5-Bullet Friday — January 31, 2020

 [5-Bullet Friday](=) --------------------------------------------------------------- Hi All! Here is your weekly dose of “5-Bullet Friday,” a list of what I’m enjoying or pondering. What I’m reading — [Why Is Joe Rogan So Popular?]() (Atlantic) by Devin Gordon ([@DevinGordonX]()). This is one of the best explorations of Joe that I’ve come across. Devin captures the zeitgeist—with real insight into Joe and his format—better than anyone I’ve seen to date. Here is one of many sections that struck me, slightly edited for length: [One journalist wrote,] “If traditional media were pissed about anything relevant to the Musk-Rogan interview, it was the extent to which Rogan got played.” Played! Imagine writing that about one of the most discussed and downloaded podcasts of 2018. Rogan, the one who handed Elon Musk a spliff, on camera, and got him to smoke it, thus earning national headlines for himself and millions of listens for his advertisers, got played. In order to reach such a conclusion, you have to begin with the presumption that interviews must always be a form of combat, with winners and losers…. The hard truth for some of Rogan’s critics in the media is that he is much better at captivating audiences than most of us, because he has the patience and the generosity to let his interviews be an experience rather than an inquisition. And, go figure, his approach has the virtue of putting his subjects at ease and letting the conversation go to poignant places, like the moment when Musk reflected on what it was like to be Elon Musk as a child—his brain a set of bagpipes that blared all day and all night. He assumed he would wind up in a mental institution. “It may sound great if it’s turned on,” he said in his blunt mechanical way, “but what if it doesn’t turn off?” Popular on Twitter — [“Would you like 1-5M more followers? Before you answer that, answer this: ...”](=) Near-magical lotion bar that I’m using —[climbOn Lotion Bar](=). This was introduced to me by Rodney of [Specialized Bicycles]( on [the Hayduke bike trail](=), which we rode from Grand Junction, Colorado, to Moab, Utah. There are a few things I should share as background. First, this was my first real mountain-biking trip of more than five miles, and it was also my first time using clip-in shoes (not smart). Second, my dear friend [Kelly Starrett]( told me in advance, “Don’t worry!” (I was worried.) “Have you ever ridden a beach cruiser on the Venice boardwalk? It’ll be like that. Flat fire roads. Super chill.” (Not true.) So—surprise, surprise—I got my ass kicked every which way from Sunday. Rodney repeatedly saved me, and this lotion bar was one tool in his arsenal. Though initially designed for rock climbers, climbOn repeatedly rescued my ankles, feet, and hands, even when I thought my trip was over. Person I’m learning more about — [Lynn Margulis](=). From Wikipedia: She was “an American evolutionary theorist and biologist, science author, educator, and popularizer, and was the primary modern proponent for the significance of symbiosis in evolution. Historian Jan Sapp has said that ‘Lynn Margulis’s name is as synonymous with symbiosis as Charles Darwin’s is with evolution.’” Next up for me is [her debate with Richard Dawkins at Oxford]() from 2009 ([Part 1](), [Part 2](, [Part 3](). She was incredibly controversial, and I don’t agree with all of her views, but I do find this type of debate useful in stretching one’s mind.Quote I’m pondering, especially as it relates to the Tweet bullet above — “This is not your responsibility, but it is your problem.”— [Cheryl Strayed]() ([@cherylstrayed](), hat tip to [Ryan Holiday]() And, as always, please give me feedback on Twitter. Which bullet above is your favorite? What do you want more or less of? Other suggestions? Let me know! Just [send a tweet to @tferriss](=) and put #5BulletFriday at the end so I can find it. Have a wonderful weekend, all! Tim P.S. Deal of the Week — [Hu](. Founded by family trio Jason Karp, his wife Jessica, and his brother-in-law Jordan Brown, [Hu]( started as a paleo-inspired restaurant in NYC in 2012. Now they make plant-based snacks that are ridiculously delicious, including their cult-favorite, paleo/vegan dark chocolate line. My favorite chocolate bars in the world now come from Hu. I’ve eaten quite a few [Simple Dark Chocolate Bars](=), as one example, and I’ve never felt a crash afterward. Those bars, like many of their products, have only three ingredients: organic cacao, organic cocoa butter, and organic coconut sugar. Their stuff is deliciously simple and avoids ingredients like dairy, emulsifiers, palm oil, soy/sunflower lecithin, refined sugars, and sugar alcohols. The unmatched taste and quality make Hu Chocolate a no-brainer for gifts—these [chocolate gift boxes]() (my personal fave: Nut Butters Box) are perfect for Valentine’s Day! Get 20% off your Hu order by visiting [hukitchen.com/tim]( and using discount code TIM5BF at checkout. You can find both gift boxes and some of my favorite Hu products on [this page](). FORWARDED THIS MESSAGE? [SIGN UP](=). [Tim Ferriss Photo] Join millions of monthly readers. Get exclusive content, private Q&As, giveaways, and more. No spam, ever. Just great stuff. DUE TO VOLUME, PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL. SADLY, WE ARE UNABLE TO READ 1,000+ MESSAGES PER DAY. To unsubscribe, just [click here](. To reply to Tim, please do so in the blog comments [here](). 3112 Windsor Rd., Box #UNS, Austin TX 78703, United States Â