The Long Game 133: Sperm Count, Knowing What You Really Want, Unsolicited Advice, Validation is a Mirage
The Long Game 133: Sperm Count, Knowing What You Really Want, Unsolicited Advice, Validation is a Mirage🌐 Building A Virtual Machine inside ChatGPT, Semaglutidonomics, SARMs, Minimalist Training, Brands I like, and Much More!Hi there, it’s Mehdi Yacoubi, co-founder at Vital, and this is The Long Game Newsletter. To receive it in your inbox each week, subscribe here: ⌚🏆 At Vital, we have a fun challenge kicking off today (Monday, Dec 5th). The idea is simple: log a workout of at least 30 minutes every day for 21 days. It's a way to stay accountable during the holiday season. Any workout type counts, so it's all about showing up each day. Better yet - anyone who completes a workout each day enters a draw to win the brand-new Apple Watch Ultra! Join us and share with your friends who might also be interested! In this episode, we explore:
Let’s dive in! 🥑 Health📉 Sperm CountYou might have seen this paper by now, but it’s so important that I’ll still feature it here. Here’s part of the abstract:
The big takeaways: 🤯 New sperm meta-analysis. Big takeaways:
• Sperm reduction is not localized, happening globally
• 50% reduction in avg sperm count since 1973
• Following this trend, the average man will not be able to have children unassisted by 2050
This led Nat Eliason to rightfully point out that you should get tested… Half of the infertility issues today are male-driven. Better to know if it affects you sooner than later, especially with how easy at-home male fertility testing is now. Even if you don’t think you want kids, it’s wise to do it and freeze your sperm. Having the option to conceive kids is always better than not having it (additionally, the risk of autism for your kids is way higher as you get older.) Prediction: in 2030, the majority of 20-year-old men & women will freeze their sperm & eggs to make sure they'll manage to get children if they want later on. 🌱 Wellness⚖️ How to know what you really wantYour quarterly reminder of how mimetic desire affects your life.
So how can you ensure your desires are what you really want?
Mimetic desire matters a lot because it cuts across all domains of life: relationships, career, social media, lifestyle (#vanlife, etc.), possessions, and more. Pair with: The Trouble with Optionality 🧠 Better Thinking🤐 Some Unsolicited Advice on Unsolicited AdviceI really liked this piece on unsolicited advice. It perfectly describes something that I believe we all felt at some point or another.
So what can you do? Don’t give unsolicited advice to those close to you.
Pair with: Advice for young people: Understand the assumption stack of your mentors ⚡️ Startup Stuff🌀 Validation is a mirageIf you have ever tried to build something, you might have encountered a lot of articles claiming to explain how to validate an idea before actually building it. These types of articles might have a bit of merit in the sense that you definitely can get a sense of whether there’s a bit of demand for something, but for the most part, the only way to validate something is to actually build it.
And in the current context, building it can mean more than it used to a few years ago. The conventional idea to ship it very fast might not be fully adapted to a world with millions of apps and overall fatigue from users trying new products. Pair with: The New MVP & Notion’s first 1,000 users 📚 What I Read🍔 Semaglutidonomics140 million obese Americans x $15,000/year for obesity drugs = . . . uh oh, that can't be right.
Pair with: Semaglutide, Kardashians, and Female Body Image 🚫 How Monogamy and Incest Taboos Made the West
⭕ On Mr. Beast And Being Alone In A Circle For 100 DaysCulture by algorithm in the 21st century
Pair with: The Refragmentation 🍭 Brain Food🌐 Building A Virtual Machine inside ChatGPTYour Twitter feed was most likely flooded by ChatGPT screenshots. This article explains how they build a virtual machine inside ChatGPT. Crazy.
🎥 What I’m Watching💊 SARMs: The Disturbing Rise of ‘Legal Steroids’Teenagers are now jumping on the SARMs train to get big & strong, ignoring all the red flags for their future health… You don't need steroids to build elite strength/physique
You just have to accept that it will take a long time and a lot of effort
But at least you won't ruin your health Pair with: MPMD on JRE ➕ Minimalist Training Will FAIL You!Stay away from minimalist approaches to lifting. 🔧 The Tool of the Week👕 A Few Brands I likeI like well-done products, and my style has evolved quite a bit. I had to buy new clothes lately, as all my previous clothes got too small. Some brands I like: 🪐 Quote I’m Pondering
— Marc Andreessen 👋 EndNoteThanks for reading! If you like The Long Game, please share it on social media or forward this email to someone who might enjoy it. You can also “like” this newsletter by clicking the ❤️ just below, which helps me get visibility on Substack. Until next week, Mehdi Yacoubi |
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