The Man Who Thinks He Never Has To Eat Again Is Probably Going To Be A Billionai

[garbon]

http://www.vice.com/read/rob-rhinehart-interview-soylent-never-eat-again?utm_Source=vicefbus

Remember Rob Rhinehart? I'm sure you do because it's hard to forget about a guy existing solely on vitamin puke. A few months ago we wrote about Soylent, an incredibly nutritious "food replacement" smoothie that Rob, a 24-year-old engineer, had been making and consuming as his only food source for almost five weeks. On one hand, it did look a bit like semen—but on the other, Rob claimed that by drinking it every day he'd never have to eat again. Given that starvation is a fairly major problem in the world at the moment and the planet's population will likely surpass 9 billion by 2050, Rob's invention seems like an important one.

Since we last talked to him, Rob and Soylent have become famous. His project has been derided as "dangerous," "ludicrous," and "a red flag for a potential eating disorder" by nutrition experts. Fortunately for Rob, the supporters of Soylent have been generous: a crowdfunding project for his fancy health goo raised almost $800,000 in under 30 days. Now Rob is the CEO of the Soylent Corporation; his hobby has officially turned into a career. His management team might look like the kind of technically minded nerds who'd want to consume most of their meals in the form of a beige, odorless powder mix, but they're also the potential forefathers of a famine cure.

With over $1 million in preorders already received for Soylent worldwide, it seems like this stuff is going to stick around. I caught up with Rob to ask how it's all going for Soylent—which some are already calling "the future of food."

...

I really just wanted to post this for this part:

Have you made any changes to Soylent now that it's not just you eating it?
The formula has changed, making it as nutritionally optimal as possible and improving the taste, texture, and mouthfeel. My initial version was just a prototype. We now have a men's and a women's version that should mostly cover the vast majority of people. I still recommend eating some traditional food, I just find it makes me feel tired compared to Soylent. I never liked cooking, but engineering food has been a lot of fun. At this point, it amazes me what people manage to live on.

Also, is there evidence that supports things that taste better to men vs. women?

[CountDeMoney]

Given that starvation is a fairly major problem in the world at the moment and the planet's population will likely surpass 9 billion by 2050, Rob's invention seems like an important one.

I disagree;  it is one of the easiest and most achievable methods in controlling the population explosion.

[Ed Anger]

Ide survives on 2 Reese Cups a day.

[Iormlund]

I mentioned it back then I think, but liquid-only diets have existed for many, many years.

Nestlé for example makes Modulen, which is aimed at people with severe inflammatory bowel disease. I pretty much survived on that the summer before surgery.

[Lettow77]

 Mouthfeel is a word tea snobs tend to use, and is so bothersome it has snuck into general conversation. An irritating situation might be described by friends as having a "creamy mouthfeel."

[Eddie Teach]

The mouthfeel of mouthsugar is unmatched.

[Viking]

http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Breatharianism

Breatharianism is the old/new age idea that one can live without food and drink, and subsist only off of "pranic light." According to practitioners, pranic light is accurate, channelled information from a huge invisible spaceship hovering over North America.[1]

[Malthus]

I can't get over the fact he deliberately called the stuff "Soylent". 

[MadImmortalMan]

I can't get over the fact he deliberately called the stuff "Soylent". 

There is a drug deliberately branded as "Soma" too. Either they were trying to be ironic like these guys or that marketing department needs to read some books once in a while.

[garbon]

I can't get over the fact he deliberately called the stuff "Soylent". 

There is a drug deliberately branded as "Soma" too. Either they were trying to be ironic like these guys or that marketing department needs to read some books once in a while.

Seems a rather apt name for what the drug does.

[Barrister]

I can't get over the fact he deliberately called the stuff "Soylent". 

There is a drug deliberately branded as "Soma" too. Either they were trying to be ironic like these guys or that marketing department needs to read some books once in a while.

I think it's as simple as trying to cash in on pre-existing awareness of the name.

[crazy canuck]

I can't get over the fact he deliberately called the stuff "Soylent". 

Marketing genius.  If the reaction of my boys and their circle of friends is any indication.

[lustindarkness]

Brought to you by Soylent red and Soylent yellow, high energy vegetable concentrates, and new, delicious, Soylent green. The miracle food of high-energy plankton gathered from the oceans of the world.

[Darth Wagtaros]

Fry: How does it taste?

Leela: It varies from person to person.

[crazy canuck]