Episode 046 The Random Show

Summary

• Tim Ferriss and Kevin Rose are the hosts of the Random Show, an audio version of the video show.
• Kevin Rose has launched a new app called Watchville, which is a tool for watch enthusiasts.
• The app includes news from watch blogs, a time setting tool, and a moon phase indicator.
• The app is free and available at Watchville.co.
• The two discussed the importance of watches to watch enthusiasts, and how Kevin Rose got into watches.
• They also discussed Blue Plate restaurant in San Francisco and the importance of wearing jewelry for men.
• Tim Ferriss and Kevin Rose discuss disproving the belief that "everything's been done" and that there is still potential in the long tail of untouched markets.
• They discuss the importance of building something that is an order of magnitude better than what is already out there.
• Tim Ferriss congratulates Refinery 29 on their new book, Style Stalking, which hit the New York Times Best Seller List.
• Tim Ferriss then talks about the books on his living room table, which are related to illustrations.
• He mentions Robert E. McGinnis, J.C. Leyendecker, Charles Gibson, and Dimitri Klokov as some of his heroes.
• He also talks about his interest in comic book penciling and his difficulty in drawing female figures.
• He mentions Epicureans and Stoics, edited by the Axios Institute, and The Underground Storyteller by Alex Day as two books on his table.
• Lastly, he mentions The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz and how it can help people achieve their goals.
• Tim Ferriss recommends a book called "The LifeChanging Magic of Tidying Up" by Marie Kondo.
• He believes that the external environment reflects the internal environment, and that tidying up can help reduce lowgrade anxiety.
• Kevin Rose brings Tim Ferriss gifts from Tokyo, including fermented coffee beans and incense sticks from the Shoyedo Incense Company.
• The incense sticks are all organic and plantderived, and have different scents such as "reading," "gorgeous," "continue," "sweet masala ignous," "maoustay," "sidewalk flash," "silent blue," "dive into the blue," "amulet," and "avenue."
• Kevin Rose and Tim Ferriss discuss the benefits of using Lisn incense in different colors.
• Tim Ferriss gives a tip for taking ice baths, which is to use Instacart to order 5, 10, or 20pound bags of ice.
• Tim Ferriss talks about his favorite ax, which is a Sog ax modeled after an ax used by GIs in Vietnam.
• Tim Ferriss is now on Instagram and his first post is of Tony Robbins palming his head.
• The podcast has featured wellknown people as well as niche obsessive people, such as Nick Ganju, who is good at explaining computer science and math to nonengineers.
• Tim Ferriss and Kevin Rose discuss the Iron Sheik, who is launching a documentary in two months and wants to do as much media as possible.
• They talk about how they are both tired of tech and how tech can be overwhelming with notifications and tab browsing.
• Tim Ferriss is taking a three to fourmonth break on almost all angel investing and is looking for nontech podcast guests.
• They discuss the potential tech bubble and how it could hurt people who are getting too much money with bad businesses.
• Tim Ferriss explains what he looks for in a pitch, such as not being in a rush and having a good explanation of why he would be a good fit for the company.
• Tim Ferriss and Kevin Rose discuss the best way to approach investors and founders when pitching a business.
• The best investors and founders are not arrogant and entitled, and they want the right fit.
• There is an oversupply of money and an undersupply of good talent in the tech industry, which could lead to a correction in the next two to three years.
• Tim Ferriss suggests that individuals should budget for a correction and not be a momentum trader.
• Angel List is a great way to find good investors and companies.
• For those without the funds to invest, they can offer their services to startups in exchange for stock options.
• Advice given to a young man to take a job at Stripe
• Book recommendation of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini
• Book covers psychological dynamics used in selling services or products, how to use them for good, and touches on topics like scarcity, time restrictions, and social proof
• Offers a helpful checklist for product launches, message or copy editing, and Facebook ads
• Discusses human psychology and how to get people to act
• Tim Ferriss will be headed to the East Coast for Thanksgiving
• Recommendation to watch Too Many Cooks, an adult swim parody of old '80s TV shows
• Advice to take time to be thankful and recognize achievements