Half A Thought

In this episode, Ali and Abhi catch up with each other after a long time and share thoughts on life, productivity, lessons learned from college, and the way forward. Tune in for an exciting, casual chat. 

Sleep-like states have been defined in a wide range of animal taxa yet its fundamental function and regulation remains a mystery. To answer this question, Ali has been doing research for the past 3 years attempting to find the origin of sleep through one of the most primitive organisms known: the jellyfish. From understanding behavior to looking to molecular mechanisms, he shares the results he has found and where the future is for understanding sleep. 

The United States Healthcare system is unlike that of any other. While you may think that the richest country would have the best quality of care for its citizens, think again. With inequities through all social determinants of health, hear about the current problems we face in healthcare and the potential alternatives we can consider. 

Most of the time, we base our priorities on deadlines.  What happens when we don't have deadlines, what method do we use to prioritize tasks? The answer is in dependencies. This episode describes why dependencies are important and how even when prioritization fails, what support system we have in place to make priorities again. 

In this episode, Abhi talks about Sherlock and what we can learn from him. From A Study In Scarlet to why Sherlock is neither an expert nor a generalist to how Sherlock is guided by his gyroscope (and not compass), Abhi takes you through the journey of Sherlock's greatness.

Ali has grown up in Silicon Valley all his life. His schooling and upbringing have been surrounded by an environment of constant growth, innovation, and technological development. Yet it wasn't until 2 weeks ago that he began to recognize problems he didn't see. What is income inequality and why is it important for the future of the San Francisco Bay Area?

In this longform episode, we talk all things media. With the rise of TikTok, the GameStop saga, the influencer economy, and Clubhouse, we begin with understanding how we got here. The publishing bubble, the old and physical media, and information asymmetries of the past. Then came the Internet, which changed everything. Distribution, physical media's monopoly, was suddenly eaten up by the Internet. Multitemporality was the new norm. Here, we talk of media consolidation, shared experiences, Disney, and Buzzfeed.The future will lead us into a Metaverse of sorts. What does that look like? Where are we headed? How does traditional media change because of new-age media? Tune in to listen to this rather comprehensive take on the past, present, and future of media.

History, history, history. A classic joke amongst history students is that history repeats itself; I hope that makes sense now. But also similarly important is because of this fact is we can use history as an accurate predictor for the future. With Ali reliving some past experiences, he thinks about how this dictates his future decisions.

In this chat, Sid and I talk about thinking in systems, reading, setting deadlines (with caffeine), using primitive note-taking systems, and advice you should not take. (Hint: Don't build in public.) Sidhartha Jha is the writer of the weekly newsletter 'Sid's Sunday Snapshots', that talks about books, tech, psychology, and Chicago. It's a snapshot of his thoughts for the past week, and it's amazing. Check it out here: https://sss.substack.com/

A short inbetween-isode in coming of something big, Ali briefly talks about what happened about GameStop and the large wealth gap between those at hedge funds and those on Reddit.

What makes things work together? Why is it that code blocks must be made to work in sequence with each other or why making your FIFA team to have high chemistry is important? Because the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. But how is it that the parts work together to make something better. Through coding for weeks straight I found the answer in flexibility.

We all grow older. But that doesn't mean we have to grow up. Ali recently completed a LEGO set of NASA's Saturn V and found it reminding him of his childhood building with LEGO's. Not often do you find an adult playing with a children's toy, however, it's one of the most pure of feelings to be a child again, to be able to think divergently and liberally. However, there is a balance to be struck between being both a child and an adult to be truly creative thinkers, builders, and people.

It's the start of a new year and most people make resolutions and goals. Some are definitive yet some are exploratory. Some are flexible and adjustable, some are rigid and have limits. Whether they are resolutions or life decisions, making plans is a very dynamic process. Here, Abhi and Ali appropriately deconstruct critical components of goal setting and what things to consider when deciding what goal to pursue.

To finish off the year, Ali writes a letter to 2020, describing his experience, his lessons, and the things he found most valuable from a time like no other. From his academics, to entertainment, and most importantly, friendships, there is no better way to thank 2020 for the time it has spent with us and remembering it fondly with good memories. Happy New Year!

How can we become better listeners? In this episode, Abhi answers Ali's questions with 3 simple strategies of precise listening, clean questions, and conscious listening. Tune in!

Why Computers Are Better Thinkers: Ali responds to Abhi’s question on how to think more effectively. Ali’s approach takes it a layer deeper than thinking; entering the realm of metacognition. The best way to think is to actively understand our thinking process, just as computers do. In discussing examples of AlphaGo to what it takes to be creative, maybe it’s time that humans begin to think like computers and not the other way around.

Our world is filled with noise. Becoming a better listener is a grand task. Here, Ali takes just one component of it: Auditory adaptation. All sounds lose meaning because of their repetition. Each time they occur we take the same interpretation, and it’s part of the reason why many times, we fail to listen. Ali looks to musicians as an example to refresh ourselves to the noise around us, and tries to find meaning in every noise we have.

In this episode, Abhi poses a series of deep yet simple questions on how to think effectively, efficiently, and in a structured manner... how to think about problems... what frameworks to use to evaluate problems that matter and do 'great work'... and other such questions. Tune in to listen to this episode of audio diaries :)

Ali has started playing chess again. And he's addicted. He's been playing 6-8 games a day, solving puzzles in his free time, and spending hours watching videos on strategy. This new distraction of his however is not to no avail. His thinking is beginning to change and the way he makes decision are inspired by the very moves he makes in a chess match. This episode discusses what makes chess a brilliant game and why it really is a metaphor for life.

In this episode, Abhi catches up with his friend from UC Berkeley, Anjali Thakrar. They talk a lot about how a 'technical' mindset helps with humanities, how poems especially of Robert Frost add more to our lives, and what real Education is. Tune in for a great, casual chat!

In this episode of Audio Diaries (the letter-version of podcasts), Abhi responds to Ali's questions on non-verbal communication and shares his thoughts on how we can think about NVC.

In this edition of 'Audio Diaries', Ali and Abhi write 'audio-letters' as they're in different countries, and continue to communicate meaningfully. This episode is the first part in this Audio Diaries section on 'non-verbal communication,' where Ali explores what NVC is, why it exists, and if we can identify it?

What, even, is quality? What, even, is perfection? Here, Abhi talks about why not thinking about the 'perfect' output is the ideal way to get started with something, and why the mindset of 'wabi-sabi' matters.

In this episode, Ali takes a trip down memory lane and shares a few stories and defining events in our friendship of the past 3 years. Nostalgic, eclectic, and straight from the soul, this episode would go down as one of the few that touched me. Grateful to have such a brilliant co-host and friend :)

In this inbetweenisode, we talk about how we do listen, how we should listen, and how we can sustain podcasts, in general. As we think to our previous episodes and look at how far we have come, we want to be a bit self-critical, reflective, and introspective on our journey. Tune in for a light, casual listen.

With Ali's lessons of explicit-implicit memory, long-term and short-term memory, and Abhi's lessons from augmenting long-term memory using Anki, this is an episode in which we delve into how memory works, both biologically and functionally. Tune in to listen to a practical, functional, and rigorous first-take on memory.

Hey everybody, this week, Abhi introduces a new concept of 'time-blocking' and viewing time as the single-biggest constraint in your journey of being more productive. Abhi shares why 'calendar-time' is an incredible way of looking at tasks and explores calendar-time, time-slot-tasks, and how a dynamic-calendar can help 'get things done.'

Last night Ali had dinner with family friends and by the end there was the iconic argument over paying for the bill. Being courteous is a necessary human behavior. However, when to use it is a question that many people have not considered nor understand fully. Whether it’s in small complements or gift giving, or paying the bill, sometimes being courteous requires you to not be courteous at all.

In this episode, Ali and Abhi catch up after a long time and chat about how showing up is winning half the game. Consistency as an infinite game and the tradeoff of consistency v intensity is our shtick in this episode.

As an inbetweenisode for this week, Ali shares with you the one essay he sent to all the colleges he applied to, and one that still defines him. What was it about? Volunteering? What he wants to do with his life? His proudest accomplishments? It's probably the last thing you'd expect; as it was for him.

Tune in to this short story Abhinav narrates about King Xerxes and his doorkeeper's smile, 3000 years ago, in Persia...

A few weeks ago, Ali finished his project of folding 1000 origami cranes. Why’d he do it? What’d he learn? Was it worth it? Forget all the paperwork and see how it all unfolds.

People laugh. A lot. We do it involuntarily, sometimes in embarrassment, through comedy and jokes, or simply to feel more in with the crowd. It is a language in itself, complicated with its own syntax and a social way of communicating. But a lot of times we don’t really know why we laugh. To understand this simple yet deep question, we discuss the theories of humor, the relationship between laughter and the subconscious, and The Joker. Next time you laugh, consider why you’re actually doing it and what meaning it has.

In this episode, we talk about the purpose of note-taking, why processing notes is equally -- if not more -- important as taking notes, and why notes should help us develop ideas over time. Sprinkled with Ali's lessons from origami and our brief life updates, let's talk about the three key principles of taking better, more meaningful notes.

From imagining and discovering ideas to making them real, in this episode, Abhi and Kahlil Corazo, a Roam Research and productivity expert, discuss how we can build our own productivity and note-taking stack. We talk about some key features of Roam Research, how we can build a second brain, why we should think of ideas as people, and Kahlil's own journey of discovering the idea about accessible genomics. Read more about Kahil here: https://twitter.com/kcorazo

A lot of times we find ourselves in positions where we think one thing but actually say something else. Should we speak at all? In this episode, inspired by Paul Graham’s blog on ‘What Not to Say’, we search for the necessary tools and methods on how to think, speak, listen, pick our battles, and be able to talk about controversial or even practical issues. In short, there are times we should, and there are times we shouldn’t. It’s a spectrum, and here we find direction on how to navigate it all.

Jason Liu recently began developing his faith as a Christian. Ali, born a Muslim and a long time student of the Catholic school system is still unclear where he places his faith. Together, they discuss how to overcome the initial questions and fears of questioning faith as well as the investment that needs to be made. While coming from very different perspectives, the two find grounds to understand each other. It’s rare that conversations like these are insightful and productive. Take a listen to how a Christian and a Muslim speak the language of religious discourse.

In this episode, Abhi catches up with Caleb, his friend from Berkeley. As a Mech Eng student from SoCal, Caleb loves learning a variety of things - Hindi, guitar, philosophy, culture, and art. We talk about why Caleb loves to learn things for their own sake, what are his motivations, why dabbling in different things is gratifying, and what, even, is positive change. Among other things, Caleb also tries his hand at Hindi (listen to the 18th minute)

Now more than ever are we social distancing. No, not only the 6 feet away kind, but also the ones that are hundreds or even thousands of miles away. It is during these times that our friendships are really put to the test. To provide clarity and some historical humor, we talk about our own friendship, the difference between true friends and ‘proto-friends’, and how conversations should be coupled with both intuition and intention. It’s hard trying to stay in touch; but fret not, your vaccine lies in our conversation. :)

In this serendipitous, casual chat, we start by talking of TV shows but end up exploring some deep questions of life - What matters; what do we really, existentially, crave; how to know what we want? We also talk about why it's better to be fully unproductive for a day and not feel guilty for being partly unproductive for a few days, and move on to discuss how life can only be lived forward, but must be looked at backward. Tune in for an engaging chat :)

What do the Karate Kid, Roger Federer, and a Buddhist monk have in common? They’ve practiced their same craft over and over again. But at some point, it just clicks. We’ve previously described how creativity can be found in randomness, today we search for creativity in repetition, in mundanity. With a combination of focus without an objective in mind and ‘getting the right feel’ there’s a point when creativity finds us when we least expect it.

Quantity over quality. The more content you create, the more likely you will strike gold. This episode, however, introduces the necessity to keep room for randomness, those carefree thoughts we have that are not at all logical. Each new idea we have will be based on what we know, but different permutations those ideas. Drawing on Kahneman’s System 1 and System 2 thinking, creating excess content, and doing what’s not expected of us, let’s try to introduce some randomness in our lives, creating serendipitous opportunities for creativity.

In this monologue, Abhi brainstorms and thinks about some of the "top-of-mind" lessons he has picked up after reading Jordan Peterson's 12 Rules For Life. From talking about the yin and yang, the dominance hierarchy, why being precise in your speech is important, why listening is a key skill, and how to deal with adversity, Abhi explores some key concepts and themes of the book.

Abhi and Ali begin the next chapter by talking about creativity. They talk about how creativity comes from different spaces, how "Creativity" is a sum of "creativities," why creativity requires actionability, and how Abhi's standardized system of note-taking helps him build an idea maze, not an idea box.Reference 1: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/199203/the-art-creativityReference 2: https://fortelabs.co/blog/how-to-take-smart-notes/

He is the 'the D2C guy'. Featured as a Forbes 30 under 30 working with companies like Hint Water and people like Ptibull and Priyanka Chopra, Nik Sharma has made his position clear in the brand building world. Here, Ali picks Nik's brain on things like how he sees creativity in his area to what it's like to find your passion early on. It's a 'sharming' episode!

In the longest episode so far, Abhinav speaks with his friend Jacob and asks him about his first-hand racial experiences of growing black in America. They then talk about why being an "expert" in race is not necessary to begin talking about racism, why tone policing is not justified, and what "virtue-signaling" is (and isn't.) From Kendrick Lamar's music to Obama's "respectability politics," this conversation was enlightening and inspiring.Links mentioned:Facing You, Facing Me: http://www.stileshall.org/facing-you/Jacob's Newsletter: https://respectexistence.substack.com/MLK's Birmingham Letter: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/02/letter-from-a-birmingham-jail/552461/The Innocence Project: https://www.innocenceproject.org/People's Breakfast Oakland: https://twitter.com/PeoplesBreakOak?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^author

Abhi catches up with his friend Aurum and they talk about rejection, goal-setting, relationships, "changing the world" vs changing your world, the paradox of friendship, conversations, helping others, and what it means to live a good, happy life.

In this concluding episode of our chapter on Expression, Ali talks about the real way to understand other people’s emotions and what actually makes us happy.

In this episode, Abhinav chats with Salman Ansari. Salman is the founder of two startups, has previously worked at Facebook, has been CTO, a web developer, an iOS developer, an engineering manager, a learner, and a writer. He calls himself a polymath and there was a lot to learn from him about skillsets, success, founding companies, meditation, journaling, discovering life's purpose, passion, the paradox of success, and above all, productizing yourself.

This episode is the first of our many interviews of people who inspire us and understand the themes of Chapter 1. Senator Scott Wiener is a State Senator for the 11th District of California. We discuss his view on expression and how his lessons help us navigate the terrain of expression and understand the quantity and quality of expression.

In this interview, David Perell aka "The Writing Guy" and host of The North Star Podcast discusses effective techniques to think, write, and create content, while also offering life advice, productivity tips, and ideation strategies.