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“Jeder ist seines Glückes Schmied.” This German expression means “Everyone is the smith of their own luck.”
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Francis Ford Coppola Bet More Than $100 Million on His Legacy. Now What?
“Francis Ford Coppola Bet More Than $100 Million on His Legacy. Now What?” (WSJ). From the article: “The director talks about his passion project, Megalopolis, including reports of problems on set and how he paid for the film.” Writer Trung Phan shared the below article summary on Twitter of how Coppola financed Megalopolis: In 2021, Coppola merged his winery with Napa-based Delicato Family Wines Merged business valued at $650m Secured a $200m line of credit from a bank using his remaining stake in winery (he sold a piece as part of merger) He filmed in Georgia and bought a Days Inn hotel for — Tim Ferriss
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Psilocybin for dementia prevention?
“Psilocybin for dementia prevention? The potential role of psilocybin to alter mechanisms associated with major depression and neurodegenerative diseases.”— Tim Ferriss
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The Strangers Project
The Strangers Project. Read just a few one-page stories and you’ll see why I find this fascinating. Here are the basics from the website: “Do you ever see a stranger and wonder… ‘What’s it like being you?’ I’ve been asking that question for the past fourteen years and have received more than 85,000 hand-written, true, and anonymous answers.” Thank you to Soman Chainani for the recommendation.— Tim Ferriss
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Big Agnes’s Rapide SL Insulated
Big Agnes’s Rapide SL Insulated. I absolutely love Big Agnes’s Q-Core SLX model, which was discontinued and replaced by the above linked Rapide SL. I’ve owned my Big Agnes for years. From the description: “Built with offset I-Beam construction, this proprietary design reduces weight while providing multi-directional support for consistent stability and comfort. This superlight air chamber pad sleeps warmer using two layers of heat reflective film, and is third-party rated with an R-Value of 4.8 for use through three seasons. The Rapide SL Insulated is lighter, tougher, more packable, easy to i— Tim Ferriss
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Sitka’s Kelvin Aerolite 30
Sitka’s Kelvin Aerolite 30. From the description: “Named on Outside Magazine’s list of the Best Hunting Gear of 2022, the Kelvin Aerolite 30 Sleeping Bag is a multifunctional layer for active time in camp, cold glassing sessions, or dreaded midnight nature calls.” Mark Seacat’s recommendation: the Valandré Mirage sleeping bag at a similar price point.— Tim Ferriss
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Swarovski SLC 15x56
Swarovski SLC 15x56, paired with this tripod adapter, and then mounted on top of this tripod/head setup. These are simply incredible. Sure, I’ve owned binoculars, but the clarity from these puppies takes it to a whole different level. Mark, our resident optics nerd, was the envy of the gang with the Swarovski glass. As he put it to me: “Tripod mounted 15’s are an absolute essential piece of glassing kit for me. If I don’t have them, I feel completely naked and unprepared on the mountain.” And if you want to go full Seacat, you might consider a spotting scope like the Swarovski ATX, also mounte— Tim Ferriss
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Stone Glacier’s Sky 5900
Stone Glacier’s Sky 5900. This pack was recommended to me by Maui Nui Venison founder Jake Muise. Able to go from a bivy mode of 4,300 cubic inches to a max volume of 8,000 cubic inches, it’s the most versatile pack I own. Add the 2-oz. Hydro Holster for convenient hydration at the hip. I personally used a Camelbak 3L bladder inside the pack for plain water (don’t forget the Hydro Sleeve accessory to secure it), and I then used the Nalgene held in the Hydro Holster for water mixed with electrolytes or Recovery from Momentous, which I consumed at least once daily for… well, better recovery. The— Tim Ferriss
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MSR’s Reactor 2.5 L Stove System
MSR’s Reactor 2.5 L Stove System. We used this for the majority of our meals, aside from the fish we caught, for which we used good old-fashioned fire. From the description: “Not only is the Reactor Stove System the fastest and most fuel-efficient stove ever made, it’s the only one that delivers that level of performance in the cold and wind of the real world.” It’s similar to the JetBoil cooking system, which I’ve used on previous trips. If the Reactor is out of stock, you can be notified of future availability here or try other locations.— Tim Ferriss
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Flextail’s Max Pump High Speed 2-in-1 Rechargeable Air Pump
Flextail’s Max Pump High Speed 2-in-1 Rechargeable Air Pump. Mark yawned and used this while I strained my lungs and cheeks to inflate my sleeping pad. From the description: “Max Pump 3 combines powerful performance with lightweight portability, weighing just 122 g (4.3 oz., or roughly the weight of a bar of soap). With an integrated, powerful LED light, Max Pump 3 serves as both a pump and a light source, perfect for easy carrying during outdoor activities and travel, ideal for camping, hiking, fishing, and more. It delivers a powerful 5 kPa pressure (.725 psi) and a high airflow rate of 500 — Tim Ferriss
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Sitka’s Ascent Glove
Sitka’s Ascent Glove on warmer days. From the description: “Lightweight and breathable, this glove delivers. … It features conductive technology in the index finger and thumb for one-handed operation of your GPS or phone and a Cordura and nylon back for durability.” For extra warmth on colder days, I used the Merino 330 Glove, also from Sitka. From the description: “Merino wool offers a high warmth-to-weight ratio to reduce bulk without sacrificing warmth, and the recycled synthetic lining wicks sweat fast to prevent your hands from getting cold and clammy.”— Tim Ferriss
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Pair any of the above with this Range Light Cushion Crew Hike Sock
Pair any of the above with this Range Light Cushion Crew Hike Sock, and you’re ready for any duration, conditions, or terrain. They dry quickly if wet, and I didn’t experience any chafing whatsoever on my trip— Tim Ferriss
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The Crispi Briksdal MTN
The Crispi Briksdal MTN has been helping me weather long days of carrying heavy loads on questionable footing. Below are other strong recommendations from Mark, all from La Sportiva: The Boulder X is an approach shoe (a hybrid between a hiking boot and a climbing shoe) combining excellent protection and solid performance for the early season (i.e., no snow). For tackling snow but not staying overnight, check out Trango Tech GTX. If you are encountering snow and staying overnight, consider the Spantik, which might be available but has been discontinued. The G-Summit is a great alternative, desi— Tim Ferriss
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The Allak from Hilleberg
The Allak from Hilleberg. This one is from Mark. I slept under multiple tarps held up by trekking poles on my last trip, which was a fun creative exercise but a little breezy for 12,000 feet. From the description of the Allak: “Remarkably light yet impressively strong, Allak models are well-suited for anything from summer paddling to winter ski mountaineering and from year-round backpacking to all-season peak bagging. They are easily light enough for mobile journeys, when you move your camp every day, and their two-entrance construction allows for superb ventilation options in warm weather.”— Tim Ferriss
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I used the Leki Khumbu Lite telescoping trekking poles
I used the Leki Khumbu Lite telescoping trekking poles daily. Nearly everyone in our six-person group, including the pros, used trekking poles, which help you climb and also save your knees on the descent. You might also consider the ultra-light Cross Trail 3 Carbon trekking poles for improved stability and endurance. They’ve been discontinued, but there might be a few left in stock.— Tim Ferriss
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PEAX Backcountry Duo
PEAX Backcountry Duo. My weaker headlamp wasn’t doing the job on tricky terrain or during cooking prep, so Mark was kind enough to loan me his backup PEAX. I’ve since ordered my own, and this will be essential packing in the future. Weighing in at just 4.8 ounces with battery and described by one customer as “hands down the best on the market,” PEAX touts this as “the brightest, most durable … headlamp ever designed.” Breakthrough lumen output armored in a machined aluminum housing; 3600 mAh rechargeable battery with run times up to 69 hrs; and 180-degree adjustability so you never have to wor— Tim Ferriss
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“The perfectionist is never satisfied. The perfectionist never says, ‘This is pretty good. I think I’ll just keep going.’ To the perfectionist, there is always room for improvement. The perfectionist calls this humility. In reality, it is egotism. It is pride that makes us want to write a perfect script, paint a perfect painting, perform a perfect audition monologue. Perfectionism is not a quest for the best. It is a pursuit of the worst in ourselves, the part that tells us that nothing we do will ever be good enough—that we should try again. No. We should not.” — (Click here to
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Bacteria are talking
“Bacteria are talking” by Annie Roth in Johns Hopkins Magazine. Here is a taste: She discovered that all bacteria produce the same autoinducer, also known as the universal communication molecule or “autoinducer 2,” allowing them to communicate across species. Bassler next began to wonder whether bacteria had species-specific languages. She examined all known autoinducers and noticed an interesting pattern: They all shared the same base structure, but many had a unique addition for intraspecific (i.e., within one species) communication. Think of this chatter as “private, secret conversations,” — Tim Ferriss
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Coach Christopher Sommer’s email to me. Coach Sommer is a former US National Team gymnastics coach and the creator of Gymnastic Bodies. Below is one part of his email that continues to resonate deeply and serves as a great reminder on a lot of levels: In fact, this impatience in dealing with frustration is the primary reason that most people fail to achieve their goals. Unreasonable expectations timewise, resulting in unnecessary frustration, due to a perceived feeling of failure. Achieving the extraordinary is not a linear process. The secret is to show up, do the work, and go home. A blue co
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NotebookLM
NotebookLM. I know everyone is sick of hearing about AI, but if you haven’t heard this sample podcast, which was generated from a simple article, it will blow your mind. Those are not real humans. NotebookLM is an AI-powered research and writing assistant that works best with the sources you upload. Thanks to Mark Frauenfelder, who recommended this in Recomendo as an “Easy AI Tool for Document Analysis”: Google has released an experimental AI called NotebookLM that allows you to upload PDF and text files for processing. The AI then generates various outputs such as FAQs, study guides, and brie— Tim Ferriss
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▶Telegram founder Pavel Durov on the freedom of not owning any major assets
Telegram founder Pavel Durov on the freedom of not owning any major assets.— Tim Ferriss
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“The best life is the one in which the creative impulses play the largest part and the possessive impulses the smallest.” —
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David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived
David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived. This doc has 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. Click here for the official trailer. Description: “The film is a coming-of-age story of stuntman David Holmes, a prodigious teenage gymnast from Essex, England, who is selected to play Daniel Radcliffe’s stunt double in the first Harry Potter film, when Daniel is just eleven. Over the next ten years, the two form an inextricable bond, but on the penultimate film, a tragic accident on set leaves David paralyzed with a debilitating spinal injury, turning his world upside down. As Daniel and his closest stunt colleagues rally t— Tim Ferriss
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The 22 Pixar rules of storytelling
The 22 Pixar rules of storytelling. Here are some of my personal faves: #1: You admire a character for trying more than for their successes. #4: Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___. #6: What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal? #7: Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front. #9: When you’re stuck, make a list of what WOULDN’T happen next. Lots of times the mater— Tim Ferriss
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Brain’s ‘Background Noise’ May Explain Value of Shock Therapy
“Brain’s ‘Background Noise’ May Explain Value of Shock Therapy” on the Quanta Science podcast (Apple, Spotify, Overcast). If you prefer a text version, here you go. A preview: “Electroconvulsive therapy [ECT] is highly effective in treating major depressive disorder, but no one knows why it works. New research suggests it may restore balance between excitation and inhibition in the brain.”— Tim Ferriss
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My New Rules for Podcasting – To Keep Things Interesting
My New Rules for Podcasting – To Keep Things Interesting.— Tim Ferriss
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Below are just a few of the 100+ highlights I’ve made in The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Far from being depressing, I find a lot of Kundera’s insights incredibly liberating if you look at them closely enough. For instance, in the case of the second quote, I don’t take it to mean we’re all doomed to sadness. I take it to mean that the endless pursuit of happiness is almost doomed to backfire, but that, per a quote often attributed to Nathaniel Hawthorne, “Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon y
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The vital question TaskRabbit founder Leah Solivan wished she asked investors
“The vital question TaskRabbit founder Leah Solivan wished she asked investors.” What a great trip down memory lane! This is a short and tactical podcast episode. Leah Solivan explains how she founded TaskRabbit, launched it in Boston, and expanded it from an experiment in one neighborhood to a global business that was ultimately acquired by IKEA. If you want to skip around, the genesis story and early prototyping starts around 08:05 with “I’m going to take you back.”— Tim Ferriss
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The Unbearable Lightness of Being
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera. This is a masterpiece. It explores the subtleties, beauty, and insanity of the human condition through the lens of sex and all that entails. After all, as attributed to Oscar Wilde, “Everything in human life is really about sex, except sex. Sex is about power.” I’d certainly heard of this book 100 times, but I’d never read it. Hearing this, one of my closest friends mailed me a copy as a gift. His accompanying words were “I’m so envious that you get to read this book for the first time. I wish I could do it again.” The original manuscript was— Tim Ferriss
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Masters of Love
“Masters of Love.” (The Atlantic). Alternate link. This is the best article on courtship, love, and dating that I’ve read in years. It’s not only well-researched and full of memorable insights, it’s very actionable and gives labels to concepts you can use.— Tim Ferriss
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“It is impossible to get better and look good at the same time. Give yourself permission to be a beginner.” — , The Artist’s Way
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▶Storytelling advice from the creators of South Park
Storytelling advice from the creators of South Park. This is incredibly short and incredibly brilliant.— Tim Ferriss
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They’re Ignoring MrBeast’s Rules of YouTube, and Thriving
“They’re Ignoring MrBeast’s Rules of YouTube, and Thriving.” (New York Times) Try this alternate link if you have any issues accessing. Hat tip to Cyrus Kowsari, Senior Producer at ONE Championship, which has become my favorite appointment viewing with friends. If you have Amazon Prime in the US or Canada, you can watch it. And if you want a rare chance to see the action in-person in the US, check out their September 6th event in Denver. The fight card looks incredible.— Tim Ferriss
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HumanN SuperBeets Beetroot Powder
HumanN SuperBeets Beetroot Powder. I have repeatedly seen endurance benefits from using this at altitude. Now, it could be placebo effect, but guess what? We can investigate using the aforementioned tool. Here’s what it brings up.— Tim Ferriss
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Consensus: AI Search Engine for Research
Consensus: AI Search Engine for Research. Thanks to Richard Reis of Most Recommended Books for the tip, which was a response to this post of mine about science-focused AI tools. Here’s the synopsis, pun intended: “Consensus is an academic search engine, powered by AI, but grounded in scientific research. We use language models (LLMs) and purpose-built search technology (Vector search) to surface the most relevant papers. We synthesize both topic-level and paper-level insights. Everything is connected to real research papers.”— Tim Ferriss
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Had an amazing time recording my first new podcast in a while!
Had an amazing time recording my first new podcast in a while! New episodes return in roughly two weeks (~September 4th), and it starts with a barn burner of an in-person Random Show with Kevin Rose. I think it’s one of our best. Tons of actionable takeaways and laughing fits. Here is a post-game pic of us. We cover dozens of topics: new projects, what I’ve done on my recent sabbatical after the podcast’s 10th anniversary, Kevin’s latest findings and shenanigans, and much, much more. It even includes some bizarre video of Kevin having his face assaulted by experimental technology. Lots of fun — Tim Ferriss
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3 Body Problem
3 Body Problem. I ended up binge watching this season over a few nights. It’s based on The Three-Body Problem (Chinese: 三体; lit. ‘three body’), a 2008 novel by the Chinese science-fiction author Liu Cixin. Following publication, it quickly became one of the most successful novels of the prior two decades in China. The Three-Body Problem was later translated into English by Joel Martinsen and Ken Liu. Ken has written amazing works, including The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories, which was gifted to me by Matt Mullenweg (thanks, Matt!). The English translation of The Three-Body Problem won a Hu— Tim Ferriss
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▶BALANCE” | A Maui Nui Venison Story
“BALANCE” | A Maui Nui Venison Story. This beautifully shot ~10-minute short film pairs well with the above bullet. Full disclosure: I’m a long-time investor in Maui Nui because I deeply believed in their ethos and purpose. It’s also the most nutrient-dense red meat you can buy in North America. This option and this option are good starting points, if you’ve never tried it. Last, if you don’t think “clean meat” is possible, I challenge you to read their mission page.— Tim Ferriss
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▶Jordan Jonas: Survival, Hunting, Siberia, God, and Winning Alone Season 6
“Jordan Jonas: Survival, Hunting, Siberia, God, and Winning Alone Season 6” on the Lex Fridman Podcast (YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts). I loved this episode, particularly the second half, which includes Jordan’s incredible family history, Siberian adventures, and thoughts on faith. The entire episode made perfect listening for a long hike. It didn’t hurt that Alone is perhaps the only reality TV series I’ve watched at length. Here’s the episode description: “Jordan Jonas is a wilderness survival expert, explorer, hunter, guide, and winner of Alone Season 6, a show in which the task is to su— Tim Ferriss
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“If you forget your feelings about things of the world, they become enlightening teachings. If you get emotional about enlightening teaching, it becomes a worldly thing.” —
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How to overhaul America’s schools
“How to overhaul America’s schools.” This quick read includes fascinating history, snippets of which are below; current standouts in the US; and models from overseas. Here’s a preview: The “rebuild” part of the book’s title is significant. Until the late nineteenth century, U.S. schools were what education experts call pluralistic. Local governments funded Christian, Jewish, and nonsectarian schools alike, and they all taught a “consistent body of academic knowledge,” a core set of subjects all students were expected to know, Berner says. Today, she adds, pluralism serves as the model for most— Tim Ferriss
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“Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.” — . Nicknamed “the Wizard of Westwood,” he won ten NCAA championships over a 12-year period as head coach for the UCLA Bruins, including a record seven in a row.
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How do you feel when you wake up and when you get into bed at night, and how easily do you fall asleep?” The time in bed in the morning and at night tells you all you need to know.
“How do you feel when you wake up and when you get into bed at night, and how easily do you fall asleep?” The time in bed in the morning and at night tells you all you need to know. It’s not purely intellectual reasoning. It’s not a pro-and-con list. It’s not a spreadsheet. It’s not a Venn diagram. How do you feel? Are you even aware of how you’re feeling? How much energy have you spent blocking out certain feelings because you don’t want to feel certain things? To borrow from Tara Brach: “There was a wise old sage who said, ‘There’s really only one question worth considering, and that is: Wha— Tim Ferriss
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Concept Art
Concept Art. In the shadows in my top-secret lair, I’ve been working with some of my favorite artists in the world on the expansion and world-building of The Legend of COCKPUNCH. But… That was a joke, right? Or was it? Some of you might recall it as an experiment in Emergent Long Fiction (ELF), as well as a fundraiser for my nonprofit Saisei Foundation, which supports science related to mental health therapeutics. Less obvious is the fact that The Legend of COCKPUNCH, though launched with laughability as an immunity cloak, was designed from the outset to be a viable and extensive fantasy world— Tim Ferriss
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Comic Book Script Archive
Comic Book Script Archive. “The Comic Book Script Archive was founded by Tim Simmons because he couldn’t find an online resource for comic book scripts. Eventually, he decided to make one. Comics Experience is pleased to present Tim’s archive as an educational resource for those interested in comic book scripting.”— Tim Ferriss
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Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa
Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa. I watched this beautiful doc after Noah Kagan recommended it and after I saw this article: Netflix just got one of the best documentaries of the year — and it’s 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. The official synopsis gives you a taste: “The first Nepali woman to summit and survive Mount Everest, Lhakpa Sherpa devoted her life to inspiring and empowering girls. Now a single mother working at a Whole Foods in Connecticut, she embarks on a dramatic return to the mountain, determined to redeem her life’s purpose and inspire her own daughters.”— Tim Ferriss
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The more frequently you look at data, the more noise you are disproportionally likely to get (rather than the valuable part, called the signal); hence the higher the noise-to-signal ratio. And there is a confusion which is not psychological at all, but inherent in the data itself. Say you look at information on a yearly basis, for stock prices, or the fertilizer sales of your father-in-law’s factory, or inflation numbers in Vladivostok. Assume further that for what you are observing, at a yearly frequency, the ratio of signal to noise is about one to one (half noise, half signal)—this means th
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Psychedelics gave terminal patients relief from their intense anxiety
“Psychedelics gave terminal patients relief from their intense anxiety” by Meryl Davids Landau (Washington Post). Alternate link if the former doesn’t work. This is one of the most beautiful articles I’ve ever read covering first-hand accounts and challenges related to psychedelics. It also offers helpful metaphors for anyone struggling with “partial completeness,” even if you never take any of these drugs. From the article: In addition to his enhanced calmness, he remarked in November that taking the drug seemed to have deepened the connection he felt toward the friends and family who had str— Tim Ferriss
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Red Rising
Red Rising by Pierce Brown, narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds. This is the first book of six from Brown’s Red Rising series. Book One was originally recommended to me by a friend formerly of Special Forces, but then half a dozen other friends did the same, including soft-spoken women I never would’ve guessed would pick up a book like this. I was 100% wrong. The book has amazing characters across the board, and if you liked Ender’s Game, Dune, Braveheart, Man On Fire, Gladiator, or Taken—you get the idea—you’ll almost certainly enjoy this one. DO NOT read the book description on Amazon, as it giv— Tim Ferriss
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“Heresies are experiments in man’s unsatisfied search for truth.” —
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New research reveals that apes have surprisingly long memories
“New research reveals that apes have surprisingly long memories” by Adam Hadhazy for Johns Hopkins Magazine.— Tim Ferriss
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▶Anton Ego finale from Ratatouille
Anton Ego finale from Ratatouille.— Tim Ferriss
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“Money is like gasoline during a road trip. You don’t want to run out of gas on your trip, but you’re not doing a tour of gas stations.” —
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So you wanna de-bog yourself
“So you wanna de-bog yourself” by Adam Mastroianni. I only just found Adam, but his writing is some of the most hilarious—and helpful—I’ve seen in a long time. Really worth the read. Big thanks to Crazy B for sending this to me.— Tim Ferriss
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“If we have learned one thing from the history of invention and discovery, it is that, in the long run—and often in the short one—the most daring prophecies seem laughably conservative.” —
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Scientists and Experts Endorse MDMA-Assisted Therapy for PTSD
Scientists and Experts Endorse MDMA-Assisted Therapy for PTSD. Read and share this letter, undersigned by 20+ well-known scientists and clinicians, expressing their position that MDMA is now approvable for use with therapy in the treatment of PTSD, given suitable safeguards and post-approval monitoring. The science is compelling.— Tim Ferriss
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Springer Dog Water Bottle
Springer Dog Water Bottle. If it’s hot or humid, my dear Molly pup gets parched. I bring water on hikes, but it’s always been at least 50% for naught. I pour it in my cupped hands and lose nearly all of it. Or if I use a collapsible bowl, she’ll drink a few sips and waste the rest. The Springer travel water bottle solves all of these problems. There are many other companies that make similar products, and I’m sure some are great, but this model was gifted to me and delivers. I have the Growler (44 oz) in Sky Blue.— Tim Ferriss
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▶How I sold 50,000 copies of my self-published book
“How I sold 50,000 copies of my self-published book.” If you prefer reading, Paul also shares the details of royalties and sales per platform (Kindle, Audible, etc.) in this blog post. The full breakdown is under the “Money, Money, Money” subheading. I personally found the real-world examples of self-publishing vs. traditional publishing economics most interesting, and the “Mistakes” section is worth heeding for anyone considering self-publishing.— Tim Ferriss
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The Right Kind of Stubborn
“The Right Kind of Stubborn.” I especially like the first half of this essay plus the synopsis in the last two paragraphs. Great distinctions to keep in mind, such that you keep an open mind.— Tim Ferriss
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▶Deadpool & Wolverine & The Bachelorette
“Deadpool & Wolverine & The Bachelorette” by Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman. Even in my wildest dreams, I never could’ve seen this one coming. What a great surprise!— Tim Ferriss