Last Week in Podcast #1

All-In Podcast (Episode 113)​

Chamath Palihapitiya, Jason Calacanis, David Sacks, and David Friedberg discussed the DOJ's attempt to break up Google, vaccine questions, the escalation of tensions in Ukraine, the implications of the rushed process of getting the COVID-19 vaccines to market, and a new paper that demonstrates the epigenome being the core driver of aging.

• DOJ Attempts to Break Up Google: The group discussed the US Government's attempt to break up Google, with Friedberg arguing that Google is successful because of its efficient auction model which prevents it from extracting monopoly rents. They also discussed how introducing transparency around enterprise licensing agreements could slow down the tendency of big companies to try to kill small companies with poorer products.

• COVID-19 Vaccine Questions: The panelists discussed the effectiveness and safety of the vaccines, as well as a recent incident involving Pfizer CEO Albert Berla and two reporters from Rebel News. Friedberg noted that while Pfizer has an economic incentive to sell the vaccine, there is still good data that suggests there is some benefit in certain populations to taking a booster shot. He also discussed a study in Nature that found an elevated risk of myocarditis and pericarditis for young people who received the vaccine.

• Epigenome as Core Driver of Aging: The group discussed a new paper that demonstrates the epigenome being the core driver of aging. They discussed how yamanaka factors can be applied to reverse aging and improve health, as well as investing in teams that have the highest likelihood of progressing clinical trials in this space.

The Tim Ferriss Show

In this video, Tim Ferriss and Wade Davis discuss how to become the architect of one's life, optimism as the purpose of life, psychedelics, and more.

• Becoming the Architect of Your Life: Wade Davis shares his story of how he developed a rapport with a Haitian sorcerer in order to get the formula for a poison used to make zombies. He encourages listeners to remain hopeful and optimistic, as pessimism is an indulgence. He also suggests that physical labor is a great way to cultivate character and humility, and encourages young people setting off to the field to be polite and have good manners when visiting someone's home.

• Optimism as the Purpose of Life: Davis emphasizes that young people should never compromise and should take ownership of their decisions to become the 'architects of their own life'. He also encourages remaining hopeful and optimistic as pessimism is an indulgence. He states that the purpose of life is not to triumph over evil but to keep pushing the wheel of justice forward.

• Psychedelics: Davis speaks about the use of Datura, a plant from the potato family, used by black magicians around the world for its tropane alkaloids that can induce a state of psychotic delirium. They also discuss ayahuasca, cassava, and coca, emphasizing the importance of understanding the cultural context of these substances. Davis cautions against taking too many psychedelics as they can do a tremendous amount of damage.

Lex Fridman Podcast

David Kipping and Lex Fridman discussed the possibility of discovering alien civilizations and habitable worlds. They also discussed the idea of artificial transits that could pass in front of stars, encoding messages and information within the light curve, as well as the potential for black holes to be used for propulsion.

• Detecting Alien Civilizations: David Kipping and Lex Fridman discussed the difficulty of detecting Earth-like planets outside our solar system, and how smaller stars like red dwarfs and orange dwarfs can make it easier to detect exoplanets. They discussed the challenges of looking for life in our own solar system, such as false positives in biosignature work and the risk of introducing life into a pristine environment.

• Ethical Considerations: They discussed ethical considerations when looking for life outside our solar system.

• Moons and Binary Planets: They discussed how moons can be habitable in their own right and also influence the habitability of the planets they orbit. They also discussed how binary stars are surprisingly common and how binary planets may form through a tidal mechanism.

I hope you enjoyed it. See you next week!