Longevity

Tings Newsletter #14

Michael Karnjanaprakorn

Aug 13, 2023

Who am I? I’m Michael Karnjanaprakorn, the founder of Skillshare and Otis. Now taking some time before my next thing. I send out a newsletter about life, work, and random tings.

I turned 41. I've started to delve more into longevity—not just about how to live longer, but how to live a longer, healthier life. I’m reading a new book called Outlive by Peter Attia, which covers the four horsemen of chronic disease: heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and neurodegenerative disease (such as Alzheimer’s).
Recently, I had my biomarkers tested which led me to research heart disease, specifically lipoprotein(a). According to this NYT article, lp(a) is a heart risk factor that affects 5-10% of the total population. It’s something that doctors know little about and it’s not commonly tested for. This is just one example of the biomarkers you can test for and there are many more available.
I have started tracking my food, and I have narrowed my focus to one thing — hitting my protein macros, which is around 150g of protein. This not only helps with lean muscle, but also has many benefits for longevity. It’s not easy though! I usually start with a double scoop of Momentum shake followed by some combination of rice and chicken for lunch.
I was listening to an episode on Scott Galloway’s podcast where he talks about masculinity. There is a pervasive issue of toxic masculinity among new influencers. On the surface, their ideas may seem sensible. After all, who wouldn't support having a sense of purpose and working hard? However, once you delve deeper into the content, it becomes clear that these ideas are toxic, particularly in how they place blame on everything external, including women.
This is why I appreciate the rise of healthy masculinity. Here is a valuable perspective on how marriages have evolved. It is no longer the 1950s, as the responsibilities around the house are now shared equally at 50/50. As the saying goes, "there's a reason women initiate the majority of divorces."
I am also a fan of the idea of taking solo trips for each partner, every year. A friend of mine takes five days for himself every year and swears by it. Personally, I have started doing 1-2 night trips but would like to try a longer one.
I’ve been thinking about the concept of minimal productivity. Focus on the 20% that gets you 80% of the way there. Use one app. Minimal note-taking. Instead focus on just tasks and ideas without doing extensive research, which I view as another form of procrastination.
The best productivity process is just keeping a simple list. This can be done with one simple text file called TODO.TXT. Personally, I use Workflowy and have a few lists: Goals, Tasks, and Ideas.
I like Greg Isenberg's definition of a multipreneur: someone who creates multiple products per year, with the aim of creating a company that creates companies.
Modern luxuries for founders, solopreneurs, and multipreneurs. My favorites from the list include chasing fun instead of money, having a clear vision of who you want to be, and having an international airport within 30 minutes.
Personally, I’ll work on projects instead of companies, similar to TJ Parker, co-founder and former CEO of PillPak. His current projects include Warehouse (car storage club), Bristlecone Farms (organic, regenerative farm), and Naito (documentary film about Japan’s best kept automotive secrets).
Some questions to ask to find good business ideas (from the Tim Ferriss podcast): 1) What are the nerds doing at night and on weekends?, 2) Where are people cobbling together awkward solutions? and 3) What are rich people doing now, that everyone might be doing 10 years from now?
Coinbase created a VIP page to hire people with extraordinary ability. “If you've shipped a popular open source library, built a large online following, won a math/eng/gaming competition, were part of a special forces unit, or built something awesome, say hello.” Love this idea.
With recent advancements in AI, there is potential for the creation of a new role: the Chief Automation Officer (CAO). The CAO would leverage AI tools to replace repetitive tasks, freeing up employees' time to focus on more creative endeavors.
WATTBA. A witness just testified in front of Congress that the government has recovered “non-human” pilots from UFOs.
Running out of gift ideas for your kid? Consider giving them a camera. It's great to see what they capture, especially on family vacations. I recommend this GoPro knock-off from Amazon.
Some content recommendations: Justin Mares interview about the US health crisis, Great Creators podcast, and Hijack show with Idris Elba.
I enjoyed the Barbie movie. Its stance on gender roles was great to incorporate into popular culture. It was well balanced with comedy and included memes like the Mojo Dojo Casa Houses.
There’s also a new book called Cage Kings about the history of the UFC. Related, Israel Adesanya is coming out with a new documentary called Stylebender.
Experiencing joy over an extended period of time is what creates happiness. For me, nothing brings more joy than doing what I enjoyed as a child as an adult. What about you?