Episode

#139: Meet "Scorpion," The Real-Life Santa Claus with an IQ of 197
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1:49:30
Published: Tue Feb 16 2016
Description

This episode might make your head explode... in the best way possible. Walter O'Brien (AKA "Scorpion") (@walterobrienscs) is the founder of Scorpion Computer Services and ConciergeUp.com, a for-hire global think tank that provides intelligence-on-demand as a concierge service. The tag line for the latter is, "for any funded need." Need to defend against chemical warfare? Move an entire manufacturing operation over a weekend? Save a loved one from a deceitful spouse? Thread the needle on a thorny legal issue? Become a pop star in a foreign country? When Walter and his team of 2,000+ distributed geniuses say "any funded need," they mean it literally. Born in Ireland, Walter was diagnosed as a child prodigy with an IQ of 197. He became an Irish national coding champion and competed in the Olympics in informatics. Fast forward to today, he and Scorpion get paid to fix every imaginable problem for billionaires, startups, governments, Fortune 500 companies, and people like you and me. On the large side, it ranges from mitigating risk on $1.9 trillion of investments to inventing artificial intelligence engines to protect United States war fighters in Afghanistan. Walter is also the executive producer of the hit CBS TV show Scorpion, inspired by his life, which has reached more than 26 million television viewers. I was introduced to Walter well before the show, and we go deep in this conversation, with lots of amazing and also hilarious examples of problem solving. Enjoy! Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast. This podcast is brought to you by Wealthfront. Wealthfront is a massively disruptive (in a good way) set-it-and-forget-it investing service, led by technologists from places like Apple. It has exploded in popularity in the last two years and now has more than $2.5B under management. Why? Because you can get services previously limited to the ultra-wealthy and only pay pennies on the dollar for them, and it’s all through smarter software instead of retail locations and bloated sales teams. Check out wealthfront.com/tim, take their risk assessment quiz, which only takes 2-5 minutes, and they’ll show you—for free–exactly the portfolio they’d put you in. If you want to just take their advice and do it yourself, you can. Well worth a few minutes to explore: wealthfront.com/tim. This podcast is also brought to you by Boll and Branch. There is a lot of nonsense in the bedding business. For instance, did you know thread-count is not a good measurement of quality? It's a total myth. The "Made in Italy" label? It isn't something you should necessarily pay extra for because it generally means it's just finished in Italy and woven in places like China. The general industry mark-up for bedding is 700 to 800 percent at most retailers. Boll and Branch create incredibly high-quality bedding. They are the same sheets you'll find at my home in San Francisco. The best part? You can try anything you order at home for 30 days. If you don't love it, send it back and get a full refund. Go to Boll and Branch and use promo code "TIM" for 20% off your entire order. Whether sheets, towels, blankets, duvet covers, or anything else. Shipping is always free.***If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading the reviews!For show notes and past guests, please visit tim.blog/podcast.Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (“5-Bullet Friday”) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Visit tim.blog/sponsor and fill out the form.Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss YouTube: youtube.com/timferrissPast guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, and many more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chapters
In this episode, Tim Ferriss shares his popular newsletter "5 Bullet Friday," which includes his top 5 favorite things he's found that week.
00:00 - 01:19 (01:19)
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Tim Ferriss
Summary

In this episode, Tim Ferriss shares his popular newsletter "5 Bullet Friday," which includes his top 5 favorite things he's found that week. He also delves into his strategy for how he meets and selects guests for his podcast.

Episode
#139: Meet "Scorpion," The Real-Life Santa Claus with an IQ of 197
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Tim Ferriss endorses Athletic Greens, an all-in-one supplement that contains 75 vitamins, minerals, and whole foods sourced ingredients.
01:19 - 07:33 (06:13)
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Health, TV show
Summary

Tim Ferriss endorses Athletic Greens, an all-in-one supplement that contains 75 vitamins, minerals, and whole foods sourced ingredients. Meanwhile, Walter O'Brien talks about his work with Scorpion, a TV show inspired by his life, and how his company, Scorpion Computer Services, tackles a wide range of problems from mitigating risk on 1.9 trillion-dollar investments to inventing artificial intelligence engines.

Episode
#139: Meet "Scorpion," The Real-Life Santa Claus with an IQ of 197
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The guest speaker recounts her early fascination with puzzle books and how it led to a successful career in tech, including teaching secretaries how to use word processors and helping to implement barcoding systems for inventory tracking.
07:34 - 13:52 (06:17)
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Tech
Summary

The guest speaker recounts her early fascination with puzzle books and how it led to a successful career in tech, including teaching secretaries how to use word processors and helping to implement barcoding systems for inventory tracking.

Episode
#139: Meet "Scorpion," The Real-Life Santa Claus with an IQ of 197
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The CEO of Scorpion Computer Services discusses how his company has evolved to solve not just technical, but also non-technical problems.
13:52 - 20:40 (06:47)
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Scorpion Computer Services
Summary

The CEO of Scorpion Computer Services discusses how his company has evolved to solve not just technical, but also non-technical problems. He also delves into the nickname of his company, the mentally enabled; explaining how intelligence distances people emotionally and how that's changed the company culture.

Episode
#139: Meet "Scorpion," The Real-Life Santa Claus with an IQ of 197
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The hosts discuss using project management techniques such as Gantt charts and two-week sprints to plan a wedding and divorce, highlighting the benefits of applying agile methods to non-technical projects.
20:40 - 28:06 (07:25)
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Project Management
Summary

The hosts discuss using project management techniques such as Gantt charts and two-week sprints to plan a wedding and divorce, highlighting the benefits of applying agile methods to non-technical projects.

Episode
#139: Meet "Scorpion," The Real-Life Santa Claus with an IQ of 197
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
In this episode, the host discusses the possibility of head transplants and the technology needed to make it happen, including the option of treating the electrical activity in the brain as software and backing it up to transfer to a new body, as well as the more crude option of cutting a cross section of the neck and reattaching it to a new body.
28:06 - 33:13 (05:06)
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Technology
Summary

In this episode, the host discusses the possibility of head transplants and the technology needed to make it happen, including the option of treating the electrical activity in the brain as software and backing it up to transfer to a new body, as well as the more crude option of cutting a cross section of the neck and reattaching it to a new body.

Episode
#139: Meet "Scorpion," The Real-Life Santa Claus with an IQ of 197
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The hardware for uploading a prosthetic brain could be only a decade away, with the harder part being uploading the electrical activity in the brain.
33:13 - 38:58 (05:44)
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Brain Uploading
Summary

The hardware for uploading a prosthetic brain could be only a decade away, with the harder part being uploading the electrical activity in the brain. There's also the ethical question of whether it's possible to grow and adjust telomere rates to create younger clones of specific individuals.

Episode
#139: Meet "Scorpion," The Real-Life Santa Claus with an IQ of 197
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The problem with the world is that dumb people are overconfident and smart people are not confident enough.
38:59 - 46:20 (07:21)
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Intellectual Quotient, EQ
Summary

The problem with the world is that dumb people are overconfident and smart people are not confident enough. Intellect is fixed and hereditary, but being smart is something different and can be improved with soft skills or emotional intelligence (EQ).

Episode
#139: Meet "Scorpion," The Real-Life Santa Claus with an IQ of 197
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The human brain is capable of multitasking, but it is much more efficient when it is fully focused on one task.
46:21 - 54:46 (08:24)
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Multitasking
Summary

The human brain is capable of multitasking, but it is much more efficient when it is fully focused on one task. Meditation and other practices can help train the brain to maintain focused attention when needed.

Episode
#139: Meet "Scorpion," The Real-Life Santa Claus with an IQ of 197
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker reflects on their initial skepticism towards virtual reality technology, however, has since been impressed with the advancement and potential this technology holds for creating new worlds and experiences.
54:46 - 58:56 (04:09)
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Virtual Reality
Summary

The speaker reflects on their initial skepticism towards virtual reality technology, however, has since been impressed with the advancement and potential this technology holds for creating new worlds and experiences. They also reference their early inventions in the VR space and how they have evolved since then.

Episode
#139: Meet "Scorpion," The Real-Life Santa Claus with an IQ of 197
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
VR is a new technology that is gaining popularity.
58:56 - 1:04:49 (05:53)
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Science/Tech
This episode discusses the importance of considering every possible outcome when designing software or systems, highlighting the risks of not doing so in scenarios such as drone surveillance and hacking.
1:04:50 - 1:10:11 (05:21)
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Risk Management
Summary

This episode discusses the importance of considering every possible outcome when designing software or systems, highlighting the risks of not doing so in scenarios such as drone surveillance and hacking.

Episode
#139: Meet "Scorpion," The Real-Life Santa Claus with an IQ of 197
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The podcast discusses the challenges that high IQ individuals face, such as dissatisfaction and confusion as kids, being misunderstood at school, and not fitting in with others.
1:10:11 - 1:16:01 (05:50)
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High IQ
Summary

The podcast discusses the challenges that high IQ individuals face, such as dissatisfaction and confusion as kids, being misunderstood at school, and not fitting in with others.

Episode
#139: Meet "Scorpion," The Real-Life Santa Claus with an IQ of 197
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The hosts share their experience of creating a TV show called "Family Structure," and discuss bringing on experienced Hollywood producers and writers to help.
1:16:02 - 1:20:20 (04:17)
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TV production
Summary

The hosts share their experience of creating a TV show called "Family Structure," and discuss bringing on experienced Hollywood producers and writers to help. They also talk about their motivation for creating the show and their desire to improve education in the US.

Episode
#139: Meet "Scorpion," The Real-Life Santa Claus with an IQ of 197
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Researchers have developed a machine that can oxygenate blood live, helping people to survive even without breathing.
1:20:21 - 1:24:59 (04:38)
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Medical technology
Summary

Researchers have developed a machine that can oxygenate blood live, helping people to survive even without breathing. The technology was initially meant for the military but now has practical applications in healthcare, as in the case of the child rescued and given a blood transfusion with the help of the machine called ABP, which allowed him to survive without breathing during the rescue operation.

Episode
#139: Meet "Scorpion," The Real-Life Santa Claus with an IQ of 197
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Bill Gates believes people should be selfish in the first half of their lives to be effectively unselfish in the second half.
1:25:00 - 1:32:17 (07:17)
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Bill Gates
Summary

Bill Gates believes people should be selfish in the first half of their lives to be effectively unselfish in the second half. He also shares his thoughts on charitable giving and investing in startups.

Episode
#139: Meet "Scorpion," The Real-Life Santa Claus with an IQ of 197
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The podcast touches upon the importance of being prepared for unexpected events that happen rarely such as flat tires or losing wallets.
1:32:19 - 1:36:36 (04:17)
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Preparedness
Summary

The podcast touches upon the importance of being prepared for unexpected events that happen rarely such as flat tires or losing wallets. It also emphasizes on backing up data and keeping off-site copies.

Episode
#139: Meet "Scorpion," The Real-Life Santa Claus with an IQ of 197
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The CEO of Bored Panda talks about the importance of timing in success in both personal and business contexts and shares his perspective on the value of Winston Churchill's wisdom on democracy.
1:36:36 - 1:43:24 (06:47)
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Success, Time Management
Summary

The CEO of Bored Panda talks about the importance of timing in success in both personal and business contexts and shares his perspective on the value of Winston Churchill's wisdom on democracy. He also discusses the difficulty of managing his to-do list and the necessity of brutal deletion to get it under control.

Episode
#139: Meet "Scorpion," The Real-Life Santa Claus with an IQ of 197
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Jay Abraham stresses the importance of having good judgment and critical thinking skills, and wishes for a life university that teaches practical life skills that are not taught in traditional schools.
1:43:24 - 1:47:32 (04:07)
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Critical Thinking
Summary

Jay Abraham stresses the importance of having good judgment and critical thinking skills, and wishes for a life university that teaches practical life skills that are not taught in traditional schools.

Episode
#139: Meet "Scorpion," The Real-Life Santa Claus with an IQ of 197
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
In the Five Bullet Friday email, Tim Ferriss shares his coolest findings and interests from the week, including music albums, gadgets, and articles that caught his attention.
1:47:33 - 1:49:24 (01:51)
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Personal Development
Summary

In the Five Bullet Friday email, Tim Ferriss shares his coolest findings and interests from the week, including music albums, gadgets, and articles that caught his attention.

Episode
#139: Meet "Scorpion," The Real-Life Santa Claus with an IQ of 197
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show