On this episode, Nick and Ken go down some pretty deep rabbit holes around the topics of psychology and life in Japan.

Links:

Cognitive psychology | Wikipedia

Industrial and organizational psychology | Wikipedia

Human intelligence | Wikipedia

Personality | Wikipedia

"Japan's Births Decline To Lowest Number On Record" by Laurel Wamsley | NPR

"Japan must abolish mandatory retirement" by Shigeo Kashiwagi | Nikkei

"This might be the 'silver lining' for Japan" by Elena Holodny

"Japanese women face a future of poverty, as confluence of factors conspire against them" by Marina Katanuma | The Japan Times

Kodokushi (lonely death) | Wikipedia

The Devil's Advocate on the wisdom in the famous quotes from Fight Club.

Life in Japan:

- Public holidays in Japan (Ken)

- Japan's births fall below 900,000 for the first time on record (Nick)

Book Report:

- The Watchmen (2019 TV mini-series), and The Official Watchmen Podcast (Ken)

- The Mandalorian TV series (Nick)

Links:

Public holidays in Japan | Wikipedia

Japan's births fall below 900,000 for the first time on record | Nikkei

The Mandalorian series (TV series) | IMDb

Car Talk podcast | NPR

Watchmen (comic) | Amazon

Watchmen (2009 movie) | IMDb

The Watchmen (2019 TV mini-series) | IMDb

The Official Watchmen Podcast | HBO

Chernobyl (TV Mini-Series 2019) | IMDb

The Chernobyl Podcast | Apple Podcasts

The Leftovers (TV series) | IMDb

Swingers (1996 movie) | IMDb

Why so many Japanese children refuse to go to school | BBC

In our least evergreen episode to date, Nick and Ken have a wide-ranging conversation about the current Corona virus outbreak and our favorite mental models.

Life in Japan

- Corona virus and wearing masks in public (Nick)

- Pollen (Ken)

Book report:

- Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? by Seth Godin (Nick)

- The poetry of David Whyte and Mary Oliver (Ken)

Topics covered:

- Living in Tokyo during the time of COVID-19

- Wearing masks in public in Japan

- Seasonal allergies in Japan

- Going to Roppongi

- Farnam Street blog and mental models

Links:

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) | Wikipedia

Why Japanese wear masks: a look behind health, etiquette, and culture by Cornelius Phanthanh (2018-09-29)

Japan gets creative as mask shortages continue amid COVID-19 spread | Japan Times

A Miami man who flew to China worried he might have coronavirus. He may owe thousands. by Ben Conarck | Miami Herald

You’re Likely to Get the Coronavirus by James Hamblin | The Atlantic

Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? by Seth Godin

World War II in Colour

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Farnam Street Blog

The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish

Ingrid Newkirk: Animalkind | Real Time with Bill Maher on YouTube

The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists by Neil Strauss

A lyrical bridge between past, present and future by David Whyte | TED.com

Where Many Rivers Meet by David Whyte

The Bell and the Blackbird by David Whyte

A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver