Mere Mortals Conversations

Peer-to-peer electronic payments are here and they're changing the world! In Episode #394 of 'Meanderings', I discuss: the meanings of these three topics, how they all share properties decentralisation/self-sovereignty/permissionless/value transfer, the history and future of podcasting, a new model of monetisation for digital creators and how the promise of Bitcoin has had a tangibl...

What are some opinions we still hold with deep conviction and where have we changed our mind? In Episode #393 of 'Musings', Juan & I discuss: inspiration from Tim Ferriss, why we were both looking into Nietzsche's void, how I got fooled by my kleptomaniac friend, the radical transformation of Roosh V (and why I don't want to be like that), the mistakes of fame & Bill Co...

Finally back out in the park again and we covered a whooollllle lot of topics. In Episode #392 of 'Meanderings' Juan and I discuss: how Juan got reverse charged for a free trial, more ads than content in some podcasts, how you can get a cockpunch NFT from Juan, why I want to be like the villain in Jackie Chan's 'Legend of The Drunken Master', Massimo Kokhno & Mihaela K...

Do we need government to make regulations to protect us from ourselves? In Episode #391 of 'Musings', Juan & I discuss: the book I'm reading called 'Merchants Of Doubt', the recent crackdown of crypto in Chokepoint 2.0, a list of pros and cons for why regulations should or shouldn't exist, how they differ from rules/laws/protocols/social contracts, why we are both...

Oh me oh my, it's goal time! Do you set yourself monthly goals and if so, how many do you set? Juan and I on the first week of every month go over our progress from the previous month and where we are heading for the next. Emphasis as always is on the shortcomings; what we didn't achieve in the previous monthly goals and how we will fix that for the month that comes. We hope you get some...

What happens when you have too much? In Episode #390 of 'Musings', Juan & I discuss: how this is different from net negative time sinks, politics/complaining/drugs, personality traits that can lead to time wasting, how to avoid the endless digital scrolling, whether you need to become minimalist, Jordan Peterson time accounting and why it's such an intractable problem. Lots of t...

Chris Fisher is the creator of the Jupiter Broadcasting network and host of many podcasts such as LINUX Unplugged, Coder Radio, Self-Hosted & Bitcoin Dad. In Conversation #90, Chris and I discuss: what it's been like to have 25+ podcasts, the current nosedive in advertising, how value for value is creating a richer experience for podcasters, his mindset in analysing technological ideas, t...

Juan's back baby ..... and with a baby!!! In Episode #389 of 'Musings', Juan & I discuss: my latest contracting of Covid (most likely), why there are 3 big babies in these parts, general preventions we take to avoid getting sick, psychological tricks to reduce the suffering, recent changes that have made us less selfish and a new test of the Boostagram Lounge at the end. Huge su...

Is mindfulness all it's cracked up to be? In Episode #388 of 'Meanderings' I discuss: why I've been feeling anxious recently, the common setbacks that stop people from trying out meditation, helpful podcasts and books to dive deeper into, our inability to fully solve the problem of living in the past/future and some potential downsides that can occur from living too much in the...

Juan's back baby ..... and with a baby!!! In Episode #387 of 'Musings', Juan & I discuss: the big reveal of his daughter's name, how he has been managing to sleep and train better than expected, the big expenses of prams and nappies, feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders, exhaustion in hospitals, the love you feel as a father and what's upcoming for the pod...

I can't seem to keep Pete Smissen away, he's coming back for his 5th appearance! In Conversation #89, Pete and I discuss: why you can't control your kid's actions, psychoanalysing our personalities when we were young, the types of language that people use to sound convincing, tangents into music and cool Japanese hobbies, how swearing differs across cultures and my fascinating...

Is learning coding the same thing as learning Spanish or German? In Episode #386 of 'Musings', I discuss: my recent chat with Dave Jones, how I learnt Spanish/German but failed with Python, why I believe that the differences between the languages are greater than the similarities, human-human communication vs human-computer, some helpful tips to think about whilst learning them and why C...

Dave Jones is a driver behind the Podcasting 2.0 movement & a repeat guest on the Mere Mortals (1st appearance in Conversation #54). In Conversation #88, Dave and I discuss: why fragmented social media might be losing steam, some of his favourite philosophy books, combining the value for value model with music, what a lot of people get wrong about V4V and how I saved him from being nicknamed t...

Juan's baby is coming, so what sort of childhood can she expect here? In Episode #385 of 'Musings', I discuss: Juan's brand new baby girl fresh out of the oven, why I was attacked by my friend's dog (probably because I was sadistic), my annoyance with Steve Irwin, why climate change or war probably won't effect the Australian environment, the beauty of Australian chil...

You taste that ....... it tastes like it's goal time. Do you set yourself monthly goals and if so, how many do you set? Juan and I on the first week of every month go over our progress from the previous month and where we are heading for the next. Emphasis as always is on the shortcomings; what we didn't achieve in the previous monthly goals and how we will fix that for the month that co...

A critical question ..... 'should' you do anything? In Episode #384 of 'Musings', Juan and I discuss: whether duty is turned on by default, the prioritisation technique of must/should/could/would, areas in our life we believe we have obligations, real life hypotheticals of jury duty/military service/UBI, why Juan believes that personal health trumps everything else and why this...

Time to sweep the podcast house and let you know about upcoming changes! In Episode #383 of 'Meanderings' Juan and I discuss: how I forgot the cameras for our last hurrah, why recording convos with guests takes a lot of work, whether that work is producing something valuable, how I've let go of great opportunities, the dilemma of creating/consuming short clips and why we might start...

In the age of digital communication will this be enough to satisfy our need for connection? In Episode #382 of 'Musings', Juan and I discuss: the new remote livestream setup we have with Riverside, our personal preferences for interacting with others, studies that indicate our levels of connection, the handiness of being comfortable alone, why ultimately nearly everything will be digital...

Peter Winkler is a comedian and host of the 'Curious Pete' podcast. In Conversation #87, Pete and I discuss: bombing while headlining a comedy festival, stories from rural Qld, drop bears/hoop snakes/yowies, why you don't want to mess with Bigfoot or people from Montana, our personal favourite conspiracy theories and general cultural differences he has noticed after living in Austra...

What is the obsession people have for the past? In Episode #381 of 'Musings', only I discuss: the origin and definition of the word, my favourite time period to travel back to, why the present is better than any other time, the mini blissful periods of youth/travel and whether there are any cultures where people don't feel nostalgic. A huge thanks to Dave Jones, Cole McCormick, Whon...

And we also talk about AI, lots of stuff covered today! In Episode #380 of 'Meanderings' Juan and I discuss: the crazy stories of zany people, our unique names, whether we should be concerned about AI causing damage to our lives, the types of podcasts we listen to nowadays and what it's like jumping into the 2023 dating scene. As always, we hope you enjoy. Mere Mortals out! Timeline...

What's the most beautiful thing in existence? In Episode #379 of 'Musings', Juan and I discuss: what aesthetics actually means, our encounters with Aziz Shavershian and gym aesthetics, how attractive is complementary to aesthetic, appreciating beauty more when you are older/richer, why I find art to be a confusing minefield of subjectivity and why trying to explain beauty on a consc...

You taste that ....... it tastes like it's goal time. Do you set yourself monthly goals and if so, how many do you set? Juan and I on the first week of every month go over our progress from the previous month and where we are heading for the next. Emphasis as always is on the shortcomings; what we didn't achieve in the previous monthly goals and how we will fix that for the month that co...

Sam Sethi is the CEO of the Podfans progressive web app, cohost of Podnews Weekly Review and the owner of the 'River Radio' radio station.  In Conversation #86, Sam and I discuss: participating actively during the birth of the internet, how digital money will change the world, his 4 focuses whilst creating Podfans, the cool new features in the PWA, why he is going all in on the 'Val...

At what point do you stop chasing idealism and accept reality for the way it is? In Episode #378 of 'Musings', Juan and I discuss: the current problems I'm having with dating and v4v support, ways in which being all or nothing is helpful, the impossibility of solving governance and interpersonal relations, why you have to let your ideals go and make some concessions, how being too &...