The Random Show — Life-Extension Misadventures, Blockchain/Crypto Investing, NFT Experiments, Dogecoin, Zen Buddhism, and Weathering Sharp Elbows (#527)

August 18, 2021
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Illustration via 99designs

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 explore crypto investing, NFT experiments, dogecoin, Zen Buddhism, current workouts, sleep supplements, and much more.

Please enjoy!

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform.

Brought to you by UCAN endurance products powered by SuperStarch®, Vuori comfortable and durable performance apparel, and Tonal smart home gym. More on all three below.

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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 time we did one of these Random Shows? Check out our celebratory episode 500 in which KevKev and I discussed hair transplants, indelible mistakes, high-performance course corrections, shameful snacks, life hacks in retrospect, best movies to watch on mushrooms, and much more.

SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

  • Connect with Kevin Rose:

Website | Modern Finance | Instagram | Twitter

SHOW NOTES

  • The evolving war against elevated blood glucose, and why this show was almost rescheduled. [06:12]
  • A light and refreshing alcoholic beverage I’ve been enjoying lately. [14:57]
  • A recent bad decision I made. [18:12]
  • As we get older, how have our workouts been focused? [20:43]
  • What type of exercise, in particular, has made Kevin more durable during playtime with his kids? [34:40]
  • Will I ever create my own NFTs or participate in the market surrounding them? [41:07]
  • With so many NFTs being created these days, how do you separate the wheat from the chaff? [49:12]
  • What is generative art? [49:39]
  • There’s nothing quite like having your house struck by lightning in the middle of recording a podcast to remind you of the importance of emergency preparedness. [54:21]
  • Back to NFTs: even Jay-Z has gotten in on the action by changing his Twitter icon to a CryptoPunk — a trailblazing class of NFTs that big-name auction houses like Sotheby’s and Christie’s take seriously and sell for millions of dollars. How significant is this, really? [1:01:14]
  • On riding the emotional roller coaster that is investment and trying to guess where the markets will be down the track. Regrets? I’ve had a few. [1:07:40]
  • In the blockchain space, what is Kevin — as an investor — paying close attention to? [1:12:50]
  • On the general worthlessness of meme coins, the transcendence of Dogecoin, and what makes one cryptocurrency more “real” over another. [1:14:06]
  • Do public statements from heavy hitters like Elon Musk cause the value of various cryptocurrencies to artificially fluctuate, or are these fluctuations more significantly controlled by other market factors? [1:18:25]
  • If Bitcoin is such a “dirty” currency that has environmentalists concerned, can we expect it to clean up its act? Or are alternatives like Ethereum and Chia better poised to bring us greener crypto? [1:20:08]
  • The best way to learn how blockchain technologies work? Don’t sink your life savings into them, but get your hands dirty and play. [1:25:08]
  • With so many blockchain projects active today, how do Kevin and his partners at True Ventures vet potential investments? What wild innovations are being pitched right now that might revolutionize the future of finance? [1:25:55]
  • What is BlockFi, and what are its rewards and risks compared to traditional banking alternatives? Does Kevin see future governmental regulation putting a damper on the potential of this kind of platform, or will it bolster its use by the average consumer? [1:30:13]
  • Only in the world of DeFi: how self-repaying loans work through the Alchemix protocol. [1:34:06]
  • While Kevin welcomes sensible blockchain regulation in the US to clarify the intangibles for the average consumer, what are the potential pitfalls of crypto that worry him? [1:36:26]
  • Dollar cost averaging and risk management to avoid the dreaded panic sell. [1:39:13]
  • Why I don’t make an investment I can’t hold for at least three years. [1:40:52]
  • Why, based on current information, I’m holding onto my Bitcoin and Ethereum for the foreseeable future. [1:42:17]
  • When it might make sense for even a true believer to sell off their cryptocurrency and diversify assets. [1:44:09]
  • Why even modest, but stable interest returned on an investment isn’t the worst thing in the world, and how to ensure you’re earning interest on the crypto you’re holding. [1:46:13]
  • What I’ve been doing to facilitate better sleep in the past few weeks, and how I’ve been tracking it. [1:49:33]
  • What constitutes a bad night of sleep for me? [1:54:00]
  • How do I supplement my omega-3s, and what seem to be their unexpected benefits? [1:55:56]
  • Why you should never oil your sauna. [2:00:53]
  • The biggest game-changer for Kevin: a year of daily 55-minute Zen meditation sessions. [2:03:10]
  • I reflect on my own deep experiences — including a psychotic breakdown — with Vipassana meditation, and how a sauna can put me in the right frame of mind to meditate effectively, feel physically and emotionally refreshed, and dramatically increase HRV. [2:03:42]
  • In order to stay committed to his goal of a daily, 55-minute practice for the past year, how did Kevin’s approach to meditation differ from previous attempts? [2:07:43]
  • What does one of Kevin’s meditation sessions look like, how does it feel, and in what way do koans — paradoxical anecdotes or riddles — fit into the equation? [2:11:41]
  • What prompted Kevin’s commitment to Zen meditation, what has he learned so far, and how much does he have left to learn? [2:22:19]
  • Why Kevin thinks I’d be an ideal candidate for Zen meditation, why I should invite his Zen teacher to the show, and how Zen and psychedelics might perceive reality through similar lenses. [2:25:16]
  • Why you should listen to The Darya Rose Show. [2:37:23]
  • Parting thoughts. [2:39:44]

PEOPLE MENTIONED

DISCLAIMER FROM TIM FERRISS: I am not an investment adviser. Nor is Kevin Rose. All opinions are mine alone. Or his. There are risks involved in placing any investment in securities or in Bitcoin or in cryptocurrencies or in anything. None of the information presented herein is intended to form the basis of any offer or recommendation or have any regard to the investment objectives, financial situation, or needs of any specific person, and that includes you, my dear listener or reader. Everything you’re going to hear is for informational entertainment purposes only.

The Tim Ferriss Show is one of the most popular podcasts in the world with more than 600 million 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.

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