The Random Show — Zen, Investing, Mike Tyson, Artificial Intelligence, and the World’s Best Beers (#453)

Tim Ferriss and Kevin Rose

Technologist, serial entrepreneur, world-class investor, self-experimenter, and all-around wild and crazy guy Kevin Rose (@KevinRose) rejoins me for another episode of “The Random Show.” In this one, we wax poetic over wildlife friends and foes, the folly of facing off against Mike Tyson (even in his 50s), slow donkeys, universal basic income (UBI), breaking the pandemic pajama routine, smoked meats and Wi-Fi grills, Zen and the art of Kevin maintenance, how to hike without being hunted, hoity-toity beer, pandemic investing, and much more.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform. You can also watch the episode on YouTube.

Brought to you by Dry Farm Wines, LegalZoom, and Allform. More on all three below. 

The transcript of this episode can be found here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.

#453: The Random Show — Zen, Investing, Mike Tyson, Artificial Intelligence, and the World's Best Beers

This episode is also brought to you by Dry Farm Wines. I’m a wine drinker, and I love a few glasses over meals with friends. That said, I hate hangovers. For the last few months, all of the wine in my house has been from Dry Farm Wines. Why? At least in my experience, their wine means more fun with fewer headaches. Dry Farm Wines only ships wines that meet very stringent criteria: sugar free (less than 0.15g per glass), lower alcohol (less than 12.5% alcohol), additive free (there are more than 70 FDA-approved wine-making additives), lower sulfites, organic, and produced by small family farms.

All Dry Farm Wines are laboratory tested for purity standards by a certified, independent enologist, and all of their wines are also backed by a 100% Happiness Promise—they will either replace or refund any wine you do not love. Last but not least, I find delicious wines I never would have found otherwise. It’s a lot of fun. Dry Farm Wines has a special offer just for listeners of the podcast—an extra bottle in your first box for just one extra penny. Check out all the details at DryFarmWines.com/Tim.


This episode is also brought to you by LegalZoom. I’ve used this service for many of my businesses, as have quite a few of the icons on this podcast, including Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg of WordPress fame. LegalZoom is a reliable resource that more than a million people have already trusted for all kinds of legal needs, including setting up wills, proper trademark searches, forming LLCs, setting up non-profits, and finding simple cease-and-desist letter templates.

LegalZoom is not a law firm, but it does have a network of independent attorneys available in most states who can give you advice on the best way to get started, provide contract reviews, and otherwise help you run your business with complete transparency and up-front pricing. Learn more at LegalZoom.com. LegalZoom, where life meets legal.


This episode is brought to you by Allform! If you’ve been listening to the podcast for a while, you’ve probably heard me talk about Helix Sleep mattresses, which I’ve been using since 2017. They just launched a new company called Allform, and they’re making premium, customizable sofas and chairs shipped right to your door — at a fraction of the cost of traditional stores.

You can pick your fabric (and they’re all spill, stain, and scratch resistant), the sofa color, the color of the legs, and the sofa size and shape to make sure it’s perfect for you and your home. Allform arrives in just 3–7 days, and you can assemble it yourself in a few minutes—no tools needed. To find your perfect sofa, check out Allform.com/Tim. Allform is offering 20% off all orders to you, my dear listeners, at Allform.com/Tim.


What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.

SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…

Want to hear the last “Random Show” Kevin and I did? Check out our conversation here in which we discuss exotic meats, quarantine exercises, dog adoption, decadent desserts, and much more.

#426: The Random Show: Boozy Quarantine Edition!

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

      • Connect with Kevin Rose:

The Kevin Rose Show | Oak Meditation | Zero | Instagram | Twitter

SHOW NOTES

      • Checking in from our respective dungeons and bear caves, where we’re learning to either coexist with the local wildlife or fend it off when necessary. [04:56]
      • I want to run, but it bothers my knees. This is what I do instead. [08:04]
      • Kevin’s in his 40s and he can’t cough without tweaking his back, but Mike Tyson’s about to go back in the ring at age 54. Would I fight the former heavyweight champ for $200 million? [13:25]
      • How have Kevin and I been coping with pandemic life since our last podcast together when lockdowns were just beginning? Is there light at the end of the tunnel, or are we in for a “slow donkey?” [22:08]
      • Thoughts on the merits of universal basic income (UBI) and dwindling job opportunities in an increasingly AI-automated world. [27:42]
      • How the Roses are staying sane and “breaking the pajama routine” in pandemic-stricken and civil unrest epicenter Portland, and what I’ve gained by changing from an urban to a rural setting. [33:29]
      • Why Kevin and I have largely disconnected from social media and nagging apps during this time, along with the exceptions and rules that still keep us somewhat in touch with the grid without being drained by it. [35:29]
      • Our parallel lives continue on another front: the Traeger grill. Here are the meats we’ve been responsibly enjoying with its assistance. [41:16]
      • Why cooking is a great hobby for breaking up the monotony of self-quarantining. [49:53]
      • HRV and breathwork practices I’ve been experimenting with, and how I hope they’ll help me overcome some longer-term fatigue issues that haunt me. [50:50]
      • Kevin’s most recent forays into meditation and Zen. [56:21]
      • A peek at Pique tea for peak performance. [01:11:53]
      • How I keep from getting shot as an accidental trespasser when I go hiking in the boundless wilderness. [1:15:00]
      • Kevin shares his pandemic intermittent fasting — and beer critique — regimens. [1:18:53]
      • I’m not much for self-congratulation, but here’s the one time Kevin’s seen me splurge on something for myself. [1:26:45]
      • Neither of us is a registered investment advisor, and this is not investment advice, but this is how we’ve each been thinking about and personally navigating the stock market during this pandemic. [1:31:07]
      • Kevin’s thoughts on buying gold vs. cryptocurrency. [1:52:20]
      • Parting thoughts. [2:00:55]

PEOPLE MENTIONED

The Tim Ferriss Show is one of the most popular podcasts in the world with more than one billion downloads. It has been selected for "Best of Apple Podcasts" three times, it is often the #1 interview podcast across all of Apple Podcasts, and it's been ranked #1 out of 400,000+ podcasts on many occasions. To listen to any of the past episodes for free, check out this page.

Leave a Reply

Comment Rules: Remember what Fonzie was like? Cool. That’s how we’re gonna be — cool. Critical is fine, but if you’re rude, we’ll delete your stuff. Please do not put your URL in the comment text and please use your PERSONAL name or initials and not your business name, as the latter comes off like spam. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation! (Thanks to Brian Oberkirch for the inspiration.)

14 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Brian Holiman
Brian Holiman
3 years ago

great episode….but the beginning of many sentences were cut off. It sounded like the gate was set to high.

richmundmmeneses
richmundmmeneses
3 years ago

Have you ever heard of Mo Gawdat? He’s the former CBO of GoogleX and author of Solve For Happy and I believe he would make an excellent guest for your show.

He also has his own podcast called Slo Mo. It’s worth listening too and you would make an excellent guest on his show.

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/slo-mo-a-podcast-with-mo-gawdat/id1508914142

Stephen L
Stephen L
3 years ago

I liked the short discussion on Rucking. I picked up their backpack and a 20 pound weight. I walk daily and have been looking for something like this. I started laughing when I imagined you walking with that weighted vest.

Alexander Turgeon
Alexander Turgeon
3 years ago

Great episode, fellas! One note, but I grew up about 20 minutes close to Tree House Brewing Company, and honestly, nearly everything they make is regarded as the top beer in its class, especially with its IPAs and shelf stable stouts.That being said, next time you make it to the east coast I highly recommend dropping by Hill Farmstead in Vermont (or at least hunting down a bottle of their Farmstead Ale). I particularly recommend this for Tim, as their Farmstead Ale is fermented in a way that provides a natural carbonation, resulting in a beer that is more comparable to a find wine and a champagne, rather than just, well beer. Either way, I certainly recommend Tree House Brewing Company and Hill Farmstead as two of the top breweries in the world.

Keep up the great work- stay healthy and well!

Turg

Sanjam DC
Sanjam DC
3 years ago

This was such a fun conversation to be a fly on the wall.. it was sweet, funny, informative, deep, silly.. everything a good friendship is.. would much rather see/hear/feel connection in these times than tips/tricks/hacks, though thanks for it all! Have enjoyed many many of your conversations Tim! Also, about good TV (thanks for your rec “The Good Place”) and being 43 (as I am) and throwing backs (as I tend to do), do watch “3Below” on Netflix. I chanced upon it to watch with my 8 year old. Nick Offerman as the glorious Varvatos Vex has us laughing out loud!! Really smart.. so well written. Await your next book. You’re getting better with time, Tim 🙂

Rob M
Rob M
3 years ago

FEEDBACK:
Relatively new listener, love the podcast so far. I have to mention though, if you have heard Sam Harris where he explains his subscription model and how he never wants fans to have to question if part of the show is an ad. This random episode was great, except where you were talking about specific products, I couldn’t help but wonder how much of it was an ad. from what I’ve heard of you so far, you seem pretty transparent, but I got to say, it kind of turned me off of those sections.
Take care – Rob m.

Debbie
Debbie
3 years ago

Do you have anymore info on the hyper reactive heart rate?

Luke
Luke
3 years ago

A couple of questions.

Did Kevin share his Salmon recipe for the Traeger? Would love to have it.

And can you share how you’re preparing the cuts of meats or the recipes you’re using for Maui Nui?

Thanks as always for the show!

Mark Smith
Mark Smith
3 years ago

Tim, thank you for all the love you give to your guests and the excellence you offer as inspiration in every episode you produce. I also want to acknowledge and listen to a faith I can’t explain. I sent you a tool in an email that came ‘ through me’ regarding your continually mentioning complacency in many of your episodes over the past year. I think I sense something that you are trying to tell yourself but don’t have the words for. If you’re curious and open to lean into your own faith in the unfamiliar…cross search reference your Tim email and search for a tool to to change your mind about complacency as subject. That email and the tool sent with it for you as a gift might be a new drug trip for you to explore that offers a gift beyond your imagination and experiences thus far. Whatever you choose, there is only love for you, wishing you a feeling of wonder this morning, Mark

Dan F
Dan F
3 years ago

Hey Tim I was just watching this episode, your comments on the negative impact to brands when Amazon moved to essential products only was spot on. Brands that were not set up to sell direct to consumer via their websites were left with no ability to sell via Amazon and no ability to sell at brick and mortar since the majority were closed.

Not a pitch and not looking for feedback or advice, but thought you may be interested in seeing what we’re doing. We are built on Shopify and we enable brands to sell direct within a week. We’ve been helping brands move quickly to selling direct during the pandemic, and we’re doing it for no upfront costs. Brands are quickly realizing that now is the time to start selling online and taking back control which they’ve lost to the big box retailers.

[Moderator: website removed here but preserved in the intake fields.]

Great episode as usual, love the Random Shows!

Rick
Rick
3 years ago

Your fatigue issue. Not a huge chance you catch this comment Tim. But when I heard you suffered from fatigue while consuming moderate amounts of meat I just wanted to share how I overcame this myself and point to a possible solution.
Early 30s, couldn’t recover from an intermediate exercise session within 24 hours and thought I had heart issues. Turned out my flirtation with veganism combined with a genetic deficiency to synth zinc was the culprit. Started eating more red meat (ground and organs mostly) and supplementing with zinc (picolinate). All of a sudden I was 30 again. Few small adjustments lead to big changes, this one did. Magnesium is usually hailed as the most important mineral nowadays. It’s not, it’s zinc.

boxing odds
boxing odds
3 years ago

thanks for the cool write up tim. As an ex boxer was good to read.

ytSubs
ytSubs
3 years ago

I liked that episode. Good discussion. Also follow your podcast on Spotify

Bruno
Bruno
3 years ago

Waiting for another Random Show. Love you guys!
Saludos desde Buenos Aires