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Mere Mortals Conversations
What is Effective Philosophy? Juan and I simplify hard to grasp concepts into pragmatic takeaways that can be applied to every day life (fitness, goal setting, work, parenting, travel, hobbies, finances, etc.,).
Hosts & Contributors
Recent Episodes
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Why Are We Building Robots That Look Like Us?
Why give a robot legs when wheels already work?Humanoid robots promise to fit the world we built for people. But walking, balancing and handling objects introduce engineering challenges—and someone has to pay for that complexity.In this October episode of Mere Mortals Robotics, I explore why companies build robots shaped like us, where simpler machines could make more sense, and which human features actually earn their place.We discuss:• Why human environments and demonstrations make humanoids appealing• Different…
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Get Stronger, Stay Calmer | 5 Life Lessons from My Monthly Codex
Building strength, staying calm under pressure and being present with the people I love. These are the ideas I’ve been working through over the past month or so.In this Mere Mortals Learnings episode, I share five lessons from my monthly notes and personal codex: developing physical and mental strength, bringing warmth home after difficult days, making creative habits small enough to repeat, appreciating ordinary family moments and taking action on what I can influence.There’s also a bonus observation about techno…
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Financing The Robots | Turning Compute Into Something Useful
Everybody NEEDS compute, but what are you willing to pay for it?In Episode #530 of 'Meanderings', we unpacked what it might actually take to finance the robotic future, starting with the current AI boom, looming IPOs and whether we’re approaching a classic bubble moment. We explored the idea that even if some of the biggest AI companies stumble financially, the underlying value of compute, models and automation won’t just disappear — it may simply get cheaper and become even more useful. Along the way, we dug into…
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Monthly Goals | October 2026
It's time for our monthly check in where we review our goals from last month and see what's coming up for the next.Do you set yourself monthly goals and if so, how many do you set? Juan and I on the first week of every month go over our progress from the previous month and where we are heading for the next. Emphasis as always is on the shortcomings; what we didn't achieve in the previous monthly goals and how we will fix that for the month that comes. We hope you get some value from this series, showcasing our own…
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Who Actually Makes Money From the Robot Boom?
The robot boom is attracting big money. But who actually gets paid when the machines get to work?In this Mere Mortals Robotics episode, I explore the robotics money map: the market’s size, the major players, and the economics that could determine what gets deployed between now and 2029.From NVIDIA, Alphabet and Amazon to Figure, Unitree and Boston Dynamics, we look beyond humanoid headlines to industrial robots, warehouse automation, autonomous machinery and robots working in our homes.This is me learning in publi…
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A Decade Worth Of Goals | 10000 Things To Work On
This should keep me busy for a while.In Episode #529 of 'Meanderings', I unpack the “midlife crisis” I’ve been hinting at for months and explain how finally reaching a one-arm handstand left me asking, “what now?” That question, mixed with a rough patch of illness, renovation stress and my brother being away, pushed me into a deeper reflection on meaning, direction and long-term goals. Looking up at the night sky sparked an old fascination with space, and while I briefly entertained becoming an astronaut, I realis…
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Courting Your Partner | 36 Questions To Fall In Love
I'm plotting my takeover of Juan's wife.In Episode #528 of 'Meanderings', Juan & I discuss: the famous “36 questions that can lead to love”, what these sorts of prompts actually reveal about a person, whether these questions help build genuine intimacy or just speed-run a connection that may not be viable in the real world, why it can sometimes be more useful to find the deal-breakers early rather than trying to fall in love with “anyone”.What are your thoughts on this, reach out and let us know!Timeline: (00:00:0…
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5 Ideas I’m Taking Into September | The August Codex
This is my August Codex, five ideas, plus one bonus, that kept surfacing as I reviewed a month of daily notes, training, family life, work, reading and trying to live a little better.The idea behind the Codex is simple: instead of collecting notes forever, I want to periodically compress them into principles I can actually use.This month:Capacity is not readiness — leaving some capacity unused creates room for recovery, exploration, serendipity and the unexpected.Recovery is where adaptation happens — rest isn't t…
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Monthly Goals | September 2026
It's time for our monthly check in where we review our goals from last month and see what's coming up for the next.Do you set yourself monthly goals and if so, how many do you set? Juan and I on the first week of every month go over our progress from the previous month and where we are heading for the next. Emphasis as always is on the shortcomings; what we didn't achieve in the previous monthly goals and how we will fix that for the month that comes. We hope you get some value from this series, showcasing our own…
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Time To Get Jacked | Juan's Annual Goals For 2027
Another birthday, another refocus.In Episode #527 of 'Meanderings', Juan & I discuss: becoming stronger, faster and more resilient without constantly chasing peaks, aiming to make Mere Mortals a more serious creative institution, build greater career and financial optionality, create a personal “codex” to better retain, apply and share what learnings, being more deliberate about marriage/daughters’ childhood experiences and showing up calmer, warmer and three bigger “boss battle” goals for the year: one major phys…
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Robots Are Starting to Understand | Mere Mortals Robotics #1
Robots can already walk, lift, manipulate objects and drive through major cities, but when do they become reliably useful?Welcome to the first episode of Mere Mortals Robotics: a monthly, plainspoken exploration of robotics, physical AI, automation and the future of work.In this August 2026 state of play, I look beyond backflips, boxing demonstrations and futuristic marketing to ask where robots are beginning to perform useful, repeatable work.We explore:• Why robot intelligence is moving from “see and act” toward…
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Monthly Goals | August 2026
It's time for our monthly check in where we review our goals from last month and see what's coming up for the next.Do you set yourself monthly goals and if so, how many do you set? Juan and I on the first week of every month go over our progress from the previous month and where we are heading for the next. Emphasis as always is on the shortcomings; what we didn't achieve in the previous monthly goals and how we will fix that for the month that comes. We hope you get some value from this series, showcasing our own…
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Juan's Robotic Future | How SciFi Are We Going To Get?
Juan's going to teach us about robots and stuff, beep boop.In Episode #526 of 'Meanderings', Juan and I discuss: when robots might actually arrive in everyday life, the difference between software progress in AI and the much tougher challenge of getting machines to move reliably in the physical world, why humanoid robots are so compelling yet so difficult, how the earliest large-scale robotics wins will likely happen in high-value/dangerous/efficiency-driven industries, thoughts on autonomous vehicles/robotic law…
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Stop Proving You Can Do Hard Things | 17 Lessons From 2026
At some point, doing harder things stops being growth.The more important question becomes: Is your ambition creating more life, or slowly consuming the life it was supposed to improve?In this Mere Mortals philosophy episode, I work through 17 personal lessons from the first part of 2026. These ideas have come from documenting my daily life as a husband, father of two young daughters, athlete, engineer, podcaster, business owner and someone still trying to understand how all those identities fit together.00:00 Intr…
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Celebrating The Big Events | When Does Joy Turn Into Obligation?
How do celebrations differ in their rituals, level of fun & meaning?In Episode #525 of 'Meanderings', Juan & I discuss: where celebration can start to feel more like obligation, a run of weddings for close friends, the difference between meaningful commemoration and going through the motions, what makes effort feel worthwhile and the idea that the most memorable celebrations tend to be less complex and more intense.Stan Link: https://stan.store/meremortalsTimeline:(00:00:00) Intro(00:01:54) Wedding rituals, oblig…
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Bitcoin Bros & Bear Market Blues | What's The Point In Owning Crypto?
Are we buying Bitcoin to compensate for our fragile masculinities?In Episode #524 of 'Meanderings', Juan and I discuss: are young men drawn to Bitcoin and crypto because of masculinity, how easy it is for commentators to analyse online language to cherry-pick the loudest voices and build a sweeping narrative from that, our personal journey with Bitcoin and why we still find it compelling today, whether Bitcoin’s future is as a widely used currency and what actually gives something value. Stan Link: https://stan.st…
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Monthly Goals | July 2026
It's time for our monthly check in where we review our goals from last month and see what's coming up for the next.Do you set yourself monthly goals and if so, how many do you set? Juan and I on the first week of every month go over our progress from the previous month and where we are heading for the next. Emphasis as always is on the shortcomings; what we didn't achieve in the previous monthly goals and how we will fix that for the month that comes. We hope you get some value from this series, showcasing our own…
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The Problems Of Probabilities | Prediction & Gambling In The Future
After a year of gambling I am none the wiser of understanding probabilities.In Episode #523 of 'Meanderings', Juan & I discuss: probabilities/gambling/arbitrage, how my brother first found ways to exploit betting promotions, using sports betting apps in conjunction with Polymarket, how markets set probabilities, whether AI will become genuinely better than humans at predicting future outcomes, complexity making exact prediction almost impossible and the future of livestreaming and personal data. Stan Link: https:/…