Exhalation

This book by Ted Chiang has been genuinely recommended 6 times across 2 different shows: Lex Fridman, Tim Ferriss. The people who vouched for it on air: Kevin Rose, Michael Littman, Tim Ferriss. It comes up in conversations about addiction & recovery, anxiety & stress, consciousness, depression & mood, exercise & strength. The earliest recommendation we indexed is from Apr 2020 and the most recent from Feb 2024. Every quote below is verbatim, attributed, and linked to the exact second it was said. Sourced expert opinion, not medical advice.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR • Nine stunningly original, provocative, and poignant stories, two published for the very first time, all from the mind of the incomparable author of Stories of Your Life and Others Tackling some of humanity’s oldest questions along with new quandaries only he could imagine, these stories will change the way you think, feel, and see the world. They are Ted Chiang at his best: profound, sympathetic, revelatory. Ted Chiang tackles some of humanity’s oldest questions along with new quandaries only he could imagine.

• “I'll usually steer them to, say, Ted Chiang short stories like Exhalation is his second collection.”

  Why it counts as a recommendation: “I'll usually steer them to, say, Ted Chiang short stories like Exhalation”
  Tim Ferriss · The Tim Ferriss Show · Feb 202400:36:01

  Said during "How to Take Radical Ownership of Your Life and Career, Claire Hughes Johnson". The episode features Claire Hughes Johnson: Former COO of Stripe (and prior Google executive); author of Scaling People: Tactics for Management and Company Building. Stripe's former COO Claire Hughes Johnson on radical ownership, saying hard truths, renegotiating commitments, and building self-awareness as a leader.

• “one sci-fi book to recommend is exhalations by ted chang a bunch of short stories”

  Why it counts as a recommendation: “one sci-fi book to recommend”
  Michael Littman · Lex Fridman Podcast · Dec 202001:51:08

  Said during "Michael Littman: Reinforcement Learning and the Future of AI | Lex Fridman Podcast #144". The episode features Michael Littman: Computer science professor at Brown University researching and teaching machine learning, reinforcement learning, and AI. A prolific maker of computer-science parody songs and a former TurboTax commercial cameo, he has had a front-row seat to RL's history since the 1980s. Brown professor Michael Littman on reinforcement learning, why he is unmoved by AI doom, AlphaGo, and the social subtlety of self-driving cars.

• “ted chang's work he has a compilation of short stories called exhalation ... these are really really really incredible stories”

  Why it counts as a recommendation: “these are really really really incredible stories ... i think you'd enjoy it ... i love it”
  Tim Ferriss · The Tim Ferriss Show · Oct 202001:06:58

  Said during "Yuval Noah Harari on The Story of Sapiens, The Power of Awareness, and More | The Tim Ferriss Show". The episode features Yuval Noah Harari: Historian and best-selling author of Sapiens, Homo Deus, and 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, considered one of the world's most influential public intellectuals. A longtime Vipassana meditation practitioner who has now adapted Sapiens into a graphic novel series. Yuval Noah Harari on meditation, the fictional stories that bind humanity, suffering as a test of reality, and the existential risks ahead.

• “he has a new collection called exhalation that i highly recommend to people and then ken liu”

  Why it counts as a recommendation: “a new collection called exhalation that i highly recommend to people”
  Tim Ferriss · The Tim Ferriss Show · Jul 202001:49:25

  Said during "Brad Feld, The Art of Unplugging, Carving Your Own Path, and More! | The Tim Ferriss Show". The episode features Brad Feld: Early-stage investor and entrepreneur since 1987, co-founder of Foundry Group and Techstars, and author of multiple books in the Startup Revolution series. He is also an OCD/depression mental-health advocate, art collector, and 50-state marathon runner based in Boulder, Colorado. VC Brad Feld tells Tim Ferriss how unplugging rituals, therapy, and openness about depression sustained him through entrepreneurial chaos.

• “exhalation 100% agrees yes fantastic series of short fiction books that are amazing highly recommend”

  Why it counts as a recommendation: “fantastic, amazing, highly recommend”
  Kevin Rose · The Tim Ferriss Show · Apr 202000:42:23

  Said during "The Random Show: Boozy Quarantine Edition!". The episode features Kevin Rose: Kevin Rose is a serial entrepreneur, investor at True Ventures, and Tim Ferriss's longtime friend and co-host of The Random Show. He joins Tim for this live, boozy quarantine-edition conversation. Tim Ferriss and Kevin Rose drink wine and riff on quarantine life, books, investing, anxiety, and binge-watching during early COVID-19.

• “Ted Chiang exhalation is his latest his latest collection is just incredible ... so that is a top recommendation”

  Why it counts as a recommendation: “that is a top recommendation”
  Tim Ferriss · The Tim Ferriss Show · Apr 202001:09:12

  Said during "Brian Koppelman on Making Art, Francis Ford Coppola, and More | The Tim Ferriss Show". The episode features Brian Koppelman: Screenwriter, novelist, director, and producer best known for co-creating Showtime's Billions and co-writing Rounders and Ocean's Thirteen. He also hosts The Moment podcast and was the tenth-ever guest on The Tim Ferriss Show. Brian Koppelman on giving and taking feedback, beating creative and personal stuckness, building serendipity, and the art behind making art.