Offline Podcast and Succession TV Series Quiz

Offline Challenge: Breaking Phone Addiction

The hosts of the podcast Offline, John Favreau and Max Fisher, are embarking on a six-week experiment to heal their addiction to smartphones and help listeners do the same.
Smartphone addiction is a real issue that affects everyone, and it's easy to take it for granted and laugh it off.
Three things have been learned about smartphone addiction: people spend significantly more time on their phones than they want to, they spend that time on things that make them sadder, lonelier, and more anxious, and they usually fail when they try to change their relationship with their phones on their own.
Examining screen time is a good place to start to understand phone addiction.
John's average screen time for last week was six hours and 12 minutes, with Twitter being the most used app at 11 hours and 43 minutes.
Max's average screen time for last week was four hours and 50 minutes, with Slack being the most used app at almost six hours.
The number of times in a day that someone picks up their phone is a more significant marker of addiction than screen time.
John's average pickups per day are 284, while Max's are 108.
The hosts will be imposing a series of hard restrictions on how they can use their phones for six weeks and will try out a new offline challenge every week.
The goal is to learn what works and what doesn't, what changes as a result of the restrictions, and how effective they are at letting people have the lives they want instead of the lives that tech companies want them to have.
The challenges will make for great social content, but the primary goal is to help each other and listeners identify manageable and sustainable changes to break phone addiction.
The challenges will be tested for their effectiveness in improving focus, making people happier, and allowing them to spend more time reading or writing, among other things.Offline Challenge: Taking Back Control from Smartphone Addiction
The hosts discuss strategies for unplugging from smartphones, including using a plastic safe with a timer, completely unplugging on Saturdays, and setting time limits on social media apps.
One host shares their personal experience with addiction to social media and how they took a nine-month break from it before returning with specific rules for usage.
Both hosts admit to struggling with smartphone addiction and setting time limits on certain apps, but still find themselves checking their phones excessively.
The hosts discuss the negative impact of smartphone addiction on personal relationships and overall well-being.
They acknowledge the difficulty of breaking free from smartphone addiction due to the addictive nature of technology and the powerful forces behind it.
The hosts express a desire to reset their relationship with their phones and regain control of their time and attention.
They announce their intention to take part in a series of offline challenges with the help of Austin, Emma, and Caroline.
The challenges will be presented publicly and are open for others to join in as well.
The goal of the challenges is to reset one's relationship with their phone and take back control of their time and attention.
The hosts acknowledge the value of public accountability in sticking to the challenges.
The first challenge will be presented in the next segment.
The hosts are sponsored by ZBiotics, a product that supports digestive health and helps reduce the negative effects of alcohol consumption.Zebiotics Pre-Alcohol Probiotic and the Offline Phone Challenge
Zebiotics Pre-Alcohol Probiotic is the world's first genetically engineered probiotic designed to tackle rough mornings after drinking.
The probiotic produces an enzyme that breaks down the toxic byproduct of alcohol in the gut.
Zebiotics should be taken before drinking alcohol to avoid a rough next day.
The probiotic is backed with a 100% money-back guarantee.
The Offline Phone Challenge is a new weekly challenge presented by the Offline podcast.
The first challenge is to switch from smartphones to F1 Sunbeam flip phones for a week.
The challenge intends to test the addictive nature of smartphones and to encourage people to take a break from them.
The challenge also includes typing full sentences on T9 or tweeting on T9.
The challenge has a winner and loser, with the winner receiving small perks for the next challenge.
The hosts are nervous about giving up their smartphones, but they are excited to try new hobbies and read more books.
The challenge will be filmed by crooked goblins and include midweek testimonials.
Listeners can participate in the challenge and send feedback to the Offline podcast.Discussion of Blue Sky and Analysis of Succession Episode "Living Plus"
Blue Sky is a new social media platform that is currently in beta testing.
Many media personalities, celebrities, and politicians have already joined the platform and are posting "Skeets."
The culture on Blue Sky is still developing and people are still figuring out how to use the platform.
The format of Blue Sky is similar to Twitter, but the posts are called "Skeets."
The launch of Waystar's new product, a gated retirement community called Living Plus, is the focus of the latest episode of Succession.
Kendall uses the Living Plus launch to come up with a way to blow up the Gojo deal.
Kendall pitches Living Plus as a personalized longevity program that will give people immortality, resulting in a massive increase in revenue.
The pitch is a satire of Silicon Valley culture, where inflated projections and unrealistic promises are common.
The Roy family is motivated by their father's approval and power, rather than money.
The episode contrasts with Elon Musk's recent attempt to drive up the stock price of Tesla with a similar pitch, which failed.
The episode is reminiscent of the Theranos scandal, where the founder defrauded investors and spread disinformation.
Despite the cynicism of the characters, there is still a sense of being high on their own supply and believing in the potential of their pitch.