Tim Ferriss

The Tim Ferriss Show: Interview of Kevin Kelly, Co-Founder of WIRED, Polymath, Most Interesting Man In The World? (#25, #26 & #27)

KevinKellySF

This single interview—one of my favorites of all-time—was recorded in three short parts.  You can:

Ep 25: Kevin Kelly – WIRED Co-Founder, Polymath, Most Interesting Man In The World
Ep 26: Kevin Kelly (Part 2) – WIRED Co-Founder, Polymath, Most Interesting Man In The World?
Ep 27: Kevin Kelly (Part 3) – WIRED Co-Founder, Polymath, Most Interesting Man In The World?

This podcast is brought to you by The Tim Ferriss Book Club, which features a handful of books that have changed my life. Here’s the list.  You can also find all 20+ episodes of this podcast here. Some are sober and some are drunk, but the guests are all great.

Now, on to this episode’s guest…

Kevin Kelly might be the real-life Most Interesting Man In The World.

He is Senior Maverick at Wired magazine, which he co-founded in 1993. He also co-founded the All Species Foundation, a non-profit aimed at cataloging and identifying every living species on earth. In his spare time, he writes bestselling books, co-founded the Rosetta Project, which is building an archive of ALL documented human languages, and serves on the board of the Long Now Foundation. As part of the last, he’s investigating how to revive and restore endangered or extinct species, including the Wooly Mammoth.

This episode touches on a lot of cool stuff.  SERIOUSLY, A LOT.

Just scroll below and your head might explode.  Tons of amazing links and goodies…

Enjoy!

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Show Notes and Select Links from the Episode

  • Kevin Kelly’s biggest regret
  • His lesson in finding contentment in minimalism and “volunteer simplicity”
  • How he realized that writing actually creates ideas
  • Why he promised himself that he would never resort to teaching English while traveling abroad
  • The “creator’s dilemma,” or how you have to go lower to get higher
  • Why you don’t want to be a billionaire
  • His realizations after doing a “6 months until death” challenge
  • His Kickstarter-funded project linking angels and robots
  • Why a self-proclaimed ex-hippie waited until his 50th birthday to try LSD for the first time
  • Why a population implosion is probable in the next 100 years
  • The greatest gift you can give to your child
  • The criteria for Amish technology assimilation
  • What technology-free sabbaticals can do for you
  • Long Now Foundation’s vision of a better civilization
  • The graphic novel for young people on how to become indispensable
  • His favorite fiction book
  • The great resource Kevin compiled for documentary lovers
  • How he accumulated enough books to fill a two-story library
  • Mythbuster’s Adam Savage’s organizational method, which transformed Kevin’s life
  • The project that everyone should undertake at least once in life
  • The advice he would give to his younger self

LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Books Mentioned in the Episode

Documentaries Mentioned in the Episode

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Coyote

A card game by Tim Ferriss and Exploding Kittens

COYOTE is an addictive card game of hilarity, high-fives, and havoc! Learn it in minutes, and each game lasts around 10 minutes.

For ages 10 and up (though I’ve seen six-year olds play) and three or more players, think of it as group rock, paper, scissors with many surprise twists, including the ability to sabotage other players. Viral videos of COYOTE have been watched more than 250 million times, and it’s just getting started.

Unleash your trickster spirit with a game that’s simple to learn, hard to master, and delightfully different every time you play. May the wit and wiles be with you!

Keep exploring.