#484 – Dan Houser: GTA, Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar, Absurd & Future of Gaming

Aaron Smith-Levin is a former Scientologist, Vice President of the Aftermath Foundation, and host of the Growing Up In Scientology YouTube channel. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – Green Chef: https://greenchef.com/lex60 and use code lex60 to get 60% off plus free shipping – InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.com/lex to get 20% off – Athletic Greens: https://athleticgreens.com/lex to get 1 month of fish oil EPISODE LINKS: Aaron’s YouTube: https://youtube.com/@GrowingUpInScientology Aaron’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/GrowingupinSCN The Aftermath Foundation: https://theaftermathfoundation.org SP Shop: https://thespshop.com Books mentioned: 1. A Billion Years: https://amzn.to/3EpLiMM 2. Blown for Good: https://amzn.to/3IqaZxN PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: – Check out the sponsors above, it’s the best way to support this podcast – Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman – Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman – Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) – Introduction (06:00) – Thetans (09:59) – Dianetics (22:02) – God (32:38) – Sea Org (36:48) – Auditing (57:01) – Control (1:07:25) – David Miscavige (1:16:32) – Xenu (1:32:26) – Secrecy (1:38:29) – Mike Rinder (1:45:36) – Separation of families (1:52:30) – Tom Cruise (1:56:23) – Sin (2:01:19) – Corruption

25 Feb 20232h 17min

Tim Urban is the author of the blog Wait But Why and a new book What’s Our Problem?: A Self-Help Book for Societies. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – House of Macadamias: https://houseofmacadamias.com/lex and use code LEX to get 20% off your first order – Indeed: https://indeed.com/lex to get $75 credit – Athletic Greens: https://athleticgreens.com/lex to get 1 month of fish oil EPISODE LINKS: Tim’s new book: https://waitbutwhy.com/whatsourproblem Tim’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/waitbutwhy Tim’s Website: https://waitbutwhy.com Tim’s Instagram: https://instagram.com/timurban Tim’s TED talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk5C149J9C0 PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: – Check out the sponsors above, it’s the best way to support this podcast – Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman – Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman – Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) – Introduction (05:48) – Human history (21:47) – Greatest people in history (29:35) – Social media (36:17) – Good times and bad times (47:48) – Wisdom vs stupidity (49:55) – Utopia (1:04:05) – Conspiracy theories (1:17:16) – Arguing on the Internet (1:37:16) – Political division (1:47:10) – Power games (1:55:09) – Donald Trump and Republican Party (2:12:17) – Social justice (2:34:59) – Censorship gap (2:42:30) – Free speech (2:46:33) – Thinking and universities (2:54:56) – Liv Boeree joins conversation (3:07:15) – Hopes for the future

20 Feb 20233h 10min

Andrew Strominger is a theoretical physicist at Harvard. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – Eight Sleep: https://www.eightsleep.com/lex to get special savings – Rocket Money: https://rocketmoney.com/lex – Indeed: https://indeed.com/lex to get $75 credit – ExpressVPN: https://expressvpn.com/lexpod to get 3 months free EPISODE LINKS: Andrew’s website: https://www.physics.harvard.edu/people/facpages/strominger Andrew’s papers: Soft Hair on Black Holes: https://arxiv.org/abs/1601.00921 Photon Rings Around Warped Black Holes: https://arxiv.org/abs/2211.01674 PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: – Check out the sponsors above, it’s the best way to support this podcast – Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman – Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman – Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) – Introduction (06:34) – Black holes (11:37) – Albert Einstein (31:05) – Quantum gravity (35:17) – String theory (46:05) – Holographic principle (54:02) – De Sitter space (59:14) – Speed of light (1:06:02) – Black hole information paradox (1:13:41) – Soft particles (1:22:48) – Physics vs mathematics (1:31:58) – Theory of everything (1:47:20) – Time (1:49:45) – Photon rings (2:05:26) – Thought experiments (2:13:47) – Aliens (2:19:25) – Nuclear weapons

15 Feb 20232h 25min

Aella is a sex researcher, writer, and sex worker. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – House of Macadamias: https://houseofmacadamias.com/lex and use code LEX to get 20% off your first order – Athletic Greens: https://athleticgreens.com/lex to get 1 month of fish oil – InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.com/lex to get 20% off EPISODE LINKS: Aella’s Website: https://knowingless.com/ Aella’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/aella_girl/ Aella’s OnlyFans: https://onlyfans.com/aella_girl/ Askhole card game: https://askhole.io/ PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: – Check out the sponsors above, it’s the best way to support this podcast – Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman – Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman – Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) – Introduction (06:14) – Uncertainty (13:51) – Sex, power, and death (26:21) – Free will (27:46) – Consciousness (37:41) – Childhood (50:39) – Dancing (1:03:56) – Casual sex (1:06:10) – Camming (1:21:05) – OnlyFans (1:31:19) – Dating (1:47:11) – Escorting (2:05:12) – Emotion vs reason (2:13:17) – Love (2:20:50) – Polyamory (2:29:44) – Monogamy (2:36:14) – Sex fetishes (2:53:42) – Dominance and submissiveness (3:03:23) – Psychedelics (3:22:35) – Romance (3:30:05) – Body count (3:39:51) – Porn (3:43:10) – Mortality (3:45:46) – AI (3:56:26) – Rationalist discourse (4:00:18) – Meaning of life

10 Feb 20234h 2min

Paul Conti is a psychiatrist. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/lex to get free product tour – Indeed: https://indeed.com/lex to get $75 credit – InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.com/lex to get 20% off EPISODE LINKS: Paul’s Website: https://drpaulconti.com Trauma (book): https://amzn.to/40vCVJa Paul’s LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dr-paul-m-conti-845074216 PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: – Check out the sponsors above, it’s the best way to support this podcast – Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman – Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman – Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) – Introduction (06:28) – Human Mind (24:08) – Evil (30:22) – Envy (53:25) – Narcissism (1:21:59) – Pride (1:39:12) – Death (1:54:02) – Trauma (2:19:06) – Therapy (2:33:17) – Subconscious mind (2:39:13) – Conversation (2:51:59) – Emotion (3:15:11) – Advice for young people

7 Feb 20233h 22min

Tim Dodd is host of the Everyday Astronaut YouTube channel, where he teaches about rocket engines and all things space travel. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/lex to get 10% off – MasterClass: https://masterclass.com/lex to get 15% off – Shopify: https://shopify.com/lex to get free trial – ExpressVPN: https://expressvpn.com/lexpod to get 3 months free EPISODE LINKS: Tim’s YouTube: https://youtube.com/@EverydayAstronaut Tim’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/Erdayastronaut Tim’s Instagram: https://instagram.com/everydayastronaut Tim’s Website: https://everydayastronaut.com PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: – Check out the sponsors above, it’s the best way to support this podcast – Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman – Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman – Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) – Introduction (06:18) – SpaceX rockets (26:56) – Falcon 9 (31:08) – Starship (35:27) – SpaceX rocket engines (43:05) – Elon Musk (58:41) – Twitter (1:04:46) – How rocket engines work (1:09:37) – Rocket fuel (1:13:03) – Rocket engine cycles (1:25:27) – Rocket cooling (1:40:24) – Multistage rockets (1:43:57) – Single-stage-to-orbit (1:49:33) – Aerospike engine (1:57:18) – Greatest car engine of all time (2:02:27) – Starship (2:05:19) – Wet dress rehearsal (2:11:29) – Landing (2:25:47) – Seeing starship in person (2:34:54) – Starship orbital test (2:41:32) – Gwynne Shotwell (2:46:43) – dearMoon project (3:05:46) – Fear of death (3:14:12) – Everyday Astronaut origin story (3:40:04) – Soviet Rocket Engine History (3:58:51) – Russia, China, USA (4:13:20) – Starlink (4:21:06) – First human on Mars (4:24:04) – Moon landing (4:30:11) – Nuclear propulsion (4:37:51) – Bob Lazar (4:44:54) – Aliens (4:48:42) – Sci-fi books (4:52:00) – Long-term space travel (4:58:47) – SpaceX competitors (5:10:07) – Kerbal Space Program (5:16:33) – Advice for young people

2 Feb 20235h 21min

David Kipping is an astronomer at Columbia University, director of the Cool Worlds Lab, and host of the Cool Worlds YouTube channel. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – SimpliSafe: https://simplisafe.com/lex – Shopify: https://shopify.com/lex to get free trial – ExpressVPN: https://expressvpn.com/lexpod to get 3 months free EPISODE LINKS: David’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/david_kipping David’s YouTube: https://youtube.com/@CoolWorldsLab Cool Worlds Lab: https://coolworldslab.com/ PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: – Check out the sponsors above, it’s the best way to support this podcast – Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman – Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman – Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) – Introduction (05:10) – Habitable exoplanets (15:30) – Alien life in our Solar System (27:20) – Starship (31:28) – James Webb Space Telescope (44:47) – Binary planets (55:04) – Exomoons and Kepler-1625b (1:08:34) – Discoveries of alien life (1:22:15) – Aliens (2:08:43) – Oort clouds (2:19:30) – Future of astronomy (2:32:45) – Alpha Centauri (2:45:03) – Kardashev scale (2:56:41) – AI and space exploration (3:13:37) – Great Filter (3:24:51) – Colonization of Mars (3:31:35) – Simulation hypothesis (3:43:48) – Advice for young people (3:48:06) – Meaning of life

28 Jan 20233h 50min

Jeremi Suri is a historian at UT Austin. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – Eight Sleep: https://www.eightsleep.com/lex to get special savings – BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/lex to get 10% off – InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.com/lex to get 20% off – Athletic Greens: https://athleticgreens.com/lex to get 1 month of fish oil EPISODE LINKS: Jeremi’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremisuri This is Democracy podcast: https://podcasts.la.utexas.edu/this-is-democracy Jeremi’s Website: https://jeremisuri.net Jeremi’s Books: 1. Civil War by Other Means: https://amzn.to/3hRa3cT 2. The Impossible Presidency: https://amzn.to/3hTn5X8 3. Henry Kissinger: https://amzn.to/3WqkBOY PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: – Check out the sponsors above, it’s the best way to support this podcast – Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman – Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman – Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) – Introduction (06:45) – Revolutions and governments (24:23) – American Civil War (33:35) – Lincoln and election of 1860 (37:25) – Slavery (50:35) – Freedom of speech (1:02:17) – Death toll of the Civil War (1:05:36) – Ulysses S. Grant (1:07:45) – Ku Klux Klan (1:19:27) – Robert E. Lee (1:27:11) – Abraham Lincoln (1:42:18) – If the south won (1:50:54) – Hypocrisy of the Founders (1:56:56) – John Wilkes Booth (2:00:11) – White supremacy (2:05:34) – Disputed elections (2:15:56) – Politics (2:24:20) – Donald Trump and Joe Biden (2:37:06) – January 6th (3:02:04) – Hope for the future

25 Jan 20230s