âLove does not consist of gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction.â ââ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry  â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â 5-Bullet Friday The latest from author and investor [Tim Ferriss]( â â Hi All! â Here is your weekly dose of 5-Bullet Friday, a list of what Iâm pondering and exploring. â This edition contains items from my most recent explorations in South America. Nearly all of the physical goods were recommended to me by a former member of United States Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance. Special thanks to Master Repacker for the strong assist. â Enjoy! â
What Iâm watching â[Human Planet, S1, Ep. 04 âJungles.â]( From the synopsis: âThe Matis of Brazil carve 4-meter-long blow-pipes to hunt monkeysâin near total silence. Deep in the Congo forests, Tete defies death by scaling a giant tree using nothing more than a liana vine, and he must then negotiate an angry swarm of beesâall to collect honey for his family. Three children from Venezuelaâs Piaroa tribe venture deep into the jungle to hunt tarantulasâto toast for lunch! In West Papua the Korowai tribe show off their engineering skills by building a high-rise home 35 meters up in the treetops. Most memorable of all, in Brazil we join a unique monitoring flight in search of an uncontacted tribe.â The video quality at the above link is not ideal, but the episode more than makes up for it. â
All-purpose footwear that saved me â[Salomonâs Xa Forces Jungle Tactical Boots](=). To roughly paraphrase my friend, whoâs a fan of minimalist packing, âI would rather have one pair of footwear that does everything well enough than carry a bunch of specialist footwear that does things better than I need.â We both only brought carry-on luggage. So instead of packing sneakers, hiking boots, flip-flops, etc., I bought these. From the description: âThis lightweight, tactical boot is designed for pushing hard in tough conditions like the jungle. Based on Salomonâs iconic racing XA PRO 3D, this special-forces boot is ultra-durable and remains stable in uneven terrain. The drainage holes, minimal padding, and non-absorbent fabrics mean the boot dries really quickly.â The drainage holes are a key feature, and the efficacy is hard to believe until you experience them. For example, I walked through a river wearing these, and in less than five minutes, enough water had drained out that the boots were totally comfortable and had zero squishing. Within an hour, they feltâoperative wordâdry. I was also shocked by how lightweight these boots are and how pleasant they were for urban walking. Easy to lace, easy to use, these boots earned their price many times over.
â
â[Farm to Feet Menâs King Ultra-Lightweight Merino Wool Crew Socks](=). These were a critical combo with the above boots. Though hard to believe, even at 95-plus degrees Fahrenheit with what felt like 95% humidity, these worked well. From the description: âMerino wool keeps you cool in the summer and warm in winter. Light Cushion that is light in weight along the base of the foot only. This all-season construction is highly versatile.â â
What Iâm reading â[The Man Who Quit Money]() by [Mark Sundeen]( ([@SundeenMark](=)). This is a brilliant book, and I appreciate it more each year. Reading it for a third time on Kindle, I was struck by how much my old highlights differ from what Iâm highlighting now. Different life chapters have different contexts, different challenges, and different hopesâyet another reason to reread certain books. Hereâs the official description: âIn 2000, Daniel Suelo left his life savingsâall thirty dollars of itâin a phone booth. He has lived without moneyâand with a newfound sense of freedom and securityâever since. The Man Who Quit Money is an account of how one man learned to live, sanely and happily, without earning, receiving, or spending a single cent. Suelo doesnât pay taxes or accept food stamps or welfare. He lives in caves in the Utah canyonlands, forages wild foods and gourmet discards. He no longer even carries an I.D. Yet he manages to amply fulfill not only the basic human needsâfor shelter, food, and warmthâbut, to an enviable degree, the universal desires for companionship, purpose, and spiritual engagement. In retracing the surprising path and guiding philosophy that led Suelo into this way of life, Sundeen raises provocative and riveting questions about the decisions we all make, by default or by design, about how we liveâand how we might live better.â â
A few more goodies that pulled their weight, despite a bit of TOEFL Amazon copy â[Boudreauxâs Butt Paste](). Now, hereâs a product I never expected to feature in 5-Bullet Friday. The official description follows, but I have an addendum: âClinically tested baby diaper rash formula helps provide fast relief from diaper rash discomfort and instantly protects irritated skin with first use. Itâs ideal for daily prevention and treatment of moderate to more irritated diaper rash.â But wait⦠Thereâs more! Jungle eating your feet? Put this on*. Chiggers devouring your legs? This will stop them in their tracks*. Some weird rash on your ear? This might do something*. Itâs the ultimate humidity fighter, and we both needed it. (*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.)â
â
â[Snugpak Waterproof Patrol Poncho](). This also doubled as an excellent hammock pillow. From the description: âDesigned to be worn over the user as well as the userâs backpack, if one is being utilized, to help keep you and your gear dry in a downpour. Its generous cut design can allow one to use it as an emergency bivvy, if needed. Snugpak has gone above the old standard design of what most people think about when thinking of a poncho. They have included an adjustable hood and thumb loops in the design. Located on the chest is a Velcro map pocket with a storm flap. Made out of Snugpakâs exclusive Paratex Dry material and with fully taped seams, which allows the shell to be 100% waterproof.â
â
â[Postropaky Hiking Quick-Dry Lightweight Waterproof Fishing Pants](=). From the description: âPTFE Nylon Fabric Blend fabric, ultralight, breathe freely, quick-drying and elastic, engineered to keep the body comfortable while still allowing your body to breathe.â
â
â[Farm Blue Military Camping Blanket](=). From the description: âExpertly crafted with a 100 percent polyester shell and insulation, you can use this US Army-grade blanket as a not-so-thick poncho liner military woobie for lightweight warmth during chilly nights.â The Amazon remained steamy at night, but some areas in Suriname cooled down enough for this to be a godsend. To my friend, this is simply a âponcho liner.â When you donât want to bring a sleeping bag but suspect you might need an extra layer for the wee morning hours, this works.
â
â[KastKing Sol Armis UPF 50 Boonie Hat](). From the description: âThe KastKing Sol Armis Boonie sun hat for men and women is rated UPF 50 to ensure you are protected from the sunâs harmful UVA and UVB rays. Lightweight breathable material and vented mesh sides help boost air flow and make sure you are cool and dry on hot sunny days. We have also incorporated a moisture-wicking headband to keep sweat out of your eyes.â
â
â[BAMBOO COOL Menâs Underwear boxer briefs](=). I tried a lot of underwear on this trip, and these ended up being the most comfortable and moisture-wicking. One thing you learn in rainforests is that, generally speaking, the more you use organic materials, the better you will feel. From the description: â92% viscose made from bamboo + 8% spandex, light and soft texture, better skin-friendly than cotton material, bring a fresh touch to your skin.â
â
â[TOUGH-GRID Premium Parachute Cord](=). From the description: âGo ahead, string up a hammock, rig your sails, secure your tent, or make an emergency tourniquet. ⦠Currently used by the U.S. Military.â Never hurts to have some paracord, and you can always give it away as a gift. Remote villages can use it. â
Quote Iâm pondering âLove does not consist of gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction.â
ââ [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](), [Wind, Sand and Stars]()â
â([Click here to share on Twitter]().) --------------------------------------------------------------- You can complement this edition of 5-Bullet Friday with [my interview]() with Mr. Money Mustache on his contrarian money philosophies, [my brand-new conversation]( with Dr. Willoughby Britton on the little-known risks of meditation (and psychedelics), and [my podcast episode]( with Dr. Mark Plotkin, author of [The Amazon: What Everyone Needs to Know](.
â
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? Please let me know. Just [send a tweet to @tferriss](=) and put #5BulletFriday at the end so I can find it.
â
Have a wonderful weekend, all.
â
Much love to you and yours,
â
Tim â
P.S. For a glimpse of the real future, check out [this wild demo video of Humaneâs AI pin](=), which just went live. If youâre in a rush, a lot of my favorite features start [around 5:20](=), including multi-language (any language) conversation translation, food logging and analysis, and a bunch of computer-vision goodies. This is just v1. Remember the first iPod and iPhone and how quickly the teams iterated? Yeah, well, here we go. I invested in [Humane]() a long time ago, and Iâm very excited to see what they do. P.P.S. Deal of the Week â [My very own COCKPUNCH Coffee!](=) This year, I created [COCKPUNCH Coffee](=) as a novel way to raise funds for early-stage science and mental-health therapeutics. 100% of my COCKPUNCH-related proceeds, roughly $2.5M to date, have gone to my nonprofit foundation, [the Saisei Foundation](). [The Saisei Foundation]() focuses on early-stage, cutting-edge scientific research and other uncrowded bets. Many of [the studies and centers]() associated with the new âpsychedelic renaissanceâ have been funded by Saisei.
â
â[COCKPUNCH Coffee](=) came after testing dozens of options over many months, and here is the official description: âThis medium-roast coffee is bright and expressive, like a Southern Jaquan after three shots of espresso. It sports a juicy body with lasting sweetness, reminiscent of summer flings and butterfly wings. Flavor notes sing of lime, orange blossom honey, and vanilla. For if not to sing, WTF are we doing here?â
â
âGrab your bag or bags at [Cockpunch.com/coffee](=). 100% of my proceeds go to the Saisei Foundation. In the spirit of Black Friday and the holidays, I am offering 5-Bullet Friday subscribers a limited-time 20% discount with code VARLATA. Offer is valid until Monday, 11:59 p.m. ET. â Forwarded this message? [Sign up here](). Join millions of monthly readers. Get exclusive content, private Q&As, giveaways, and more. No spam, ever. Just great stuff. Â
[Sign Up]()
Â
[Tim Ferriss] Listen to The Tim Ferriss Show Podcast The Tim Ferriss Show is one of the most popular podcasts in the world with more than 900 million 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+ podcastsÂ
on many occasions. Â
[[Apple Podcasts]Â Â Podcasts](=)
[[Apple Podcast]Â Â Apple Podcasts](=) [[Overcast]Â Â Overcast]() [[Spotify]Â Â Spotify](=) [[Tim's Blog]Â Â Tim's Blog]() Read Tim's Books [Read Tim's Books](=)
Â
[[Amazon]  Amazon](=) [[Audible]  Audible]( [[B & N] B & N]() [[Tim's Blog]  Tim's Blog](=) Follow Tim: [TW](=) [IG](=) [YT]() [FB]() [IN]( DO NOT REPLY HERE: Due to volume, please do not reply to this email. Sadly we are unable to read 1000+ email replies daily. To reply to Tim, please do so in the blog comments [here](=).  No longer want these emails?  [Unsubscribe]( 3â11â2 Winâdsoâr Râd., Box #UNS, Austin TX 78703, United States  â