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Good Reasons to Go Green Apr 16, 2018

Show notes

We discuss why going green is the best thing for you and the planet. We'll explore how to reduce your carbon footprint, use less water and waste less food.

Show Notes

1:49—March shares a stat from the UN that water demand will increase by 55% between 2000 and 2050.
3:03— Ian wonders whether it’s possible for us to manufacture the water we will need in the future.
5:12— March notes that 3 million people annually die from the affects of pollution.
5:54— We discuss the non-local aspects of pollution and how generation of pollution in one area can negatively affect a location far away due to wind and ocean currents.
7:49— March notes the trend that as people become more affluent, they tend to have fewer children.
8:37 —An study from 2008 estimated economic losses due to deforestation and poor land management are estimated to be between 2–4.5 trillion dollars.
9:19— We discuss the fairly recent trend of bee colony collapse and why healthy bees are necessary for food production across the globe.
9:51— Darren shares that California almonds are particularly dependent upon transient bees that are trucked in from as far away as Louisiana every year to pollinate the almond trees.
10:39— March introduces the term Anthropocene and explains what it means about the effects that the human species can have on a planetary scale.
11:42— March reflects on wisdom from the comic Spiderman that “with great power comes great responsibility.”
12:22— Darren and March explain the economic concept of “the tragedy of the commons” that creates challenges when attempting to tackle large-scale non-local challenges like environmental protection.
13:38— March quizzes Darren and Ian on their favorite animals.
13:51— Darren shares a little about his favorite animal, the moon jellyfish 🌑♓, and notes that he is fascinated by it’s completely transparent body and their seemingly perpetual state of bliss.
14:57— Ian drops some knowledge on the crew with the Latin species name for the moon jelly.
15:04— Ian shares that his favorite animal is the tall (and friendly) giraffe. 🦒
15:09— March’s favorite animal is the frog 🐸, with its transformative lifecycle and wide variety of appearances.
16:08— March begins to reveal the data on the current effects that pollution and environmental decay are having on each of our favorite species.
15:59— Good news for Darren! The moon jelly is not currently an endangered species. 👍 Not-so-fast, though. Rising ocean temperatures are causing them to migrate north affecting other species that rely on them. So fewer “tasty jelly snacks” for the tuna and the sea turtles.👎
17:44— Bad news for Ian. The giraffe just got added to the list of vulnerable species as their numbers have dropped 40% in the past 15 years and there are only 80,000 of them left in the wild. 👎
19:12— Good news for Ian, though. Turns out that it is legal to OWN a giraffe in Washington state so maybe he can keep one as a pet. 👍 March shares what it will take to properly maintain Ian’s potential new pet giraffe.
21:40— Darren suggests maybe just getting a membership to the zoo instead of owning a giraffe but we learn that won’t accommodate Ian’s desire to ride his giraffe and start a side hustle called Uber Giraffe tohelp pay for the giraffe maintenance.
23:35— Darren shares a story about his early interest in environmental issues and describes an idea he had for a portable desalination device.
26:01— Darren describes aGreener.com— a business idea he had for measuring the carbon output of Internet activity.
28:12— Ian notes how, in many cases, there are incentives for people to keep their own communities clean since it makes them more desirable places to live.
29:32— March shares his personal experience and interest in environmental issues and describes being overwhelmed at the scale of the problem.
30:58— March describes his recent experience with the air quality on a trip to Beijing and Shanghai.
32:29— Ian shares his perspective and optimism about making an impact on a global scale problem by leveraging the power of community.
35:29— Leveraging the power of economics and voting with one’s dollars.
36:11— Ian’s share his experience at Rochester Institute of Technology in New York and describes how he and a friend pioneered a program to reduce the energy efficiency of the campus and save the university tens of thousands of dollars per year on electricity.
38:00— Ian’s effort at RIT eliminated over 186 metric tons of CO2 emissions — the rough equivalent of burning 20,000 gallons of gasoline!! 😮🎉🌎
39:40— Not stopping there, Ian went on to another macro-scale effort where he identified an unused piece of property that could be sold to a conservation group and the proceeds of the sale used to create a fund for the city of Gonzalez, New York.
41:11— We transition to providing tips on how to make your own individual contribution to the environment, starting with reducing water usage.
42:31— Ian wants to prep his car with a “pre-cleaner” before a big rainstorm and let the rain clean it for him.
43:03— We share an idea about planting climate-appropriate plants and considering planting a rain garden to increase the permeable amount of land.
46:05— We measure our individual carbon output. Darren is the carbon hog 🐷 of the group. March and Darren’s footprint is bigger due to a lot of air travel and Ian absolutely crushes it by driving an electric car.
47:13— We compare our footprints against the averages for people in other countries.
48:54— March discusses how transportation is a big portion of our carbon output and offers some tips on how to reduce your transportation impact.
51:26— Ian shares his idea about the power of awareness in affecting change noting that just talking about new, more efficient technologies like the Hyperloop adds them to our vernacular and makes them seem more real.
52:33— March suggests considering Skype as a very viable alternative to flying for a business meeting.
52:27— We talk about some easy changes to make around the home to improve efficiency.
53:04— Darren is a fan of LED bulbs due to their high efficiency and super-long life. He jokingly suggests including them in your will since they likely will outlive you. 😆
53:55— March talks about the benefits of insulation both for heating and cooling efficiency and how easy it is to add blown-in insulation in the attic.
54:55— March experienced a massive 80% reduction in his heating bill after adding insulation to his attic. ❄️🤯💯
55:23— Ian suggests getting a programmable thermostat for your home and March notes that doing that is very similar to what Ian and his classmate did in college to improve the efficiency of the school’s computer lab.
56:43— We learn that glass is an excellent material to recycle and Darren shows his GenX age by making a Seinfeld reference. 👴
57:08— March notes that a big part of the savings that comes from recycling is in the provision of goods — all the energy needed to source and transport new raw materials for new products.
58:25— We move to exploring the environmental effects of the food we eat and learn that food production alone accounts for 19% of all greenhouse gases.
59:11— Do you love asparagus? We do too, but unfortunately it is one of the most carbon-heavy vegetables available because of the costs to transport it from South America. 🛬💨
59:40— We discuss the huge benefits to the environment of eating locally as much as you are able.
1:01:44— March provides his #1 tip for improving one’s environmental impact: reduce the amount of wasted food.
1:03:49— Darren shares an easy way to remember how best to store your food at home.
1:04:00— March explains what carbon offsets are and where you can buy your own to offset your own carbon footprint and he commits to buying a few credits to offset his own footprint.
1:06:22— Ian shares his discovery of Beyond Burger: a veggie burger that looks, tastes, and bleeds like a regular beef patty.

Mentions

Biodegradable compost bags
Beyond Burger
Buy a personal carbon offset from TerraPass
SeafoodWatch.org
Calculate your carbon footprint
Ian's green computing effort at RIT
Season 3, episode 6 of Black Mirror includes a reference about microdrones pollinating crops in the future
Dry shampoo

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Emergency Preparedness — What You Need to Know Apr 09, 2018

Show notes

We discuss preparing for emergencies and why you’ll be glad you did. We’ll explore how to know what kind of emergencies are likely, the importance of making a plan, and what sort of equipment you’ll want to have on hand.

Show Notes

2:11 - The guys discuss what qualifies as an emergency
6:46 - March talks about why you should trust your gut if you think someone is sick
8:59 - Darren talks about the FAST method of detecting a stroke
15:07 - The guys discuss advancements in fire fighting technology and why it's so hard to control forest fires
20:11 - Darren talks about his experience being in a flash-over situation
29:26 - Darren shares his experience of dealing with the 2001 earthquake in Seattle
31:30 - Darren shares a tip about planning to coordinate via long distance calling
32:10 - Quiz time: How many earthquakes happen every day?
37:25 - How not to become a doomsday prepper
37:52 - Which is better? A doomsday bunker or a fast car and a bag of diamonds?
41:14 - Why Ian doesn't have the habit of being prepared for emergencies
44:44 - Darren talks about how an earthquake in 2001 changed his perspective on preparedness
51:22 - Ian talks about the importance of having an emergency kit in your car
54:52 - Ian proposes we put a nanotech water filter to the test with raw sewage
55:56 - March emphasizes the importance of making an emergency plan & building an emergency kit
1:07:23 - What to do if North Korea decides to nuke LA

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Better Bite - Ian buys a Tesla Model 3! Apr 02, 2018

Show notes

On this episode, Darren & March interview Ian about his new Tesla Model 3. We discuss the merits of electric cars, their history, and what's coming in the future.

Show Notes

3:22 - March quizzes us on the history of electric cars
4:56 - Darren blows the guys minds with the 'Baghdad Battery'
8:35 - The guys talk about why gas cars replaced electric cars in the 20th century.
10:37 - Ian explains Tesla's mission in building electric cars
17:05 - The guys discuss the little known secret that electric cars are fast
18:44 - Ian talks about his Blue Pistachio and what about it made him need an electric car
27:49 - What the configuration process for a Tesla Model 3 is like
33:00 - Secret Tesla Easter eggs revealed
35:09 - Should you name your car?
37:52 - Tesla AI: is auto-pilot worth the extra $5,000?
40:56 - Tesla and safety
44:30 - Tesla Model 3 is so silent you hear weather in it
45:45 - Should March get a Tesla Model 3? Should you?

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Better Look Back Vol. 5 - Dreams & Resolutions Mar 26, 2018

Show notes

In this episode Ian, Darren & March continue the Better Look Back series. We reflect on our personal experiments with how to be better gift-givers and how to improve our relationships. We had a lot of successes to report on in this episode, but we also share some things that didn’t work out as planned. Finally, we feature a few new things we’ve discovered since our original episodes covering these topics. Lot’s a good stuff in this episode, including:

Show Notes

2:02 —Darren shares his review of two apps that offer tools to help induce lucid dreams: the Lucidity app and the Awoken app
4:27—We discuss the concept of a totem sound and explain how using that feature within the apps can help you “awaken” within a dream to enter a lucid state.
6:14 —Darren shares his conclusion that because of the time and attention required to experiment with lucid dreaming, these apps are best suited for the committed lucid dream enthusiast and are probably not the best for people only casually interested in lucid dreaming.
8:44 —Ian questions the practicality of lucid dreaming as a tool for self- improvement
10:09 —Darren notes some research that suggests that lucid dreaming can be helpful for treating PTSD and enhancing one’s creativity but acknowledges that the scientific results are still very preliminary.
11:59 —March drops the term “psychonaut” and notes some similarities between the clinical applications of lucid dreaming and virtual reality.
14:12 —March shares his experience trying out the M.I.L.D technique.
17:12 —March introduces the term “hypnogogic state”
18:07 —Ian gives his review of the book Lucid Dreams in 30 Days by Keith Harary and Pamela Weintraub and describes being a little frustrated at not being able to experience a lot of results from his dreaming experiments.
21:11— Ian shares the things he’s learned from using the Aura ring and measuring the quality and quantity of his sleep.
22:23 —Ian found that sleeping on his back in “tree pose” made a huge difference in the quality of his sleep. He’s been able to get quality deep sleep 5–6 days each week now.
25:07 —Ian’s feeling the results from better sleep in the form of much more effective workouts and more energy in the mornings.
26:36 —Darren shares the method that Thomas Edison used to use sleep to help boost his creativity.
29:45 —We jump into our experiments with New Years Resolutions and Darren kicks it off with a report on how he’s doing with the goal of losing a little weight this year.
31:05 —Darren shares insight from his doctor that the way you treat yourself in your 30s, 40s, and 50s will dictate the quality of your life in your 60s, 70s, and 80s.
32:27 —Ian taunts Darren with the temptation of delicious chocolate chip cookies 🍪 and Darren feels the need to excuse himself briefly to grab something from the kitchen. 😃
33:15 —It continues to go bad for Darren as Ian outs him for hiding his secret stash of cookies 🍪🍪 from his wife.
34:00 —Darren describes the new food rules that have helped him maintain a healthy moderation in his diet. He makes distinctions between routine meals and meals for pleasure or celebration and treats them separately.
36:34 —March notes how remarkable it would be if Darren were to eat 156 cookies this year and still lose 15 pounds and Ian suggests that as a headline to a future Better Show blog post.
37:00 —We hear about March’s wife, Kristen’s love of chocolate and how she used a trick to moderate the amount of chocolate she eats.
38:20 —March describes Gretchen Rubin’s concept of “moderators” vs “abstainers” and notes that he falls into the abstainer category.
39:39 —We learn about March’s secret addiction: gummy bears. 🐻🍬The man can literally consume pounds of the little creatures.
40:35— Ian suggests an experiment in the name of science where we put a 5 pound bag of gummy bears in front of March and see what happens.
42:24 —March shares his method of total abstinence from gummy bears in order to stay on his Keto diet.
42:32 —We marvel at March’s ability to maintain a Keto diet for as long as he has.
45:31 —March describes the different profiles in Gretchen Rubin’s quiz for how people relate to expectations: The Obliger, The Rebel, The Questioner, and The Upholder.
50:35 —We each take Gretchen Rubin’s quiz to find out how each of us relate to expectations.
50:47 —Ian reveals that he is a majority Questioner followed by Upholder which March and Darren believe is spot-on.
52:38 —March is a majority Obliger followed by Upholder which he thinks makes sense as he recognizes that he’s a bit of a people-pleaser.
55:08 —Darren scored a majority Questioner and was an equal mix between Upholder and Obliger.
56:27 —Ian notes that strangely, we all scored the exact same level on the Upholder scale.
57:53 —Gretchen’s advice about how to use the scores is not to try to change yourself but to recognize your natural tendencies and use them as strengths.
1:00:03 —March shares his progress on his New Year’s Resolution to write 30 minutes per day.
1:02:11 —Ian shares his progress on journaling each day and notes that he is more effective at writing when he allocates time in the evenings instead of trying to write in the mornings.
1:04:03 —March is continuing to journal using the 5-Minute Journal and has incorporated it into his morning routine now.
1:05:04 —For Darren the 5-Minute Journal is an on-and-off routine but he loves what effect it has had on his mental habits at the beginning of the day.

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How to create a healthy environment Mar 19, 2018

Show notes

We talk about the importance of tuning your environment for optimal health, focus, and creativity. We dive deep into sound, light, temperature, and air quality amongst other factors. We explore the idea that different environments are better for different kinds of work and how to best design the right environment for you.

Show Notes

1:01— We start out by describing what we mean by “optimizing your environment” — lighting, sound, temperature, air quality, etc.
3:19— March starts off the conversation by talking about optimizing for sound, the definition of the word “noise”, and the effect of noise on one’s ability to concentrate and its effect on creativity.
4:15— March notes that although he likes the sound of a clock ticking, it is the type of thing that can drive other people crazy.
4:28— Ian shares a similar example of how a siren can serve both as a sense of relief that help is on the way but is also a sense of stress when fearing a sense of danger.
5:01— March notes that “one man’s noise is another man’s music.”
5:48— March describes the “marshmallow experiment” — an experiment measuring kids’ ability to delay gratification.
7:59— “Grit is the new currency in school”
8:58— March cites studies that show that noise has the ability to reduce the quality of sleep in ways you might not even expect.
13:11— Within the context of an earlier episode where we discussed how short bursts of stress can be beneficial to one’s health, Ian posits whether a more productive goal would be to build more resilience to negative environmental factors rather than try to avoid them altogether.
13:58— Darren agrees and suggests an alternative way to look at resilience to stress and suggests that practicing mindfulness can be one way to transcend physical discomfort.
15:04— Ian cites the conventional wisdom that it’s good to “eat a little dirt once in a while” to maintain your resilience and March compares the difference between acute versus chronic stress.
16:34— Darren shares his desire to make his home environment mirror the peacefulness of a spa and shares his tips for achieving this by removing screens from the bedroom and living room and lighting scented candles and incense to make the environment more pleasant and relaxing.
19:10— Darren shares his tips for extending a sense of Zen to your space at work with candles.
20:47— We learn just how important it is to be considerate of your neighbors at work when it comes to burning candles and how lucky Darren was to have a tolerant friend like March as his desk neighbor at work. :-)
21:55— As a former volunteer firefighter, March cautions against leaving an open flame unattended in the office.
23:29 —March delivers the quote of the day with “the best thing about a candle is the light that it gives off.”
23:51— We learn that removing televisions from one’s living room puts a damper on SuperBowl parties and March invents a fun alternative: SuperBowl charades.
25:52— March nominates Dr. Bose for the Nobel Peace Prize for the invention of noise-cancelling headphones and shares that he often uses them simply to enjoy the sound of silence.
26:42— March shares that he noise-cancelling headphones help him enter a flow state and that for writing he prefers music with no lyrics.
27:13— Oh behalf of The Better Show audience, Darren requests a link to March’s Spotify playlist for music to write by and we give a shameless plug to The Better Show Newsletter.
27:49— March shares that he has been using a 10,000 lux lamp every morning and has had the best, most enjoyable winter he’s had in years.
29:05—We give a shout out to Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University.
29:16— March still loves his “eye bra” sleep mask (with apologies to Weird Science)
30:06— Ian confesses to going down the rabbit hole of environmental optimization and starts off his journey by donning a pair of sweet sweet BluBlockers. (Instagram post of Ian in his BluBlockers is forthcoming.)
31:15— Ian gives his strong recommendation for BluBlockers and describes the significant benefit he’s experienced from cutting out blue light including much higher quality of sleep. (He also does a rad impersonation of Arnold Schwarzenegger, too.)
35:27— Ian recommends Flux as another tool that can help cut the amount of blue light you get exposed to from computer screens. Darren and March ❤️ Flux as well.
36:55— Ian talks about his grandfather’s experience with emphysema and how it made him conscious about the importance of maintaining healthy air quality.
38:34— Ian recommends HEPA air filters for the home and shares how having cleaner air in his bedroom has helped his sinuses significantly.
42:17— Darren mentions an odd odor that he experienced with and air ionizer and March explains what ionization is and where that smell comes from.
45:51— We move into the Tips & Tricks part of the show and March kicks us off with the insight that it’s important to know what works for you and what works for the specific task on which you are working and offers a tip to keep a journal to discover what environments work best for you.
47:32— March describes an experience where he learned about one of the things that affects his ability to concentrate.
50:14— Ian suggests paying attention to the invisible factors that could be affecting your environment and teases something called “dirty electricity” that we’ll cover in a future Better Show Bite.
51:14— March shares that 40 decibels is the optimal level of background noise for creative work where you want a looser focus and more fluid thinking style.
52:37— By contrast, for deep focus work it is preferable to have silence.
53:10— We discuss the experience in quiet rooms where acoustic tools are tested.
56:02— Ian wants to build an anechoic chamber in his house.
56:42— Ian brings up the idea of “empty stomach intelligence.”
57:27— Darren shares a personal tip that in order to perform at his best, he fasts before an important presentation so that he’s a little hungry during the presentation.
59:01— March gives his strong recommendation for the Bose Quiet Comfort 35 noise-canceling headset and Ian and Darren chime in to share their love for those headphones as well.
1:00:51— March offers an alternative to noise-canceling headphones, the HearTech Silent Ears earplugs. (Which may or may not have been similar to an Elven D&D character name March used at some point in the past.)
1:02:10— Darren discussed researching showing the correlation between productivity and room temperature.
1:05:03— Ian discusses his experience with the effect warmer room temperatures during the summer have had on his productivity at home and suggests considering the extra heat generated from electrical devices in your house.
1:07:17— We talk about how to optimize the lighting in your space and March shares some research on lighting and people’s emotional state.
1:09:29— Natural light versus artificial light and the ways that people are using smart lighting to create optimal lighting for different spaces and different types of work.
1:11:08— Ian discusses ways to maintain a healthy air quality in your environment — from HEPA air filters to houseplants.
1:13:18— March discusses the benefits of keeping spaces tidy versus allowing some messiness to exist.
1:16:04— March decides to schedule more meetings outside and walking meetings to take advantage of the beautiful Seattle summer.
1:16:54— Ian has purchased a hygrometer called the ThermPro TP50 to measure humidity in his bedroom. If testing shows too dry, he’ll purchase a humidifier for his room to improve sleep quality.
1:19:47— Darren has decided to add more plants to his environment. He did this recently at work with a few desk plants (in addition to the candles 😃) but he doesn’t have any plants in his office at home.

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Secrets to living a longer life Mar 12, 2018

Show notes

We talk about strategies for living the longest, healthiest life possible. We explore strategies for staying safe, avoiding disease, and keeping your body in great condition. We also compare the philosophies of being an 'immortalist' vs. a 'healthspanner'.

Show Notes

1:45— March opens up the discussion by distinguishing between life span and health span.
2:50— The two camps of people when it comes to life extension — the immortalists and the health spanners.
4:25— Ian asks each of us the big question: are we immortalists or health-spanners?
4:32— Darren describes his perspective as a health-spanner who appreciates the finite-ness of life.
5:45— Ian, too, is a health-spanner focused more on being healthy and living a quality life throughout the duration of his life.
7:50— March explains his philosophy on life and death and how death is, in some ways, the natural state of being and life is a unique abnormality.
9:31 —March explains how his outlook on life causes him to fall into both the immoratalist and health-spanner categories.
11:17— We discuss what it means to die of “natural causes”
14:00— March shares a surprising fact that the leading cause of death in most developed countries is accidents and shares some statistics about the likelihood of being in a car accident in one’s lifetime.
16:10— We discuss how everyday decisions are indirect micro-decisions about how long we are choosing to live.
16:41— Nevertheless, Darren does not regret his mild addiction to chocolate chip cookies.
18:08— March shares statistics on the longest living humans and other vertebrates.
19:12— We discuss some amazing examples of sealife (notably, jellyfish) that actually never die.
20:45 —Ian shares the perspective of a famous biohacker featured on Kevin Rose’s podcast.
24:34— We discuss the rate of change of technology and the expectation that we’ll see revolutionary advancements in medicine and techniques to prolong life.
26:43— We FINALLY get around to mentioning the move Highlander.
27:14— Ian insults the entire movie-going population by confusing Highlander with Zoolander. 🤣
28:09— March shares his outlook on longevity and how he maximizes his quality and quantity of life.
30:05— Ian describes how he began to feel his age and how that led to a greater awareness of his health and a desire to be proactive in developing healthy habits.
32:37— Ian and Darren discuss the balance between living a quality life and a long life.
33:40— Darren describes his family’s culture of living life to its fullest and shares a poem written by his grandfather that characterizes his perspective on life.
34:05— Darren reads a poem his grandfather wrote titled “A Lesson for Today” that encapsulates his view on attempting to live a fulfilling life.
35:56— Ian wants to become the banana man.
37:25 —March shares the #1 cause of death among people aged 10–44 and we ask “are you wearing your seat belt?”
38:56— March shares that the #2 cause of death in the developed world is communicable disease and Ian recalls a tip from Episode 18 on how to reduce your risk of getting sick when you travel.
40:52 —March shares that another leading cause of death is metabolic disease.
42:53— We learn that 2 out of ever 7 people on the planet are iron deficient and that vitamin D deficiency is also extremely common among those who live in northern latitudes.
45:07— We talk about Dr. Rhonda Patrick’s research on longevity and the effects of cold and heat therapy.
48:28— Ian talks about the importance of being resilient to mental stress.
48:56 —Darren is blown away when March shares that suicide is actually the 10th most common cause of death in the US and we talk about the ways to care for your mental wellness.
50:27— Darren cites Ian’s philosophy of sleep being a “force multiplier” for his health.
51:32— Ian notes how comparing oneself to others via social media and pop culture can be damaging to one’s mental and emotional well-being and how that is a characteristic of more economically developed cultures.
54:10— Ian discusses Dr. Longo’s ProLon “fast mimicking” diet and he and Darren decide to try it out.
1:00:58— Darren and March discuss some of the publicity stunts in the biohacking community
1:02:27— Ian brings up the research on the positive effects of small amounts of lithium and suggests a sparkling water that includes a small naturally occurring amount of lithium.
1:07:24— March shares research on which geographies have ground water with naturally occurring amounts of lithium.
1:07:59 —Ian shares a fascinating bit of history about the soft drink 7-Up.
1:10:44— We share this episode’s Better Next Step: if you want to extend your life, the thing we recommend starting with is improving your sleep.
1:12:10— Darren extols the virtues of lavender oil as a sleep agent and March reminds the audience to check out the deep dive we did on sleep in episode 2 of The Better Show.
1:13:32— March offers his favorite tip this week: the 4–7–8 breathing technique.
1:14:20— March decides to try out cold and heat therapy and Ian offers him some tips.
1:16:14— Ian decides to test out lithium microdoses by drinking Gerolsteiner sparkling water.

Mentions

Fast Mimicking Diet
Found My Fitness
Should We all take a bit of lithium
Gerolsteiner Sparkling mineral water with naturally occurring micro-doses of lithium
"Who wants to live forever" clip from Highlander

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Side gigs for fun & profit Mar 05, 2018

Show notes

We talk about the reasons & strategies for taking on work outside your day job, whether it's for creative fulfillment or to earn extra cash. We explore the aspects to consider before you begin, while you're getting going and once you're rolling. We also learn about some of the side gigs our listeners are pursuing and how they can inspire you.

Show Notes

2:36 —We learn that as many as 1 in 7 Americans have a paid side gig.
4:46 —March shares research revealing how much people earn operating a side gig and how side gig earnings change across age demographics.
5:26 — March reflects on how side gigs often either feed one’s soul or feed one’s bank account. (Pro tip: the best ones feed both)
5:54 — Ian shares two hypotheses on why side gigs are more common among younger generations.
7:26 — March observes that side gigs were once the norm prior to the industrial age and, in fact, are the norm today in many cultures around the world.
11:18 — Darren shares his experience with operating side gigs and the influence his parents’ entrepreneurial spirit had on his mindset about maintaining multiple sources of income.
13:27 — Darren talks about the concept of “serial homesteading” and shares the story of his brother, Russ’, side gig as a serial homesteader.
16:33 — We hear a little about the time that Darren stumbled his way into the spy business. Hear the rest of the story in The Better Show newsletter.
18:02 — March takes us on a trip through the big history of the universe and his perspective on his place in it so far.
19:16 —We talk about doing an entire episode on Ray Kurzweil, theories of longevity, and the pursuit of eternal life through technology.
21:25 — March shares his list of current side gigs including being on the board of directors for a non-profit, writing his first novel, and building an app to help autistic children better communicate.
22:42 — Ian shares his family’s culture of entrepreneurship from his grandfather the inventor, to his family’s ice cream shop and sister’s massage therapy practice, to his lemonade stand as a kid and ultimately to his side ventures today.
24:29 — March shares his experience interviewing successful entrepreneurs in Ireland and the common traits they shared.
27:36 — Ian shares how he balances his entrepreneurial desires with his nature for risk aversion.
28:45 — We share the responses from The Better Show community on their experiences with side gigs.
29:43 — Listener Stephanie’s new housewares company and upcoming Kickstarter campaign.
31:03 — Listener Cassi’s side gig creating bean-to-bar artisan chocolate including single-origin chocolate (some of Darren’s favorite.)
33:36 — Ryan’s side gig selling Lego bricks on Bricklink.com and earning enough to buy the Millennium Falcon Lego kit.
36:38 — March shares the story of AmericanScrew.com.
40:40 — Kristen’s side gig of creating handmade greeting cards on Etsy. and another listener who roasts and sells coffee as their side gig.
41:31 — Listener Rick who does music for podcast productions.
42:36 — Ian sends a shout out to his buddy Greg Koeberg, the king of side gigs, who recently launched his own escape room business.
44:49 — Darren shares a few tips on getting started in your own side gig.
46:57 — March shares tips on managing a current side gig including budgeting your financial commitment up front, and not to shy away from self-promotion.
49:33 — We discuss our inhibitions around promoting our own side gigs and how to overcome them.
52:09 — March and Darren share their #1 piece of advice they would give to someone considering a side gig.
54:09 — Using money and budgeting as a way to filter out the ideas that you might be less committed to than you think.
54:30 — Ian shares his insight on ideas being a dime a dozen so make sure that you are choosing the right thing to spend your time on.
55:53 — Ian shares an fascinating insight into how the gig economy might actually make the traditional measure of GDP less relevant and what new technologies can do to eventually expand easy side gig opportunities to everyone.
59:41 — March shares that one of the things he wants to do is redouble his commitments to his most important side gig activities and cut out a few of the one’s he’s less committed to right now so he can come back to them later.
1:00:27 —We learn about Darren’s long list of ideas and how this discussion has inspired him to pick one of those things and pursue it in earnest.
1:01:18 — Ian shares his desire to now do more things better and describes how Elon Musk’s many activities serves as inspiration for him to realize more of his ideas and dreams.

Mentions

Side gigs are a thriving part of the economy that economists probably aren't measuring very well (Entrepreneur)
5 Things to Consider Before Taking That Side Gig (Forbes)
Chlorophyllosophy
50 Side Jobs to Help You Make an Extra $500 or More This Month
Henson Handmade
The official ice cream shop of The Better Show --- you know you want some right now 🍦.
Bricklink.com

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Better Look Back Vol. 4 - Gifts & Relationships Feb 26, 2018

Show notes

Show Notes

2:19— We dive into our experiments for better gift-giving and Darren starts by sharing his tactic this year of giving experienced-based gifts and gifts that are consumable — like Lush Bath Bombs.
4:13— March admits that he, too, loves Lush products but laments the assault that one experiences when entering a Lush store.
6:44— Ian has a great idea about alternating gift types each year similar to how wedding anniversary gifts have themes throughout the years.
8:44— March makes a great impression on his close friends and family members by sending handwritten cards and notes to express his gratitude.
11:58— Ian coins a new phrase “pod friends” to describe our (Ian, March, and Darren’s) relationships. Remember that you heard it here first.
14:11— March shares a big success he had in hand selecting some of his favorite books to give to each of his family members.
17:20— Ian shares a success and a hilarious fail in his attempt to send handmade cards to friends this holiday season.
19:22— Darren shares a pro tip with Ian on how to avoid getting a hand cramp when addressing multiple holiday cards.
21:31— Darren shares a funny story about a return address stamp they gave as a gift recently to his brother and sister-in-law.
23:22— Ian reflects on how making the extra effort with a personalized card inspires others to return the gesture, bringing us closer with those we care about.
24:55— Darren reflects on his wife’s family’s tradition of writing Christmas letters.
27:18— March mentions Google Photos as a good resource for assembling a look-back over the previous year.
28:29— March shares one of his favorite gifts received this year: a subscription to Master Class.
34:16— We hear about March’s son’s adorable gift to his dad of quality time together on the ski slopes . And March wonders about Sam’s possible ulterior motives.
36:53— We begin discussing our experiments with better relationships and Darren notes that the Gottman seminar, The Art & Science of Love, is so popular that he and his wife had to book it several months in advance.
38:52— March shares his experience attending the Gottman seminar in 2010 with his wife Kristin.
40:42— Darren shares something he and his wife gave to each other this year: a subscription to MoviePass to motivate them to schedule more date nights.
42:56— Darren suggests an idea for a new podcast called “How do they make money?” where we delve into specific companies to understand how they make money.
43:43— Ian proposes starting a Better Show movie night for the extended Better Show community.
44:09— March describes the effectiveness of one of his experiments: sending hand-written thank you notes to close friends and family.
47:11— Ian shares his successful experiment of planning more social lunches rather than working through lunch and shares a trick he devised to motivate himself to arrange more social lunches.
48:46— Darren and March wonder where, exactly, Ian is taking all these people for lunch. (Ian swears that it’s not Chipotle)
49:29— March shares how the three of us have started scheduling Better Show lunches so we can carve out more time for planning the podcast.
50:21— March admits that he does look forward to playing in the ball pit at McDonald's during our Better Show planning lunches but regrets that the fun has to end when the firefighters arrive to physically remove him from the play area.
52:51— Darren notes that never eating alone is great career advice in addition to being good for social relationships.
53:05— Ian mentions the great advice offered in the book “Never Eat Alone” by Keith Ferrazzi.
53:40— March becomes concerned about the viability of his new book “Never Eat: a book about Fasting”
54:22— Ian notes his love of sitting and Darren suggests a new experiment to try.
55:24— We give a shout out to listener “Physics Fantastic” who left a very touching review of The Better Show on iTunes.

Products Mentioned

MoviePass
Gottman Couple's Workshop --- the Art & Science of Love
Lush Bath Bombs
Master Class
Comic relief: Singing Sirloin --- Homer Buys Marge A Birthday Present She Hates --- The Simpsons
Book recommendation: Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi

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Lessons from the Olympics Feb 19, 2018

Show notes

We talk about what secrets we can learn from the Olympics to help us get better. We explore it's origins, history & controversies. Then we dive into lessons inspired by Olympians that we can apply in our daily lives.

Show Notes

2:10— Quotes from our listeners on what the Olympic games mean to them.
3:00— Global viewership of the Olympics vs the viewership of other popular sporting events
6:02 —How did the Olympics begin and how did we get to the modern Olympic games?
9:20— Which Olympics sports have been discontinued?
10:00— Ian tests March & Darren’s knowledge of the Olympics with a trivia question. Which country has taken home the most gold medals in tug-of-war?
10:50— March shares some Olympic firsts including introduction of new women’s sports and technology to assist the scoring of games
12:20— Ian discovers that the World’s Fair is actually still going
13:20— March shares the story of the first Olympic doping tests and you won’t believe what an athlete tested positive for
14:25— We discuss doping in sports and how it has changed over time
15:40— Darren shares his personal experience having lived in Atlanta during the 1996 Summer Olympic games
18:40— Darren shares his experience visiting Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Olympic games
20:00— We discuss how large public events like the Olympics are a target for terrorism and why we shouldn’t let that deter us from celebrating and enjoying the games
22:22— March shares what the Olympics has meant to him growing up in Ireland
24:55— March shares his experience having visited several Olympic cities and viewing the architecture on display in the Olympic villages
26:50— Ian shares his experiences watching the Olympics as a child growing up in Glens Falls, NY and living near an Olympic training facility for cross-country skiing
32:25— Darren asks Ian what are his favorite Olympic sports
34:40— Darren shares some interesting scientific facts about one of his favorite Winter Olympic sports: curling
36:30— We learn about the different types of ice surfaces in use at the Winter Olympics
37:50— How much does it cost to host an Olympics Games, what do host cities get from hosting the Olympics Games, and is it a profitable venture for the host cities?
44:20— Ian makes an observation about how some cities seem to repeatedly get an opportunity to host the games while others are looked over
45:50— March, Darren, and Ian suggest a few tourist suggestions for visitors to Seattle
46:40 —March shares the history of Olympic controversies over the years
48:40— March shares the inspiring story of Jackie Owens’ performance at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin
51:00— Darren shares a recommendation on a documentary on doping in sports
51:58 —Ian explains what “OAR” means when listed as the country designation for an athlete
55:26— March shares three main things we can learn from Olympic athletes about overcoming obstacles.
59:28— March, Ian and Darren put their heads together and discover what Olympic athlete, Mo Farrah, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and the interplanetary Tesla roadster have in common.
1:01:56— March shares the history of the Fosbury Flop.
1:04:24— Ian shares some of the reasons behind his love for golf and we learn that sometimes the key to performance is not in perfect execution but in how we recover from our mistakes.
1:08:06 —How athletes and public speakers both use nervousness and internally stress as fuel for delivering powerful performances.
1:09:55— A technique from 5-time Olympic gold medalist, Missy Franklin, for calming one’s nerves
1:12:45— FITYMI (Fake it till you make it) technique for maintaining confidence before a performance.
1:14:35— Darren gives some tips from Olympic athletes on using visualization to maximize performance.
1:16:07— Darren confirms that he is not going to be in the US team lineup at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, but he might try out some visualization techniques anyway.
1:17:20— We learn about March’s adventures learning to ski at night and Darren cautions him against “The Agony of Defeat”.
1:18:56— Ian commits to helping teach March to be a better skier.
1:19:59— Ian discusses three things he’s learned from studying Olympic athletes and would like to try in his own life: planning, reliance on experts, and focus.

Mentions

Icarus — movie about doping in sports
Race —movie about Jesse Owens' triumph in track and field in the 1936 Olympics
Fosbury Flop
Cost of Olympic Games
ABC Wide World Classic "The Agony of Defeat" Vinko Bogataj interview
Hello to listeners in Busan, South Korea!
Why Russian athletes are competing as "OARs" at the Winter Olympics (Vox)

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Unpacking the secrets of better vacations Feb 12, 2018

Show notes

On this episode, we discuss why vacations can improve your health, happiness and even your career. We'll dive into tactics for making the most of your vacation time and creating memories that'll last a lifetime.

Show Notes

1:54—The difficulties of getting caught cashless in China — or any other foreign country
6:05—The dangers of drinking the tap water in countries where you might not be acclimated to the water.
8:42—Tip: check CDC.gov/travel for precautions about drinking water in various countries.
10:00—We hear from Michael about a challenging situation in Italy when his group didn’t quite have enough Italian language fluency.
12:12—Darren shares a story about a delightful conversation he had with an Italian cab driver where neither of them could speak the others’ language.
13:23—March shares his experience trying to find a common language with a farmer in the Czech Republic.
15:46—We get some advice from a listener, Kira, who shares her experience in Moscow when she didn’t know much Russian.
17:08—Ian shares his recent experience with an attempted mugging while visiting London.
18:51—March also narrowly avoided a mugging many years ago thanks to his Goth attire. Yes, you read that correctly.
22:13—We hear from a listener, Elona, about her experience cycling in the dark in rural Ireland and nearly running over seals.
25:09—We learn a little trivia about The Princess Bride and The Cliffs of Insanity.
28:42—Beware of pick-pockets…even in the Vatican.
31:28—We hear a hilarious story from a listener and friend of the show, Randy, who had his luggage stolen twice on the same trip…actually on the same day.
33:31—Tip: pack one change of clothes in your carry-on bag in case checked luggage gets lost.
35:14—Why vacations are important
37:14—How different countries have different attitudes towards taking vacations.
38:49—More than half of American workers left some vacation days unused in 2015 amounting to almost 200 million lost vacation days.
41:04—Ian gets advice from a mentor on how taking time off to visit family might not always count as the kind of break you need to recharge.
45:36—We discuss some things that companies are doing to encourage employees to take time off and recharge.
50:50—Darren shares a story from listener Ashton’s 7-day cruise that teaches us a valuable lesson on vacation insurance
53:12—Ian gives a little-known secret feature that most credit cards provide that you aren’t taking advantage of
54:54—March shares his favorite vacation tips, including learning a new skill and the power of anticipation
58:39—Ian explains his concept of “vacation momentum” and how to maintain it with group vacations
1:03:12—Listener Jillian recommends choosing your vacation partners wisely and why it matters
1:04:53—Darren shares his best money-saving vacation tips after working at Expedia and learning some secrets
1:09:05—Does Hotwire really save you money on hotel rooms?
1:14:13—Using the power of packing lists to reduce travel prep stress
1:15:32—Listener Alex recommends an app, Boxcryptor, to digitize your important travel documents
1:17:04—Ian shares one of his favorite travel apps, TripIt and some secrets of its Pro app you can use to have better vacations
1:22:09—March, Darren and Ian share their upcoming vacation-related experiments they’re going to test out and report back on in a future episode