Walks, Talks, Ai Coding, and GLP-1 Hacks - Oct Update
What a month.
Friends,
What a whirlwind few weeks! I've bounced from home in LA, to London, then Berlin, and now Hawaii for a tech conference. It's been a bit of a blur, but incredibly enriching.
Walk-and-Talk in the Cotswolds
One of the highlights was a 10-day walking tour in the Cotswolds of England with a wonderful group of people. This particular walk was extra special as it was organized by Tim Ferriss (tim-tim), Kevin Kelly, and Craig Mod, who invited an eclectic and fascinating crew to join. The concept of the “walk-and-talk” or “moveable salon” is that a small group of people goes out together for a series of slow, multi-day walks covering long distances. This time, space, and movement together provide an opportunity for deep conversation and connection while experiencing beautiful landscapes.
The idea comes from Kevin Kelly, the founding executive editor of Wired magazine and a prolific futurist thinker. Kevin believes these walks are a powerful way to cultivate new friendships and have meaningful dialogues away from the distractions of everyday life. He's detailed his philosophy and practical tips in an article called "How to Walk and Talk: Everything We Know", which I highly recommend checking out.
Another key figure in popularizing these walks is Craig Mod, a writer, photographer, and walker who has become something of a renaissance man in the digital age. Craig has undertaken numerous long walks in Japan, most notably along the historic Nakasendo and Tokaido roads. What sets Craig apart is his ability to turn these walks into multi-faceted creative projects, blending photography, writing, and even interactive elements with his newsletter subscribers — he’s a wonderful human.
Craig's approach aligns beautifully with Kevin's "walk and talk" philosophy but with his own artistic twist. He practices what he calls "slow-seeing" — a deliberate, meditative approach to experiencing and documenting the world around him. In a world that often feels increasingly virtual and disconnected, Craig's work reminds us of the value of physical presence and taking the time to truly see and experience our surroundings.
True Ventures AI Summit in Berlin
Fresh off the Cotswolds, I headed to Berlin for True Ventures' AI summit. It was an incredible gathering of minds at the forefront of artificial intelligence. I'll be sharing more videos and anecdotes from the event soon, but one highlight was my conversation about Lemony, an innovative AI solution that's reshaping how teams access private data with ai.
Lemony is designed to pave the way for private, intelligent systems tailored for team collaboration and use within professional organizations. What makes it unique is its approach to AI deployment: the Lemony Box comes pre-loaded with multiple AI models and a software layer, ensuring private, fast, and compliant AI capabilities. It’s perfect if you have private data and want to run it on a little box at home or in the office.*
Forget $1000/mo. for GLP-1s. Upcoming Podcast and
GLP-1 Probiotic Study
Next week, I'm recording a podcast featuring a fascinating proprietary probiotic that shows promising effects on gut health, appetite regulation, and overall well-being. This GLP-1 Probiotic is designed to boost the production of GLP-1, the "un-hunger" hormone that plays multiple roles in metabolic health.
What makes this probiotic unique is its formulation with targeted, science-backed strains that help your body produce more GLP-1 naturally. It's important to note that this probiotic doesn't contain GLP-1 itself and is not a GLP-1 agonist drug. Instead, it works by enhancing your body's natural GLP-1 production.
The initial results from consumer surveys are pretty impressive:
91% reported reduced overall food cravings
88% reported reduced sugar cravings
87% reported reduced carb cravings
As a special offer for all newsletter subscribers (both free and paid), you'll have the opportunity to participate in a mini-study we're organizing around this probiotic. This is a chance to experience firsthand the potential benefits of this innovative approach to gut health and appetite regulation, risk-free; more details soon.*
AI I've Been Playing With
Replit: I'm blown away by how this platform has revolutionized the speed of software development. With Replit, I've been able to go from idea to working prototype in mere minutes – it's truly astonishing. The cloud-based workspace eliminates all the typical setup headaches, letting you dive straight into coding in any language. What's really game-changing is the built-in AI assistant; it's like having a coding partner who can help debug, autocomplete, or even generate entire code blocks through simple conversation.
The instant environments mean you can spin up a new project or fork an existing one in minutes, not hours. Whether you're a seasoned dev or a curious beginner, Replit makes it incredibly easy to bring your ideas to life at lightning speed. I've found myself prototyping ideas that would have taken days in just a single afternoon. It's not just a tool; it's a creativity amplifier that's democratizing software development in an exciting way.
Similar to Replit, check out bolt.new. It’s a web development agent that uses AI to allow users to build, run, edit, and deploy full-stack web applications directly from their browser. Think of it as a browser-based dev sandbox that combines AI with web containers. Play with both.
Changes to the Newsletter/Site
I've made a significant change to the paid newsletter structure. Going forward, all podcasts and articles will be 100% free, with no ads. The primary perk for paid newsletter members will now be access to our private chat, which has been absolutely fantastic. We’re in the process of modifying Campfire's source code to customize our chat further.
What I'm reading/watching:
Artificial General Intelligence: The MIT Press Essential Knowledge Series This concise guide offers a balanced and accessible overview of AGI, exploring its potential impacts and challenges. It's a great starting point for anyone looking to understand the broader implications of advanced AI systems.
Tao Te Ching: A New English Version: This classic of Eastern philosophy continues to offer profound insights into the nature of existence and the art of living. Its poetic wisdom provides a refreshing counterpoint to our often hectic, technology-driven lives.
The Way of Integrity: Finding the Path to Your True Self
Martha Beck (who joined the Cotswolds walk-and-talk!) offers a powerful roadmap for aligning our inner truth with our outer lives. This book is a compelling blend of psychological insights, practical exercises, and personal anecdotes that can help readers navigate life's challenges with greater authenticity and purpose.
Eight Sleep - $400 off
Members! Don't miss out — our Eight Sleep deal is live now through Oct 31st. You can snag the Pod 4 Ultra for $400 off! I've got the Pod 4, and it's fantastic. This is seriously the best deal you'll find anywhere (I'm not taking any commission, so they bumped up the discount for you). Grab the link here if you want in!
That's all for now. As always, thank you for being part of this journey. Your engagement and support drive me to continue bringing you valuable content, unique opportunities, and, hopefully, some inspiration along the way.
Until next time, be well,
*Lemony and Pendulum are both True Ventures investments, but, as always, your trust always comes first; nothing here is paid. I truly love these products. 🙏