What I Am Reading:

GPT-3 Generates Hype in Closed Beta

Open AI’s language model can do things like write computer code from a simple description given to it by a human or generate a thought leadership essay on a particular topic (no matter how esoteric).  This is the most exciting and incredible technology I have seen in decades.  Some of the things I have seen people do with it are truly incredible!

What will happen to cryptocurrency in the 2020s - The Coinbase Blog

This article was written in January and we are now 8 months into 2020.  It’s interesting to see how much of Brian Armstrog’s predictions actually came true as Bitcoin breaks the $10K barrier.

The Ability to Regulate Your Emotions is Quickly Becoming The Premier Skill of The 21st Century

When I am asked about what traits I am looking for in a founder the most important one for me is emotional fortitude.  Excerpt: “When something happens, our brain’s automatic response is to be reactive. When our amygdala, the small part of our brain that regulates fight or flight is set off, we have to avoid taking the bait of our raw emotional reactions that make us want to overreact,” Kris says.

“When we buy time, we then have access to the frontal lobes of our brains, where we have access to reasoning, better problem solving and perspective. We never have to take the bait of primitive emotions,” she explains.

Building something no one else can measure
“Here are some crazy, impractical examples in this vein.
* A social network that makes you spend less time on it and instead tries to get you to get outside/workout more to optimize your long term health.
* A niche community/behavior that has no unified online presence (and hence can’t be measured/understood easily by an outsider).
* A supermarket with a limited catalog that only sells healthy items.
* Having only long form pieces that demands you spend a lot of time reading it.
* Mobile operating systems that don’t show you non-urgent notifications when you wake up or before bedtime or when you’re with family (stolen from Tristan Harris).”

What I am Watching:

Five Common Mistakes Investors Make (w/ Michael Mauboussin)

“Michael Mauboussin, director of research at BlueMountain Capital Management, discusses the five most common behavioral mistakes he sees investors make. He explains what scientific research can teach us about investor behavior, and discusses how the types of mistakes made can shift over the course of an economic and market cycle. With this background set, Mauboussin provides tips for plugging one's behavioral leaks. Finally, he explains how one might be able to make better decisions by anticipating the mistakes of others.”

How to Reduce Fear | BJ Fogg
BJ Fogg explains where fear originates and how to cope with it.

What I am Listening To:

The Nature of Human Nature - A Conversation with Robert Plomin - Sam Harris

“In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Robert Plomin about the role that DNA plays in determining who we are. They discuss the birth of behavioral genetics, the taboo around studying the influence of genes on human psychology, controversies surrounding the topic of group differences, the first law of behavior genetics, heritability, nature and nurture, the mystery of unshared environment, the way genes help determine a person’s environment, epigenetics, the genetics of complex traits, dimensions vs disorders, the prospect of a GATTACA-like dystopia and genetic castes, heritability and equality of opportunity, the implications of genetics for parenting and education, DNA as a fortune-telling device, and other topics.”

The Science of Success PODCast: Making Personal Development Science Easy and Actionable

This is a great roundup of PODCasts on every aspect of personal development and the science behind them including:

• Brain Recovery and Leisure

• Environment and Behavioral Identity Correlation

• Flow States

• Forgiveness

• Grit

• Journaling

• Mantra Meditation

• Mind Mapping

• Mindfulness Meditation

• Self Awareness

• Sleep

• Speed Reading

• Stress-Breathing Correlation

App I Am Using:

Wim Hof Method

I have been using the app to do the guided breathing technique that Wim offers for free in his app since April.  Within six days of practicing it consistently for about 15 minutes a morning (on an empty stomach) my back pain that was haunting me for so long miraculously disappeared.  I know it sounds batshit crazy that breathing can take away pain but for me it's 100% true.  I continue to do it everyday and a few other close friends and family that I recommended it to and have actually tried it have seen amazing results.

If you like what I write about then sign up for my email list.

Follow Me On Social Media: