This episode is a two-for-one, and that’s because the podcast recently hit its 10-year anniversary and passed one billion downloads. To celebrate, I’ve curated some of the best of the best—some of my favorites—from more than 700 episodes over the last decade. I could not be more excited. The episode features segments from episode #427 “Michael Lewis — Inside the Mind of the Iconic Writer” and episode #487 “Dr. Martine Rothblatt — A Masterclass on Asking Better Questions and Peering Into the Future.”
Please enjoy!
Bios of guests may be found at tim.blog/combo.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Audible, or on your favorite podcast platform.
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Transcript for the full Michael Lewis episode | Transcript for the full Martine Rothblatt episode | Transcripts for all episodes
#749: Michael Lewis and Martine Rothblatt
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What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
SHOW NOTES
- [04:13] Notes about this supercombo format.
- [05:16] Enter Michael Lewis.
- [05:54] Why Michael quit his well-paid job to become a full-time author.
- [12:58] Liar’s Poker is a cautionary tale, not a how-to book.
- [15:16] On ambition and the metrics of success.
- [18:31] Maximizing self-satisfaction, optimizing the writing process, and learning to sing.
- [20:51] The value of having an impolite editor on your side.
- [23:52] On the merits of productive laziness.
- [28:13] How Michael determines if a project should proceed.
- [29:51] Michael’s billboard.
- [32:45] Enter Martine Rothblatt.
- [33:14] Martine’s appreciation for Alan Watts’ book on human identity.
- [35:34] Martine’s thoughts on AI-human coexistence in the movie Her.
- [36:31] BINA48 and realistic human simulations in media.
- [39:53] Martine’s role models and inspirations.
- [41:20] When Martine started a biotech company to save her daughter’s life.
- [52:44] Glaxo Wellcome’s misconceptions about Martine’s successful drug.
- [56:17] Martine’s interest in satellite communication systems.
- [1:00:33] Promoting scientific literacy and curiosity.
- [1:05:20] Questioning authority and Martine’s transgender journey.
- [1:10:28] Martine’s non-binary gender identity.
- [1:12:34] Key decisions in Martine’s transition.
- [1:13:28] The need for genetic information protection laws.
- [1:16:00] South American population and organ transplant research.
- [1:21:42] Vagus nerve manipulation for various therapies.
- [1:31:25] Martine’s Alzheimer’s cognitive enabler patent.
- [1:38:17] The Rothblatt family’s “love nights” tradition.
- [1:43:54] The possibility of machines experiencing love.
- [1:49:20] Ethical considerations for future technology.
- [1:52:44] Current practices future generations might view as barbaric.
- [1:57:42] United Therapeutics’ zero-carbon-footprint headquarters.
- [2:00:32] Refurbishing unusable lungs to save lives.
- [2:04:45] United Therapeutics’ focus on long-term COVID-19 effects.
- [2:07:26] Martine’s billboard.
- [2:08:27] Advice for finding positivity in life.
- [2:11:48] Parting thoughts.
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE
Connect with Michael Lewis:
Connect with Martine Rothblatt:
- United Therapeutics
- Your Life or Mine: How Geoethics Can Resolve the Conflict Between Public and Private Interests in Xenotransplantation by Martine Rothblatt | Amazon
- From Transgender to Transhuman: A Manifesto on the Freedom of Form by Martine Rothblatt | Amazon
- Virtually Human: The Promise―and the Peril―of Digital Immortality by Martine Rothblatt
- The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are by Alan Watts | Amazon
- Her | Prime Video
- BINA48 Meets Bina Rothblatt, Part One | The LifeNaut Project
- BINA48 Meets Bina Rothblatt, Part Two | The LifeNaut Project
- Abraham Lincoln Full Speech, Hall Of Presidents, Disney World | MouseSteps
- Most Powerful Moment In Black Mirror: Be Right Back | BrainPilot
- Upload | Prime Video
- Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein | Amazon
- Time Enough for Love by Robert A. Heinlein | Amazon
- UCLA
- Children’s National Hospital
- Shepard’s Citations | Wikipedia
- Doing Well | Barron’s
- SiriusXM
- What Is a Satellite? | NASA
- Indian Ocean Station | Wikipedia
- Cosmos: A Personal Voyage | Wikipedia
- The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas S. Kuhn | Amazon
- Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler | Amazon
- Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler | Amazon
- Anthony Fauci: ‘We Are Living in the Perfect Storm’ | Financial Times
- Transgender FAQ | GLAAD
- What Is Trans and What Does Non-Binary Mean? | PinkNews
- LGBTQ+ Terms and Definitions | TSER
- The Human Genome Project in 2020 Hindsight | GEN
- International Bar Association (IBA)
- Consent and Autonomy in the Genomics Era | Current Genetic Medicine Reports
- Dr. Mark Plotkin on Ethnobotany, Real vs. Fake Shamans, Hallucinogens, and the Dalai Lamas of South America | The Tim Ferriss Show #469
- Little People of Ecuador: Laron Syndrome May Unlock Cancer, Diabetes Cure | NBC News
- Laron Syndrome | Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center (GARD) | NIH
- Generation of a Miniature Pig Disease Model for Human Laron Syndrome | Scientific Reports
- A CEO Who Wants to Genetically Modify Pig Organs for Human Transplant | CNBC
- Northwell Health
- National Geographic | Amazon
- Scientific American
- Electronic Medicine Fights Disease | Scientific American
- Nine Fascinating Facts About the Vagus Nerve | Mental Floss
- Vagus Nerve Stimulation | Mayo Clinic
- Crohn’s Disease Symptoms and Causes | Mayo Clinic
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome Symptoms and Causes | Mayo Clinic
- Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms and Causes | Mayo Clinic
- 11 Fun Facts About the Nervous System | Healthline
- (PDF) Auricular Acupuncture and Vagal Regulation | Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
- Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) | Johns Hopkins
- What is Alzheimer’s Disease? | alz.org
- ES2528029T3: Cognitive Enabler for Alzheimer’s Disease | Google Patents
- EEG & ECG Biosensor Solutions | NeuroSky
- Alive Inside: A Story of Music and Memory | Prime Video
- Martine Rothblatt: She Founded SiriusXM, a Religion, and a Biotech. For Starters. | The Washington Post
- Yamaha Music School
- Shabbat 101 | My Jewish Learning
- Zoom
- Google Meet
- The Emotion Machine: Commonsense Thinking, Artificial Intelligence, and the Future of the Human Mind by Marvin Minsky | Amazon
- What Are Clarke’s Laws? | ThoughtCo.
- Neuralink
- Positive and Negative Liberty | Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
- Is It Time for a Presidential Technoethics Commission? | The Conversation
- American Medical Association
- Thomas Eakins, The Gross Clinic, and The Agnew Clinic | Smarthistory
- Climate Change: 12 Years to Save the Planet? Make That 18 Months | BBC News
- Is Nuclear Power Zero-Emission? No, but It Isn’t High-Emission Either | The Conversation
- United Therapeutics’ Office, the Unisphere, Is a Net-Zero Marvel | Fast Company
- Record-Breaking “Dream Team” Proves Doubters Wrong with Electric Helicopter Achievement | Guinness World Records
- The Real Story Behind Apple’s ‘Think Different’ Campaign | Forbes
PEOPLE MENTIONED
Related
The Tim Ferriss Show is one of the most popular podcasts in the world with more than one billion 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.