Videos

Nov. 23, 2023

Will Schoder — On Curation, Consumption & Compression | Episode 190.

Will Schoder is a video essayist who explores a diverse range of topics including psychology, meaning, re-enchantment, metamodernism, mortality, and satire. Initially known for his short-form videos, his latest series is a trilogy of fascinating long-form deep dives into the nature, foundations, and secrets of happiness. Will joins the show…

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Nov. 21, 2023

How to Tackle the Fentanyl Crisis

How can we tackle the fentanyl crisis? Investigative journalist Ben Westhoff argues that the US government should invest in medication-assisted treatment. "We have these great drugs... But most people don't have access to them."

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Nov. 20, 2023

How to Understand Poverty

Investigative journalist Ben Westhoff on how to understand poverty: “the wealthy people and the poor people just live apart and never the twain shall meet...if you're really putting yourself in these situations, really seeing how the other half lives, then you can understand what's really needed there.”

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Nov. 19, 2023

Hip-Hop & the Fentanyl Crisis

"hip-hop has been... part of the problem." Here's investigative journalist Ben Westhoff on hip-hop's role in the fentanyl crisis...

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Nov. 18, 2023

The Rise of Synthetic Drugs

Our guest, Ben Westhoff, explains how, in recent years, there has been an explosion of extremely dangerous, synthetic alternatives to plant-based drugs.

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Nov. 16, 2023

Ben Westhoff — Fentanyl, Inc. | Episode 189

Ben Westhoff is a best-selling investigative journalist focusing on culture, drugs, and poverty. Ben’s book Fentanyl, Inc.: How Rogue Chemists Created the Deadliest Wave of the Opioid Epidemic was the culmination of a four-year investigation into the worst drug crisis in American history, an investigation that included Ben making an…

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Nov. 14, 2023

Infinite Connection

"one of the core cravings of the human soul is... infinite connection." ~ Roon

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Nov. 13, 2023

Believe in Abundance

"I think the world works better when everyone has a feeling of abundance." -- Roon

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Nov. 12, 2023

We Need Technological Progress

"We need technological progress. It's a necessity. It's the only thing that makes our civilization prosper in the long run, or even in the short run. It's the only thing that leads to stable growth and without it... all bets are off." -- Roon

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Nov. 11, 2023

It's a Wordcel World

Our guest, Roon, argues that, at the end of the day, "it's a wordcel world."

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Nov. 9, 2023

Roon — On Shape Rotators, AGI & Tenet | Episode 188

AI researcher, memelord extraordinaire, and techno-optimist Roon joins the show to discuss coming up with the shape rotator vs. wordcel meme, what an AGI world could become, and why Tenet is Christopher Nolan’s best movie. Important Links: - Roon’s Twitter - https://x.com/tszzl?s=20 - Roon’s Substack - https://roonscape.ai/ - AGI Futures…

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Nov. 7, 2023

Escaping the Nostalgia Trap

"Nostalgia is a seductive liar." -- George Ball Here's Katherine Dee on the danger of falling into a "nostalgia trap..."

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Nov. 6, 2023

Entertainment in the Attention Economy

"If you want to tell people the truth, you’d better make them laugh or they’ll kill you.” - George Bernard Shaw Our guest, Katherine Dee, argues that, in the Attention Economy, entertainment reigns supreme...

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Nov. 5, 2023

Astroturfing vs. Organic Growth

“There's this disbelief that things can become organically popular online. People misunderstand the way power can help." "I think there's just a lot of misunderstanding of how... social capital works, how power works, how trends explode, how things grow." - Katherine Dee

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Nov. 4, 2023

Celebrity in Cyberspace

“That's cyberspace in a nutshell. Certain forms of celebrity are more valuable than others. Twitter is very valuable if you have particular goals.” - Katherine Dee

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Nov. 2, 2023

Katherine Dee — On Attention, Astroturfing and the Nostalgia Trap | Episode 187

Katherine Dee is a writer, journalist, and internet culture reporter. A contributor to publications such as UnHerd, Tablet, and Blaze Media, she is also the proprietor of the Default Wisdom Substack, where she writes about a wide range of topics, including internet history and culture, digital communities, millennial nostalgia, and…

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Oct. 31, 2023

Don't Be AC/DC. Be David Bowie.

Don't be AC/DC. Be David Bowie. Derk Sivers explains...

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Oct. 30, 2023

Truth Vs. Perspective

"What seems true is actually just one possible perspective, and it's probably not the best one. So force yourself to think of other perspectives.” -- Derek Sivers

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Oct. 29, 2023

We Can't All Be Better Than Average

"So, all of these things that I think I'm better than average in right now, I think it's just safe to assume that I'm not. In fact, I'm going to choose to counterbalance our human nature, and so, I will deliberately choose to assume that I'm below average." -- Derek…

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Oct. 28, 2023

Just Do The Thing

"[Hollywood actors are] not a special breed. They're not a different type. They are just like you. They just took the chance and showed up to the gig... They did the thing instead of watching TV, and that's all the difference it took." -- Derek Sivers

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Oct. 27, 2023

The Choice You Commit To Is The Best Choice

"It is your commitment itself that can make any choice the right choice for you." -- Derek Sivers

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Oct. 26, 2023

Derek Sivers (Part Two) — Just Do The Thing | Episode 186

The inimitable Derek Sivers returns for Part Two of our conversation. Important Links: - Part One - Website - https://sive.rs - Twitter - https://twitter.com/sivers?s=21&t=r5Rw1ujHLmOB6xEJqeaV6g - Still Too Soon to Tell & Other Songs - https://sive.rs/music - Tech Independence - https://sive.rs/ti Show Notes: 0:00:00 Video intro 0:00:45 Main podcast 0:02:29 Curiosity…

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Oct. 25, 2023

Useful Not True

"Physical, observable things are true. Everything else is just a perspective that you can choose to take." -- Derek Sivers

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Oct. 24, 2023

Derek Sivers (Part One) — How to Become a Picasso

Over the years, Derek Sivers has been a musician, circus performer, computer programmer, author, public speaker and entrepreneur. In the 2000s, he sold his business, CD Baby, for $22 million and gave the proceeds to charity. Derek has optimized his life “for creating and learning” and spends as much of…

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