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The Best Decline Letter of All Time: Edmund Wilson

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Topics: CategoriesLow-Information Diet, Protecting Time
Edmund Wilson
Edmund Wilson

Edmund Wilson, recipient of both the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal for Literature, was one of the most prominent social and literary critics of the 20th century.

He realized, like most uber-productive people, that, while there were many behaviors needed to guarantee high output, there was one single behavior guaranteed to prevent all output:

Trying to please everyone.

He had a low tolerance for distraction and shunned undue public acclaim. To almost all inquiries, he would respond with the following list, putting a check mark next to what had been requested… Continue reading “The Best Decline Letter of All Time: Edmund Wilson”

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Gout: The Missing Chapter from Good Calories, Bad Calories

268 Comments
Topics: CategoriesPhysical Performance

Total read time (bolded sections): 2-3 minutes

Total read time (complete): 12 minutes

Last week, I had a wonderful conversation with Gary Taubes, my favorite science journalist and author of the incredible (and I consider definitive), Good Calories, Bad Calories. His ability to synthesize and recall research, both in writing and in speaking, is one of the most amazing feats I’ve ever witnessed.

It is with great pleasure, therefore, that I offer you the director’s-cut chapter that didn’t make it into the book.

The chapter addresses important misconceptions about diet, fructose, blood pressure, and diabetes through the lens of gout.

If you don’t know someone with gout, you probably will. It is common and becoming more so. The misguided prescriptions from misinformed doctors, which Taubes addresses, have affected my family, and I’d rather save you the trouble if I can.

But what the hell is “gout” anyway?

Like many, I’d heard it a million times but never knew. Here it is… Continue reading “Gout: The Missing Chapter from Good Calories, Bad Calories”

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New Data: The 10 Worst Airlines in the US

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Topics: CategoriesTravel

“I see you. I’ll get your water when I have a minute. Jesus Christ.”

Um, did… that… really just happen?

Strike three for Delta Airlines. More like strike 37. The bad service had reached the “Orbitz threshold”, where I would no longer purchase tickets from Delta, even if cheaper than the competition.

Life is too short to deal with surly nonsense, and — upon landing back in SF — I decided to poll Twitter to find out which airlines create the most collective misery. This would serve as my must-avoid list.

I also learned that two start-ups called PeopleBrowsr and Dolores Labs were simultaneously figuring out the same thing with really cool social search analysis.

Here are the results: the 10 worst airlines in the US according to customers… Continue reading “New Data: The 10 Worst Airlines in the US”

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Tonight: 400 Free Tickets to "Waiting for Superman"

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Topics: CategoriesFilling the Void

To thank you all for making the last three years of life so amazing , I’d like to take you to a movie. Tonight.

I’m giving away 400 tickets to “Waiting for Superman” in San Francisco at 7:10pm (the SF premiere!), which opens tonight in several cities nationwide. If you get one of the 400, please print out your Eventbrite receipt and come to the theater around 6:30pm to get your real ticket. I’ll see you there and will also be giving DonorsChoose gift cards to every attendee.

The iconic Paul Graham has called this movie “probably the most memorable movie I’ve ever seen.”

I cannot imagine a more important film for Americans to watch… and it’s a fun watch. Truly a must-see. To keep it short and sweet: please make a point to see this film. It will change you.

See you at the movies, whether in person or in spirit.

Spread the word!

Other ways to help:

1) Have a birthday or other celebration coming up? Consider doing this, as I did. Wildly successful.

2) Other options for parents and you… yep, that means you. As much the 25-year old male programmer as the mom with three kids. See the film and then take just five minutes here.

Have a wonderful weekend, all. Much love to you and yours.

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Finally: The End of Food Journals? The iPhone FoodScanner Arrives

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Topics: CategoriesPhysical Performance

But who keeps a food journal? Exactly.

Unless you have extreme note-taking OCD like me, it’s too much of a pain in the ass to write down what you eat and track it all. I use the online food database here to keep my facts straight, but data entry sucks no matter how you slice it.

Here are first-look highlights of the FoodScanner, which launched a few hours ago and is now available… Continue reading “Finally: The End of Food Journals? The iPhone FoodScanner Arrives”

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Lucid Dreaming: A Beginner's Guide

458 Comments
Topics: CategoriesMental Performance

John Smith making another title look like child’s play (no audio)

From 1994-1995 I had the great pleasure of training with wrestling legend John Smith, 2-time gold medalist and 4-time world champion (domestic freestyle record of 80-0; international freestyle record of 100-5).

He was famous for his low leg attacks that made even Olympic finals look like textbook demonstrations.

The problem was, of course, that I was in New Hampshire at boarding school and had never met John Smith. I only trained with him 45-60 minutes per night while I was lucid dreaming. I went on to have my best career season, which culminated with a more than 20-0 record before the national championships… Continue reading “Lucid Dreaming: A Beginner's Guide”

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Do You Really Know Bill Gates? The Myth of Entrepreneur as Risk-Taker

188 Comments
Topics: CategoriesEntrepreneurship, Marketing

Photo: Laughing Squid/Scott Beale

Before I had to establish my no-blurb/no-review policy for books due to volume (picture: one day’s mail), I received an e-mail from Rick Smith, the founding CEO of the World 50, one of the most exclusive senior executive networking companies on the planet, with members and contributors like Bono, Francis Ford Coppola, and Phil Knight… Continue reading “Do You Really Know Bill Gates? The Myth of Entrepreneur as Risk-Taker”

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Random Episode 5: The Bloody, Filthy Travel Edition

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Topics: CategoriesMini-retirements, Random, Travel

This is a short Random episode — 10:30 — and easily the most disgusting to date. I also think it’s the funniest. Imagine Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations if he didn’t need to edit for cable.

This episode has some educational bits, but it’s focus is on enjoying the not-always-so-smooth experience of travel.

Not for the faint of heart.

From Glenn:

The following video segment is a continuation of the randomly shot randomian-thought random show project with Tim Ferriss and Kevin Rose. This time, we’re not in a library nor are we out on a boat dock fishing for fish – we’re on a street corner in Jinggu. At night. And it’s not really cold outside. It’s slightly humid with a dusty breeze coming out of the southwest.

Audio Note: Most of this was recorded with a Shure-VP88 stereo condenser mic (good with headphones). Apologies for when I don’t have it pointed in correct direction (sounds like they’re behind us).

To borrow from Gary Vee, here is the Question of the Day (QOD): What is the most disgusting or confusing travel experience you’ve ever had?

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Want to get Random episodes delivered to your iPhone or iPad? Now you can! Just subscribe to the podcast in iTunes (or get the audio-only version here).

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How to Respond to Criticism — Learning from Dr. King

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Topics: CategoriesMental Performance, Practical Philosophy

(Photo: Africa Within)

Total read time (bolded sections) = 5 minutes

Total read time (all) = 40 minutes

I am embarrassed to tell you that, up until three weeks ago, I had never read Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter from a Birmingham City Jail. It is, without a doubt, one of the best case studies in how to deal with criticism I’ve ever come across.

Much like the historic Declaration of Independence (4-minute read time) and Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address (30-second read time), not much happened immediately following publication.

The direct action that it helped catalyze, however, prompted police abuse that became front-page news around the world.

The news created pressure on the US government for a response, and when Dr. King later spoke with President John F. Kennedy, it’s reported that JFK’s message was much the same as the clergymen below: please be patient; time will solve this.

Reverend King’s response was purportedly a simple statement of fact. “I can’t stop this movement. The children plan to march on to the capital.”

JFK’s then sighed and changed his tune: “OK. What do you want, Martin?”

Check mate… Continue reading “How to Respond to Criticism — Learning from Dr. King”

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Random 4: Tim Ferriss and Kevin Rose on Y-Combinator, Language Learning and More

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Topics: CategoriesGadgets, Interviews, Language, Marketing, Random

This pre-China trip includes the below:

– Personal experiences with Y-Combinator, demo days, and pitching new ideas through avenues like YC.

– Five things you can do as a new startup to get your ideas, app, or product in front of influencers.

– Tweaking your website: per-user metrics, cost per acquisition, lifetime value of the customer, etc..

– The iPhone 3GS, talking some about the new updates and then a short comparison with the Palm Pre.

– Learning new languages and reactivating old ones (in this case, Mandarin Chinese).

The above list is taken from Glenn McElhose’s blog, where you can also find links to all of the sites and products mentioned in the show.

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Want to get Random episodes delivered to your iPhone or iPad? Now you can! Just subscribe to the podcast in iTunes (or get the audio-only version here).