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Episode

#405: Penn Jillette on Magic, Losing 100+ Pounds, and Weaponizing Kindness
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2:14:31
Published: Thu Jan 09 2020
Description

Penn Jillette on Magic, Losing 100+ Pounds, and Weaponizing Kindness | Brought to you by Brave and LinkedIn Jobs."One of the biggest challenges we face is staying kind with profound disagreement—and staying kind when a mechanism has been set up to make money and power out of hate." — Penn JillettePenn Jillette (@pennjillette) is a cultural phenomenon as a solo personality and as half of the world-famous, Emmy Award-winning magic duo and Las Vegas headliners Penn & Teller.Together since 1975, Penn & Teller's live show spent years on Broadway and is now the longest-running headliner show in Las Vegas where it plays nightly at The Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. The pair has been awarded Las Vegas Magicians of the Year an amazing eights times.As part of Penn & Teller he has appeared on hundreds of shows, from The Simpsons and Friends to Billions. He recently co-wrote an episode of the Emmy-winning Netflix series Black Mirror.He co-hosted the controversial Showtime series Penn & Teller: Bullshit! which was nominated for thirteen Emmy Awards, won him a Writers Guild award, and was the longest-running show in the history of the network. He currently co-hosts the CW Network hit competition series Penn & Teller: Fool Us! which was nominated for a 2017 Critics' Choice award.Penn's latest book, The New York Times Best Seller Presto! takes an insightful and very humorous look at his recent weight loss journey. His previous book, God No! Signs You Might Be An Atheist and Other Magic Tales, spent six weeks on The New York Times Best Sellers list.His weekly podcast, Penn's Sunday School, was the number one downloaded podcast on Apple Podcasts during its debut week, and was named a Best New Comedy Podcast by Apple Podcasts.On the big screen, Penn produced the critically lauded 2005 documentary The Aristocrats, which features over 100 of the biggest names in comedy telling their versions of the dirtiest joke in history. He produced Tim's Vermeer, which follows the journey of an eccentric inventor determined to solve one of the art world's oldest mysteries. The Sony Pictures Classics release was nominated for a BAFTA and was shortlisted for the 2014 Oscars. He has recently completed the documentary Gambler's Ballad profiling magic legend Johnny Thompson.Penn & Teller have their very own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and triumphantly returned to Broadway recently with Penn & Teller On Broadway, which was the highest-grossing non-musical for the entirety of its run.Please enjoy!This episode is brought to you by Brave, the next-generation Web browser. Brave was built by a team of privacy-focused, performance-oriented pioneers of the Web at the direction of Brendan Eich (co-founder of Mozilla Firefox and creator of JavaScript) and Brian Bondy. Brave now has more than 10 million monthly active users—including me.Why Brave? Because Brave gives you unmatched speed, security, and privacy. Whereas other browsers suck up your data -- profiling and tracking you across the Web and using that information to manipulate your decisions -- Brave operates up to six times faster by blocking ads and website trackers, preserving your anonymity and protecting you from this surveillance economy. Brave also includes options such as Private Window with Tor for those seeking advanced privacy and safety. Intuitive and easy to use, Brave allows you to import bookmarks from other browsers with one click, and all your favorite Chrome extensions are available with Brave. Listeners of The Tim Ferriss Show can easily upgrade their browser for free right now by going to Brave.com/Tim.This episode is also brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs. Hiring can be hard, and it and be super expensive and painful if you get it wrong. Today, with more qualified candidates than ever — but also more noise than ever — employers need a hiring solution that helps them find the right people for their businesses. LinkedIn Jobs provides just that by screening candidates with the hard and soft skills you’re looking for so you can quickly find and hire the right person.LinkedIn can make sure your job post gets in front of people you want to hire — people with the skills, qualifications, and other insights that help LinkedIn paint a better picture of potential candidates. It’s no wonder great candidates are hired every eight seconds on LinkedIn. Find the right person meant for your business today with LinkedIn Jobs. You can pay what you want, and the first $50 is on LinkedIn. Just visit LinkedIn.com/Tim to get $50 off your first job post! Terms and conditions apply.***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.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? Please fill out the form at tim.blog/sponsor.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
Brave is a privacy-focused and performance-oriented web browser built by a team of pioneers of the web, co-founded by Brendan Eich of Mozilla Firefox and the creator of JavaScript, Brian Bondy.
00:00 - 00:49 (00:49)
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Web browser
Summary

Brave is a privacy-focused and performance-oriented web browser built by a team of pioneers of the web, co-founded by Brendan Eich of Mozilla Firefox and the creator of JavaScript, Brian Bondy.

Episode
#405: Penn Jillette on Magic, Losing 100+ Pounds, and Weaponizing Kindness
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Tim Ferriss gives a glowing review of the internet browser Brave, lauding its speed and privacy features that protect users from being tracked and profiled online.
00:49 - 06:34 (05:44)
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Brave browser
Summary

Tim Ferriss gives a glowing review of the internet browser Brave, lauding its speed and privacy features that protect users from being tracked and profiled online. Listeners of The Tim Ferriss Show can upgrade their browser for free at brave.com/tim.

Episode
#405: Penn Jillette on Magic, Losing 100+ Pounds, and Weaponizing Kindness
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Tim Ferriss interviews cultural phenomenon and one half of Penn & Teller, Penn Jillette.
06:34 - 17:38 (11:04)
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Penn Jillette
Summary

Tim Ferriss interviews cultural phenomenon and one half of Penn & Teller, Penn Jillette. They cover Penn's weight loss journey, his work on several television shows including Black Mirror and his critically acclaimed documentary, Tim's Vermeer.

Episode
#405: Penn Jillette on Magic, Losing 100+ Pounds, and Weaponizing Kindness
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
James Randy was a former magician, escape artist and mentalist who dedicated his life to exposing parapsychology and the paranormal as non-existent.
17:39 - 28:14 (10:35)
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James Randy
Summary

James Randy was a former magician, escape artist and mentalist who dedicated his life to exposing parapsychology and the paranormal as non-existent. A guiding light to many, he taught the importance of requiring extraordinary evidence before believing extraordinary claims.

Episode
#405: Penn Jillette on Magic, Losing 100+ Pounds, and Weaponizing Kindness
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The guest discusses how they journal every day, documenting conversations, experiences, and reflections.
28:14 - 38:44 (10:30)
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Journaling
Summary

The guest discusses how they journal every day, documenting conversations, experiences, and reflections. Journaling helped them transition from not writing to constantly writing, allowing them to publish short stories.

Episode
#405: Penn Jillette on Magic, Losing 100+ Pounds, and Weaponizing Kindness
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Penn Jillette discusses his weak visual memory and how it has impacted his career in magic and entertainment.
38:44 - 49:42 (10:57)
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Memory
Summary

Penn Jillette discusses his weak visual memory and how it has impacted his career in magic and entertainment. He also talks about his exceptional conceptual and audio memory.

Episode
#405: Penn Jillette on Magic, Losing 100+ Pounds, and Weaponizing Kindness
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The individual shares his experience of being homeless while also managing to earn a large amount of money from street performing.
49:42 - 1:02:58 (13:15)
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Homelessness
Summary

The individual shares his experience of being homeless while also managing to earn a large amount of money from street performing. Furthermore, he talks about the trust his parents had in him and his own pathological optimism.

Episode
#405: Penn Jillette on Magic, Losing 100+ Pounds, and Weaponizing Kindness
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
A man recounts his experience of diffusing a potentially dangerous situation in a diner by pouring milkshake on himself when threatened by aggressive individuals.
1:02:58 - 1:15:11 (12:13)
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Conflict resolution
Summary

A man recounts his experience of diffusing a potentially dangerous situation in a diner by pouring milkshake on himself when threatened by aggressive individuals. His techniques were later recognized and praised by an FBI agent who asked where he had studied them.

Episode
#405: Penn Jillette on Magic, Losing 100+ Pounds, and Weaponizing Kindness
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker shares his experience of drastic weight loss, losing an average of 0.9 pounds a day over four months by following cult-like rules set by his friend.
1:15:11 - 1:22:31 (07:19)
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Weight Loss
Summary

The speaker shares his experience of drastic weight loss, losing an average of 0.9 pounds a day over four months by following cult-like rules set by his friend. He also reflects on his desire to be Jewish, gay, and live in New York City during his younger days.

Episode
#405: Penn Jillette on Magic, Losing 100+ Pounds, and Weaponizing Kindness
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The host discusses his experience of going from twice his weight to losing weight and the emotional impact of this journey on his mood, concerns, and mindset.
1:22:32 - 1:31:14 (08:42)
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Weight loss
Summary

The host discusses his experience of going from twice his weight to losing weight and the emotional impact of this journey on his mood, concerns, and mindset. He also reflects on his disbelief in mind-body duality and how he overcame embarrassment and pride to achieve his weight-loss goal.

Episode
#405: Penn Jillette on Magic, Losing 100+ Pounds, and Weaponizing Kindness
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The guest speaker talks about his eating habits, describing his daily meals which consist of vegan, low-fat, low-salt, and largely unprocessed foods.
1:31:14 - 1:41:17 (10:02)
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Healthy Eating
Summary

The guest speaker talks about his eating habits, describing his daily meals which consist of vegan, low-fat, low-salt, and largely unprocessed foods. He also shares how he lost weight without exercising and how his food desires have changed over time.

Episode
#405: Penn Jillette on Magic, Losing 100+ Pounds, and Weaponizing Kindness
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker talks about the beauty behind the tricks and the gags that are not purely extrinsic, but how important it is to know the mechanisms behind the biology underlying the flower itself.
1:41:17 - 1:56:11 (14:54)
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tricks
Summary

The speaker talks about the beauty behind the tricks and the gags that are not purely extrinsic, but how important it is to know the mechanisms behind the biology underlying the flower itself. He shares his experience of meeting and working with Sir Richard Feynman when Feynman came to see their show.

Episode
#405: Penn Jillette on Magic, Losing 100+ Pounds, and Weaponizing Kindness
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Penn Jilette talks about the journey behind the film Tim's Vermeer, which follows a man's attempt to determine how Johannes Vermeer achieved photorealistic effects in his paintings, and to replicate one himself.
1:56:11 - 2:04:36 (08:25)
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Art
Summary

Penn Jilette talks about the journey behind the film Tim's Vermeer, which follows a man's attempt to determine how Johannes Vermeer achieved photorealistic effects in his paintings, and to replicate one himself.

Episode
#405: Penn Jillette on Magic, Losing 100+ Pounds, and Weaponizing Kindness
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
LinkedIn Jobs helps businesses find the right people with hard and soft skills to hire quickly, ensuring quality hires that match business requirements.
2:04:36 - 2:11:44 (07:08)
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LinkedIn Jobs
Summary

LinkedIn Jobs helps businesses find the right people with hard and soft skills to hire quickly, ensuring quality hires that match business requirements. Companies have rated LinkedIn Jobs the number one platform for delivering quality hires.

Episode
#405: Penn Jillette on Magic, Losing 100+ Pounds, and Weaponizing Kindness
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Brave is a web browser built with a focus on performance and privacy.
2:11:44 - 2:14:20 (02:35)
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Brave Browser
Summary

Brave is a web browser built with a focus on performance and privacy. It is up to six times faster than other browsers and blocks unwanted ads and trackers, protecting users from being profiled and tracked on the web.

Episode
#405: Penn Jillette on Magic, Losing 100+ Pounds, and Weaponizing Kindness
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show