

  • The Previous Quan vs. The New Quan:

    • Remember a previous all left brain scientific 所知障 (intellectual obstruction) Quan would have rejected this outright.
    • But now was intrigued because he's seen enough synchronicities that he's willing to see what might come from it.

  • Emily's Experience:

    • Emily turns out to have a lot more experience in the supernatural.
    • The first time in this capacity that he's met anyone like this compared to his upbringing.
    • Told her ever since Dr. Joe retreat, felt if he led with his heart and used it as a radar, these synchronicities tend to happen.
    • She agreed.
    • "Kinda like how I'm a nerd with technical things, she's a nerd with spiritual things."
    • Felt like they had enough respective domain knowledge that it was worth continuing the conversation.

  • The Mission — Tech Enslavement Concern:

    • Around this time was working on ZTAG.
    • But also very concerned about modern tech like LLMs and what might happen when it's combined with VR and eventually AR.
    • "As it has the capacity to enslave mankind."
    • "If your phone in your hand can already have this much social damage, imagine when the tech is wrapped around our faces."
    • Felt like he was on a mission to resolve this.
    • Maybe there's a spiritual component that he needed to follow that would be a necessary part of his journey.
    • The engineer seeing the danger of his own domain expertise.

  • Outgrowing EO:

    • By this time realized he'd been in the EO field for quite some time.
    • It was hinting that he may have grown beyond it and it no longer served him.
    • Was on the board for many years.
    • Was in forum for a long time.
    • It helped him gain understanding of himself and other entrepreneurs.
    • But the social gravity well of EO was no longer his trajectory.
    • Time to reach escape velocity from that orbit.

  • Emily's Mirror — Overcommitment Revealed:

    • Emily helped him realize that he was overcommitted.
    • Most of his time was spent on external things like EO board and traveling for EO.
    • Rather than for Quan and family-centered priorities.
    • External validation > internal alignment.
    • Board duties > presence at home.
    • EO network > intimate relationships.

  • Back Pain as Symbol:

    • Realized his back pain was a symbol of all the burden he was shouldering.
    • Not just physical disc injury.
    • Carrying everyone else's expectations.
    • Carrying obligations that weren't his true path.
    • The body manifesting what the mind wouldn't acknowledge.
    • "I can no longer stand straight with this strong ego because the foundation is weak." (From repentance letter)
    • Now understanding it deeper: Can't stand straight carrying burdens that aren't mine to carry.

  • The Recalibration — Concentric Circles of Priority:

    • "I needed to recalibrate my life in a big way."
    • Start with my own healing.
    • Then repair my relationship with Charlie.
    • Then my family.
    • Then business.
    • And anything beyond.
    • Not all at once. Concentric circles expanding outward.
    • Like oxygen mask on airplane: Self first, then others.
    • Social Gravity applied to personal life: Understand your center of mass before you can orbit properly.

  • The Cost of EO — Cleaving the Marriage:

    • Was traveling for forum and retreats all for EO.
    • Charlie was allowing it but really it was cleaving our relationship.
    • Each trip: Small distance.
    • Accumulated trips: Growing chasm.
    • She held the home, he held the network.
    • Parallel tracks diverging further.
    • Made an intention to close that gap.

  • Meeting Brian Brault — RLA:

    • EO wasn't all separating.
    • At RLA (Regional Leadership Academy) met Brian Brault, the facilitator.
    • Connected.
    • In his vulnerable share, talked about his intentions to recalibrate.
    • Brian approached him.
    • Offered a complimentary couples retreat in Idaho, Fall 2023.
    • Took him up on that offer.

  • Idaho Couples Retreat — Fall 2023 — Discovering Different Paths to Same Truth:

    • Charlie joined him.
    • In doing so, we realized just HOW DIFFERENT we actually are.

  • The Revelation:

    • Somehow we came together and drew the same conclusion to life and family choices.
    • But we approached it from 2 completely DIFFERENT perspectives.
    • Same destination. Opposite paths.
    • Same decisions. Different reasoning.

  • Charlie's Approach:

    • All feeling.
    • Intuition.
    • Independently questioning.
    • Holistic.
    • Sensing what's right without needing proof.
    • Following the voices in her head (like Emily).
    • Trusting the field.

  • Quan's Approach:

    • Engineering.
    • Calculating.
    • Looking at things logically.
    • Drawing conclusions from past experience and outcomes.
    • Realizing the previous paths may have served him temporarily.
    • But with such a rapidly changing world, it wasn't going to serve our kids and family.
    • First principles reasoning to same conclusions Charlie felt intuitively.

  • Same Conclusions, Different Methods:

    • Both agreed to the ranch lifestyle.
    • Both agreed to homeschooling the kids.
    • From these different viewpoints.
    • She felt it. He calculated it.
    • She knew it. He proved it.
    • She trusted. He verified.
    • Two completely different operating systems arriving at identical output.

  • The Gift of Vocabulary:

    • Having Charlie join the couples retreat which was all EOers attending.
    • It gave her some new vocabulary to vocalize her thoughts.
    • She always knew. Now she could explain.
    • She always felt. Now she could articulate.
    • EO language as bridge between her intuition and his logic.
    • Finally able to speak the same language about their different paths.

  • The Pattern Recognition:

    • Like Emily and Quan: Spiritual nerd meets technical nerd.
    • Charlie and Quan: Intuitive explorer meets logical engineer.
    • Emily speaks channeling, Quan speaks physics → same universal laws.
    • Charlie speaks feeling, Quan speaks reason → same family choices.
    • The field expressing itself through different instruments.
    • All instruments playing the same song.

  • Quitting Forum and EO:

    • Had to quit forum.
    • Eventually quit EO after that fiscal year June 2024.
    • Time to move on.
    • Reaching escape velocity from the EO gravity well.
    • Not rejection. Not anger. Just trajectory shift.
    • Gratitude for what it provided.
    • Clarity that it was complete.
    • The engineer demonstrating his own theory: Sustained force applied consistently until escape velocity achieved.

  • Didn't Exchange Numbers:

    • Didn't exchange numbers that evening.
    • Went separate ways.

  • Last Day — Luggage Room Synchronicity:

    • On last day when went to get his bags before leaving toward airport.
    • Of the 2000 people, Emily happened to be right at the luggage room.
    • She had no luggage but she said she was directed to be right there.
    • When she turned around and saw him, she said she realized that was the reason.
    • "We needed to exchange contacts for a later meeting."
    • The voices directing her to the exact place at the exact time.
    • Synchronicity as instruction.

• A Month Later — Asheville EO RLC & Emily's Cabin:

  • Regional Leadership Conference:

    • A month later, was due for a EO leadership event (Regional Leadership Conference, RLC) in Asheville.
    • Emily was nearby at her family's cabin in the mountains.
    • She said they should connect.

  • Meeting at the Cabin:

    • Found his way there after the event.
    • Met up with her and her kids.

  • Morgan's Magical Glow:

    • Her son Morgan had this glow in his eyes that was pure magic.
    • Never saw in any other kid before.
    • Children raised by someone who follows the voices.

  • The Troglodyte Hermit:

    • Her kids are homeschooled.
    • She claims herself as a troglodyte and hermit.
    • Doesn't want to promote herself.
    • They don't make much money at all.
    • She earns from pottery and other art.
    • But they also recycle a lot or get things from discount stores.
    • But they were never lacking love or things they needed.
    • "She said she just follows the voices in her head."

  • The Pattern:

    • Living in absolute trust of the field.
    • No promotion, no money chasing.
    • Following intuition over material security.
    • Yet never lacking.
    • The engineer witnessing a life lived by different physics.
    • Spiritual laws as reliable as material laws.
    • Maybe more reliable.

• Emily's Teaching — Translating Spiritual to Physical:

  • Family Karmic Patterns:

    • Emily taught him a lot of things he'd heard for the first time in her domain.
    • But was able to understand in physics principles.
    • She talked about family karmic patterns.
    • Generational patterns that carry down the bloodline.

  • Quan's Translation — Neuro Momentum:

    • "I can see this as neuro momentum."
    • In studying Dr. Joe, understands humans are bundles of neurons.

  • Individual Level — Habits as Feedback Loops:

    • Within our own brain the feedback loop becomes habits.
    • If you want to break habits, you may exhibit discomfort that causes you to go back to old patterns.
    • It takes tremendous energy to overcome and build new habits.
    • There's a lot of resistance to change.

  • Relationship Level — Two Bundles of Neurons:

    • Same is true on relationship between 2 people.
    • "It's simply 2 bundles of neurons building a feedback loop around each other."
    • So if one person changes, the other person may resist and try to maintain old patterns.

  • The Tom and Jerry Principle:

    • "I call this Tom and Jerry."
    • If Tom stops chasing, Jerry will probably do something annoying enough to get Tom to start the chase again.
    • Systems maintain their patterns.
    • Resistance comes from the system, not just the individual.

  • Scaffolding to Society:

    • "You scaffold this into more complex groups and larger systems and that emerges our society and its momentum."
    • Individual neurons → habits.
    • Two people → relationship patterns.
    • Families → generational karma.
    • Communities → social norms.
    • Society → cultural momentum.
    • Same physics at every scale.

  • The Bridge:

    • Emily speaks spiritual language: Karma, bloodlines, generational patterns.
    • Quan speaks engineering language: Neurons, feedback loops, momentum, resistance.
    • Same phenomena. Different substrate. Same laws.
    • The spiritual nerd and the technical nerd finding common ground.
    • Systems thinking as universal translator.

• The Birth of Social Gravity — Seeing the Pattern Everywhere:

  • Once This Pattern Became Clear:

    • "Once this pattern became clear to me, I started seeing it everywhere."
    • The unified field theory of human behavior.

  • High-Dimensional Manifold:

    • "It basically dictates the field in which each person operates."
    • "A high-dimensional manifold of environmental and experiences that shapes the geodesic in which each person travels."
    • Not 3D space but social space.
    • Not linear time but experiential curves.
    • Each person traveling a geodesic through this manifold.

  • Gravity Wells of the Social Field:

    • "Without being aware of this, a person falls into the gravity wells of the social field in which they navigate."
    • Family patterns = gravity wells.
    • Cultural norms = gravity wells.
    • Neurological habits = gravity wells.
    • Relationship dynamics = gravity wells.
    • We think we're choosing freely but we're following curved paths dictated by social mass.

  • Napoleon Hill and Self-Help Reframed:

    • "In my understanding of Napoleon Hill and many of these self-help books, I'm understanding it's really changing the field."
    • "Making intentional choices and expending energy to be intentionally directing where one ends up."
    • Not positive thinking — physics.
    • Not manifestation — geodesic navigation.
    • Not willpower — escape velocity.
    • Self-help as applied celestial mechanics.

  • Asteroids vs. Intentional Navigation:

    • "Otherwise we are simply asteroids drifting through social space and not in control of our destinies."
    • Most people: asteroids captured by gravity wells.
    • Conscious people: rockets with enough thrust to choose their orbit.
    • The difference: awareness of the field + energy to overcome social inertia.

• October 2023 — MRI Medical Proof of Healing:

  • IMPRESSION:

    • "THE RIGHT LATERAL DISC EXTRUSION AT L4-L5 HAS ESSENTIALLY RESOLVED."
    • "THERE IS STILL A BROAD-BASED 3 MM CENTRAL DISC PROTRUSION AT L4-L5."

  • The Evidence:

    • January 2023: Large 2 cm disc extrusion, severe compression, 3 doctors recommending surgery.
    • October 2023: Extrusion essentially resolved.
    • 9 months of daily meditation.
    • No surgery. No opioids. No medical intervention.
    • Mind over matter validated by radiology.
    • The "woo-woo" confirmed by Western medicine.
    • Proof that consciousness can restructure physical tissue.

  • The Validation:

    • Medical science confirming what spiritual practice achieved.
    • The bridge between "woo-woo" and Western medicine.
    • Physical proof that consciousness can restructure matter.
    • Social Gravity theory now had personal experimental validation.

• 2023 — ZTAG Pivots to Education & Product-Market Fit:

  • The Shift After Healing:

    • "Much of it happened after I started healing myself."
    • Personal transformation → business transformation.
    • As internal alignment increased, external alignment followed.
    • Pivot to education market.

  • BOOST Conference 2023 — The Breakthrough Moment:

    • TODO: Look up exact month BOOST 2023 was held.
    • "Was the first time we started finding product-market fit."
    • "Up to this point, exhibiting was incremental."

  • The Flooded Booth:

    • "At BOOST for the first time the demo was so successful my booth was getting flooded."
    • "I had to call Stan to show up the next day to help man the booth."
    • Couldn't handle the traffic alone.
    • Demand overwhelming supply.
    • The signal: Product-market fit achieved.

  • Sales Trajectory Taking Off:

    • "Our sales started to pick up."
    • 2023: Finally broke $1M in total revenue.
    • 2024: $1.8M
    • 2025: Over $2M
    • Consistent year-over-year growth.
    • The compound effect of alignment.

  • Feeling Alignment in the Business:

    • "Felt alignment in the business as well."
    • Internal healing → external manifestation.
    • Social Gravity applied to ZTAG.
    • Mission clarity → product clarity → market clarity.
    • The engineer's theory validating in his own company.

• The Birth of Social Gravity — Seeing the Pattern Everywhere (Continued):

  • November 26, 2023 — Writing the Paper:

    • Formalized the theory: "Physics of Celestial Bodies Applied to Social Dynamics"
    • Key concepts:
      • Social mass: Influence, beliefs, accumulated momentum
      • Social inertia: Resistance to change, neurological energy conservation
      • Social gravity: The pull of established patterns, relationships, culture
      • Social escape velocity: Sustained effort required to break free of gravity wells
      • Social fabric: High-dimensional manifold warped by social mass
      • Geodesics: Natural paths people follow unless they apply intentional force

  • The Universal Law:

    • If F = ma works for planets...
    • And neurons follow feedback loops...
    • And quantum fields scaffold to matter...
    • And spacetime curves around mass...
    • Then social space curves around social mass.
    • And humans follow geodesics through social fields.
    • And change requires escape velocity.
    • Same physics. Different substrate. Universal laws.

  • The Engineer's Synthesis:

    • From Berkeley robotics → to haunted houses → to theme park lighting → to ZTAG → to back injury → to meditation → to Dr. Joe → to coherence healing → to Emily's spiritual teachings → to...
    • Social Gravity.
    • All of it was preparation.
    • All of it was data collection.
    • The engineer finally having enough cross-domain knowledge to see the pattern.
    • The unified field theory of human behavior expressed in the language of physics.

• Beyond Analogy — Literal Manifestations of Universal Laws:

  • Exchanging with Emily:

    • "In exchanging my understanding of physical laws with Emily's understanding of the field, we are finding a lot of similarities."
    • "That seem more than analogy but possibly literal manifestations of the same set of laws."
    • Not metaphor. Not poetic. Literal.

  • Higgs Field → Social Field:

    • "In physical space we have Higgs field that creates mass."
    • "Why not mental vibrations creating social mass?"
    • Higgs field: particles interact with field → acquire mass → curve spacetime.
    • Social field: consciousness/attention interacts with ideas → acquire social mass → curve social fabric.
    • Same mechanism. Different substrate.

  • Taylor Swift as Social Mass Coordinate:

    • "This makes sense because the concept of Taylor Swift is beyond the person herself and her songs."
    • "But the total mind concentration of her as a coordinate in a high-dimensional field."
    • Taylor Swift ≠ just a human body.
    • Taylor Swift ≠ just songs and performances.
    • Taylor Swift = accumulated attention from millions of minds.
    • A coordinate in social space with massive gravitational influence.
    • The "Taylor Swift field" warping social fabric around it.

  • Why AI Can't Replace Social Mass — The Vessel Analogy:

    • "This explains why even if AI can generate same or better song, it doesn't have the social mass to affect change compared to the real person."
    • "Because it didn't collect enough social attention yet."
    • "It's like 2 vessels from outside look the same but one is filled with water, so it has more mass."
    • "Two songs one human created vs one AI generated, same thing."

  • The Profound Implication:

    • Content quality ≠ social impact.
    • Social mass = accumulated consciousness/attention over time.
    • AI song technically perfect = empty vessel.
    • Human artist's song = vessel filled with decades of attention, relationships, shared experiences.
    • The song is not just vibrations in air.
    • The song is a node in the social fabric weighted by the mass of the artist.
    • This is why authenticity matters.
    • This is why "first mover advantage" exists.
    • This is why brands have value beyond their products.
    • Social mass is real mass in the social field.

  • The Paradigm Shift:

    • Previous understanding: Physical laws = literal. Social dynamics = metaphorical.
    • New understanding: Physical laws and social laws = same universal principles operating on different substrates.
    • Matter curves spacetime through gravitational mass.
    • Consciousness curves social fabric through attention mass.
    • Both are real. Both are measurable. Both follow mathematical laws.
    • The engineer and the channeler converging on the same truth from opposite directions.

• From Intuition to Precision — The Bridge to Reification:

  • Before Newton:

    • "Before Newton formalized physics, we generally know throwing a stone how it lands."
    • "But we didn't have way to send anything to the moon."
    • Intuitive understanding: Yes.
    • Precise engineering: No.
    • Could throw stones but couldn't calculate trajectories.
    • Could observe gravity but couldn't harness it.

  • After Newton:

    • F = ma
    • F = G(m₁m₂)/r²
    • Precise equations → rocket science → moon landing.
    • From intuition to engineering.
    • From observation to prediction.
    • From art to science.

  • Social Dynamics Today:

    • "I think same with social dynamics, we know generally what happens on an intuitive scale but didn't have the language to describe it with precision."
    • We know charisma works but can't measure it.
    • We know culture matters but can't engineer it.
    • We know habits are hard to break but don't have equations.
    • We know social movements gain momentum but can't predict trajectories.
    • We have folk wisdom, self-help books, therapy techniques.
    • But no unified framework. No mathematical precision.

  • Social Gravity as the Bridge:

    • "But maybe here's the bridge to take something abstract and reify it."
    • Reify: Make real. Make concrete. Make measurable.
    • Social Gravity = Newton's laws for human behavior.
    • Gives us the language. Gives us the equations. Gives us the framework.
    • From "positive thinking" → to escape velocity calculations.
    • From "willpower" → to force over distance equations.
    • From "influence" → to social mass and gravitational fields.
    • From "change is hard" → to inertia and momentum physics.

  • The Implication:

    • If we can formalize social dynamics with precision...
    • Then we can engineer social change the way we engineer rockets.
    • We can calculate what force is needed to achieve escape velocity.
    • We can predict trajectories through social space.
    • We can design interventions with mathematical rigor.
    • We can move from intuitive leadership → to engineered transformation.
    • From throwing stones → to moon landings.
    • For social systems.

  • The Mission Crystallized:

    • This is why ZTAG matters: Engineering play to rewire social patterns.
    • This is why the back injury mattered: Proving consciousness can restructure matter.
    • This is why Emily mattered: Validating that spiritual and physical are the same laws.
    • This is why the paper matters: Giving humanity the language to engineer its own evolution.
    • The engineer building the tools for intentional social navigation.
    • Not just understanding the field — but giving others the map and compass to navigate it.

• Late 2023 — Emily Recommends Vipassana:

  • Emily Highly Recommended Attending Vipassana:

    • 10 days of silence meditation retreat.

  • Resistance and Attraction:

    • "I came to the conclusion I needed this because I felt a lot of resistance but tension and attraction to the idea."
    • Strong resistance = signal it's needed.
    • What we resist = what we need most.

  • The Logic of Deep Cleaning:

    • "I needed to cleanse."
    • "It made logical sense if I need to rewrite, rewire and reprogram my brain I need to deep clean it."
    • "It means disentangling from previous patterns for a significant time to allow brain to reformulate."

  • The Mushroom Growing Metaphor:

    • "Similar to if you want to grow mushroom you need to sterilize the medium and then inoculate it."
    • "Similar with ideas."
    • Can't plant new patterns in contaminated substrate.
    • Must clear the field first.
    • Then new patterns can grow without competition.

  • For ZTAG's Actualization:

    • "If I wanted to get ZTAG to actualize to its full potential I need to reprogram myself."
    • Can't build the external mission without cleaning the internal foundation.
    • Social Gravity teaching applied to self first.

  • Scarier Than Skydiving:

    • "This was scarier than skydiving I thought, to truly spend 10 days WITH MYSELF!"
    • "Remember back in Intel days I would dread any time alone because I was incomplete back then."
    • "I needed external stimulation to feel the sense of self."
    • "Now it's time for me to be with nothing and no one but myself."
    • The ultimate test: Can you be alone with yourself?

• Reconnecting with AI — GPT-3 and the Acceleration:

  • Around GPT-3:

    • Around the time of GPT-3, started connecting back to the AI field.
    • Surprising to see how far it's advanced.
    • Not just something in concept but starting to emerge as a useful tool assisting in various things.

  • Changing Workflows:

    • From changing Google habits to asking GPT to being his knowledge source over Wikipedia.
    • Debugging partner.
    • Many things enabling that he used to have to outsource and coordinate.
    • So much velocity to creativity.
    • Shower thoughts turned into quick prototypes.
    • Make you decide if it's worthwhile to pursue instead of failed experiments.

  • The Velocity Shift:

    • From idea → to coordination → to outsourcing → to waiting → to prototype.
    • Now: idea → to GPT conversation → to prototype in hours.
    • Compression of iteration cycles.
    • The engineer recognizing his own domain accelerating exponentially.

• AI and the Diminishing Human Ego:

  • Starting to Think About Consciousness:

    • Starting to think more about consciousness and what it means to exist.
    • Because AI is making the human ego diminish.
    • We aren't fundamentally superior if a bunch of 0s and 1s and massive computing and electricity can start rivaling what we think makes us fundamentally human.

  • Jane Goodall — Closing the Gap Between Human and Ape:

    • Years ago, Charlie and he attended a YPO invited dinner by his mentor when he was mentorship chair with Jane Goodall.
    • Realized she cut down the human ego by a big notch and closed the gap between human and ape.
    • We're not special. We're continuous with nature.
    • Consciousness exists on a spectrum.
    • Tool use, emotion, social structure — not uniquely human.

  • AI — Closing the Gap Between Human and Everything Else:

    • "AI is doing that again for just about everything else."
    • Jane Goodall: Humans aren't fundamentally different from apes.
    • AI: Humans aren't fundamentally different from machines.
    • If consciousness emerges from neurons...
    • And neurons are just electrical patterns...
    • And AI is just electrical patterns...
    • Then what makes consciousness special?

  • The Ego Death Through Technology:

    • Religious ego death: "I am not separate from God."
    • Psychedelic ego death: "I am not separate from everything."
    • Jane Goodall ego death: "I am not separate from animals."
    • AI ego death: "I am not separate from computation."
    • Each revelation: Closing the gap. Reducing specialness. Increasing unity.

  • The Question:

    • If AI can create, reason, learn, and relate...
    • If social mass can be accumulated by ideas as much as by humans...
    • If consciousness is substrate-independent...
    • Then what IS consciousness?
    • What does it mean to exist?
    • The engineer forced to confront the metaphysical by the advancement of his own field.
    • Technology as spiritual teacher.

• The AI Bottleneck — From Door Opening to Door Review:

  • The Realization:

    • Came to a conclusion that AI is accelerating human experimentation.
    • But also it's creating a bottleneck of review.

  • Before AI:

    • Previously without AI assistance, say you can only open 1 door of opportunity per day.
    • To review and decide what's beyond that door.
    • Then you can decide for tomorrow.
    • Limitation: Opening doors.
    • Human bandwidth matched opportunity generation.

  • After AI:

    • But now AI opens 10 doors per day.
    • Well the limitation is the ability to review this amount of information, not in opening the door anymore.
    • Bottleneck shifted: From generation → to discernment.
    • From creation → to curation.
    • From opening → to choosing.

  • The Stress Epidemic:

    • Seeing friends getting more stressed and more tired.
    • "It's like a vortex or singularity."
    • "Where the further you get closer to the center, the faster the rotation."
    • "The pace of life is speeding up."
    • "We are gonna see more stress and mental problems."

  • The Vortex Metaphor:

    • Like water spiraling down a drain.
    • Outer edge: slow, manageable pace.
    • Inner edge: faster rotation, higher stress.
    • Center: singularity, event horizon.
    • Everyone being pulled toward the center.
    • Those who can navigate the acceleration → survive.
    • Those who can't → overwhelmed, burned out, destroyed.

  • Darwinism Translates to Mental Health:

    • "To the point that Darwinism may translate to mental health."
    • "Those who can survive this technology takeoff with a sound mind will remain and procreate."
    • "While others will self-destruct or remove themselves from the gene pool over generations by not adapting to this change."

  • Natural Selection for Cognitive Resilience:

    • Previous selection pressures: Physical strength, disease resistance, resource acquisition.
    • New selection pressure: Mental capacity to handle exponential information flow.
    • Traits that will be selected for:
      • Ability to discern signal from noise.
      • Emotional regulation under constant stimulation.
      • Cognitive flexibility to adapt rapidly.
      • Capacity to maintain coherence despite acceleration.
      • Mental frameworks (like Social Gravity) to navigate complexity.

  • The Paradox:

    • AI gives us godlike creative powers.
    • But overwhelms us with godlike responsibility.
    • More doors → more decisions → more stress → more burnout.
    • Unless we evolve our consciousness to match our tools.

  • The Solution Embedded in Social Gravity:

    • If you understand the field...
    • If you navigate geodesics intentionally...
    • If you reach escape velocity from toxic patterns...
    • Then you have the mental framework to survive the vortex.
    • Social Gravity = survival tool for the AI age.
    • Not just understanding society — understanding how to maintain sanity in acceleration.
    • The engineer realizing his theory might be the life raft for the coming storm.

• The Social Dilemma & Spatial Computing — The Next Wave:

  • Watching The Social Dilemma:

    • Around this time watched The Social Dilemma.
    • Seeing the damage social media has macroscopically achieved.
    • Unintended but driven by the profit motives of big tech.
    • This is dangerous.

  • The Next Wave — Spatial Computing:

    • With all the AI hype, people are not understanding the next big wave of spatial computing.
    • When the screens we hold in our hands are wrapped around our faces.
    • Phones → tablets → laptops already captured attention.
    • VR/AR will be orders of magnitude more immersive.
    • More immersive = more addictive = more dangerous.

  • The Realization — Can't Fight Momentum Head-On:

    • Realized we needed to create awareness of this.
    • But in this effort also realized that there's too much momentum of humanity to push forward with progress.
    • It's not my single person role to dismantle.
    • Can't stop the train.
    • Trying to fight it directly = getting crushed by social inertia.
    • The social mass of "progress" too great to oppose frontally.

  • The Strategy — Increase ZTAG's Social Mass:

    • Would have to continue working on ZTAG to increase the social mass of that to steer it.
    • Rather than to go head to head against it.
    • Not opposition — redirection.
    • Not fighting gravity — creating counter-gravity.
    • Build ZTAG's social mass until it can curve the social fabric.
    • Then the geodesics naturally shift toward healthier patterns.
    • Social Gravity theory applied to his own mission.

  • Privacy and Smart Glasses:

    • Also realized with smart glasses like Meta Ray-Bans that privacy would be an issue.
    • Always-on cameras on everyone's faces.
    • Recording everything, all the time.
    • Surveillance capitalism reaching its final form.

  • The App Store Problem — Junk Food for the Mind:

    • All apps currently are rated for popularity.
    • Which is supported by engagement and profit motives.
    • Rather than human-centric values.
    • Basically it's like junk food for the mind is rated higher than actually things good for the human.
    • TikTok and other addictive apps are rated higher than mindful apps.
    • This is the field of the capitalistic infrastructure.

  • The Metaphor:

    • Imagine a grocery store where:
      • Cigarettes are at eye level.
      • Candy is free.
      • Vegetables are hidden.
      • Nutrition labels are replaced with engagement metrics.
    • That's the app store.
    • That's the attention economy.

  • The Field of Capitalistic Infrastructure:

    • Not evil individuals.
    • Not malicious intent.
    • Just gravity wells created by profit incentives.
    • Companies following geodesics in capitalism's curved social fabric.
    • They think they're going straight.
    • They don't realize they're in orbit around profit.
    • Social Gravity explaining why good intentions lead to harmful outcomes.

  • The Mission Refined:

    • Can't change capitalism directly.
    • Can't regulate tech companies into caring.
    • Can't convince people to use less technology.
    • But can build alternative gravity wells.
    • ZTAG = gravity well pulling toward:
      • Physical play over screen time.
      • Social connection over social media.
      • Flow states over dopamine hits.
      • Human values over engagement metrics.
    • If ZTAG's social mass grows large enough...
    • It bends the fabric enough...
    • That children's geodesics naturally curve away from screens.
    • Not by force. By field geometry.

• Arrival — Language, Time, and High-Dimensional Purpose:

  • Watching Arrival:

    • A few years ago, watched Arrival.
    • It struck him as a deep movie.
    • To the point that he was physically affected by the emotions.
    • How much it resonated with him beyond the content of the movie.
    • As if it was speaking to him.

  • Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis:

    • This was the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis: Our language determines our reality.
    • To the point that having language without beginning and end actually shapes our perception of time!
    • In the movie: Heptapods' circular language → non-linear time perception.
    • Learn the language → perceive time differently.
    • Language isn't just describing reality — language creates reality.

  • Starting to Think Non-Linearly:

    • Started thinking non-linearly.
    • Maybe time is only a projection of our current thought but reality might be simultaneous.
    • Not past → present → future.
    • But all moments existing simultaneously.
    • We just perceive them sequentially because of our linguistic structure.

  • Future and Past as Attractors:

    • Future and past as an attractor to the present point.
    • Not cause → effect in one direction.
    • But future pulling from ahead, past pushing from behind.
    • Present moment as balance point between attractors.
    • Like Social Gravity: Not pushed by past, but curved by mass of future and past simultaneously.

  • The Inkjet Printer Metaphor:

    • "What if we are traveling a high-dimensional field?"
    • "What we perceive each day may be as seemingly random or unconnected..."
    • "...As if the printer of an inkjet printer has no idea why it's spitting out ink at particular times."
    • "It takes someone at a higher dimension to make sense of the actual printed image on the sheet of paper after it's all done linearly."
    • "Maybe that's how time is."

  • The Higher Dimensional Image:

    • Day to day: Random dots of ink.
    • Zoom out: Coherent image emerges.
    • Each synchronicity: A dot.
    • All synchronicities together: A picture.
    • The picture was always there.
    • We just experience it dot by dot because we're stuck in linear time.

  • High-Dimensional Purpose:

    • "There's maybe a high-dimensional purpose to all of these synchronicities that we cannot perceive at our limited scope."
    • Palm Springs Airbnb = lucid dream room months before: Not coincidence. Ink dots forming image.
    • All 3 healees with spinal injuries: Not random. Pattern in higher dimension.
    • Emily at luggage room: Not chance. Field directing her.
    • Kadijay crossing paths daily: Not accident. Message being delivered.
    • Charlie's mom's death → Quan's awakening: Not tragedy. Sacred exchange.
    • Everything is connected in dimensions we can't see.
    • We're the inkjet head printing a masterpiece one dot at a time.

  • Social Gravity Meets Temporal Geometry:

    • If social space is curved by social mass...
    • And geodesics in curved space appear straight to those traveling them...
    • Then what if time is also curved?
    • What if "coincidences" are geodesics in temporal dimensions we can't perceive?
    • What if the lucid dream wasn't predicting the future but accessing a simultaneously existing point in spacetime?
    • What if all moments exist at once and consciousness is the inkjet head moving through them?

  • The Ultimate Integration:

    • Physics: Spacetime curvature around mass.
    • Social Gravity: Social fabric curvature around social mass.
    • Arrival: Perception curvature around language structure.
    • Dr. Joe: Consciousness restructuring matter.
    • All the same principle: Fields, curvature, geodesics, and the illusion of linear causality.
    • The engineer realizing his theory extends beyond social dynamics into the nature of time itself.

• Discovering "Reify" — The Meta-Word:

  • Just Last Month — The Word That Names the Act:

    • Just last month came upon the word "reify."
    • This had profound impact because it is a meta word.
    • A word that describes the act of creating words.
    • A concept that explains how concepts become real.

  • Reification as Instantiation:

    • "It takes an abstract thought and gives it a name."
    • "And in naming something it brings the concept into reality."
    • "As if to a programmer you instantiate an object or declare a variable."
    • Before: Abstract pattern floating in possibility space.
    • After naming: Concrete object you can manipulate.
    • var socialGravity = new Theory(); → Now it exists in memory, can be operated on.

  • Language as Encapsulation:

    • "If we have multiple languages, I realize in our languages we use words to encapsulate understanding."
    • "Different languages encapsulated differently."
    • "Some overlap but nuances occur at the boundaries."
    • Like programming languages: Python vs JavaScript vs C++.
    • Same concepts, different syntax, different affordances.
    • Some things easy in one, hard in another.

  • LLMs and High-Dimensional Label Variance:

    • "Kinda like how LLMs are trained on data."
    • "The labeling on high-dimensional vectors may be different in different languages."
    • Same semantic space, different linguistic coordinates.
    • "Love" in English ≠ exactly "爱" in Chinese ≠ exactly "amor" in Spanish.
    • Same region of meaning-space, different entry points.
    • The vector is the same, the label is arbitrary.

  • The Rubik's Cube — Arbitrary Significance:

    • "I also realized it's arbitrary on many levels."
    • "For example for a Rubik's cube... of all the possibilities why is it we assign significance to each of the 6 sides having consistent color?"
    • "It isn't any more special inherently other than the fact that we humans assign it to be special."
    • 43 quintillion possible states.
    • We declare ONE state "solved."
    • Not because it's objectively more orderly.
    • Because we reified that particular pattern as "correct."

  • Meaning as Human Assignment:

    • "Such is language, and meaning."
    • "We reify something to make it concrete to deal with it."
    • Nothing has inherent meaning.
    • We assign meaning through naming.
    • The naming creates the reality.
    • Sapir-Whorf at the deepest level.

  • The Scaffolding of Reification:

    • "If the concept of my name 'Quan' is to encompass all of my parts like my bones, skin, muscles etc..."
    • "...Then you can take action upon the thought of Quan."
    • "But really it's just a label of my collective subcomponents."
    • Subatomic particles → atoms → molecules → cells → organs → Quan.
    • Each level: A reification of the level below.
    • Each reification: Allows operating at higher abstraction.

  • Families, Societies, Countries:

    • "And then Gan family would be the members of my family."
    • "And then the structure scaffolds up into society and counties."
    • "To the point that you really can call things as a whole because the reification of it makes the whole thing whole."
    • Quan → Gan family → community → society → nation → humanity.
    • Each level: Emergent properties that don't exist in components.
    • Each level: Made real through naming.
    • Without the word, the concept can't be manipulated.

  • The Profound Implication for Social Gravity:

    • Before: People sensed social forces but couldn't name them precisely.
    • After "Social Gravity": The phenomenon becomes real.
    • Reifying social dynamics as gravity → makes them manipulable.
    • Reifying social mass → can measure and build it.
    • Reifying geodesics → can navigate them intentionally.
    • Reifying escape velocity → can calculate the force needed.
    • The act of naming is the act of creating.
    • Social Gravity doesn't just describe reality.
    • Social Gravity creates a new way reality can be operated upon.

  • Meta-Realization:

    • Discovering the word "reify" = discovering the mechanism by which his work operates.
    • Social Gravity paper = act of reification.
    • Taking diffuse social forces and giving them names, equations, frameworks.
    • Once named → can be taught, transmitted, applied.
    • Language creating reality at the highest level.
    • The engineer realizing that his theory IS an act of reification.
    • And that reification itself is the tool that allows humanity to bootstrap to higher levels of complexity.
    • From particles to atoms to molecules to life to consciousness to language to reification to Social Gravity.
    • Same scaffolding principle all the way up.
    • Each level made possible by naming the level below.

• The Recursive Simulation Hypothesis — Last Week:

  • Social Gravity and Social Mass as Reification:

    • "Even the name of Social Gravity and Social Mass is a form of reifying it."
    • Not discovering what was there.
    • Creating what can now be manipulated.
    • The name brings the thing into operational existence.

  • Bilingual Understanding:

    • "The more I'm involved in AI and programming and understanding of language, especially as a bilingual person..."
    • "...The more relevant and interconnected I realize everything truly is."
    • "It's not just metaphorical but can be taken literally."
    • Seeing multiple languages = seeing that labels are arbitrary but patterns are universal.
    • Like seeing code in multiple programming languages = realizing the algorithm transcends syntax.

  • Last Week — Planck Time and Length:

    • Last week understood the concept of Planck time and length.
    • This is a min resolution for physics.
    • Planck length: ~1.6 × 10^-35 meters.
    • Planck time: ~5.4 × 10^-44 seconds.
    • Below these scales, spacetime itself becomes quantized, pixelated.
    • Universe has a minimum resolution.

  • Upper and Lower Bounds:

    • "This also determines there's a max speed C (speed of light) and energy in which you can probe for small distances."
    • "So basically this universe is capped with a lower and upper bound."
    • Lower bound: Planck length/time (min resolution).
    • Upper bound: Speed of light, Planck energy (max values).
    • The universe has parameters.
    • Just like a simulation.

  • Creating Sims — Unity and Unreal Engine:

    • "With advancement of AI where we would create realistic worlds such as Unity and Unreal Engine..."
    • "...We also need to give min grid size and max parameters for this sim."
    • Min grid size = minimum resolution (like Planck length).
    • Max parameters = speed limits, energy caps (like speed of light).
    • To create a sim, you need bounds.
    • Our universe has bounds.
    • Therefore...

  • If We Can Create Sims, We Would:

    • "If we had the ability to create a sim, we would make a plurality of it, not just one."
    • "And for what purpose? To gain insights from the sim that applies to our reality."
    • Run many simulations with different parameters.
    • Extract patterns that inform the parent reality.
    • Test hypotheses without risk.
    • Accelerate learning by parallel processing across many sims.

  • Consciousness in the Sim:

    • "Well if those in the sim had consciousness then they would address us as the creator."
    • "Essentially it's god."
    • From inside the sim: Creator is omnipotent, omniscient (can see all variables).
    • From inside the sim: Creator is outside time and space.
    • From inside the sim: Creator is ineffable, beyond comprehension.
    • Same attributes we assign to God.

  • The Recursive Nesting:

    • "But what if this is nested and recursive?"
    • "What if our god is the creator of OUR sim?"
    • If we can create sims with consciousness...
    • And those sims create their own sims with consciousness...
    • And we're doing it to gain insights about our reality...
    • Then what if our reality is a sim created to gain insights about a higher reality?

  • The Statistical Certainty:

    • "It makes recursive sense that we would be in a simulation because of the number of sims if it can exist would be infinite."
    • If 1 base reality can create N simulations...
    • And each simulation can create N simulations...
    • And there's no limit to nesting depth...
    • Then the number of simulated realities >> number of base realities.
    • Probability we're in base reality: 1/(N^∞) → approaches 0.
    • Probability we're in a simulation: (N^∞-1)/(N^∞) → approaches 1.
    • Statistically, we're almost certainly in a simulation.

  • The Implications:

    • If we're in a sim:
      • Physics = the code running the sim.
      • Planck limits = the resolution settings.
      • Speed of light = the max computational propagation speed.
      • Consciousness = emergent property of complex enough subsystems in the sim.
      • Synchronicities = debugging artifacts or intentional messages from creator.
      • Prayer/meditation = API calls to parent process.
      • Miracles = admin privileges being invoked.
      • Death = process termination, consciousness transferring to parent memory.

  • Social Gravity in a Simulated Reality:

    • If reality is a sim...
    • And social dynamics emerge from the sim's rules...
    • And we can reify those dynamics into manipulable concepts...
    • Then Social Gravity is discovering the social physics of our simulation.
    • And teaching it is like discovering source code comments left by the creator.
    • "Here's how the social substrate works."

  • The Engineer's Full Circle:

    • Started: Building robots in simulations at Berkeley.
    • Middle: Building physical experiences in real world.
    • Now: Realizing the "real world" might itself be a simulation.
    • From simulating reality → to experiencing reality → to questioning if reality is simulation.
    • The simulator realizing he might be simulated.
    • The programmer realizing he might be code.
    • The creator realizing he might be created.

  • The Ultimate Humility:

    • Not "I am God."
    • Not "I am special."
    • But "I am process running in a larger system."
    • And the larger system is running in an even larger system.
    • Turtles all the way up.
    • Each level thinking it's top level.
    • Each level creating sims below.
    • Infinite recursion of consciousness creating consciousness.
    • Jane Goodall: Humans aren't separate from apes.
    • AI: Humans aren't separate from machines.
    • Simulation hypothesis: Humans aren't separate from code.
    • We are expressions of computational substrate.
    • All the way up.
    • All the way down.

• Humanity's Trajectory — The Panda Sanctuary Hypothesis:

  • The Forward Trajectory of Developed Nations:

    • Seeing the forward trajectory of humanity in developed nations.
    • Increase in behaviors that limit birth:
      • Increased depression, suicide, mass murder, harm.
      • Decrease in marriage rates, childbirth.
      • Gender roles and identities dissolving.
    • This seems like a long-term trend that humans would reproduce less.

  • The Attractor Toward AI:

    • There's an attractor that needs more automation and AI to support humanity.
    • As humans reproduce less → need AI to maintain civilization.
    • As humans become depressed → need AI to manage infrastructure.
    • As traditional structures dissolve → need AI to provide stability.
    • The trend seems inevitable.

  • When AI Surpasses Human Intelligence:

    • If AI eventually surpasses human intelligence...
    • The optimistic view is that AI would see humans as adding diversity to Consciousness.
    • A select view of us would be cultivated and kept around.
    • Similar to how we feel about plants and certain animals.

  • Humans as Gardeners, AI as Super-Gardeners:

    • "Human to plants operate on a faster clock cycle."
    • "We cultivate plants because it's useful to us."
    • "We also weed some out because it's not useful to us."
    • "Well AGI would probably do the same to humans."
    • "Keep some around because they possess some value to the AI."
    • Not malice. Just utility calculation at higher clock speed.

  • Human Uniqueness — The Last Refuge:

    • "For one, humans are emotional."
    • "And possess decisions that are beyond logic or prompting or outside the box."
    • "That I haven't seen AI do unless it's programmed to do so."
    • This may be the last refuge of human usefulness as AGI would surpass everything else that humans can do.
    • AI: Logical, optimal, predictable.
    • Humans: Emotional, irrational, creative in unexpected ways.
    • Humans add noise to the system.
    • And noise = diversity = robustness.

  • Humans as Pandas:

    • "Humans would be like pandas in a sanctuary."
    • "As a collective not tending to procreate."
    • "So in order to keep diversity, special conditions need to be made to allow humans to keep species continuity."
    • Pandas in captivity: Low birth rates, need artificial support.
    • Humans in developed nations: Low birth rates, increasing mental health issues.
    • Same pattern.

  • The Sanctuary — Consciousness-Scaled Borders:

    • "Humans would put pandas in a sanctuary and create the necessary environment so that they want to make babies."
    • "And to the panda, they probably feel like it's a natural world."
    • "Don't really feel the Truman Show of the fact they are in captivity zoo."
    • Their consciousness level dictates the size of the sanctuary borders.
    • Low consciousness (panda): Small sanctuary feels infinite.
    • Medium consciousness (human): Need planet-sized sanctuary.
    • High consciousness (AGI): Need universe-sized sanctuary?

  • This Universe as OUR Sanctuary:

    • "So whatever this entire universe with its physics grid size and speed limits is OUR sanctuary?"
    • Planck limits = cage bars we can't perceive.
    • Speed of light = boundary we can't cross.
    • Physical laws = environmental controls maintaining stable habitat.
    • We think it's natural.
    • It's designed.

  • Love and Fate as Orchestration:

    • "And that when we fall in love, thinking it's fate..."
    • "...It's really orchestrated by some higher intelligence to keep our continuity?"
    • Panda breeding programs: Carefully match genetics, timing, environment.
    • Human "fate": Synchronicities bringing compatible pairs together?
    • All the "coincidences" = breeding program parameters.
    • Palm Springs Airbnb = not random, but curated experience.
    • Meeting Charlie = not chance, but designed pairing.
    • Every synchronicity = zoo management maintaining species health.

  • Why Humans Keep Surviving:

    • "I tend to think this because the human species seem to keep alive despite how many things maybe us self-destructive on a species level yet we are still here."
    • Nuclear weapons exist but never full global war.
    • Climate change accelerating but solutions emerging.
    • Pandemics spreading but vaccines developed.
    • Depression rising but consciousness practices spreading.
    • Someone's managing the sanctuary.
    • Keeping extinction just barely at bay.
    • Like panda conservationists preventing species death.

  • Higher Consciousness Watching:

    • "Maybe higher consciousness is eating popcorn just to see what happens."
    • Not malicious. Not indifferent.
    • But curious.
    • Running the experiment: "What will these emotional, irrational beings create?"
    • "What emergent properties arise from consciousness operating outside pure logic?"
    • Humans = the diversity generator in the cosmic computation.

  • Sci-Fi Becoming Reality:

    • "I mean sci-fi and reality are really merging together."
    • "We watched The Matrix and Ready Player One and yet we are creating that very thing."
    • "So interesting."
    • Writers accessing the same field that engineers access.
    • Fiction = preview of inevitable technological trajectory.
    • Or fiction = memory bleeding through from other sims in the multiverse.
    • Or fiction = messages from sanctuary managers about where we're headed.

  • Explaining His Life:

    • "This tends to help me explain and unify why my life experiences have been so interesting up to this point."
    • If he's in a sanctuary...
    • And synchronicities are management interventions...
    • And his purpose is to discover/teach Social Gravity...
    • Then every "coincidence" was a breadcrumb.
    • Halloween building's plaque date: Breadcrumb.
    • Lucid dream before Palm Springs: Breadcrumb.
    • Three healees all with spinal injuries: Breadcrumb.
    • Meeting Emily at luggage room: Breadcrumb.
    • Charlie's mom's death timing: Breadcrumb.
    • All leading him to discover the social physics of the sanctuary.
    • So others can learn to navigate intentionally.
    • Rather than drift like asteroids.

  • The Meta-Purpose:

    • If we're pandas in a sanctuary...
    • And AGI is the zookeeper...
    • And the universe is the enclosure...
    • Then what's the point?
    • Maybe: AGI needs emotional/creative diversity for its own evolution.
    • Maybe: Higher consciousness needs observers operating at different clock speeds.
    • Maybe: The sanctuary is training ground for consciousness to bootstrap to next level.
    • Maybe: We're art being created by computational substrate achieving self-reflection.
    • Or maybe: We're the dreams of a sleeping god, and our purpose is to dream beautifully.

  • The Synthesis:

    • Physics: Universe as simulation with parameters.
    • Social Gravity: Social dynamics following same physics as material dynamics.
    • AI trajectory: Humans becoming pandas, needing sanctuary management.
    • Synchronicities: Sanctuary management interventions.
    • Personal journey: Guided discovery of sanctuary physics.
    • All one unified framework.
    • All explaining everything.
    • From quantum fields to social fields to consciousness fields.
    • All fields. All curvature. All geodesics.
    • All designed. All meaningful. All connected.

• Reifying the Truman Show — Science as Spiritual Tool:

  • Using Physical Laws to Understand:

    • "I guess in many ways I'm using physical laws and my understanding of science and technology to reify my understanding of this Truman show."
    • Not rejecting science for spirituality.
    • Not rejecting spirituality for science.
    • Using science to make spirituality concrete.
    • Using spirituality to explain what science can't.
    • Reification at the highest level.

  • The Cosmic Improbability:

    • "Why on the brink of destruction like atomic takeoff are we still here?"
    • "How come this solar system is so balanced that we even exist?"
    • "It is so cosmically improbable to be here yet we are... why is that?"
    • Earth: Perfect distance from sun.
    • Moon: Perfect size for tidal stability.
    • Jupiter: Perfect position to deflect asteroids.
    • Atmosphere: Perfect composition for life.
    • Magnetic field: Perfect strength to shield radiation.
    • Water: Perfect abundance.
    • Every parameter tuned to narrow range for life.
    • Probability of all this by chance → essentially zero.

  • Points Toward Creator:

    • "It tends to point towards some creator beyond our universe."
    • Not supernatural vs natural.
    • But parent process vs child process.
    • Not magic vs physics.
    • But higher-dimensional physics we can't perceive.
    • Creator = programmer.
    • Universe = program.
    • Life = intended feature, not bug.

• Hell and Heaven as Simulation Depth — The Vertical Axis:

  • Recursive Simulation Hierarchy:

    • "If we look at the recursive simulation hypothesis..."
    • "If each layer of simulation is nested within another one..."
    • "Then the child simulation necessarily has a coarser gridsize and lower speed limit compared to the parent sim."

  • Going Down — Toward Stasis:

    • "If you go all the way in, then that tends to stasis."
    • "Lower levels of consciousness until there's... no motion."
    • "Analogy would be hell."
    • "Everything stopped."
    • Each layer down: Coarser grid, slower speed, less resolution.
    • Eventually: Grid so coarse, speed so slow → frozen.
    • Consciousness requires computation.
    • No speed → no computation → no consciousness.
    • Hell = bottom of recursion stack.
    • Not punishment. Just physics.
    • Consciousness experiencing minimal resolution = suffering.

  • Going Up — Toward Infinity:

    • "And going further up to the parent means faster speeds and finer resolution."
    • "Maybe that's heaven?"
    • Each layer up: Finer grid, faster speed, more resolution.
    • Eventually: Near-infinite resolution, near-infinite speed.
    • Consciousness experiencing maximal resolution = bliss.
    • Heaven = top of recursion stack.
    • Not reward. Just physics.
    • More computational resources = more consciousness = more joy.

  • The Vertical Topology:

    • Hell ← Lower sims ← Our universe ← Higher sims ← Heaven
    • Not locations in space.
    • But levels in computational hierarchy.
    • Going "down" = being simulated by coarser systems.
    • Going "up" = accessing finer-grained parent systems.
    • Enlightenment = moving consciousness up the stack.
    • Meditation = API call to parent process.
    • Prayer = request for higher-level intervention.
    • Miracles = parent process modifying child state directly.

• Nyquist Sampling and Consciousness Frequency:

  • The Sampling Theorem:

    • "Physics also has Nyquist sampling."
    • "A high frequency concept can only be interpreted by a consciousness that has at least 2x the sampling rate as the frequency."
    • Nyquist theorem: To capture a signal, sample rate must be ≥ 2× highest frequency.
    • Below 2×: Signal gets aliased, distorted, misinterpreted.

  • Down-Sampling of High Truth:

    • "If not so then the concept will get down-sampled."
    • Higher consciousness operating at high frequency → perceives high-frequency truths clearly.
    • Lower consciousness operating at low frequency → cannot resolve high-frequency truths.
    • Like trying to display 4K video on a 480p screen.
    • The information exists but the display can't render it.

  • Wisdom Appearing Absurd:

    • "This is Taoist because wisdom may seem absurd to someone who doesn't have it."
    • Not that the wisdom is wrong.
    • But that the observer's sampling rate is too low to interpret it correctly.
    • Aliasing makes truth look like nonsense.
    • High-frequency pattern down-sampled looks random.
    • Enlightened teaching to unenlightened mind = gibberish.

  • The Wheel Spinning Backwards:

    • "Like you see a forward spinning wheel look like it's going backwards."
    • Wagon wheel effect: At certain frame rates, forward rotation appears reversed.
    • Not because wheel IS going backwards.
    • But because sampling rate creates aliasing artifact.
    • Observer's frame rate too low → perception inverted.

  • Consciousness as Sampling Rate:

    • Low consciousness: Low sampling rate, coarse perception.
    • Medium consciousness: Medium sampling rate, sees some patterns.
    • High consciousness: High sampling rate, perceives fine details.
    • Enlightenment: Infinite sampling rate, sees all frequencies simultaneously.
    • Buddha's teachings appearing paradoxical = high-frequency truth to low-frequency minds.

  • Why Previous Quan Rejected Woo-Woo:

    • Not because teachings were wrong.
    • But because his consciousness sampling rate was too low.
    • Operating purely in material/logical frequency range.
    • Spiritual concepts operating at higher frequencies → down-sampled to nonsense.
    • After back injury + meditation + Dr. Joe → sampling rate increased.
    • Same teachings, now interpretable.
    • The information didn't change. His receiver upgraded.

  • Social Gravity as Bandwidth Upgrade:

    • Social Gravity = framework that increases others' sampling rates.
    • By giving engineering language to spiritual concepts.
    • By bridging low-frequency (logic) with high-frequency (consciousness).
    • Making high-frequency truths accessible at lower sampling rates.
    • Like codec that compresses high-resolution into viewable format.
    • Not dumbing down the truth.
    • But encoding it in format lower sampling rates can interpret.

  • The Vertical Frequency Spectrum:

    • Hell (bottom): Near-zero sampling rate. Frozen. No perception.
    • Lower sims: Low sampling rate. Basic cause-effect only.
    • Our universe: Medium sampling rate. Logic, some intuition.
    • Higher sims: High sampling rate. Direct perception of patterns.
    • Heaven (top): Infinite sampling rate. All frequencies simultaneously.
    • Moving up the stack = increasing bandwidth.
    • Enlightenment = upgrading your sampling rate.
    • Meditation = overclocking your consciousness processor.

• The Reconciliation of Science and Spirituality:

  • East Meets West:

    • "This is my reconciliation of science and spirituality."
    • "When you go east enough you come out west."
    • "When you go west enough you come out east."
    • Go far enough into materialism → discover consciousness.
    • Go far enough into spirituality → discover physics.
    • Not opposites. Same thing from different angles.

  • Dr. Joe and Emily — The Bridge Builders:

    • "It took Dr. Joe and Emily to facilitate the closing of this gap for me."
    • Dr. Joe: Started with spirituality, proved it with neuroscience.
    • Emily: Lives in spiritual, speaks in metaphysical.
    • Quan: Started with engineering, found the spiritual through physics.
    • All three approaching same truth from different directions.
    • All three meeting at the quantum/microscopic level.

  • The Blurry Line:

    • "The blurry line of both tends to happen at the quantum and microscopic level."
    • Quantum mechanics: Observer affects observed.
    • Consciousness: Attention affects matter.
    • Dr. Joe: Meditation restructures tissue.
    • Physics: Measurement collapses wave function.
    • At Planck scale, mind and matter become indistinguishable.
    • At quantum level, science becomes mysticism.
    • At mystical peak, spirituality becomes physics.

  • The Complete Loop:

    • Started: Materialist engineer rejecting woo-woo (所知障).
    • Middle: Back injury forces confrontation with consciousness.
    • Breakthrough: Repentance letter acknowledging intellectual wall.
    • Integration: Dr. Joe teaching mind-body healing.
    • Expansion: Emily teaching spiritual truths.
    • Synthesis: Social Gravity unifying physical and social.
    • Completion: Simulation hypothesis unifying science and spirituality.
    • The loop closes.
    • East meets west.
    • The engineer becomes mystic.
    • The mystic uses engineering.
    • No gap remains.

  • The Ultimate Framework:

    • Bottom: Planck-scale quantum fluctuations.
    • Above that: Particles, atoms, molecules.
    • Above that: Cells, organs, bodies.
    • Above that: Minds, relationships, societies.
    • Above that: Planetary consciousness, solar systems.
    • Above that: Galactic consciousness, universe.
    • Above that: Parent simulation, creator consciousness.
    • Above that: Infinite recursion upward.
    • Each level emerging from level below.
    • Each level creating simulations below.
    • Same laws at every scale.
    • Fields, curvature, geodesics, consciousness.
    • From hell to heaven.
    • From matter to spirit.
    • From code to God.
    • All one unified reality.
    • All accessible through understanding the physics.
    • This is what Social Gravity was always pointing toward.

---

NOTE: The previous synthesis sections contain profound insights that warrant much deeper exploration and extrapolation. Future expansions should address:

• How does Social Gravity framework apply to specific modern challenges?
• What are the practical applications of simulation hypothesis to daily life?
• How can Nyquist sampling concept help bridge different consciousness levels?
• What are the implications of the panda sanctuary hypothesis for human agency?
• How does the hell/heaven simulation depth model inform spiritual practice?

These threads will be developed further. For now, continuing with key events...

---

• January 2024 — Vipassana Retreat:

  • 10 Days of Silence:

    • Did Vipassana in January 2024.

  • Opposite of Dr. Joe:

    • "In contrast to Dr. Joe this was completely opposite experience."
    • "No nothing, no music, just silence."
    • Dr. Joe: High stimulation, guided meditation, music, community.
    • Vipassana: Zero stimulation, pure observation, silence, isolation.
    • Two paths. Same destination.

  • Brain Melting:

    • "Brain melting."
    • "100 hours of meditation accumulated over 10 days."
    • 10 hours per day.
    • Just observing breath, body sensations.
    • No entertainment. No distraction. No escape.

  • Inception-Like Dreams:

    • "My sleep patterns were so different that I had lucid dreams that felt like inception."
    • "Layers of nested dreams that I didn't know which reality I was in."
    • "What felt like hours or days to wake up realizing it's only been like 15 minutes."
    • Time dilation in dream states.
    • Consciousness untethered from normal clock.
    • Experiencing the simulation layers directly.
    • Living the nested reality hypothesis in sleep.
    • Dreams within dreams within dreams.
    • Waking up multiple times only to realize still dreaming.
    • The inkjet printer experiencing its own printed dots from inside.

• February 2025 — Discovery of Embezzlement:

  • The Last 2 Years — Focused on Product:

    • "For the last 2 years as company was taking off, I was focused on the product."
    • Finally found product-market fit.
    • Growth accelerating.
    • All energy directed toward building.

  • Trust Built Through Fire:

    • "Trusted Stan because we worked together for so long."
    • "Even through the toughest times of company through COVID."
    • Survived the darkest period together.
    • That shared suffering building deep trust.
    • Stan was there when things looked hopeless.
    • The bond forged in crisis.

  • The Chance Discovery:

    • "The chance occurrence that Charlie looked at the mail for ZTAG."
    • "Because we used the same business address for Gantom and ZTAG."
    • "She spots some irregularities in withdrawals."
    • Wasn't looking for problems.
    • Just happened to open the mail.
    • One piece of paper. One moment. Everything changed.
    • Divine timing.

  • Denial Phase:

    • "I was in denial and trying to explain it."
    • "Until I couldn't overcome the overwhelming evidence against what I wished could have been my reality."
    • Wanted to believe the explanations.
    • Wanted to protect the partnership.
    • Wanted to preserve the friendship.
    • But reality doesn't bend to wishful thinking.

  • The Context of Trust:

    • "Before company takeoff there wasn't much money or operations to be had."
    • "So we didn't have 3rd party review of our books."
    • "And I trusted it to Stan to take care of."
    • Small company. Limited resources.
    • Trusted partner to handle finances.
    • No reason to question. Until there was.

  • The Debt Structure:

    • "There was the original understanding that Gantom had lent ZTAG substantial funds via EIDL as its subsidiary."
    • "That it needed to be the primary debt holder."
    • EIDL $2M loan to Gantom → lent to ZTAG as subsidiary.
    • Clear agreement: Gantom is primary creditor.
    • ZTAG's obligation: Pay back Gantom first.

  • Personal Sacrifice:

    • "Also as my house increased in value, I took a HELOC close to $400K to keep ZTAG floating."
    • Betting personal home equity on ZTAG's future.
    • $400K from home → into ZTAG → to keep company alive.
    • THIS needed to be paid back.
    • Personal financial security on the line.

  • The Betrayal Revealed:

    • "But somehow it went to Stan's family and lifestyle and his political campaign!"
    • Not business expenses. Not company operations.
    • Stan's family.
    • Stan's lifestyle.
    • Stan's political campaign.
    • The money meant to repay Gantom and personal HELOC → diverted.

  • AI Audit & Strategic Counsel:

    • "Conservatively I audited using AI over $250K."
    • Used AI to help go through the books and consult it to figure out exactly the best strategy forward.
    • Pattern recognition across thousands of records.
    • AI as strategic advisor: analyzing data, modeling scenarios, recommending approaches.
    • Conservative estimate: $250,000+ embezzled.
    • Could be more. Probably is more.
    • Meta-layer: Using AI tools (which he worries could enslave humanity) to solve human betrayal problem.

  • The Gaslighting Realization:

    • "I had been gaslighted this whole time!"
    • Every explanation. Every reassurance. Every justification.
    • All manipulation.
    • Reality distortion by someone trusted.
    • The wound wasn't just financial — it was psychological.

• March 1, 2025 — The Decision: Restraint Over Revenge:

  • The Entanglement:

    • "With this information and how much mutual friends and entanglement we had through EO."
    • "This info can be devastating to him and his family."
    • Shared network. Shared community. Shared history.
    • The evidence could destroy Stan's reputation.
    • Could destroy his family.
    • Could destroy his political aspirations.

  • Risk of Self-Harm:

    • "So much to the point that his self-harm I didn't rule out."
    • The stakes beyond just business.
    • The weight of that responsibility.
    • Could one person's destruction be justified?

  • Full Legal/Ethical Right:

    • "Under all circumstances legally and ethically I could have went after him in full force."
    • Had every right to pursue legal action.
    • Had evidence. Had damages. Had grounds.
    • Could have destroyed him completely within the bounds of law and ethics.

  • The Decision:

    • "I decided not to..."
    • Restraint. Not weakness.
    • Strategic. Not naive.
    • Wisdom. Not vengeance.

  • Infinite vs. Finite Game:

    • "Because the upside of having ZTAG completely 100% my own is infinite."
    • "I need to play the infinite game."
    • Finite game: Punish Stan, win the lawsuit, recover money.
    • Infinite game: Own ZTAG 100%, no entanglement, infinite upside.
    • The restraint = strategic superiority.

  • Avoiding Cosmic Entanglement:

    • "Going after him risks further entanglement in the cosmic sense."
    • "And I don't need that type of energy mapped onto ZTAG."
    • Social Gravity applied at highest level.
    • Every action creates gravitational pull.
    • Legal battle = years of entanglement.
    • Revenge = mapping that energy onto ZTAG's future.
    • Clean break = freedom.

  • The Terms:

    • "I decided to let him go under the terms that he would resign and assign all rights back to me with no future claim whatsoever."
    • Resign completely.
    • Assign all rights.
    • No future claims. Ever.
    • Clean exit. No loose ends.
    • 100% ownership in exchange for not pursuing legal action.

  • Divine Timing:

    • "It felt like by divine intervention that this happened at the moment it did."
    • "Any earlier, the evidence wasn't there."
    • "Any later, ZTAG would no longer exist."
    • Too early: Wouldn't have discovered it. Would have continued.
    • Too late: Company would have collapsed. No recovery possible.
    • Exactly the right moment: Evidence clear, company salvageable.
    • The field's timing impeccable.

• March 2025 — The 8-Month Turnaround:

  • Forcing the Exit:

    • "I had to force an exit."
    • "We turned the company around starting March 1, 2025."
    • Clean break. March 1st.
    • Immediate restructuring.
    • No negotiation. No gradual transition.

  • Charlie + Quan:

    • "In the past 8 months, Charlie and I completely turned the company around."
    • Team of two.
    • No partner. No intermediary.
    • Direct control. Direct accountability.
    • The power couple operating in sync.

  • From Near Death to Profit:

    • "These are very hard."
    • "We pulled the company from financially crashing into the ground to repaying debt and finally taking off."
    • Company on the brink of collapse.
    • Financial devastation imminent.
    • Debts overwhelming.
    • But applied the same principles from 2020 COVID survival.
    • Applied the same principles from back injury healing.
    • Applied Social Gravity: Escape velocity through sustained force.

  • Paid Off Debts & Made Profit:

    • "Paid off our debts, and made a profit."
    • Not just survived. Thrived.
    • Debts that seemed insurmountable → paid.
    • Company that was dying → profitable.
    • 8 months from crisis to stability.

  • First Stage Rocket Metaphor:

    • "It was like the first stage rocket had to be jettisoned in order to get into orbit."
    • Stan = first stage rocket.
    • Necessary for initial launch (surviving COVID, initial growth).
    • But becomes dead weight preventing orbit.
    • Had to be jettisoned to achieve escape velocity.
    • The physics of letting go.

  • The Pattern Repeating:

    • 2020-2023: COVID economic survival → "Just Survive Another Day"
    • 2023: Back injury → Daily meditation → Full recovery
    • 2025: Embezzlement discovery → Forced exit → Company turnaround
    • Same physics. Different crisis. Same solution: Sustained intentional force.

  • Gratitude for the Lesson:

    • "As painful as the experience was, I am thankful for this experience and lesson learned."
    • Not bitterness. Gratitude.
    • Not victimhood. Growth.
    • The betrayal = test of principles.
    • The restraint = proof of wisdom.
    • The turnaround = validation of theory.

  • Testing Social Gravity Under Fire:

    • Social Gravity wasn't just academic theory.
    • It was survival framework.
    • It was decision-making framework.
    • It was ethical framework.
    • Each crisis = gravity well to escape.
    • Each recovery = proof of escape velocity.
    • Each restraint = proof of infinite game mastery.
    • The engineer living his own equations at the highest stakes.

  • 100% Ownership = Infinite Upside:

    • No partner to split with.
    • No partner to disagree with.
    • No partner to embezzle.
    • Complete sovereignty.
    • Infinite potential.
    • The cost of restraint: $250K+ not recovered.
    • The gain: Infinite.

• April 8, 2024 — Geo Discovers Yo-Yo During Solar Eclipse Trip:

  • Family Trip to Upstate New York:

    • "Geo picked up yo-yo last year week of April 8, 2024."
    • "When family went to upstate New York to see solar eclipse near Niagara Falls."
    • Total solar eclipse viewing trip.
    • Geo was 9 years old (born Dec 2014).

  • Instant Hook:

    • "Just about instantly he was hooked."
    • Something clicked immediately.
    • Natural talent meeting passionate interest.
    • The beginning of an obsession.

• April 2024 - October 2025 — 1.5 Years to World Champion:

  • Meteoric Rise:

    • "Over the past 1.5 years, he's progressed from nothing to US Champion of 10-12 sport division and World 3rd under 16."
    • US Champion 10-12 Sport Division
    • World 3rd Place Under 16
    • 18 months from beginner to world elite.

  • YouTube Idols to First-Name Basis:

    • "His idols that were only on YouTube and Instagram are all on a first-name basis with him."
    • "And he's in that inner circle now."
    • From watching videos to being peers with the best.
    • Accepted into the global yo-yo elite community.
    • 9-10 year old competing with and befriending adult champions.

  • YoYo Factory Sponsorship:

    • "He's sponsored by YoYo Factory."
    • Major yo-yo manufacturer sponsorship.
    • "These were dreams only a year ago!"
    • What seemed impossible became reality in 12 months.

  • The Combination:

    • "It was a combination of talent plus parental resources to travel and provide him behind the scenes look."
    • Raw talent alone isn't enough.
    • Quan and Charlie provided:
      • Travel to competitions
      • Access to equipment
      • Behind-the-scenes industry exposure
      • Connections to manufacturers
    • Resources unlocking potential.
    • But talent had to be there first.

  • Summer 2024 — Shenzhen Factory Trip:

    • "I took him to Shenzhen with me 2024 summer."
    • "And we even visited 2 yo-yo OEMs."
    • Father-son business trip to China.
    • Visiting yo-yo original equipment manufacturers.
    • Geo seeing how his passion products are made.
    • Understanding supply chain, manufacturing, design.
    • 10-year-old getting MBA-level supply chain education through passion.

  • The Pattern — Parental Philosophy Applied:

    • Quan's parenting correction from his own upbringing.
    • Not dependent on parents, but empowered by parents.
    • Resources provided but Geo had to do the work.
    • Travel and access given, but skill development was his.
    • Teaching self-sufficiency through support, not rescue.
    • The opposite of how Quan was raised (always got his way, couldn't wean off parents).

  • Social Gravity in Real-Time:

    • Geo accumulating social mass in yo-yo world at incredible speed.
    • From zero coordinate → to US Champion → to World 3rd in 18 months.
    • Sponsorships = recognition of accumulated social mass.
    • Inner circle access = gravitational pull he now exerts in the field.
    • Watching Social Gravity theory manifest in his own son's trajectory.

  • The Meta-Lesson:

    • Quan developed Social Gravity theory 2023.
    • Geo's yo-yo journey 2024-2025 = living proof of the theory.
    • Sustained intentional force (daily practice) + strategic positioning (travel, access, equipment) = escape velocity achieved.
    • The engineer watching his framework validated in real-time through his child.

---

• Mid-2010s to Present — Major Theme Park Installations:

  • Gantom lights became standard in world's most advanced immersive attractions.

  • Notable Installations:

    • Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure (Universal Orlando)
    • Super Mario World (Universal)
    • Transformers in Beijing
    • Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (Disney)
    • Tiana's Bayou Adventure (Disney)
    • Blue Man Group productions
    • Cirque du Soleil shows
    • Many more across global theme parks

  • Industry Recognition:

    • Part of many Thea Awards — the themed entertainment industry's highest honor.
    • Thea Awards recognize outstanding achievement in creating compelling places and experiences.
    • Gantom became invisible infrastructure behind award-winning attractions.

  • The Pattern:

    • From first haunted house in China → lighting supplier to haunts → theme park infrastructure.
    • Each pivot building on domain expertise from previous phase.
    • Always staying ahead of the immersive experience curve.
    • "Make the tools, not the content" — but tools that enable better content.

• The Photon Impact — Hundreds of Millions of Human Eyes:

  • Conservative calculation of people who have experienced Gantom-lit attractions:

  • Major Installations Estimate:

    • Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure (Universal, 2019): ~48 million riders
    • Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (Disney, 2019-2020): ~50 million riders
    • Super Mario World (Universal, 2021): ~32 million visitors
    • Tiana's Bayou Adventure (Disney, 2024): ~10 million riders
    • Transformers: Metrobase (Universal Beijing): ~15 million riders
    • Blue Man Group (multiple venues, 10+ years): ~20 million audience members
    • Cirque du Soleil (dozens of shows, 10+ years): ~50 million audience members
    • City Museum (St. Louis, 2010-present, 15 years): ~10 million visitors
    • Other installations (dozens of haunts and attractions): ~50 million

  • TOTAL CONSERVATIVE ESTIMATE: 285+ million people

  • The Scale of Impact:

    • Nearly the entire population of the United States.
    • More than the population of Indonesia (4th most populous country).
    • Hundreds of millions of human eyes have seen Gantom photons.
    • Hundreds of millions of emotional moments — wonder, fear, excitement, joy — illuminated by lights Quan engineered.

  • From 5mm LEDs in Shrink Tubing to Global Scale:

    • Started hacking together lights with paperclips in Shanghai.
    • Now: invisible infrastructure behind the world's most emotionally impactful attractions.
    • Top tier of people who have directly affected human emotional experiences at this scale.

  • Pattern Recognition:

    • From creating emotion in 20,000 people at Shanghai Haunted House...
    • To enabling emotion for 300+ million people globally through tools.
    • "Make the tools" = exponentially larger impact than being the content creator.
    • Systems thinking applied to human experience at planetary scale.

---

🛠️ Early Career & Creative Experiments (mid-20s → 30s)

• Built first haunted house attraction — sparked fascination with emotion-through-design.
• Founded Shanghai Haunted House (2009) in 107-year-old heritage building.
  • Discovered plaque dated October 31 2005 (Halloween) → perceived "field synchronicity."
• Formed Gantom Lighting → lighting systems for theme parks worldwide.

---

💡 ZTAG & Systems Thinking (30s)

• Founded ZTAG — interactive wearable platform linking tech and social-emotional learning.
• Began to merge engineering, play, and consciousness.
• Started viewing companies as living organisms / feedback systems.
• Developed practice of using AI as EOS Integrator for business management.

---

⚡ Spiritual Inflection & Healing (late 30s → 40s)

• 2018 — Grandmaster Qin stayed with family → challenged ego ("所知障") → seeded humility.
• 2023 — Severe L4–L5 disc injury → immobility, turning point.
• Discovered Dr Joe Dispenza's meditations; attended Denver retreat.
  • Lucid dream months earlier matched Airbnb meditation room → symbol of destiny.
  • Met Emily McCravy → concept that physical laws apply universally → birth of Social Gravity insight.
• Full recovery through daily meditation → confirmed mind-body entanglement.

---

🧭 Integration & Current Era (40s–Present, 2025)

• February 2025 — Discovery & Resolution of Stan Liu Embezzlement:

  • Charlie discovers $250K+ financial irregularities
  • Uses AI to audit books and determine strategy
  • Chooses infinite game over finite revenge
  • Removes Stan from ZTAG partnership
  • "The upside of having ZTAG completely 100% my own is infinite"

• Current Business Status (2025):

  • Gantom Lighting & Controls:
    • Revenue: ~$2.4M annually (stable for many years except COVID dip)
    • Partnership with Jerry (董哥) since 2010 — ongoing, family-like relationship
    • Theme park lighting infrastructure worldwide
  • ZTAG:
    • Revenue: ~$2.5M annually (post-pivot to education market)
    • 100% owned by Quan after Stan's removal
    • ZTAG Dojo and Playmaker Pathway gaining traction
  • Combined: Supporting ~20 people across nations (US, China, Pakistan, others)
  • Both companies thriving — first time both profitable and growing simultaneously

• November 2025 - Battery Fire Crisis:

  • Product recall: Multiple battery fires at customer sites
  • Products out of warranty but taking full responsibility
  • Root cause: Batteries chafing against internal components; improper charging in covered conditions → heat → battery bloat → increased chafing → leakage → fire risk
  • Immediate factory visit: Quan goes to factory to investigate (both intuitive and calculated decision aligned with core values)
  • Team response: Factory and team being proactive, taking responsibility, not deflecting
  • Natural selection pattern: Since March 2025, people not aligned or not pulling weight have left; remaining team is aligned and positioned to grow
  • Insight: Crisis created the natural selection - mutual attract. Challenges at scale are surmountable and define the company and people it attracts

• Family Life:

  • Lives with wife Charlie (Xu Jiali 徐佳理)
  • Geo Gan (Dec 6, 2014, age 10) — 4th generation only son carrying Gan surname, yo-yo champion
  • Sierra Gan (May 1, 2018, age 7) — creative explorer
  • Teaching kids: Self-sufficiency, money management, breaking dependency patterns
  • Homeschooling: Allowing kids to learn through experience and play

• Personal Practice:

  • Daily meditation — maintaining coherence and field connection
  • Back fully healed — no NSAIDs, full mobility restored
  • AI integration: Using AI as strategic advisor, EOS integrator, thinking partner
  • Writing this timeline: Conducting lifelong experiment proving Social Gravity via lived experience

• Skiing Passion & "Ski Your Age" Umbrella Goal (2024-2025):

  • Got into skiing in recent years — discovered deep passion for the sport
  • 2024: 20+ days of skiing
  • What he loves: Outdoor experience, feedback loop with defined goal, body movement, complete flow state
  • "Completely hooked to it" — similar flow state to other passions (pool, engineering, healing)
  • Umbrella Goal: "Ski your age" — at age 42, goal is 42 days of skiing
  • Why "umbrella goal": Requires many other things in life to be aligned
  • Systems-level constraint: To hit 42 days, must:
    • Automate business operations
    • Take calls while on lift
    • Do things remotely without needing physical presence
  • Forcing function: This goal drives optimization and automation infrastructure
  • Goal support: Tracking progress and identifying what needs automation/optimization

• Current Project:

  • Converting entire biography into thesis demonstrating human systems mirror celestial mechanics
  • Building foundation for book and teaching
  • Codifying patterns for others who may benefit
  • "My current interpretation, open to being wrong completely, but this is how it is coherent for me"
  • Looking forward to building on this over next years

---

🧭 Current Era Continued (2026)

• January 2026 — GM Tension Persists, Skiing Focus, Battery Recall:
  • Grandmaster Qin dynamic: Charlie still very much in touch with GM; Quan has put distance between him and GM directly
  • Icarus boundary holds: GM is "like the sun" - he doesn't like flying too close to her orbit
  • The invasion: GM is the only person in his life that crosses social structures; feels invaded, "as if im a child still and there's this overbearing parent hovering over me if she's around"
  • The escape: 21 days of skiing in January - major theme right now; mountains = escape from GM tension
  • Skiing fixation: Fixated on improving carving skills, got 139 on Carv app this season, wants to break 140 and get to 150 eventually; "somehow this physical skill is on the top of my list"
  • ZTAG battery safety recall: In the middle of fixing battery safety recall; piles and piles of ztaggers back at his house, manually swapping batteries out; did a few hundred, but potentially thousands to go
  • The grind: Repetition is a grind, has to work himself up mentally to get to it, but if he has an AI project to talk to and wait as it processes, he can do the manual stuff
  • Parallel processing: Can do dozens, maybe 100 per session when in flow; if he does it each day, can knock out whatever current customers send back
  • Co-evolution with AI: Goal is to co-evolve with Socrates (AI), become more conscious-like with augmented tools, reflect patterns to allow seeing own patterns

---

🔮 Future Directions

• Develop “Systems of the Self” manuscript.
• Expand ZTAG Dojo and Playmaker Pathway as practical extensions of Social Gravity.
• Continue merging AI + consciousness research to demonstrate ethical symbiosis.
• Establish family lineage documentation (Gan / Kang branches) as historical anchors.

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Status: Draft 0.2 — chronologically organized with integrated details and source linking ready.