This is not going to be a long-form interview where I dissect and deconstruct a world-class performer…at least not in the usual fashion. Instead, this is a special edition of The Random Show.
I am joined by Kevin Rose (@KevinRose), serial entrepreneur, world-class investor, and all around wild and crazy guy. We discuss a wide range of topics, including new favorite books, memory training, meditation tactics, multiple wives, and bets for or against virtual reality.
If you only have 5 minutes, here’s an untold story about a body experiment I wish I didn’t do.
Enjoy!
- Listen to it on iTunes.
- Stream by clicking here.
- Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”
Want to hear another episode of The Random Show? — Listen to this earlier conversation with Kevin Rose. In this episode, we discuss saunas and cold treatment, dating apps, and fitness apps (stream below or right-click here to download):
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QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
Scroll below for links and show notes…
Selected Links from the Episode
- Connect with Kevin Rose:
- Transcendental meditation
- Mindfulness meditation
- Get Some Headspace: How Mindfulness Can Change Your Life in Ten Minutes a Day by Andy Puddicombe
- White Noise machines
- Headspace app
- Calm app
- Brain Pickings
- Guided Meditations by Tara Brach
- How to Meditate by Sam Harris
- Slacklining
- Snowboarding
- How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid
- Love and Ambition in a Cruel New World by Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
- Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong
- Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel by Rolf Potts
- First batch of t-shirts — 100% of proceeds will be donated to groundbreaking scientific studies of psilocybin.
- More detailed information about why I’m funding psilocybin research.
- Usona
- Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer
- Memory Palace (Method of loci)
- Ed Cooke, Grandmaster of Memory
- Your Memory: How It Works and How to Improve It by Kenneth L. Higbee Ph.D.
- The Mind of a Mnemonist: A Little Book about a Vast Memory by Aleksandr R. Luria
- Rain Man
- tDCS (Transcranial direct-current stimulation)
- Black Mirror
- Google’s ‘Black Mirror’ Patent Could Let Us Record And Replay Our Memories by Thomas Tamblyn, Huffpost Tech UK
- Second Life
- Kevin’s first Foundation episode with Philip Rosedale — and second.
- Kevin’s episode with Jason Fried on The Journal
- Barrel saunas
- Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastian Junger
- The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation by Thich Nhat Hanh
- The Wisdom of Crowds: Why the Many Are Smarter Than the Few and How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business…Economies, Societies… by James Surowiecki
- Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
- Kevin’s interview with paper guru Brad Dowdy on The Journal
- Uni-ball 307 Gel Pen
- Uni-ball Signo 207 Retractable Gel Pen (micro point)
- Uni-ball Signo 207 Retractable Gel Pen (medium point)
- Pilot Precise V5 Stick Rolling Ball Pen (extra fine point)
- What it’s like to get a muscle biopsy with a giant needle.
- Sports Science Institute of South Africa
- Resveratrol
- Digg
- Fab.com
- Siamese fighting fish
- Virtual reality
- Vive
- Augmented reality
- Scandia
- X (formerly known as Google X)
- Suntory Hibiki 30-year-old Japanese whisky
Show Notes
- The origin story of #timtimtalktalk. [06:26]
- Hard-hitting questions: turnabout is fair play. [07:33]
- We talk TM (transcendental meditation). [08:39]
- How mantras are used in meditation. [12:13]
- At a four-day training course, Kevin was disappointed by TM on day one — but a believer by day two. [14:34]
- The benefits of learning meditation with others vs. just doing it yourself. [15:55]
- The post-meditation daze and going too deep. (“That’s what she said.”) [18:00]
- The progress we make from meditation may be realized by others before we notice it ourselves. [19:09]
- Experimenting with our own mantras. [21:01]
- I enjoy having a few superstitions. [21:41]
- Other forms of meditation and where to learn more about them. [22:47]
- Meditation — like slacklining or snowboarding — can be frustrating for beginners. [24:23]
- Meditation is a foundational skill of Stoicism. [26:02]
- Why I reversed my early snobbery toward fiction books and poetry; I share some of my recent discoveries. [26:45]
- I’m donating money and selling t-shirts to support university research into psilocybin for treating conditions such as depression, end-of-life anxiety in cancer patients, etc. [35:21]
- Why psilocybin research is so expensive in comparison to Kevin’s experience with mushrooms in college. [41:43]
- We talk about memory champions, techniques used for memorization — like the memory palace — and favorite books related to memory improvement. [48:26]
- Black Mirror is a great series if you can get past the first episode. [1:00:14]
- One illegal substance that has changed me for the better — and why. [1:01:35]
- “If you are depressed, you are living in the past.
If you are anxious, you are living in the future.
If you are at peace, you are living in the present.” –Lao Tzu [1:02:48]
- The first person who comes to mind when Kevin hears the word “successful.” [1:05:56]
- The Philip Rosedale “mantra based on counting” method of meditation isn’t for everybody. [1:10:48]
- If I could change any law not related to mind-altering substances, what would it be? [1:11:51]
- Books Kevin has gifted most to other people. [1:16:49]
- Purchase of $100 or less that had a positive impact on Kevin’s life. [1:18:28]
- A body experiment I wish I hadn’t done. [1:20:24]
- What advice would Kevin give to his 25-year-old self? [1:26:31]
- Bad advice Kevin hears frequently being dispensed to new startup founders. [1:30:06]
- Biggest misconception people have about me. [1:38:00]
- #timtimdatedate [1:39:25]
- Parting thoughts on virtual reality, hype cycles, augmented reality, betting against neuroscientists, the disappointment of Google Glass, and Japanese whisky. [1:46:40]
People Mentioned
- Dr. Peter Attia
- Chase Jarvis
- Rick Rubin
- Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
- Darya Rose
- Tara Brach
- Maria Popova
- Sam Harris
- Chris Sacca
- Mohsin Hamid
- Michiko Kakutani
- Ocean Vuong
- Rolf Potts
- Joshua Foer
- Ed Cooke
- Lao Tzu
- Philip Rosedale
- Elon Musk
- Larry Page
- Jason Fried
- Peter Thiel
- Laird Hamilton
- Sebastian Junger
- Brad Dowdy
- Tim Noakes
- David Sinclair
- Adam Gazzaley