The one that changed how I see history
Guns, Germs, and Steel
The book that taught me to ask "why here, why them, why not us" about everything from wheat to writing. Nothing I have read since explains more with less.
Edition 001 · Monday, October 19, 2026
Three things worth your attention today.
One post, one video, three books. Picked by hand, explained in plain words, in English and Chinese.
01 · On X
The post behind this edition
Embedded straight from X. Open the thread to read the replies, or add yours there.
02 · Watch
A conversation worth two hours
English original · Chinese subtitled versionHuberman LabDr. Jared Diamond1 h 53 min
What Makes Great Leaders & How to Live an Extraordinary Life
Diamond is a Pulitzer winner, a physiologist, and a man who has spent sixty years studying birds in New Guinea. Huberman gets him talking about the leaders he admires and the ones he distrusts, from Truman to Jim Jones, and about how he keeps his mind and body working at 89.
Subtitles translated and burned in by me. The original stays on Huberman Lab's own channels; I only host the Chinese version.
Episode notes and the books mentioned03 · Read
Three books for after the episode
Links go to Amazon
His new book, and what the episode is really about
Profits, Prophets, Coaches, and Kings
Published last month, and the book the whole interview grows out of: do leaders actually matter, and when? Diamond tests the question across history, business, sport, and religion, from Seretse Khama to John Wooden, with data as well as stories.
The host's own manual, and I bought a spare
Protocols
The protocols Huberman has been spelling out for years, written down as one manual: sleep, light, exercise, and the rest of the daily machinery. I bought two copies on Amazon's buy-two-get-one-half-off. The spare is for someone who will actually use it.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The links cost you nothing extra.