The Random Show – Drinking Urine, Exploring Japan, and Figuring Out Life
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Coming to you from a late night in rural Japan, this is a special edition of The Random Show.
Per usual for The Random Show, I am joined by Kevin Rose (@KevinRose), serial entrepreneur, world-class investor, and all around wild and crazy guy. We discuss Japan and how to do it cheaply, building apps, urine drinking, love and marriage, beauty and absurdity in 2017, why Kevin doesn’t have New Year’s resolutions, favorite books, and much more.
Enjoy!
Listen to it on iTunes.
Stream by clicking here.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”
Want to hear another episode of The Random Show? — Listen to this earlier conversation with Kevin Rose. In this episode, we discuss saunas and cold treatment, dating apps, and fitness apps (stream below or right-click here to download):
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QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
Scroll below for links and show notes…
Selected Links from the Episode
Connect with Kevin Rose:
Past episodes of The Random Show
Cherry blossom festivals in Tokyo
Suntory The Premium Malt’s — “brewed with pride”
Kanpai!
We’re staying at the Araya Totoan
In spite of the tattoos, Kevin assures us he’s not Yakuza.
7-Eleven and Circle K are different in Japan.
Ghibli Museum
Harajuku
Instagram photos tagged #takeshitadori
Over 280 Images of the Most Imaginative & Strange Cosplay at Comic-Con 2016 by Steve ‘Frosty’ Weintraub, Collider
13 Secrets for Speaking Fluent Japanese by Giles Murray
Japanese Verbs & Essentials of Grammar by Rita Lampkin
How to Perform Mantra Meditation
The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss
Slack
Headspace and Calm are two meditation apps Kevin uses.
Transcendental Meditation
Kevin has interviewed entrepreneurs at the Journal podcast and the Foundation series so people can better understand the steps (and missteps) that go into making a product.
vBulletin
Battle of the Clouds: Amazon Web Services vs. Microsoft Azure vs. Google Cloud Platform by Brandon Butler, Network World
Introducing “Zero,” a New App to Help You Fast by Kevin Rose, Medium
An iOS Developer’s Guide: From Objective-C to Learning Swift by Marco Mustapic, Toptal
Hodinkee
Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers by Timothy Ferriss
Tim Ferriss Shares Successful Life Tips from Tools of Titans on The Tonight Show
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport
SS Jeremiah O’Brien
From Gunpowder to Teeth Whitener: The Science Behind Historic Uses of Urine by Mohi Kumar, Smithsonian.com
The Tim Ferriss Podcast is Live! Here Are Episodes 1 and 2
Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life’s Greatest Lesson by Mitch Albom
The works of Mark Rothko, National Gallery of Art
List of Living National Treasures of Japan (crafts)
Kevin likes to wear Birkenstocks in the snow.
Minimalism: a Documentary About the Important Things
What is Hedonic Adaptation and How Can it Turn You Into a Sucka? by Mr. Money Mustache
Riding Giants
Laird XPT Extreme Pool Training
Moral Letters to Lucilius Letter XVIII: On Festivals and Fasting
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford
5-Bullet Friday
Hacking Japan: Inside Tokyo for Less than New York
Show Notes
Why are we in Japan? [06:56]
At Araya Totoan, Kevin doesn’t have to hide his tattoos. [09:17]
What it’s like in Japan if you don’t speak the language. [11:23]
The difference between losing a personal item in Japan and the US. [12:26]
Tokyo has a reputation for being an expensive city, but you can still have fun on the cheap. [15:20]
Book recommendations for people who want to learn Japanese. [20:02]
Book research and development, and mantra meditation app creation. [21:22]
Weighing the benefits of Slack vs. a private Facebook group for community feedback. [29:20]
Why is Kevin creating an app for mantra meditation, and what would its success look like? [31:43]
What do developers and designers mean when they talk about “wireframes?” [36:08]
Why don’t I have a “4-Hour” app yet? How can developers minimize maintenance once an app goes live? [37:51]
What can an app developer expect in terms of cost and maintenance for the first year if their launch is successful? [44:02]
Some of the features I’d like in my own app. [47:50]
Aside from app development, what has Kevin been up to? [49:27]
Book promotion is busy work. [50:09]
My recent Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon experience. [52:40]
The merits of deep work and blocking time “for unknown purposes.” [55:32]
Epitaph ideas, writing, and podcasting as vehicles for teaching. [56:55]
The three keys to achieving goals. [58:28]
How can you apply data to love and marriage? [1:00:06]
On drinking urine. [1:03:23]
How this podcast evolved as a break from writing to what it is today. [1:07:29]
Absurdity and beauty as project criteria — case studies: court jesters and Mark Rothko. [1:09:38]
Why Kevin got into woodworking. [1:17:23]
How Kevin avoids costly impulse purchases. [1:23:36]
Hedonic adaptation (aka experience stretching). [1:26:49]
Parting thoughts: Kevin’s podcast, our tour of a sake brewery, and book and documentary recommendations. [1:32:00]
People Mentioned
David Chang
Reid Hoffman
Jimmy Fallon
B.J. Novak
Will Smith
Cal Newport
Wim Hof
BJ Miller
Mark Rothko
Darya Rose
Ryozo Kawagita
Laird Hamilton
Gabrielle Reece
Kelly Starrett
Elon Musk
Dan Carlin
