Sliding Doors Podcast

As a demonstration of what machine learning and AI can be used for in daily life, NVidia has released the beta version of their RTX Voice application. What this app does is truly amazing. It filters out all audio except for human voice that is spoken into a microphone this means that in most cases, it will also filter out background voices. This makes it a boon for people who are in video conferences, video game streamers, webinar hosts, podcasters and more! In fact, this episode of Sliding Doors was recorded with RTX Voice for both Rohan and Susheel. Listen to it and let us know what you think. 

The COVID threat is both new and old. The coronavirus and the way  it infects is novel, but we’ve seen pandemics before. So, what have we  learned from them? And can we distill those lessons into actionable  solutions for the COVID challenge? Dr Prathap Tharyan (Adjunct Professor, Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Christian Medical College, Vellore)  talks to us about his experiences dealing with the AIDS pandemic in the  80s and the striking parallels to what COVID is doing to us. He  discusses the data, the facts, and then his reflections on what we as a  community can do -- not just to survive, but to thrive.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE EPISODE:

-- How Prathap got involved with the AIDS pandemic (03:28)

-- Tackling AIDS in the Northeast -- heroin kingpins & shampoo-sachet syringes (07:10)

--  Parallels between AIDS & COVID-19 -- The origins, no treatment,  global panic, stigmatization, faulty testing, and more (13:08)

-- How Prathap knew COVID would be a big deal -- analyzing the data from China (22:14)

-- Question: Mainly older people die, so is it okay for young people to go out? (29:48)

--Question: Is COVID here to stay? Is it something we have to just live with? (33:44)

-- Lessons we can learn from other countries (38:05)

-- Why a lockdown alone isn’t enough (45:32)

-- What is a ‘social vaccine’? (48:33)

-- How to tackle the psychological impact of social isolation (56:13)
-- There is hope ... if we do one crucial thing (1:07:56)

LINKS MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE

How do communities form? What keeps them together? And why do they split? 

Referencing  events discussed in the first episode of the season, Susheel recollects  his behind-the-scenes experiences of Parkour's birth and growth in  Chennai. And over the course of the conversation, he captures a basic  truth about many young communities: They form without structure and  purpose. A bunch of people just get together to do something they love.

𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐃𝐄:

-- How do many communities start? Is there a mission and a vision? Or is it spontaneous? [03:36]

-- How does a group get its identity? Is it a conscious moulding? Can any one person control it? [18:18]

-- Why do communities split? What caused the split with Chennai Parkour? [22:25]

-- Is conflict inevitable? And if so, why? [33:06]

-- Why Susheel doesn't see himself as a 'community builder' but, rather, a problem solver. [37:24]  

𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐒𝐔𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐋:

Joe Rogan is an American comedian, mixed martial artist, UFC commentator, and podcaster with a cult following. In 2019, his 'Joe Rogan Experience' (JRE) podcast was averaging 190,000,000 downloads a month -- giving him a greater reach than even American mainstream media!

But is Joe (as writer Theodore Kupfer asks) a "weed-smoking DMT-obsessive, whose most cherished political cause is the quest to end male circumcision"? Or is he "one of the last bastions for civil discussion in contemporary America"?

𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐃𝐄:

--What is MMA? And is there beauty in violence? (11:30)

--Joe's origin story (17:10)

--Why watch the JRE podcast? What's cool about long-form podcasts? (22:50)

--Does having a messed up childhood make you a more interesting person? (33:09)

--How podcasting is a one-way mirror into someone's life (34:23)

--Free speech: How outrageous are we allowed to get? Should we shut down someone just because we don't agree with them? The Jordan Peterson controversy. (36:37)

--Why learn self-defense? And the darkness in a Navy SEAL's mindset. (51:25)

𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐒𝐔𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐋:

--Follow him at @susheel_c (Twitter) and susheel02 (Instagram)

Freelancing is challenging but rewarding if done right. Listen to Susheel (filmmaker, photographer, graphic designer) and Rohan (content writer, content marketer) discuss their combined 20+ years of trying to figure out the freelancing game.

𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐃𝐄:

-- What brought Susheel and Rohan to where they are today

-- Freelancing etiquette, awkward client interactions, and how to handle conflicts of interest (10:15)

-- How adapting to new technology can help your career (11:40)

-- Why become a freelancer? Art vs Craft. (17:26)

-- What is content marketing? And does it have a dark side? (23:18)

-- What to consider when choosing a client. And how to help confused clients. (29:33)

-- Do you need to vibe with your clients and/or connect with their cause? (48:45)

-- Should you specialize or stay general? And how do you combat boredom if you specialize? (56:40)

-- The Corona Virus: Because it's out there (at the time of recording) and we have no idea what to make of it. (70:00)

𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐒𝐔𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐋:

--Follow him at @susheel_c (Twitter) and susheel02 (Instagram)

"Parkour is a religion and David Belle is God!" Cult, exercise routine, or catalyst for personal and spiritual growth? In this pilot episode of the podcast, Susheel and Rohan talk about how they fell in love with Parkour, what it means to them, and how it changed the way they see movement, diet, and discipline.

𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐒𝐔𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐋:

--Follow him at @susheel_c (Twitter) and susheel02 (Instagram)