My 37 Favorite Documentaries — Features and Short Films That Cover High Performance, Overcoming Failure, Creative Process, Psychedelics, Trauma, and Much More

My 37 Favorite Documentaries — Features and Short Films That Cover High Performance, Overcoming Failure, Creative Process, Psychedelics, Trauma, and Much More

The below 37 documentaries have shaped my thinking and changed my behavior over the last several years. I revisit them often. They were all featured in 5-Bullet Friday, my free weekly newsletter, which I send out each Friday to ~1.5–2M subscribers. Each edition describes the coolest things I’ve found or explored that week in five …

The Tim Ferriss Show Transcripts: Edward Norton — On Creative Process, Creative Struggle, and Motherless Brooklyn (#393)

The Tim Ferriss Show Transcripts: Edward Norton — On Creative Process, Creative Struggle, and Motherless Brooklyn (#393)

Please enjoy this transcript of my interview with Edward Norton (@EdwardNorton), one of the most celebrated actors of his generation. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards for his performances and has starred in, produced, written, or directed more than 30 films. His most recent film, Motherless Brooklyn, which he wrote, directed, produced, and …

Edward Norton — On Creative Process, Creative Struggle, and Motherless Brooklyn (#393)

Edward Norton — On Creative Process, Creative Struggle, and Motherless Brooklyn (#393)

“It’s nice to be reminded that it’s been hard for other people when they were getting things done that you admired, because it maybe gives you that extra little bit of determination or patience to persevere a little more.” — Edward Norton Edward Norton (@EdwardNorton) is one of the most celebrated actors of his generation. He …

The Tim Ferriss Show Transcripts: Neil deGrasse Tyson — How to Dream Big, Think Scientifically, and Get More Done (#389)

The Tim Ferriss Show Transcripts: Neil deGrasse Tyson — How to Dream Big, Think Scientifically, and Get More Done (#389)

Please enjoy this transcript of my interview with Neil de Grasse Tyson (@neiltyson), who was appointed the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium in 1996. Dr. Tyson’s professional research interests are primarily related to the structure of the Milky Way galaxy, and the formation of stars, supernovas, and dwarf galaxies. Dr. Tyson graduated …

The Tim Ferriss Show Transcripts: Ken Burns — A Master Filmmaker on Creative Process, the Long Game, and the Noumenal (#386)

The Tim Ferriss Show Transcripts: Ken Burns — A Master Filmmaker on Creative Process, the Long Game, and the Noumenal (#386)

Please enjoy this transcript of my interview with renowned documentary filmmaker Ken Burns (@KenBurns). Since his Academy Award-nominated film Brooklyn Bridge from 1981, Ken has gone on to direct and produce some of the most acclaimed historical documentaries ever made, including The Civil War; Baseball; Jazz; The Statue of Liberty; Huey Long; Lewis & Clark; …

The World's Largest Psychedelic Research Center (#385)

The World's Largest Psychedelic Research Center (#385)

This is something I’ve been working on for ~1.5 years and something diligent scientists have been working toward for 20+ years. This episode features a recording of the press conference announcing the launch of the world’s largest psychedelic research center and the U.S.’s first psychedelic research center, The Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research at Johns …

The Tim Ferriss Show Transcripts: Mike Phillips — How to Save a Species (#383)

The Tim Ferriss Show Transcripts: Mike Phillips — How to Save a Species (#383)

Please enjoy this transcript of my interview with Mike Phillips, who has served as the Executive Director of the Turner Endangered Species Fund and advisor to the Turner Biodiversity Divisions since he co-founded both with Ted Turner in June 1997. Before that, Mike worked for the U.S. Department of Interior, leading historic efforts to restore …

Ten Lessons I Learned While Teaching Myself to Code

Ten Lessons I Learned While Teaching Myself to Code

Note from the editor: The following is a guest post by Clive Thompson (@pomeranian99), a journalist who’s written about technology and science for two decades. Clive is a longtime contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine and a columnist for Wired. In his guest post, Clive outlines the most important lessons he learned teaching …

Safi Bahcall — On Thinking Big, Curing Cancer, and Transforming Industries (#364)

Safi Bahcall — On Thinking Big, Curing Cancer, and Transforming Industries (#364)

“All these things you’re sure are true — what if they weren’t?” — Safi Bahcall Safi Bahcall (@SafiBahcall) is the author of Loonshots: How to Nurture the Crazy Ideas that Win Wars, Cure Diseases, and Transform Industries. Loonshots describes what an idea from physics tells us about the behavior of groups and how teams, companies, …